The Forsaken Crown (The Desolate Empire Book 0)

by Christina Ochs

  “I’m afraid not. I won’t give Desmond time to establish himself in my place and let people recognize him as Prince of Terragand, not even for a day. if I leave, it only proves his point that I’m immature and unreliable.” He stood. “I’ll leave you to rest now, while I find Julia so we can start to make plans.”

  The next morning, Kendryk, Princess Renata and Georg, met in Julia’s private study. The Maxima’s secretary, a Count Greylen, joined them as well.

  The count, a weaselly-looking fellow kept casting resentful glances at Georg, probably worried he was being replaced, even though Kendryk had tried to make clear the Georg was his secretary now.

  “The situation is bad,” Julia said without preamble, “with the duke presently holding every advantage. He occupies the palace, has access to your treasury and full use of your seal. He also commands all Terragand troops in your name. That includes the militia.”

  “I was hoping I might raise the militia in person,” Kendryk ventured.

  “Perhaps you can, at least some of them,” Julia said, “but right now we have a bigger problem. During your confinement, the duke was successful in spreading a great deal of slander about you. Most Terraganders, from high to low, believe you to be both treasonous and simple-minded.”

  “No one who’s ever met the prince would believe that,” Princess Renata said indignantly.

  “They wouldn’t,” Julia said, “but most people haven’t met him. Now that the duke knows you will oppose him, he will try to keep that from happening.”

  “How?” Kendryk asked. “He can’t keep me from traveling, can he?”

  “Unfortunately, he can.” A sharp line grew between Julia’s dark brows. “Heidenhof is besieged. The duke sits outside with a small army. It’s not big enough to break in; you needn’t worry about that,” she said to Renata, who gave a gasp of dismay.

  “But there are two problems. One is that this city holds five thousand souls who will be without food in a matter of days. We are not prepared for a siege. The other problem is ...” Julia paused and sighed, “I’m not sure I can rely upon the garrison to oppose the duke. My temple guard, yes, but they only number two hundred.”

  “The garrison won’t open the gates, will they?” Kendryk’s blood ran cold.

  “They’d better not.” Julia now wore a dangerous scowl. “I ordered them not to, and had the burgomaster back me up. The problem is, the garrison commander is a toady of Desmond’s. I may intimidate him into keeping the gates closed for now, but I doubt he’ll be willing to fight his friend if we try to break out.”

  Kendryk took a deep breath. “Then let’s remove the garrison commander and replace him with someone we can count on.”

  “A bold idea.” Julia smiled. “One I like. I don’t know how his troops feel about him.”

  “Remove any who express sympathy with him,” Kendryk said. “Replace the commander with one of your own people. Surely we can find those in the city who would be happy to help us.”

  “Perhaps,” Julia said, “but there is no time to lose. The mood in the city is not in your favor, so you must change the minds of the citizens. Otherwise they will force me to open the gates within a few days, or at the first sign of shortages in the shops. You must convince them to support you.”

  Kendryk gulped. “How will I do that?”

  Julia’s eyes hardened. “You are a leader, are you not? The Prince of Terragand. One thing a leader must be able to do is persuade.”

  “I’ve never done anything like that before,” Kendryk murmured, rather sick to his stomach. He was not cut out for this.

  “There’s always a first time,” Julia said. “This is what we’ll do. I’ll help you write a little speech, and then you will deliver it in the temple square this afternoon. I’ll have copies of the speech printed and posted all over the city. If you can be as charming before a crowd as you are in person, at least some people will be sympathetic to you.

  “By nightfall, I will have removed the garrison commander and replaced him with someone I can trust. Many will still mutter against you, but with any luck their voices will be drowned out.”

  “Gods, I hope so.” Kendryk wondered what he was taking on. It seemed dangerous and futile, and he hated speaking in front of crowds. His least favorite part of university was presenting the results of his studies to a crowded classroom.

  “You cannot lose momentum,” Julia continued. “You cannot give people time to think, only react to you emotionally. I’m certain when they see you in the flesh and realize you are very much not simple-minded, it will be easier to persuade them you are innocent of any treason. It’s fortunate you have such a guileless face.”

  Maybe his baby face would be of use for once.

  “After speaking to the citizens, you will go to the garrison with its new leader, and give an even more rousing speech. With any luck, they’ll be overcome by enthusiasm and be anxious to drive the duke and his troops away from our gates. It’s possible we’ll be rid of him before tomorrow.”

  Kendryk shook his head. He couldn’t imagine pulling all that off. “Suppose I succeed? Then what? The duke will still hold the palace and everything else.”

  Julia had an answer for that too. “Then we send you into the countryside—well-guarded of course—where you give your speech in every town and village. Visit every estate, flatter every aristocrat, and convince them to muster their militias. If you act quickly enough, you will get to them before Desmond does and raise an army large enough to overthrow him within weeks.”

  “You make it sound so easy,” Kendryk said, feeling nauseous.

  “It won’t be,” Julia said. “But if you don’t lose your nerve, it might work.”

  Maxima's Palace

  A day crept by, one of the longest of Sonya’s life. She couldn’t remember how she’d borne the many months in the Brianski prison.

  At first she was glad to at least have company in the awful cell, but she and Irena squabbled about what to do next. That was ridiculous, since there was nothing they could do.

  Irena turned away in a huff, rolled herself up onto the narrow bench and went to sleep.

  Sonya tried to sleep too, crammed into a corner of the bench against the wall, but the bench was too narrow, and every time she dozed off, she awakened as she was about to roll off. Finally, she sat on the floor, propped against the wall, but that was too cold. So she returned to the bench and fumed.

  A guard came and shoved two bowls between the bars. The soup was both thin and greasy, but the two of them were so hungry, they emptied their bowls in a matter of seconds.

  It had been dark for hours when she fell asleep, leaning uneasily against the wall. As long as she stayed off the floor it wasn’t too cold, and she’d been allowed to keep her coat.

  Morning brought more weak light through the tiny window; it was probably still foggy. Someone brought bowls of porridge, no more appetizing than their previous meal, but just as welcome.

  Irena was in a better mood, so they passed the time coming up with every conceivable manner of escape, no matter how far-fetched.

  Sonya realized it was hopeless when their best plan involved Andrei appearing with a thousand troops and demanding their release from Julia Maxima.

  “She wouldn’t do it, you know,” Sonya said wearily. “And how would he figure out where we are?”

  “Maybe he’s a conjurer,” Irena said with a laugh. “He can see through walls, know what’s happening in far-away places.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Sonya smiled at the idea of Andrei being some kind of wizard. Not that she’d believed in anything like that since she’d been four.

  “You don’t know him that well,” Irena said. “So anything is possible.”

  “Not anything,” Sonya said, downcast again and wishing she hadn’t thought of him at all. Especially now it was all but certain she’d never see him again.

  Julia had said something about a trial, and while the idea of defending herself in front of hundred
s filled Sonya with terror, at least she’d be out of this place for a few hours. She might speak on her own behalf, even if no one else would.

  She and Irena had been sitting in silence for a time, staring at the wall, when they got another visitor.

  A guard rattled on the bars and announced, “Kendryk, Prince of Terragand.”

  Sonya scrambled to her feet as the prince appeared at the bars. Unlike the Maxima, he didn’t seem to care to come inside the cell.

  Sonya didn’t blame him.

  The guard had brought a lamp and hung it on the bars, so she saw his face well. His eye had swelled up dreadfully, turning dark purple.

  “Your Grace.” Sonya bowed, but stayed well away from the bars. Seeing the prince now, she felt even more terrible about what she’d done.

  “Please tell me your name,” Kendryk said.

  “Sonya Vidmar, Captain in Ruso Faris’s army.”

  “You sound like you’re from Terragand.”

  “I am.” Sonya wondered what the prince wanted.

  “Where is your family from?”

  “A farm outside Runewald.” Somehow she sensed the prince wouldn’t punish her family for anything she’d done.

  “Nearby then.” The prince sighed. “So you understand it’s treason to lay hands on the prince of the land.”

  “Yes, I knew that.” Sonya’s heart sank. He was only here to further prove her guilt.

  “Why did you do it?” Kendryk’s tone was mild and curious, as if he were asking her what she’d had for supper. “Money doesn’t seem enough to justify the risk.”

  Sonya sighed. “I did it so Duke Desmond would trust me. I truly didn’t want to.”

  “Why did you want the duke to trust you? So you could take on a bigger commission from him?”

  The line of questioning was odd, but she saw no anger or spite in Kendryk’s eyes, just a hopeful curiosity.

  Hope.

  He wanted something from her, needed to know something that might help him. She couldn’t imagine what it might be.

  She took a deep breath. “I wanted the opportunity to get you and your mother away from the palace. He wouldn’t allow it unless he trusted me to obey him without question.”

  “That makes sense. But what were you planning to do with us once we were on the road?”

  Sonya took a few steps forward in her eagerness. Kendryk flinched, but didn’t step back.

  “I’d hired twenty soldiers here in town. They were to attack the duke’s guards and drive them off. Then I planned to bring you here. I hoped the Maxima would help you.”

  A smile spread across Kendryk’s face. “It seems one of the soldiers you hired betrayed you to the Maxima, which is why she intercepted you.”

  Irena offered a dismissive snort, and Sonya had to smile. “And here I was so worried about those soldiers betraying me to the duke. I never considered the Maxima.”

  “It turned out well for me,” Kendryk said, “but not for you. The Maxima has a good case against you, and I agree, but for this.” He pointed at his swollen eye. “That was the part of the story that didn’t fit. Perhaps I’m naive, but I don’t believe someone born and raised on a farm not ten leagues from my home would try to kill me for money.”

  “I wouldn’t,” Sonya said. “Never.”

  “I want to believe you,” Kendryk said with a sigh, “though I probably shouldn’t. Julia wants a trial for you, but I don’t see how it will go well.”

  “I don’t either.” Sonya kept her eyes locked on the prince’s.

  “I’ve thought of a way you might advance your cause by helping me,” Kendryk said, “though I’m not sure Julia will agree.”

  “I’ll do anything to help you, Your Grace.” Sonya’s heart was ready to leap out of her chest. “That’s why I came. Besides, you’re prince of the land,” she added with a smile. “Make the Maxima agree.”

  That brought another smile from him. “You’re right. I haven’t worked out all the details, but when I do, you’ll hear from me again.”

  Then he was gone, but leaving Sonya with more hope than she’d felt since being thrown in here.

  After Kendryk had gone, time dragged even more slowly. The next hour stretched into an eternity, but then Julia Maxima appeared. As before, she came straight into the cell.

  “You’re getting rather more visits than I’d planned.” Julia nearly smiled as she took her seat. “But for some strange reason, the prince has decided you’re all right.”

  “I’m glad,” Sonya said, “I mean him no harm.”

  Julia shook her head. “I’m not so sure of that, but the prince has insisted I enlist you in his cause.”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “The problem is,” Julia leaned forward, “the people of Terragand do not hold Prince Kendryk in high regard. Duke Desmond has seen to that.”

  “I’m aware of that.” Sonya remembered her sister and her speculations surrounding Kendryk.

  “We must change their minds, and quickly,” Julia continued. “The prince has decided you can help him with that. It appears you are a Terragand citizen. Is your family respectable?”

  “Yes.” Sonya thought of them with a smile. “My father owns a sizable farm outside Runewald. My sister keeps house for him, and my brother lives there with his wife.”

  “What happened to you?” Julia looked at her as though there was something wrong with her for wanting to leave such a cozy situation. Maybe there was.

  “My mother was a soldier, from Oricia originally. She died when I was ten, but I caught the soldiering bug.”

  “Ah well, it sometimes happens.” Julia sounded as though the soldiering bug were a real disease. “But it’s good your family is solid. We must make you appear that way too.”

  “What’s wrong with the way I look now?”

  “You appear foreign and rather brutish. I’m sure you frighten children.”

  “I do not.” Sonya was even more annoyed by Irena’s chuckle, coming from behind her.

  “We’ll clean you up and make you look nice. Then you’ll join the prince in the temple square later today.”

  “To do what?”

  Julia took a deep breath. “The prince will speak to the people. Most have never seen him, and he must make his case in person. I’m sure you’ll agree he’s charming, and he has to gain the crowd’s sympathy if he is to overthrow the duke.”

  “That sounds like a good plan. What must I do?”

  “You will stand at his side, looking plain and respectable. When he’s finished speaking, you’ll tell the crowd what the duke wanted you to do.”

  “You want me to give a speech?” A knot grew in Sonya’s stomach. She needed to defend herself, but didn’t want to do it in front of a mob.

  “Just a small one. I’ll help you with it. Now come.” Julia rose. “We must hurry if we’re to make you presentable in time. Your friend will stay here to ensure your good behavior.”

  Sonya threw an apologetic glance at Irena, who shrugged.

  “Go,” Irena said, “and do a good job so we can get out of here.”

  Sonya followed Julia out of the dungeon, up the stairs and across the courtyard. They went through a small door at the side of the palace, where they were met by a large, severe-looking woman.

  “Take Miss Vidmar to—”

  “Captain,” Sonya said, “It’s Captain Vidmar.”

  Julia threw her a glance and continued. “Take Miss Vidmar to the sewing room and find something for her to wear. A dress would be preferable.”

  “Not really,” Sonya said.

  Julia ignored her. “A dress if you can find one long enough. I want her to give the impression of an honest farm woman who’s dressed up to come to town. Can you manage that?”

  “Make her look honest?” The woman wrinkled her nose, looking Sonya up and down. “Tall like she is, and with short hair?”

  “Do what you can.” Julia was already hurrying away from them down the corridor. “Then send her to my s
tudy.”

  Sonya was hustled into a room filled with bolts of fabric and two women hunched over tables in the faint light from the window.

  “We’ve got to fix this one up,” her minder said, “but plain.”

  One of the woman came over. She was short, and looked Sonya up and down critically. “Tall and skinny. I have just the thing. Take off your clothes,” she said over her shoulder as she walked across the room to a tall wardrobe. “Down to your underthings.”

  Sonya pulled off her clothes, feeling very cold and vulnerable under three sets of eyes.

  “Nice figure, for such a scrawny thing,” another woman remarked. “Too bad you hide it under that coat.”

  “It’s cold,” Sonya muttered, and she was, standing there in nothing but her stockings and the thin linen singlet she wore under her shirt.

  “Here’s something warm for you to put on.” The short woman was back with a dress over her arm.

  Sonya shuddered. She hadn’t had to wear a dress since her last temple visit at seventeen. They were impractical and uncomfortable, too tight up top and always tangling around her legs.

  Somehow, they got her into the dress, made of masses of dark green wool. Much to her surprise it was long enough, nearly sweeping the ground.

  “You’ll have to wear those boots under it,” one of the woman said, “even though they don’t go at all.”

  “No one will see,” Sonya said.

  Someone shoved her in front of a tall mirror and after getting over the unfamiliarity of it, she had to admit she didn’t look too bad. The dress was plain, but full-skirted and made it look like she had hips. The bodice was a little loose, but someone fiddled with it from behind and soon it fit better.

  “Nothing to be done about that hair, more’s the pity,” someone said.

  “A hat, she needs a hat,” the fearsome minder insisted, and brought a wide straw disk piled with bright straw flowers.

  “Noooo,” Sonya wailed, but a few moments later, the hat came off again when it refused to stay on her head without pins. Mercifully, her hair was too short to hold them.