by Amanda Fleet
The sofa creaked as Lord Sondan changed position. “You were right in your testimony – we wouldn’t have found Aegyir and we’d probably have been killed. Even at the end of the day, I couldn’t say I felt comfortable Outside. Perhaps Lady Aeron should have been included in the mission.”
That was as close as Lord Sondan would get to criticising Lord Eredan’s leadership, but I was heartened to hear it.
“Is the vault empty? Are you able to tell me?” asked Faran.
“Officially, I can’t tell you. Unofficially, yes. All of the vessels were broken and empty. I need your advice.”
My breath stalled in my chest. Not only was Aegyir free but thirteen other demons too? How the hell did The Realm recapture them all, before they decimated the place?
“I’m merely a Guardian. I’m not even on the Council now,” said Faran, an edge to his voice.
Lord Sondan sighed heavily. “You were Elected Successor until a few hours ago. You were the best Elected Successor we’ve had in many years, and I’m sure that in the elections, you’ll be restored. Right now, I need your advice and expertise, Faran, not your wounded pride.”
I sucked my teeth, imaging that that landed like a ton of bricks. Faran’s leg moved in and out of my sight-line as he changed position. “How can I help?”
“Tell me when you secured Aegyir, and when you noticed that the key to the vault was missing. When did you hear that the guards had been killed?”
Faran outlined everything. One noticeable omission was the fact that I’d been able to stab Faran’s brother Orian during the battle, which meant that at the time, he’d not been a true Guardian of The Realm. Right now, I didn’t know if Aegyir had got to him during the battle, or if Orian had been plotting against The Realm all along. I chewed my lip. At some point, Faran would have to talk to Orian and find out which it was.
The two men moved on to discussing the plans that Lord Eredan had put in place.
“Guardians will patrol the provinces in groups of three, to maintain law and order and deal with any rogue Guides,” said Lord Sondan, his voice serious as he talked about the demons they could come across.
“Maintain law and order? The provinces have been far from Guardian rule for a long time,” said Faran, sounding uneasy. “They’ve devised their own rules on many things. If the patrols try to enforce the laws, there’ll be anger and distrust.”
“I know. But what else can we do? The demons won’t attack Guardians until they have enough strength, and they’ll only gain strength by going to the provinces and killing people. The Guardians have to patrol—”
“But not always enforce the law,” Faran cut in. “At least, not strictly. Before Aegyir attacked, there were many in the provinces railing against the Guardians. It won’t take much to stir up dissent. Is there a way of ensuring that the Guardians focus on capturing the demons and less on law and order?”
My brows shot up. Was this really Faran – one of the most law-abiding Guardians in The Realm – suggesting a blind eye be turned? Mind you, he hadn’t followed the rules about disciplining his household, so…
Lord Sondan clicked his tongue. “You think your father will support that? He rules with an iron fist. Your back should tell you that. If he won’t accept disobedience from you and will publicly humiliate you to prove a point, you think he’ll spare any of the people in the provinces?”
Faran exhaled heavily. “I can’t intercede, Sondan. He won’t listen to me right now. Is there a way of drawing up the rotas so that at least one person in each trio is sensitive to the situation?”
“I can try. Can I rely on you and Lady Aeron to advise me when necessary?”
“Of course.”
I racked my brain, wondering how many Guardians could be described as “sensitive to the situation”. Hopefully more than just the three of us.
There was another pause.
“How are things between you two?” Lord Sondan asked cautiously. “You seem more relaxed together.”
Faran took a moment to reply. “Things are much improved, thank you. It was a difficult transition. She didn’t remember me or The Realm, and I’d got used to being single. And there was a lot of hurt, on both sides. I think we’ve resolved most of the issues.”
Had we? Given the blazing row of only a few minutes ago, I wasn’t so sure.
“And then today you had to whip her,” said Lord Sondan. “She’s as proud as you. I don’t imagine she’s taken it well.”
Faran laughed lightly. “No. Aeron told me that Outside, a husband doesn’t have the same role as here. Women who transgress are imprisoned, not flogged by their fathers or husbands. She’s still adjusting to things.”
“Still, you two always knew how to make up,” said Lord Sondan, his voice mischievous.
I knew exactly what Lord Sondan was referring to and could imagine Faran’s blush. He cleared his throat. “I think Aeron’s thirty minutes are over. She won’t appreciate me tarrying. May we dine with you?”
“Of course. It’s almost second bell. Give my regards to Lady Aeron?”
The furniture creaked and the outer door to the hallway opened and closed. Faran joined me in the bedroom. “Did you get all that?”
“Mm. You’re dead right, I am still adjusting to the idea you’re the one to punish me.”
He grinned. “Better me than anyone else.” His smile faded. “I don’t like the idea of the patrols. They’re just going to provoke discord.”
“At least Lord Sondan feels the same. How do we deal with fourteen demons?”
“We hope the patrols find them, without provoking civil war in the process. Come. Dinner.”
***
In the Great Hall, where the Guardians and some of the Seers dined communally, Lord Sondan beckoned us over to his table. We sat on a wooden bench next to a sanded-wood trestle table. Some of the tables accommodated four people, others six or even eight. Outside of mealtimes, the furniture was stacked at the side of the Great Hall.
Lord Sondan passed a sheaf of papers to Faran. Faran scanned the first page and handed them back as if they’d burned him. “These are State papers. I’m no longer eligible to see them.”
Lord Sondan gave them to me. “I’ve asked your father to allow Lady Aeron on the Council.”
“Good luck with that,” I muttered. “I don’t think you’ll win him over.”
I hoped I might get on the Council. With both me and Lord Sondan there, we had a slightly better chance of avoiding dissent getting stirred up in the provinces. Ideally, we needed Faran back there too, but he needed to regain his status for that.
Faran snatched the papers off me and turned them face-down on the table, glaring at me. I still struggled to read the runic writing of The Realm anyway.
A serving lad brought over food. As ever, it was some kind of meat stew with vegetables. It was a pretty safe bet that a basket of bread and a jug of water would arrive imminently, and we’d round it all off with some kind of sponge and fruit. The Realm was good at feeding you, just not terribly imaginative over it.
“Do you think the Council will back the motion?” Faran stirred his food, and speared a lump of meat.
“She’s the only representative of the house of Wymond,” said Lord Sondan. “She has a right to be on the Council whether your father likes it or not. I’ve been canvassing and I think the motion will pass by a narrow margin.”
Another blow to Faran’s ego. He blinked, looking as stoic as he had during his flogging.
“Read the papers,” urged Lord Sondan, his voice low.
Faran dipped his head, eyes flashing. “With my father watching me from the middle of the room? No. I’ll happily talk to you and offer any advice I can, but I will not take another flogging for disobedience.”
I caught his hand across the table and squeezed his fingers. He scowled. “And if you tell me to cool it, I will eat elsewhere.”
Lord Sondan chuckled. “You two are back to the spiky version of love we all remember you had.”<
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Lord Sondan’s attention was drawn by something behind me and he smiled softly, his face lighting up. Faran tracked his gaze, then gave Lord Sondan a disapproving look, shaking his head, his lips thin. I turned, but there were so many groups behind us, I couldn’t tell who they were looking at.
I twined my fingers in Faran’s, trying to soothe him. “Lord Sondan, what do the papers say? Can you tell us?”
Faran shot me a filthy look, but I ignored him. Bread and water arrived and Lord Sondan waited until the serving boy was out of earshot before replying.
“There are no signs of Aegyir or any of the other rogue Guides so far.” He dragged his gaze back from whatever had distracted him as he spoke. “The main patrols are scheduled to go out to the provinces tomorrow, but a report came in from the nearest village which implies that they are following amended versions of the law. Lord Eredan is boiling about it.”
“Are there major infringements?” asked Faran.
“No. Mostly they’re to do with food and exchanges at differing rates than set out in the statutes. More eggs for less meat; more wool for less flax. Nothing that makes any difference to the running of The Realm, but your father thinks that if it’s not corrected then the provinces will believe they have more power than they do.”
“They have more power than they exert,” I said. Both men stared at me. “If the farmers wanted to prove a point, they could just stop sending food to the city.” I clocked their appalled expressions. “I’m not suggesting they do! I’m saying that if they wanted to hold the city to ransom, they could. How does Lord Eredan think the provinces should be brought back into line?”
“The Council will decide tonight,” said Lord Sondan. “But he favours meting out punishments as examples.”
“He’s big on that today,” I muttered, watching Faran glower. “And it’ll have the opposite effect. The people were getting worked up about perceived inequality before Aegyir attacked. They already felt that the Guardians didn’t earn their keep. If the Guardians go in heavy-handed against the people while there are murderous demons stalking the place, the provinces will erupt.”
“Which is why I need you on the Council,” said Lord Sondan. “And why I wish Faran was on the Council too.”
I took a long drink of water. What I was about to say wasn’t going to go down well.
“It’d be better to open a dialogue with the people.” I put my water down carefully. “Find out why the rates of exchange have changed. Is there a dearth of meat? Is there a glut of eggs?”
“Dialogue?” As expected, Lord Sondan sounded as if I’d just suggested flying to the moon. “No, we need to get the patrols to turn a blind eye, at least for the moment. Get them to focus on trapping Aegyir and the others.”
The conversation was put on hold again as plates were cleared and dessert arrived. Once the servers had gone, I leaned in to speak softly.
“But you have some Guardians who only think of themselves and who scrabble for even the tiniest increase in power or influence. They’ll tell Lord Eredan that this person or that person was lenient, and therefore disobedient, just to gain favour. They don’t see the bigger picture. There won’t just be punishments being dished out in the provinces, there’ll be repercussions on those Guardians who ignore the infringements.”
I paused. How the hell did I get these two onside? If Guardians like Valgan and Lord Cerewen acted more in favour of their career and less for keeping the peace, it could all go south rapidly.
“How do we make sure the patrols turn a blind eye?” I said. “We can’t. So then, all the Guardians will enforce the regulations, causing more anger in the provinces. If there’s a genuine reason that some exchange rates have shifted, wouldn’t it be better to know and adjust the regulations, rather than enforce the old rates and cause anger?”
Lord Sondan held my gaze, a flicker of admiration in his face. “You always did argue persuasively. But the role of the Guardians is to protect The Realm, decide the laws, and enforce them. The people in the provinces have their own roles.”
I glanced at Faran, wondering if he agreed.
His brows flicked up. “Yeah. You need her on the Council.” He radiated pride in me.
My heart warmed, but he’d be better on the Council than me. At least some of the Council would listen to him. Lord Sondan leaned in again. As ever in the Great Hall, ears flapped.
“The Council votes tonight,” he said. “I’m hoping you’ll be admitted and we can avert any crisis in the provinces until Aegyir and the others are trapped. Then the patrols will stop, and no one will need to worry about whether the rates are different from those in the law books.”
I met his eye, shaking my head. “You think that will happen? They can’t be trapped as Guides. They need to be trapped with form. Which means at least fourteen people need to be killed by them. You think the provinces will just settle down again once the Guardians trap the demons after fourteen of their people have died?”
Both men straightened, their eyes widening.
“Oh. Had you forgotten that?” I said. “What if the people think the Guardians deliberately released the demons, just to demonstrate their importance? I mean, someone did. Is the Council looking for who it was?”
Both Faran and Lord Sondan caught their breath. Faran rubbed his jaw, his eyes on me.
I kept my voice low. “You think the people will just sit meekly at home, while Guardians dish out floggings over the exchange of eggs and meat instead of trapping the demons? Because they’ll all know that the demons can’t kill Guardians until they’ve killed a whole shit-load of people first!”
“She’s right,” said Faran. “Who released them all? It has to be someone from the city.”
“That needs to be a bigger priority than flogging people,” I said. “Who can the Guardians trust? You can’t have everyone looking sideways at everyone else, wondering if it was them. Whoever did it needs to be found and held to account. Quickly.”
Lord Sondan nodded, the colour draining from his face. “I’ll talk to Lord Eredan. I’m sure he’ll agree that finding the perpetrators is a priority.” He drank the last of his water and stood. “I hope to see you on the Council soon, Lady Aeron.
3
“Do you think the provinces will riot?” I asked Faran as we walked back to our rooms.
He cast a look around us, but I’d deliberately chosen a point when no one could overhear us.
“I don’t know. It depends on how the patrols go. Maybe.” The tension was back in his shoulders, and I didn’t think it was just from the tribulations of the afternoon. “I hadn’t even thought about the fourteen deaths.”
I tucked my hand into the crook of his arm. It wasn’t only the fourteen deaths that worried me. Until the Guides killed enough people to not only have form but have enough strength to be able to mimic their victims, only Guardians could see them. The provinces wouldn’t know what had hit them. I hoped Lord Sondan could persuade Lord Eredan not to go in heavy-handed with the patrols. A high death rate coupled with over-zealous Guardians was a recipe for civil unrest.
We turned down another hallway. Like most halls in the city, intricately carved wood panels covered the lower half and light-painted plaster the upper half, with all the light coming through the glass ceilings. Once night had fallen and only starlight came through the glass, the lights in the sconces along the walls would be illuminated. I hadn’t yet fathomed out how they worked. They were neither naked flames nor did they seem to have anything resembling a lightbulb – they were large, frosted-glass globes that shone with white light. I hadn’t seen anything electrical here so far. No one came along like an old-fashioned lamp-lighter to light them, either; they just came on. I’d asked Faran once, but in typical Faran style, he’d said he didn’t know because he wasn’t responsible for making them work.
Our new rooms were a long way from the Great Hall and every stride deepened Faran’s scowl and made him stomp more heavily. We reached our suite, and he shoved the
door open. A letter and a book on the side-table drew my eye. I flipped open the cover of the book, ignoring the grumpiness behind me. The book had a library mark in it and seemed to be a collection of short stories.
“I see your book came.” Faran jutted his chin at it.
“Oh, is it for me? So I get quicker with the runes? Thanks.” Although I was perfectly fluent in speaking the language here, I struggled with the written form.
The letter was addressed to both of us, and I passed it to Faran. “You read faster than me.”
He broke the seal and opened the letter, the paper crackling in his hands. “Do you want to go to an intimacy advice meeting?”
“What? No. I don’t think so. What is it?”
“It’s with someone from the marriage office. ‘The adviser recognises that our relationship might be strained after such a long separation and the grounds on which the separation occurred’,” he quoted from the letter. “‘And wonders if a meeting would be helpful to the marriage.’” He looked up, one brow raised. “Do you think we should go?”
I didn’t miss the hopeful expression in his eyes. Although I could remember just how good things had been between the sheets with him, that had been before I was banished. Before I’d been reincarnated several times. Before I knew Finn. Faran and I had done no more than kiss since my return. I wanted to want Faran. But the idea of talking to a stranger about it all horrified me. “No. Just give me a bit of time, Faran.”
He curled his arm around the back of my neck and dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “I know. For me, the last two years have been single and lonely. For you…” He shrugged. “You had Finn.”
A note of jealousy edged his voice, and I leaned back to look at him. “Er, not entirely single and lonely, sunshine. You had Lady Morgan.” The woman he’d been about to marry before I’d returned, on the assumption I was never coming back. Who until today had been keen to keep him and usurp me.
“That was entirely political. And she’s no match for you. Trust me.”
