Kwin

by Trudie Collins

  Gareth placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Get these people home,” he said calmly. “I will deal with the body.”

  “Yes sir,” the man said then turned around. “You heard the man,” he called out. “Let’s get these wagon’s moving. These people need to get out of this country and returned to their families.”

  Gareth watched them leave until they were out of sight.

  “What do you want us to do with the corpse?” Fen asked.

  “Leave it where it is,” Gareth said to his second-in-command. “After all he did, he doesn’t deserve a burial.”

  Fen grinned at him. “I have a better idea. With your permission?”

  Gareth didn’t ask what Fen had planned, he merely nodded his head. He watched as Fen took out his knife and set to work.

  Once Fen had finished his task, Gareth ordered his soldiers to mount up. Their break was over and they had a lot of ground to cover. As they rode away, they left behind them the interpreter, tied to a tree, his shirt hanging open and the word ‘traitor’ cut into his chest.

  Chapter 44

  The sound of Luka’s communication device being activated echoed around the house for the fifth time that morning. The news was travelling fast. The invasion had started.

  The reports were sketchy at first, starting off as merely rumour, then more details began to emerge. It seemed that the Tippetians had not only found a way to enter the country, but also to stop the shackles working. Luka knew it was her fault, but a change had to happen. She just hoped her country survived.

  Initial reports were that the Tippetian army were killing everyone of Wayvern blood, but once the hysteria died down, the real story came through. Anyone caught owning or controlling slaves was instantly put to death, along with anyone who interfered. A shudder ran through Luka when she heard the news; there was going to be a lot of deaths.

  Names of those who had died were being passed along. So far nobody Luka knew well had died, but it would only be a matter of time.

  Reluctantly she made her way to her room to speak to whoever was calling her. She didn’t want to hear about any more death. She wanted to shut herself away until it was over, but that wasn’t an option.

  She grimaced when an image of Moda appeared in front of her. “What do you want?’ she asked coldly.

  “You have to help me,” Moda said. She sounded terrified. “The Tippetian army is coming. What do I do?”

  Luka felt nothing as she said, “You wait for them to arrive, and then you die.”

  “Would killing all of my slaves help? That way they won’t know I owned any.”

  There was hatred in Luka’s eyes as she said, “If you do that, the Tippetian soldiers will make sure you die very slowly and very painfully.”

  She disconnected, cutting her mother off before she could respond. She should have felt something, knowing that the woman who gave birth to her was about to die, but she didn’t. No regret, no sorrow, no joy, nothing, absolutely nothing.

  Her communicator sounded again and she debated ignoring it, assuming it would be Moda calling her back, but it might be someone else, someone who needed her help, so she reluctantly answered.

  It was Ofar, and she had been crying, judging by the tear streaks on her face. “Luka,” she said as she sobbed. “He’s dead. Raina is dead.”

  Luka didn’t offer her sympathy because she was glad he had been dealt with. He had been an evil, sadistic man. She just hoped that he had suffered. “What happened?” she asked.

  “Tippetian soldiers attacked the estate he was staying at. They killed everyone wearing a controlling bracelet. Raina had the foresight to release his slaves and take his off, but his slaves told the soldiers he was their owner and the soldiers just took their word for it.”

  ‘Good,’ Luka thought to herself, but refrained from saying it.

  Ofar hadn’t finished. “The guards did nothing. They just stood by and let it happen.”

  “Of course they did,” Luka could not stop herself saying. “Did you really think they would lay down their lives for him? How do you know all this?”

  “My uncle contacted me. Raina was staying with him. He’s never owned a slave so was spared.”

  Luka said nothing. She didn’t have any words of comfort for Ofar.

  “What do we do?” Ofar asked in a quiet voice. “Are we all going to die?”

  “I don’t know,” Luka said. “I’m sorry but I don’t know.”

  Once she managed to get rid of Ofar, Luka made her way downstairs, where Drake was waiting for her. He looked grim.

  “What’s the news?”

  “Raina’s dead,” Luka said in an emotionless voice.

  Drake grunted. “Well that’s no loss.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. But many more people are going to die, people who don’t deserve to.”

  Drake misunderstood her concern. “We won’t let anything happen to you,” he said as he put his arm around her. Then he smiled at her. “What am I talking about? I should be saying that you won’t let anything happen to us.”

  Luka forced herself to smile. “That’s not what has me concerned. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t told Gareth about the flowers or given him his shackles back, this wouldn’t be happening.”

  “It would have happened eventually,” he assured her. “And what was the alternative? Not let him go back to Tippet? You know that was never an option.”

  Luka sighed. “I know. I just wish Kwin was here.”

  Drake hugged her tighter. “Me too.”

  Suddenly she tensed. “Someone has just entered the grounds,” she said. “A lot of someone’s. Get everyone into the house. I don’t think they will hurt any of you, but I’m not taking any chances.”

  Drake let go of her and ran off to pass on the message. By the time the soldiers arrived, all of the servants were safely inside, except for Drake, Koal, Kail and a number of the gardeners and stable hands. They stood beside Luka, in front of the door, waiting for the soldiers to approach. More of the men had wanted to join her, but she insisted the others remain inside, ready to protect the women and children, should the need arise.

  Other than Luka, all were armed with swords, knives, pitchforks, hoes, whatever they could lay their hands on.

  When whoever seemed to be in charge of the company of soldiers was close enough, Luka called out in Tippetian. “Leave here now, while you still can.” It was an empty threat; she wouldn’t kill anyone unless she had to.

  The man laughed. “It is you who will be leaving.” He spoke the Wayvern language. It wasn’t perfect, but it was understandable.

  “Over my dead body,” she said.

  The man grinned. “That is the plan.” He dismounted and stepped forward, only to find himself unable to get to her, his path blocked by an invisible barrier. He cursed loudly.

  “Magic won’t save you. Have your magic user drop the shield or you won’t be the only one to die here today.”

  “No. This is my land and I will do everything I can to protect it and the people living here.”

  The soldier looked behind him and called one of the women under his command forward. “Break the barrier,” he instructed.

  Luka could feel magic pushing against her shield, but it had no effect. Compared to her, the Tippetian magic user was a weak novice.

  It didn’t take her long to give up and shake her head at her commanding officer.

  “Never mind,” he said. “We’ll just go around it.”

  “You can try,” Luka called out. “I have the entire house protected. My shield completely surrounds it on all sides, above and below. You and your men will not be entering here unless I permit it.”

  “Horseshit,” the magic user called out. “Nobody is that powerful.”

  Luka stared coldly at the woman as she said, “I am.”

  The man in command looked at his magic user and she shook her head. “She’s delusional. It’s not possible.”

  He motioned with his arms that some
of his soldiers should go around the house and find where the shield ended. While they manoeuvred around the building, he continued talking.

  “You are only making this hard on yourself. Drop the shield and we will kill you quickly. If not, I will make sure you suffer more than you could possibly imagine.”

  Luka laughed. This man really had no idea who he was up against. To demonstrate, she created a ball of fire and threw it at him. She purposely aimed too high; it was meant to scare him, not hurt him.

  The magic user began to swear. “Women in this country aren’t supposed to be able to do magic,” she said quietly to her commander.

  The soldiers returned, all reporting that the shield did, indeed, completely surround the house.

  Canis chose that moment to make an appearance, walking through the wall of the house and up to his mistress. Some of the enemy soldiers screamed.

  “What in Hellan’s name is that thing?” the commander called out.

  “It’s called a dog. Don’t you have them where you come from?” Luka said sarcastically.

  “Not ones that walk through walls,” he growled at her.

  Luka shrugged. “Your loss.”

  “I am so going to enjoy strangling you.”

  “You will have to get to me first,” Luka said. “It looks like we have a siege situation on our hands. My house is fully stocked with food. We can last weeks in here. Let’s see how long you can last shall we?” She turned her back on him and walked back toward the house.

  She heard movement behind her, but didn’t turn around. The arrival of more soldiers would make no difference. She was almost to the house when a familiar voice called out to her.

  “Luka, stop playing about and drop your father’s shield.”

  She was so stunned, she spun around. Gareth couldn’t be there.

  But there he was, smiling at her. “Looks like I got here just in time. I don’t know how the shield is still holding, but it won’t keep these soldiers out forever.”

  Luka was fed up with pretending. There was no point in keeping her secret any longer.

  “The shield is still holding because I am maintaining it. And despite your reservations, it will hold for as long as it needs to. Now go away and leave us in peace. I will not let you harm anyone here. They are under my protection.”

  “Luka−” Gareth started to say but was interrupted by Luka throwing a fireball at him. This one was aimed directly at his head. She wasn’t worried about hitting him; he could easily defend himself, but she did need him to realise that she meant business.

  “I said leave.”

  Gareth threw up a defensive shield, which the fireball bounced off harmlessly.

  “What is going on here?” the man who until a few moments ago thought he was in charge said. “Have you come to take command of my men Commander Gareth?”

  “No. I’m just here to deal with Luka.” Then he turned his attention back to her. “I didn’t know you could do magic. You really had me fooled. And Kwin. Neither of us had any idea. We couldn’t work out how your father’s magic could still be working, but it never occurred to us it was you.”

  As he spoke, he gently used his magic to probe her shield. Then he became more forceful. It had no effect. “Impressive,” he called out.

  Before Luka could respond, Gareth turned his attention to the other soldier. “I’m taking over here. Take your unit and leave. I will deal with this situation.”

  A look of relief passed over the man’s face before he nodded and ordered his soldiers to mount up. “Good luck,” he said then rode away.

  Luka mentally probed around the area, making sure no other soldiers were around, then dropped her shield. She ran into Gareth’s outstretched arms and he hugged her tight.

  Suddenly an irrational fear gripped her and she struggled free. “You’re not here to kill me are you?”

  Gareth grinned at her. “Try to you mean.” Then he laughed. “Of course I’m not. I’m here to take you home. The king has agreed to give you asylum.”

  Then Canis ran forward, causing Gareth’s friends to all draw their swords. He leaped at Gareth, tackling him to the ground. Fen stepped closer, sword out in front of him, but stopped and grinned when he saw that the only danger Gareth was in was being licked to death.

  “Meet Canis,” Gareth said as he tried, unsuccessfully, to push the dog off him.

  “Leave the man alone,” Luka said, her voice filled with amusement. She couldn’t put into words how good it was to see Gareth. She just wished Kwin was with him.

  Koal walked over and offered his hand to Gareth, who paused before taking it; the chef still had a large cleaver in his other hand.

  “You look like you need some decent food,” he said. “Come on in. Your compatriots arrived just as I was putting the finishing touches to the meal. There should be enough to go round.”

  Luka watched Gareth’s friends put away their weapons. Only then did she invite them into the house. Gareth made quick introductions then told Luka all that had happened since he had left Wayvern.

  She was not surprised that he had taken a flower with him; it was the logical thing to do. She waited until he had finished eating before asking the question she was dreading the answer to. “Have you managed to contact Kwin?”

  Gareth shook his head. “No. I was hoping to be able to now that I am back in Wayvern, but nothing has changed. It’s almost as if he’s blocking his mind.”

  Luka stared at the mug of coffee she wasn’t drinking. She couldn’t face eating and one sip of the drink had made her feel sick. Everything was changing and she had no idea what the future held for her or any of her servants. She could easily defend herself against any attack, but was that the right thing to do? Her servants had the right to go home, but most of them wouldn’t leave her.

  “So what happens now?” she asked.

  “My squad and I will escort you and everyone else here to Tippet. Lady Shona has invited you to stay with her, until you find your own place.”

  If Gareth had been expecting enthusiasm from her, he didn’t get it. “I will have to think about it,” she said, then left the room. She collected all of her servants together and gave them two options. They could leave with Gareth, or they could stay. She would abide by the decision of the majority.

  Drake took her hand. “I go wherever you go.” Others nodded their agreement.

  Tears formed in her eyes and she had to blink them away. “I will leave you alone to discuss it. If you decide to go home, I will go with you.”

  “This is home,” someone said.

  “I know,” she told the young man. “But it’s no longer safe. Tippetian soldiers will not stop coming and, one day, they might be able to break through our defences.”

  She then left. She didn’t want to hear any more. Leaving was the sensible thing to do. She went directly to her room and opened her safe. It was filled with gold coins and gemstones, as well as all of her jewellery, not that she ever wore any of it. The only thing she ever put on was the ring which now adorned Henna’s finger.

  She emptied the entire contents onto her bed and began to divide it into piles. She was only halfway through the task when there was a knock at the door. Drake entered and gave her the news that they had decided to leave. Luka was sad, but wasn’t surprised. It was the right thing to do.

  “What are you doing?” he asked when he looked at the bed.

  “I have no idea what sort of lives anyone is going back to. This will help them make a new start. Can you get me some bags please.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Drake said. “You will need this.”

  “Yes,” Luka said forcefully. “I do. There is one other thing I have to do as well. Please can you find the ownership papers for all of my businesses. I need to sign them over to those who are running them.”

  “Of course,” Drake said and left her alone. She contacted her man of business, who agreed to visit immediately to collect the documents and deliver them to the relevant
people.

  Bags were packed, horses were saddled and carts and carriages made ready. Koal made sure that there was plenty of food for the journey and as many tools and pieces of equipment as possible were loaded into wagons. If the servants were to start new lives, they would need the means to do so.

  When nearly everything was packed and everyone ready to leave, Gareth approached Luka. He looked down at Canis, who was sitting at her feet.

  “He can’t come with us,” Gareth said. “The king will never allow a magically enhanced dog into the country.”

  Canis curled one lip at him then jumped through the door of one of the carriages and settled on the floor.

  Luka smiled at Gareth. “Fine. But you can be the one to make him get out.”

  Gareth looked at the carriage, then back at Luka. “Never mind,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll behave.”

  Luka took one last look at her house before she placed a shield around it. It had been her home for a long time, even before she actually lived there. It was full of memories of good times with her father. And with Kwin.

  She missed him; she missed him so much. How would he find her if she left?

  Forcing the question from her mind, she turned her back on her past and mounted her horse. A new life in Tippet was waiting for her, but she was not looking forward to it.

  Chapter 45

  Kwin placed a log on the fire then stood up. The weeks had dragged into months as he slowly recovered his strength. With each passing day his impatience grew. Maggie had done all she could to help and the day had finally arrived for him to leave. There was somewhere he needed to be, but he still didn’t know where; he didn’t think it was Tippet.

  His memory had not returned. He still had no idea who he was. Maggie had started to call him Milo, after her son who had died at birth, but it didn’t feel right.

  He would leave first thing in the morning. Maggie had decided to go with him. He had told her a lot about the teaching academy in his homeland where he had been trained in how to harness his magic and she wanted to see it before she died. She had no idea if she would even be allowed in the country, but there was no harm in finding out.