Shattering Dreams

by Catherine M Walker

  Silently moving toward the door, ignoring the sense of wrongness and queasiness, Kyle knew without even thinking that there was a guard in the hall outside the room. Opening the door, he moved as quickly as he could, focusing unerringly on the one guard to the right of his door. Kyle slammed his knuckles into the man’s throat, causing him to gag for breath. He stepped in behind the man, quickly wrapping one arm around his throat and putting him into a chokehold. The guard struggled briefly his hands, clawing at Kyle’s arm before he slumped, unconscious. Kyle snapped the man’s neck without a second thought. Kyle eased the dead guard gently to the floor, knowing that there were more people in the house. He relieved the former guard of the sword and knife hanging from his belt and walked smoothly across the hall, opening the door on the other side just as he heard the commotion from the front of the house. Smiling, he knew that Marcus had found them.

  Surveying the room, he saw the blonde from The Tankard. Unlike the brunette in his own room, she was very much awake and plunging a sharp knife toward Alex’s chest. Without pausing, Kyle dropped the weapons as he crossed the room, grabbing her head and snapping it in a smooth, practised motion.

  He let her slump to the bed, half on top of the still-sleeping Alex. He spun around, hearing a noise behind him, only to relax when he recognised Marcus. The tall muscular guard’s sharp eyes scanned the room for any remaining threat. Kyle almost groaned when he recognised that this time Marcus was in full uniform with the sigil of the King’s Elite blazoned on the left of his vest. Any who saw him would have no doubt at all that he was on the King’s business. Kyle guessed if Marcus was in full uniform that meant it was likely that the whole guard had been called out. There was no way they would be able to keep this incident, unlike previous ones, quiet. Kyle put one hand on the wall next to him in what he hoped looked like a casual manner, taking a deep breath as darkness at the sudden motion threatened to overwhelm him.

  Marcus looked on calmly. “Well done, My Lord. Sorry it took us so long to find you.”

  “How long have we been taken Marcus, and where is here? Have you found Jess? Is she all right? I know it’s not The Tankard, which is the last place I remember.” Kyle moved around the bed and shook Alex, trying to wake him up.

  “This place is in the Quarter, my Lord, and it’s two hours before dawn. Lady Jessalan is back at the palace; she was assisted by that hunter from the other night.” Marcus looked briefly outside and indicated to his men to finish securing the house. “Are you sure you are well, My Lord? I received word that the healers are treating Lady Jessalan. As far as we can determine, your assailants drugged the three of you at The Tankard.”

  Kyle felt a sudden flash of concern. “Is Jess all right?”

  “I believe so, My Lord. She is in the hands of the healers.” Marcus continued to stare at him as though he wasn’t quite sure he wasn’t about to collapse.

  “I’ll be okay, Marcus. I think they gave me too much of whatever it was. I threw up the contents of my stomach in the other room.” Putting on a show of confidence he didn’t feel, Kyle turned and helped Alex locate his clothes to dress, although Alex seemed to want to continue partying.

  “Not now, Alex. Come on, we’ve got to get back to the palace, it’s near dawn.” Kyle manoeuvred Alex out of the door, distracting him from the now-dead blonde in the bed and the dead guard in the hallway.

  Alex blinked, noticing all the guards lining the hallway, turning over every room in the small house and the men they had bound up in the corner of the main room. Shrugging, he helped himself to a bottle of wine and glass from the table. Uncorking it with practised ease, he poured some carefully from the bottle into the glass before taking a sip and offering some to Kyle.

  “We must have had a good night if Father’s sent the guard out to haul us home. Pity I don’t remember much of it.”

  He sighed as Kyle refused a drink; his friend was obviously serious about calling it a night. He staggered outside, blinking as he began to recognise the rather dilapidated neighbourhood, and wondered how they’d ended up in the Quarter, of all places. There were even more guards outside blocking all the side entrances. The Quarter was a disreputable rabbit warren of interlaced, tight alleyways with one small box-like house on top of the other. Some of the most disreputable and poorest of the Realm called this place home.

  Alex politely offered the bottle to Marcus, who had trailed along behind them, but was not surprised when the guard refused, instead directing them into an enclosed carriage.

  Alex staggered down the hallway, an empty wine glass clutched in one hand and the half empty bottle in the other. Pausing, he carefully aligned the bottle above his empty glass and poured, cursing as the wine splashed over the rim of the glass and onto the floor. Alex glared, casting frustrated glances between the bottle and his still-empty glass. After a moment of intense concentration, he shrugged and raised the bottle to his mouth. Swallowing quickly as the liquid rushed into his mouth and down his throat, he turned, thrusting the empty glass into the hands of the person behind him, then continued on his way down the corridor to his rooms.

  Alex reached out to open the door and staggered to one side as he missed the handle. Strong arms caught him as he fell and held him more or less upright, bracing him against the wall. Alex turned, blinking at Kyle, and grinned.

  “Thanks, forgot you were there.” Alex laughed then raised the bottle to his lips only to discover that there was nothing in it. “It’s empty!”

  “Shush Alex, you’ll wake up the King and everyone else. Besides, you’ve had enough for one night.” Frowning, Kyle looked over to the impassive guard standing nearby. “Just get the door open, will you? I’ll take care of the rest.”

  The guard stepped forward without saying a word or changing his expression and opened Alex’s door. Kyle grimaced, staggering as Alex slumped against him.

  “Come on, Alex, just a little further. I need you to help me a little here, all right? Just a few more steps and you’ll be in your room.”

  Kyle passed the empty wine glass that Alex had thrust at him to the guard then braced himself before taking most of Alex’s weight and steering him through the doorway of his rooms.

  Kyle half dragged Alex through the public rooms and into Alex’s bedroom, where he gave him a shove. Alex collapsed onto his bed, the empty wine bottle falling from his fingers to the floor with a dull thud, slipping into unconsciousness as his head hit his pillow. Kyle sighed. Frowning, he pulled off Alex’s boots.

  “Sorry, Alex, but that will have to do. I’m sure your servants will discover you before too long and tuck you into bed.”

  Kyle muttered under his breath before retracing his way out of the rooms. Closing the door quietly behind him he slumped against the door, closing his eyes slightly and letting out a deep breath.

  “Are you all right, My Lord? Will you need help to get to your rooms?” The once impassive guardsman had a slight smile on his lips as he regarded the exhausted lord.

  “Huge night. Thanks, Marcus, but I’ll be fine.”

  Kyle smiled at Marcus before forcing the exhaustion back and pushing himself off the door. He had to get to his own rooms, then he could collapse and let go of the strict control he’d been holding over himself. He made his way down the hallway, hoping that whatever he’d ingested would wear off while he slept the day away.

  10

  Kyle Falls Sick

  Kyle opened one eye to look up at his tormentor. He noted his room had a bright—disgustingly bright—light streaming through the window. Kyle thought about punching his harasser for the inconsiderate act of pulling back the curtains that kept his room dark enough for him to sleep. Repressing a groan as he rolled over and throwing one arm up to shield his eyes, he knew by the crushing weight of exhaustion that he had slept nowhere near enough.

  “Forgive me if I do not get up, Your Highness. To what do I owe the pleasure of your exalted company?” Kyle winced at the tone of his voice.

  William smiled. “Sorry
, Kyle. I know you only got in a few hours ago. Still, Father already wants more details than the guards can supply. What happened last night?”

  William grabbed the pitcher of water and refilled Kyle’s empty water glass before passing it to him. William walked across and relaxed back in a chair near the window while Kyle tried to collect his scattered wits and shrug off his exhaustion.

  “To put it simply, we were drugged.”

  Kyle sipped his water, watching William, knowing there would be a lot more questions he knew he would not be capable of answering in his current state.

  William’s eyes narrowed as he took in Kyle’s statement, putting it together with what he already knew from the accounts of the hunter Damien—who he’d questioned at length—the guards and the brief conversation with Jess before she lost consciousness. William sighed, closing his eyes. While he had had more sleep than Kyle it was only a matter of a few hours. The first thing Lady Jessalan had done on her return to the palace was wake him. Her immediate collapse had meant that he had slept in the chair beside his bed while healers tended to her.

  “We had pieced that together from the accounts of Damien, Jess and the guards. What I need to know is what happened—what you remember—from your perspective.” William opened his eyes and tried to push his fatigue aside.

  Kyle continued to sip at his water, watching William over the rim of the glass as he tried to collect his thoughts. Then he frowned.

  “Wait, Damien, the hunter? I don’t remember him being there.” Kyle frowned then sighed. “I guess that isn’t surprising. When the women and the male, Oliver I think his name was, joined us I thought nothing of it.” He smiled cynically. “It so happens that to that point it was routine.” Kyle paused, trying to collect his scattered memories of the night while William sat waiting for the rest of the story.

  “I think whatever the drug was it was in the drink, or perhaps the food they brought over. The night seemed to go like most nights before it; I have a patchy memory of us going to some upper room in The Tankard. I seem to remember us feeling guilty because it gets quiet for a few days in there after the guards have hauled us out. That’s when the room tilted and my memory is shot. I don’t know how we ended up where we did. She knew me by name, William, she knew who Alex was, and Jess. I take it Marcus got Jessalan out?” Now he remembered the night he was concerned about Jess.

  “Marcus didn’t have to; her hunter friend from the other night accomplished that, took out the male and got Jess back here.”

  William tried not to let his concern show that Kyle wasn’t tracking the conversation or remembering information he’d already been told. That was unlike him. He also refrained from saying that he knew about the drug because Jessalan had collapsed, falling into unconsciousness after she had told him she thought Alex and Kyle were in trouble.

  “The rest is a blur until I woke up and heaved the contents of my stomach on the floor of a room I did not recognise with the woman I remember holding the mug. I disabled the brunette when I remembered what had happened. Don’t know how long I was out or what occurred during the intervening time. I found Alex in the room across the hall. Disabled the blonde and dragged Alex out of the house and back here. Somehow the guard was there and helped us back to the palace. Why is it I think you know more than me?”

  William smiled. “You could say that.”

  William rose, picking up the pitcher, and refilled Kyle’s glass before replacing it on the bedside table, taking his seat once more.

  “From all accounts, it appears to be a rather badly thought out plan for extortion. How Marcus and the rest of the guard found you is no mystery. The whole of the Quarter was locked down and that rather useful hunter Damien guided the guard to where you were being held.” William raised his hand as Kyle groaned. “You and Jessalan have averted incidents like this from occurring many more times than I can count. Don’t beat yourself up. We knew it was bound to happen. If it’s any consolation, they didn’t seem to think this through at all, seeming to assume they could keep you, Alex and Jess occupied while they got money out of the King for your return.”

  Despite himself, Kyle choked on his water. “They thought the King would just pay them whatever they wanted and then let them get away with kidnapping and drugging his son?”

  William smiled, though there was no warmth at all in his face or eyes. “Not only did they think the King would excuse the drugging of his youngest son but they thought His Majesty would absolve them of the drugging of a lord and lady of the court.”

  Kyle sat up suddenly in alarm before groaning and sinking back into his pillows, the glass falling from his fingers as a wave of nausea hit him. He gulped for air before struggling to turn to the edge of the bed, trying not to vomit. Kyle felt a set of arms assist him, and a bowl appeared as if by magic at just the right moment.

  William supported Kyle while he threw up to the point where his body still shuddered and heaved but nothing came out. He waited patiently until the heaving subsided before assisting Kyle to lie back in bed. William placed the bowl on the floor and pulled the bell for a servant. He pulled the linen cloth off the bed stand and soaked it in the pitcher of water, using it to bathe Kyle’s sweating face, watching with concern as the young lord continued to shudder.

  A manservant bustled into the room before stopping dead halfway across the room, his eyes wide.

  “Your Highness, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise.” He swept down low in a bow.

  William frowned. “Enough. Take the bowl out to the washroom, clean it out then bring it back here. We might need it. Then run and get the physician.” William turned back as Kyle attempted to sit upright, placing a hand on his shoulder, concerned that it was the only restraint he needed to stop him. Kyle threw him around the practice ring both with a sword and in unarmed combat on a daily basis.

  William turned back and snapped at the still immobile servant. “Now, man!”

  The servant snapped into action, moving forward grabbing up the bowl. “Yes, Your Highness.”

  Bowing again, he walked across the room, placing the bowl to one side in the bathing room just in case the physician needed to examine the contents. He grabbed another bowl from the cupboard and hurried back into the room, placing it within reach of the bed. He bowed then left the room at a run when he hit the hallway.

  William breathed a sigh of relief as the physician walked into the room with an air of confidence, his assistants in a trail behind him, closely followed by the breathless servant.

  “How is my brother, Aaron?” William made room for Aaron and his aids, moving over to the couch, and sat down.

  “Prince Alex will be all right, Your Highness, he seems to be one of the few who is immune to the effects of the drug. I’ve left Gavin with him as a precaution in case things change and before you ask, Jessalan is responding well to treatment and Jocelyn is with her. They will deal with anything that may arise. If they cannot deal with it, they will send for one of the other masters or me.”

  Aaron muttered as he examined Kyle, sending his assistants scurrying to mix up the medications he required.

  “Now, My Lord Kyle, I need you to drink this. I know you do not feel like it, but it will soothe your stomach and allow you to rest while your body fights to flush the poison.”

  Aaron assisted Kyle to drink the medicine then nodded to one of his assistants to take his place in supporting the young lord.

  “Your Highness, I think I will stay here a while. Lord Kyle, given how much he has already expelled, has either been given more of the drug than Prince Alex or Lady Jessalan, or is having an adverse reaction to the drug they used. His condition is not good. I should have checked on him sooner.” Aaron frowned and glanced back toward his patient.

  “Will he be all right, Aaron?” William looked toward the bed, concerned, then back toward the physician, not reassured at all by what he saw in the old man’s face.

  “It is too early to tell, Your Highness. Go, I will send someone to you if Lo
rd Kyle’s condition changes.”

  William went to leave before turning back to the healer. “I thought the Taint, the ability to utilise the power of the veil, healed him of things like this?”

  Aaron smiled. “Yes, your Highness. It usually assists. There are some herbs that, when combined, form a toxin for those with the Taint. It can inhibit the Tainted from reaching the veil. We’ve experimented with some Tainted, but while it is effective in inhibiting their ability to control the power, it can also kill them if ingested in large quantities.” Aaron hesitated, as if choosing his words with care. “If taken long term, it becomes addictive, and we have seen it turn those with access to the veil mad.”

  William looked alarmed. “He’s had enough of that to kill him? Alex? Jess?”

  Aaron shook his head. “Relax, William. Alex and Jess will be okay; neither of them ingested enough of the poison to kill them. Kyle has been at a guess by his reaction, but he has expelled a great deal of it. Thankfully, his severe reaction to the poison may be what saves his life.”

  11

  William Briefs the King

  William nodded at the guards stationed at the entrance to his father’s study as he passed through the open doors, motioning with one hand for his guards to remain outside. Unnecessary as it was, it was a habit.

  The doors closed behind him as he walked across the room. Ignoring the irritated look of the lord who was in conference with his father, he crossed the room and slumped in a comfortable chair to one side of the chamber. Sighing, he relaxed back into the cushions, closing his eyes, content to wait. After the night’s events, the lord could be irritated at knowing his audience with the King was being cut short even though he’d been waiting months for the appointment for all William cared.