Arrows Of Change (Book 1) (25 page)

“Aye, dearheart, so be I.”

Ashlynn came out with damp hair and clean clothes on,
looking refreshed and livelier than her partner. “Well! I no longer feel like
climbing into a grave and pulling the dirt in after me. Broden, wash if you
wish. I’m calling for an early supper.”

“Bless ye, lass.” Broden lost no time in picking up a set of
clean clothes that had been set aside on a nearby chair and making a beeline
for the bathing room.

Coming forward, Ashlynn gave them both quick hugs before
announcing, “You both could use a wash as well, get all of that soot and ash
off. Are you hungry? No? Then I’ll ask for something for just me and Broden.
Ash, send a message to Edvard, tell him we’re back, and have him meet us in his
study.”

“In about an hour?” Ash inquired, already reaching for his
amulet.

She pursed her lips for a moment before replying, “Yes, I
think that’ll give us enough time.”

Riana studied her expression, finding it hard to decipher
what Ashlynn felt in that moment. “Ye be knowing, then, how to fix all of this
mess?”

“No,” Ashlynn admitted nonchalantly. “But I do remember the
last time that we all put our heads together. What Edvard and Ash couldn’t
solve in weeks, we all solved in a matter of hours. I have no doubt that if we
all think about it and talk it over, we’ll find a solution for this mess.”

They found Edvard in his study with his boots up on the
table and an open book covering his face. Hearing them enter, he picked the
book up and looked around, lightening into a brief smile. “Ashlynn. Broden. I’m
glad you’re back. Ash kept me updated as you sent him messages, but I’d feel
better hearing it from you. How are my sisters?”

“Well,” Ashlynn assured him. “They’re weak after weeks of
confinement and a little…traumatized, I guess is the best way to describe it.
But they’re healing. I think they’ll be fine given some time.”

“Good.” Letting his feet thump to the ground, he waved them
toward the chairs gathered around the table. “I think you two set a new record,
you got here so quickly. Was the journey rough?”

“It was no’ pleasant,” Broden responded wearily. “But that
be because we were in such a blasted hurry.”

“And we arrived to see Estole on fire,” Ashlynn added
sourly. “Has this been happening the entire time we were gone?”

“No, the fires have only been happening the past four days,”
Ash assured her. Broden noted that Ash pulled out a chair for Riana, and saw
her situated first. Only then did the wizard relax. The way those two acted, it
was normal for him to do so, as Riana didn’t blink an eye at it. Hmmm. How had
those two grown so much closer in the bare month he was gone?

“The raiding started a week after you left,” Edvard informed
them, jaw clenching and unclenching. “The riots a day after that. The timing is
too good. I know that I have spies and agents stirring up trouble in my
country.”

“Yes, that’s obvious.” Ashlynn slid into the chair on
Broden’s left, and let out a soft sigh that did not entirely sound at ease. But
then, she was likely saddle sore. “I think we’re more or less up to date on
what’s been happening. Which problem should we tackle first?”

“First, we need to figure out what to do about these riots,”
Edvard sighed. “Otherwise the whole city will be burned around our ears before
the end of the week.”

“The riots are escalating because they feel it’s unsafe to
leave the city,” Ash pointed out. “And they’re right. We can’t protect our
people outside of the city walls right now. The raids are getting worse. We’ve
got
to do something about that first.”

“Yes, but if we don’t do something about the riots, there
won’t be anything left for Iysh to raid—”

Ashlynn cleared her throat, interrupting Edvard, and gave
her brothers an exasperated look. “And just why do you think I rode my arse off
getting here so quickly? We are not debating on which problem needs to be
solved first. They need to be solved immediately, and Ash and I are going to
divide up the workload. Ash, as I am Sheriff of Estole, I will deal with the
riots.”

“Which leaves me with the raiders?” Ash stroked his chin
thoughtfully. “True, the riots do fall under your responsibility.”

She nodded in satisfaction, glad he saw that, and relaxed
into her chair. “Exactly.”

Edvard eyed the two of them with growing bemusement. “And
who, exactly, is king here? I feel like the two of you are managing just fine
without me.”

The twins regarded him with amusement, and carefully didn’t
agree with that. Out loud, anyway.

Broden cleared his throat in an attempt to disguise a
chuckle. “Still, best we tackle one problem at a time. First, the border raids,
I think. Can we no’ build a wall about Estole like we did about the city?”

Edvard blinked before looking at Ash. “I don’t know. Can
we?”

“We’re not that big of a country, Edvard,” Ash responded
dryly. “In fact, we were a duchy before all of this, remember? Of course we
can. It’ll take a few weeks, though.”

“Maybe not as long as you think,” Ashlynn disagreed. “I told
you that Tierone chased me down when I was heading for Trenena, didn’t I? He
said that after what Zelman had done to us, he wouldn’t be faithful to the king
any longer and would break from Iysh.”

“He did?!” Edvard exclaimed, coming half out of his chair in
surprise. “I didn’t hear about this!”

Ashlynn frowned at him, perplexed. “Truly? He said that
there were games afoot, and he wanted to resolve some of them before he
declared anything. Still, I thought that he would at least tell you before I
got home.”

“No, he hasn’t breathed a word to me.” Sinking back, Edvard
huffed out a breath of mixed relief and joy. “I’m glad to hear it, though. I’ll
send him a message later tonight asking about it. But if he’s truly willing to
do so, maybe he’ll lend me some people until we can get things sorted.”

“Exactly the point I was going to make. If we borrowed
Tierone’s wizard wouldn’t the job go by faster?”

“Much faster,” Ash agreed. He had an odd expression on his
face as he said this, though, as if a thought had just occurred to him. “And
come to think of it, we shouldn’t build a wall between Estole and Dahl anyway.
Not if Tierone is going to join us. That will cut the building down
significantly.”

True, that. All good points and suggestions. “So this wall
of yers be solid all the way around?”

“No, that’s not wise,” Edvard disagreed thoughtfully.
“Eventually we’ll need open trade routes in and out of the country. If we can
ever get Iysh to recognize us as a sovereign country, that is. When that
happens, I can’t afford a solid wall blocking us off from the world. No, we
need to have certain openings along the roads so people can go through. But
we’ll need…hmm…guard houses? Or something like that so I can station people
near the roads and keep unwanted raiders from entering.”

Ash reached for a pencil and a sheet of paper from the stack
in the middle of the table. “Checkpoints, in other words. Anything else you
want before I design this wall?”

“Make it a good six feet tall and two feet wide,” Riana
suggested. “Otherwise any horse can jump it, and the wall be useless.”

Ash gave her a silent salute with his pencil, acknowledging
her point. “Anything else? No?”

Broden lifted a finger. “If an old man can make a
suggestion?”

Edvard waved him on. “Please do. I’ve liked all your
suggestions so far.”

“Seems to me, from what Ash has told us on our way here,
that some of the riots be caused by Iysh, but not all. That be right?”

“Correct,” Edvard confirmed. “From what my spies in the city
tell me, some of these are clearly instigated by Iyshian spies, but some of
them are by my citizens. My upset, paranoid, law-loathing citizens.” This last
bit he added in a sour tone.

Broden stroked his chin, thinking things through aloud.
“Then mayhap there be a way to help solve both problems? Say, make a law that
says any man that causes a riot be assigned to help build the wall.”

Everyone in the room froze, staring at him as if he had just
said something profound.

“And when the wall is finished, perhaps set to help guard
the checkpoints?” A particularly evil smile grew on Edvard’s face. “Oh, that
will stop people in their tracks alright. Who would want to be out there for
days on end doing hard labor? We’ll have to be careful how to word this,
though. I mean, I don’t mind people protesting, I just want them to do so peacefully.”

“Agreed.” Ashlynn rose from her chair, heading for the
shelves on the far wall. “Let me see how the old Bindings worked. Maybe we can
just use what they were and rephrase it.”

“Good thought.” Edvard leaned forward, catching Broden’s
eye. “I have an idea how to handle the Iyshian spies that are stirring up
trouble. Our punishment will likely take care of the troublemaking citizens,
but not the spies. But if we can somehow put a spin on this, spread rumors that
anyone who wants to incite a riot is likely an Iyshian spy and should be
reported, it might make it harder for the spies to act.”

Broden’s head canted to the side as he mulled the idea over.
“Belike it will work. At least some. But it will no’ stop a truly determined
man.”

“No, likely not. I’ve put my own spies to work, to see if we
can’t hunt these men down. But this isn’t something that I can turn to my usual
people for help on. Their faces are too well known. I need you and Riana to go
weed out the spies and spread the rumors. People know about you, of course, but
your faces aren’t as well known. It’ll work better coming from the two of you.”

“Now wait a minute,” the twins protested in unison, voices
sounding panicked, “I need him/her.”

Edvard blinked, then laughed out loud. “I haven’t heard you
two talk at the same time like that in ages.”

“Edvard,” Ashlynn growled.

“Not funny,” Ash rumbled, as if completing his twin’s
thoughts.

“No, it is,” Edvard insisted, hand holding his belly. “Why
are you two panicking? It’s not like I’m taking your partners away from you
entirely. I just need them for a few days, is all. And not even the entire day,
at that. I think they can go with you while you work and then spare a few hours
in the evening to do what I need. Rumors are best spread at night anyway, when
people are tired and want to just sit around and talk.”

His king might not think anything of it, but Broden
understood the unease. With all that was going on, he did not feel comfortable
leaving Ashlynn’s side for long. He caught her eye and saw the same expression
of doubt there that he felt, but she nodded reassurance to him, silently
stating it would work out one way or another.

Riana and Ash were giving each other the same look. Edvard
caught it all the way around and reassured them gently, “I promise you, I won’t
need them to do more than two hours or so every evening. My spies and I can
handle the rest, I think. I just need people I can trust to spread the right
rumors, people that no one else will readily link to me. Fortunately, these two
are still new enough that they can do what I need them to. It won’t be
dangerous at any point, not for either side. I’ll work out the particulars of
what needs to be done and then instruct you, Broden, Riana. For now, let’s work
on expanding my laws a little and firming up the plans for the wall. Ashlynn,
what have you found?”

Ashlynn shook her head, mouth curled up in disgust. “We
can’t use any part of the old Bindings on this, Edvard. The Iyshian kings
apparently didn’t want anyone even speaking out against them. The Bindings
state that any man speaking against their king or any person in a governmental
capacity is automatically sentenced to losing his tongue.”

Riana winced. “That be a bit harsh.”

“More than a bit,” Edvard agreed with an equally disgusted
grimace. “You’re right, we can’t pattern our laws after that.”

“I do like their definition of what a ‘riot’ is, though,”
Ashlynn tacked on, eyes skimming the text in front of her. “It labels it as
‘any gathering of three or more people in which protests are made in violent
form, either in destruction of property or in harm to people.’ Ash, you’re
righting up terms and definitions for the laws as well as simply writing the
laws themselves, right? I would use this. I don’t think anyone can phrase it
better.”

“I agree.” Ash pointed a finger at the book. “Mark that page
and set the book in that stack on the table. I’ll copy it down later. But for
now, how do you want me to write the law?”

Edvard steepled his fingers in front of his face in what Broden
had come to know as his thinking pose. “I want it clear that no one is exempt
from this,” he finally said, his words coming out slowly as he thought it
through aloud. “Man, woman, or child, it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s good.” Ash pulled a fresh sheet toward him and
started writing. “Let’s make that clear from the start. What else?”

“I don’t want them involved in riots at all, in any form. I
don’t want them to incite them, or participate in them.”

“Or promote them,” Ashlynn added, still rifling through law
books on the shelf. “That’s something one of the older versions of the Bindings
mentioned, and I think it’s a good thing to add.”

“Noted.” Ash wrote that down with a quick
scratch scratch
of pencil on paper. “We know the punishment, but how long should they serve
it? Seven days?”

Edvard shook his head. “No. Too short. I want them to hate
the very idea. Fourteen days, at minimum.”

Riana’s brows twisted up in an expression of doubt, making
it obvious that she felt even that to be a little light of a sentence. “What if
a man does it more than once?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I don’t think
anyone will, as Ash will work them to death when he has them.” Edvard smiled at
his blood-brother with an expression a hungry wolf might make. “Right?”

Ash’s expression was a perfect mirror for his king’s.
“Right. If someone is stupid enough to do it again, we’ll come up with an
addendum for the law. But I think this will do for now. Here, how does this
read? ‘If any man, woman, or child is found to incite, promote, or participate
in a riot, then that person shall serve fourteen days on the Estole border in
either building the border wall or in serving as a guardsman at the
checkpoints.’ Does that work?” 

Broden turned it over in his head, but saw nothing to
change. “I think so, lad. Edvard?”

“I see no problems with it,” Edvard concurred. Turning, he
beamed at Ashlynn, then Broden. “I really have missed you two. I feel like we
can get a handle on things now instead of scrambling about like a chicken with
a missing head.”

Ashlynn chuckled, the sound bordering on giggling. “Love you
too, Edvard. Now, on to more serious matters, what about the wall?”

“I’ll design that tonight, let you all see it tomorrow and
make changes then,” Ash volunteered. “It shouldn’t be too difficult. The more
important question is, what do you want me to make this of? We don’t have
anywhere near enough lumber.”

“No, lad, for this ye need something more sturdy,” Broden
objected. The idea of a wooden wall, susceptible to fire, made a chill go
straight up his spine.