Queen (Brotherhood of the Throne)

by Jane Glatt

  Kane stepped forward. “But we won’t let that stop us. As we saw from tonight Duke Thorold is dangerous.” Kane smiled. “But so are we. And we countered him effectively. We lost only a few buildings in the Quarter to fire, and no-one else died.”

  “What about the innkeep?”

  “He understood the risks he was taking and accepted them,” Kane said. “He felt that saving the Quarter and the city from Thorold was worth his life. I say it’s up to us to make sure we don’t squander his sacrifice. To do that we need to win in the end. And that means that every move is calculated, every success builds into another, bigger win. That does not mean we run out and storm the castle and make Duke Thorold aware that there is a real resistance. We don’t want him to set every building on fire, which he will if he feels we are a threat.”

  Kane paused and looked around the room. Men stared back at him, many nodding in solemn, sober agreement.

  “I ask that you go back to your homes, back to your families, back to your lives,” Kane continued quietly. “But know that change is in motion. And we need you to be prepared - leave Kingsreach if you can or stockpile food before winter.” He glanced over at Eryl. “And if Eryl asks for something from you, do your best to help him. He knows what and who to trust. Thorold cannot hold out against us if we hold together.”

  “Well done, Kane,” Eryl said as they headed back to the kitchen.

  The tavern had quickly emptied once Kane had finished speaking. A few had stayed behind to ask questions and Kane had let Eryl answer most of them - he wanted to reinforce Eryl’s authority.

  “Thanks. I could use a real drink now, though. I believe Mistress Mundy keeps a fine brandy in the kitchen. If we ask nicely she may share with us.”

  Mistress Mundy was more than happy to pour them each a glass of brandy. Kane sipped his slowly going over his speech and the reaction to it.

  “Do you think that’s done it?” he asked Eryl

  “I thought you were just going to calm them down and keep them from causing more trouble tonight,” Eryl said. “Instead you’ve given them a sense of purpose and hope.” Eryl raised his glass in salute. “Yes, you’ve done it. By noon tomorrow everyone in the Quarter will have heard about this. Brenna is one of ours and the Quarter takes care of its own. They’ll stand behind us, all of them.”

  “Good,” Kane finished his brandy and stood. “We need to get out of here. I hope you have someplace close for us to hide. It’s almost light and I don’t want to be caught on the streets after dawn. Let me just grab my few things and thank Mistress Mundy.”

  Kane trailed Eryl through the streets of Thieves Quarter. They kept to alleys and yards, once even sneaking through an abandoned house. Eventually they arrived at a run-down stable that looked like it hadn’t been used for horses in decades. Eryl led him into a small room that was attached to it.

  “It’s not much but it’s as safe as anything in the Quarter,” Eryl said as he pushed open the door. “Me and the lads have been keepin’ this place stocked for years now, in case we ever needed it.”

  “This will do,” Kane said as he entered the small room. The raw wood had grayed with time and the single pallet looked flat and worn. A chair was pulled up at a long low table and a small bench sat against one wall. Two full lamps and a flint sat on the table. “Who else knows about it?”

  “Just me, Larkly, Millen and Brenna.” Kane raised an eyebrow and Eryl continued. “Was Brenna’s idea - she found the place.” Eryl grinned. “She caught Millen planning to meet a woman here once and near tore his head off. Neither him nor Larkly attempted that again.”

  “Even since Brenna’s been gone?”

  “Now they know she’s a witch?” Eryl shook his head. “They’re even more afraid of her. Figure she can read their minds or something. Here,” Eryl picked a blanket up off the pallet and shook it out. “Your choice, floor or bed.”

  “I’ll take the floor,” Kane took the blanket. At least it seemed reasonably clean. “Or maybe the chair.” He pulled the chair up to the bench, sat down and stretched his feet out onto the bench. He unbuttoned his borrowed vest and drew the blanket over him. Then his training kicked in and he fell asleep.

  Brenna leaned back on the wagon seat trying not to slide forward. She should be walking, she was more than capable, but both Dasid and Pater insisted she stay on the wagon. She would have ignored them except that Dasid said she could contact Kane tonight if she conserved her energy and drew some of his. And Brenna desperately wanted to talk to Kane, to hear him tell her that he was safe.

  The feeling she’d had that she’d missed telling Kane something important had intensified and then – suddenly - disappeared last night. What if there’d been a disaster - one she could have, should have, prevented? What if that had put Kane in danger? She needed to talk to him.

  “Brenna.” Dasid rode up to her, a serious look on his face. “The forward scout has come back. We have company on the trail heading this way. In about three hours they’ll be on us.”

  “Wagons?’ Brenna asked.

  “No. It’s Thorold’s militia. About twenty men on horseback. I’ve sent another scout to find a place to stop and hide if possible - otherwise we’ll need to turn around. The clearing where we camped last night will do but it we’ll be hard pressed to get that far. Brenna.” Dasid peered at her intently. “I need to know if you are recovered enough to hide the whole group, wagon included.”

  “I think so,” she said, then paused. “If everyone stays under the tarp I only have to hide the wagon. Can we move the horses out of sight?”

  “Yes,” Dasid replied. “We’ll stake them downwind.”

  “How long will I need to keep the spell up?”

  “At least two hours, maybe more. Though we haven’t seen one we have to assume they’ll have scouts we’ll need to hide from as well. And Brenna,” Dasid said. “I’ll need all my energy in case we need to fight our way through this. You’ll have to draw from Gaskain. You should contact him and let him get ready.”

  Brenna nodded and reached out through the old steel. After so much time denying it, the power surged to her and she felt her awareness expanding in all directions. Quickly, before she could be tempted to search for Kane, she focused her awareness on Silverdale. Gaskain’s sword shone bright and she contacted him.

  “Gaskain, it’s Brenna,” she called.

  “I’m here.” Gaskain’s voice came loud and strong through the old steel.

  “I need you to be ready. In an hour or less I will need to draw strength from you. Find a safe place for yourself.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  She cut the connection. She felt guilty for not explaining anything to him but there wasn’t time and she needed to conserve her own energy. There was no way to know how draining the altitude would be to her. Keeping the wagon and men invisible for hours would take a lot of power and the more she used now the more she’d need to take from Gaskain.

  The wagon was pulled up right along the edge of the trail. Most of the men were huddled inside, covered by the tarp. Brenna was only going to spell the wagon. The men were not to move or lift the tarp unless they needed to fight. If that happened it meant that hiding had failed - Brenna would drop the concealment spell and use other magic to try to defeat Thorold’s militia.

  Dasid and Wils would remain mounted. The rest of the horses had been hidden in a small thicket downhill of the wagon.

  Brenna lifted her hand and whispered – a small wind lifted the trampled grasses beside the wagon the soft dirt evened out, eradicating their footprints from the trail. She then sent the wind back up the trail, swirling it gently as far as she could. Brenna looked over at Dasid, who nodded. She’d done what she could to erase their tracks.

  Brenna walked over to the wagon and sat down cross legged in front of it. Now she would contact Gaskain.

  “Gaskain,” she called. “Are you ready?”

  “I’m ready,” came the reply. “Neemah says hello.”

 
“She made it back already? That’s good news. I’ll let Dasid know. I’m going to link to you now.” Concentrating, Brenna reached out and connected with Gaskain’s sword. Gently, she drew some of his power into her. With the link still intact she recited the invisibility spell and pushed the magic outward to surround the wagon. When she looked behind her the wagon had disappeared and the fall colours were muted.

  “Dasid,” she called. “It’s done.”

  “Good. Now we wait.”

  Brenna uncrossed her legs and stretched them. It had been at least an hour and her legs felt like lead. She tapped into the link to Gaskain every ten minutes or so for a little more energy but even with that her breathing was becoming more labored. She reached into her pack, pulled out one of her last libo nut and popped it into her. She hated being weak - they couldn’t be more than two days to the coast and here she was still suffering from altitude sickness. She leaned back on her hands, trying to get more comfortable.

  She felt them a few moments before she heard them. A steady rumble that vibrated into her palms. Brenna sat up and contacted Dasid and Wils.

  “They’re here,” was all she said. Then she drew a little more strength from Gaskain and repeated the invisibility spell. Thorold’s men looked almost ghostly to her as they came into view, the spell colouring the men and horses a dull grey. She tensed as they filed past the meadow, the eyes of the men flitting from the trail to the meadow and back again. One of their horses nickered and Brenna held her breath, hoping that there was no response from their own horses. Nervous, she pushed more energy into the spell, hoping to somehow muffle any response.

  Then they were past. She sighed with relief, her shoulders slumping. Another hour, that’s what Dasid had said. Brenna lay down in the grass and reached out to the energy that she was drawing from Gaskain. She gasped. No longer a small trickle, it was a torrent of power. She tightened her hold on the power and tried to direct some of it back to him, but it was no use. She didn’t know how to put energy back, only how to draw it out.

  In panic, Brenna severed her connection with Gaskain and felt the invisibility spell waver. She pushed more power into the spell then tried to contact Gaskain again.

  “Gaskain,” she called. He had to be all right, she couldn’t have taken all his energy, she couldn’t have. “Gaskain!” she called again, franticly - there was no answer and she could not locate his sword, the sword that until a few minutes ago had been one of the brightest on her internal landscape. She searched for it again but she couldn’t find it – it wasn’t there.

  She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Dasid kneeling beside her.

  “I’ve killed him,” she whispered. “I’ve used too much of him and now I can’t find him.”

  “Too much of whom?” Dasid asked.

  “Gaskain. I didn’t mean to but I was worried about the horses and I took too much of his energy.” She looked up and saw grief flash briefly across his face.

  “Come on. You can’t do anything about that now.” Dasid rose to his feet, pulling her with him. “The spell has faded and we need to move out right away.”

  She stood unsteadily and leaned into him, tears in her eyes.

  “We don’t know for sure that he’s dead but Gaskain knew the risks.” Dasid placed his hands on her shoulders and peered into her face. “Brenna, he’s a soldier. He would think it worth it if he died to protect and save you. That’s what he pledged. Why don’t you sit over here while we get the wagon ready to go. Pater,” he called out to the old man as he emerged from under a tarp. “Bring a blanket for Brenna would you?”

  Brenna let herself be steered to the base of a tree. She sat down and felt a blanket being wrapped around her shoulders. The meadow was bright with the late afternoon sun but she didn’t feel it. Instead she felt cold, totally numb. How could she have used Gaskain so thoughtlessly, how could she have taken his gift and trust and so misused him? Now he was dead because of her. She was no better than Thorold. Using people for her own ends and discarding them when they were no longer useful. Silently, Brenna sat. Eventually they came and helped up onto the wagon seat beside Pater. It was nightfall before she paid any attention to her surroundings.

  They would reach the coast the next day, Dasid said, but Brenna hardly cared. For the past two nights she’d lain in her bedroll and searched and searched for Gaskain but she hadn’t found him. She knew why. He was dead - she’d killed him and she hated what she’d become. Duke Thorold’s blood ran in her veins and no matter that she’d told Beldyn otherwise, she now knew she couldn’t escape it. Once they reached Langemore she should simply disappear. It would be a blessing to the people of Soule - far better than being ruled by her.

  “Brenna,” Dasid said.

  Dully, she looked up to find him standing over her with a plate of stew in his outstretched hand.

  “Have something to eat. Then we need to contact Kane.”

  Brenna took the plate from him, set it down in front of her and watched Dasid head back to the fire.

  She’d been placing her bedroll farther from the fire each night and tonight there were a good twenty paces between her and the flames. But she didn’t feel cold. She didn’t feel anything. She pushed the stew around on the plate before picking a chunk of potato from it and flinging it into the darkness.

  She’d learned the first night that if it didn’t look like she’d at least eaten a little that both Dasid and Pater would stand over her while she ate. But she felt no hunger and food tasted like dust in her mouth. All she could think about was how much like Duke Thorold she’d turned out to be, how she’d become so willing to use people and discard them when she was finished with them. It went against everything she had ever learned from her mother. If she’d had the energy she would have taken both the coronet and the mortar and pestle and buried them deep in the forest. Let them wait for the real prophesied one because it wasn’t her, she had too much of her grandfather in her.

  “All right lass,” Pater said as he sat down beside her. “Dasid and I, we know yer hurtin’ cause of what ye think happened to Gaskain, but yer needed here.” Pater gently took the plate of stew from her and placed it on the ground. She felt one callused hand on her chin as he tilted her head to look at him.

  “It’s not yer fault, Brenna. Gaskain knew what might happen and he agreed anyways. He was Brotherhood, like me. I’d be proud to give my life to help save yours. Besides, we don’t know fer sure he’s dead.”

  “I know he’s dead,” she said. “I’ve looked and looked for him and there’s no sign of him. I killed him.”

  “Well, if he is dead, ye didn’t mean it and ye can’t change what happened,” Pater said, turning her head back to face him. “And he knew the risk. I’ve come to tell ye that Dasid’s gettin’ a little worried about Kane.”

  Surprised, Brenna sat up straighter. Kane, what if something had happened to Kane? She’d been so distraught about Gaskain that she’d forgotten to contact Kane.

  “He didn’t want to tell ye ‘cause ye’ve been so upset but it would help ease his mind if ye were able to reach Kane tonight,” Pater said. “What do ye say, are ye up to it?” Brenna nodded numbly, already reaching out to Kane. There, he was calm - he must be safe enough. She let her awareness flow into his sword and smiled in spite of herself when she felt him respond.

  “Brenna? Are you all right?” Kane asked. “I was worried when you didn’t contact me.”

  “He’s all right,” she said to Pater. “I’ve found him.”

  “I’m fine. We’ll reach the coast tomorrow. How about you?”

  “Eryl and I are safe for the moment,” he said and her heart lurched. “We managed to minimize the fire so that only a few buildings were lost.”

  As soon as he said the word fire, Brenna was plunged back into her vision. Once again, she stood on a rooftop watching the city burn.

  “The Crooked Dog, it burned, didn’t it?” she asked him.

  “Yes, just like in your vision. No one w
as hurt badly and only a few buildings were lost. Brenna, I thought you knew, I thought you sent me your vision so I could change things.”

  “I don’t remember,” she said softly. “But I’ve had this same vision a few times.”

  “Whether you remember it or not, you sent it to me and we acted on it and changed things,” Kane said and she could hear the smile in his voice. “But we think Thorold knows I’m in Kingsreach now - he won’t stop until he finds me.”

  “Then get out Kane, get out now.” She felt panic rising at the thought of what Thorold would do to him.

  “A few more days, a week or two at the most,” he replied and there was such confidence and strength in his answer that she relaxed. “We still have some tasks to do, and I need to wait until the gates are less well guarded. Now, if you have enough energy, I need you to find Dasid. I have some information to pass along to him.”

  Kane leaned back against the wall, his hand fingering the hilt of his sword. Something wasn’t quite right with Brenna. He’d felt it immediately and Dasid had hinted at it, but it was difficult when the person you needed to discuss could hear your every word.

  “So how’s our girl?” Eryl asked from where he lay on the pallet. “She got everything under control in Langemore yet?”

  “They’ll be on the coast tomorrow,” Kane replied absently. “And they had a near miss on the trail with some of Thorold’s men but Brenna used magic to keep them hidden. I think she might be doubting her abilities. She seemed distant tonight.” He thought back to her greeting. She’d seemed relieved to hear from him but tired and lethargic.

  “She’ll step up, no need to worry about Brenna on that account,” Eryl said. “She’s probably just a little homesick, is all.”

  Kane smiled. “I hope you’re right. I’d hate for her to have doubts and not tell me about them.” He leaned over and pulled his boots off before he put his feet up on the bench. “Blow the lamp out will you Eryl?”

  He heard Eryl grunt then the room went dark.