The King's Whisper

by T. S. Cleveland

  Felix slapped his chest. “That must be it.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I have a friend who’s going to be teaching at the elemental school, and she can get a message to the queen,” Felix said, his voice getting higher as he grew more pleased with his plan.

  “Elemental school?” Torsten asked. “I’d heard rumors of the new decrees, but she’s sponsoring a school for elementals? Really?”

  “Yes!” Felix threw back the covers, sprang from his lap, and began a desperate search for something to put on, picking up the discarded leather pants, which lay beneath the bed, with one finger, considering. Torsten stood, snatching them from his hand and ripping them apart as he left the room, returning a moment later to hand him a folded stack of fresh clothing. Alex’s, no doubt. “Thank you” Felix said, pulling on the garments hastily. “We’ll go see Audrey, that’s my friend, and she’ll have the queen fetched for us.” He sighed happily at the fit and feel of the soft cotton leggings and shirt now on his body, thrilled that they covered him completely.

  “She’ll just fetch the Queen of Viridor, no problem?” Torsten asked doubtfully.

  “Considering I’m pretty sure she’s sleeping with the Queen of Viridor, yes,” Felix answered, digging into his satchel for the bandana. He put it around his neck and Torsten moved to tie it in place.

  “Your friend, the elemental teacher, is sleeping with the queen?” he asked blankly.

  “Yes, Torsten, but please try to be tactful about it when we’re there.” Felix turned around and threw the satchel over his shoulder. With clothes that didn’t leave him exposed and a plan in place to set things right, he felt lighter than he had in days. It had been a monumentally stressful set of days. “We should tell the others and get moving. Time is of the essence, right? If you’re okay with the plan, I mean.”

  “It’s a good plan,” Torsten said with that soft smile that made Felix’s knees want to liquefy. “But there’s one more thing.” He went to where the jingling boots had been thrown into the corner, snatched the bells from the cords, and tossed them to Felix. “Put them on. They’ll have to do until we can get you others.” Then, picking the fur pelt off the floor where it had been discarded the night before, he placed it lovingly around Felix’s shoulders. “There. All ready. Let’s gather the others.”

  Felix smiled. “I’m right behind you.”

  17 - The Eye Never Lies

  They emerged from the cottage to a resounding chorus of cheers, hearty handshakes, and the aroma of deliciousness wafting through the cool afternoon air. Felix didn’t realize how hungry he was until the smells found his nose, and as Torsten remained surrounded by villagers offering both their sympathies at the loss of his men and thanks for the disposal of Gethrin and his bandits, he found a seat beside Dot at the crude outdoor table, where the ten remaining bandits sat waiting. On it were multiple loaves of fresh bread, a number of dishes prepared with apples, and bowls of roasted potatoes and carrots. And as Torsten was led to his seat at the table’s head, more cheering arose—this time from the bandits—as a large platter of roasted boar was brought out and placed in front of him.

  “It’s been months since we’ve even sighted a boar,” Alex explained with a broad smile as pitchers of wine were passed. “And then yesterday morning, not a hundred paces into the wood, there he was, the most magnificent beast you’ve ever seen, as if the Gods knew we’d have need of him. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.”

  “We thank you immensely,” Torsten said, shooting a disapproving look at Selon as she speared a small potato with her blade and popped it surreptitiously into her mouth. “But this bounty should be yours to enjoy, and we’ve no time to linger over such a banquet.”

  “Nonsense,” Alex laughed, patting his stomach. “We’ve already eaten our fill of this boar and then some, you gifted us these apples, and the remainder was purchased with the coin you provided. So please, eat what you will now, and we will pack the remainder for your journey,” he begged, stabbing a succulent hunk of meat and dropping it onto Torsten’s plate. “It will give you strength for the tasks that lie ahead.”

  As Torsten considered, the growling, gurgling noises of a hungry stomach filled the silence, and Felix dropped his head in embarrassment as all eyes turned to him. "Sorry," he murmured.

  Thus, the food was passed and they ate, albeit with Torsten’s stern warning not to overindulge, as doing so would render them sluggish. Dot, who was initially seated between Felix and his king, had quietly exchanged places with Felix, allowing the two of them to engage in private conversation.

  “Forgive me, Flautist,” Torsten said, securing Felix’s curls behind his ear so as to better see his face. “I should have seen to feeding you last night.”

  “It’s all right,” Felix responded with a playful smile as he swallowed a spoonful of apple dumplings and loaded up another. “Your attentions last night left me delightfully full, actually.”

  Torsten’s face reddened at his unexpectedly bold reply. “I’m serious,” he continued, flustered. “Did that bastard not feed you?”

  “No,” Felix murmured behind his hand as he continued to chew. “I was offered a bit of ale, though.” If you could call having it all but forced down your throat being offered, he thought. But not wishing to think of his time with Gethrin, he swallowed, and then quickly changed the subject. “Has Alex always walked with such a bad limp?” he asked, nodding toward their host, who was leading two of the bandit’s horses from the stables with a decidedly uneven gait. “I didn’t notice it when we were here before.”

  Torsten shrugged noncommittally. “It comes and goes, I think, with the cool of the weather. Or his age, perhaps. I wouldn’t mention it.” The explanation sounded suspect to Felix, given that today’s weather was considerably warmer than on their previous visit, and Alex was hardly what anyone would consider old. But before he could press further, Torsten was pushing his plate away and coming to his feet. “Enough. Finish up, see to any necessaries, gather your gear, and thank our generous hosts. We must be off.”

  Again sharing a mount with Torsten, Felix munched on the bread he’d stuffed in his pockets as they made their way through the forest to the main road. The afternoon was bright and nearly cloudless, the ground below more bare of snow than it had been in some time, and he sensed the beginning of spring in the air.

  His plan, explained before they took leave of the village, had been well-received by Torsten’s bandits, and even though Selon had caught his arm and called him a princeling as he made to mount, she’d said it with a sprig of amusement, with no nastiness evident. They would travel on the main road, so as to make their best time, until they came nearer their destination or had cause to leave it, with a lookout riding ahead and behind. Once close in, where they risked detection, they would continue through the forest, on toward the abandoned estate and the Royal Quarter.

  In time, his surroundings began to look familiar, and Felix studied them closely as they trotted along. Leaning back, content and secure against Torsten’s well-muscled chest, he remembered the ill-fated carriage ride he’d taken through this same section of road a little over a week earlier—if it could be called ill-fated at all now, given how things had turned out. What a difference a week made, and how radically and wonderfully his life had changed.

  The downed tree that had led to his capture by Torsten’s bandits now lay along the edge of the road, where someone, or rather a lot of someones, had come along and moved it. Felix eyed it skeptically as they cantered past. Its trunk was thick, its jutting limbs alone weighing far more than a man. It couldn’t have been easy to move, or even cut down in the first place without a lot of time and work and proper tools. He turned his head to look at Torsten, who had remained thoughtfully silent throughout their ride.

  “How did Jossy and the others get the tree in the road?” he asked. “It’s enormous.”

  Torsten’s mouth twitched before curving into a smirk. “Marilyn is an Ea
rth.”

  “What?” He twisted in the saddle to look at the small blonde riding a few yards behind them. He’d not even noticed her the day he’d been taken. “You’ve had an elemental in your camp this whole time and I never knew it?”

  Torsten laughed. “It’s not the kind of thing one shares with strangers, is it? You were a stranger to me then. And most people aren’t elemental friendly.”

  Felix puffed out his chest and scoffed. “I am extremely elemental friendly. And you’ve heard about the queen’s new decrees. Elementals are to be safe in society now. That’s why the school is being opened, to support them in their training.” He grinned thoughtfully. “I think Audrey is going to love Marilyn.”

  “Queen Bellamy can open as many elemental schools as she likes,” Torsten countered, shaking his head. “But it’s all for show as far as I’m concerned. I never saw her show compassion for elementals when I lived in the palace, nor for any other magically inclined folk. And I was there for twenty years.”

  Felix lowered his voice to a whisper and laid a hand on Torsten’s thigh. “What if I told you Queen Bellamy herself was an elemental?” he asked.

  Torsten stared at him, his mouth open in shock.

  “It’s a secret,” Felix hurried. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone. But,” he bit his lip and squeezed Torsten’s leg, “if she tries to have you arrested, I have no problem with blackmail.”

  “You have an unexpected dark side,” Torsten said, cocking a bushy brow.

  “I don’t think it’s dark to protect the people important to you,” Felix argued, but then he considered for a moment. “But maybe I do have a bit of a dark side. If I do, I think I like it.”

  “I know I like it,” Torsten whispered playfully in his ear before planting a soft kiss on his mouth.

  The tender exchange was in sharp contrast to the horrors of the night before, as was the sunlit, peaceful afternoon and the hopefulness that now surged expectantly in Felix’s chest. Deep in the forest, at the campsite where he’d first met Torsten, the bulk of his bandits were now no more than bones and ash in the remnants of a funeral pyre, Gethrin and most of his men lay dead and were likely being feasted on by vultures, and he and Torsten had only narrowly escaped drowning by pirates. Yet, despite all the grimness and fear and sorrow, or perhaps because of it, he felt happier just now than he’d ever been, and he leaned into his bandit’s chest gratefully, sighing as he closed his eyes.

  He awoke to Torsten shaking him gently. They were within the cover of the forest again, the sounds of horses moving along the road a few hundred paces to their left barely audible. Torsten called everyone to a halt, and the bandits gathered together on their horses.

  “We’re within walking distance now,” he announced. “Felix and I will approach first.”

  “It’s no offense,” Felix added, smiling an apology. “I just don’t want to startle any jumpy elementals, and, well, we all look a bit worse for wear, don’t we?”

  “Speak for yourself,” Dot snapped, sweeping his newly braided hair over his shoulder.

  “You’ll stay put here until I signal for you,” commanded Torsten. “And if an hour passes and I don’t, assume the flautist has lured me to my death and get out of here. Divvy up the coin we’ve left buried and save yourselves.”

  “Excuse me,” Felix huffed indignantly. “There’s no luring happening here.”

  “Best to be prepared for all outcomes,” Torsten continued as he dismounted. Felix followed, taking his hand for help. “Stay quiet, friends. Stay safe.”

  Amid calls of luck, they parted from the others, walking side by side through the trees until they came within sight of the main road, joining those who walked and rode there with as much nonchalance as possible. They were very near the Royal Quarter, its surrounding wall visible less than a mile away. But more importantly, as Felix saw when Torsten pointed, their immediate destination was just up ahead on the right, its wide, cobbled-path entry clearly visible. Felix could see how he’d missed it before, as it appeared the surrounding shrubbery had only recently been cut back. Or perhaps he’d been too busy writing sonnets about Merric to notice.

  Torsten took his hand as they left the road, hurrying onto the path toward the estate. It was almost as large as the queen’s secondary residence, though not nearly as grand, and the well-trimmed path and recently manicured grounds provided further evidence that the estate was indeed being used. Near the front entrance, which stood in heavy, cool shadow, denied the light and warmth of late afternoon sun, was a long row of winter-blooming shrubs. Felix paused to pluck one of the deep pink flowers, aware that it would soon be too warm for the blossoms. He lifted it to his nose, smelling its sweet scent, and then turned to Torsten and tucked it into the pocket of his shirt. Torsten looked down in surprise, but he didn’t remove the flower. Instead, he adjusted it so the petals were neater. Felix took back his hand and they continued their walk to the door.

  He and Torsten looked rough, worn, and after the night they’d had he didn’t need a looking glass to know it. That’s why he wasn’t particularly surprised when Audrey appeared at the door before they reached it, her double daggers drawn and her single good eye glaring at them malevolently. Torsten’s attire was filthy, with more than a few bloodstains making it worse. Though Felix’s clothing was clean, it was still the clothing of a dirt-poor villager, and with the bulking fur pelt and black bandana added, no one would have recognized his silhouette from far away. But as they came closer, as Audrey inspected the new arrivals with her intensely blue stare, the daggers in her hands were sheathed, and the smile seldom shown on her face began to creep.

  “She looks like she’s going to kill us,” Torsten said beneath his breath.

  “She always looks like that,” Felix said.

  They stopped a few feet away, and Audrey peered down at them from the height of the steps. She hadn’t traded in her assassin blacks, but her eye patch had changed. The one she wore now had fancy silver stitching around the edge. Her hair was swept back in a low, loose bun, and there was new ink on her bare forearms: a swirling vine of flowers that looped around her wrist.

  “This is interesting,” she said, her voice deep and raspy and beyond comforting to Felix’s ears. “You look like someone I know, but he’s been reported dead.”

  Felix gazed up at her with wide eyes. “What did you hear?”

  Audrey sauntered down the steps and stood in front of him, giving Torsten a probing gaze from head to toe. “Merric said your carriage was attacked by a gang of bloodthirsty bandits. He said the last thing he remembered was seeing you being choked, and then a man with a bow said you were dead.” Her eye went menacingly toward the bow strung across Torsten’s back.

  Felix turned to scowl at Torsten, who had the good sense to look guilty. “It’s a long, complicated story,” he sighed before turning back to her. “But it ends with the bandits being good guys, and with me very much alive and greatly in need of your help.”

  “Complicated? That’s my favorite kind of story. Come inside and tell it, little one,” she said, patting Felix on his shoulder. She cut her eye back to Torsten. “You may come in, as well, once you hand your weapons over, and then Felix can explain why he’s brought a bandit here.”

  Felix cleared his throat as Torsten removed the knives from his boots and waist, and the bow and quiver from his back, placing them into Audrey’s outstretched hand. “This is Torsten,” he said as they followed her up the steps and into the house. “He’s a friendly bandit.” At Audrey’s narrowing eye, he added, “Once you get to know him, I mean. Sort of. As I said, it’s complicated.”

  “It is that,” Torsten mumbled as Audrey laid his weapons on the foyer table. “But rest assured, I mean you no harm.”

  Felix leaned in close to Audrey as she returned. “He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?”

  She gave Torsten a another slow once-over as she pushed closed the heavy front door, which made for a startling echo, then nodded her head approvingly. Fel
ix grinned widely as they followed her through the foyer and into the main room.

  The room was huge, with darkly stained parquet floors, a high, ornately carved ceiling, and walls covered in a floral wallpaper that closely matched the blossom in Torsten’s front pocket. A crimson-carpeted, grand staircase led to a second floor, branching left and right from its wide landing, and above this, a magnificent crystal chandelier, its candles unlit, reflected prisms of sunlight from the floor-to-ceiling window behind it.

  Just as they reached a set of wide double doors, a liveried servant opened them, and after conferring quietly with the tall, older man for a moment, Audrey led them from the grand room and into a long, spacious, well-lit hallway, whose walls held colorful tapestries, portraits in gilded frames, and doors behind which voices could occasionally be heard. “Are there students living here already?” Felix asked in surprise. “Have classes started?”

  “How about we get all my questions answered before we start on yours,” Audrey replied, stopping before a new set of double doors, flinging them open, and nodding for Torsten and Felix to follow. It was a spacious suite, featuring a finely decorated parlor with a lavishly carved fireplace, a highly polished, open piano, and a series of leaded glass doors that led to the grounds and gardens beyond.

  “This is nice,” Felix murmured, painfully aware of how neither he nor Torsten were clean enough to even be standing in the room, much less sit on any of the velvet-tufted chairs.

  “It is,” Audrey agreed with a smirk. “It’s the best guest suite. Which is why I’m going to insist that you two bathe and change into fresh clothing before touching anything other than the floor.” She crossed the room to an archway, and at the end of it, opened a door. Inside was a tiled bath with porcelain fixtures. “You go first,” she said, nodding at Torsten as she went to a second archway and opened the door to a bedchamber. “Felix and I would like some alone time by the fire.”