The Captive Kingdom

by Jennifer A. Nielsen

  “When did he come? How did he get there?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Didn’t you say that Captain Strick had that information in her notes?”

  “I hoped you’d have something more to offer.”

  “I’m sorry, Jaron. Usually, if he needs something, his nurse takes care of it.”

  Mott turned. “His nurse? Not a servant or a housekeeper?”

  Beside me, Imogen pulled Strick’s notebook closer to herself and turned another page.

  Wilta said, “We thought that was odd too, but on the few occasions we have seen Darius, that’s how he has referred to her.”

  “Does she have a name?” Mott asked.

  Imogen looked up from the notebook. “Strick only wrote that this woman was Darius’s nurse at his birth, and that she had worked as one of Conner’s maids at Farthenwood.” She tilted her head. “Who could that be?”

  Mott didn’t answer at first, and I briefly wondered if he had frozen in place. Finally, he looked down and mumbled, “As Jaron says, they are such basic notes, they’re not very helpful.”

  Wilta shrugged. “Nor is she the one who matters to Jaron, or to any of us. Our purpose in coming here is to discover the truth about his brother.” She turned to me. “And you will. I hope when you see him, you will recognize him for who he is.”

  “Or I will recognize him as a fraud,” I said. “All you know about him is who he claims to be. If he is lying, you’d have no way to know otherwise.”

  “If he has lied to my people, he will find himself in greater danger from us than he ever could from you,” she said. “We have treated him like a king, so he had better be one.”

  Gradually, our conversation faded as we stood on the deck to watch the land grow steadily larger ahead of us. All of us except Westler, who had strangely fallen asleep with his eyes remaining half-open.

  Eventually, Imogen leaned against my arm. “You haven’t said much for a long time. What are you thinking about?”

  “Everything.”

  She sighed, as if I were trying to avoid a direct answer, but that in fact was the truth. Aside from the tiredness that muddied my thoughts, my brain was full of every possible question from the last few days.

  “Do you have a plan?” Tobias asked, not for the first time that afternoon.

  “It’s the same as when you asked me eight minutes ago,” I said. “I plan to win. Need it be anything more?”

  He slumped against the rail. “Well, I had hoped for a few more details.”

  A grin tugged at my mouth. “I can tell you that my plan is not dependent on an army of oversized turtles, though if a few were to offer their services, I would accept.”

  Fink and Wilta laughed the hardest, but Tobias only scrunched up his face, then asked, “Do you intend to attack?”

  “With an army of six? No, Tobias, a sneeze would last longer against the Prozarians than we would.”

  “Then you’ll try diplomacy? Or will we hide first? Or —”

  “We aren’t doing anything. You kept Fink a secret from me on the last ship, so he is your responsibility now.”

  Fink immediately stopped laughing. “I don’t need a nanny.”

  “No, you need a dozen vigils who can keep an eye on you … just as I need you to keep watch over the items I took from the Shadow Tide.”

  “I won’t play vigil, or nursemaid,” Tobias said. “Amarinda will be here too, and I want to help find her.”

  I clamped a hand on his shoulder. “You are helping, Tobias. Please, do as I ask.”

  After a curt nod, he turned toward the rail, his hands clenched into fists.

  “I’m going with you,” Imogen said. Before I could respond, she added, “Don’t you dare suggest that I should stay behind too, because I won’t.”

  I smiled at her. “I wouldn’t say that, because I know you wouldn’t listen.”

  She smiled back. “You’re finally beginning to understand me.”

  Mott added, “I am coming too.”

  “How’s your shoulder?” I asked. The recent war had left its mark on him. Until those final battles, I’d never known Mott as anything but strong and willing to stay by my side no matter what trouble I might be in. Now, though he had worked as hard as anyone possibly could to recover from his injuries, he moved slower than before. That half-second delay in raising his sword was enough time for an enemy to gain the advantage over him, and I worried about bringing him to shore with me.

  Mott sheathed his sword, making his intentions clear. “I am coming, Jaron.” When I nodded, he leaned against the rail and folded his arms. “I know that before we left the castle, Roden was angry with you. I heard what he said. Some of it was true; it is a hard thing to serve you.”

  I took a couple of breaths. “I know that, better than anyone believes.”

  “So make it simpler for us. We are here to help you, so tell us what you know.”

  Even Tobias turned around for this. Wilta and Fink sat up taller, and Mott and Imogen leaned in, all of them with expectations I could not meet. I looked from one person to another. “Do you know why Captain Strick killed Erick?”

  They exchanged glances, then returned their attention to me, each of them shaking their heads.

  “Because we were friends. He didn’t have to protect me, I never asked him to, but he did. That very fact — our friendship — is the reason he’s dead.”

  Imogen placed her hand over mine. “We know the risks of being close to you. We’ve always known them. We are prepared to fight for you, so why not trust us with the truth?”

  “He doesn’t trust us, that’s the problem,” Tobias said.

  I shook my head, trying to make them understand. “You’re wrong, Tobias. I do trust you. I trust every single one of you with my life, except for Westler, of course, who might not even still be alive.”

  His head shot up out of sleep. “Prozarian scum!”

  After he fell asleep again, I sighed. “I trust all of you, but I do not trust myself, and nor should you. We all know I’ll do something foolish sooner or later. I am willing to pay for the consequences of my actions, but when I let someone get too close to me, the consequences may come to them instead. I cannot allow that.”

  My eyes rested on Imogen as I finished. She was closer to my heart than anyone, a fact that kept me awake at night far more often than anyone realized. If I knew how to explain that, I would have, but as it was, she turned away, mumbling to herself, “Cannot allow me in too close.”

  Mott said, “What can you tell us? Before we reach that shoreline, is there anything in your head that you can share with us now?”

  I stared back at him. My reasons for withholding secrets went far deeper than trust. Certainly he and Imogen knew some of my secrets and plans, and Tobias knew others, but no one knew everything, and that was how it had to be. If any of them were captured by the Prozarians, they needed to be able to say, with absolute sincerity, that they had no information to offer. Even what they already knew was probably too much.

  But Mott was still waiting for an answer. So with absolute sincerity of my own, I said to him, “No, Mott, there is nothing that I can share with you now.”

  “You mean that you won’t share it. You ask for help, then prevent us from giving it.”

  I stared back at him, and finally he sighed, then said, “We’ll be at the shore of Belland by dusk. I’ll prepare us some food before we arrive.”

  After he’d left, Imogen looked at me for an answer, but I had nothing to offer her either. She pressed her lips together, then excused herself to begin loading the stolen Prozarian items into a pack for Tobias and Fink.

  “How many times can you make her angry before she gives up on you?” Tobias asked.

  His question pierced me more than he knew. Eventually, everyone gave up on me; I’d learned that long ago. And I was beginning to think that Tobias’s question might be answered before this voyage was over.

  A bright moon was rising when Westler found a quiet
cove where we could temporarily dock. From there we transferred to the lifeboat to go ashore, and quickly began unloading the few possessions we had onto the beach.

  Tobias stood aside to watch us, arms folded and his hands in fists. “What are Fink and I supposed to do while we’re waiting for you to save all of us? Maybe play some Queen’s Cross, or perhaps a quiet game of chess?”

  “Enough!” I snapped. “I know you’re angry at having to stay behind. I know you blame me for Amarinda, and maybe for every other thing that’s gone wrong in your life, but I’m figuring out all of this one step at a time, and I will make mistakes! All I know is that we cannot allow what we’ve stolen from the captain to be stolen away from us. And I have to set foot on Belland believing that Fink will be safe. Unless I learn otherwise in the next few hours, he’s the only brother I’ve got. So protect the things I’ve stolen, Tobias. And protect Fink. Please.”

  Tobias had frozen while I spoke, and his only response now was to lick his lips and excuse himself to prepare for arrival. I glanced over at Imogen, hoping for a smile of support, but she turned the other way and went to help Tobias.

  From behind me, Fink said, “If it helps, I’m not angry with you.”

  “You might be the only one,” I muttered.

  “That’s because I already know you won’t tell me anything.” Hardly the comfort I wanted.

  Once we reached the shore, Mott pointed out a nearby clump of trees that would offer some shelter. While the rest of the group went ahead to investigate, Wilta stayed back with me, keeping watch over everything we’d brought from the fishing boat.

  “You were right to put Tobias in his place,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been so tolerant.” I didn’t respond, and finally she added, “What can I do here? I’m the only one who has not received an assignment.”

  I looked around the area, ensuring we were alone, then said, “There is something, but I do not want to ask.”

  “If I can help you, I will.”

  I sighed. “It’s my leg. There’s a reason it keeps bleeding through its bandages.”

  “But Tobias sewed it.”

  “It might be infected, and if it is, it’s a serious problem. An infection will slow down my movements, muddy my thinking.”

  “Does Tobias have any way of treating it?”

  “I don’t want him to know. None of them can know.”

  She nodded in understanding. “There are herbs in the hills that can help, though they are hard to find this time of year, and the Prozarians took our dried herbs for themselves.” She paused a moment and said, “But I think I know where I can get some. Your brother’s home is highest on the hill and the only stone-and-mortar home in the village. Meet me outside there in a few hours. If I can find any herbs, I’ll bring them to you then.”

  “Jaron, we’re ready to go.”

  I turned to see Imogen with Mott behind her, both of them standing on the beach.

  I looked back at Wilta. “Thank you. I’ll be there late tonight.”

  Fink followed behind Imogen, but Tobias caught up to me. “Can we talk?”

  I sighed. “What now?”

  He offered me his hand. “I’m sorry for how I’ve behaved. I know you’re doing your best, for all of us. I’ll do my best too, for Fink, and for you.”

  I shook his hand, considering the matter finished. But I did add, “If the Prozarians get too close, be prepared to move, or to keep moving.”

  He shifted his weight, suddenly looking nervous. “How will you know where to find us if we need to escape?”

  “We’re not going to escape Belland. We’re going to conquer it.”

  His face brightened. “So there is a plan!”

  “A goal more than a plan. Now, stay watchful. Fink is here. My brother’s crown is here. Our only means to negotiate is left in your care.”

  He nodded at me and I turned to look at Fink, who only grinned. “I know, you want me to protect Tobias. Don’t worry, I’ll keep him safe.”

  I gave him a quick embrace, trying to hide how deeply worried I was. “I know you will.”

  Wilta left in one direction to find the herbs for my leg while Mott, Imogen, and I left in the other. But we hadn’t gone far before I realized they were far angrier with me than I had realized. My whispered questions went unanswered, my warnings of uneven paths or hazards as we entered the hills were heeded without a word of thanks, and when I joked that a warrior’s favorite fish could only be the swordfish, neither of them even smiled. Maybe it wasn’t the greatest joke, but it should have at least earned me a groan. That’s when I knew something was seriously wrong.

  It didn’t take us long to gain some distance from the beach, and only then did I breathe more easily. Looking back to where they had been, I saw that Fink and Tobias had cleared all our possessions away, and even erased our footprints in the sand. We were also less exposed than before, each step higher greeting us with increasingly thick fir trees and white-barked alders. At our first safe clearing, I turned to the others.

  “I don’t know what to expect from here. I don’t think Captain Strick has arrived yet, but other Prozarians will be here. Their reputation is hardly one of gentleness and mercy, so do not get in their way. I don’t know anything about the Bellanders, other than what Wilta has told us. Maybe they are peaceful and friendly, maybe not.”

  In response, they only stared back at me, until finally Mott shrugged. “Nothing you just said is helpful in any way. What was the point of saying it?”

  I grinned. “At least it got you speaking to me again.”

  “We’ll stand by you, defend you, and fight with you,” Imogen said. “Don’t require us to speak to you also.”

  I kissed her cheek, even though she turned away, then said, “For now, I have three out of four, and that’s not so bad.” Imogen said nothing, but I did catch a hint of a smile, so I figured things between us weren’t too troubled. Not yet.

  Night was falling fast in our trek, and though we had good light from a bright moon and stars, we would be more visible than I wanted along the rocky trail. If anyone approached us from the opposite direction, we may not have the chance to hide.

  With that caution in mind, I continued to lead the way, with Imogen directly behind me and Mott at the end. We followed an established path through the trees, so clearly this was a route that had been often traveled. It might have been wiser to forge our own trail, but the dense undergrowth discouraged that choice. The occasional sharp drop-off forbade it.

  After nearly an hour, I held up a hand, hearing the voices of children ahead. I pointed for Mott to go one way and Imogen to go the other, each to keep watch, all of us to remain separate enough that if there was trouble, we wouldn’t be found together.

  As silently as possible, I crept forward toward the voices.

  Through a dense forest patch, I hid behind a wide fir tree to peek at a group of five children who were looking out over the sea. They were dressed in long tunics with cloth strips for belts, and most had hair as unkempt and uncut as mine had been during my orphan years. Compared to most other children I’d known, they looked far too serious.

  One of the older girls finally said to the others, “I don’t see it.”

  “I’m telling you, Lavita, a fishing boat landed here and some people got off,” said a boy in front of her. He instantly reminded me of Fink. He was younger and had much darker hair, but the shape of his face and tone of his voice were similar. “If we report it, the Prozarians might reward us. Return a few of our people.”

  “Maybe they’ll send us away too,” a younger girl said with a shiver.

  The boy groaned. “You all stay here and hide. I’m telling them.”

  With no other choice, I darted out from the bushes with my hands low and visible. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to help you.”

  The older girl — Lavita — exchanged a look with a boy, then her eyes narrowed. “Now I believe you. We need that reward. Get him!”

  Almost before I k
new it, they barreled into me, throwing me off balance. I stumbled backward, then with no chance to save myself, I fell over the cliff.

  I fumbled against the sharp cliff rock without success, though my initial fear quickly turned to a hard lesson in embarrassment when I landed on my back on a narrow ledge, not far below. It wouldn’t have been visible unless I’d been looking down directly over it, but the children seemed to know it was there.

  They looked over the cliff’s edge above me, studying me as if I were the enemy. The girl who had ordered my capture said to the others, “You wait here and watch him.”

  “Listen to me,” I said. “I’ve come to help you and your families, but you must not say anything about me, or about the boat you saw.”

  Lavita asked, “How can we believe you?”

  On a gut instinct, I said words that had to be forced from my mouth. “I’m a friend of … Darius. Is he nearby?”

  Immediately their faces brightened. One of the girls pointed off to her left. “Darius always does an evening walk around the whole area, making sure everyone is safe for the night.”

  A bell rang from far below, drawing an immediate response from the children. “We have to go!” the girl said.

  I stood up. “You all must swear not to say a word about this.”

  The boy crinkled his nose. “We won’t say anything tonight. But if you’re just someone else who came here with lies, we will report you tomorrow.”

  After they ran away, I brushed myself off and began to climb. My injured leg protested the work, but I’d certainly faced worse situations and scaled greater distances than this. In less than a minute, I rolled back onto the ledge, then hurried along the trail in the direction the girl had pointed.

  A woman entered the path ahead of me and would have seen me had she not been turned away, speaking to someone else. I immediately ducked behind a tree and crouched low to better hide myself beneath a thicket of wide-leaf bushes.

  “I think those children were the last to be up here,” the woman said to whomever was behind her. “Should we keep looking?”