The Fall of the Dagger (The Forsaken Lands) (32 page)

Ryce ignored him and turned to the guard. “Out,” he snapped.

The guard did not need telling a second time.

“That includes you, Masterton.”

“Your Highness, the king is not well. He needs—”

“Whatever he needs, it is not you. Now get out, or my man here –” he indicated Grig “– will skewer you for me.”

Masterton looked at the king.

Edwayn glared at his son. “I’ve no secrets from Conrid,” he said in a thin waver. His one good eye dripped liquid down his cheek.

“Then you most certainly should have!”

Masterton intervened, saying smoothly, “And you should have more manners. Anyway, who are these two… persons… with you, that you should want them to be privy to a conversation with your monarch?” He frowned at Barklee, with Piper in his arms, and Grig, who had been following hard on his heels.

“They are my son’s physician and his bodyguard. However, now that you have seen that I have brought Prince Garred to you, perhaps we can dispense with their presence.” He waved a hand to indicate that Barklee and Grig should leave the room. Both moved to comply. “I suppose if you
really
wish to stay, Masterton, I am not averse. You won’t like what you hear, though.” He laid a hand on his swordhilt in a more bellicose invitation to leave.

Grig indicated the open door they had used to enter the room and raised an eyebrow at Masterton, who took the hint and hurried after Barklee. Piper chose that moment to struggle in the surgeon’s arms, dislodging her hat.

“Down! Me want down!”

Masterton grabbed hold of Barklee, wrenching him to a halt. “This isn’t Prince Garred!” He stared at the child. “What piece of chicanery is this? Who’s this brat that you want to fob on to the kingdom?”

Ryce nodded to Grig, the merest of movements. Grig didn’t need a second invitation. His sword whispered out of its sheath. There was no room to manoeuvre in the doorway, so he sliced the edge of the blade across the side of Masterton’s neck. It wasn’t the best of strokes, but there was enough power behind it to send the man
sprawling to the floor, blood spurting in a shower. Traumatised, Piper started screaming. Another thrust from Grig and Prelate Conrid Masterton was dead.

Piper shrilled even louder. Ryce grabbed Barklee and pointed at a door across the dining room. “Servants’ passage,” he said, and Barklee fled towards it with the child, clutching her tight and burying her face into his chest so she couldn’t see the horror behind them. The king, trying to lever himself up from the dining chair, shouted at him as he ran past, but he took no notice.

Grig moved the other way, back into the sitting room.

The two guards leaped at him, drawing their swords as they came. Grig pushed a chair in the way and when the first man stumbled over it, Ryce deftly flipped that man’s sword out of his grip. Confident that Grig would manage the other guard, he was about to turn back to deal with his father when another seven or eight guards burst into the sitting room.

Ryce opened his mouth to call Grig back into the dining room when there was a flash, a retort and a puff of smoke. One of the newcomers had fired a pistol. For a moment Ryce thought the ball had missed, then he saw: a ragged hole in Grig’s shirt, blood blossoming over his chest.

Grig looked down at himself, in disbelief. He fell slowly, his sword dropping first, his body languidly slumping as his knees folded and he bent over at the waist. Ryce knew a dead man when he saw one. He leaped back into the dining room and slammed the door shut behind him. About to grab a chair to shove under the handle, he noticed bolts had been put on the door. He shot them across, top and bottom, guessing they were a result of Juster’s incursion into the palace with Sorrel.

He turned to face his father.

The king cowered back in his seat at the table. His face was ashen.

They stared at each other in silence. His first thought was that there wasn’t much left of the man. His back was humped and his flesh loosely draped over a bony frame; his eyes were faded things without a spark of vitality.

“If that wasn’t your son, why are you here?” Edwayn asked at last.

Sheathing his sword, he crossed to face his father from the other
side of the table, knuckling the polished board as he thrust himself forward in confrontation. “Prince Garred was taken by Valerian Fox with his mother. That sorcerous Prime of yours never had any intention of returning my son to you or anyone else. He has foully murdered Bealina! Murdered the mother of my son! What you have done is unforgivable.”

The king’s expression didn’t change, although he seemed to shrink still more. He was just a sick old man, with nothing to offer anyone. “I’m your liege lord,” he said, the words a quavering mockery of what he had once been.

Ryce felt nothing. The father of his childhood was a tarnished memory, and this once-king had brought the land to its knees. Perhaps he’d never had a choice after he’d brought Valerian Fox into his household. Perhaps Fox had coerced him right from the beginning, or perhaps he hadn’t needed to, but none of that mattered now, and Ryce could not bring himself to care.

He pulled the wheel-lock pistol from his belt, where it had been hidden by the fullness of the skirt of his frock coat. It was primed and loaded. All he had to do was cock it and fire.

Edwayn mumbled, “I never thought you had it in you.”

“You were wrong.”

He shot his father through the heart.

An hour after Edwayn’s death, Saker’s mind tumbled back into his body. He was sweating and his hands were clenched. Far above, he could still feel the eagle, crying its triumph at having rid itself of its human burden.

Not so easy to escape, is it? You poor thing.

He moved his head to the side carefully, as his dizziness and disorientation dissipated.

Juster was sitting beside him. “You’re back?”

He began to nod, changed his mind and sat up. Wordless.

“What happened?” Juster asked.

“It’s over. They won. The king is dead.”

“How do you know?”

“I flew down to the palace grounds after it was all over. Barklee spoke to me. Well, to the bird. Ryce shot Edwayn and killed Masterton.
All the courtiers are now polishing Ryce’s boots. Most of the guards are delighted, and those who weren’t are either dead or keeping their noses clean.”

“Yet you’re upset. What went wrong? Is it Piper?” He gripped Saker’s arms as if to shake him.

“She was in the middle of it, but she’s not hurt.”

“Then it’s Grig.”

“Yes.”

It took him several attempts to say it. In the end, he blurted, “Oh, blister it, I’m sorry, Juster. They shot him at close range. Ryce said he was dead before he hit the floor.”

Juster sat motionless, staring at him. Then he shook his head, trying to deny the truth.

Saker opened his mouth to express sorrow, condolence, but Juster held up his hand to halt any further words. “There will never be anything you could say that would help. Don’t try.”

Grig Cranald wasn’t the only death. Several of Prince Ryce’s men who had gone to open the postern gate died in a skirmish there. Taken overall, though, it was a surprisingly bloodless victory. Fox had never ensorcelled the guards; there had been no reason to do so, and Saker assumed it would have sapped too much of his strength. As they were loyal to the king, all Fox had to do was to keep Edwayn under his thumb, and everyone else followed.

Most of the king’s men knew and liked Prince Ryce. They’d once shared barracks with his men, so they were loath to fight them and proved reluctant to die in the service of a king known to have been losing his mind, especially when there was a young and handsome prince appealing to them to follow him instead. Still, Saker thought, it didn’t feel like a victory when one of the men who’d died had been a friend. He and Grig had shared so much since they’d first met in Karradar on
Golden Petrel
, including bunking down in the same officers’ cabin when Grig wasn’t sharing Juster’s bed.

As he watched Prince Ryce organise the palace in the days that followed, he found it hard to reconcile this prince – no, this
king
– with the man he had known before. Ryce had hardened. He cared little about his murder of his father and wasted no time in introspection.
Instead, he threw himself into the administration of his kingdom, or rather, he organised others to do it for him.

The mark of a good administrator, I suppose. Who would have thought?

Somewhere along the line, presumably in the microcosm of Gromwell Keep and its manor lands, Ryce had learned.

Lord Seaforth, heading the Privy Council, was organising the Ardronese nobility’s support for the new king. “It’s not so hard to be the
head
of the Council,” he confided to Saker. “All I have to do is ask the king what he wants, then choose the right people to do it, and then get them to do the work.”

“And how do you know you have the right people?” he asked, curious.

“Oh, they are the ones who are happy to give advice, but who don’t question the king’s decisions.”

Right.
He had a point.

Beargold was appointed Lord Lieutenant and given the task of organising all matters to do with the military, the King’s Company and the King’s Guard. Some orders he issued were brutal. Grey Lancers were to be exterminated on sight. The Fox estates were to be confiscated, all of Valerian’s children executed and all their assets seized.

Lord Juster was appointed the Minister for Trade and Navy, a task he reluctantly accepted for a limited time. As Prince Ryce’s previous adviser on naval matters, he was already cognisant of much that needed to be done. “At least I can put the proper procedures and plans into place,” he told Saker. “But I’m a sailor and I will
not
spend the rest of my life on land.”

The new king’s instructions to Saker, given on the day of Edwayn’s death, were to proceed immediately to Faith House with a company of Ryce’s men, to make sure no one removed any documents, or anything else. He was to take over Fox’s living quarters there, as well as his office.

“Your first job,” Ryce continued, “is to root out all the clerics who supported Fox because they did not like Shenat ways. Any such clerics are to be defrocked and their personal assets investigated to see if they were illegally obtained. You always wanted an emphasis on our Shenat roots; you’ve got it now.”

“I’ll do what I can until we leave for Vavala. But I’m not your Prime, you know.”

“We’ll see about that later. Just get to Faith House before Fox’s priests destroy evidence, or steal the silver.”

“Gladly,” he said. “I’ll take Barklee and his family with me. They can look after Piper until she’s reunited with Sorrel.”

Ryce stared at him in genuine surprise. “What do you mean? She’s a princess and it is not appropriate for her to be in the care of a surgeon and an unmarried cleric. She’ll stay here in the palace where she belongs.”

“Your Majesty – Ryce – she’s been under Sorrel’s care since the day she was born. She has
thrived
in our care.”

“Pickle it, Saker, she’s my niece! Of course she will stay here in the palace with me. I will employ suitable staff for her. A gentlewoman of noble family—”

No. Think. You’ve got to find a way to keep Piper with us.

“Your Highness, ah – sorry, Your Majesty, you cannot acknowledge your relationship to Piper until you consult Regala Mathilda. If Piper lives at court, folk might notice the resemblance between her and Prince Garred. Or between her and the Lady Mathilda when she was a little girl. That may result in embarrassment to the Regala. She is in a difficult position as it is: an Ardronese princess acting as Regent to her Lowmian son. I’m not sure she would ever be in a position to admit that she concealed the birth of twins. It could even call into question the legitimacy of Prince-regal Karel’s birth.”

Ryce thought about that, and finally nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But make no mistake: Piper is royal and should be brought up as such. Select a nun of a high-born family to give respectability to her nursery in Faith House. When things are more settled I’ll send a letter to Mathilda about it. In the meantime, take her to Faith House, but bear in mind that it is not in your interest to become too fond of her.”

His heart sank.
It’s far too late for that. Cankers and galls, what will Sorrel say if I don’t bring Piper back to her?

“When are we leaving for Vavala?” he asked, changing the subject.

Ryce sighed. “I thought we could leave immediately Edwayn was dead, but it’s not so easy. People are begging for our guards to deal
with the remnants of Grey Lancers here, in Ardrone. I thought—” He was interrupted by a knock at the door. “I asked not to be disturbed. See who that is and tell them to go away.”

Saker opened the door, where a flustered guard was flanked by Fritillary, who looked exhausted, and Sergeant Horntail carrying a small boy.

Oh, oak and acorn
, he thought.
That’s got to be Prince Garred.
The boy struggled free of Horntail’s arms and ran across to his father, calling, “Papa, Papa!”

“Your Majesty…” Fritillary’s tone said it all.

Saker could only watch while Ryce fell apart in a heartrending mixture of joy and raw, rekindled grief, while Sergeant Horntail prostrated himself before his new king in abject despair.

T
hat night, Saker, Fritillary, Piper, Banstel and the whole Barklee family slept in Faith House. There were no clerics in residence, but the ordinary lay servants had remained. Fritillary insisted on questioning them closely, using her witchery.

“No problem with any of them,” she told Saker as they sat alone in the dining room of Fox’s private quarters, chatting over the remains of their meal after the others had gone to bed. “They’re all glad to be rid of Valerian Fox.”

He gave her an exasperated look. “They are not my servants. I’m not going to be living here. This is just temporary.”

She snorted. “We’ll see.”

“Now that we’re alone, tell me the details of what happened to Princess Bealina.”

“Not a happy tale,” she admitted. “Sorrel blames herself for Bealina’s death. Pointless guilt, really. In fact, had she lived, I think Bealina might have killed herself anyway.”

He listened, appalled, as she detailed the circumstances. “That’s horrible,” he said.
I hate that man more than I have ever hated
…

“Her death is a great loss to Ardrone and to Ryce. But the baby? Its unborn state can only be a good thing.”

“I hope you don’t think we should kill Piper and Prince-regal Karel, simply because they are Fox’s children?”

To his horror, she paused before answering. “I don’t know, Saker. When they are adults, will they agree to wear those circlets? Can we be sure that those things will even work?”

He wanted to protest, but the words stuck in his throat. No one could be sure.

She said gently, “I do know there have been far too many deaths of children in this whole sorry business.”

“I try not to remember. It bites too deep.”

“This has been hard on all of us.”

“You’re looking more than just tired. Are you all right?” he asked.

“Oh, that’s probably all the walking through timeless places,” she said. “It certainly turned my hair white.”

“Are the paths still necessary?”

“In Lowmeer, no. Their shrines are back in real time. But elsewhere, witchery folk trained at hidden shrines are walking those paths to Vavala and Staravale where our armies are gathering. The Great Oak in Vavala is still hidden, but it connects to what used to be the Water Purifiers Guild building.”

He knew the place; it wasn’t far from Proctor House.

“We’ll go to open warfare against Valerian and his remaining sons soon,” she said. “Our folk are already using their witcheries to weaken Fox’s army in numerous ways.”

“For example?”

“Horse charmers have been appropriating his army transport. Grey Lancers don’t treat their mounts or their packhorses well. Easy for a charmer to winkle horses away at night, or better still, liberate a whole pack-train, including the supplies.”

“And where is Sir Herelt Deremer now?”

“Near the Valance border in Staravale, leading his Dire Sweepers, other Lowmians, plus soldiers from Staravale and West Denva. He’ll cross the River Ard soon to join up with my forces. He’s sent word that he believes there are no sorcerers remaining west of the river. He had the advantage of starting earlier, before Fox’s sons had experience. And being ruthless helped too. He thinks nothing of burning whole buildings to kill one sorcerer.”

“Not a man of kindly disposition.”

“He’s brutal, Saker, make no mistake about that. But then, we’re fighting a brutal foe.”

“Where is Valerian now?”

“In Vavala still. A number of his sons are gathering there too.”

“I’m not sure Ryce will help us, Your Reverence.”

She paled. “He’s not given any indication when he’ll bring his men north?”

He shook his head. “He’s plunged straight into Ardrone’s problems. I think he’s appalled at what he has found, so his focus is on repairing the kingdom and building his own reign.”

“I was counting on him. And on the Ardronese navy for carrying supplies…”

“I doubt it will happen.”

She rose and started to pace as she talked. “Sometimes I wonder at myself. I’m a woman of faith, a proponent of harmony, and all I can think about is war. How will we win without Ardrone? Herelt’s men are tough, but they are more used to operating furtively in clandestine ways. Apart from them, we have a few reluctant soldiers from the Principalities, all with little training and no experience. There’s only one Peregrine. You and Ardhi and Sorrel – one ternion. A few Chenderawasi magical objects of unknown value. A reluctant sea eagle.”

He tried to joke. “Don’t underestimate my eagle.”

She stopped dead. “Will you come north with me?”

“Of course! The ternion has to be together. And we are your best chance to bring down Valerian.”

“I have proof that he’s increasing his power on a daily basis by draining others of life – mostly very young children. There’s been a spate of kidnapped babies. Several of my people have tried to assassinate him. They never got the chance.” She started to pace again. “You thought he was bad enough when you knew him. That’s nothing to what he is now. Nothing.”

Her fear shocked him. Fritillary, frightened? He repressed a shiver. “Do any of his sons know how to prolong their lives the way he does?”

“We’ve seen no evidence of that. But would we know?”

“That secret might die with him. Our ternion will kill him.”

“Every sorcerer has to die for us to be sure we are safe.” She turned to face him. “Every single one.”

“I will never countenance killing an innocent child, just to be ‘sure’. That’s what Deremer and his Sweepers used to do. We will keep an eye on the twins.”

“Will that be enough?” Her gaze locked on his. “You will die of old age before the twins do. You’ve got to do more than ‘keep an eye on them’. You have to find a way to
cure
them.”

She left the alternative unspoken and he wasn’t foolish enough to ask what it was.

“When are you returning to Vavala?” he asked.

“Not tomorrow. I need to rest one whole day.”

“I’ll go with you, but I have a horrid idea Ryce won’t be happy. He wants to appoint me as his Prime.”

She raised her eyebrows. “That’s quite a promotion.”

“It’s ridiculous. There’s never been a Prime so young.”

“There’s always a first time. You’ve grown up, Saker. You’ve seen the world, thought about life. If you’re concerned about protecting the lands of the Summer Seas from rapine, what better position to be in than spiritual adviser to a monarch in this hemisphere?”

With that remark, she left the room and went to bed.

The following morning, Ryce spent three hours closeted alone with Fritillary. Saker was busy in Faith House, but around midday a servant came to tell him he was to partake of luncheon with the king and the Pontifect. A number of other notables, including Juster, Beargold and Seaforth, were also there, and Saker was unsurprised when Ryce announced that he felt there was far too much to be done in Ardrone for him to send any forces to the north.

“We have a remarkable opportunity to defeat the Grey Lancers left behind in Ardrone,” he said, “because Fox has called all his sorcerous sons to help him against Deremer’s army in the Principalities. Without sorcerers, Ardronese Grey Lancers are leaderless. I want every single one of them dead.”

He has a point
, Saker thought, wondering nonetheless if it was wise to stay at home and watch Fox make firewood and mincemeat of Deremer’s army, or, worse still, of Fritillary’s secret one. However, his opinion was not asked. When he met Juster’s gaze across the dining table, it was clear the buccaneer didn’t think much of the decision either, but Juster was Ryce’s man. He would not be taking the fleet north.

After the meal was finished, the king kept Saker and Fritillary
back. “I want to tell you,” he said, addressing Fritillary, “that I intend to make Saker my Prime.”

“I’ve no problem with that,” she said calmly.

“
I
do!” Saker protested. “I don’t have the experience for such a post. Moreover, I’m going north with Pontifect Fritillary. I have to fight this war, even if Your Highness’s – Your Majesty’s forces may be better employed elsewhere.”

Ryce frowned. “In Fox, we had an experienced arbiter, an older, much respected cleric – and look where it got us. You can’t be worse than he was, Saker. It’s not possible.”

Fritillary rose from her chair. “I think it best if Your Majesty would give me leave to retire. This is a matter for you to settle between yourselves.”

Ryce nodded his agreement, and the two of them were left eyeing each other across the table with the remains of the meal still in front of them.

“Your Majesty, I do not want to be your Prime. Someone of my age and experience would not garner the respect of the clergy, the very people a Prime is supposed to lead.”

“Saker, the very first king of the Betany line, the man who persuaded ten warring dukes to give up their ducal power and unite into one kingdom, was twenty-two years old when he was crowned king.”

Saker clenched his fists at his sides, not in anger, but in resolution. He would
not
take on the position of Prime of Ardrone. “Va-faith in Ardrone is in turmoil,” he said. “There have been too many arguments, too much division and too much distrust. There is still a problem with Primordials in the Shenat Hills—”

“Everyone knows now that Fox is a sorcerer and an evil man,” Ryce interrupted. “Those who followed his spiritual leadership are scurrying away from his legacy like rats trying to hide in dark holes. They aren’t going to present any problem to you. They want everyone to forget what they did and what they believed.”

“Perhaps, but there are still town clerics who believe Shenat is superstitious nonsense and that we should be ridding ourselves of shrines and strengthening Va worship. Va-faith in Ardrone needs to be led by a man or woman of stature, someone capable of uniting clerics, witans and shrine keepers. I am not that person. It wasn’t
so long ago that I was accused of apostasy and blasphemy, and may I remind you that my nullification was the decision of a king’s court.”

“That’s exactly why I think you will be accepted as my Prime. You suffered personally from Valerian Fox’s evil. Your conviction will be overturned by a royal decree and news of your innocence will be spread by public notice in every town and village. Your part in the battle against sorcery will be acknowledged and you will be rewarded. A title will be in order, of course.”

“Oh, for Va’s sake, Ryce!” he cried, dispensing with formality. “You aren’t listening to me!
I do not want to be the Prime
. I’m not the kind of man who likes to sit behind a desk dealing with paperwork, backbiting clerics and details of religious doctrine and liturgy. You
know
that. And I don’t give a hog’s piddle about titles!”

“Yes, so I’ve noticed, from the infrequency with which you use mine. But I need you, Saker. I need a man I can trust. I need a friend keeping an eye on our faith. I have to surround myself with people who have power, and yet don’t have to be watched every minute of the day to make sure they’re not stabbing me in the back. Do you understand? By now, everyone knows I killed the king! Regicide
and
patricide – have you any idea how many of the nobility are ready to turn on me because of that? I have a second cousin who will stir up trouble, for a start, and I can’t touch him. Your very reluctance to take on this post tells me that you won’t fail me.”

It was a plea from the heart which Saker felt as a physical pain in his chest. Ryce needed him. But the thought of a lifetime of administration and dealing with either quarrelling nit-picking clerics or stubborn shrine keepers?
No, please no.

“The Pontifect supports your appointment.”

“Then she too is going to be disappointed. I’m sorry, Ryce, I can’t do this. May I have your leave to withdraw?”

Ryce waved a hand in acquiescence, so he stood up and bowed. However, before he turned away, Ryce asked, “What
do
you want to do?”

“Right now? Go to Vavala, kill Valerian Fox and help win the battle against his Grey Lancers and his remaining sons. After that, Sorrel and I want to pick up Piper and take her to Lowmeer. Regala
Mathilda has to decide what’s to be done about her future. What happens after that, I’m not sure.”

“I wouldn’t bring Sorrel into Ardrone again if I were you.”

“Pardon?”

“After I talked to her on the Chervil Moors that time, when you were nulled, I made some enquiries about her. The name Celandine Marten never led anywhere. Mathilda and I were in Melforn when she took on Celandine as her handmaiden at the Melforn Shrine. Oddly enough, there was a woman who murdered her husband in the area the night before. I found out her name. Sorrel Redwing. There was a witness. She pushed her husband down the stairs. And lo and behold, when I met you in Twite, there’s Celandine suddenly being called Sorrel.”

Oh, blister it.

“No one is taking Piper anywhere,” Ryce continued, “least of all a woman wanted for murder. The child is my niece.”

Saker stood stock still. “I know about Sorrel’s husband’s death. He killed their daughter and was about to murder her. He fell down the stairs when they struggled. She has risked her life to save Piper. I’ve travelled with her for more than two years, most of that time on board ship. You get to know someone really well in those circumstances. I owe my life to her. You owe her as much as you owe me. She was one of those instrumental in lifting the siege of Gromwell.”

“She was responsible for my wife’s death!”

“She
rescued
her! Princess Bealina died because one of Fox’s men shot her. You heard what Her Reverence said. You heard what Horntail said. He was
there
.”

“I also heard what Sorrel promised me about my wife and son.” Ryce ran a hand through his hair in a gesture of anguish. “I can’t bear the idea of that woman caring for my niece.”

“She’s the only mother your niece has ever really known!” Saker was at a loss. Would it help Ryce if he knew that Bealina had thought it better to die, and why – or would it make it all worse? He swallowed the temptation. He couldn’t do that to the man.