He took her hand and pulled her across the grand hall. There were large, stone pillars supporting the towering roof and floors above them. He moved out to the center of the room and pointed at the throne. It was made of polished mahogany inlaid with designs of pure gold. There was a smaller throne made of ivory and inlaid with silver that sat back a little from the larger throne.
“My mother’s throne has sat empty for a long time,” Simmeron said. “Would you be so kind as to try it out?”
“Do you think that’s wise?” Brianna asked. She was very uncomfortable and the prince was only making matters worse.
“Oh, I think it is very wise,” he said in an attempt to sound convincing, but failed. “I’d very much like to see you there, perhaps on a permanent basis.”
“No,” Brianna said a little too forcefully. “That wouldn’t be proper,” she added, trying not to let her disdain for the Prince show.
“I insist, I insist,” he said playfully, pulling her toward the dais where the thrones sat.
He practically dragged her up the steps and led her to the chair. She sat down and he applauded. He sat on the edge of the larger throne, the king’s throne, and turned toward her.
“You know, you are the first girl I’ve ever seen sit there, other than my mother. How old are you, Brianna?”
“Fifteen,” she said.
“Ah, just perfect for marriage. Are you pure?”
“I’m not sure I understand what you are asking,” she said, trying desperately to find a way to escape the Prince.
“It doesn’t matter; I don’t hold with the traditional ways myself. You are beautiful, Brianna, but of course you know that, don’t you. I would very much like to have dinner with you tonight. Yes, I’ll arrange everything.”
“Oh, my lord, I’m sure you’re much too busy to entertain me.”
“Nonsense,” the Prince said. “I want to get to know you. I’m quite smitten, you know. I’ll have a special meal prepared and a singer, one with a beautiful voice, to entertain us with songs of romance and glory.”
Brianna was desperately trying to think of a way to escape the Prince’s invitation, and then she had an idea. It was risky, to say the least, but her father had always said, Fortune favors the brave. She needed to be daring and there was no time like the present.
“If I’m to dine with my lord, I’ll need time to prepare. Would you please excuse me?”
“Oh, no, you look stunning just as you are. Please, stay with me. I must confess, I get lonely in the castle. People tend to give you whatever you want when you’re about to become King.”
She wasn’t sure if he was actually complaining, or trying to send her a subtle hint about refusing him. She needed to get free from him and escape from the castle. If she could get away and find a good hiding place, even for just a few days, Zollin would rescue her. She couldn’t give up.
“My lord, I want to look my very best for you tonight. It won’t take me long. Edina can help me. Please, my liege,” she added, trying not to let the words catch in her throat.
“Oh, if you insist.”
He clapped his hands. Servants came quickly to the Prince and he ordered them to find Edina. Then he began making preparations for their meal. He was ordering the servants to roast quail and prepare his favorite dishes when Edina arrived. When she saw Brianna, her eyes grew round. Brianna willed her to be strong.
“Ah, my lord,” Brianna said. “Here is my maid servant. May I have your leave to go and prepare for our dinner?”
“Oh, it is hard to let you go, my love. I’m afraid you’ll be taking my heart with you. Please hurry, I don’t think I can stand another minute away from you than necessary.”
“We shall be as fast as the wind, my lord. I only need to get a special perfume so that I am ready for our special night,” she said. “Edina will escort me, and we will return as quickly as possible.”
“Very well, my love. And know this: you shall look heavenly on my mother’s throne, my angel.”
Brianna tried not to laugh as she nodded. She was afraid to speak and instead hurried away with Edina. They started for the main entrance, but Brianna remembered that Branock was in a room just beyond the main doors. She angled back toward the servants’ quarters where she had entered the grand hall.
“What are you doing?” Edina said.
“I’m taking advantage of the situation.”
“But where is Helston?”
“The Prince sent him away. This is the perfect opportunity to escape.”
“But I cannot leave,” Edina said. “My family is here. If I leave or if you disappear under my care, they’ll be in danger. The Prince has a volatile temper, and there is no telling what he will do when you do not return.”
Brianna looked at the woman who had become her only friend. She realized she knew nothing about Edina, but the last thing she wanted was for the woman or her friends to be in danger.
“I’m sorry,” Brianna said.
Then, just as Edina was about to speak again, Brianna hit her flush on the jaw. Edina’s head snapped back violently, and she dropped hard to the floor. Brianna had meant to try and catch her as she fell, but the punch had caused something to pop in her hand and the pain was all she could think about. She clutched it close to her chest and hopped up and down. She knew she needed to make good her escape, but it took a moment to master the pain.
When she was finally able, she realized that she was in a long corridor. It made little sense to try to find a hiding place for Edina; instead she hurried along, leaving the little servant where she was. She felt guilty for hitting the woman, and for leaving her without any idea of what she was doing, but the window of opportunity would not stay open long. She had to get out of the castle as fast as possible. What she would do when she was free was anyone’s guess. She had no money and no friends in the city, but she had a chance to escape and she would not squander it. Besides, she had an idea of what Prince Simmeron was planning for later that evening, and she would die before she gave herself to the pompous Prince.
At the end of the hallway, she could either go out through the castle’s main entrance, or enter the kitchens. She opted for the kitchens, hoping to avoid Branock. The kitchens were bustling with people, all busy with specific jobs that they were intent on completing. Brianna had never thought of all the work it took to keep the castle functioning. She had hated the chores she was forced to do for her mother, who never seemed to do anything but give her daughters more work, but Brianna realized that the castle servants worked much harder than she ever had.
She looked desperately for a door, although what she would do to get out of the castle grounds and past the guards was a mystery that she would have to solve later. For now, she needed to get out of the castle before someone found her or found Edina and raised the alarm.
After several twists and turns, past ovens and long tables where meat and vegetables were being prepared for various meals, she finally saw a door that led out into the afternoon sunlight. She hurried toward the door and her heart almost stopped when a large soldier stepped into the doorway. At first she thought it was Helston, but it was just a hungry man looking for food. He squeezed past her in the tight space without a word.
At last she was outside, but she was also turned around. She had entered the castle courtyard at night and from a different direction. She was now on the far side of the castle, but she had no idea how to get back to the main gate, or how to get out of the gate without being seen. Then she spotted a wagon that had just been emptied of wine casks. She hurried toward it as the driver climbed up onto the seat and took hold of the reins.
“Are you leaving the castle?” she asked the man.
“Aye, I’ve got to get back to the warehouse and fetch some more ale,” the man replied.
“May I ride with you?” she asked.
“A sweet little thing like you? Absolutely.”
“I just need a ride,” she said.
“Well come on, then, I
haven’t got all day.”
She climbed up onto the bench seat at the front of the wagon. He flicked the reins and the horses lumbered forward. He turned the wagon into the main yard at the front of the castle. It was full of people going to and from various buildings in the castle complex. She had to fight the urge to hide her face. She tried to look bored but doubted that she pulled it off.
At the gate one of the guards hailed the wagon driver, but didn’t stop him. The wagon lumbered out of the gate, the big, wooden wheels creaking as they rolled over the wooden threshold. Once they were out of the castle, Brianna’s nerves grew. She had never been in a city even close to the size of Orrock. She had no idea where to go or how to find Zollin.
“You must be new,” the man driving the wagon said. “How long you been serving at the castle?”
“I just started,” Brianna lied.
“I figured, I know most of the kitchen girls.”
“Oh, I don’t work in the kitchen. I help nurse the King.”
The man’s tone changed. He seemed almost angry.
“He’s pretty sick, ’eh, that sure seems odd to me. He was always as healthy as a horse.”
Brianna didn’t know what to say. “We’re doing everything we can for him.”
“Not enough in my opinion,” he grumbled. “That silly kid of his is going to ruin this country.”
“That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t think it’s harsh enough. He’s a spoiled brat who doesn’t know and doesn’t care about anything. When the First Prince returns, things will be different.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said. “I can get off here.”
“Alright,” he said. “I’m sorry if I let my fool mouth get the best of me. Sometimes I don’t think before I speak.”
“Don’t worry, I promise I’ll never tell a soul.”
The man frowned as he looked at her, but she didn’t explain anything, she simply jumped off the wagon and ran into the city alone.
Chapter 33
They rode through the morning and into the afternoon. Everyone, except for Jax, was lost in his or her own thoughts. The young boy seemed to be energized by the excitement of the adventure. He kept up a running commentary on everything they saw along the road. They came to an inn as the day began to wane. They stopped and stabled the horses. Inside the inn they got two rooms, and everyone ate their fill of a hearty stew that wasn’t very good, but was hot and spicy enough to make their noses run. Then they retired for the night, even Mansel, whose habit was to drink himself into a stupor at every inn he visited. They slept straight through the evening and into the early morning. Just before sun up, Zollin roused himself from bed and went out to the stables to check on the horses. He had paid extra for a double portion of oats and a good rubdown for each horse. It had been worth the money. The horses seemed rested and ready to continue the journey. Zollin saddled them and led them out in front of the inn.
Inside, the others were up and eating a hearty breakfast of fried ham, eggs, and bread with a salty gravy ladled over it. Zollin ate a plate full of the rich food, and they had coffee as well. To Zollin, it tasted a lot like burned toast, but with fresh cream and honey, it was a nice change from water or cider. Then they set out, everyone feeling better it seemed, except for Miriam. She was quiet, her forehead furrowed in lines as she pondered weighty matters that Zollin didn’t understand and frankly didn’t care to dive into.
The weather was beautiful, sunny but not hot. A cool, invigorating breeze was blowing, and the horses were spirited. It was a wonderful day, but early in the afternoon, Miriam was simply unable to contain her grief.
“How could we do it?” she asked. “We killed a defenseless man.”
“We carried out the King’s justice,” Mansel said.
“Oh, don’t drag the King into this. It was our decision and we made it.”
“That’s right,” Zollin said. “We made a decision that was difficult, but just.”
“How can we call slaying a defenseless man justice?”
“Because he was an outlaw,” Zollin said in exasperation. “He tried to kill Mansel.”
“Only because Mansel was attacking his companion.”
“Did you forget that they held a sword to your throat?” Mansel asked.
“No, I didn’t, but what makes me different from brigands and outlaws is that I can have mercy.”
“Yes, mercy is good, and in the right circumstances, we might have opted for mercy. But in this case, the best course of action was the one we took.”
“I’m not sure I agree,” Miriam said.
“You have a right to your own opinion, but what’s done is done. Looking back and second guessing ourselves won’t change anything.”
“I know you’re right, but I just can’t get over what happened.”
“If Zollin hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have gotten over what they did to you—that’s if you had been lucky enough to live through the ordeal.”
“I don’t understand,” Jax said. “We fought and won, what’s the big deal?”
“It’s nothing, Jax, just ignore me,” Miriam said.
They rode on in silence after that. In some ways, Zollin wished that Miriam and Jax had stayed in Felson, but he knew he was further along the road than he could have been if they had stayed behind. Perhaps Miriam’s guilt was the price they had to pay for her help, but at times it seemed too high.
When they reached the next town, late that afternoon, Miriam said she wanted to stay, but Zollin insisted on continuing. After a bit of debate, Miriam agreed that turning back was best for her. She longed to stay with Zollin and learn from him, but her heart simply wasn’t in the task. Jax, of course, begged to be brought along, but Zollin and Mansel knew they were headed for a fight. There was just no way of protecting the boy, and so they left him with Miriam at the inn, with enough money to stay a few days before turning back to Felson.
They rode hard, late into the night, and as the moon began to set, they settled down for a few hours’ sleep. Zollin took the first watch. It would be short, he knew, and although he was very tired, he was looking forward to some time alone. He needed to make sure that the decision he’d made had been the right one. Before, when others had been killed, he’d had no time to ponder the right or wrong of his actions. And, had Miriam not been with them, he probably wouldn’t have pondered his actions this time. But her insistence that some other choice existed gave him pause and made him think. When he was on the road, he pushed the grave thoughts away, but now, as the night grew colder and Mansel’s snores joined with the nocturnal insect chorus around them, Zollin opened himself up to a critical assessment of his behavior.
He had the power to kill anyone, at any time, but that power was no different than a strong man with a sword, or a marksman with a bow. The question he struggled with was that his greater power not only gave him the power of death, but also of life. He was a wizard, not just a healer, but someone who had great magical power in all the disciplines. This power should be paired, he thought, with greater mercy and wisdom. But how was he, only seventeen years old, supposed to come by mercy and wisdom when all he’d know was death, hardship, and disappointment?
He pondered these thoughts through his watch, not really coming any closer to understanding them, but feeling better for having the courage to face them. When he slept that night, he clutched Brianna’s ribbon in his hand and dreamed of seeing her again.
* * *
“You fool,” Branock shouted. “You sent her guard away?”
“I am Prince in this castle,” Simmeron shouted back. “I’ll do as I please.”
“Damn your idiocy, you may have killed us all.”
“I don’t see how losing one wench will get anyone killed; besides, the wizard doesn’t know she’s not here.”
“I’m not worried about Zollin, it’s Offendorl that you should be worried about.”
“Why must I worry about an old man in a castle
far away?”
“Because that old man is the most powerful wizard in the Five Kingdoms!” Branock shouted. “He will tolerate no rebellion to his rule, and he shows no mercy to those that challenge him.”
“I haven’t challenged him,” Simmeron said. “Whatever issues you have with the Torr are not my concern.”
“You have brought a wizard into your service,” Branock said. “You have broken a treaty that is over a century old. If we do not persuade Zollin to join us, we stand no hope of resisting the Torr. I cannot defeat them alone.”
“Then I suggest we find the girl. She can’t have gone far.”
“Yes, well she wouldn’t have gone anywhere if you hadn’t sent her guard away and then given her permission to leave.”
Five Kingdoms: Books 01, 02 & 03 Page 64