by Phil Parker
‘Petroc, escort these two men into the Silver Reception Room. You, your men and Islene will join me.’ I turned to the woman at my side. ‘And Clodagh too, I value your wisdom, these men have escaped from our friend, Lord Taranis.’
She raised her heavy dark eyebrows, smiled and bowed her head slightly.
Petroc and his men marched out with their usual precision, ignoring Islene as though she didn’t exist.
‘Men!’ she said just loudly enough for me to hear. I pretended I didn’t and angrily strode through the palace corridors and tried to clear my head.
Butterflies in my stomach was busy performing a gymnastic display, decisions would need to be made, decisions with far-reaching consequences if grandmother’s judgement of this man’s character was correct. I was eager to meet this enigma but nervous too, he had the reputation of being a complex character and I had no idea how Taranis’s torture had affected him. I wondered if I’d been too hasty in dismissing Petroc’s requests, I was so eager to hear of the humans’ preparations for war and insight into Taranis’s transgressions, I could have sacrificed my own safety. It was too late now, I’d committed myself to trusting this man and his human companion. I hoped I’d made the right decision.
The Silver Reception room sparkled as the afternoon light struck the thousands of quartz crystals strategically placed in curtains, walls and the ceiling. The windows were open for a warm breeze to float inside and bring with it the smell of the rose blossom in the gardens below. I stood in the centre of the largest window, with sunshine behind me, it was a position grandmother adopted when she held court. I motioned for Clodagh to sit in a chair on my left, Islene positioned herself off to my right though she was far from relaxed.
Petroc marched in, unannounced, our guests in the centre of a square formed by his best soldiers. He’d lost none of his ferocity, he seethed with anger in fact. He normally introduced guests but chose to remain steadfastly silent. I really was going to have a difficult time with him later.
I couldn’t begin to imagine what had happened to the two men who looked at me with very different expressions. They both wore peasant clothes that were dirty and sweat-stained, they smelled of dirt and horses.
The human drew my attention first. I’d never seen one before. He was tall, dwarfing Petroc and his soldiers. His hair was black, like a raven’s wing, his eyes were deep-set and dark, he could have been menacing were it not for the splash of freckles across his nose and cheeks and lines around his mouth that showed he laughed a lot. His eyes were everywhere, there was a look of astonishment in them as he surveyed the room and how rainbows filled the room. Until they looked at me. They didn’t stray and I found it so disconcerting I looked over at the other man.
It was obvious to everyone Robin Goodfellow must have suffered at Taranis’s hands. A quick glance at Islene’s reaction told me that, her expression was full of pity and horror. He was muscular but he stooped, broad shoulders sagged and his pale face was marred with lines caused by exhaustion and pain, as well as dark circles around his eyes. I understood why Oisin was attracted to him but I was relieved he couldn’t witness this man’s suffering.
‘You are welcome to the Light Court, Robin Goodfellow. My grandmother spoke highly of you, I know she valued you greatly for your services in the human realm.’
The slightest of smiles formed on his lips.
‘The old harridan didn’t say anything of the sort. She’d call me a load of names and hit me with her walking stick, just like last time I met her.’
I stalled. Not only because of his unexpected departure from court protocols but mainly because of his honesty, I could imagine her behaving just as he described. I heard Islene snigger. I tried to maintain my decorum.
‘Would you like to introduce your travelling companion?’
I got a jerked thumb in the direction of the tall man.
‘This is Luke. He’s human.’
Perhaps it was the pain he’d suffered but this man’s lack of manners didn’t impress me, no matter how significant grandmother thought he might be. The other man bowed to me.
‘Your majesty, I am Lieutenant Luke Weir of the British armed services. I have not journeyed here as a spy, I must assure you my presence in your realm is a complete accident. It is also not my intention to cause any political embarrassment to your people. However, as your security personnel have made clear to us, I appreciate the perceived threat my arrival has presented to you. As I explained, I am here to help Mister Goodfellow identify those individuals who have been trying to kill him.’
Clodagh’s face captured everything I was thinking but she chose to show it quite openly. He was her ideal man, muscular, good looking and clearly very honourable. She sighed so loud it echoed around the room, she flushed and checked herself after glancing at me discreetly with a look we both understood.
‘Thank you, Lieutenant Weir. You will appreciate, as a soldier, that I cannot blindly accept your assertions. It will be necessary to keep you under an armed guard throughout your time as my guest. That said, I do not want you to think of us in the Light Court as your enemy, we are a neutral party in your dispute with our Dark cousins. We must tread a delicate and intricate path, I hope you understand?’
I was given another bow. I wondered if all human beings were so civilised, if so they were very different to the stories I’d heard.
‘Your majesty, there is no need to explain your actions. I am an interloper, unknown to you. Were our roles reversed, I would do the same thing. Though being held prisoner in such a wonderful place, with such an attractive hostess, is hardly a hardship.’
‘Oh for fuck sake!’
Robin Goodfellow heaved his shoulders like a truculent child denied his favourite toy. I was starting to dislike this man more and more. He glared at me with such anger it took me back, he intimidated me, I couldn’t believe this man could have found favour with my grandmother.
‘Enough talk! We’ve got things to do. Important things. We can’t stand around here being polite while the world around us is unravelling.’
‘In what way Mister Goodfellow?’ I asked.
‘Do I need to spell it out? Or do you live so far up this ivory tower that you aren’t aware of the crisis?’
His rant appeared to be rhetorical because I wasn’t given an opportunity to reply. He prodded an accusatory finger in my direction.
‘If you don’t act now, the humans are going to retaliate to the Dark Court’s provocations. If that happens the whole of Tir na nÓg will be dragged into war. You people have under-estimated humanity’s advances. Not only that, you’ve ignored the powerful people in this realm determined to take control of both realms, regardless of the consequences. Madam, the Light Court is stumbling to the edge of a cliff and ignoring the warnings’
The man halted for breath but kept glaring at me as if it was all my fault. I couldn’t be certain his predictions were true but the human soldier looked at him with an expression I found hard to read, nonetheless, his face told me the human threat was probably very real. The faces of those around me, including the four soldiers, were horror-struck. I realised everyone was staring at me, waiting for a reply.
‘Thank you Mister Goodfellow.’ I turned to the soldier. ‘Are you willing to confirm what he’s said?’
There was hesitation for a second or two but he gave me the slightest of nods.
‘I do not think, your majesty, that everyone wants to retaliate in that way. When I left it was the opinion of some reactionary voices. But if I can add one thing more? While I have been in your realm I have seen a mirrored reflection of my world, there are people hell-bent on obtaining power for themselves, there are others who are good, considerate of others. Robin’s right in what he says about the good ones being blind. I don’t think even my own people would commit the kind of atrocity that Robin’s suffered.’
The two men exchanged glances quickly but they were impossible to read. Grandmother’s paladin was brusque to the point of rudenes
s but only a fool ignored his message. I glanced at Clodagh, her eyes still roamed over the body of the human soldier.
‘I would like to know more about what abuses were carried out on you Mister Goodfellow. Is that acceptable?’
I got a shrug.
‘That can be a private conversation but I would be grateful if you could confirm for me if that abuse was conducted by Lord Taranis?’
The whole of the man’s body spasmed for a second before he stood upright, looked around him with wild eyes and lashed out at Petroc with a high kick that sent the man reeling onto the floor. He launched himself, springing on powerful legs, up into the air to land amidst the four soldiers, knocking them over like skittles. Clodagh screamed and it broke the shock I felt. I yelled at her to fetch the palace guard and she raced off screaming for help.
The scuffle on the floor might have started off looking like a wrestling match but this one man fought with the ferocity and strength of ten. I couldn’t connect the sickly, pain-ravaged fugitive with the warrior who had overcome the four soldiers in as many seconds. Petroc and Islene hurled themselves at him from opposite directions. Petroc was too old, his limp prevented him from the fluid movement needed to make a difference. He was sent him flying with one punch, to land amidst the bodies of his own men.
Islene was different. She chose to wait until Goodfellow had turned to deal with Petroc and in that second leapt, landing on her target’s back, with a knife in her hand. She reached forward to cut the man’s throat but he swung his body with such force it spun her off him. She landed on the marble floor, rolled and was on her feet in an instant, crouched with a feral look on her face.
I could hear the thud of boots echoing through the palace but I was now more scared than I’d been when I’d found the assassin in my bedroom. Robin Goodfellow’s fighting credentials were the stuff of legend, I had one small woman trying to stop him. I thought about running out of the room but I knew he’d follow and I wouldn’t get very far.
I glanced at the human soldier, wondered if he was part of the plot but he watched the fight with a focused scrutiny, as though he was analysing it for some reason. He seemed oblivious to anything else but there wasn’t time to ponder why that might be.
Goodfellow circled Islene, arms outstretched, like a wrestler, ready to catch her the moment she moved. He must have expected her to launch at him again because it surprised him when she rolled across the floor, jumped up inside his arms to plunge her knife into his groin. It forced him backwards, dodging the blade as it swiped past his genitals. Islene, committed to the blow, rolled towards him a second time but now he was ready for her. He grabbed her knife arm, yanked it sideways, there was a loud crack and the woman screamed and dropped the blade. He picked her up bodily, threw her onto a table which collapsed as she struck it, she lay sprawled amongst its wreckage, unconscious.
In that second, while he picked Islene up to throw her, the human soldier reacted with astonishing speed. He’d kept close to Goodfellow the whole time, I thought it might have been a defensive strategy they’d arranged but my uncertainty ended by the timing of his attack. Goodfellow had ignored him until that point. As he recovered from hurling Islene away, the big man flung himself onto Goodfellow’s back and jabbed something into the base of his neck.
The human was bigger, heavier and used his weight to pin Goodfellow to the ground. It didn’t stop the smaller man reaching for Islene’s knife, lashing out to try to plunge it in the soldier’s arms and side. When that failed, with more strength than I imagined he could possess, Goodfellow jerked sideways with the whole of his body, kicked out with a free leg which connected with the other man’s. It was enough to free himself. Both were on their feet with frightening speed but Goodfellow still had the knife. He gave a guttural roar as he propelled himself at the bigger man who, at the last possible second, side-stepped and grabbed Goodfellow’s free arm and spun him round, kicking his feet from under him like a careless dancer. They both toppled on to the floor and for the second time the soldier pinned the other man to the ground. The writhing wasn’t as manic as before, it petered out quickly until there was no movement at all. I thought he’d killed him until I spotted the very slow rise and fall of his chest as the soldier slowly and carefully stood up. He took the knife from a senseless hand and looked around the room, panting, just as palace security arrived, saw the man with a knife and hurled themselves at him.
It took several minutes to bring everything under control. If the soldier had retaliated, as I expected he would, the consequences would have led not only to a terrible miscarriage of justice but the death of the man who’d saved my life. The Silver Reception Room was a scene of chaos as Islene, Petroc and his guards were taken to the palace’s physician. The human soldier was escorted, with Goodfellow, to the cells. It was far from a satisfactory situation where Lieutenant Weir was concerned, but I’d flouted security protocols and paid the penalty. Petroc would crow about it and I would be forced to eat humble pie. Thankfully the human soldier cooperated with the guards and remained as honourable and polite as he’d been at the start. I could only thank him and wonder at the warmth of the smile he returned. There wasn’t time to ask him how he’d felled Goodfellow, or how he’d known he would attack, even from my limited grasp of such things, the man had watched for the right time to intervene. I could only assume it had something to do with what had happened to Goodfellow during his torture.
Those were questions for later. In the meantime, my credibility and my strategies were in ruins. Grandmother would have been furious with me, I was sure my father would not be pleased either. I had been out manoeuvred again and I was certain I knew who was responsible.
Chapter 18
‘I’ve never seen Mistress Cera lost for words before but she smiled. Actually smiled. I wish you could have seen it.’
A line of soapy bubbles trickling down Darcel’s breasts and distracted me, they clung to her dark pink nipples for a second before dripping into the water.
‘Keir, I’m up here!’
A soapy finger hooked my chin and lifted it up to meet eyes that chided and laughed in equal measure.
‘I don’t think we’d better have important conversations in the bath either, if this is how it’s going to be.
She was right. I got distracted whenever she was naked. The trouble was there were so few times we could be together these days, the bed and the bath seemed to be the only places where we could talk freely.
‘I’m sorry, my love. I was listening, honestly. Mistress Cera is happy to take over from Crevan Cardew as palace housekeeper. I’m pleased. She’ll run the place with greater efficiency than he did.’
Her smile made my heart beat that little bit faster.
‘And, just as importantly,’ she said, ‘it demonstrates to the servants that if they are loyal and work hard they can be promoted, rather than such positions being handed to some minor aristocrat’s second nephew. How did Cardew take the news?
I found my eyes being drawn downwards again, as though magnetised to her breasts, I replied by appreciating the beauty of her face instead.
‘Oh, he was pleasantly furious. He was going to inform his Uncle Taranis of my actions so I told him to do just that. In the meantime, I’d publicise to the Dark Court how much of their money he’d wasted on lavish parties for his stupid friends and how numerous servants had provided me written testimony of the names he’d called his uncle. He soon left with his tail between his legs.’
‘Talking of which,’ Darcel said, waggling her eyebrows as she glanced down between mine, ‘I think we’d better abandon palace politics for now. It clearly arouses you too much!’
Sex in the morning sets you up for the day. It means I always arrive in the throne room with a spring in my step and dispense with boring business matters with a smile on my lips.
This morning was different. The scowl on Taranis’ face told me things were going to go badly. They were a permanent feature these days but I started to worry when h
e asked me to join him in the palace gardens. It meant trouble. There would be no prying eyes and ears, things could be said without witnesses, everything could be denied.
We’d spent enough time dancing around each other. Today he meant business.
The impatience in his voice was new. His dislike for me was now openly displayed. We walked in silence along paths, flowers reached out to greet us, their heady scents defining the peak of summer. Sidelong glances showed me a face like granite, the expression of a man capable of murder and regicide. I knew this day would arrive and I expected to experience some fear, instead exhilaration thrummed through my veins. Darcel was a major factor in my transformation, we’d rehearsed the arguments we anticipated him to present and my replies. Rehearsals were over. Now came the performance.
No sooner had we arrived in the centre of the garden than he launched into a lecture about the problems being created by my decisions. Raising servants’ expectations beyond what could be realistically achieved came first. Master Cardew’s voice could be heard in what he said.
‘Let me explain something.’
He hated the patronising approach I used with him, it was payback for his condescension.
‘In my coronation pledge I promised to uphold the values of our society. Are you telling me those values do not include determination, hard work and loyalty? Are you suggesting those values are nepotism and corruption?’
I’d had to look up the meanings of those words but Cernunnos understood them. He stood there, mouth open like a stranded carp.
‘I didn’t think so. Therefore I will continue to reward people who display those values, regardless of their position within society.’
He found his voice and edged it with unbridled animosity .
‘Sire, all this talk of abolishing slavery, do you seriously think you can change the way society exists in so short a time, with a couple of laws? Things have always been this way. If you try to change everything so quickly you will bring about revolution. Is that what you want?’