Royal Exile (50 page)

‘We’ll live,’ Lily said, giving him a shy smile and thrilling him by laying a hand against his chest. ‘Thank you for helping him,’ she added.

Faris wanted to say something facetious but his throat was too dry. Jewd was right. He did want Lily. She intrigued him. He also realised that Lily intrigued De Vis and if his senses were serving him right, the young Valisar appeared smitten by her too. He sighed. Was pursuing her really worth the inevitable problems? He dwelled for a second longer than he meant to on her dark blue eyes before realising he was staring. Clearing his throat, he looked away, glancing over at the king to cover his embarrassment. But Leo had not missed the lingering gaze and turned away, seemingly angry.

‘I’m going to gather up some cloudberries,’ the king said but Faris knew he was covering his unhappiness.

‘Don’t go far,’ he replied, just as Lily said, ‘Stay nearby,’ but Leo ignored them both, stomping into the woods.

28

Sergius had listened carefully to everything the bird had told him. He had remained silent, hunched over his scrubbed table through the recounting of what had been happening at Brighthelm. When Ravan finished the man sat back and took a long breath.
And they found the collar, they’ve fallen for your trap?

Yes. But we must not underestimate Loethar
.

Sergius nodded. That would be a grave error, he replied. He gave a short mirthless grin. Loethar is clearly a man of strong emotions.

He doesn’t show them
, Ravan reminded.

No, but he feels them and his decision to conquer the Set, humiliate
Penraven, has been relentless and brutal
.

The raven stretched his wings, shuddered slightly.
I will be
missed
.

You’re going?

You know I must
.

What a strange and lonely life I lead
, the man remarked, sighing, stretching like his friend.

How old are you, Sergius?

Too old. I’ve lost count of the years
.

No, you haven’t. I deserve to know. I do your bidding — I’ve
never questioned it — and yet I hardly know anything about you
.

You know all there is to know about me, Ravan. You’ve known me
since you were a hatchling. I became your mother, father, your friend
.

Only in my mind and only long enough to give me to Loethar
, the bird admonished.
Anyway, friends tell each other about themselves
. The raven sounded wounded.

My age, all right. Let me see. I must be more than five thousand
moons
.

Ravan hopped, turned his head to stare at his friend.
That’s
old
.

Indeed. I knew the first Valisar King, Cormoron, was present when
he took his oath at the Stone of Truth, although no-one witnessed it
.

Ravan considered this startling news.
Sergius, would you agree
that our task is the most important you’ve ever faced?

Certainly. It is the only time I have been required
.

Then we are living in a unique time, facing a unique situation
.

We are
, Sergius confirmed.

Then before I go I want to know everything
.

I’m not sure I understand
.

I believe you do. I believe you know much more than you have
shared. And I think it’s right that as your eyes and ears — as you
describe me — I am privy to what our role is and why we must
perform it. I have done precisely what you’ve asked of me since you
abandoned me in the plains three decades previous. And that’s another
puzzle. My kind do not live this long. My kind don’t talk to your kind
.
Who am I?

All these questions!
Sergius said, disgusted, waving a hand at the raven.

They need to be answered. I want to know who we are and why we
are on this path. Only then I will continue to do your bidding
.

Sergius looked up, surprised.
Only then? What will you do if I
refuse?
His voice was devoid of threat or challenge.

Ravan answered in the same tone.
I shall fly away and not return
.

Then I shall wear you down with constant chatter inside your head
.

As you wish, old man. I shall ignore you
.

I gave you life, Ravan!
Sergius said, exasperated.

And I give you my life. But I must understand why and for what
.

All right, all right. I shall explain. Go fly, stretch your wings,
wretched bird. I must make some nettle tea before I begin
.

Ravan obliged, returning not long after but by which time the old man had his steaming mug of tea on the table. He gave a soft sound of exasperation as the black bird shook its feathers and settled itself once again before him, letting Ravan know that he considered this an imposition.

Get on with it
, Ravan urged with equal disdain.
Time is short
.

Sergius began, speaking aloud, knowing the bird could follow the words just as easily as if he were speaking directly into his mind. He so rarely heard his own voice these days that it felt good to stretch the long unused muscles of his throat.

‘I’m not sure anyone alive today knows that Cormoron, the first of the great Valisar Kings, was a mighty sorceror — as talented with his Vested powers as he was with the sword.’

Ravan hunched down.

‘When he first took power the Set was divided among many different family warlords, although there were only about four of them that mattered. Cormoron did not belong to this region. He came from among the great southern land mass — a region known as Lindaran. He sailed an extraordinary voyage into unchartered waters, during which he lost only a few of his men to seasicknesses, and landed first on Medhaven. On that island he met no resistance from the goats and sheep, and the odd scattered hut with few people. He moved on to Vorgaven, where he again found little resistance for his tough fighting men, and he soon found himself on the fertile land of the vast mass that makes up the largest part of the “hand” of today’s Set. He liked what he saw. He settled. To cut this long preamble short, he made peace with the fractured family-style populations spread across the continent of the Hand. His leadership abilities were already well honed and he was a charismatic man — irresistible, really, to most. He was imposing too — as tall as he was broad with a booming voice and flowing locks of dark hair. Everything about him was strong, decisive, compelling.

‘Cormoron was intelligent enough to not make war with the warlords; instead, he sat down around the parley table with them and worked out ways in which they could all live alongside one another. And in so doing he formed the Set: seven realms in the Hand, which included Medhaven. Droste was the only realm hostile to Cormoron’s plan but it did not have the force necessary to attack him and, as he refused to wage any further war, he accepted Droste as a separate entity. The plains to the east — unfertile land of endless flat grasses — were seemingly uninhabited all those centuries ago.’

So he became ruler of this land he called Penraven
, Ravan said, pushing the old man ahead.

‘Indeed,’ Sergius agreed, untroubled by being hurried along. ‘He took his oath at Lackmarin before the Stone of Truth. Now, I told you that Cormoron was a sorceror of great power. Though we know that, little is known of his abilities. He kept his powers hidden, never discussed them: indeed, rarely used them, to my knowledge.’

And?
Ravan pushed again.

‘Well, at the time of his oath, which he saw as a momentous occasion for the region, he called down a great and ancient power from his native Lindaran. She is known as Cyrena.’

The serpent
, Ravan said.

‘That’s right.’

I know this bit. She drank his blood and
—

‘You make it sound tedious, Ravan. There was nothing ordinary about Cyrena,’ Sergius admonished. ‘She is the most beautiful of all the ancient creatures; and furthermore, she might be the most important. She is the goddess of conscience.’

Forgive me
, the bird said humbly.

Sergius continued as though uninterrupted. ‘Cyrena made Cormoron promise that if she blessed his new realm and agreed to his supreme power over it — including ultimately the Set — he must agree never to use his magical powers against his own.

‘She could not control his power but she appointed me to watch for any abuse of Valisar power — not just magical, I might add. I was once a simple healer and man of faith whom Cormoron took on his journey north. But how could I refuse her? She insisted I walk the Valisar journey from thereon. I still do not know everything there is to know and I control very little. But Cyrena did grant me certain powers too.’ He sighed, gave Ravan a long and meaningful stare. ‘She gave me you.’

The raven hopped around the table, obviously fascinated by this admission. ‘I belong to Cyrena?’

‘You are her creation, as am I,’ Sergius admitted, shrugging his thin shoulders.

I’ve lived for three decades, and known you for that time. But what
did you do for all of those decades before?

‘Nothing remarkable. I lived. Quietly. I have seen many Valisars come and go. I was not needed then.’

But now you are needed?
Ravan queried, his intrigue obvious in his tone.

Sergius gave a soft sigh and stood. ‘Yes, my friend, now I am needed. Pity I’m such an old fellow.’

Ravan flapped his wings with obvious exasperation.
I don’t
understand. King Brennus is dead. The heir, Leonel, is still a boy. He
has no power to abuse; he is on the run. If he can survive it will be
years before he can offer any threat to Loethar
.

‘I am not talking about Leonel.’

Ravan cocked his head.
Piv—? No, I know that’s not right
. Sergius had already begun shaking his head. Ravan hunched down, confused.
I’m baffled
.

‘Think hard. You have the intelligence to work it out,’ Sergius said, and smiled.

* * *

Freath had insisted Kirin take some air. They’d both had time for their tempers to cool.

‘Does this help?’ Freath asked.

‘The fresh air is soothing. My head hurts to the point that I think I’ve lost some vision. Now and then the distance looks blurred around the edges of my eyesight.’

‘We must have a physic take a proper look at you. It’s probably something transient, the result of the pain in your head.’

‘I think we both know that is a kind lie. I know what this is. I think the damage is permanent.’

Freath didn’t respond immediately, instead walking ahead, pointing to the herb garden. ‘Piven was lost here, apparently.’ He bent to pluck some leaves, which he crushed, inhaling their aroma. ‘This was Iselda’s garden. She planted it as much for its scent as for its practicality. She loved to chew kellet; I recall its soft spicy fragrance on her breath.’

‘I did it, Freath. It was me,’ Kirin blurted as they circled the herb beds.

Freath paused before he sighed, not looking at the Vested. ‘I know. I worked it out.’ Silence stretched between them. ‘Did you keep that a secret from me for any reason?’ he finally continued.

‘I didn’t know I could do that,’ Kirin replied, his voice laden with irritation. ‘I don’t know what even possessed me to try — desperation, no doubt. The alternative was to watch either, or both, you and Genrie be murdered before our eyes.’

Freath nodded. ‘Both, I would imagine. The Droste woman is highly suspicious of Genrie and Loethar has yet to fully trust me. That’s why he tested me. I don’t know what to say to you. Words don’t seem enough. Frankly, I’m still lost in my own astonishment.’

Kirin looked at him sideways. ‘It was my choice to attempt it.’

‘Did you know what you were trying?’ Freath asked, allowing his awe to creep through.

‘I can’t remember. I think I decided in that moment in which I realised how badly wrong this was all going for you. I thought if I could just get into Genrie’s mind, maybe I could force the right answer by letting her see the right boy’s head in my mind. To be honest, when she chose the right one I assumed it was luck, a pure coincidence.’

‘So did I.’

‘When Loethar called in Father Briar I wasn’t going to try again. I was already dizzy with nausea and I didn’t want to fall over, draw attention to myself. But then I saw your face. I saw how frightened Father Briar looked and I understood how much was riding on this … how many lives stood in the balance. So I tried again, with no idea if what I was doing was right. I was losing consciousness before I could see which head the priest chose. Luckily Clovis caught me, kept me upright long enough for the hysteria to pass and Loethar to leave.’

‘Can you remember how you did what you did?’

‘Not really. I don’t think I ever want to try that again, though.’

‘Kirin, you must realise you are not only looking into people’s minds but are influencing them. That is an incredibly powerful magic.’

‘That’s prying. Now that I’ve had some time to consider it, I believe they both knew I was there in their minds. I suspect they’re confused now but eventually they’ll realise that something unusual has occurred.’

‘Genrie already suspects. She’s waiting for my explanation, I think. They were both left dizzied, disoriented by the experience. She can put two and two together.’

‘What will you tell her?’

‘Nothing! No one but us will ever know this. Did Clovis say anything?’

‘If he did I didn’t hear it.’