by Noah Harris
His feet carried him to one of the few places Jaeger considered safe without requiring Philip’s presence. The stable was hushed, only the soft nicker of horses and the rich smell of hay to greet him. As a boy, before he had begun training diligently to become a member of the guard, Jaeger had spent his days as a stable boy. Despite their massive size and strength, Jaeger had always loved the horses kept in the stable, tenderly caring for them and telling them about his day as he cleaned their stalls. Sometimes he would share his hopes and dreams as he grew older, and even after he began his guard training, he still stopped by a few times a week to visit.
One of the horses, a stallion by the name of Whisper Wind, stepped forward to hang his head over the gate of his stall. Jaeger smiled, reaching out and stroking the beast on its muzzle as he knew Whisper Wind liked. The stallion nickered softly, shaking his head gently and pressing into Jaeger’s hand.
“I know, it’s been a while, I’m sorry,” Jaeger whispered.
Already, the presence of the horses and hay were soothing the rough edges of his nerves as he stood in the shadows. Far away from the celebration, from Philip and his bride to be, from Orrin’s threat, and the horror that had been the King’s speech, Jaeger allowed himself to relax. When the regents left the dining hall, Jaeger would follow them, root through their belongings if need be, and listen in to their secrets. Until then, he picked up one of the brushes and began running gentle strokes down Whisper Wind’s neck.
It was well into the late hours of the night before the feast began to draw to a close. Jaeger had removed his ceremonial armor, lovingly placing it into the chest it had come from, replacing it with the dark leathers he was more accustomed to. The softer material made little sound as he walked the ramparts, keeping to the shadows as he watched the various nobles trickling out of the hall.
At one point, he spotted Orrin, striding from the dining hall with long, confident steps. The wolf begged to take the man’s life blood, but Jaeger stayed unmoving on the balcony above as he watched the conjurer’s path. From what he’d seen, the man had been very friendly with the regents from Minerva’s group. If the regents were dirty, then it would inevitably follow that the sorcerer was as well. All Jaeger needed was proof.
The regents appeared in the large doors leading from the dining hall moments later. Unsurprisingly, they were clustered together, whispering to one another as they walked. Jaeger traced their movements, and recognized they were headed for the nearby courtyard.
Leaping over the edge of the balcony, Jaeger landed on one of the thick wooden beams above the room. Quick and nimble, he hurried down the stretch of the beam to one of the nearby windows. A quick check for any passing sentry, and he was through the window onto the ramparts. The next step required him to scale the outer wall, his feet and hands finding large enough gaps to fit into as he hurried his way down. He knew the patrols by heart, and kept his eyes open as he carefully moved down to the stone overhang which sat over the entrance to the courtyard.
His timing had been right, and he heard the chatter of the regents as they slipped out into the open air. They were more than a little tipsy, and sounded as if they were having a grand time as they gossiped. Jaeger noticed they were being careful to move away from where the crowd of nobles and guards were clustered. If they were truly trying to avoid being heard, he bet they would head down to the gardens, which lay at the bottom of the hill below the courtyard.
Keeping himself close enough to the group to hear them, while remaining unseen proved difficult. Jaeger was forced to move across the narrow beams of wood which spread between the pillars of the courtyard, darting across when he was sure no one was watching.
As they neared the garden, he was finally able to catch fully formed words from the loud one, Vriegel. “Ah, the food was quite good, though the hospitality could have used some work.”
There was a soft snort from the quieter of the four, Kannity. “You would think the little Prince had been offended. I suppose he felt he had to come to his noble lady’s rescue.”
“A pity Orrin couldn’t teach him any manners as he did with the King,” the rude one, Grecon bemoaned.
Sorcerer Mavist scoffed. “It doesn’t work like that. The King was already primed from all the stress of leading, and from his age. It’s harder to work with one as it, to try to tame a half-wild prince would have been disastrous.”
“Well, I suppose that’s why we don’t need him. With the King playing nice, and us at the head of everything, we don’t need to worry. Everything is going as it should, and soon, we’ll have everything we ever wanted,” Grecon said with an air of dreaminess to her words.
The nosy member of the group, Dribladd, whined. “And when is that supposed to happen? I’m tired of all this waiting.”
Kannity shook her head. “You need to learn some patience. We’re almost at the cusp of making sure everything happens just right. Don’t go ruining it just because you’re getting anxious.”
“We should not have to wait much longer, by the new year, at the latest,” Mavist assured her. They were circling back around toward Jaeger and he had to hurry out of their path. The section of the courtyard they’d walked to at above the hill which descended to the garden. To his dismay, they weren’t going to the garden, but turning back toward the castle. He’d become so engrossed in their conversation he had allowed himself to stay in one position too long. Namely, a position which left him stuck between hoping they never looked to their right as they passed, or risk being seen as he darted to a new hiding place.
“Everything is in place. Orrin needs to finish his end of the deal, and then we can bring out the party favors we had to drag along with us,” Vriegel added.
“I don’t see why we had to bring our own. It’s not as if there isn’t an entire armory in this forsaken corner of the continent,” Grecon complained.
“I imagine it would look odd if we were carrying equipment meant for the guards of this land. Honestly,” Kannity said with aggrieved tones.
Mavist glanced around, forcing Jaeger to press himself against one of the pillars. “We are not out of the woods quite yet. We will speak no more of this until things are in motion.”
Grecon sighed. “So you keep telling us. It’s not as if there’s anyone around to hear us anyway, they’re all too drunk to notice we’re missing.”
“And if the guards think we came out here for a bit of private fun, all the better,” Vriegel said, and Jaeger could see her leering at the group.
“Please, I haven’t had that much to drink. I don’t think there’s enough alcohol in the world to convince me,” Kannity added dryly.
They stopped beside Jaeger’s hiding place, the hem of Grecon’s dress almost brushing against Jaeger as he hid. He could smell them, reeking of perfume and alcohol as they talked. What he wanted, was to reach out, take the daggers pinned to his back, and drive them into their soft, treacherous throats. The only thing that stayed his hand was the thought of Philip. Even if he killed the regents without anyone noticing, there was still the threat of Orrin hanging over the castle. The sorcerer would surely notice something was amiss if the regents disappeared or were found dead, and it would spell disaster for Philip.
To his great relief, the group shifted closer to the castle doors, no longer standing next to him. They were however, making themselves comfortable beside the nearby fountain, with the sorcerer sitting on the edge of the stone walls. Jaeger waited, unmoving for several minutes as they talked. When the stout woman shifted, blocking the sorcerer’s view, Jaeger darted around the pillar, completely out of their sight.
Their voices became shriller as their topic shifted to whatever choice gossip they could muster. Rage filled Jaeger’s mind with furious buzzing as he worked his way around the lower wall of the courtyard. There was an unused servants’ entrance in the grass beside the courtyard, which allowed him to slip into the castle without being seen.
Fear mingled with anger as he made his way down the halls. His path
would lead him directly to Philip’s private chambers. As much as he wanted to end the treachery before it started, he needed to get Philip out of the castle. Once he had the Prince out of harm’s way, he could return and help the King. King Vernal had told Jaeger in private once, about a cache of gold and other necessary supplies. The King had always considered that Jaeger might need to take Philip from the castle, and Jaeger was thankful for the King’s foresight.
His mind was abuzz with thoughts of their escape, and what he would say to Philip to convince him to leave. The Prince was stubborn, and more than a little irrational when it came to the one’s he loved being threatened. If need be, Jaeger would take his friend from the castle by force. He’d taken a vow to protect the royal family, but more importantly, his friend—the man he nursed a secret love for—was in grave danger.
He was so caught up in his thoughts, he never heard the men behind him, not until their arms wrapped around him and a strong hand clamped over his mouth before yanking him out of sight.
Jaeger fought the grip around his arms as he was led down a hallway. “If Orrin thinks he’s going to get away with this, you can tell him he’s as delusional as he is ugly.”
It was the only thing he could think to say, and the men who were ‘escorting’ him chose to ignore him. They had dragged him to a mostly unused section of the castle. It was still maintained of course, and it was better lit than Jaeger could remember it ever being. No one was supposed to be housed in this far corner of the castle, which he imagined was exactly why Orrin wanted him taken to it, where there would be no witnesses.
When they reached the solid door at the end, one of the men released their hold on him long enough to push open the door. Before he could register more than the bright light of a large fire in the hearth, Jaeger was pushed into the room. The door slammed shut behind him, and Jaeger immediately had his blades out from behind his back and at the ready.
Minerva stared at him from her place beside the fire. “It’s nice to see you’re as willing to fight as you are to skulk around in the shadows, cousin.”
“I’m not your cousin,” Jaeger shot back, eyes darting around to take measure of the room.
“It’s a term of respect for those who are so obviously of the northern blood,” Minerva explained politely.
There was no one else armed in the room save for him. Minerva sat near the fire in a plush chair, two young, pretty girls standing behind her. Jaeger started in shock when he spotted Philip in the seat across from her, looking at Jaeger with a raised brow. Jaeger might have thought he was being setup for some sort of prank, save for the fact that Philip was looking as bemused as Jaeger was feeling shocked.
Minerva smiled, sipping from a delicate looking teacup in her hand. “How nice of you to meet with us at this late hour.”
Jaeger glanced behind him, looking for any armed guards or assassins. “I suppose it wouldn’t do much good to play the part of a confused soldier who has no idea why he’s here, would it?”
Minerva set the cup on a small table beside her chair. “No, we’re long past that point. I think we can afford to be honest with one another, since you were being good enough to spy on my regents for me. And you can stop looking around, the only people in here are the ones you see.”
“You’ll forgive me if I’m a bit doubtful after having been dragged in here by a pair of armed guards,” Jaeger said.
“They’re good men, who seek to serve me to the best of their ability. I instructed them to inform you of nothing, just in case you were overheard where they found you. Don’t worry, they can be trusted,” Minerva said.
“But not trusted enough to be in the room while we talk,” Jaeger pointed out.
Minerva shrugged lightly. “There are very few men and women whom I trust. The two men who brought you here are just such people, but they would better serve keeping an eye out for anyone seeking myself or the Prince. They don’t need to know what’s going on in order to do their jobs.”
Jaeger nodded at the two quiet women behind her. “And those two?”
“The two people who I have trusted with every secret I carry,” Minerva said.
“And if they were interrogated?” Jaeger asked.
“One could ask the same about you,” Minerva said.
Jaeger shook his head. “I’ve been trained to resist interrogation.”
Philip’s head jerked toward him. “You’ve what?”
Jaeger winced. “It’s part of the training that goes into the personal guard. We’re supposed to be able to not only keep you safe, but hold your secrets, even under torture.”
Philip looked a little pale as he leaned back into his seat. “I hadn’t…I had not known you…”
Minerva smiled. “I would count yourself lucky then, my prince. There are very few friends who would willingly put themselves through so much to remain at your side. He really does love you.”
It was Jaeger’s turn to look up sharply. “Excuse me?”
Minerva’s laugh was teasing but kind. “You may have managed to evade the notice of my regents, but neither of you are as subtle as you think. Any who cared to pay attention would have seen the love and affection between you both, the kind which goes well beyond the bounds of friendship, lifelong or not.”
Jaeger looked to Philip, who looked just as confused and worried as he did. The Prince could put on a good show of being genial, friendly, and even a little vapid when he needed to. Philip however, wasn’t the best at hiding his emotions when he was caught off guard. When something managed to slip past his defenses, all his emotions were laid bare and one could almost read every thought that passed through the young prince’s mind.
Jaeger could see fear on Philip’s face, and deep concern. The Prince was worried about why Jaeger was brought back to speak to them, but he was more worried about what the Princess knew. The woman had been more perceptive than even Jaeger had given her credit for, and she had them at a distinct disadvantage.
“So, let’s get a few other things out of the way before we discuss what happens next. My men weren’t able to keep track of you, but I assume you were hurrying back to alert Philip of what you learned, correct?” Minerva asked, politely ignoring Philip’s worry.
Jaeger nodded. “They weren’t blatant in their conversation, but anyone could have read between the barely drawn lines to know what they were speaking about.”
Minerva hummed. “Namely, they plan to kill Philip, and most likely myself as well. With the King under the power of Sorcerer Orrin, the regents can rule freely.”
Philip straightened. “What’s this about my father?”
Jaeger gave Philip a grim nod. “By the sounds of it, Orrin is the cause of your father’s state of mind. I don’t know exactly what he’s been doing, but the King has been slowly coming under his sway. They expect he’ll be completely under Orrin’s control by the new year, and by then, they’ll have killed you, and the Princess both.”
“Leaving them a puppet king, and power-hungry men and women to lead both nations,” Philip said.
Minerva nodded. “And no one around who’d dare to stop them.”
Philip stared at Minerva, eyes narrowing. “You knew what they were doing to my father?”
“I had my suspicions, yes. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen the effects of mind control go awry. When I heard the rumors of the King’s problems, I began to wonder just what Orrin was up to. Witnessing one of your father’s…moments is what solidified my suspicions. Sorcerer Orrin has been trying to bring the King under his control for some time I believe, and both how long it’s taken to work, and your father’s bouts of confusion and regression are caused by the King’s refusal to give in. I do not believe your father knows what’s happening, but he has such a strong will and healthy mind that he’s unconsciously fighting the Conjurer’s influence,” Minerva explained.
Philip’s grim expression never faltered. “But he can’t fight it forever, can he?”
Minerva shook her head. “
No, and I fear your father’s time is drawing closer. My being here is an indication of that. With me here, they have all the pieces in place, and can strike when necessary.”
“It wouldn’t be hard, to assassinate you both and place the blame for the crime on someone else. With your father under Orrin’s control, and the regents in the Princess’ place, who would question their judgment?” Jaeger asked bitterly.
“But why? Is this just for power?” Philip asked.
Minerva snorted. “You say that as if it isn’t a sufficient enough reason. With us out of their way, they’d have the power of two kingdoms behind them. Anything they wished to do, they could. I know for a fact they hold no love for the Forest of Arden and its people. With all opposition out of their path, they would march on the forest and use their full power to wipe the forest packs off the face of existence.”
“But why? We’ve always had a great relationship with them, hell, that’s half the reason we were willing to go to war with your kingdom!” Philip protested.
Jaeger shook his head. “Yes, but Orrin isn’t of the south, so he doesn’t have the love and reverence of the forest like most southerners.”
Philip deflated. “And considering how much everyone trusts his word, it wouldn’t be hard for him to convince people to turn on the Arden people either, would it?”
“You mean his prophecies? I doubt they’re even real at this point,” Jaeger snorted.
Minerva winced. “The flaw in your plan, is that by all accounts, he can perceive the future. That’s not to say he couldn’t be using the prophecy to his own advantage, but his predictions may very well be true.”
“So, I’m still on the fast track to our marriage bed then,” Philip said dully.
