Kiana chuckled. “That's what he expected. Your staff aren’t used to a ruler who hasn’t been taught how to be queen from the day she was born.”
Rachael swallowed and focused on the door. She’d sworn an oath to protect the people. Her people. There were children out there who lived in fear every day because they had the gift. Who had no choice but to live on the street or in hiding, shunned by the people who should have been neighbours or family. Cephy had been terrified of her own father.
If she could change their fear into hope she would, no matter how ridiculous she felt in a dress and crown.
Commander Dryden returned. Five members of staff entered the small room after him. They looked almost as shabby as she’d done back in Blackrock. Rachael couldn’t help staring.
“Is this everyone?”
He lowered his head with his fist over his heart. “Yes, Queen Rachael.”
The five men and women looked to the ground, their feet shuffling and their hands folded.
None of them were the demon from her nightmare.
“Are you sure there’s no one else?”
Commander Dryden nodded. “I’m sure, my queen. These are the only members of staff in this prison, besides myself and ten guards.”
A chill crawled up her spine. If the demons weren’t here, where were they? She’d been so sure that her dream had prophesied her being tortured inside this prison, but the whole building looked so different from her dream. It was dark, but she could see enough. It felt like a prison, not like an inescapable black void.
She refused to let her guard down. Her visions had never once betrayed her; the demons were here, they had to be. Could it be that the staff weren’t aware of them? Commander Dryden was new to his post; perhaps he didn’t know. Perhaps Commander Videl had used the demons as secret torture devices, and none of his staff had been deemed important or worthy enough to know. She didn’t think Commander Dryden was lying—so what was going on?
The icy understanding that she hadn’t averted her vision at all rolled over her. She couldn’t even be sure she’d delayed it. With no knowledge of the place in her dreams or the demons, she didn’t know how to change her fate. Her palms were clammy. She knew she was breathing heavily, but the idea of demons hiding in dark corners, unnoticed by everyone but Commander Videl, made it hard to stay calm. There were a lot of shadows in the prison.
“Are you all right?” asked Kiana. Behind her Cale shifted, but he remained silent and didn’t come any closer. “You look like—”
“I’m fine.” Rachael turned toward the five men and women Commander Dryden had brought in. “Let’s start with you.” Rachael nodded to the woman on the left. “What’s your name?”
The woman stepped forward slowly, her hands clenched by her sides and her eyes averted.
“Gwenda, miss.” She paled, and her eyes sought Rachael’s. “My queen! I’m sorry, my queen Rachael, I wasn’t thinking. Please forgive me.”
The other four staff members stiffened, but none of them were as horrified as Gwenda.
“That’s all right, Gwenda.” Commander Videl had done things differently. In the past, Gwenda would have been punished. “Can you tell me how long you’ve worked here?” She did her best to soften her voice and sound reassuring, but it did nothing to ease Gwenda’s shaking.
“Four years, my queen.”
Rachael couldn’t take it. Gwenda and the others were her staff now. It would take a while and a lot of work, but she refused to let them be terrified of their ruler. She stood and walked to Gwenda. The woman recoiled but stayed where she was. Two of the other staff gasped.
“It’s all right.” As gently as she could, she took Gwenda’s hands into her own. What would she have given for someone to show her just a little bit of kindness in Blackrock?
“Please,” said one of the men. “Don’t hurt her. It was an accident.”
“I’m not here to hurt her, or any of you. I’ve come to make this prison a safe place for you. Are you her husband?” she asked the man who’d defended Gwenda before.
“Yes, my queen.”
“What’s your name?”
“Mansel, my queen.”
She squeezed Gwenda’s hands, hoping it comforted her, and turned to the others. “I understand Commander Videl has put you through too much, but that ends now. Commander Dryden will look after you, and he’ll make sure you have everything you need.”
Commander Dryden clasped his hand over his chest in agreement.
Rachael turned back to Gwenda. “Can you tell me how the prisoners here are treated?”
Her eyes were shining red with tears. Mansel stepped next to her.
“Forgive my wife, Queen Rachael. She’s scared, is all. We all are.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Mansel. Take as long as you need.”
He nodded. It was a start.
“The commander beat the prisoners. Us, too, if he felt like it.”
“He tortured them,” said Gwenda. “Burnt marks into their skin, broke their fingers.”
Mansel pulled down the top of his loose shirt to reveal a dark burn. It hadn’t scarred well. “He didn’t care if we were staff. We were punished if we breathed wrong.”
Rachael wanted to be sick. Why had King Aeric allowed this? She suspected he hadn’t known the full extent of what had gone on inside the prison, but that wasn’t an excuse, either. He’d been their king. It had been his duty to know.
“Thank you. I’ve heard enough, you can go. Mansel, report to healer Thea in the palace. She can look at that wound.”
He bowed deeply. “Thank you, my queen.”
She turned to the meagre rest of the staff. “If any of you have any injuries because of what happened here, do the same. You will be looked after and treated to the best of my healer’s ability.”
They bowed, some uttered their thanks, and left. It would take a while for them to trust her completely, but it was a good start.
It took four days before all prisoners, guards and staff members had been questioned and judged fairly. Rachael was appalled to hear none of the staff were cooks, and merely tidied up after the guards and the commander. They’d paled when they’d told her of times they had to wash the blood off the floor and the walls because Commander Videl had lost control with a prisoner. Rachael had paled, too.
Out of all one hundred and five prisoners, only thirty had committed genuine crimes and were returned to prison with altered sentences. The rest had been kidnapped, tortured, and intimidated because they had the gift, and Rachael told them to go back home. Some had lost their families or their homes or both, and Rachael promised to make amends where possible. Passing a new law wasn’t instant, but she was determined to protect the people in her care, prisoners included. In the meantime, Commander Dryden was committed to the same.
Cale interrogated the guards. He’d insisted and Rachael hadn’t minded. Commander Dryden wanted to make Cale his second-in-command, but Cale had declined. He still wanted the Sparrows to be a separate group, the special forces of the queen, and had questioned every guard about his intentions. Commander Dryden was disappointed, but Rachael had seen a spark in him which told her he was excited, too. There was no denying a new day had dawned on Rifarne, and its light extended all the way into the military.
The prison was a changed place by the time Rachael was done with the trials. The torture rooms were to be changed into washrooms. A particularly nasty room Commander Videl had used to deprive prisoners he hated of all light and sounds was to be turned into a small dining room. Two members of the existing staff could cook and had been assigned new roles as chefs.
The prisoners she’d sent back deserved to be there, but they still had rights. She wouldn’t take those away from them.
Rachael was exhausted and looked forward to a bath. She didn’t care for the finery Elyn wanted to put her into, but she did enjoy the hot water. The dresses were beautiful but impractical, and Rachael didn’t feel like herself in them, whereas th
e hot water felt glorious on her body.
Having a handmaiden was strange for Rachael, but it seemed important to Elyn. Rachael had no problem with her staying, as long as her dresses didn't get too revealing. Elyn was a shy but devoted girl; Rachael doubted the length of her skirt would be a problem if Elyn advised her choice in dress.
Rachael sank onto her bed. “How did I do?”
“Beautifully.” Kiana had closed the door behind them. Elyn busied herself over the bathtub. She had the gift and a talent for fire. The reminder of Cephy hurt, but someone who could heat water instantly was useful to have around. Elyn loved being able to use her gift so freely, and Rachael was happy to have her if only to see the shine it brought to her dark eyes and otherwise serious face.
“How did you learn to speak like a noble? How do nobles manage?”
Kiana laughed. “They are used to it, Rachael. And you pick up a thing or three when you live on the streets—I’m sure you're aware of that.”
She nodded. “You learned all this in Tramura?”
“Not all of it, but most of it. King Aeric didn’t go among his people often, but the king and queen of Tramura loved the market. Their sons could play with the other kids, but they never paid much attention to me. I followed them and copied them sometimes while I stayed in Grozma.” She winked. “I figured it would come in handy one day.”
Elyn rushed back into the room, her head lowered in respect. “Your bath is ready, Queen Rachael.” Her brown hair was tied back, but fell into her face regardless. She blushed when Kiana winked a second time for her, and quickly brushed her hair back behind her ear. Rachael chose to ignore it so as not to embarrass her further.
Kiana smiled and turned to leave, but stopped herself before her hand could turn the handle. “One more thing. What were you hoping to find in the prison?”
Rachael’s blood ran cold. She’d hoped to let it go, at least for today, but she couldn’t.
She tried her best to shrug it off and look indifferent, but she wasn’t as good at it as Kiana. Rachael knew her voice would shake before she opened her mouth. “I was just surprised there weren’t more staff. Five is a small number for such a big prison.”
“I agree, I was surprised the first time I joined Cale on a raid, too. But that’s not it, is it? I saw your face earlier, when Commander Dryden brought them in. You were ashen.”
Rachael didn’t want to discuss it. Not tonight. Her hands were trembling, and she hid them behind her back. “We can talk about it later. Tomorrow?”
Kiana’s face remained serious. “I’ll hold you to it.”
She left, and Rachael quickly undressed and sank into the hot water. The bath failed to warm the chill inside her, and when Elyn left her for the night Rachael struggled to ignore the invisible eyes crawling all over her.
Chapter Five
The courtyard was filled with the clanging of steel and panting of men hard at work. The new Sparrows were doing well, but Cale didn’t have the time to admire their progress.
“Again!” Cale braced himself when one of his new recruits, Ludo, raised his sword and brought it down hard. There were so many new Sparrows he couldn’t keep track of all their names, but he remembered this one. Ludo had helped Oren get rid of that protester during Rachael’s coronation, and Cale was grateful for how fast they’d acted. He was Cale’s family now, just like all those other new recruits. He’d remember their names in time, too.
Ludo took a step back, and lowered his sword. Cale always learned their tells first; Ludo was about to throw himself forward. He was strong, broad-shouldered, and could easily take down a few opponents with this tactic. But Cale saw it coming. His new brother lunged, and Cale side-stepped. Ludo fell forward through the unmet momentum, and Cale patted his back with the side of his sword in approval. Ludo had talent, more so than many of the other new recruits. He deserved a chance to prove himself out in the field.
“Well done,” said Cale, and Ludo grinned while wiping away the sweat from his forehead with his free arm. “Take five minutes, and send Lon and Oren to me.”
“Yes, sir! Erm, Cale.”
Cale sighed as Ludo ran off. He’d always insisted the Sparrows call him by his name. Titles were petty. He wanted to be Cale to them, not sir or boss. Just Cale. Most of his new recruits had been soldiers under Commander Videl’s regime. Every time he called one of them over, they looked scared. Every time he asked them a question they couldn’t answer, they paled.
They would get used to him—to being a family—in time. He just needed to be patient.
Lon and Oren walked over, accompanied by the incredulous stares of the new Sparrows who’d never seen someone take their time when summoned before. The two Sparrows grinned and Oren tripped, earning him a laugh and clap on his back from Lon. Cale would never understand how someone as clumsy as Oren made such a good soldier, but he’d known them longer than any of the other Sparrows. He’d fought at their side many times, and could vouch for either of them without doubts.
“So, Reeve is back,” said Lon. “I missed his sunny attitude.”
Oren snorted, and Cale smiled.
“When did he get back?” asked Cale.
“Just before we joined you out here an hour ago. You were busy beating up the new recruits, we didn’t want to interrupt.”
Cale sighed. Reeve was one of his most trusted brothers and the Sparrow who’d located Rachael in Blackrock, but he could be difficult to deal with. “I’ll find him when we’re done here. Thanks for the update.”
“Isn’t it time you packed up for the day?” Oren asked.
Cale looked around. It was getting dark. The faint outline of the moon graced the rooftops of the White City, almost invisible against the dying light of the dusk sun.
When had it got so late?
He nodded to a group of new recruits.
“They worked under Videl. They can take it.”
“We don’t doubt it,” said Lon. “We’ve seen what they can do, but they’re human beings. They need to eat and rest like everyone else. You do, too.”
Cale gritted his teeth, but held back. “I’ve trained with them this whole time, and I’m barely out of breath.”
Lon and Oren exchanged glances, and he frowned. They were only worried about him, as any close family would be, but they were wrong this time. They didn’t think he was mourning Ailis, but he was. Just not in public. He hadn’t cried or screamed, true, but he missed her. Wasn’t that the same thing?
He’d coddled Ailis, and she’d died because he hadn’t been careful enough. Ailis had been the only family by blood he’d had left, and he’d left her to die. He’d asked the Sparrows to sit tight and wait for the war to begin, and King Aeric had killed most of them while they’d followed orders. His extended family had been slaughtered in the hideout he’d promised them would be safe.
When Aeron had delivered the White Guard to them, Cale hadn’t even been with them. He’d been too busy making Rachael swing a blunt sword to fight with them. Nevertheless, he saw them die every night. His nightmares didn’t hold back, and he deserved the terror they brought.
It hadn’t taken Aeron two breaths to figure out where they’d been hiding, and she’d led the White Guard right to his family’s door step. He was grateful that some at least had managed to escape—Oren, Lon, Kiana, and Reeve were amongst the lucky ones—but the others must have cursed his name as the guards had slaughtered them.
He didn’t have time to mourn them. He needed to do better, so he didn’t lose another family.
He had coddled Rachael, too, had made her train with hay bales rather than a real opponent, and she could have died because of it.
They all deserved better. So much was lost, all because he’d been too soft.
Maybe it was time he stepped down.
“You can’t blame yourself forever.” Lon’s tone was compassionate, but he made no attempts to lower his voice in front of their new brothers and sisters.
“Lon is right. It’s tra
gic what happened to Ailis and the others, but you couldn’t have—”
“I could,” Cale said. “And I should have done. They trusted me, and I let them die.” Maybe he’d never been fit to lead them. Kiana wouldn’t have sat and waited.
They had all known the risks of being part of the resistance. They had all been prepared to die. It had been his responsibility to make sure they’d live regardless of their vows.
“You couldn’t have known what King Aeric would do,” Lon said. Oren nodded. “No one expected him to team up with a Mist Woman.”
“But I knew Aeron was twisting his mind,” said Cale. “I should have been ready.”
“We only realised that when it was too late,” said Lon. “It’s not like Aeric paraded his new alliance around. Besides, Mist Women are unpredictable—you said so yourself.”
They were right, but Cale couldn’t bring himself to nod. If he did, Lon and Oren might see it as agreement. He’d never resign to being weak, or underprepared.
He was the leader of the Sparrows. They were no longer a resistance, but Rachael’s official private army. They no longer had the safety of hiding in the shadows. He didn’t get to be weak.
“How is she doing?” Cale needed to change the subject. His heart had ached for Rachael during the funeral, but she was better off training under Kiana. Rachael would be safe with her. Kiana wouldn’t go easy on her like he had done. There was nothing he wanted more than to stand close to Rachael, to tell her how much he missed her, but it was better this way.
Cale hated himself for having derailed her training. If she’d been any other Sparrow he would have given her a real opponent, a real challenge. He would have given her himself. Instead he’d been too worried she might hurt herself.
He balled his hands into fists until his knuckles ached. Kiana was a better teacher for Rachael. Kiana wouldn’t be weak.
He’d focus on training the new family members and learning their names.
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