by JA Andrews
But more than that, the resemblance to Lukas’s sentiments chilled her.
Whether it was more the thoughts of Mallon and Lukas, or of the twins, a heaviness sat on her all day.
She was ensconced snugly in the library wing that evening, copying more of Flibbet the Peddler’s book into her journal, trying to get the funny little man’s whimsy to lift her spirits when she felt the waves roll through her. Wave, wave, pause, wave, wave. Come. This time Rett’s call had come from the direction of the stable, so she didn’t bother to cast out and ask where he was. She felt a pang of guilt. She hadn’t stopped by to see the lamb Rett was so worried about all day. As she pushed herself up from the table in the library, she wished their code was more expansive. She’d have immediately sent out waves apologizing if she had more of a vocabulary to work with than come, library, stable, and kitchen.
She did find him behind the stable, eager to show her the lamb’s growth, and the calmness of the evening mixed with Rett’s gentleness and the soft white curls of the lamb’s wool helped soothe her more than anything else had.
The next morning dawned clear and crisp again. She breakfasted with the twins, talking of her reading and the sprinkling of gold on the leaves outside. She asked them questions about Flibbet and Mallon and baby lambs. She healed their hands before leaving, pausing at the door to ask the only question she’d really had.
“How many pages left?”
Steffan gave a faint smile. “Sixteen.”
She nodded past the tightness in her throat. Unable to think of anything else to say, she left.
Feeling too lonesome to go back outside, she brought her books to the library and settled at her favorite table on the top floor across from where the Shield sat again with his roof project. She could hear other Keepers occasionally too, but no one interrupted her.
The day dragged on, and she threw herself into her reading.
A scrabbling at the roof caught her attention. A miniature hawk perched on one of the beams and straightened his feathers with his beak. After a moment he peered down into the library.
“Will’s back!” Sini shouted, shoving herself up from the table before realizing she was in the library. From lower floors both Mikal’s and Gerone’s heads peered up toward her.
The Shield studied the little hawk, troubled. “I wonder what news he has that needed to be brought by hand.”
Chapter Five
Sini ran down the ramp through the quiet tower. It had been half a year since Will had been at the Stronghold. Twice that long since she’d seen Alaric. She stepped out through the wide front doors to find Talen winging into the sky, the sunlight edging his wings with reddish gold.
The sunlight poured down on the cliff marking the western edge of the valley. But the dark tunnel gaping open at its base was black with shadows. The sound of the horse came through before she caught a glimpse of movement. They had almost reached the end of the tunnel before she could make out Will, dressed in his black robe, riding a perfectly black horse. Will’s beard was black as well, and still held the small silver beads that he’d started wearing on the Sweep. His face behind his beard was pale, and his hands gripped the reins tightly.
When he saw her, he trotted over and shook out his hands, a rueful smile on his face. “I hate that path.”
Sini glanced down the tunnel as though the ghosts that guarded the path to the Wall might have slipped in behind him. Beyond a hidden door at the far end of the tunnel that only a Keeper could open, the path to the Stronghold was guarded by ghostlike apparitions that taunted people with their deepest fears. She’d only traveled the path to the Stronghold twice each year on her trips with Mikal for supplies, and that was more than enough.
The image of her own face, gaunt and accusing, floating in milky whiteness in front of a tree still haunted her dreams. And if she couldn’t see the face, she could always hear the words. You are alone.
“What do the ghosts say to you?” she asked, still watching the dark tunnel.
“It’s not what they say.” Will climbed down. “I tell myself all those things every day. The problem is the way they say it. They just blurt things out. Breathing it right into your face. No build up. No sense of story.”
Sini laughed. “Well don’t teach them how to. Their breathing and blurting are bad enough.”
Will stepped back and studied her for a moment. “You’re getting old.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t say that too loud, they’ll start expecting more from me.”
“Just wait until the next Keeper is found. It shouldn’t be long now, and you’ll get to help train them.”
“Stars help them if they’re reliant on me.” She paused. “We are still watching for wayfarers, right?”
“It’s been three years since they were allowed into the country, and the queen has the roads watched. No one is going to abduct the next Keeper.”
Sini would stop worrying about that when the new one was found, but she said nothing.
Will led his horse toward the stable. “I’ve heard rumors that wayfarers are being attacked in the southern countries. People have gotten the idea that they carry great piles of gold in their wagon. It’s a bad time to be a wayfarer.”
“I can’t say I feel sorry for them,” Sini said. “The Shield is trying to replicate what Vahe did to find magic users. He thinks we might be able to find new Keepers more easily. Or, he’s working on that when he’s not working on strengthening the library roof.”
Will paused. “He’s still stuck on that?”
Rett’s large form appeared in the stable door, keeping Sini from having to do more than nod. He ducked his tall head under the lintel and took the reins, smiling widely and patting Will heavily on the shoulder.
Rett cared for the small herds of sheep and goats, the few horses, and the three milking cows as though they were the most precious things in the world. He had named each animal, and for the first time since he’d been injured on the Sweep he’d learned to do a bit of magic by himself. Gerone had worked with him for half a year to perfect the calming spell, paxa, and Rett could successfully use it on any of the animals. More than successfully, really. During a thunderstorm she’d seen him calm five sheep with one word.
“You look well,” Will said.
Rett straightened. “The Shield put only me in charge of the horses, the sheep, the pigs, and all forty-two chickens. Gerone doesn’t even help anymore.”
“It’s about time,” Will said. “Anyone can see you’re more skilled than the rest of us put together. Am I imagining that the stable is brighter than it used to be?”
“Rett took out part of the wall along the back,” Sini said, “so the horses have an easier exit to the pasture. Fresh air actually flows through it.”
“You’re a genius, Rett.” Will pulled his saddle off and Rett beamed as he led the horse into the stable. “I have no idea how we survived before you two came. My horse will be thrilled to be somewhere he’s appreciated. You would not believe how poorly he was cared for in Barehallow.”
Rett clucked disapprovingly. “How is Killien?”
Will’s smile faded. “I haven’t heard from him in six months. Which I find troubling.”
“Sora?” Sini asked.
Will’s smile disappeared entirely, and he shook his head.
It had been four years since Sora had left to go back to her people. Sini had thought she’d be back with Will before the first snow. She and Will corresponded through the dwarves, but she had yet to come to Queensland.
“Is there any chance there’s still some bread left?” Will asked, his voice not quite carrying the cheerfulness it had moments before.
“There should be. The old men here eat next to nothing, you know.”
Will nodded. “More for us.”
“And there’s avak jam.”
Will’s eyes lit. “Lead on!”
The kitchen was already crowded. Gerone, Mikal, and the Shield had all gathered and the room was warmer and
louder than it had been in a long time.
Gerone passed Will a plate holding two pieces of bread thick with avak jam.
“There are so many reasons to miss you, Gerone.” Will sat at the table and took a huge bite.
The other men settled into chairs, as well.
Sini hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether she was invited to what had turned into an impromptu council. But the Shield motioned her to a chair next to Gerone.
Will nodded. “You need to hear this too, Sin.”
She sat, feeling partly excited, partly out of place. Usually when Will or Alaric appeared, they would go straight to the Shield’s room to share their news, then they’d call all the Keepers to a council. There was something oddly casual about all the old men gathered here, but under everyone’s calm exterior things felt unsettled. Will seemed reluctant to get the conversation started.
“I assume if you’re here there is news you couldn’t send by raven.” Mikal prompted. “So, what’s happening in the world?”
“Mostly,” Will said around a bite of bread, “it’s still falling apart, bit by bit. The number of small problems spread across Queensland is reaching ridiculous proportions.”
“Small problems in a country as big as this is hardly unusual,” Mikal said.
“This feels different.” Will set the bread down. “And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Alaric is troubled by them, and Queen Saren…” He stopped and looked uncomfortably around the room. “Saren’s demanding that the Keepers relocate the Stronghold to Queenstown. She’s emptied the north tower for us.”
Sini’s mouth dropped open and there was silence at the table for a moment.
The Stronghold couldn’t be relocated.
“She’s not the first monarch to make such a suggestion,” the Shield said.
“It’s not a suggestion. Her exact words were that she ‘insisted we accept her hospitality’, both for our safety and because she wants us closer.”
“We do not need her protection,” Mikal said. “Even if someone were to figure out where this valley lies, it is inaccessible to any but ourselves. There could not be a safer place. The queen is not in a position to insist on anything. We are not under her command.”
“But we do help the queen protect Queensland,” Gerone pointed out, “and if she is convinced it is necessary, we should at least discuss it.”
“What does Alaric think of this idea?” the Shield asked.
“He is…annoyed.” Will grimaced. “Probably because Saren told him he didn’t have enough information for her and she needed to be able to contact the rest of you, especially you,”—he nodded to the Shield—“more quickly than could be done by ravens.”
“It does not matter what she wants,” Mikal insisted. “The queen does not command the Keepers. We are outside of her land, we are outside of her authority.”
Sini glanced quickly between the men. Technically Mikal was right. Queensland ended at the Marsham Cliffs, and the Stronghold lay in a valley past them. But the Keepers had always been dedicated to Queensland and its people. They served the reigning monarch any time their help was accepted.
“The problem is more practical than authority and borders,” Gerone said to Will. “The twins won’t be able to travel. They have almost finished their book.”
Sini’s gut squeezed and she looked at the table, trying not to notice the understanding that filled Will’s face. When he spoke, his voice was low. “Then we cannot leave them here alone. What Saren wants is impossible.”
“Some of us could go,” Gerone said.
Mikal stiffened. “I’m not going back to court.”
“Gerone can’t go,” Will said. “The rest of you would starve.”
He looked questioningly at the Shield.
“I can’t leave yet.” The Shield’s voice was firm. “The library roof isn’t finished.”
No one commented. The Shield looked around at their discomfort, meeting Sini’s eye with a hint of amusement, but he said nothing at their silence. From outside Sini could hear the birds chirping in the sunlight that had finally reached the valley floor.
“You could come, Sini,” Will said.
Sini snapped her attention to him. “What would I do there? I know less than any of you.”
“After studying here for four years you know more than most people in the country do,” he said. “More than most people at court, for that matter.”
She shook her head. “I have too much still to learn, and I know nothing about politics or court life. There’d be no point in me going.” And there was that horrible feeling there, like everyone expected her to do…something. Something amazing. Something beyond her abilities.
Will opened his mouth to argue, but the Shield raised his hand. “Will, you can return to Queenstown and help Alaric. The queen will have to make do with that. I will send her a raven with our answer.”
Sini bit her lip, waiting for Will to disagree, but he didn’t. Instead he traced the grain of the table with his finger, his bread forgotten.
“I gather there is more news?” the Shield prompted him.
Will glanced around the table and Sini got the sense that he was gauging the men around it. Sitting together, Sini was surprised at how old they all looked. She had lessons with Gerone in his room, surrounded by his books with his face lit with enthusiasm. Here in the bright kitchen his skin was etched with wrinkles. Mikal wasn’t quite as old. Only seventy-two, which often seemed young among the other men, but judging from how stiffly he was sitting his back was bothering him again, and he rubbed his knuckles as he watched Will. His hands had been aching more often lately, even though he rarely admitted it.
The Shield was in some ways ageless. If someone ageless could be trapped in a tiny, wizened, bald little body with explosive eyebrows.
She felt Will’s gaze on her and turned back to him. His face had changed some in the past four years, as well. When she’d first met him, the night he’d told the story of Tomkin and the Dragon to the Morrow Clan, he’d seemed boyish. She never would have imagined he was a Keeper.
Until he had begun that story…
Will let out a sigh. He looked tired. “There’s another reason you should come, Sini. We’ve discovered what has happened to the gold merchants.”
His gaze didn’t leave Sini’s face and she tried not to shift under the attention. Of all the problems Queensland was having, the gold merchants were the most boring. And the one she knew the least about. Gerone had tried to explain some of the complexities of economics to her, but it had been so boring she could barely remember it.
“Saren sent three units of the ranger company to Gulfind. They found the pass into it filled by a rockslide. It took them a week to scale the mountains around it and reach the central valley, and when they did…”
He was still talking to Sini, and something about his voice caused a little knot of dread to form in her stomach. “It was in ruins. All of the outlying land was destroyed. Burned and razed. They assume that a large part of the population has been killed. Only the city of Renndon still stood. The mines were open and working, but they didn’t see anyone doing anything else.” His eyes tightened a little in what appeared to be sympathy.
Why sympathy? Sini glanced around the table, but everyone was watching him, waiting for him to continue.
“On a huge outcropping near the city was a red dragon.”
A dragon? Sini dragged her gaze back to Will. “Lukas?”
Will gave a half-hearted shrug. “There wasn’t anyone near the dragon, but it would be strange for the creature to suddenly decide to capture an entire country by himself.
“The valley is cut off,” Will continued, finally looking around the rest of the table. “The rangers could see that the pass into Coastal Baylon was blocked, too. From their description, Saren’s masons think it would take a month to clear either pass. Another well-placed rockslide could kill anyone working on it.
The Keepers began asking Will questions, but Sini
didn’t listen. Her stomach tightened and pushed the feeling up her throat. This couldn’t be Lukas. He’d been doing annoying things along the border, certainly. Little, ineffectual attacks that bothered tiny areas of Queensland. But this? Why would he slaughter all those people? Especially people in Gulfind? Yes, he’d used the frost goblins to attack the Roven, but those were his enemy at the time. It had all been part of a larger plan to free the Morrow. He wouldn’t just wipe out a whole group of people. Especially not for gold.
And it didn’t make sense, anyway. Gulfind was the westernmost country along the southern coast. It was nestled against the Scale Mountains.
“Lukas can’t be that far west,” she interrupted, and all the old men turned toward her. “He’s been moving further east for the last half a year, I’m sure of it.” They all waited for her to go on. She felt stiff with tension at voicing the next thought. She couldn’t prove it and it sounded so farfetched. “If he’s anywhere, he’s on the moors of northern Gringonn.”
She waited for them to dismiss her words, but the Shield looked at her closely. “What would he want on the moors?”
“I have no idea. Neither did the twins. I just think he’s been moving east.”
“Has anyone else noticed that?” Mikal asked, looking around the table. No one answered.
“Not straight east,” Sini said, before they could tell her it was unlikely. The chair felt unrelentingly hard under her. “There’s been some back and forth, but in general he’s moving east.”
“His dragon sitting in the west says differently,” Mikal pointed out.
Gerone was watching Sini, considering her words. “Maybe he and the dragon parted ways.”
Sini felt a bit of the tension ease out of her, and she nodded.
“Then someone else is controlling the creature.” Will picked up his bread again. “Dragons don’t invade countries for gold, no matter what the old stories say. That’s a distinctly human goal.”
Sini shook her head. She knew she sounded stubborn and childish, but they didn’t understand. “This isn’t Lukas.”
