by Dawn Peers
“Recommend yes, advise perhaps. Order me? Never.”
“I wasn’t trying to instruct you, sire, I was attempting to advise you what’s best. The lords will be up in arms if they think you’re trying to leave them out of the trial. It involves one of their own, after all.”
“Yes, your father. Is that why you’re getting so upset about this? Are you worried I’ll have him executed without having a fair trial? I’m not that kind of ruler, Eden.”
Eden felt like a stupid boy, and he knew exactly what he needed to do at that point. He dropped to one knee, dropping his head to supplant himself to the king. “Of course not your highness, I know exactly what kind of man you are. I wouldn’t be in this position now if either of us thought any differently. I’m just trying to think of what’s best for you. I don’t want the lords to have an excuse to revolt even more. If they think you’re starting to make decisions without involving them—decisions that could trigger a war—then they will begin to question your rule.”
Vance waved Eden to his feet and bit at one of his thumbnails. “You are of course right, I know perfectly well the lords need to be involved. This is just a preliminary hearing if you will, a private conversation between me and Sammah, just so I can gauge his attitude. Some men will say anything one-to-one to get themselves away from the executioner’s block. I don’t think either of those men are going to act any differently, but I have to see that for myself. I think Shiver will throw himself on my mercy, and Sammah will be aloof and arrogant.”
“If you already know how they’re going to react, why see them at all?”
“Because I want to. Do I need any other reason?”
Eden dropped his head again, clearly put in his place. “No sire, you don’t need to justify yourself to me—or anyone else.”
“Correct. Perhaps we’ll make a decent chamberlain out of you after all. Have you spoken to your brother the past few days?”
“I haven’t had the time. Rowan and my mother shut themselves in his chambers as soon as she arrived, and haven’t emerged since. I haven’t been able to talk any sense to River since our father was arrested, so seems I’m out on my own.”
“Far from it Eden, come, keep walking with me.” Eden did, falling into pace a couple of steps behind the king. Vance kept glancing over shoulder at his chamberlain, but didn’t ask Eden to move up alongside him. There were little nuances to the way Vance threw his rank around, Eden was starting to find this out now, and the longer he was serving directly under Vance, the less he liked the king.
“Do you know how many people have been to see Sammah, since he was sent down here?”
“No, your highness.” Eden hesitated before he answered, because he was pretty sure he knew what the answer would be.
“Just the one, Eden, just the one. And of course, you know who that is don’t you?”
“Yes, your highness.”
“Why did you go to see Sammah, Eden?”
“I had to, highness, I couldn’t help myself. The way he treated me, the way he deceived my father, and then he just…disappeared down there? Part of me was hoping he’d been killed in the middle of the night, and I was a little sad to see him still alive.”
“You don’t mean that, do you?”
“The sadness? No. I can’t really mean that, because if I did, we would already be in an outright war.”
“Good, you do realise what’s at stake here than. I was beginning to think I’d accidentally put a dunce in the position of chamberlain. I’m not a fool Eden, and I don’t think you believe that Sammah completely deceived your father. Make no mistake, they will both stand trial. Shiver and Sammah are complicit in this treason, and if there is any suggestion that you’ve taken sides, you cannot take part.”
“How am I not meant to take sides? No matter what he’s done, my father is a loyal man to Everfell, and someone who I respect. Shiver might be thirsty for war, but he’s not a fool. There must be a reason why Sammah got to him; some sort of blackmail or malice. There is no reason why Shiver would just want to overthrow you sire, especially not with a Sha’sekian. We know that my father wanted your throne, but he also spilled a lot of blood to keep the Sha’sekians away from it. Sammah, however, has got plenty of reasons, and he deftly collected people around him to achieve what he wanted. He schemed for years in front of all of us. He, more than my father, is the guilty party.”
“You see blackmail as a good thing? For Sammah to have been able to hold your father’s loyalty like that, Shiver must have done something wrong that he wanted to hide. So, either he was already betraying me, and Sammah had him where he wanted him, or Shiver knew exactly what he was doing, fully aware of his motives and the consequences. Which of those treasons sound better in court?”
Eden immediately worked to reverse the damage his words had just wrought. “I can’t begin to question my father’s motives, but I do know that every day, he worked with the best interests of Everfell at heart.”
“The best interests of Everfell,” Vance snorted, “or the best interests of Sevenspells? I may have you on my side, but I don’t have Rowan. And now the Lady Rhi has arrived at my court, leaving who in charge of Sevenspells? None of the other lords involve their wives in court affairs; I do wonder how much the Lady Rhi knows.”
“We’ll find out at the trial, won’t we?”
“I suppose we will. Remember, Eden, I can’t use you if you can’t be trusted. Keep away from Sammah, unless I instruct you to see him. Is that clear?”
Eden didn’t like the threatening edge to the king’s voice, and nodded his agreement.
“Good. We’re going to see him now.”
* * *
The musty cells were just as Eden remembered, and he wanted to leave them as soon as he set foot in the claustrophobic corridors. Vance almost skipped along, evidently looking forward to a clash with the baron. Eden didn’t want to accompany him. He only wanted to see Sammah on his own terms, and preferably that would be never again. But, Eden claimed to be the king’s man now, and he had to follow instructions. Perhaps he could just hang behind Vance, keep out of view and just let the king do whatever he wanted to do and get out of there. Perhaps Sammah wouldn’t even notice him. That was wishful thinking though, and Eden’s heart sank at the thought of having to confront the baron in front of his king.
“Sammah! You look wonderful. How is life in your new apartment?”
Eden’s hatred for Vance grew. The man acted like a child, petulant, jealous of others and clumsily overprotective about things he considered to be his. Yes, Sammah was guilty of treason. He’d been placed behind a solid door, with no chance of escape, and facing certain death. Vance was poking fun at him like he was a bear stuck in a cage. If Sammah ever does escape, Eden thought I wouldn’t want to be in Vance’s position.
“The world sits with me fine, your highness. The food is below average but the room is warm. I do wish my hay had fewer animals crawling in it, but I don’t suppose prisoners can be choosers.”
“You are correct, they can’t. Are you looking forward to your trial?”
Eden didn’t need to see Sammah to realise what the king was doing. It was obvious this wasn’t the first time that Vance had visited Sammah, and probably not the first time the king had poked fun at his captive.
“You use the word trial as if there’s going to be some kind of fair judgement going on, your highness. We both know that I’m dead already, so why bother with the charade?”
“The trial will be just and done correctly, as my chamberlain has pointed out to me. Things will be done the proper way.”
Eden tried to shrink into the wall at the mention of his title, but couldn’t. At the mention of his name, Sammah appeared at the bars in the door, his greasy face pushing up against the iron to see into corridor.
“Eden! So lovely to see you again.”
Eden could see from the hope in Sammah’s eyes, that the baron wanted Eden to keep his visit to the cells a secret. Apparently it was impossi
ble to keep secrets from the king, however, so Sammah’s disappointment was plain when Vance carried on, chirping away. “Ah yes, of course my chamberlain is going to come and see you when you’re down here. Looking after prisoners is part of his remit, of course, until you’re found guilty and I hang you from the parapets. I just wanted to find out what you thought about that?”
“What I think about that, your highness, is that you haven’t got the balls to hang me. If you execute me, there will be a war, and I know you couldn’t stomach that. A war plays straight into Shiver’s hands, and treason or not, you’ll need to free him to help defend your precious lands.”
“You seem sure of yourself. You overstepped the mark in your position as emissary, as a citizen of my court. You really believe you’re above my laws? Give your brother and the council more credit. Or have they been planning a war all along, and this is just going to be the excuse. Is that what you are Sammah, a sacrifice? Does your brother think so little of you, that he’d just send you here to die?”
“My brother thinks of me as irrelevant, but he knows I would be willing to do everything to help the lives of the Sha’sek people. Everfell doesn’t deserve these lands, and we’ve been exiled, to what kind of life in the islands? You don’t understand what it’s like to live out there, and you never will. Look at all the lands you have here, all the space. These lands can be shared, though I know you never would. Everyone in Sha’sek knows it. The greed of you and your nobles is the only reason war is needed.”
“Is that the will of the council? Does everyone else agree with your view? Or are you a lonely, angry, bitter man, acting out his fantasies of war because you’ll never be of any importance in the lands you came from?”
“You can ask Eden what the fantasies of the youngest son are like, if you want that kind of opinion.”
“So you’re saying the council does share your opinion that war is coming?”
“No, I never said that. But you can interpret it whichever way you like.”
Vance lashed his hand through the bars and Sammah stepped back smoothly without flinching. The baron laughed, throwing his head back and taunting the king. “You’re toothless, Vance, admit it. I’m sitting behind bars, and still running rings around you. I’m going to enjoy watching you shrivel into nothing with the full force of the council thrown against you. Shiver almost overthrew you on his own, without my help. You were only made king because Sha’sek wanted peace, and so did your own. When it comes to people wanting war, who do you think they’ll put on the throne?”
“Shiver will never have this throne. You will never have this throne, and neither will anyone else in Sha’sek. This is mine, my land! No one can take it from me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure, your highness, there’s quite the queue.”
“I should have you killed now for your insolence alone.”
“Then do it, your highness! Guarantee the war that everyone wants. Go on!”
Vance said nothing, and Sammah smirked. “See, I told you. You don’t have the balls.”
The king roared, a yell of pure fury that had Eden flinching, and Sammah stepping back away from the door.
“Be ready for a war. Do you honestly think I’ve spent my entire reign ignorant of what’s going on around me? You say it as if it’s not something I’ve been anticipating, but it seems bloodshed is all everyone else thinks about. Yes, I’ve been preparing for it. I’m aware I have treacherous lords still sitting in my court. They will be found, and then the bloodletting begins.”
“Before you get there, sire, you’ve got to make me stand trial. I haven’t just spent my time here plotting against you; I’ve studied your laws, too. I’m allowed to demand witnesses to my actions. So, before you put me to trial, I demand that Quinn is brought to testify to my crimes.”
“You’ve already confessed!”
“And what if she is the one that forced me to do everything? She is an empath, after all.”
“You can’t do that! Quinn isn’t guilty of anything. You forced her to do everything.”
“There is no proof of that, and that’s why I want her at my trial. She was old enough to say no to me when she was older, and who is there to say I wouldn’t have let her alone but for the asking?”
“Of course you wouldn’t have left her, she was essential for you. She was trapped, and had to do everything you said! What about the others? Lord Alec? Sirah? Would Quinn have joined them in death, once you were done with her?”
“Quinn was my daughter. I would have never placed her in harm’s way.”
“And you wanted to make her your wife? You disgust me.”
“I didn’t want to marry Quinn, I just needed to breed her. That’s a conversation we can keep for the trial, though. A trial I won’t stand at without Quinn being here. Collect your lawmakers and consult them if you want, and they’ll tell you I’m well within my rights. I’m sorry highness, you might think you’re in control here; you’re just not. You can’t control me, nor can you keep control of those lords that claim to be loyal. Your grip on the throne is failing, Vance. One of these days, you’ll have to let it go.”
“You will die, Baron Sammah, and preferably by my bare hands,” Vance hissed through the bars.
“Oh please, for the first time in your life, get your hands dirty. Be a man. Give me a satisfactory way to leave this world.”
With another growl, Vance stalked away, back to his chambers. That left Eden alone again with Sammah, and this time there were no guards in the vicinity to overhear their conversation.
“I don’t need Quinn back here, Eden, but you must admit, the wait will be handy. Gives me a bit more time to line up the final overlooked pieces of my plan, before this entire kingdom collapses. You’re close to Vance now. You must see, like I did, that he can’t rule. At best he is indecisive, and impulsive. Better that your father was in charge, better than any other the lord was in charge, surely you must see that?”
“Any of the lords? Not you?”
“Me perhaps, but then think how many people I would have to fight to keep the throne. If had a puppet in charge, that would be more effective. I could deal with that. I just need to be the other side of the door. My time will still come.”
“I don’t believe anyone, any more. I can’t believe what comes out of Vance’s mouth, nor what comes out of yours. I can’t even trust my own family.”
“Welcome to adulthood, Eden.”
20
The guardsmen hadn’t brought any spare horses with them, so Quinn had been mounted in front on Evander’s saddle, but Maertn and Ross been forced to walk. Quinn hadn’t wanted to speak to the man, so instead she spent her time taking in her surroundings, finally getting her first look at the capital city of one of Sha’sek city states. Farn seemed imposing from a distance, and close-up it was awe-inspiring. If she had been in a talkative mood, Quinn would have been dumbstruck once they got to the wall. She thought Everfell’s walls were high, but they were dwarfed by comparison to this. The walls vaulting into the sky were grey stone, cleanly hewn and flat, not like the roughly chopped brickwork that made up the castle of Everfell. Even mounted on a horse next to the wall, Quinn had to squint to see men at the top of it. There were guardsmen all along those walls, though she didn’t see any way an attacking force could scale that sheer face.
Evander assured her that there was more than one entrance to the city, and all of these were just as securely guarded. They were coming to the main entrance, which led straight to the centre of the city. Much like Everfell, it was a wide archway with a lifted portcullis, with armed guards standing either side monitoring those who entered and left the city. The walls were thick, and the tunnel murky with guttering shadows thrown by the torches hung at sparse intervals. Quinn would hate to walk through this in the dead of night.
As she went through that tunnel out into the other side, Quinn’s jaw dropped. It was like she’d emerged into a new world. The first thing that hit her was the noise. Everywhere, and
from all directions, she was bombarded. It was nothing like the port either, because Kahnel had felt like sheer chaos. Here, it seemed vaguely organised. The market lined the main roads, filtering off into the side streets. Civilised, calm people drifted from stall to stall. She could hear banter and bartering on top of that too. No one paid them any heed as they passed, as if Evander and his men were a common sight.
Perhaps the order came from the sheer number of guardsmen. As they came to a crossroads, the captain brought them to a halt. A smaller march, only six horses, came from a street to the east. They shared a hushed conversation in a tongue Quinn didn’t understand. Evander had been speaking to her in the language of Everfell, and she had just assumed that this language would be used throughout the city. That clearly wasn’t the case, and whilst some of the words seemed familiar, apparently she had more learning to do.
The got the other guards moved on, and Quinn found her voice. “What language did you use then?”
“A dialect particular to Farn, but not too dissimilar to the common tongue spoken by your people. You’ll get them all over Sha’sek, and it’s one reason why we often tend to use the common, instead. We all learn it as children. It’s key to us, because it is the only language consistent across all of the islands. Without it, there would be no kind of no alliances between any of the islands. We wouldn’t be able to talk, so how could we negotiate a peace?”
“Instead you can speak the language of Everfell and negotiate a war?”
The captain laughed. “I’ll never be senior enough to negotiate a war, girl, and you shouldn’t pretend to assume that we were the ones that caused it."
Quinn settled back into silence, taking in Farn’s details. She was obsessed with the colours. The walls had been grey and dull, like the Everfell stone, but inside was a totally different story.
The ground wasn’t cobbled, it was sandy and hard. Hued with browns and reds, it didn’t look like it belonged within city walls. The market stands were sheltered with silks in places, though most were covered by canvases dyed in what seemed like hundreds of different shades. The people, too, wore clothing with vibrant and even garish colours, in stark contrast to the boring grey trousers that she saw everywhere in Everfell. The only people at court who seem to echo the fashions here were the nobility, and sometimes that even seemed for the sake of being different to the commoners.