King Breaker (12 page)

The merchant’s agent dropped into a chair, head in his hands. ‘What will Master Yarraskem say?’

‘Tell him he’s lucky the creatures hatched early,’ Piro suggested. ‘Imagine what would have happened if they’d hatched after you’d sold them. The talismans would have made the kressies really angry, and the rich merchants and nobles would have—’

‘Tell Yarraskem he shouldn’t be dealing in Affinity if he doesn’t know enough about it. Tell him that Agent Tyro confiscated the kresatrices and the useless talismans.’ Siordun gestured to the chests. ‘When I get back to Ostron Isle, I’ll be having a word with my master. Mage Tsulamyth doesn’t condone the breeding of dangerous Affinity beasts,
or
the sale of fraudulent Affinity talismans.’

At the mention of the mage, the captain sucked in his breath and the merchant’s agent went pale.

‘Please assure the mage that Merchant Yarraskem doesn’t want any trouble,’ Nikoforus said quickly.

Piro glanced to Siordun. So much rested on him. It was just as well no one knew Siordun was really the mage. She realised she was proud of him.

Siordun wiped his hands. ‘Now we must catch the surviving kresatrices.’

Piro handed the roasting pot to the captain. ‘I’ll help. The kressies will come to me.’

Chapter Nine

F
LORIN TUCKED THE
bundle under her arm and ran off to find Varuska’s sister. Fortunately, she knew just where to look for Anatoley.

To discourage licentious behaviour, the castle-keep separated male and female servants. Scullery maids and the like bunked down in the castle laundry.

Heart pounding, Florin paused at the laundry door to catch her breath. She could hear the women singing a sentimental song, and glanced inside to see them mending clothes by candlelight. The aroma of starch and lye hung on the air, reminding Florin of washdays back home at the tradepost. That was one thing she did not miss.

Two dozen pallet beds fanned out from the great copper where the castle’s laundry was boiled. As the most recently hired servant, Anatoley would be most distant from the warmth of the copper’s brazier.

One bed was empty. She was too late.

Stunned, Florin pulled back, closing the door after her.

Why hadn’t she been suspicious when Cobalt told Amil to send Old Mirona and Anatoley home with a bag of coins? How could the castle-keep be so blind? Or was the woman willing to overlook anything her darling Illien did?

A noise made Florin turn. Varuska’s sister came around the corner. The poor girl was almost asleep on her feet.

Florin ran to meet her.

Frightened, Anatoley backed up into a doorway. ‘I wasn’t slacking off. I only just finished scrubbing the floor.’ She held up her reddened hands as evidence. ‘See.’

‘...have some fun with the juicy young bird,’ a rough voice said.

The thugs had gotten rid of Old Mirona’s body and now they were coming for Varuska’s sister. Desperate, Florin pushed the girl into a doorway.

Anatoley went to protest.

‘Quiet.’ Florin felt for the door catch. Locked. Where could they hide?

Too late; the men were upon them.

More than once today, Florin had been mistaken for a manservant from behind, thanks to her broad shoulders. Desperate, she cupped the girl’s chin and kissed her. Anatoley gasped.

Florin made sure her larger body hid the girl’s as the thugs offered her some crude advice before carrying on past them. Dimly, she heard the men asking at the laundry for Anatoley.

Varuska’s sister froze.

A woman told the thugs that the girl they sought was scrubbing the kitchen floor. As the men went the other way, Florin kept up the pretence, shielding Anatoley.

The moment the thugs rounded the corner, Florin broke the kiss, grabbed Anatoley’s hand and ran. The dark corridors quickly swallowed them.

After only one false turn, she found the door to the stable courtyard. A froth of stars filled the sky, and the night was bright enough to cast sharp shadows. Florin drew Varuska’s sister onto the landing.

‘Why were they looking for me?’ Anatoley gasped. ‘Did the castle-keep send you?’

‘Varuska sent me. Here, take this.’ She thrust the bundle into the girl’s arms.

Anatoley eyed it suspiciously. ‘This is my sister’s. What’s happened to her?’

‘She’s all right, but you...’ Florin had no practice at lying. ‘Your sister is doing a special job for Lord Cobalt. She told me to send you away.’

Anatoley hesitated. ‘Those men—’

‘Were sent to kill you. They’ve already killed Old Mirona. Anyone who knows Varuska’s true identity has to die. Cobalt wants her to impersonate the kingsdaughter. She looks a lot like Piro.’

‘Does she?’ Anatoley asked, then gave a little crow of laughter. ‘Of course she does. I must tell Granna. How she’ll laugh.’

‘Why?’

The girl rolled her eyes. ‘Granna is King Byren the Fourth’s bastard. Cobalt’s father was not King Byren’s only by-blow.’

Florin felt her jaw drop.

‘When he was seventeen and still only the king’s heir, Byren the Fourth killed an Affinity beast that had been preying on our village. The elders gave him the prettiest girl. She wasn’t supposed to fall pregnant, but she did. The village elders married her off to the blacksmith’s son and Granna was born. She is King Rolen’s half-sister, it’s no wonder Varuska looks like King Rolen’s daughter,’ Anatoley announced triumphantly.

She looked so pleased that Florin shook her by the shoulders. ‘You can’t tell
anyone
. If word gets out, Cobalt will have Varuska killed.’ It occurred to Florin that once the girl had provided him with an heir, he would have her killed anyway. But she wasn’t going to let it get that far.

‘Leave tonight,’ Florin told Anatoley. ‘Run away. Don’t go home. Sail for Ostron isle. You’ll be safe there.’

‘But Granna and Varuska are all I have.’

‘If you want to protect them, go away.’

Anatoley stared at her. ‘I’ll be all alone.’

‘You’ll be alive.’

‘And my silly sister will be queen. It’s not fair!’

‘Look, we don’t have time for this. Go to the stables. Hide in one of the carts that goes down to Rolenton tomorrow. Work your passage on a ship. I promised Varuska I’d help you escape. Now it’s up to you. Promise me you’ll go?’

The girl looked more aggrieved than frightened, but she nodded.

‘Good.’ Florin gave her a shove. ‘Keep out of sight. Those men, or others like them, will be looking for you.’

With that, she shut the door on Anatoley and made her way back to Piro’s chambers, where the man-at-arms waited.

He glanced to her empty hands. ‘What took you so long, and where’s your bundle?’

‘Someone nicked it.’ The lie sprang from desperation. ‘I spent ages looking.’

‘Well, what d’you expect? Besides, you’re serving the kingsdaughter. You’ll want for nothing.’ He opened the door for her.

Florin thanked him and ducked into the chamber. It was dim, lit only by the fire.

Varuska sat up. ‘Is—’

‘Just me,’ Florin said. Was the guard listening at the door? She shivered. ‘I c-couldn’t find my bundle, someone had taken it.’

Varuska looked confused, but didn’t say anything.

Florin bent down to unstrap her boots. Then, without invitation, she climbed into bed with Varuska. Under the covers, she whispered, ‘Don’t worry, your sister’s safe.’

‘Why wouldn’t she be?’

Hearing the edge of panic in Varuska’s voice, Florin decided not to reveal Old Mirona’s fate. ‘I gave Anatoley your bundle. She’s going to leave tomorrow.’

‘Thank you.’

Florin swung her legs out of bed. The floor was cold.

‘Where are you going?’

‘You’re a kingsdaughter. I’m a mountain girl who’s masquerading as your servant. I sleep on the floor.’

Florin curled up on the rug in front of the fire and dreamed of Byren, who laughed as large as life. She woke with tears on her cheeks.

P
IRO ENJOYED WORKING
alongside Siordun. They captured the kresatrices and returned to the
Wyvern’s Whelp
, where the creatures were placed in a cage in the hold.

Piro sat with Siordun, watching the five kresatrices explore their temporary home. She was ready to soothe them with Affinity if they needed it, but they curled up together on the blanket.

‘They’re falling asleep.’ Piro hugged her knees and sighed with satisfaction. It was nice down here, away from everyone else. Her Affinity no longer troubled her. This reminded her... ‘You’re wrong, you know.’

‘No. But I’m sure you’re about to tell me why.’

She grinned. ‘You said Affinity beasts could never be tamed, only contained. But Resolute loves me.’

‘That’s because you shared your Affinity with him.’

‘What about Isolt? Loyalty loves her even though Isolt has no Affinity. Why did you tell us to take Loyalty with us if she couldn’t be tamed?’

‘The wyvern is the symbol of Merofynian royalty. I thought she might be useful.’ Siordun cast Piro a quick look. ‘You might recall I also told you to bring the sea-fruits to keep the wyvern quiet.’

But Piro had already thought of something else. ‘Back on Ostron Isle, when the Utland Power-worker’s men abducted Isolt, Loyalty tried to save her. The wyvern would have died, if you hadn’t healed her. Why heal her if...’ Piro’s eyes widened. ‘You lied to Nikoforus and the captain!’

‘I said what I did to prevent them importing Affinity beasts.’ Siordun shrugged. ‘Who knows if Affinity beasts are ever truly tamed? Is a cat truly tamed, or does it just put up with us?’

Piro laughed. ‘That’s something Lord Dunstany would say.’

‘I am Dunstany.’

And
the mage, but that made her uncomfortable. She cast about for another topic. ‘I miss Resolute and Loyalty. I miss Isolt. Can I visit her? Will she have a big celebration for her fifteenth birthday?’

‘Isolt’s already fifteen. She’ll be sixteen midsummer.’

‘Oh. I’m sure Seela said Isolt wasn’t much older than—’

‘How old was your nurse? Sixty? Two years would be nothing to her.’

Piro looked down. She should have paid more attention to her mother and Seela, but they were always reprimanding her for not behaving like a respectable kingsdaughter.

No, this was the life for her. She liked being useful and being valued for what she could do. One of the kresatrices twitched in its sleep, making her smile. ‘Will the kressies need more Affinity?’

‘You gave them more than enough. Too much power can be bad for Affinity beasts. There’s a theory they can become addicted to it. There’s another theory that it spurs unnaturally rapid growth.’

‘Theories... doesn’t anyone know for sure?’

‘Power-workers guard their knowledge.’

‘Why not share it? Then everyone would be safer. If Affinity wasn’t shrouded in so much secrecy, Nikoforus wouldn’t have been fooled.’

‘True.’

‘Just as well I was there.’ Piro wanted one word of praise. She wanted Siordun to admit he’d needed her help.

But he seemed distracted.

Disappointed, Piro stood up. ‘I’m tired. I guess I’ll...’

Without warning, Siordun sprang to his feet and grabbed her shoulders. ‘I told you to go back to your cabin. Why—’

‘You’re hurting me. Why are you so angry?’

He let her go. ‘Why did you board the merchant ship?’

‘To help you.’

‘I didn’t need your help.’

Tears stung her eyes. ‘I saved lives.’

‘You put yourself in danger.’

‘And you didn’t?’

‘That’s different.’

‘How is it different?’ She pushed his chest. ‘How?’

He lifted his hands, as if he’d like to grab her. ‘You... you’re impossible!’

For some reason, this pleased her. ‘You needed me. Even if you won’t admit it.’

With a toss of her head, she walked off.

A
FTER A RAID,
the Utlanders usually had a drunken celebration. But after the disastrous attack, there was nothing to celebrate. Instead they treated their wounded and sat around in small groups, muttering darkly. From what Garzik overhead, they believed their people had been cursed since Vultar’s renegades had kidnapped the settlement’s oracles. Born fused, back-to-back, one could see past and the other the future, earning them the names Yesterday and Tomorrow. In the Utlands, those born with afflictions tended to be blessed by Affinity, and the twins had been famous throughout the Northern Dawn Isles. Now the settlement was without their Affinity-touched to intervene with the gods.

Too exhausted to stay awake, Garzik curled up in his furs. After a while, he felt Trafyn creep in next to him and did not object. As a slave, the squire didn’t have furs of his own.

Sometime later the squire’s shivering woke him. Trafyn tossed and turned, muttering under his breath about wyverns and raiders. Garzik shoved him. ‘Quiet.’

The squire whimpered and called for his Da, sounding more like a lad of five than fifteen. Garzik felt Trafyn’s forehead. He was burning him up with fever.

As much as Garzik disliked the squire, he could not ignore him. Trafyn wasn’t hardy like the Utlanders. If he slept exposed on deck, it would be the end of him. He needed herbs to bring the fever down.

With a sigh, Garzik rolled to his feet and looked around. Strange, the sleeping furs were empty except for the badly wounded. Where had... Voices carried to him and he realised the majority of the Utlanders were on the high reardeck, where they appeared to be holding a meeting.

Garzik rolled the squire onto the furs and dragged him into the merchant captain’s cabin. There, he tucked the fur around the sick lad and lit a lamp. Olbin might have something to bring down the fever.

As he straightened up with the lamp, Garzik glimpsed himself reflected in the window glass. No wonder Byren hadn’t recognised him. His long hair was loose, covering the ugly crater where his ear had been. Along with the scar across his cheek, it made him look like a true Utlander. His face was leaner and harder, and he was a head taller than he had been the last time Byren had seen him.

Garzik took a step closer to peer into the imperfect mirror of the window. Witchy Utlander eyes stared back at him, a pale circle in each iris. Would they return to normal when he went home and ate properly prepared food?