He drew the money pouch from his pocket. Thorn had been concerned, too; that's why he'd sent a messenger with ten gold pieces if it were needed. Romma snatched the pouch from Levi's outstretched hand.
"Romma," Derissa hissed.
"It won't do any good to mourn," Romma sniffed and stalked away with the money pouch. "Mari was dead the moment they tattooed her."
"Damnation," Levi breathed the curse as he watched Romma walk down the street and slam her front door behind her.
"I think I'm ready to go back with you-if you'll wait while I gather some clothes," Derissa said, wiping more tears away. Romma's reaction had made up Derissa's mind for her.
"We'll help," Misten offered. The four of us walked into my former home, to assist Derissa in any way we could.
* * *
"You have your choice of working in the kitchen, laundry, cabin service, or serving as a camp messenger," Armon listed the jobs available. "I think we may have plenty of openings in all those places, once the drudges and washouts are given the choice to complete their training."
"I'm comfortable in a kitchen," Derissa said right away. "I know how to cook and clean up."
"Then you can start there," Armon agreed. "Caral will show you to the barracks where the other kitchen workers stay, and you can start tomorrow morning. Caral and I have training to do this afternoon, if you'd like to watch."
"I-would love to know what my sister does," Derissa smiled at me.
"Then she'll take you to drop off your things, and you can meet me on the training field afterward."
"What kind of training?" Derissa asked as we walked toward the kitchen workers' barracks.
"We're training warriors how to shield this afternoon," I slipped an arm around my sister's shoulders. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."
"I worried things wouldn't work out for you," she sighed. "They never tell us what happens to any of you after you leave-unless it's a death notice."
"Maybe I can ask for that to be changed," I said. "It's only fair that the roses and warriors be able to contact their families, if they want to."
"You act as if you know Crown Prince Drenn personally."
"You haven't heard?" I stopped in my tracks, causing Derissa to stop, too.
"Heard what?"
"Drenn killed himself-accidentally. Prince Thorn is now the Crown Prince."
"The Prince Commander?" Derissa bit her lip in concern.
"That's the one, and I do know him pretty well, actually. I knew his rose better, but we still don't know for sure whether she survived the last battle or not."
"I see I'm behind on news from the King's City," Derissa breathed.
"We'll catch you up," I promised. "You're welcome to come to our cabin anytime, when Misten and I are off duty."
"I'd like that," Derissa said. "So much."
* * *
Doret
"What will we do-if she decides to leave us?" I asked.
"It may not be her that leaves us, as you put it, but dreamwalking Sherra," Kyri shoved dark hair away from her face. "We can't hold onto her now, she's so strong."
"My question is this-will the dreamwalker be able to step Sherra away from here? Or send and receive mindspeak?"
"I don't know." Kyri turned away from me.
"You don't know for sure," I amended her statement.
"That's correct. I don't know for sure. When I sent you to watch over her after her mother died, I knew we had to ensure that she was raised with the proper guidance, and given a formidable sense of what was right and fair. If we'd left her with her father only, Az-ca could be under siege by a black rose sorceress gone berserk."
"I don't think that would have happened," I countered. "You weren't there with her through those years. I was."
"Doret, she's said herself that you were her only friend. Be honest, that village turned their backs on her. With the power she holds, what do you think the results might be?"
"I still think you're selling her short," I hissed. "Sherra may turn into Adahi one day, but the assassinations will be just and fair."
"And if the opposite happens? We don't have the power to stop her. She's young and still relatively inexperienced. She can either save everything, or destroy it."
"That's only if the power goes to her head," I replied. "I don't think it will."
"You know she's just as unseeable as Merrin ever was-perhaps more so. Without your connection to her, and knowing where she'd be throughout her training and such, we'd never have found her after she turned twelve."
"Kyri, I know you've had bad experiences in the past. I don't think this will turn out like the others."
"I didn't either, until I felt the massive power in her, and learned she could dreamwalk."
"Can we set this aside for now?" I begged. "You're tired after what you did today."
"You're probably right, and I'm seeing things that aren't there," Kyri admitted. "I just feel-old."
I didn't tease and tell her she was old-we both were, but she was far older than I. Now wasn't the time to bring age into this. Sherra-Kyri had hopes that she'd take over the work she'd done so long. Kyri also held hope that Sherra was the key to other things, too.
I wasn't sure that's what Sherra's ultimate purpose was, but I didn't say it. I'd seen a stubborn determination in Sherra from the moment she'd first made fire at age ten. All I'd done was tell her the truth-about what the black rose on her wrist meant.
I still hadn't told her about the red rose on my wrist. That was a tale to be told carefully, because it involved a terrible injustice and the subjugation of many.
* * *
Merrin
"We need two mindspeakers," I told Gram. "One who can remain hidden and transmit information to us from the King's City, and one here to receive it."
"I don't know any," Gram frowned. "I'd like to get regular information, however. If I approach former colleagues, there's a good chance they'd call the King's assassins immediately, before I have time to offer a deal or extra gold."
"What about blackmail?" I asked. "Surely you have information on one or two of them?"
"Barth has already done divination," Gram argued. "If there was anything useful, he'd have found it already."
"True enough." I considered the conundrum for a moment. "What about retired warriors?"
"There are a few I'm sure, but I don't have their names."
"Who would have that information?"
"Messengers, perhaps? There may be logs in the Prince Commander's records at North Camp, since he spent so much time there recently."
"Then I'll make a trip to North Camp, before we take the outpost tonight."
"Sounds reasonable. Those instructors won't be able to stop you, even if they learn you've infiltrated."
"I'd like to see them try," I flexed my fingers before folding hands into fists. I hadn't made fireblasts in days. Perhaps I needed a few targets to work off frustrations.
"I'll go now," I made up my mind quickly. "Plicton, you're in charge while I'm gone."
* * *
Caral
When Ana, Miri and Falia walked up to stand beside Derissa at the training field perimeter, I was overjoyed. We'd have a chance to instruct our instructors, and I looked forward to it. Not out of malice or anything close, but out of respect for them and the ones they'd train in the future.
Armon turned and grinned at me, before nodding to our newest onlookers. We cleared out everything important before we left, Ana sent mindspeak to me. I almost laughed aloud at her new talent.
I can't tell you how happy I am to see you, I replied. You're going to be what you should have always been.
We're scared-and excited at the same time, she told me.
Don't worry-you'll be amazing at this.
* * *
Merrin
The desk drawer hit the wall with a crash, the wood splintering with the impact and bursting apart. The drawer was empty. Thorn's whole damn desk was empty. He always left
files here.
Always.
Where the fuck were they?
The instructors had to know, or the drudges, who cleaned and mopped. A trip to the mess hall was next, to find someone who could tell me where the information had gone, before I blasted them to ash and dust.
Stepping to the mess hall, I found it empty. More than furious, I stalked through the kitchen. Everything was clean and put away, as if waiting for drudges to prepare the next meal.
It should have been bustling with activity, while they cooked the evening meal. At least thirty lived here year-round, including the instructors.
Ana. I'd find her first and demand answers, before I killed the bitch. I stepped to her quarters, which were at the back of her trainee barracks.
Like the kitchen, her small living space was also vacant.
Somebody had emptied North Camp.
If anyone had been left at the camp, they'd have heard my shout of anger and come running.
Only silence prevailed once I ran out of breath.
Thorn. He had to be behind this.
Well, it was time I taught him a few lessons-the prick. Deliberately, I stepped to the center training field, before releasing blasts in every direction. The camp would burn, with nothing to stop it.
My next stop nobody would guess, until it was nothing more than cinders, too. There wasn't a way to harm the already-dead, but those they'd left behind, well, they'd just become targets.
The village of Merthis was as good as gone.
* * *
Kyri
"Thank you for the help," I nodded at Adahi.
I worried about Sherra stepping away without telling me, so I'd asked Adahi to place additional shielding around her bedroom while she slept.
"I fear this may be ill-advised interference," he cautioned. "If I determine that it is so, the shields will be removed."
"I'm concerned that we'll lose her," I confessed.
"Kyri, you can't let your past rule your future-or the girl's," he said. "She has her own life. You have yours."
"You know why I worry," I dropped my gaze. "You know what her power may be able to accomplish."
"I know why you worry. That's the reason I answered your call. Don't hold her back or place restraints on her abilities-that will be a mistake, I think."
"We've been careful so far," I said, meeting his dark gaze again. "At your suggestion. We just-can't lose her. She has to develop her talent, so she can," my words trailed off. Adahi knew what was at stake as well as I did.
"Then continue to be careful." Adahi walked toward the door and let himself out.
* * *
Sherra
I slept deeper and longer than I'd intended, and woke feeling fearful and disoriented. It took several minutes to get my bearings and recall where I was and why.
In my dreams, I'd been trapped in a room with no way out, and it had frightened me terribly.
Sitting up on the edge of my bed, I worked to draw deep breaths to steady myself. An unsettling feeling refused to go away, however.
Determined to work past it, I rose, ignored my rumpled clothing and headed for the door. Pottles could help, perhaps, or at least share a cup of tea with me.
The hall leading to the kitchen was a long one, and I walked it as steadily as I could, while a sudden, encroaching headache went from annoying to debilitating. By the time I heard Pottles' voice, saying that Merthis had been destroyed, the pain had become agonizing.
* * *
Kerok
"Burned to the ground-both of them," Hunter placed notes on my desk. "No living witnesses to either incident, but there's evidence, according to Bray, that a warrior's blasts cause the fires."
"What about the residents of Merthis?"
"All dead, as far as we can tell. Charred bodies everywhere."
"Merrin did this. Merthis is almost a hundred miles from North Camp, and there are at least three villages in between. He has something to settle with me, and this is his way of doing it."
"At least we pulled the personnel away from North Camp in time," Hunter said softly. "Ana retrieved the contents of your desk and files at North Camp; those are at Secondary Camp in General Weren's hands, now."
"You think Merrin wanted those?" I looked up at Hunter. "Never mind, I know he did. We just don't know why he wanted them."
"What sort of records did you keep there?"
"Things I didn't want Drenn pilfering through-military records, mostly, concerning unusual talents, warrior-escort pairs, promotions, disciplinary actions-that sort of thing."
"Unusual talents?"
"Such as being able to step others, mindspeak, you know." I waved a hand.
"How much would it benefit Merrin to have mindspeakers?" Hunter demanded. "Even if he had to kidnap them or offer them a pile of gold to get them?"
"People of an entire village died because he wanted that?"
"Thorn, listen carefully to me. Barth described the torture of those poor souls at the front. Merrin will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and what he wants is your father's throne and us out of the way."
"Fuck." I massaged my forehead to stave off a headache. "And we were so close to having enough people trained to send out to the villages-for their protection."
"Then we need to step up those efforts," Hunter snapped. "Or we'll see more destroyed villages."
"Or villages perverted to his cause," I said. "Word came from Armon-he says Caral's sister had no idea Drenn was dead, and thought he was still the Crown Prince."
"That doesn't sound good," Hunter observed. "What have those lazy Council members been up to, if they haven't bothered to take news to those they represent? We have plenty of messengers, and the King pays for their trips to villages to deliver updates on recent events."
"Get Barth. We'll find out what's going on," I said. "If I have to relieve every one of them of their duties, I'll do it. Find out which one is responsible for Dar-den," I named Caral's village. "Bring the one responsible for Merthis, too."
"It will be done right away." Hunter turned and left my study abruptly.
* * *
Doret
Sherra's back was turned toward me as she hunched her body atop the garden wall behind Kyri's house. With arms hugging her knees, she stared into the trees and wild ferns beyond, without seeing any of them.
Kyri told me what she'd asked Adahi to do-after it was done and Merthis was obliterated by Merrin-the bastard. He'd burned down North Camp, too, but nobody was there at the time.
Merrin had too much of a particular ancestor in him. He'd inherited a full measure of volatile temper, combined with a talent for vengeance-and that didn't bode well for any of us. If Sherra were to discover what Kyri had done, well, she could disappear and we might never find her again.
Adahi's shields had been strong enough to thwart a dreamwalker-at least for now. Sherra had a tendency-and a knack-for solving problems. To her, this could be a huge problem, and one in which her dreamwalker would search for a solution.
Granted, Sherra didn't have friends in Merthis, but one of them had been her father, and she'd known the others. Merthis was filled with innocents for the most part, even if they'd ignored Sherra. She wouldn't forgive their deaths quickly-if ever.
As for me, I felt guilty, although I hadn't been consulted in the shielding matter. I understood both sides of this, and that only served to make it worse. Kyri needed to trust Sherra, but she'd been betrayed in the past. I couldn't repair that damage, and hoped it wouldn't end up driving Sherra away.
We need her too much, I reminded myself.
* * *
Sherra
I'd been asleep when Merthis died in smoke and flames. None were spared to my knowledge, and this was before Merrin learned we'd taken the young roses away. I'd been the only black rose in Merthis when I left, I knew that much.
What would Merrin do when he learned we'd circumvented most of his plan to ruin those girls?
Yes, the older ones were
still there, but I held hope that some would answer Kyri's call and come of their own accord.
The rest-I shuddered to think what could happen to them.
I sat on the wide, garden wall behind the house, hugging myself and wiping tears away-tears for Merthis and for the young roses still in Az-ca.
* * *
King's Palace
Kerok
The moment they took their seats in my study, they looked guilty. Barth and Hunter, who'd shown them in, were both frowning.
"Would you like to tell me, or let Barth do it?" I asked as pleasantly as I could.
"Everybody else does it," Jacob, who represented Dar-den and six other villages, whined.
Lewus, who represented Merthis and five more, didn't bother to speak or make excuses. He sat with his eyes down, his fingers gripping the chair arms tightly.
"Do what?" I turned back to Jacob.
"Take the messenger money and use it for ah, other things, sometimes."
"You're telling me that taking the news to the villages about Drenn's death wasn't important enough for you to do what is required of you?" I lifted a pen from my desk and turned it in my fingers-mostly to keep from climbing across the desk and strangling both Council members.
Lewus hunched farther down in his chair, as if he hoped he could collapse into nothing and escape my glare.
"When you say everybody does it, that means all of you? That not a single Council member has bothered to send the news of the Crown Prince's death?"
"A few may have done it, I didn't ask," Jacob sounded rattled.
As he should.
"Stand up, both of you," I snapped. Jacob stood right away. Lewus' movement was slower.
"What are you going to do with us?" Jacob warbled.
"I'm going to take you to Merthis, first, so you can view the damage. Then we're going to come back, and you and every piece of lazy, money-grubbing filth who calls himself a Council member will dispatch the news, beginning with the word that Merrin, former Captain in the King's Army, is a deserter, a murderer and has been convicted of treason against the King."
"Why not tell them of your brother's death, first?" Lewus spoke for the first time.
"Because Merrin just killed every man, woman and child in Merthis with fireblasts, and probably enjoyed it," I shouted.
Rose and Thorn: Black Rose Sorceress, Book 2 Page 7