by Karen MacRae
They repeated the protective ring when the self-defence lesson was over and they were expected at the gate. “I have to say it is just as well that you can Shape, Anna, because your martial arts skills are truly woeful,” Spider teased as they walked.
“And yours weren’t when you started?” Sy reminded his partner. “I remember knocking your skinny behind on the ground hundreds of times. Seleste, back me up here.”
“Oh yes, Spider was quick, but he was all arms and legs and no core.”
Spider’s walk faltered a beat at his sister using his chosen name, but he hid it well. “And you were so good, sister? Coach was forever telling you off for your pretty kicks.”
Seleste actually laughed. “Power and speed, not balletics, Miss Peyton! I still occasionally dream of it.”
“We are not Dancing, Miss Peyton!” Sy shouted.
The twins laughed at the shared memory. Anna was happy to see more cracks in the ice between the two.
Lady Braxton was waiting near the gatehouse with Aibreann and a contingency of personal guards. Her raised eyebrow was sufficient to dampen the lifted mood. Anna followed her friends’ lead and gave a small bow before standing at ease, her legs slightly open, her hands behind her back. Aibreann gave her a small wave and a big smile.
“We are about to have every person who works or is based here renew the King’s Oath. We are going to do this in two parts. Anna, you will capture the energy during the first oath. Lord Witheridge has supplied a large, unused Aurovian crystal for you. Aibreann, Anna and myself will then identify any who, for whatever reason, have not accepted the oath. Aibreann, you will focus on the leftmost five members of each group as they are called forward. I will take the middle section. Anna, you will take the right. You will point out anyone who does not carry the King’s mark and they will be separated from the others. Be alert. Be certain. If you are unsure, then you must stop and ask for another opinion. We must not miss anyone. If you need a break, say before it becomes an issue. King’s men, you will protect us throughout. There may be resistance.”
A guard knocked on the door to alert the group that all but fourteen had signed in. He handed a list to Lady Braxton. She nodded her satisfaction and told the guard to close the gates.
The Shaper and her guardians followed the spy mistress and her daughter out through the gatehouse and into the outer bailey. A platform had been erected overnight. At the front of the platform, on a table slightly to the left of centre, sat a red Aurovian crystal boulder at least two and a half feet across. Anna positioned herself by its side and put her hand on top of it. She could feel the energy thrumming within.
The gatehouse guards took their place in the front row of the waiting men and women. More than one thousand had been arranged by department and assigned to groups of fifteen. To one side stood a small group of foreign visitors. They would not be made to swear, but they would witness the power of The Kingdom and its Shaper.
Anna looked at the mass of people and understood Lady Braxton’s order to request a break if it were needed. This would not be a swift process.
On the battlements above then, General Braxton yelled for order, his voice amplified by his Sound gift. The crowd fell silent. “We are here to swear allegiance to our King and our Kingdom. There are spies among us and we will have no more. If you are true, there is nothing to fear. If you are not, you will face the wrath of the King’s Shaper.”
Anna started at this unexpected development. She opened her mouth to ask Lady Braxton what the light he meant, but Seleste hissed at her to play along. It finally dawned on the Shaper that this was going to be her role until Nystrieth was defeated. She almost screamed, she was so angry, but she knew this exercise was important, if only so Luciado could be avenged.
“Be ready, Anna,” Lady Braxton said perfectly calmly despite her sure knowledge of the Shaper’s anger. “It will be more than you expect.”
Every person on the battlements and platform put their right hand to their heart and the crowd followed. General Braxton held up a medallion. It glittered in the morning sun sending a thousand rays into the bailey, the start time chosen for drama rather than any practical reason. He led the oath, a thousand voices deafening in their shared commitment.
“My life for the Kingdom. My life for the King.”
A golden light rushed up from almost every man and woman. They soared above the crowd and joined together in a ball as bright as the sun. Anna felt humbled by its power, but sent her gift straight to its heart, forming a channel to the thrumming crystal boulder. The energy was vast, but it spoke to the golden spot above her heart and trusted her link. It rushed like a tsunami straight to her heart. She almost fell as the energy poured through her. Seleste caught her and kept her upright as wave after wave hit her. Rather than drain her, she felt twenty feet tall. Thirty. Forty. More. The power was incredible. She felt a fleeting moment’s temptation to keep it but forced it into the boulder.
“Is it done?” asked Lady Braxton.
Anna nodded, unable to speak, her body tingling with exhilaration and life.
“Let the rest follow their own path,” the spy mistress ordered before she raised her arm aloft once more.
“Again!” yelled General Braxton.
“My life for the Kingdom. My life for the King,” the crowd shouted.
“Again!” yelled General Braxton.
“My life for the Kingdom. My life for the King.”
With each oath, the surety and fervour in the crowd grew. Those who had said the oath with conviction found themselves buoyed with a profound sense of belonging and pride. Those who had said the oath by habit found themselves newly committed to its meaning. Those who pretended to say the oath found themselves wanting to belong. Those few who had already sworn to another cause felt themselves tremble in fear. Only one enjoyed the spectacle. She knew she was safe. The oath would not catch her.
It took two hours to separate out the thirty-one individuals whose auras had not accepted the King’s golden badge. Twenty-four of these were quickly converted by Anna. Seven resisted.
“Use it all if you have to, Anna. We will have them talking or dead. I don’t much care which.”
“If I may, Lady Braxton, it might be quicker to look for a block.”
“Very well. Go ahead.”
Anna opened her mind and felt her gift fly across the open space between the platform and the seven isolated men and women. She sensed, but didn’t linger on thoughts of hatred and self-righteousness, memories of clandestine meetings, twisted rituals and acts of sabotage. She looked for something imposed on their auras rather than something natural to them. When she found it, she wondered at the skill needed to create such a beautifully crafted counter to the King’s Oath. Anna put her hand on the crystal stone and trickled a tiny ribbon of energy into the blockage. The gold turned to black as the oath twisted into renewed commitment to Nystrieth.
“I’m going to need to get closer,” she murmured to Lady Braxton. “The oath won’t take without removing the block and I can’t see properly from up here.”
“One at a time, child. And the utmost caution. We do not know what traps exist, if any.”
Anna walked down the steps, Spider, Sy and Seleste at her side. The crowd was deathly silent. The guards tightened their hold on the seven men and women. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she pulled at the fount of energy strewn under the castle and was relieved to find the connection worked despite her boots.
The Readers watching saw the Shaper’s birthmark glow with icy white fire, her aura swelling with blazingly blinding light as she absorbed her fill. All wondered at the power of this tiny woman.
The first man cried for mercy; a Reader, hidden away as a lowly administrator in Lady Braxton’s social office. Anna ignored his fear as she wrapped the block over his heart with her gift and imagined it unravelling. There was no effect. She thought of the crested blades; the artistry seemed similar. She raised her right arm and sent a continuous shaft of e
nergy through her peristone beads and into the block. It pulsed, trying to reject the energy but, on the ninth pulse, it exploded. The man cried out as his aura rushed in to fill the gap then slumped, stunned, only the arms of the guards holding him up.
The next was a washerwoman, free to roam all over the barracks and Officers’ Quarters. As soon as Anna approached her, the spy sent a shaft of poison flying straight at the Shaper’s aura. The white fire acted as a shield, burning the attack to nothing as soon as it threatened. Anna left behind another slumped prisoner, her block destroyed.
The third traitor was one of the General’s junior aides. The fourth worked in Lord Edevan’s office. The fifth was Master Manson’s personal assistant. The sixth was one of Lord Cassidy’s undersecretaries. The seventh assisted Lord Witheridge with his scientific work. All attacked Anna’s aura. All failed. All were left bereft of their link to Nystrieth.
The Shaper walked calmly back to the platform steps, deaf to the whispers that followed her. She put her left hand on the crystal bolder and her right on her heart. General Braxton amplified her words so all could hear.
Anna’s words echoed around the bailey with the force of thunder. “My life for the Kingdom. My life for the King.” It was more than an oath to the King. It was acceptance of her role. No one else could do what she could. She had no choice if good was to defeat the evil these seven had taken into their hearts.
The King’s Shaper drew the energy from the rock and blasted it straight at the prisoners before her. Gold flew straight and true. Seven anguished cries echoed around the bailey as the oath clashed with their nature and crimes. They wept.
CHAPTER 32
A nna caught the man’s eye as she followed Lady Braxton towards the gatehouse. He stood in the group of overseas visitors, his aura tinged with what she would swear was a sneer although she would be hard pressed to say how or why she made this deduction. He noticed her looking at him and swept her an elegant bow, all deference. She knew it for a lie although his aura was firm. The man made her skin crawl.
“Who’s the bowing Captain?” she asked Aibreann.
“I have no idea. There’s something… slimy about him though, isn’t there?”
“A perfect description. Slimy indeed.”
The King’s Shaper waited until the gatehouse door closed behind their small group before expressing her concern to Lady Braxton. “Milady, could the Compeller not be one of the foreign visitors?”
“They’ve been carefully vetted, Anna. They may not all hold with the King’s values, but they’re not agents for Nystrieth. You have a particular concern?”
“The Captain with the greying, curly hair, around five foot eight, pale skin.”
“Ah, yes, Captain Roscoe. Part of the contingent from Iliyeth. The poor man has the most unfortunate edge to his aura. At least, I say poor man because as far as I know he’s done nothing to deserve the abhorrence I feel when I look at him, but still… I assume you picked up the same vibe?”
“Yes, milady. Aibreann too.”
“And me,” added Seleste.
“Then perhaps we should investigate Captain Roscoe more thoroughly. Anna, my apologies, but you need to continue your training. I will call on you if your special skills are needed. Aibreann will accompany anyone who comes for you in my name. Do not follow anyone else. The Compeller is still out there and we must be on our guard. Spider, Sy, we’re going to need reinforcements. As soon as you have accompanied Anna to Lord Witheridge’s lab, I need you to select eighteen men and women who you can vouch for to undertake the initial investigation into Captain Roscoe and the eight men who failed to turn up to this morning’s meeting. None are to make contact with the suspects and all have to stay in their pair at all times. Make sure they are fully alert to the need to remain undetected. They are to take no chances. My assistant will also issue orders to our contacts. We will reconvene to compare notes at fifteen hours in my office.”
Aibreann gave Anna a small smile in goodbye before following her mother back out into the bailey. The Shaper, the assassin and the two King’s men resumed their diamond formation march to Lord Witheridge’s lab. This time there was no laughter. Each was all too aware that an attack could come from anywhere.
The third servant they passed stopped and stared at the Shaper as the four approached him. Spider’s blade was at his belly before he’d had the chance to lift his arm higher than waist height. “I only wanted to touch Miss Northcott,” he pleaded. “See if she could Heal my foot.” The man lifted his trouser leg to reveal a club foot. “I didn’t mean no harm, miss, beggin’ your pardon.” His aura flickered with sincerity and fear.
“I’m so sorry, but I don’t know how to do that. If I ever learn, I promise to try,” she told the man kindly. She stepped away from her protection and held out her hand to shake his, to show she meant what she said. As soon as their hands touched, the man grabbed her with a strength belied by his crippled body and pulled her against him, a knife appearing in his hand. He managed one vicious stab into Anna’s unprotected belly before three thrown blades felled him.
Sy caught Anna before she fell, blood pouring from the wound.
Seleste shouted, “Anna, you have to Heal yourself. Now!” The Shaper didn’t respond. Seleste slapped her. “Now, Anna! Now!”
The second slap awoke Anna’s sense of self-preservation. She drew clean power from her dagger and sent it pouring into her aura.
Seleste closed her eyes as the white flared too brightly to behold. The belly wound closed.
“But why?” Anna asked, confused and hurt beyond belief. She shook off the self-pity and turned to the other victim in this latest attempt on her life. The club footed man lay on the stone floor, a blade in both eyes, the third jutting from his neck. His aura was gone. “Light have mercy,” she whispered. Her head came up and she turned to look at her friends. “This Compeller has got to be stopped. Not for me, but for all the evil he forces upon good people. This poor man. He’d never done a moment’s harm in his whole life.”
“We need to keep moving. Where there’s one, there’s another,” Sy said as the twins wiped their blades and returned them to their belts.
Anna nodded and resumed her place in the diamond. She would not so readily step away from her protection again. Tears fell as she walked. She thought about the man who had just died. She wondered if he had a family, if a wife or children would be waiting for him at the end of the working day. She wondered what his name was. A small voice wondered if she would get the blame for his death.
They’d almost reached Lord Witheridge’s office when an argument reached their ears. Around the final corner were half a dozen guards arguing with the two men apparently assigned to Lord Witheridge’s door while the castle was on high alert. Anna paid no attention, her mind still fixated on the dead man.
“We need to see him. It’s urgent.”
“He said not to be disturbed. You’ll have to come back later.”
“But we found something. He told us to come and get him straight away if we found it.”
“You’re not getting in here and that’s that. Now, get lost or get yourselves put on report.”
Spider, Seleste and Sy drew weapons and stood some distance away, Anna between them, quietly waiting for the arguing guards to notice them. They saw rather than heard a whisper go through the crowd. As one, the eight men drew weapons, turned and charged. They had eyes only for the Shaper. It was a suicide squad. They fell unconscious before they’d crossed even half the distance.
The four friends stepped over the inert bodies and opened the door into Lord Witheridge’s office. It was empty. Seleste locked the door behind them as Spider walked over to check the laboratory. It too was empty.
“Lord Witheridge?” called Spider. “It’s safe now, milord. You can come out. It’s Spider Peyton, sir. I’m here with Sy, Seleste and Anna. We could use a friendly face right about now, milord. There are eight men outside with a Compulsion to kill Anna. We need to hide her, sir.�
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“Lord Witheridge?” Anna called. “It’s Anna. Please come out, if you’re here. We’re worried about you.”
“Miss Northcott? Is that you?” came a wavering voice.
“Yes, milord. I’m here with Spider, Sy and Seleste. Are you all right, milord?”
A panel opened in the far wall to reveal the elderly Lord, his terrified laboratory assistant and his equally scared personal secretary. “Well, thank the light. We knew something was wrong when the first two showed up and insisted on guarding the room. I never, ever have guards here. I will not have eavesdroppers outside my office. They wouldn’t let us leave so I waited until they were setting up their ruse outside with the others and we disappeared on them. I was confident you’d see them off and I wasn’t wrong, eh? They didn’t seem too perturbed by our disappearance. Is that the Compulsion, do you think? To get the job done and only worry about impediments if they arise, not if they disappear? Quite fascinating, really.”
Anna smiled at the old man. He was quite unflappable and there hadn’t been a whole lot he and his staff could have done to help.
“How long until they come round, Anna?”
“At least two to three hours, Spider. It was quite a firm push.”
“Sy and I are going to have to arrange help to get them put in Holding then we need to get the investigations underway. Are you going to be all right here?”
“Perhaps it would be best to wait in the lab?” suggested Lord Witheridge. “There isn’t enough room in my hidey-hole for five, but we can work in the lab and once the door is properly locked, it’d take an army a week to get through the steel.”
“We’ll be back to get you just before fifteen o’clock. Don’t open that door for anything or anyone before then,” Spider ordered.