War (Guardians of The Realm Book 3)

by Amanda Fleet

  Faran rubbed the back of his neck. “If Orian was corrupted before he went on patrol, Aegyir must have killed while he was in the city. Do we think the guards posted on the vault were his victims?”

  I frowned. “I didn’t think he could attack guards.”

  Faran sniffed. “He can’t attack Guardians until he has sufficient strength, but the guards aren’t Guardians. Aegyir may not have gone to the provinces at all – he could attack anyone in the city who’s not a Guardian. But there’s a much higher probability of him being recaptured if he stays in the city. I suppose Orian could have been attacked while he was out on patrol.”

  I tucked a leg up. “But the likelihood is that his report was written after he was corrupted, right?”

  “There was very little time between his return to the city and when Lord Eredan and I questioned him.” Lord Sondan still rubbed his knuckles.

  Faran pushed his bottom lip out. “Then I suspect his report won’t be worth the paper it’s written on. What did it say?”

  “That there were no deaths, no signs of the demons, and little dissent in the village.”

  “So, no reasons to send any more Guardians there,” said Faran. “Where are Aeron and I being sent tomorrow?”

  Lord Sondan’s eyes crinkled. “There.”

  “Who’s the third in the group?” I asked.

  “From your face, I think you would prefer it not to be Valgan again.” A smile creased Lord Sondan’s cheek.

  I laughed mirthlessly. “Yes. I think Valgan would prefer not to be in the same group as me, too.”

  Lord Sondan looked to Faran. “Who would you suggest?”

  “Cenan or Mallan. They’re both inexperienced, but they’d learn a lot. Aeron and I are experienced enough to make up for their lack.”

  “Okay. I’ll assign Cenan to your group. Aeron, you need to be at Orian’s trial tomorrow. You’ll go on patrol after that.” He clapped his hands on his knees and stood. “Dine with me tonight?”

  We said we would and Faran showed him out, his posture stiff. I wondered what was wrong. As soon as he sat again, I leaned on him, and his arm snaked around me.

  “You’d better tell me about losing your temper,” he murmured.

  I rested my cheek on his shoulder. “I couldn’t help it. Lord Cerewen was advocating hanging Orian without a trial. That’s not right.”

  Faran tipped me so that he could see my face. “Thank you. How spirited was your defence?”

  I poked my tongue into my cheek. “Um. Pretty spirited.”

  He shook his head, but his expression was fond. He rested his head on his fist, his elbow on the arm of the sofa. Exhaustion bled from his every pore.

  I drew circles on his thigh. “You still not back to full strength?”

  “No…” He scrubbed at his hair, making it stick up, then smoothed it down again. “When did you tell Sondan he could stop calling you Lady Aeron?”

  “I haven’t. I’ve been waiting until he said I could just call him Sondan.” I cuddled tighter against him.

  “You’re more senior. You have to offer first.”

  “Am I?”

  “Mm. By birth. Not on the Council, now he’s Acting Successor. But you’d still have to be the one to give permission.”

  “Oh. Well, I haven’t.”

  “Hm.” He squeezed me closer. “He called you Aeron just now. Twice.”

  I turned in his arms. “I haven’t told him he could.”

  Why was Lord Sondan being over-familiar with me? I didn’t think I’d given him any signals to encourage that. And anyway, best friends or not, Faran would thump Lord Sondan if he made a pass at me.

  Faran’s brows shot up. “Then he’s broken protocol and assumed more seniority than he has. Only close friends drop the use of titles.”

  “I don’t feel as if Lord Sondan is a close friend to me. In fact, I don’t know if he’s still your main supporter, or if he’s pitching at getting himself elected when the vote happens. He’d be perfectly placed to bring you down if he was. He knows all your secrets. He could spin everything against you – me, you going Outside after me, Orian…”

  Faran wrinkled his nose. “Ah, but I know all his secrets too. Including everyone he’s bedded who he shouldn’t.”

  “Ooh. Who?”

  He smiled. “It’s quite a list. And it includes the wives of some on the Council.”

  “Before or after they were wives?”

  “Mostly before. Though not all. And one would be both before and after.”

  “Sneaky bastard!”

  Faran laughed hard. “Please don’t call him that to his face. I’m assuming that its direct translation is mild in English. It isn’t here. He’d call for you to be whipped!”

  “Yeah, but you’d be the one who’d have to thrash me.” I wriggled until I could see Faran’s face. “Is that why you’re asking me about him calling me Aeron? You think he’s after me?” That would explain the tension in Faran.

  “I don’t know. But he’s found an admiration for you that he didn’t have before. ‘You’re a woman of many talents’.” He mimicked Lord Sondan’s tone perfectly.

  I snuggled tighter to him. “Well, you can relax. You’ll always win hands down. You want me to correct him over calling me Aeron?”

  Faran’s breath dusted my neck. “I do, but it might cause offence. If Sondan’s touchy about anything, it’s his family’s ranking.”

  “I can try to be subtle.”

  He snorted. “Will you try as hard as you tried not to lose your temper?”

  “Maybe a little harder. Are you going to name names though? I want to know who he’s been screwing. Not that I would know the women though, in all likelihood, unless they’re on the Council.”

  The glint in Faran’s eye told me one of them was on the Council.

  “Who?” I racked my brain, running over the women there. Other than Lady Morgan, I could only think of a few – Lady Talia and Lady Petra and a couple of middle-aged women whose names escaped me. Lady Talia was about our age and fairly quiet on the Council. She was attractive, with high cheekbones and large eyes, but beyond that, I barely knew her. Lady Petra was more than old enough to be Lord Sondan’s mother and the other two couldn’t be far off that.

  “Lady Morgan? Lady Talia?” I asked.

  He shook his head, eyes light. “I promised him secrecy.”

  “Hm. So, what secrets does he know about you? Who have you bedded who you shouldn’t have?”

  “No one! Only you.”

  He held my gaze, his expression open.

  “Seriously?”

  He rubbed his bottom lip, his eyes on mine. “Who do you think I’ve bedded? And if you suggest Lady Morgan, I’ll stop speaking to you.”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know many women here. They’re all invisible.”

  “They’re not invisible! Some are raising children or training in the schools, but there are many women here. If you want more female company, I can introduce you. They’re always in the courtyard before and after dinner. Or in the family quarters.”

  I had seen a number of women in the courtyard, though they always seemed in a clique. “No. It’s okay. I prefer your company. They always give me weird looks because my hair’s short and I have holes in my ears.”

  “Your hair will grow.”

  “Not if I keep getting it cut.” I couldn’t quite read his expression but he didn’t seem to be in agreement with this notion. “Well, if you’re really not going to tell me who Lord Sondan’s been screwing, go get a shower. Then can I draw you for a bit?”

  “Of course.”

  I waited in the bedroom while he showered. He emerged, wrapped in a towel, combing his fingers through his hair to straighten it. He dressed swiftly, then glanced across. “Where do you want me to sit?”

  “Just lie on the bed. Read a book or just sit still.”

  I flipped to a new page in the book I’d been drawing in. Faran flopped on the bed and closed his eyes. “Can I doz
e?”

  “Yeah. I’ll wake you before first bell.”

  I settled down, sketching him roughly before doing a series of detailed studies – his lips, his eyes, his hands. As the clock crawled round to when the first sitting for dinner would be called, I rubbed his shoulder to wake him.

  He scraped his hands over his face and stretched. “May I see?”

  I handed the book over, pleased to see a slow smile creep across his face as he looked at the drawings. He closed the book and gave it back. “Sondan’s right. You are indeed a woman of many talents. I’m glad you returned.”

  I wasn’t sure I was. The only thing anchoring me to The Realm was Faran, who was steadily capturing my heart. If anything happened to him, I would be out of here like a shot.

  9

  Orian was led into the Great Hall for his trial, chin up, eyes glittering. I swallowed. Considering it was unheard of for a Guardian not to have in their pocket a jar of magic cream that healed up cuts and bruises and even broken bones within minutes, Orian sported a lot of purple and black on his face. I turned to ask Lord Sondan about it but thought better of it, seeing his gritted teeth and flared nostrils. Had it been Lord Eredan or Lord Sondan who’d beaten Orian up? I didn’t think anyone else had been allowed to see him. Faran certainly hadn’t.

  Orian stood at the bar facing the seated rows of the Council, his hands cuffed in front of him. His gaze picked me out, and a thin smile inched across his lips that made my blood run cold. Behind him stood two guards, swords drawn. An expectant hush fell over the room. Lord Eredan marched to the middle of the space and took a long look at Orian before turning to face the Council.

  “Council members. There is no doubt that Orian is currently under the influence of Aegyir. The question is, what to do about it.”

  Orian’s jacket from the day of the battle was produced as evidence, a clear hole in the chest from where I’d stabbed him. The jacket he presently wore had a gash on the sleeve.

  Lord Cerewen rose. “Perhaps the Council could hear Orian’s account directly? When did he become Aegyir’s vassal?”

  Lord Eredan flapped his hand towards his son, inviting him to speak. Orian scanned the rows of the Council, still wearing a half smile. “Certainly. Aegyir forced me to take his blood almost as soon as he stormed The Realm. I became free of his influence when Aegyir was turned to mist, but after his escape, he sought me out again.”

  I raised my hand and stood. “I’m aware I have a unique perspective on this, having been in a similar position. I’m not sure we can believe anything Orian says. In the brief period when I was not protected by the talisman, Aegyir was in my head. I don’t know if we’re hearing what Orian wants us to hear, or what Aegyir wants us to hear.” I felt like adding that neither version was guaranteed to be the truth, but held my tongue.

  “An excellent point, Lady Aeron.” Lord Eredan moved back to sit on the front row of the Council. “It is irrelevant when Orian became a traitor. As I said, the key question is what to do about him.”

  I shot a look at Orian. Should we discuss this in front of someone who had Aegyir in his head? Lord Eredan followed my gaze and stood to confer softly with Lord Sondan before returning to the middle of the space.

  He crossed his arms, glaring at his son. “Take him back to the cells.”

  Once Orian was clear of the Great Hall, Lord Eredan invited me to speak.

  “My advice is to keep him secured until Aegyir is returned to mist,” I said.

  “Once a traitor, always a traitor,” muttered someone directly behind me. I wasn’t sure from the voice who it was. “He has his blood in him. He’ll never be free of it. We should hang him.”

  I sighed. “Except we know that once Aegyir is trapped, Orian will be free. Call Faran if you need to hear his testimony a second time. It won’t be any different from yesterday. And if you’re still not sure after Aegyir is dispatched, test Orian’s leathers again. But for all we know, Aegyir could be turning any number of people in The Realm. Are we going to hang everyone? That would seem a waste, given that once Aegyir has been dealt with, anyone affected would be free.”

  Lord Eredan and Lord Sondan both sat forward, staring at me. Lord Eredan spoke first. “You think others may also be affected?”

  I clocked their expressions. “I’ve no idea. But strategically, wouldn’t it make sense for Aegyir to try to recruit as many people as possible? Especially Guardians, since they’ll be the ones sent out to deal with him and the other demons.”

  “Lady Aeron is right,” said Lord Eredan. “If Orian will be free of influence once Aegyir is recaptured and dispatched, there’s no reason to hang him now. We’ll keep him incarcerated until Aegyir has been dealt with and re-test his leathers at that point. Lady Aeron is also right to say that Aegyir may have forced others to become loyal to him. I propose that all Guardians’ leathers are tested, morning and evening. Anyone whose leathers fail will be incarcerated until Aegyir and all the other demons have been dealt with. Any dissent?”

  No one was stupid enough to offer any. I raised my hand, and Lord Eredan sighed at me. “Lady Aeron. What now?”

  “How do we test the loyalty of non-Guardians?”

  Lord Eredan froze, his eyes drilling into me, his colour draining. I ploughed on.

  “When Faran and I went Outside, we were attacked by men under Aegyir’s control. They could have killed us, even if Aegyir couldn’t take our spirits. Why wouldn’t Aegyir coerce Seers or cooks or guards to join his cause, now he’s here? We can test Guardians, and he knows that because he’s in Orian’s head. How do we know who else is affected?”

  A rush of gasps and murmurs shot around the room, but no one had any answers. Lord Sondan caught my eye, hauling in a long breath.

  I had just set an enormous cat amongst the pigeons.

  ***

  I’d reached the door to my rooms when Lord Sondan caught up with me. “Aeron, I need to talk to you.”

  I pushed the door open. Faran was inside, packing. I ushered Lord Sondan in, wondering how to correct him over the way he addressed me. He’d dined with Lord Eredan and Lady Alix the night before, giving me no chance to speak to him. “Lord Sondan. Of course.”

  That checked him. He shot an uncertain glance at Faran who merely raised one brow and continued packing.

  “Forgive me. Lady Aeron. I need to speak to you about how we might determine who is loyal.”

  Faran’s brow inched higher. I squared my shoulders, spoiling for a fight. “And I want to speak to you about why Orian appeared before the Council covered in bruises. Who beat him up?”

  Faran looked from me to Lord Sondan and back, straightening. Lord Sondan seemed puzzled. “He was interrogated.”

  “I said, who beat him up? You? Or Lord Eredan?”

  “He was being questioned.”

  I turned to Faran, my knuckles on my hips. “Have I lapsed into English?” He shook his head warily, not realising it was a rhetorical question. “No. I didn’t think so. I thought I had now asked twice, who had beaten Orian up.”

  A muscle in Lord Sondan’s neck bunched. “I did.”

  I marched over to him. “Show me your hands.” He did, reluctantly. They were blemish-free. “So you get to put salve on your bruised knuckles, but Orian gets nothing?”

  “He’s a traitor.”

  “He’s also a person. How does beating him up help with questioning him?”

  “He wouldn’t answer.”

  “No? Ever think that he might not be able to with Aegyir in his head? And torturing someone only makes them answer. It doesn’t necessarily make them speak the truth. They’ll say anything, just to make the beatings stop. It’s not only barbaric, it’s pointless.”

  Lord Sondan grasped my shoulders. “Lady Aeron—”

  I swung my arms up between his and arced them outwards, forcing his hands off my shoulders. “Don’t touch me! You forget yourself, Lord Sondan.”

  Faran’s hand touched my back, but he wasn’t going to calm me that
easily. “Orian refused to answer your questions, probably because he’s neither in control of his mind nor his tongue, and so you beat him up? What exactly did you achieve with all that?”

  Lord Sondan took a step back. “He answered our questions.”

  “Uh, huh? And did he answer them truthfully?”

  He folded his arms across his chest, his jaw hard. “I came to speak to you about how to test non-Guardians’ loyalty.”

  “Yeah. Well, I’m not done with the first conversation.”

  “Aeron,” Faran said, his voice a low rumble, his palm against my back again.

  Lord Sondan’s lips thinned. “You’ve spent too long Outside.”

  “Yes, I have,” I said. “Learning how to be humane and believe in people’s rights. Funnily enough, I don’t regret that.”

  “What happened about Orian?” butted in Faran, sliding his arm around my waist and pulling me towards him. I don’t know if he was trying to calm me or just stop me from hitting Lord Sondan. “And why do you need to test the people’s loyalty?”

  “Your brother was taken back to the cells. His loyalty will be tested again after we’ve trapped Aegyir.” Lord Sondan glared at me. “But Lady Aeron raised an interesting point. If Aegyir forced non-Guardians to take his blood, how would we know? We can’t test their leathers.”

  “You think he has?” Faran looked at me.

  “I don’t know,” I said. “But we should have a contingency plan in case he does.”

  “Agreed,” said Lord Sondan. “But what? There’s no easy test.”

  “Be observant?” I said. “Watch out for different behaviour? I don’t know.”

  Faran’s arm tightened around me. Still worried I might hit Lord Sondan? Or to remind Lord Sondan of our marriage? I leaned my weight against him, suspecting it was the latter.

  “Strategically, corrupting Guardians would be a good move for Aegyir,” said Faran. “Guardians who went undetected wouldn’t trap him or the other demons. Those Guardians who are found to have been turned would be taken off the front line, reducing the number available to deal with the demons. Either way, he has the advantage.”