by K.N. Lee
“I did the only thing I could,” Tom continued, his beautiful brown eyes solemn as a gathering thundercloud, his face lean and intent. “I followed Gilly. You covered your tracks well, but I was determined to find you. I searched village after village. Then in Nadym, I hit gold. I heard of a baby left at the temple steps and about a lame young girl who cared for goats. And I knew I’d found you.”
“Why?” Gilly thought of all that wasted time. The countless nights she’s spent alone, out on the moors with her goats, staring at the dark sky and wondering about her past. All that time, Tom had been nearby, watching her. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”
“You didn’t trust anyone. I tried to talk to you a few times but you always ran away. And when you grew older,” he hesitated, breaking eye contact.
“He didn’t think you liked him,” Marton said. “I told him you would be lucky to call him your man but he said he wasn’t worthy. I never understood then, I do now. He feels responsible for your father’s death.”
She covered her cheeks as a rush of heat coursed through her body. Had Tom been interested in her as more than a duty, even back then, in Nadym? Why couldn’t he have said so?
There was something important she was missing in this conversation. What had he said about her missing family members? They weren’t at the cottage when he went back to check. Why would the horsemen have taken their bodies? Oh no! Could they still be alive? She cried out.
“Gilly, what’s the matter?” Anna put arm around her. “Talk to me! Don’t shut me out again.”
“If the horsemen didn’t kill Mam, Tamara and Garren, would they have taken them to the castle? To the dungeons. For Tamarisk to drain them of power as he does the magical guild masters?” Gilly clutched her sister by the shoulders, “Oh, Anna, they could have been suffering all this time. While I’ve been hiding, that monster could have been torturing them.”
Gilly and Tom herded the children outside to give Anna and Marton a chance to speak in private. She could well imagine the thoughts racing through sensible, practical, Marton’s mind, now he had discovered his wife was a princess who wields magic.
As am I!
Her mind wrestled with the absurd notion. Yesterday, she was a lonely goat herder. Today, she belonged to Ryca’s highest station.
And Mam might be alive!
Burst of joy spiraled up besides waves of dread at what her family might have gone through these past two decades trapped in the dungeons of Tibor castle. Underpinning those swirling emotions was a quagmire of overwhelming guilt for not returning to the cottage in the woods when her family didn’t show up at the appointed time. For assuming they were dead.
Mam would come for me if she was alive.
The foolishness of such a false belief tasted as sour as week old milk. Tamarisk the sorcerer held Princess Mamosia captive.
She couldn’t come.
Heat washed over Gilly’s face in shame at the safe life she had lived in such complacency. No more. She wanted to storm out of Perm right this minute and straight into whatever horror Tibor held so she could rescue her sister, brother and their mam.
Not so Anna. She had her family’s safety to consider.
How their perspectives had switched in the space of a few hours. Anna now understood why the King of Ryca, their uncle, wished to eliminate her family. Seeking clemency was no longer an option.
Skye wandered ahead along Perm’s main road with a stone wall on one side, and houses built into the mountainside on the other. With happy abandon, the girl poked her head into store windows or chatted with the people on their doorsteps. Bevan, more cautious by nature, clung to Gilly’s side, occasionally swinging on her right arm.
One of his wilder swings tipped her sideways and Tom’s arm snaked around her waist to steady her.
Gilly’s breath caught in her chest at that casual yet intimate gesture. Did he hear her heart speed up?
“A full-scale war against Ywen is out of the question.” Tom said.
“What?” Gilly asked, confused by the abrupt return to their earlier topic while she was still grappling with what to do about his hand at her waist. “Oh, right. Yes. I mean, No, that’s not what I have in mind.”
“Good. A frontal assault would be sheer suicide. Better to mount a secret invasion of the castle, release those trapped in the dungeons and get out fast.”
Amazing how his mind worked so in accord with hers. “We must convince Hagan of the wisdom of that plan.”
Odd, so openly strategizing with another person. After years of planning, taking action and worrying in secrecy, discussing her best option with Tom was as unsettling as his thumb absently stroking her midriff.
Pounding hoof-beats from ahead halted Gilly’s steps, and her thoughts scattered as terror spiked. Before a single horse came into view around the mountainside, Tom pushed her and Bevan in through a nearby open doorway. Luckily, the room was empty of inhabitants.
“I have to get Skye.” Gilly swung back to the door.
Tom’s arm blocked her while he peered outside. “I don’t see her but we have unwelcome company.”
Gilly squeezed in front of him and spotted horses galloping down the street toward them. The King’s Horsemen with One-Eye from Nadym at the lead had arrived in Perm.
She desperately searched for a sign of Skye. People were scattering to get out of the horsemen’s way. Then Tom pointed straight at One-Eye.
The captain was leaning down to pluck Skye up by the back of her dress. Holding her suspended in mid-air, he slowed his mount to a walk. “Come out, witch!”
“You’re not going,” Tom said in a fierce whisper.
“I must.” Terror for Skye overrode her sense of self-preservation. She tore out of his painful grip and limped outside, straight toward One-Eye. “Release her.”
The captain’s grin was insolent.
As she drew closer, Gilly’s tongue tingled as she wove a Come-to-me spell that would yank her niece out of his grip.
He forestalled her by opening his fist. Skye tumbled down with a frightened cry. Gilly leaped forward to catch her and they both sprawled onto the cobblestone street. She was straightening when a net landed over her.
Pain streaked across her back. Skye screamed in agony while Gilly shuddered. Everywhere the net touched was excruciating. She huddled Skye close to shield her from the touch of that scorching net. The girl cowered beneath her and softly whimpered.
A crowd was gathering to watch the spectacle, but Gilly did not expect much help. They looked like visitors who lived outside the walls. None were the shopkeepers she’d seen here or one of the Rycan Warriors that Hagan had introduced to her. Those men were probably hiding. Smart.
Gilly trembled and then her muscles seized tight. Her skin began to itch and her strength leached out of her. That was when she noticed the netting sparkle as drops of energy were sucked out of her body. No, not energy. Light. It drew her magic out in little glinting beads that slithered over the lines before sinking into the knots of the cross links. Is this how they had captured her powerful mother?
One-Eye lowered a sword to Gilly’s throat. “Order me again, witch,” he said in a deadly tone, “and it will be your last words.” The sword’s nick at her throat was akin to a pinprick compared to the net’s torment, but a wet droplet trickled from her throat and slid wetly down her chest. “Where are your kin?”
She took a rasping breath. “At Tibor’s castle.”
“Don’t play games.” He jumped down and stooped to speak. “Where are they?”
“Captain!” a man called out.
Talus? Was he in league with the horsemen? Was that why these butchers were here? Gilly had liked Talus. Begun to trust him. Disappointment lay as heavy as that tormenting net. Yet another failure on her part.
“What seems the trouble here?” Stomp of boots announced Talus’ arrival at their side, but Gilly was unable to move her head to see him. He whisked the netting off in one swift move.
She su
cked in a breath as profound relief washed over her in a blessedly cool wave. She hadn’t been wrong about him. He was a friend.
Gilly scrambled up, and ignoring the armed horsemen, shifted Skye and herself behind Talus. Whispers grew among the crowds watching this spectacle.
“What are you doing, Warrior?” One-Eye asked in an angry tone. Metallic swish of weapons being drawn rang through the air. “This is none of your business.”
“I’m making it mine.” Talus’s tone was hard and uncompromising. “These two are under my care. What is your business with them?”
“The woman and her kin are wanted by the king.” One-Eye motioned to one of his men.
A horseman dismounted and with his drawn sword held out, he cautiously approached Talus and extended his free hand, gesturing to the netting.
Talus tossed the accursed contraption to him.
The captain nodded and sheathed his sword. “The woman travels with this child, the child’s brother and their parents. Do you know the others’ whereabouts?”
Gilly tightened her grip on Talus’s tunic in warning.
Talus crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels. “I repeat. What is your business with them?”
“For starters, she stole my horse.”
“And you admit so in public?”
A horseman behind One-Eye snickered and a few in the crowd chuckled. The captain swung around and glared at his men, trying to spot the culprit. Everyone quieted, displaying bland faces.
One-Eye slowly returned his attention to Talus, and Gilly trembled at the fury in his gaze. She recalled from Nadym that when in a temper, this captain lashed out at anyone nearby, even his own men. Then his malicious gaze settled on her and he pointed. “That one’s accused of practicing magic.”
Gilly’s pulse lurched as the crowd released a collective gasp. Their quiet mutters grew into a din.
One-Eye raised his hand in a commanding gesture. “Silence!”
At once everyone quieted.
Talus said in a calm tone, “She’s been in my care for many days. I’ve never witnessed her casting a spell. We are on our way to Tibor. When I report in at the castle, I shall inform the king of your concern. You may leave.” With an outstretched arm, he swung around and shepherded Skye and Gilly ahead of him in a clear sign of dismissal.
“Hold, Warrior!” One-Eye said.
Talus kept walking, forcing Gilly and Skye to hurry.
Behind them horses nickered nervously and hooves thudded closer.
“Run!” Talus pushed Gilly’s back before he swung around, sword drawn. A frantic glance over her shoulder showed the crowd surging back, with some people wisely running for cover with their children. Shockingly, the vast majority stayed, perhaps hoping to witness the spectacle of a battle.
This was no entertainment to Gilly. Picking up her skirts, her heart pounding in terror, she ran limping away with Skye flying ahead. Steel met steel and her fear for Talus’s safety surged. Out-numbered, he wouldn’t be able to hold them off for long. Hoof beats suggested the chase was on. She cursed her left leg for lagging as she and Skye pounded down the street.
Suddenly, Hagan was there, running toward her and shouting, “Rycan Warriors, fight, fight, fight!”
All along the street, doors were flung open and the shopkeepers of Perm, with weapons drawn, stormed out. Tom was at their lead carrying what looked like a stout club.
“Gilly, over here,” Anna shouted from a nearby doorway, Bevan and Marton beside her.
Snagging Skye, Gilly veered their steps toward her sister, weaving her way through a crowd to get to that doorway and safety. As soon as they were inside, Marton shut and locked the door. The blacksmith had a sword in hand, and stood braced and ready to use it if anyone broke in.
Chapter 13
“Marton, open that door,” Gilly said. “I have to help Tom!
“No, you don’t.” Anna hugged her two children. “If we must have a killer in our party, we should at least be allowed to put him to good use in our defense.”
Outside, the fighting raged to the sound of grunts, cries, thuds and the occasional sword clang. Unable to budge Marton, Gilly went to a window and flung open the shutters. Most of the crowd had retreated to either ends of the street, leaving the fighters in the center, blocked on all four sides. Though these people weren’t scattering, nor did they help. As Gilly’s frustration at their inaction grew, she wanted to shout at them to do something, but fear clamped her tongue in silence. What if they turned against her side?
“If you won’t let me out,” Gilly said to Marton, “then you’re going to have to put up with me using magic.”
Arms crossed, the blacksmith stood his ground though the scowl on his face said he disliked the bargain.
Drawing on Light, Gilly chanted out the open window. “Come wind, come rain, and batter these horsemen.”
Clouds gathered, darkening the sky and thunder rumbled. Lightning flashes littered the sky. Those on the street who overheard Gilly’s chant spread apart to either side of the open window, and then looked upward.
“Oooh,” Bevan breathed, mimicking their audience’s awe. He came out from behind his mother to watch dark clouds gathering in the sky.
Tom ran to help Talus fight off horsemen and was joined by Rycan Warriors. Together they beat back half a dozen foes.
Seeing One-Eye ride up sword raised behind Talus, Gilly shouted, “Look out!”
Hagan heard her warning cry and jumped onto One-Eye’s horse, jarring the captain’s aim. The two men fought until a nearby horseman galloped forward and stabbed Hagan’s side. One-Eye then pushed the wounded man to the ground and in one deadly swing, hacked off his head.
Hagan’s blood splattered along the street mingling with the falling rain. Horror washed over Gilly in a cool wave and her bile rose. The crowd moaned at the sight and beside her, Skye cried out. Gilly shushed the girl with a hand over her mouth. Too late. One-Eye’s focus swung toward them.
Rain fell heavily now and resounding thunder began to frighten the horses. Instead of going forward as urged, One-Eye’s mount shied. He pulled on the reins but at a second thunderclap, the beast bucked, almost unseating him.
Unable to contain herself, Gilly let out a crow of triumph. The sight of One-Eye in trouble seemed to energize the crowd too, and people surged forward, beating horsemen with their fists or throwing rocks.
Seeing the fight turn from his advantage, One-Eye called a retreat and rode off toward the gates. His men scrambled to follow. As they left, shouts of victory rose.
Gilly heard Tom’s voice above the din, giving an order to shut the gates once the horsemen had departed.
Marton finally relented and allowed Gilly out of the house. Overwhelmed this fight had ended with her family and friends unharmed, a tearful Gilly limped outside, her throat swollen with unspoken gratitude. For Talus, the Rycan Warriors and the scores of people who had assisted them. By defending her and her family, the people of Ryca had thrown their lot in with hers against their king.
Talus nodded to her as she passed him, silently wiping the blood off his blade and sheathing his sword.
Gilly’s attention never wavered from Tom, who had stopped along with the crowd near Hagan. He gently closed the man’s eyes and moved the head closer to his body.
“We need a new chief,” a man said in a sorrowful tone.
The Rycan Warriors turned as one to Tom.
He shook his head. “I’m no leader.”
The shoemaker reached over and raised Tom’s hand. “Who agrees that ‘Tomas the Brave’ should be the new head of the Rycan Warriors?”
The description surprised Gilly until she realized that Anna’s stories by the tent this morning and Cullen’s tales in the marketplace about their visit to Erov must have spread around town. That would explain why all these people had stayed to watch this fight and then finally came to their aid. She had suspected the people in Perm held a different view of magic than the King’s Horsemen.
> Half-amused and half-terrified, Gilly observed Tom tug at his captured hand. Instead, the Rycan Warriors lifted him up onto their shoulders to cries of “Tomas the Brave.”
“Never thought I’d live to see such a scene,” Anna said coming up to her side.
“Put me down,” Tom ordered in a harsh voice.
He was instantly set back on his feet.
Watching their gentle handling of Tom, Gilly realized these men already saw Tom as their new leader.
“This is the time to see to our wounded and bury our dead,” Tom said, straightening his tunic. “The fallen horsemen too. And keep the gates closed.”
As she listened to his commands, the impetus to flee nipped at Gilly’s heels. With the horsemen at the city’s doorstep, now was the time to leave Perm. But which way would Anna go, back toward Nadym with her family, or toward Tibor with Gilly? She prayed it would be the former. That was much safer for the children and Anna. It was the sensible thing to do. What Marton would want to do.
In a quiet resigned voice, Gilly asked, “Have you both decided on your course?”
“How can you even ask?” Anna said in a cross tone. “Of course we’re all going to rescue our family in Tibor.”
Gilly stood shocked at that flat uncompromising statement. Had Marton, who was as wary of magic as the horsemen, agreed to this?
Talus approached them then, and right there in the middle of the street in front of everyone, he knelt with elaborate ceremony before Anna and Gilly and put hand to heart. “I swear my allegiance to Prince Keegan’s true offspring.”
She stared at him in shock and wonder. Then hugged him tight, uncaring that her tears wet this brave worrier’s face.
A deafening cheer had her standing up straight and looking in astonishment at the crowd. Apparently, if the news about Erov had stirred Perm’s citizen’s passions about the existence of magic enough to fight the horsemen, knowledge that Prince Keegan’s offspring were amongst them set the townsfolk on fire. Every man, woman and child crowded closer and lining up behind Talus, they all knelt as one and swore fealty to their prince’s offspring.