They turned the corner, into the corridor leading to her quarters. There were several knights, belonging to all three kingdoms, congregated outside the door.
“Have you discovered anything?” Eleanor asked.
She peered in through the doorway. Her dead knight was lying in full view on his back, his eyes staring unseeing towards the ceiling. The room was in disarray; there had clearly been a struggle, but the destruction went far beyond that. It appeared everything breakable had been smashed. Jagged reflective shards, from the dressing table mirror, littered the floor.
They mixed with the sharp pottery shards of the vase of flowers that had been on the table. The drapes that surrounded the bed hung in tatters, as if someone had furiously slashed at them with a knife, and feathers from exploded pillows decorated the room like snow. It was a scene that spoke of pure fury, obviously intended to be intimidating and send a message.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” one of the Kaslea knights admitted hesitantly. He looked towards Prince Edmund for confirmation to continue. Prince Edmund waved his hand. “We found this under the body.”
The knight raised his hand; he was clenching part of a tabard. The colors were primarily green, with white edging. Part of the insignia was visible, just the corner of the snowy peaks that made up the backdrop. It was too small a fragment to see the unity knot that represented the alliance of the many duchies which comprised the Northern Kingdoms, a bold statement that their union would be forever. But there could be no mistake; the fragment had been torn from the tabard of a Northern Kingdoms knight.
“What is the meaning of this outrage?” Lord Greenford demanded, arriving behind them.
“That is my question,” Eleanor hissed icily. “We have actual evidence this time, and you still claim you are not responsible?”
“That isn’t proof of anything,” Lord Greenford sneered. “I find it far more likely you killed the knight yourself.”
“Queen Eleanor was with us all morning,” Prince Edmund reminded him.
Lord Greenford waved his hand dismissively. “I didn’t mean she killed him herself. She is a queen; it would take but a simple order.”
“What could I possibly gain from killing my own people?” Eleanor shouted. She took a deep breath and turned to Prince Edmund. “My apologies, I’m a little upset. My knights have been attacked twice, one lays dead, and now I am being accused?”
Prince Edmund eyed Lord Greenford. “No one is accusing you of anything, not within the walls of my palace. Lord Greenford, I believe you owe Queen Eleanor an apology.”
Lord Greenford made a noise of disbelief and looked askance at Prince Edmund, before turning and striding away. Eleanor raised an eyebrow. That had been rude. She hadn’t experienced such disrespect since her last meeting with King Oswald. It appeared that no matter what kingdom a man ruled, they were all cut from the same cloth. Was it any wonder she wanted to take over? She would be doing the kingdoms a favor.
“My apologies, Queen Eleanor,” Prince Edmund muttered. “I will speak with Lord Greenford.”
“Thank you,” Eleanor murmured.
“I will have new quarters prepared for you. Until then, may I escort you to the meal?” Prince Edmund offered his arm.
Eleanor smiled graciously but she didn’t take the offered arm. She knew that she should, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. She hadn’t willingly allowed a man to touch her since the death of her unwanted husband, King Augustus. The very thought made her skin crawl and bile rise in her throat.
“I will accompany you,” Eleanor temporized.
“Of course.” Prince Edmund nodded in acceptance, and together they walked back down the corridor, away from the scene of death and destruction behind them.
*****
When Mathis had heard of the latest incident at the castle, he had been in the town of Termont. He had spoken with the innkeeper, and was just talking with one of the stall holders in the market when another knight hastened to his side. While Mathis would never admit it, he was aware that the castle grounds were not impenetrable.
It was possible that the Sintiya knight had been attacked by someone from outside the castle walls. If there was a stranger in town, then they would need food, lodgings, and clean water, and there would be those that knew of their presence. Prince Edmund hadn’t yet ordered his return, but Mathis hurried back to the palace to see the wrecked quarters and dead knight for himself.
“May the powers above bring you peace,” Mathis murmured. He crouched down and gently closed the dead knight’s eyes, granting him what little dignity was possible under the circumstances.
Mathis straightened and looked around the room. His gaze wasn’t drawn to the obvious signs of destruction but rather what he didn’t see; there was no blood on the walls, there were no indentations on the wooden furniture, the dead knight didn’t looked battered, or as if he had been in a fight at all. Mathis frowned. Something didn’t seem right about the scene. The knight may have struggled with his attacker but he had to have been overpowered quickly. That meant the devastation was deliberate, and had been done before or after the knight’s death.
“Beg pardon, sir.” A young maid curtsied. “I’ve been ordered to move the queen’s belongings to her new quarters.”
“Yes, of course.” Mathis nodded, giving the nervous girl a warm, reassuring smile.
She hurried into the room, another maid a step behind her. They carefully sidestepped the broken glass and opened the closet. There were a number of gowns hung inside. One maid held out their arms, and the other laid the gowns across, taking care not to crease the fine garments unnecessarily.
Mathis stared, watching them work for a moment, before he realized why their actions bothered him. If the queen’s quarters had been deliberately trashed, with someone being so enraged as to attack the bed hangings, why did they leave the queen’s closet untouched? Surely they would have had more rage for the queen’s belongings than the room she would only inhabit for just a short time?
“Here, sir.” A junior knight handed Mathis the ‘evidence’ that had been discovered under the body.
It clearly implicated the Northern Kingdoms, as the ripped fragment couldn’t be from anything other than one of their tabards. It was green with white edging, and even part of the insignia could be seen. It was clearly torn, as if the dead knight had ripped it during the struggle. Mathis shook his head. He had been in many battles and had seen many slashed tabards. This had not been ripped away by a blade. He handed the fragment back to the junior knight.
“Stay still,” Mathis ordered. “I wish to test how this happened.”
He took hold of the junior knight’s tabard and twisted the fabric, trying to pull it away. There was the faint sound of stitching stretching, but the tabard itself did not rip. Mathis tried again, pulling sharply from all directions, but the fabric was strong and remained intact. He looked at the fragment the knight was still holding and withdrew his blade.
“You will have to visit the quartermaster. Tell him I authorized a new tabard,” Mathis told the knight as he slashed the tabard’s edge.
Mathis pulled the tabard sharply again, and this time it did rip, but the result was nothing like the fragment that had been discovered. He shook his head, looking at the fragment again. The details that it showed, the edging and the insignia, meant the ripped fabric couldn’t have been from anything other than a Northern Kingdoms tabard. It was convenient that it had ripped that way.
Mathis gazed uneasily around the room once more. He believed in being honest and true, but that did not mean he couldn’t detect a lie when he saw one. It was clear that the Northern Kingdoms were being implicated, but that did not mean that they were actually at fault. He looked at the door, and then at the dead knight on the floor. That was also a troubling sight.
The knight would have been stationed at the door. He would have had no cause to enter the queen’s quarters, and the door was not damaged; it had not been forced open during a struggle. Mat
his knew it wasn’t his place to draw conclusions, but he couldn’t help but note the obvious suggestion that magic was at work here.
A sorcerer could have entered these rooms without using the door. The knight could have heard a noise, investigated, and paid for his vigilance with his life. Mathis unhappily looked around the quarters once more, but he could see nothing to disprove his theory. This scene had been staged, and while it was not his place to comment on the politics between kingdoms, there was only one kingdom which stood to gain from such dishonorable tactics.
It was quite simple. Queen Eleanor had been with his prince, and she would surely not attack her own people. Whomever was behind this was trying to force conflict between Sintiya and the Northern Kingdoms. The only kingdom that benefited from Sintiya gaining another enemy was Gatlan. Mathis frowned deeply. If a sorcerer was involved, he really didn’t know what to do next.
Sorcerers could appear and disappear at will anywhere they wished. He didn’t want to disappoint his prince, but if magic was responsible, then there was nothing more for him to investigate. Suddenly, Mathis strode towards the door. This was not his decision to make—he needed to report to his prince.
*****
The midday meal was almost over when Eleanor’s sharp eyes spotted a senior knight enter the room. Prince Edmund ushered him over and they spoke in low tones, too quiet for Eleanor to make out what they were saying. However, whatever the knight was telling Prince Edmund was clearly not welcome news.
Prince Edmund rose from the table. “Please excuse me.”
He hesitated and glanced over towards her, and Eleanor realized whatever news this knight had brought likely concerned the recent incident. It was against protocol to leave a meal when guests were not yet finished, and it would be a gross breach of etiquette for him to ask her to accompany him to have a private discussion, especially given Lord Greenford’s presence.
“Perhaps you will permit me to accompany you,” Eleanor offered, her mouth curving into a knowing smile.
“Of course, Queen Eleanor,” Prince Edmund accepted gratefully.
Lord Greenford gave a disparaging snort but thankfully said nothing. Eleanor followed Prince Edmund out of the dining room, the knight two steps behind them as was appropriate. A couple of minutes later, they reached the library, and finally Eleanor got her first good look at the knight. He was obviously a senior knight, and obviously the one Prince Edmund had entrusted with the investigation of the incidents. He looked physically unassuming, and his character was unfortunately not emblazoned across his face.
“Mathis, please tell Queen Eleanor what you have discovered,” Prince Edmund ordered kindly.
Mathis cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Your Majesty, I believe that the most recent incident is not what it appears—there were several troubling inconsistencies. I believe that the Northern Kingdoms is not at fault. It is my suspicion that the Gatlan sorcerer is behind these attacks.”
Eleanor gasped. Her shock for a change wasn’t feigned; it was all too real, and now her mind raced. How had this knight come to that conclusion? She mentally shook herself. It didn’t matter how; what mattered was that she needed to fix this. The Northern Kingdoms had to look aggressive, otherwise her plans would start to fall apart—again.
Everything had been going so well, and blaming Gatlan would ruin everything. She looked at Mathis again, tempted for a moment to kill him, but the questions he had raised would not die with him. It would be impossible to find a motive for the Northern Kingdoms, especially as Mathis had just cast doubt on their involvement.
She needed to find a way to assure them of the Northern Kingdoms’ guilt—the question was how. The seconds ticked past and Eleanor realized she was out of time; she needed to say something now or they would grow suspicious.
“We should inform Lord Greenford immediately,” Eleanor said slowly. “Forgive me for my shock, I never imagined Gatlan would be capable of such an elaborate charade.”
“There is no proof due to the magic involved,” Mathis pointed out. “I am sorry, Your Majesty, I had hoped for justice for your men.”
Eleanor nodded soberly. It all came down to incontrovertible proof. She had something in that vein to offer Prince Edmund when the time was right. However, she had wanted him suspicious and believing the worst of the Northern Kingdoms first. She knew that Prince Edmund didn’t know what to make of Princess Maria’s apparent treachery.
He had not yet confronted his betrothed about her secret correspondence, which Prince Edmund believed was enabled by the Northern Kingdoms sorcerer. Perhaps that was the key—if they believed magic was involved, then Eleanor needed to prove Kevall’s involvement, as opposed to Gatlan’s pet sorcerer, whomever that might be.
“Yes, we should definitely inform Lord Greenford,” Eleanor repeated in a stronger tone. “I’m quite sure Gatlan’s sorcerer is listening for news, so as to learn whether their deception is being accepted. We can trap them into revealing themselves.”
Prince Edmund frowned. “Queen Eleanor, please enlighten us, what do you have in mind?”
“Well, there is a spell which will remove magical disguises,” Eleanor began. Prince Edmund blinked, exchanging a wary glance with Mathis. Eleanor’s expression twisted into one of sympathy, which wasn’t entirely fake. “Alas, I wish I could put up such a spell permanently; it is always such a worry. That will reveal Gatlan’s treachery. But first we need to draw them into the trap…”
Chapter Fifteen
They were racing the setting sun on the journey back to the palace. It had taken them longer to skirt the frontline and return from Kaslea than planned. Another reason to regret their side trip. It had certainly been a depressing discovery. Surprisingly, the three marines were shown directly into the throne room on arrival.
However, King Oswald wasn’t there. Instead, there was a knight in shiny buffed armor. Leo had seen a lot of knights in the past few weeks, and he could now tell the subtle differences between them. This was a senior knight. His impeccable appearance and grooming spoke of a life away from the frontline.
“I am the Knight Commander for Gatlan,” the knight said, confirming Leo’s suspicions. “You are too late for an audience with King Oswald tonight. However, he wishes you to confirm the success of your quest.”
“Yeah, it was a complete success.” Leo nodded, exchanging a knowing look with Don, which thankfully the knight commander missed.
This particular mission had been a disaster from start to finish; the fact that they had accomplished their objective didn’t erase how messy it had been. For a start, they had killed a Gatlan knight. It had been unintentional and it was done to protect a young woman, but it was still something that Leo hoped King Oswald would never learn about.
“Good.” The knight commander gave them a brief, cold smile. “The guest quarters in the knights’ barracks have been prepared for you. I understand you will likely be departing on another quest tomorrow. Rations will be provided. Is there anything else you require?”
“Actually, yes,” Leo said, his mind flashing to the sword that had been so useful, saving their lives in more ways than one.
He had disposed of it because it was a Gatlan blade, and they couldn’t be tied to the murder of the Gatlan knight in any manner. However, while Leo wouldn’t be giving up his assault rifle anytime soon, it was becoming apparent that their weapons weren’t the best option in all situations.
Leo wished he could press the knight commander for information regarding the ‘legend of the light in the darkness,’ which they thought related to the transport platform. He could also just merely describe the transport platform and ask the knight commander if he knew of anything like it. The knight commander would know Gatlan’s lands better than almost anyone—it was part of his job. However, trying to wheedle information out of the knight commander for free would not be looked upon kindly by the king.
If Leo had thought there was any chance the knight commander would tell them what they needed to
know, then he would ask him no matter the consequences. However, Leo was 99% certain that the response would be along the lines of ‘I must confer with my king,’ so there was little point in rocking the boat.
“What is it?” the knight commander asked mildly.
“A sword, at least one, though one each would be nice,” Leo requested, pasting on a winning smile.
The knight commander’s eyebrows rose to his receding hairline. “Blades are not cheap. I will have to pass on your request to my king, but I do not believe the response would be favorable.”
“Let me guess,” Nick said dryly. “We’ll have to earn it.”
“I will see what my king says,” the knight commander repeated, clearly unwilling to commit to more than that.
He gestured for them to leave. Another knight snapped to attention, and then started to lead them out of the palace, towards the knights’ barracks on the south corner. Nick shot the knight commander a dark look, but Don just sighed and shrugged philosophically.
“Nothing in life is free,” Don pointed out. “We’re hardly helping them out of the goodness of our hearts.”
“Yeah, but if it’s to help us with their quests, it’s just like the rations, isn’t it?” Nick argued, disgustedly.
“We’ll see what King Oswald says when we meet him tomorrow. No use getting angry over something that hasn’t happened.” Leo looked at Nick, who nodded, abashed.
Privately, Leo agreed with both Don and Nick. He hoped that King Oswald would be reasonable about it, but he understood if they had to do something small as ‘payment’ for the swords. That would take even more time, and that was time he didn’t want to spend. However, having a sword could make the difference between success and failure on a quest, which ultimately meant the difference between success and failure on their overall mission.
They had already proven that this wasn’t going to be a quick mission, which meant they needed to be sure that they would get it right. At this stage, Leo was willing to trade a day for certainty, even if it felt wrong.
Justified (#2 Divided Destiny) Page 15