The Echo of Broken Dreams (After The Rift Book 2)

by C. J. Archer

  "It's very painful," he said.

  "I'm sure it is." I wasn't about to tell the king that his definition of pain must be different to mine.

  "My horse got scared," he said. "Something ran across its path and it reared. You saw it, didn't you, Hammer?"

  "No, sire."

  The king laughed. "Perhaps we need to get you some spectacles like Balthazar. Anyway, the others riding with us saw the creature. It was some kind of rat, so Lord Villers said. His eyes work perfectly."

  "Apparently so," Dane said in a monotone.

  Theodore tensed and he shook his head ever so slightly at the captain. The king didn't notice. He simply laughed.

  "Hammer's mood is very grim lately, Josie," he said in a theatrical whisper. "You should ignore him as much as possible for your own peace of mind."

  "He's not very easy to ignore," I said.

  The king's smile vanished. "Don't you need to touch me to check for fractures?"

  I gently pressed on the bruise. He sucked air between his teeth. I went to pull away but he grabbed my hand in both of his.

  "You missed the area," he murmured. "Here." He pressed my palm to his ribs, over the bruise, and stroked my fingers. "And here." He moved my hand further around to his chest. My fingers touched the patch of hair and recoiled.

  "There are no fractures," I said, drawing away.

  He pouted. "Are you sure? I don't think you checked thoroughly enough." He went to take my hand again but I clasped his instead.

  Now that I'd stopped him in his tracks, I wasn't sure what to do so I bowed over his hand as I stood. "I'll leave you something for the pain. Captain, my bag, please."

  Dane had carried my bag from Balthazar's office. He set it down on the foot of the bed and I searched it for the jar of hollyroot ointment. In liquid form such as a tisane, hollyroot gave all-over mild pain relief, but in ointment form, it could be applied topically. The king's bruise required nothing stronger.

  I held out the jar to him but he didn't take it. He smiled. Clearly he wanted me to apply it for him.

  I dropped a small amount onto my palm and gently rubbed it on the bruise. He did not lie back to make it easy for me, but leaned in so that his nose almost touched my cheek.

  "You're pretty," he whispered in my ear. "Prettier than some of the ladies at court. I didn't notice at first, but now I see beyond the drab clothes to the woman."

  "You're very kind, sire," I said, as I straightened, "but I'm just a simple midwife."

  His hand whipped out and caught my wrist. Dane took a step toward me. "Sire," he said. "You're hurting her."

  The king released me. He smiled without humor. "A midwife who aspires to be more, yes?"

  "I don't understand," I said carefully.

  "It came to my attention that you dressed as a noblewoman and joined in the festivities a few weeks ago."

  So Lady Deerhorn had told him she'd seen me that night. I hoped she'd forgotten. "I…I'm sorry, sire," I mumbled. As uncomfortable as his attempts at flirting had been, I wished for that side of him again. I knew how to deflect a man's attentions. A king's ire was entirely different.

  "That was at my request," Dane cut in. "I needed someone to walk among the female guests as one of them to detect the poisoner. You'll recall that we weren't aware who it was at the time. Josie offered to do it. If it weren't for her, I'd never have uncovered Lord Frederick."

  The king's nostrils flared, and I suspected he didn't believe Dane but either couldn't say so without evidence or didn't want to.

  He scooted off the bed and caught my arm. He leaned in and whispered, "If you want more, Josie, I can give it to you. You only have to ask nicely." His gaze slid to the bed. "Very nicely."

  My scalp tingled and heat spread across my face.

  The king chuckled. "I knew you'd like that idea."

  My gaze instinctively lifted to Dane's. His hooded eyes made it impossible to read his face but his shoulders sported the stiffness of barely suppressed anger. If he barked orders at the king the way he barked orders at Brant, he could land himself in trouble. Yet I knew him well enough to know that he wasn't the sort of man to back down when his temper flared.

  Chapter 3

  "Thank you, sire," I said, smiling brightly at the king. "I'm grateful for the invitation, but the revels I witnessed that night are enough to satisfy me for the rest of my life. Indeed, I found them quite overwhelming. I'm the bookish type, you see, and not used to parties and late nights. I prefer curling up in front of the fire with a cup of soup and a treatise on clover spot. I'm afraid I'm quite dull company."

  The king's fingers sprang apart as if he were afraid to catch clover spot from me. It was interesting that he knew the disease was contagious, considering he was supposed to have lost his memory. It was yet more proof that he had not.

  Dane shoved the king's shirt into His Majesty's chest. "You'd better get dressed, sire. You wouldn't want to catch a chill."

  No one mentioned how warm it was in the king's apartments.

  The thud of Balthazar's walking stick announced him before he appeared in the doorway. He greeted the king with a bow of his head. "Your Majesty, the duke of Buxton has requested a meeting with you and your other advisors."

  "Tell him I'm busy."

  Balthazar looked to me then back at the king. "Are you badly injured?"

  "I am in considerable pain, but I'll manage. I'm on my way to play cards with friends in the Sky Salon."

  "The duke was insistent."

  "Then he should have come to me himself, not sent you."

  "He couldn't find you or Theo and happened upon me in his search. I told him I would inform you. As I said, he was very insistent. There are some matters of politics that ought to be discussed before tonight's dinner."

  The king screwed up his nose. "Politics again. Will it never end?"

  "Not for a king," Dane said.

  His Majesty's gaze slid to Dane then back to Balthazar. "Why do I have advisors if they cannot take care of these matters themselves?"

  Theodore finished fastening the last button on the king's shirt and reached for the doublet draped over a chaise. "The problem is your advisors. They can't agree on the matter of your marriage."

  The king sighed and stretched his arms out again to allow Theodore to put on the doublet. "No doubt Buxton wants to impress upon me the benefits of marrying his niece."

  "I believe a miniature of her has just arrived. He wants to show it to you."

  "Why not send for the girl herself? Because she's ugly, that's why. Her miniature will be of some other, prettier girl. Perhaps the local midwife."

  Balthazar arched his brows at me.

  "The duke's niece isn't here because she's underage," Dane said, sounding annoyed. "Her mother doesn't want her at court for another year at least."

  The king lifted his chin to allow Theodore to fluff up his lace cravat. "I suppose she is Glancian."

  "Sire?" Balthazar prompted.

  "She must be pretty if she's Glancian." The king's gaze lingered on me.

  I looked away and busied myself with my bag. Dane took it from me before I could lift it.

  His gaze lingered too, but it was different to the king's. He looked me in the eyes, not at my breasts or hips. It didn't feel as though he was trying to strip off my clothes, but rather to gauge my thoughts.

  "Inform the duke that I'd like to see the miniature of his niece immediately, but informally, not in a meeting," the king said. "There's no need for the others to be present."

  "Sire, you must meet with them before you speak to the representatives from Dreen and Vytill tonight," Balthazar said. "They were worried that you went hunting with them today, but—"

  "We didn't discuss the matter of my marrying one of the princesses."

  "Tonight, you might. If I may advise you, it would be to meet with your advisors this afternoon. All of them, not just the duke of Buxton. You need to hear both sides of the argument, for and against a political marriage to one o
f the princesses."

  The king clicked his fingers. "Theo, my ruby brooch. And that new scent, the one Violette gave me."

  Violette was Lady Morgrave, the daughter of Lady Deerhorn. The last time I'd been at the palace, she was trying to wedge herself into the king's good graces, despite already being married herself. I wondered if he'd bedded her yet. Perhaps the lasciviousness he displayed toward me was a result of his awakened desires. On my previous visits, he'd been gentlemanly and a little shy around women. He'd done everything right to woo the beautiful Lady Miranda Claypool but I'd not heard him mention her name once today. I knew she hadn't gone home because she'd visited me in the village and wrote to me regularly. She hadn't mentioned the king in any of her letters.

  The king stood still as Theodore dabbed the scent on his throat above the cravat. "Balthazar, tell the advisors I will listen to their thoughts, but they should be warned that my preference is still for a Glancian wife. I am, after all, the king of Glancia, and my queen ought to be from this country."

  "Marrying outside of the kingdom would bring many advantages," Balthazar pressed. "Not to mention peace. This early in your reign, the importance of peace cannot be overstated, hence my advice to marry the Vytill princess. It's a stronger kingdom than Dreen."

  The king waved a hand. "You worry too much. Glancia is well on the way to becoming the richest kingdom on the Fist Peninsula. The Rift saw to that. An alliance with either Vytill or Dreen will soon be pointless. Anyway, why would I want to be saddled with a foreign mare for the rest of my life when I can have a Glancian beauty?" He clapped Balthazar on the shoulder. "I don't expect you to understand, Old Man. Or you, Theo. Hammer agrees, don't you?"

  "No," Dane said. "From everything I've read on the history of The Fist, members of the royal families have always intermarried to ensure stability on the peninsula. Only twice did kings marry non-royalty. Both times resulted in wars that lasted years and devastated the kingdoms involved, resulting in heavy loss of life."

  "And emptied their treasuries," Balthazar added. "Ignore the lessons of history at your peril, sire."

  The king rolled his eyes. "Very well. I'll listen to my advisers and hear what the Vytill and Dreen representatives have to offer. I'll make my mind up when I've considered all possibilities, but I will insist on meeting any candidate, whether she's a princess or a Glancian noblewoman. I won't be marrying a horse. You can inform the foreign representatives yourself to save me the bother." He strode to the door. Theodore followed a few steps behind. "No need to accompany me, Theo," King Leon said without turning around. "Your dour face makes the ladies less inclined to have fun."

  Theodore watched him go. When the king was out of earshot, he said, "I find that hard to believe. Nothing seems to stop them drinking to excess and flirting with him."

  "That isn't flirting," Balthazar said, also watching. "Yesterday I saw Lady Sabine sit on his lap and shove her hand down—"

  Dane's cough cut Balthazar off. Balthazar apologized to me. "I didn't think you were so sensitive, Josie, considering what you must have seen and heard when assisting your father."

  "I'm not sensitive," I told him.

  Balthazar smirked at Dane.

  The captain picked up my bag. "I'll walk you to the gate."

  Theodore and Balthazar walked ahead of us out of the king's apartments, their pace slow thanks to Balthazar's limp. Dane seemed in no hurry to pass them.

  "How will we convince him to marry one of the princesses?" Theodore asked.

  "One or both of them needs to be pretty," Balthazar said on a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of him. "Unfortunately, the king is shallow and can't see beyond a woman's face."

  Theodore hushed him. "Don't say it too loudly."

  "I'm old, Theo. He can throw me in prison for saying what I think, I don't care."

  Theodore shook his head. "If you spent any time in the palace cells with the prisoners, you wouldn't say that."

  Balthazar grunted. "True enough."

  "The problem is," Dane said, proving he'd been contemplating the dilemma, "we don't know what the princesses look like and are unable to find out. Their fathers won't let them travel here. Both monarchs expect King Leon to make a decision for political reasons, not personal ones."

  "And that means not meeting his chosen bride until the wedding day," Theodore said heavily.

  "Josie, what do you advise?" Balthazar asked.

  "Me?" I blurted out.

  "A woman's perspective might help."

  "I suppose he should do what is best for the realm, but it won't be easy convincing him of that. He hasn't always known he'd inherit the throne, so he probably assumed he'd marry for love. Anything else is alien to him." They didn't remind me that the king had lost his memory so any beliefs he held growing up accounted for nothing. It would seem they no longer believed that either. "But if you tell him he can choose a wife for political reasons and keep a mistress for pleasure, then perhaps he'll be agreeable to marrying a princess, even if she is plain."

  All three men stopped and stared at me.

  I shrugged. "It's common practice for royalty. King Alain had several mistresses over the years. As one aged, he'd exchange her for someone younger."

  "The world never ceases to surprise me," Balthazar muttered.

  "The practice is limited to kings?" Theodore asked.

  "I'm sure there are other noblemen who have mistresses, but it's frowned upon for the lower orders to indulge as some of their so-called betters do. Marriage in our culture is for life, or it’s supposed to be."

  "So choose wisely?" Balthazar said with a chuckle. "Or don't choose at all. I wonder if I'm married."

  "I don't think so," I said.

  He gave me an arched look. "You think me so disagreeable that no woman could bear to be with me?"

  I bit back my smile. "You don't wear a ring. Couples exchange rings on their wedding day."

  Balthazar and Theodore studied their fingers. Dane didn't. I suspected he'd already read up about the custom. He didn't wear a ring and his fingers sported no tan mark as evidence of having once worn one.

  "I might have removed it," Balthazar said.

  "With those gnarled knuckles?" Theodore walked off. "And your disagreeable nature? I doubt you are married."

  "He has a point," Dane said, a smile touching his lips.

  Balthazar grunted. "I hate you both."

  Outside, Theodore and Balthazar headed to the commons, while Dane and I ambled across the forecourts to the gate. Only a handful of nobles were on this side of the palace. With the formal gardens on the other side, their only reason to be on the forecourts was if they were leaving or arriving. Dane and I maintained the slow pace we'd been restricted to with Balthazar's limp. Neither of us was inclined to speed up. I knew why I wanted to spend as long as possible in Dane's company. I wondered if his reasons were the same.

  "You won't have to attend to the king again," he said, focusing ahead. "His behavior with you today was inexcusable, and I'll tell him so."

  "Please don't. He won't like it, and I don't want you getting into trouble. Besides, he probably won't care."

  "He'll listen to me."

  "If you're willing to risk such a discussion with him, why not confront him about the gem?"

  Several beats passed before he answered. "Theodore, Balthazar and I decided it was best to learn what we can about it before we talk to the king."

  "And what have you learned?"

  "We're still looking for answers."

  "How?"

  "There are books in the library on the subjects of geology and gemstones, including where some of the largest gems are now located. Many found their way into crowns, necklaces, and the most valuable of all tops the Vytill royal scepter."

  "Have you found anything about magic in the books?"

  "Not yet."

  "Perhaps you need a book on magic."

  He looked at me sideways. "If you have a title, please share it. As far as I can tell, t
here are no books on magic."

  "Not in the palace's library, but if I were going to create a palace using magic and I didn't want anyone to know, I'd hardly leave a book on the subject where a servant could stumble upon it." When he didn't speak, I added, "I do think it's wise not to confront the king without more information, just like I think it's wise not to confront him about his behavior today. He's the king, Dane, not a regular man. He can do as he pleases, and that includes throwing you in prison."

  At the mention of his real name, he turned sharply to face me. A quick glance around proved that no one was near enough to have overheard.

  "May I call you that when we're alone?" I asked.

  He hesitated then nodded. "I want you to. It's why I told you."

  I smiled. "I want to call you that too. The name suits you better."

  "I don't think Hammer suits too many people, but thank you."

  "Speaking of prisons," I said carefully, "tell me about the prisoners in the palace cells."

  "We weren't speaking of prisons and there's nothing to tell."

  "There must be or you wouldn't have avoided the issue for so long." At his arched looked, I added, "I asked you about them weeks ago and you wouldn't give an answer."

  "That's because I've got nothing to say."

  "Why the thoughtful look just now?"

  "I'm trying to decide if telling you to stay away from the prisoners is more or less likely to encourage you to go near them."

  "Very amusing," I said wryly.

  He did not look amused. He set off again, his pace quicker. That's what I got for prying—a man who wanted to be rid of me faster.

  We reached the gate but instead of asking the guard to fetch a carriage for me, Dane kept walking. It would seem he was going to escort me all the way to the coach house.

  "Josie?" said a voice to my right. "Is that you?"

  "Miranda." I waved at the woman striding toward me. Even when she walked with purpose she moved gracefully.

  She took both my hands and kissed my cheek. "I'm so pleased to see you. Are you leaving? Without coming to visit me?"

  I glanced at Dane, who'd stepped away to give us privacy as if he were simply my escort, not a friend. "This isn't a social call," I said to Miranda. "I had to look in on a maid."