Keeper: First Ordinance, Book 2

by Suttle, Connie

  That's how all of us prepared to leave the ship—by smaller boats lowered to the water by the ship's crew.

  "Truly archaic," Kaldill whispered at my side as he gazed at the city beyond. Berel, breathing short, excited breaths, recorded more images on his tab-vid as we awaited our turn in the boats.

  "Quin and I will arrive as we should—by flying," Justis' hand dropped to my shoulder. That meant Ardis would fly with us. "We will accompany the boat carrying Omina and Amlis. It is proper that they be guarded by Avii upon their arrival."

  "I will place a shield, then," Daragar nodded to Justis. "To ensure your safe arrival."

  "You have my thanks," Justis ducked his head. He knew—as did I—that Daragar thought to protect me, first. Kaldill, standing nearby, hid a smile.

  You have my thanks as well, I silently sent to Daragar. He smiled, then.

  You are welcome, he replied.

  * * *

  Lironis

  Yann, Varnell's man-at-arms, shaded his eyes as he gazed westward. A minor noble, Yann had been assigned to Varnell ten turns earlier, when he was still a stripling. Yann hated the old man—and the King—but hid his feelings as well as any other inside the castle.

  Many times, he wished himself strong enough to murder Yevil, but realized his death would come swiftly should he try—at either Yevil's hand or the King's guards'.

  Instead, Yann spent most of his days barely speaking and obeying Varnell's every whim. Today, Varnell had sent him to the old docks to see what the fuss was. Yann resolved to never forget the way the Prince-Heir and the Queen arrived—in a sturdy metal boat manned by strange sailors and guarded by three Avii, whose wings beat a steady rhythm as they flew about it.

  Omina and Amlis stood tall at the center of the boat while it raced toward the shore. Several of the men aboard the vessel held strange weapons, too—to Yann, they appeared as thick, metal sticks. He had no idea what their purpose might be, other than to strike another with their weight.

  Shoving his way to the front of the crowd waiting on the rotting dock, Yann was the first to drop to his knees and pledge support to Amlis the moment the Prince stepped onto the old pier, the Queen right behind him.

  * * *

  Quin

  "Make way for the Prince. Make way for the Queen," the crowd took up the chant as Amlis strode forward, his boots making the wooden planks creak beneath his feet while Omina walked a step behind at his shoulder. Rodrik watched the crowd warily as he had no sword—it had stayed behind at Avii Castle.

  Justis, Ardis and I landed lightly behind; the crowd pulled away from us automatically. I would have too—the gaze Justis leveled upon them relayed his accusations—in his eyes, they'd all murdered Elabeth and Camryn.

  When Daragar and Kaldill appeared from nothing, the crowd gasped and shrank farther back. They knew nothing of those who might appear and disappear at will. The sight of a very tall, blue man was also something they might never expect; therefore, the Larentii frightened them.

  "It's Finder," I heard someone whisper. Jerking quickly, I turned to see who'd spoken.

  Eyes ahead, dear Quin, Kaldill spoke into my mind. We will make discoveries later.

  He was right—it wasn't my purpose to search for those who might recognize me—I was there to guard the Prince and Queen.

  More gasps came as additional boats disembarked behind us; I didn't turn to look. Berel, Wolter and the others would be coming ashore guarded by Kondari soldiers, all of whom carried weapons.

  The walk from the docks to the castle took half an hour, and half of Lironis arrived to watch as we strode unhindered through the palace gates. I didn't fail to notice, however, that the people who watched were more starved and sickly than they'd been when I left.

  The sight of it grieved me much.

  It wasn't until Amlis and Rodrik approached the main door that Varnell's guards appeared; they'd hastily dressed in old armor and faced us with their swords drawn. Varnell himself pushed through them until he stood six paces from Amlis, a blade drawn and pointed threateningly at the Prince.

  "You think to delay me?"

  It wasn't Amlis who spoke, or Rodrik or the Queen. Varnell blinked at his empty hand and then at Justis, who'd snatched the blade from the old man's grip. "I tell you this, old man," Justis held the sword to Varnell's throat and hissed in his face, "If any are still living who participated in Elabeth's murder, I will kill them myself."

  Justis tossed Varnell's blade onto the courtyard stones, where it rang its metallic protest into ensuing silence.

  * * *

  "I wish to send a message to my father in Vhrist," Amlis said. He'd found his quarters much as he'd left them, aside from the thick layer of dust that covered everything.

  "Unwise, my Prince," Rodrik scolded. Amlis nodded after a moment and I released the breath I'd held.

  Dena, who'd followed me, now supervised the maids who'd shown up to clean Amlis' chambers while the rest of us attended to other duties.

  Across the hall, more maids and servants did the same for Omina. Wolter and Deeds had gone to the kitchens to see about food and supplies while Berel, who sat at the Prince's desk conversing with his father, offered supplies from the ships if needed.

  "Son, allow me to speak with Quin, please," Edden said.

  "Yes, High President?" I moved to stand at Berel's elbow, so Edden could see my face in Berel's screen.

  "There are airchoppers on board one of the ships," he said. "I understand that someone must accompany my pilots to get in and out again. Who will you recommend to guide us?"

  "Orik," I said immediately. "He has sailed the waters around Fyris for many years and knows how to locate the strait. Fen, also. Perhaps one or two others, depending upon how many airchoppers you wish to send."

  "Two, I think, for a preliminary relief delivery," Edden said. "I'll have supplies delivered to Avii Castle, and the airchoppers can fly them from there."

  "That would be greatly appreciated," I said. "The people are starving—the harvests have been very poor and far from what they should be."

  "Yes, we've analyzed the images Berel sent and that's our conclusion as well."

  "I hope the people will agree to allow the ships' medical staff to examine those who are ill," Berel said.

  "That may take time—they are quite distrustful at the moment, as your technology appears to be sorcery to them. They don't understand it at all."

  "Will you heal them?" Berel asked.

  "I may do some," I allowed my shoulders to droop. "I worry about depleting my energy in the face of so many."

  "Not everything is your worry," Wolter walked in and dropped a hand on my shoulder. "Do what must be done and in private. We don't need all of Fyris at the castle gate when they learn what you can do."

  "Quin, many of them are treatable through other means. Save what you have for the worst off and most deserving," Edden said. I knew what he wasn't saying—that he'd had to pay for that privilege for Berel. I wanted to apologize, but it hadn't been my greed that demanded payment. I would have done the healing for nothing, because it was deserved—by father and son.

  "Halthea is dead—she tried to kill the King," I blurted instead.

  "I have already heard that news so I know why you tell me this," Edden nodded. "It is none of your fault, child. We understand this."

  "Thank you, High President," I ducked my head in a gesture of respect. Edden smiled at me in return. "I shall make you a citizen of Kondar. Immediately," he replied.

  * * *

  Vhrist

  "Do you know anything about this?" Tamblin tossed a hand-drawn picture through the bars of Rath's cell.

  Rath stood slowly—the mattress he'd been given was barely an improvement over the stone floor beneath it; the straw bedding had flattened long ago. It did nothing to help the joint disease he'd developed after sixty years of life.

  Lifting the parchment drawing before straightening with an effort, Rath blinked at the strange image. "What is this?"
he turned to Tamblin. Yevil stood at Tamblin's shoulder, glaring.

  "Glare all you want, it won't offer insight into what this is," Rath handed the drawing to Tamblin through the bars and shook his head. "I've never seen such. Is it a ship?"

  "That's what the fishermen say who saw it," Tamblin snorted.

  "Where is it now?" Rath asked.

  "We don't know. The sailors were too frightened and too slow to chase it."

  "Then you know more than I," Rath said. "Has it attacked, or provoked attack?"

  "We have no word of such," Tamblin replied. Yevil shuffled angrily at Tamblin's side.

  "It is an enemy, that is plain to see," Yevil's words exploded in an angry growl.

  "Are you taking these sailor's words for truth, then, without seeing this for yourself? Were they drunk, perhaps?" Rath lifted an eyebrow at Yevil. "Were they attacked? How do you know it is an enemy?"

  "Why would they be here, then?" Yevil demanded.

  Rath, even in the dim light of the dungeon, saw the spittle fly from Yevil's mouth as he spoke.

  "Just because your ships plan an invasion doesn't mean that anyone else might possess such an insane notion," Rath observed.

  "What other reason would there be?" Yevil hissed, his voice harsh and accusing. "You and the filth you call your sister planned this, somehow."

  "We planned nothing," Rath snapped.

  "No? What is this, then?" Yevil jerked a message from an inner pocket of his jacket and tossed it through the bars.

  Rath didn't need to pick it up—he knew what it was. Hirill had been instrumental in this bit of treachery. The message he'd sent to the winged guardians had never left Fyris. "I hope I live long enough to witness your deaths," Rath hissed.

  * * *

  Lironis

  Quin

  Rodrik took his usual quarters in Amlis' suite. I think he wanted me to stay with the Prince, too, but Justis insisted that I stay with him—he'd been given a suite next to Amlis'. Ardis and Dena took a suite next to Omina's, while Kaldill and Daragar had temporary rooms at the top of the castle.

  I resolved to visit them when I could—I'd never been to the upper levels of the castle, after all; Tamblin kept them closed off to all. Berel chose to stay with his guards on the flagship; Wolter and Deeds went with the Queen to provide a guard for her.

  Sophie and Yissy had also gone with the Queen; I had a feeling that Sophie would find herself named as dressmaker to the Queen and maid-in-waiting before two days had passed.

  I had no idea who was running the kitchens now that Wolter had taken another position, but food was provided according to a regular plan. A delivery of food and supplies had already come from the Kondari ships—the castle cooks had never seen packaged food before and had to be shown what to do with it.

  The Kondari language also escaped the kitchen staff; therefore, three Kondari were dispatched with the supplies to assist in food preparations. I doubted they'd ever seen such archaic methods of cooking, but they mimed much to make themselves understood by the kitchen help.

  I knew, too, that things were deteriorating in Vhrist, but dithered over whom to approach first with the news. Rath was still alive but that wouldn't be true for much longer. "The airchoppers are flying toward Avii Castle, with Orik and three others aboard," Berel said after he arrived and flopped onto a settee near the window.

  I'd stared, unseeing, through a suite window while considering the problems facing us. If Tamblin were a rational man, and were Yevil even half as evil as he was, we could come together and discuss the greater problems facing Siriaa.

  As it was, neither of those things were true. While Rath might be a womanizing noble at times, he still recognized the danger Fyris was in and knew that sending an invading fleet toward an unknown country was more than foolish.

  "The Queen's brother is in a dungeon in Vhrist—on the northern border of Fyris," I turned to Berel, then. "Yevil and the King promised him thirty days while they awaited a response from Amlis. I fear they may void their promise and execute him anyway."

  "Does the Queen know?" Berel sat up straighter and studied me with interest.

  "No. Neither does Amlis or Rodrik. Rath is Rodrik's father, and I worry that if I tell any of them, they'll race toward Vhrist, only to get caught in Yevil's net."

  "What's this?" Justis stalked in. He'd overheard part of my conversation with Berel. Hoping he'd react in a rational manner, I explained what I knew.

  Chapter 4

  Lironis

  Quin

  "Airchoppers will make too much noise," Berel pointed out. "They'll know we're coming. My concern, of course, is that innocents may die attacking Kondari troops, who have body armor and advanced weapons. I want no deaths," he added.

  "I want Yevil's death," Amlis hissed. Rodrik kept his silence as he sat next to the Prince, but his face revealed a terrible anger. As much as he and his father disagreed, he still loved him.

  "Riding horseback will get us there far too late," Deeds offered. Amlis nodded his agreement.

  "The waters surrounding Vhrist are very shallow," Daragar offered. "A ship cannot get close enough to facilitate an escape. You'd be dependent upon the airchoppers again, and that, as young Berel has so aptly pointed out, will result in unnecessary deaths."

  "Fly in," Dena suggested. "We have six black-wing guards, a Yellow Wing, a Green Wing, a Blue Wing and the White Wing. Surely we can get in and out silently enough and carry away one man."

  "Black Wings only," Justis began.

  "You will waste time searching for the proper cell," I said. "I will go as a guide."

  Kaldill and Daragar exchanged glances when I spoke, but neither offered comment. "How long will it take to fly from here?" Ardis asked.

  "Less than two hours," Justis replied. I knew then that he'd made this journey before.

  Gurnil, who sat at the meeting table writing notes swiftly across parchment, glanced up and nodded to Justis. "I will expect a report upon your return, Commander," Gurnil said.

  "You will have it," Justis agreed. "Come—Black Wings and Quin with me. We leave at nightfall."

  * * *

  Vhrist

  The drawings Tamblin held this time defied explanation. Along with the drawings came descriptions of loud noises accompanying the contraptions. Who knew what they could be, and this, so shortly after their conversation with Rath in the dungeons?

  "We will have the execution tomorrow," Tamblin nodded to Yevil. "In public. Then we will send his head to Lironis—to my wife. If she's there, as Rath claims, then it's only right that they should see one another," Tamblin laughed.

  "Tell the bitch to bow to you or she'll be next," Yevil's voice was sly.

  "Sounds reasonable enough, only include Amlis in that charge. Place extra guards around Rath's cage, too."

  "I'll see it done, my King."

  * * *

  Lironis

  Quin

  "If you tire, let me know. I'll have Ardis carry you," Justis said. "Regardless, before we reach Vhrist, I'll have him carry you anyway, to hide your white wings. Black is not easily seen, and we've drilled for this many times. All we need is your locating skills."

  "I know," I nodded. "I worry that he may be moved, in case any of his men make a rescue attempt."

  "They'd be better off fighting Tamblin's troops," Justis huffed.

  "They're outnumbered, and the King's troops fear Yevil," I explained. "I fear that he may have more weapons like the one Amlis took to Avii Castle. Sadly, the thing exploded when their ship was attacked by Kondari airchoppers, which also caused the boat to explode. Beatris barely had time to leap from the deck before it was incinerated."

  "He had a weapon that exploded?"

  "You should ask Amlis about it—he carried it away from Vhrist," I shrugged. "I think it was the one used to kill Elabeth and Camryn."

  That admission stopped Justis cold. "What did it look like?" His voice sounded deadly.

  "Ask Amlis—he and Rodrik held it," I sai
d.

  "Come," he snapped. I followed him out of our suite.

  * * *

  "It looked something like this," Amlis hastily drew a sketch with pen and ink upon a scrap of parchment.

  "That cannot be. Nothing like that should be in Fyris," Justis breathed.

  "It made a hole in Brin's chest," Rodrik indicated the size of his fist. "Yevil killed him with the infernal device after Brin stabbed Timblor."

  "You know what it is," I gazed at Justis, who looked grim.

  "These are supposed to be hidden in Jurris' private treasury," Justis claimed, studying the sketch again.

  "What is it, then?" Amlis, asked.

  "An ancient weapon," Justis muttered. "A dangerous one. How did such as this come to Fyris?"

  "I believe that may be determined by Yevil's parentage," I said. "I know Tamblin allows him sway in most things, and I wonder at that. I also wonder what Yevil's back looks like when he removes his shirt."

  "What are you saying?" Rodrik asked.

  "I've never seen Yevil without a shirt," Amlis admitted. "Even when sparring with swords."

  "A half-blood?" Justis lifted an eyebrow.

  "Perhaps. I feel too much of a connection between him and another that I know of."

  "We are in deep trouble," Gurnil sighed.

  * * *

  Kondar

  "Dorthil, this is useless. We need collaboration, not civil war," Edden said. He'd placed a vid-call to Dorthil, who was currently a guest of Sector Two's President and his advisors. Edden didn't point out that Sector Two was experiencing upheaval regarding heavy-handed legislation churned out by the current President and his staff; that would ensure Dorthil's continued fomentation of civil war.

  "Fourth Sector is with us," Dorthil snapped. "You merely wish to save your skin. I should have disposed of you when I had the chance."

  "You realize those words are treasonous?" Melis Norwal's face appeared behind Edden's shoulder. "Sector Two has not yet declared its secession from Kondar. From where do you expect to import grain? Sector Two holds a shoreline and its chief exports are fish, shellfish and vid components. Stop this foolishness now and help us find a cure for this poison. Sector Two's fish are already contaminated with it."