The Prison of Buried Hopes (After The Rift Book 5)

by C. J. Archer

  "What do you want?" I growled.

  "To gloat." Lord Xavier's finger tapped on the hilt of his sword as his heated gaze raked over me. "And to see how my prize looks in her sorrow. I don't like puffy eyes and red noses, by the way. I'll have to see that all the tears are beaten out of you before I have you."

  "You're revolting."

  "Tell me, how does it feel to see your lover in a prison cell knowing he's going to his death in a matter of days."

  "Because of you. We know what you did. We know you paid witnesses to lie and go into hiding."

  He didn't even bother to deny it. His smile stretched, an ugly gash in an ugly face. "Let me guess. You're going to make me pay. I'm quaking with anticipation and fear." He gave a mock shiver, like a big child tormenting a smaller one.

  The seed Dane had planted suddenly bloomed, the roots taking hold, bolstering my confidence. I straightened and squared up to Lord Xavier. "Quake no more. There’s no need to guess; I'll tell you." My cheerful tone froze his smug smile. "You will tell the magistrate that you killed Jute Weller."

  He snorted. "You're deluded as well, I see."

  "I don't care what you say, but if I were you, I'd make it appear accidental. Perhaps you came across him in a dark alley and he fell in front of your horse. He might have been drunk or just slipped on a smooth cobblestone. You're a nobleman from Glancia, and if you show contrition and respect, you'll walk free. It was, after all, an accident."

  He tipped his head back and laughed, earning stares from the other drinkers in the taproom. "You are quite the storyteller, Josie." He applauded lightly. "But you don't seem to understand. I have no inclination to free the captain. I'm looking forward to the entertainment awaiting us on the scaffold in two days. You can watch with me, if you like. I'll save you a spot near the front where you'll get a good view of your lover twitching at the end of a rope."

  My stomach rolled, but I tried to keep my expression composed. "You'll be inclined to free him when you discover I'll give you the gem."

  His smile vanished. He stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around my arm. "You said you didn't have it."

  "I lied." I wrenched free. "It's hidden, but I can get my hands on it if you do as asked and admit to killing Jute. Only when Dane is free will I hand over the gem."

  I did not promise him a wish. He and his mother seemed certain we didn't have both or, as Lady Deerhorn had put it, we would have used a wish by now. It made more sense to let Lord Xavier think we had the gem, but it was useless to us without the wishes.

  The problem was, the plan only worked if he could get his hands on those wishes. It wasn't clear from his face if he could. Indeed, his expression had gone quite blank as he thought through the implications. He wasn't as quick witted as his mother.

  "It's very simple, my lord. I will give you the gem in exchange for Dane's freedom. If Brant holds the wishes as he says, and you know where to find him, you can buy one from him. Do we have an agreement?"

  His finger tapped listlessly on the sword hilt again. "Prove you have it."

  "No. I don't trust you not to overpower me when I reveal its hiding place." I nodded at his men. "I'll present it to you once Dane is free and not a moment before."

  He clenched his teeth and his lips moved to a muttered curse.

  "You have nothing to lose, my lord. The magistrate won't punish you for an accidental death."

  "They're punishing the captain for it."

  "That's different. Dane struck the man on purpose. Besides, you are a nobleman."

  I could see him thinking it through, trying to decide if it was too much of a risk or if I was lying. How he must desperately wish his mother were here to offer counsel.

  "I'll think about it." He turned and strode away, his men at his heels.

  I sat again and signaled to the serving girl to bring me another drink. My nerves were shredded, my heart racing, and my head spinning. Dane would be furious with me if he knew I'd promised the gem to Lord Xavier after also promising it and a wish to the princess.

  But the more I thought about it, the more I saw no additional downside. If we had to flee from Princess Illiriya, we might as well flee from Lord Xavier too. He was already someone we tried to avoid; it would simply become imperative if he accepted my proposal. It remained to be seen if he would follow us to Freedland, however.

  I had to hope he didn't know the direction we were heading.

  Not all of the others agreed with my actions when I told them about it the following morning. After they got over their initial shock and anger that Lord Xavier had confronted me, Balthazar, Theodore, Kitty and Meg told me I was foolish for courting even more danger.

  "Is it not enough to anger a princess?" Balthazar asked. "Did you have to stir up trouble with a Deerhorn too?"

  "I stirred up trouble with the Deerhorns long ago," I said as we all met in the room we women shared.

  Theodore clicked his tongue. "You shouldn't have promised him the gem, Josie. What if he mentions it to the princess or Barborough? Then both parties will feel duped."

  "Lord Xavier is not a friend to the princess or Barborough. He won't speak to them. Listen. We needed a backup plan in case the princess fails. Dane doesn't think she has enough influence with the king or the lawmakers to succeed."

  "We have a backup plan," Balthazar said. "Isn't that why we're purchasing herbs and other concoctions today?"

  "That's the backup of the backup plan."

  I hoped I didn't have to resort to the emetic. I'd asked the inn's cook if I could use a pot of hot water and steep the herbs in her kitchen. He'd been reluctant, but I suspected a few ells would sway him. Getting the prison guards to drink it was another matter.

  "Is everything prepared for our hasty departure tomorrow?" I asked to distract them.

  "I am hiring horses today," Erik said.

  "Make sure they're the swiftest money can buy," Balthazar reminded him.

  "I will speak to the cook about provisions," Kitty said. "But I'll be sure to leave space for whatever you buy from the market today."

  While I bought the herbs needed to make up the emetic, Meg, Quentin, Max and Theodore would purchase whatever else we needed for our journey. We must travel light with only what we could carry in saddlebags and with only one packhorse in tow.

  "And you, Balthazar?" I asked. "What are you doing today?"

  "Appealing to the supreme priest again to step in on Dane's behalf."

  "Promise him the gem if that doesn't work."

  His eyes narrowed. "This is not a joke."

  No, it was not, yet I felt more hopeful today than I had the previous night, and that lifted my mood. Having a purpose always made me feel better. It gave me less time for stewing on the dreadful facts.

  "I’ll go to the prison after my visit," Balthazar said. "Perhaps I will have good news to give Dane."

  "Perhaps he will already be free," Quentin said although I could tell he didn't believe it.

  "Promise me one thing," I said to them all. "Let me tell Dane about the bargain I struck with Lord Xavier. I want the blame to fall squarely on me, not any of you."

  "Good luck," Max muttered. "He won't like it."

  "If he's free, he can rant and rave about it all he wants. I'll welcome anything he has to say."

  Dane was not free by the time we visited him after leaving the market. I allowed Max and Quentin to talk to him alone before I replaced them at the cell bars. We hardly spoke. I had little to say that didn't sound as if it were a farewell, and I refused to believe this was the last time I'd see him.

  From the sadness in his eyes, I knew he was not as hopeful as me. "Be strong for me, Josie," he said as I was about to leave.

  "I am. This will work, Dane. I know it."

  "Not that. Not just now." He clutched the bars, suddenly earnest. "Be strong tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that. There's no sense in—"

  "Stop it. Do not say another word. This will not end here. Our story isn't finished
."

  He smiled weakly. "Thank you for believing it enough for us both. I needed to hear you say it. I need you, Josie. You're my anchor."

  I laughed, despite the fullness of my heart. "I weigh you down?"

  He laughed too. "I mean you keep me from drifting away on a sea of sorrow."

  "Very nicely put. Perhaps you were a poet in your past life."

  "A poet would not have called the woman he loves an anchor."

  My breath hitched. My heart stilled before resuming a rapid, erratic rhythm. I stared at him, and stared and stared.

  He turned away. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Not with the way things are with my memory. I didn't think."

  I reached through the bars and cupped his jaw, rough with a four day-old beard. My thumb stroked his cheek. "I'm glad you said it," I managed to whisper through my tight throat. "Knowing you love me gives me strength like nothing else."

  He swallowed loudly.

  "Look at me, Dane."

  He peered up through thick lashes.

  "I love you too," I said. "And tomorrow, I will hold you in my arms after you walk out of prison a free man."

  He did not mention that he might not be free to marry me, for which I was glad. It wasn't something either of us wanted reminding of. This moment of tenderness was for both of us to hold onto as we waited for the pieces of the plans to fall into place.

  I left him to rejoin the others waiting outside with our purchases. They stood across the busy courtyard at the public fountain. I headed towards them, giving the half-built gallows a wide berth, only to be stopped by Lord Barborough. I tried to keep the groan out of my voice as I greeted him.

  "Have you been waiting for me?" I asked.

  He glanced towards my friends, making sure they hadn't yet spotted him and that we had time to talk. "I want to know if you spoke the truth about the gem and wishes when you offered them to the king."

  If he was asking me that, it meant he hadn't encountered Lord Xavier and didn't know I'd also offered him the gem. "I wouldn't lie to your king. That would be foolish."

  "I must be absolutely certain. My life depends on this, Miss Cully."

  "So does Dane's. You can be assured, I would not risk his life or the lives of any of our friends by lying about something so important."

  He tugged on the sleeve of his limp arm. "Then why haven't you used the wishes and gem for yourselves yet?"

  "For one thing, how do you know we haven't used one? I only offered you the use of a single wish, not both."

  He conceded the point with a nod.

  "For another, we are a noble group. Far more honorable than you give us credit for. We struck a bargain that we would only use the wishes on something we all agree is worthwhile. The problem is, we couldn't come to an agreement. Until we do, one person is in charge of the gem, while a different person has the wishes. And no, I will not tell you which of us has what."

  His top lip lifted in a sneer. "It will tear your group apart. Greed is always more powerful than honor."

  "It won't matter, will it? Not if we give your king the last wish."

  "The king doesn't believe in magic and the princess is a woman."

  I crossed my arms and arched my brows. “Meaning?”

  "She doesn't have any influence in the kingdom. No magistrate will release the captain on her command. Give me the wish and the gem and I will have the captain released without question."

  "You have the power to get a man pardoned?"

  "I do."

  I doubted it but did not say so. "My lord, I don't care who frees him or how. The wish and gem will not be handed over until he is with us, safe. If you want to collect the magic for yourself after that point, by all means, do so. Now, if you don't mind, I'm joining my friends, who are currently marching over here with angry looks on their faces and hands on their swords. We know you brought Dane’s trial forward."

  He glanced behind him to see Max and Quentin advancing quickly. He left without so much as a goodbye.

  "What did the sniveling weed want?" Max asked, watching Lord Barborough retreat.

  "To betray his king and princess and make promises to me he can't possibly keep. It seems we're not the only ones playing a dangerous game in Merrin Fahl."

  I didn't sleep that night and awoke early the following day to the news that Dane's execution had been delayed until the afternoon.

  "That's good," Meg said, her arm around my shoulders.

  Erik stopped pacing the bedchamber floor and looked at her. "It is still going ahead. That is bad."

  "Any delay is a positive sign. It means the princess is getting through to the king. Perhaps he wants time to learn more about magic before committing."

  "Meg's right," Max said. "This is good news."

  I found it difficult to agree but I made a show of it, for their sakes, and they made a show of it for mine. All but Quentin. He sat on the bed, his knees drawn up, head resting on his folded forearms. During the quiet moments, I could hear him sniffling.

  When the others went down to breakfast, I stayed back. I sat beside him and hugged him. He cried into my shoulder until he couldn't cry anymore.

  "I'm sorry, Josie," he said when he was finally calm enough to speak. "I wish I could be strong like you."

  "I'm not strong, Quentin. I have my doubts too, but I won't let them get the better of me. Not until all hope is gone, and at this moment, we still have reason to hope. The lure of magic is very powerful."

  I didn't tell him it was the aftermath of Dane's release that worried me too. If we were caught fleeing, it might not be just Dane condemned to death. It could be all of us.

  "If you think so…" he hedged.

  "I do. Now come downstairs and eat something. We might not get another chance for some time."

  My courage remained with me until the sun hung high in the sky. After that, every ring of the temple bells chipped off another chunk of it until I was left trembling by the time the afternoon shadows grew long in the prison courtyard. The longest, darkest shadow of all was cast by the gallows.

  The late hour meant we had reason to hope the king was still considering his options. Executions were usually held in the mornings, according to the gossip of those waiting in the courtyard with us. The gallows had been erected the day before, and guards now stood around the yard's perimeter to keep the restless crowd at bay. The crowd had thinned as the hour grew later, but many lingered, sometimes shouting their frustration with the delay at the prison itself.

  With the memory of Mull's riots fresh in my mind, I hoped they wouldn't be too upset if my emetic had the desired effect and the execution was delayed even further. The large number of guards would make escape difficult, but the larger number of onlookers was to our benefit. It would be easier to disappear amongst them.

  I touched the knife in my pocket and hoped I wouldn't have to use it on any of the suffering guards. If all went to plan, it would be easy to slip past them as they purged themselves, take the key hanging beside Dane's cell door and unlock it. From there, Dane could overpower a guard, swap clothing with him, and slip out unnoticed.

  Theodore emerged from the prison and crossed the courtyard to join us. I waited impatiently for him to reach us, trying to gauge from his face what news he had.

  "The execution is still set for sunset," he said gravely.

  My heart sank. The princess had not managed to convince her father, and Lord Xavier had not given himself up. My first two plans had failed. It was time to enact the third. We could not wait any longer.

  "Did you deliver the barrel of ale?" I asked Theodore.

  "I watched on as it was passed around. The guards all drank thirstily. I also found out the latrines are at the back of the cells."

  "It won't take long before they're occupied."

  Theodore looked to the guards at the prison entrance. One of them already touched his stomach, frowning.

  My hand fluttered to my own stomach, tight with anxiety. It had begun. We'd set Dane's es
cape in motion and couldn't back out now.

  “They're such an arrogant lot,” Kitty said, looking around at the restless crowd from beneath her hood. She'd wanted to be with us, not Erik and the horses, but we'd insisted she wear a hooded cloak, despite the warmth. With Lord Barborough and Lord Xavier in the city, she couldn't risk being recognized. "Look at them, panting with anticipation to see a foreigner hang. It's disgusting. I'd be ashamed if I were their duchess."

  "Glancians are just as bad," Meg pointed out. "Not that we've had many executions in Mull, but I've heard it gets like this in Tilting."

  Max emerged through the crowd, breathing heavily. "Any word yet?"

  "Still going ahead at sunset," Theodore said.

  "Damn. And Josie's emetic? Is it working?"

  "Give it time." Just as I spoke, one of the guards at the door raced inside, hand over his mouth. The other looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Very soon now."

  Meg followed my gaze. "It'll surely get put off until tomorrow."

  I hoped so. It would make our work even easier if Dane was kept inside where the guards were in no condition to stop him walking out with us.

  The second guard followed the first inside, clutching his stomach. The third was too distracted by his own cramps to notice. It was almost time.

  Balthazar tapped Max's leg with his walking stick. "How are Quentin and Erik?"

  "Anxious, but they don't need me." Max rested his hand on his sword hilt. "I have to be here. It's not just getting Dane out, it's the presence of Lord Xavier too. If he sees Josie, he might try to kidnap her to get the gem."

  "He won't try anything in public. Not here."

  Max suddenly stiffened. I followed his gaze to see someone pushing through the crowd. Someone I hoped never to see again.

  Brant.

  Why now, of all times? We had to get into the prison as soon as the final guard abandoned his post, and having Brant realize what we were up to would spell disaster.

  "What are you doing here?" Max snarled as Kitty touched her hood and lowered her head.