Last Stand (The Black Mage Book 4)

by Rachel E. Carter

  There was a hushed collective of breath. I dared myself to look. Not a one appeared upset or suspicious. Even Ian had wide eyes and a perfectly timed “oh” framing his mouth. It was almost convincing.

  Then again, most were probably oblivious to the truth. Sir Gavin’s squad sought to test potential recruits’ loyalty to the Crown. There were only a select few who knew the truth in the starter squad. The rest were promoted to one of the higher squads, like my brother and Ella.

  Darren carried on as the rest of our guards examined the crowd.

  There was no point in trying to hide our purpose. Darren was wise to see how an investigation would carry rumors to the other squads. In truth, his speech was more than a little convincing.

  The prince carried just the right degree of emotion as he touched on our upcoming war and the lives we had lost in past rebel attacks. There was a hint of a plea as he beseeched them to turn over any information they had while promising not to charge any man or woman brave enough to come forward.

  And finally, the threat: should someone with information fail to come forward, the Black Mage would embrace less favorable methods of interrogation.

  When Darren was finished, our guards split in two. All but the prince and I remained outside to keep an eye on the crowd.

  I followed Darren into the dungeon. The information Nyx had promised was stacked neatly in a pile on a slab of stone that could only remotely resemble a desk.

  “You spent close to a year in this keep.” The prince’s voice was much softer now that it was just the two of us inside. “If you notice anything—”

  “I’ll speak up.” My stomach seemed to curl in on itself, and I forced myself to state the obvious aloud. It was better to warn him now. “Sir Gavin was my squad’s leader. I know this group well.”

  Darren ran a hand through his hair and then cast his eyes warily toward the door. “That means Ian is out there, isn’t he?”

  I bit my lip, wondering how he would react.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Darren shook his head, the decision already made. “I’m not here to settle old feuds… Perhaps his infatuation will help for once.” His gaze fell on the scrolls at the desk, and he began to sift through them and their list of names. “Ian might be willing to spy on his comrades if he believes he is doing it for you.”

  “I can try but…” I grimaced. “Whatever Andy said at the Victor’s Ceremony, Darren, she was wrong. Ian didn’t come to the keep because of feelings for me.” The best lie always started with a bit of truth. “He’s very loyal to the Crown. I know he would be more than happy to help.” And point you in the wrong direction.

  The prince’s mouth tugged in an uncertain line, but he didn’t voice his doubts aloud. Instead, Darren twisted the door’s knob, waiting as two of our guards brought the first man forward.

  Sir Gavin entered the prison chamber.

  And so our investigations began.

  The first two hours were the longest. A squad leader was the person most likely to take note of his men, and Darren pressed every bit of that advantage. Fortunately, from his line of questioning—like his shared confidence with Commander Nyx—I could see that Darren didn’t entertain any suspicion of the leader. Most of that time was spent learning about the squad itself.

  Sir Gavin presented all of his answers with ease, and why wouldn’t he? As head recruiter, the man had spend a good many years lying to most of his squad. He hadn’t “noticed any suspicious activity” and he was “very concerned with the possibility of rebels in the keep.” He was even so bold as to redirect Darren’s attention to me. With a serious gleam he noted, “Your wife was a part of my squad. Were any of my own rebels, they would have pressed that advantage, no?”

  Darren frowned. “If the rebels stationed recruiters in the keep, perhaps one or two working alone, they might have considered an attack too revealing.”

  The commander blinked, startled that the prince wasn’t so easily swayed.

  Even though I didn’t want him to discover the truth, I swelled with a bit of pride. My husband was nobody’s fool.

  “It is possible, I suppose.” Sir Gavin paused. “What do you think, Ryiah? Did you notice anything suspicious?”

  “I believe my questions are for you, not my wife.” Darren sounded just the slightest bit irritable. “Any concerns Ryiah had would have been reported long ago.”

  “True.” The squad leader was back to nodding right along. The remainder of his time was spent detailing the last five years of his unit’s patrols and detailing the behaviors of the names and backgrounds Darren had picked out of the pile. By the time they were finished, both Gavin and Darren were on a first-name basis.

  The knight was shaking the prince’s hand as he left, promising to report anything unusual in the days to come.

  As soon as the knight had exited the dungeon, Darren turned to me. “What do you think?”

  “About Sir Gavin?”

  “About his men. Do you think he could have missed something because he is too close to his squad?”

  Like you are to me? “Gavin is a good leader. I answered to Lief, but Sir Gavin was very aware of all of our squad’s goings-on, even the mages. I think he would have noticed if something was awry.”

  Darren nodded absentmindedly. “I feel the same. A shame we still have to question all of his men. Twenty squads is going to make for exhausting work.”

  “You would always wonder if you didn’t.” I walked toward the door as Darren returned to his pile of papers, sorting through the names. “Who would you like me to call next?”

  The prince frowned at his scrolls and then sighed. “I don’t suppose it matters much, does it? I’ll see them all eventually. Send Ian in. The sooner we question him, the sooner I don’t have to think about him waiting outside that door.”

  Might as well get it over with. I opened the door and called out Ian’s name, watching as Paige and Henry escorted my friend.

  The brawny mage stepped forward, and I ducked my head, avoiding Ian’s gaze as he stepped past to come face to face with his former adversary.

  For a moment, there was no sound. A quill could have dropped to the floor, and it would have made more noise than the two young men in front of me. I shut the chamber door, and the thud of heavy wood slamming against stone was enough to break the silence.

  “Your Highness.”

  Darren raised a brow. “After all these years, you finally use the title.”

  Ian managed a slight grin. “‘Darren,’ it is.”

  “I would say it’s good to see you,” the prince’s lip twitched, “but we both know that would be a lie.”

  “And I would never want you to lie.” Ian folded his arms and leaned against the wall, his grin widening. “Let me guess, you think I’m a rebel?”

  “Hardly.” The prince gave the mage a smirk. “Ian the villain? That would make my job too easy.”

  I coughed uncomfortably. “Darren and I are only doing this to see if you noticed anything suspicious among the men.”

  Ian glanced at me, and his eyes spoke the questions he dared not voice aloud. “I haven’t, and you know I grew up here. The keep’s men are hardly the kind to betray the Crown—that’s the southerners, no?”

  “We think the rebels reside north.” I made myself look him directly in the eyes, conveying a silent message as I did. Don’t give anything away. “We aren’t certain, but the southern attacks could be a trick. Perhaps the rebels’ base is somewhere along the border, and they are recruiting from the keep.”

  “I find it hard to believe a single one hides among us.” His eyes were asking questions in return. How much does Darren suspect? Do you understand what risks you are taking in bringing him here? The risks you are putting everyone through? And perhaps the hardest to ask: Do you forgive me for your brother and the lies?

  “I find it hard to believe they wouldn’t try.” Darren’s voice was incredulous, and I watched Ian cringe. The prince was so, so close. He, like the rest of the k
ing’s board of advisors, only believed the rebels to be two hundred at most. Nowhere near the size of the keep, give or take a hundred permanently stationed south.

  “If that were the case, we would have identified them years ago.” Ian gave the prince an easy smile, his ease returning to the banter from before now that he was no longer staring at my face. “We’ve got the best. Our men could spot a traitor a mile away.”

  “Then you wouldn’t mind helping us.”

  The mage straightened. “Of course.”

  “Keep an eye on your squad, and the others if you get a chance.” I cleared my throat a bit too loudly as the silence in the room grew. “We were hoping you could report any oddities while we’re here. Anyone acting strange now that the keep is under investigation.”

  “We could use an extra pair of eyes to keep watch from the inside. Someone loyal to the Crown that’s not in a position of command. And while I don’t find your infatuation with my wife particularly charming, I know I can trust you to keep her requests.”

  “Infatuation?” Ian’s eyes were wide.

  I shot Darren a glare and then looked at the older boy. “He didn’t mean anything.”

  “I know why you took up station at the keep.” Darren narrowed his gaze on the rebel. “Don’t do me the disservice of a lie, Ian. I’m not that gullible, and you aren’t that thick-headed.”

  “Darren!”

  “I’m not—”

  “I always thought you were the better man, but it appears it was just an act.” The prince didn’t look upset, just amused. “Not that I blame you. I would have done the same.” His laugh was dry. “And I did. Regardless, I trust your love for my wife outweighs your hatred of me, in this assignment at least.”

  The incredulous—and confused—expression on the mage’s face would have been laughable in any other situation. When Ian finally looked back at the prince and me, he was fighting to keep a contrite expression as he said solemnly, “I would be happy to help.”

  “Good. Then our time here is done. Let’s not share in more of this awkward moment than we have to.” The prince stretched his arm out to the door, his motion unmistakable.

  Ian rolled his shoulders and shot me a look that said we have some things to discuss.

  I shook my head ever so slightly. If my plan was to work, he would have to rely on Nyx. I couldn’t afford to explain myself; Ian would just have to trust I knew what I was doing. Darren would question any time I spent alone with my former… friend.

  The rest of the day was spent in quick succession. Darren had the names of those he had most reason to suspect, and if someone didn’t draw his attention, he preferred not to drag out their interrogation. Occasionally, I would fixate on a minuscule detail and lure Darren’s attention away from the oddities of others. It didn’t always work, but Darren wasn’t suspicious. He believed I was like him, overly cautious rather than ignorant.

  We went through half of Sir Gavin’s squad the first day alone. By the time we finally arrived at the dining hall for our last meal, we were dragging our feet and rubbing the creases of our eyes just to stay alert. Interrogation brought a different sort of fatigue than our training and patrols.

  I hardly paid attention to the stares the rest of the room was shooting us. The five units that were on reprieve for the next week had made it a point to sit as far away from the Black Mage as possible. Even Ian was avoiding our table when we finally took our seats, but that was expected.

  I kept my head down, not wanting to meet any curious eyes.

  Darren covered my hand with his. “Is it hard to be back, Ryiah? When your brother…” He paused. “When Derrick sent me a letter petitioning a position in the palace, he said you had a falling out with your squad before you left. He felt responsible.”

  I was too afraid my expression would somehow give away the truth. It was harder to lie when I felt the unspoken questions filling every corner of the room, pressing in against my skin. Stifling and hot, the lies were as dense as syrup and just as thick. So many half-truths were dancing across my tongue, and I didn’t want to lie. Not again.

  “It wasn’t their fault.” I gave the prince a weak smile. “I was distant. The others didn’t like it.”

  “They were a bunch of outspoken vagrants.” Paige’s drawl came from my left. She was sawing into her roast with a vengeance. “You were better than the lot of them, my lady, and they promoted Ray instead.”

  Darren cocked his head to the side. “You never said a word.”

  “There was nothing to say.” I silently cursed Paige for bringing it up. And the worst part was I found it endearing that she cared enough to still be angry on my behalf—even if it was drawing the prince’s attention to things best left alone. “They knew I would leave the keep at the end of my year. Ray intended to remain. It made sense that they would give the position to someone who would stay.”

  Paige snorted skeptically. “You didn’t believe that last year.”

  Because I knew Ian should have been promoted before Ray if that were the case. I just shook my head and forced a laugh. “I’ve had a year to reflect.”

  “I still think they are idiots.” My guard speared a potato with rosemary and lifted it to the air, swinging it violently as she declared, “You proved yourself during the Candidacy. Mark my words, they are regretting it now.”

  Darren gave her a curious look. “I had no idea you were so sympathetic, Paige.”

  “I’m not. I just don’t like fools.”

  The corner of his lip turned up. “Fair enough.”

  Thankfully, the conversation took another turn as some of the guards began to exchange stories of my knight when she was a squire. I was grateful for the change in topic. Paige was far too observant for her own good. It wouldn’t do for her to renew Darren’s suspicions when we were halfway through Gavin’s men. I couldn’t let him suspect they were hiding something.

  Not for the first time, I wondered where my guard’s loyalties would lie. But, like Darren, I knew I couldn’t put her devotion to the test. I was trapped lying to the two people I was closest to, and it was eating me alive.

  I could only hope Nyx had a clever plan for her rebel “reveal.” It would take a lot to fool the most intelligent warriors I knew.

  The next day came and went. We made our way through the rest of Sir Gavin’s squad. I hadn’t expected the interrogations to last so long. After all, most of the men and women were innocent.

  The second squad, on the other hand, was not. After the first three men and the head lady knight, it was clear Jinna’s squad had a dramatically different air than the first. Nyx might have warned her people, but most were not used to hiding their allegiance after so many years in service. They weren’t tasked to recruit with lies and a smile on their face. It worried me.

  Luckily, Darren and the rest of our guards believed the growing tension a natural progression. “Nothing out of the norm,” one of our knights had noted, “when one believes a traitor is in their midst.”

  It hadn’t occurred to my party that the “traitor” was most of the keep.

  Whenever we passed the men in the halls, they watched us with the wariness of the hunted. They were like a flock of tense birds.

  Or coiled snakes ready to strike.

  The sixth morning my worst fear came to pass.

  “Neither of you noticed when a pack of thieves snuck in through the back of your camp and stole fifty pounds of medical supplies?” Darren’s voice boomed across the dank dungeon walls.

  Across the cell were two cowering soldiers. Sweat was pooling across the man’s forehead and the other had trembling hands she shoved into the pits of her arms.

  I already knew the truth. The rebels were building an army, and clever Nyx had found a way to make the Crown indirectly pay for it. All those years of missing supplies and armor—I had a strong feeling there were secret storerooms in the keep hoarding the very supplies in question.

  I stood against the wall, watching my husband pace back an
d forth in front of the two guilty rebels, running his hand along his jaw as he glowered at them both. I knew Darren hadn’t wanted to find a rebel. I knew he wanted his suspicion to be wrong.

  “It was dusk, Your Highness.”

  “T-thought it was the horses acting up,” the second stuttered.

  “Your squad has suffered more losses in the last year than the others combined. Three of those losses were suffered during your patrol! Each time your reports explain those circumstances away, but you know what I think?” The prince took a menacing step forward, his eyes flashing crimson in the shadowy cells.

  Which one did Nyx choose? I watched the young woman swallow, the lump in her throat rising and falling as the prince scrutinized them both. Both of Nyx’s picks were doing a terrible job; were I in Darren’s shoes, I wouldn’t fail to suspect them both.

  “I think the both of you are the worst soldiers in the land, or—” His move was so sudden. A flash of the Black Mage’s hand and the two were slammed against the wall, clutching their throats against an invisible hand that held them in place, their brawny legs struggling in vain to reach the ground. I heard the panicked squeal of leather and metal as each fought their hold. “Or you are both cowards and liars and part of the rebel cause.”

  My heart jumped to my throat, the panic beating against my skin like quickening drums. I knew Nyx had instructed her rebel to put up a fight prior to confession, but it wasn’t making this easier to watch.

  This is the price of your lie, a part of me nagged. Had you chosen to tell the prince the truth, none of this would come to pass. I dug my nails into my arms and stilled, telling myself that the rebels knew what they were doing. They could brave Darren’s attack—the Black Mage would never kill without a confession.