“The King will want him alive, Sir.”
The Lieutenant’s expression twisted and he drew his sword angrily. He placed it against Varyn’s cheek. The Hunter didn’t flinch as the blade cut into the skin. “You’ve gone too far this time, Hunter,” the Lieutenant said, maintaining his sneer. “Killing one of the King’s men.”
“Was already dead,” Varyn spat, though he knew there was no point explaining. These men were too far south to know about the monsters that dwelled in the shadows. This fool probably thought that the Elves were nothing but stories wet nurses used to scare children. He’d never seen a dragon, or a draugr, or a huldra—he didn’t know the fear of the demons and spirits which plagued villages all along the coast. Varyn did. Varyn had known these monsters from childhood.
“Already dead, you say?” The Lieutenant laughed. “Is that how he’s been able to fuck his wives and whores these last few months? Because from all accounts, that is the mark of a man very much alive. Or do mean that he was possessed, as you claimed when you murdered him?”
He had been. Varyn had never seen such an aggressive possession in his life. The host had been rotting from the inside. When Varyn had cut him up, his intestines and bowels had been black.
“Ask the wives. They’ll tell you,” Varyn growled.
“Hysterical women don’t make for valid witnesses,” the Lieutenant replied. “Even so, you might have been considered innocent, until you decided to flee. That, we tend to mark as the action of a guilty man.”
Varyn gritted his teeth, opening and closing his fists. “I had to. For everyone’s safety. It’s coming.”
“What’s coming?”
“Dragon.”
The Lieutenant exploded with laughter. “A dragon? In Sigel’eg. This tale gets better and better.”
“It’s hunting me and it's close. There’s no time. I have to go far away.”
The Lieutenant only laughed harder. “And how do you know it’s coming? Last I checked the skies were clear. Anybody else seen a dragon swooping around? Be hard to miss.”
Varyn was running out of time, his patience wearing thin. “I can sense it.”
“You can sense it? That’s convenient,” the Lieutenant drawled, and at Varyn’s serious expression, raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you honestly expect me to believe you have dragon blood in you?”
“Take me to the city, it kills you all. Let me go, no one else dies.” Varyn turned to the other soldiers. Surely there must have been at least one among them who remembered the warnings and tales of their ancestors? Who knew that dragons had flown down this far south before, in search of prey, and the devastation they’d left in their wake. Nobody met his eye.
“Your children’s stories may well work north of the capital, Hunter, but here they will not,” the Lieutenant said. “You killed a King’s man, tried to flee, and now you will pay for it. What do you say to that?”
A shot of pain passed through Varyn, from deep within his belly. He tensed, and then, unable to repress the clawing agony, cried out, grinding his teeth together. The Lieutenant watched, confused, as Varyn hunched forward, easily resisting the soldiers’ hold as they attempted to straighten him again.
“Something’s wrong, Sir,” one of the soldiers said.
“He’s faking,” the Lieutenant snarled, and Varyn groaned again as the pain persisted. He could no longer feel his legs. The pain would only get worse from now, he knew.
“I think not, Sir,” the soldier said. Varyn could feel the blood draining from his face. Such pain couldn’t be faked. The Lieutenant grew impatient.
“Get him up! We’re returning to the city.”
The two soldiers attempted to drag Varyn to his feet, but the Hunter couldn’t stand and he sagged between them.
“The gods curse you—stand, Hunter!” the Lieutenant barked, and amidst his pain Varyn wished he could obey this order. If he could stand, he could fight—if he could fight, he could just as easily run and escape. “Damn it! Put him on the back of the horse if you must, we return—now!”
Varyn was heaved up and thrown across a saddle, a soldier mounted behind him. The Lieutenant turned his horse back toward the distant city and gestured for his men to follow. Varyn closed his eyes and, as the pain increased, wondered if he’d ever open them again.
“What are you doing?”
Joshua jumped a foot in the air and almost toppled off the branch he was balanced on. The tree had proven to be a perfect hiding spot from Boyd, covered in snow as it was, and with such a thick coat of leaves it was like sitting in a tent. The Prince had been so preoccupied with keeping quiet and not being seen, he hadn’t heard someone else enter his leafy domain.
The girl was a few branches below him and had wide green eyes that glowed like an animal’s in firelight.
“Hiding,” he answered, keeping his voice low. He peered curiously at the girl. He hadn’t seen anyone of his own age since arriving in the Neve, though logically he’d known there must have been other children around.
“Why?” The Cat Sidhe tilted her head to one side, blinking languidly. She had amiable features, a round face and slightly upturned nose, like a kitten.
“For fun.” Joshua shrugged, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m hiding, too.” The girl gave a sudden, wide smile that Joshua returned, unable to help himself.
“Who from?”
“My brother, Korrick.” She pulled himself up higher, so that she was closer to Joshua. She was a little shorter than him, though they appeared to be close in age. They studied each other curiously. “You’re the Prince of Harmatia,” the Cat Sidhe eventually said, as if there were other human boys running around the Neve.
“My name’s Joshua.”
“I’m Kael Ó Murchadha,” she replied. “My sister’s friends with the Magi. Shall we be friends too?”
Joshua blinked rapidly, delightfully taken aback. Looking into Kael’s eyes, the Prince had a clear sense of the girl. She was excitable, sweet-tempered, younger than she appeared, and of an optimistic temperament. Joshua had started to forget what optimism looked like after so many years on the run, having to be suspicious of everyone.
“Yes, I’d like that,” he said, and Kael’s smile grew wider still. “Why are you hiding from Korrick? Are you playing a game too?”
“Korrick doesn’t play games,” Kael said sullenly, pulling herself onto the branch beside Joshua. “He was making us study the history of the Sidhe and the Fomorii. It was boring. I climbed out of the window.”
“Hah!” Joshua laughed loudly, and then covered his mouth, conscious that the leafy walls around them didn’t conceal their voices. From beyond their sanctuary, Joshua heard footsteps in the snow, and a moment later the branches were parted and Rufus had stuck his head in. He looked up and raised an eyebrow at the pair of them.
“Joshua, Boyd is very upset and looking for you,” he said, and Joshua giggled. Rufus turned his attention to the girl. “And this would be?”
“This is Kael. She’s hiding from Korrick.”
“And you’re aiding and abetting her?” Rufus’s voice was light, but the joviality was skin deep. His smile was tired and Joshua could see a frightening fatigue still clung to Rufus, as if he’d been drained of life. “Where do you get this outlandish behaviour from, Joshua?”
“Probably my outlaw father.”
“Ah. Very true. As you were, then.” Rufus winked at them, and pulled his head back out from the tree to the sound of their laughter. From outside, Joshua could hear Boyd shouting.
“Have you found him?” The physician sounded panic stricken and Joshua almost felt guilty. Through the leaves, he saw the vague outline of Rufus shrugging exaggeratedly.
“We’ll have to move on—he could have gotten anywhere by now.” Rufus moved off through the snow, Boyd stumbling after him, complaining loudly.
“Wait…wait me for me, Rufus! I’m tired. Rufus, wait!”
“You’re worse than a child, keep up.”
Rufus’s voice faded away as the pair departed one after the other.
“Your father was an outlaw?” Kael asked, abashed. “So you’re not the Prince of Harmatia?”
“No, no—I am the Prince.” Joshua quickly raised his hands. “It’s just I never knew my father the King. I was raised by Rufus. That’s who I meant. He’s the outlaw.”
“Oh.” Kael gave a nod of understanding. “Is that why nobody’s happy he’s here?”
“I think that’s the least of it.” Joshua had noticed it as well—the quiet whispers that followed him wherever he went, the haughty stares of anyone who spotted him. They all knew he’d flown in with the Magi, and had made their judgements. Joshua had forced himself to be cheerful even with this cold reception, if only for Fae’s sake. With Rufus in his misery, Fae ought to know someone appreciated her for rescuing them. But it was getting hard to maintain. Joshua wished everyone would just speak and settle their differences once and for all, instead of hiding behind false courtesy and prejudgements.
“Adults are so needlessly complicated sometimes,” Joshua said, more to himself, and Kael hummed in agreement.
“It’s because they think too much. Father always says too much worry, and no play, makes the creative mind wither away,” Kael offered wisely.
“And too much play makes you foolhardy and stupid,” a sudden voice boomed, and before either of them could speak, a set of hands had reached into the tree and snatched Kael by the wrist. As she was ripped out, Joshua grabbed hold of his new friend by the waist, and the pair were dragged away from the branch together and deposited hard into the snow.
Blinded by the sudden brightness, Joshua sat up, blinking hard, the sun directly in his eyes. A tall, imposing figure moved in front of it, casting a shadow over them both. His face was stern and unforgiving—long with a square jaw and a tight mouth that had no laughter lines. Even without introduction Joshua knew exactly who he was.
“This is what you forsake your studies for, Kael?” Korrick demanded loudly, and from around the corner, Boyd re-emerged and spotted them. The physician’s face went as white as his hair, and he stumbled quickly toward them. Korrick seized Kael roughly by the elbow. “Physician Dacey,” he addressed Boyd, “I expect you to keep a better eye on my sister’s ward. As for you Kael—you have better things to do than play with this human.” He pulled Kael so sharply upward, the girl almost fell.
“Please, brother, I was only—” Kael began, but Korrick spoke over her.
“Your cousins and classmates all study meticulously whilst you, a daughter of the Ó Murchadha clan, waste your time. You are a dishonour to our father and mother. Do not bring further shame to yourself with empty excuses.”
“Wait!” Joshua cried. “Please, she was only keeping me company. It wasn’t her fault, it was mine.”
“I have no doubt of that.” Korrick responded sharply and Joshua felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment. He could see a strict hue around Korrick, an aura that dictated the man wouldn’t stand for any nonsense, and wasn’t inclined to be kind either.
“Lord Korrick,” Boyd said, “Joshua and Kael were only playing—”
“You are not here to give an opinion,” Korrick snapped.
Boyd ducked his head. “No, my lord, but all the same—”
“There is nothing beyond that.” Korrick towered over Boyd. “Know your station, Physician Dacey. Unless this portends to some medical issue, you have no leave to speak at all.”
“Yes, my lord,” Boyd said softly. Joshua saw red.
“You can’t speak to him like that!” The Prince dove forward, putting himself between Korrick and Boyd. Korrick raised his eyebrows in amusement, though his mouth remained tight and grim.
“Ever the sacrificial one, aren’t we?”
“You trust your lives to Boyd when you’re at your worst. Why should you treat him as any less important now when you’re healthy? He’s not something that’s only valuable when it’s useful! He’s a man, and he has a good heart and soul, and is equal to you in every way!”
“Equal?” The amusement spread in Korrick’s eyes, but it wasn’t malicious. “You think humans and Sidhe are equal?”
“Of course we are!” Joshua’s face burned with fury. All the anger that had been building in him for so long was suddenly at his fingertips like a weapon. His anger at the injustice they’d faced, at the Kathraks for their relentless hunting, and at Rufus for his unkind words to Fae. It flooded through him and he directed it at Korrick. “We’re here speaking, aren’t we? The same tongue, the same words! We can both think and rationalise, though you seem to lack any ability to feel!” He thundered a fist against his chest. “How, then, are we not equal? How are we not the same?”
Kael and Boyd were struck dumb by the angry display, mouths slack, but Korrick remained unaffected.
Joshua breathed in deeply, trying to even his voice. Anger wouldn’t impress this man—he could see that now. “People like us, we were given our titles at birth. But honour, nobility—we have to earn those! And if you can’t even respect your own people, then you don’t deserve to be respected back. Not by me, not by them.”
“You would do well to talk less,” Korrick said, his tone final. “You speak very prettily about honour and nobility, but you have never commanded men. You know nothing of discipline. You marked my orders to the physician as a lack of respect but they were a mark of authority, not superiority. And I am the authority in these grounds. You may not find me kind, but kind men do not win battles.”
“That’s because kind men don’t start them,” Joshua snapped, and a hand landed on his shoulder.
“One doesn’t have to start a battle to have to fight it.” Rufus’s fingers were firm. “That’s quite enough, Joshua. Apologise.”
“But Rufus!” Joshua squirmed, looking around.
“Apologise. I know you were trying to defend your friend but Kael was disobeying Lord Korrick, and he’s a master in this house, someone to whom we owe our gratitude. Don’t make me say it again.”
Joshua felt a burst of betrayal but obeyed none-the-less, bowing his head. “I apologise for speaking out of turn.” He kicked his feet.
“This Magi speaks sensibly,” Korrick said. “You would do well to listen to him and stay out of my way.”
Joshua gritted his teeth, humiliated. Rufus’s hand didn't leave his shoulder.
“Equally,” Rufus replied in Joshua’s stead, to their surprise, “you might do well, Lord Korrick, to remember that you’re speaking to the last of the Delphi line and the heir to the Harmatian throne. He may have apologised for his conduct, but nothing of what he said was unjustified—idealistic, perhaps, but not wrong. I might also remind you that whilst you can be as haughty as you wish, he—a twelve year old—was still courageous enough to stand between you and his friends, in order to protect them.” Rufus didn’t raise his voice but it was strict, and something of his manner pushed the topic to a natural end.
Korrick inclined his head, his eyes cast down to Joshua.
“It is noted,” he finally agreed.
Rufus moved his hand from Joshua’s shoulder to the back of his head. Joshua’s anger at his brother dissipated.
Korrick turned to Boyd. “Physician Dacey, it is not your place to defend Kael when she is being a nuisance. That being said, I apologise for my abrupt tone.”
Boyd looked so shocked by the apology, Joshua almost laughed. He resisted the urge.
Korrick returned his gaze to Joshua. “Your name is Joshua, correct?”
Joshua nodded.
“I have no patience for impertinent students, Joshua, but your bravery in standing up for what you believe is admirable. I trust Fae has explained the conditions of my training you?”
“You want to test me first.”
“That is correct.” Korrick placed his hands together. “And I see now the appropriate nature of the test. Tomorrow at the fifth hour, have Fae bring you to my training grounds. I will determine then whether you are worthy of
my time or not.”
And with a sharp gesture for Kael to follow, Korrick turned and strode away.
Kael reluctantly trailed after him, stopping only to turn back and wave enthusiastically at Joshua. “Joshua, don’t worry, I know you’ll pass the test! And when you do, we’ll be training together.” She grinned, then ran quickly after Korrick.
Boyd exhaled heavily. “Somehow, you tamed the storm,” he said in disbelief.
“Did you manipulate his emotions?” Rufus asked softly.
Joshua frowned and shook his head. “Someone like that,” he muttered, “I don’t think it would be possible.”
“I heard there was a commotion in my absence.”
Rufus looked up glumly from the table, his thoughts far away. Fae was in the doorway. Rufus got the impression she’d been standing there a while, deciding what to say. She was wary of him, probably still a little angry too, but her light words were an offer of peace. He accepted them gratefully.
“Your brother’s a frightening man.”
“Yet you escaped unscathed. From what Boyd tells me, I think Korrick was even a little impressed with you.”
“With Joshua, maybe.” Rufus gestured to a chair on the other side of the table. Fae sauntered forward and took a seat. Her eyes didn’t leave Rufus and he found it hard to look back at her. He swallowed dryly. “Listen, Fae—”
“Rufus, if you try to apologise to me about this morning, I will remove your ability to see,” Fae said promptly. “I won’t accept anything of the like until you are ready to be completely sincere. And by the darkness that lurks over you, I would wager that you aren’t. Not yet.”
Rufus opened and closed his mouth, then bowed his head in thanks. She was right, of course. He maintained some reservations and he didn’t want to give a superficial apology. Better to wait until it was completely heartfelt. “Thank you.”
“Clearly there are many things weighing on your mind—I have an idea of some, but I won’t press until you are ready to share.” Fae had obviously thought a great deal about her words, for she said them with a rehearsed ease. “There is one thing I will say, Rufus—one thing of which I need you to be clear.” Her voice rose and Rufus looked up. Her eyes were sharp. “Never, ever use Jionathan’s death to guilt me again.”
Blood of the Delphi (The Harmatia Cycle Book 2) Page 24