The Fireblade Array: 4-Book Bundle

by H. O. Charles

  She munched heavily on her food as a

  distraction. “Yes, Si. Farmers can be tall.”

  Neleum raised an eyebrow. “We really shouldn’t have farmers wandering in and out of the woods, no matter how tall.”

  Her father nodded. “We’ll scour the perimeter tomorrow. Why didn’t you mention this, Artemi?”

  “I didn’t think he was a problem.”

  He sniffed. “You cannot afford to trust everyone you meet, girl.”

  Artemi stayed quiet for the rest of their dinner, thankful that no more was asked about her visitor.

  As she stood from the table, darkskinned Cydia asked, “Will you join us for a few glasses of wine, my lady?” His gold earrings bobbed as he spoke.

  She had to decline. It would only result in more teasing and difficult questioning from the overly straightforward men. “I could do with a good night’s sleep,” she lied, “Maybe next time.”

  The walk up the stairs to her room seemed to take an age. It wasn’t that her body was weary, but rather her mind felt stretched from her new responsibilities. She needed to escape the house for an evening or longer. Tomorrow she could set off on a new mission; Neleum wanted to visit his family and she would be allowed to accompany him. Her new lieutenant friend did not have to know anything about it.

  She stumbled into her warm, weaponfilled room and illuminated it with several candles. Artemi cast off her blue riding dress and slip, before thrusting her face into a bowl of icy water. Once her hair was soaked through, she pulled it back and set her sword by the bed, just as she had been taught as a child. The soft sheets beckoned and, upon answering their call, she immediately fell asleep in a shameful state of undress.

  When she opened her eyes again, she was still drowsy, and something discordant had jarred her from deep sleep. Artemi looked around in the moonlit room, but there was nothing untoward hiding in the shadows. She drew her sword toward her, and curled around the edge of the bed to peer beneath it. The space was clear. She sat up again and dragged the top-sheet across her body. Something odd had awoken her.

  Artemi remained still but ready.

  A noise came from outside.

  She poised - crouched on tiptoe, one foot ready to push off the bedside cabinet. A dark shadow filled the window, causing her breath to catch.

  The form’s clothing brushed quietly against the leaded glass, and it opened the casement. Slowly, one booted foot advanced into the room. The rest of its body backed-in smoothly, and Artemi rose to a hunched stance. Just as she was about to assail him, the intruder caught his second foot on the sill.

  “...Getting too old for this,” she heard him mutter. His voice sounded familiar.

  Keeping one hand on the blanket at her chest, Artemi stepped down to the floor and waited for himto face her. The man turned, and blinked in surprise at seeing her there.

  She set down her sword. “Do you have any idea how much misery either of us would face if you were discovered here? What are you doing?”

  “Forgive me, I thought you’d be more...”

  “Dressed? In my bedroom, in the middle of the night? Of course I would be.”

  The lieutenant frowned and looked at the floor. “I had to come for that list of names as soon as possible.”

  Artemi wrapped the sheets more tightly around herselfand took a seat on the edge of the bed. “I see. Would you care to tell me how you circumvented the guards?”

  “A matter of

  timing.”

  Incapacitation or distraction were more likely, since the guard on duty below her window would only be relieved after six hours.

  “Well unless you have implemented some other technique, we won’t be able to leave that way again. The best way out is on the other side of the hall.”

  He shook his head. “There’ll be no ‘we.’ You’re not to-” The man flicked his eyes to the door, and he silently swept across the floor to position himselfbeside the jamb.

  The door creaked open. “Is everything alright, Artemi?” her father whispered.

  Artemi had managed to flop onto the bed in time. “What?” She feigned half sleep.

  Her father took a single step into the room. “I thoughtI heard talking.”

  “Nightmare,” she mumbled.

  He walked in to lean against the bed spear. “You know I... I won’t let you marry him if he cannot make you happy.”

  Artemi sat bolt-upright, casting all impressions of sleep aside.

  He continued, “He has to do my girl justice. And if he does have any mistresses, I’ll be sure to sever the weapon he entertains them with.”

  The lieutenant shifted a little in the shadows, but made no sound.

  “Do you really think he’d release me if I asked? He’s invested so much in us here. I cannot think he would allow me to be free for all the money he has spent on caging me.” Artemi kept her excited tones hushed.

  “I won’t let you marry him if he cannot make you happy. And I doubt even the most powerful king could ever keep you locked-up, my girl.”

  She felt rather awkward having such a

  private conversation in front of a man she barely knew. “As long as I can still see you and everyone else here. It’s good in this place. Fortunate, really.” Artemi played absently with a lock of her hair.

  “There’s no fortune about it. You were always meant to be with us, girl.” He leaned across to kiss her on the forehead, and turned toward the door –

  “Father?”

  “Yes?” She had caught him in time.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Her father nodded and made for the exit. Fearful that he would spot the trespasser, Artemi could not prevent her eyes from darting to the lieutenant’s hiding place. There was no one there. Had the man melted into the floor using some curious magic? Had she imagined

  him entirely? The door clicked shut.

  “Artemi.”

  She jumped several inches off the bed. How had he managed to walk to the other side of the room without either of them noticing?

  “I need that list of names from you. You must tell me where I can find it.”

  She scowled at his impossibly sublime face. “You want the list, you have to take me. It will be faster, anyway.”

  He remained still. “No. But if you tell me where it is located, I can have you released from your bond to the king. If that is what you want.”

  Her mind whirred. There had to be a snare. “You have the power to do that?”

  The man folded his arms. “Yes.”

  Artemi sighed, “If I asked you to do

  that, there is a chance my entire family could become homeless or worse.”

  “He would not allow that.”

  She stood to face him more levelly, or at least as close as she could get given his height. “How can you be sure?”

  “Because... he is not made of stone. You have my word that you will not lose anything over it.”

  This man seemed to give his word rather freely. She still had no way of knowing if the king had received the other document safely. “I need more time to decide on the matter. You must not rescind this offer if I tell you where to find the list.”

  He stepped closer. “As you wish. There is something else I must ask of you.”

  Artemi could smell the great warhorse

  on his clothing, and she could make out the muscles of his arms under his coat-sleeves. She quickly pushed them from her mind.

  The lieutenant continued, “You said you listened in on several of their meetings. I imagine you know where the next one will be.”

  An idea sprang into her mind. “I know where it will be. You will have to do something else for me, though.”

  “Name it,” he said sternly.

  “Well. As the king’s property, and with a grim future as an untouchable wielder, I expect I shall only ever know the hideous face of some spoilt, repugnant, overweight royal. So, as little as you may desire it, I think it is only fair thatI should experienc
e a kiss from someone as pretty as you.”

  His arms dropped and his eyes bulged

  with a satisfying amount of surprise. “Is this how you normally do business?”

  “I have spent my life contained on a guarded estate. What would you believe?”

  He shook his head. “I will not bargain with you over that.”

  “AmI that repulsive to you?”

  “No. It... I...” His tone ofvoice changed. “You are still betrothed to the king. I can’t.”

  Artemi moved closer. “That is a poor excuse. Perhaps you are married?”

  The lieutenant backed away. “No.” He did not look afraid; rather his features had a determined set to them.

  “As you wish,” she imitated. “No meeting details.” She went back to the bed, curled up and pretended to go to sleep.

  “This is not a game.” His voice was tinged with a threatening tone, but Artemi no longer feared the man.

  She rolled onto her other side, facing away from him. “I’m really very tired,” she said. He would buckle soon enough.

  “Artemi...”

  Fire tore into her shoulder, flashed down her arm and burned through her chest. She surged from her false slumber, and clutched at the skin where he had touched her. She wanted to speak, to rally at him for keeping that a secret, but her mouth was frozen. And just how powerful was he, anyway? As powerful as the king was purported to be?

  They stared at each other in silence for an awkward moment. Unexpectedly, and with

  impossible speed, he grabbed hold of her and forced a kiss onto her lips. The flames wrenched her skin free of all sensation, causing searing pleasure and intoxication to disorientate every one of her senses. Artemi wrapped her arms about his neck and drew deeply on the sensation. His hands felt hot and firm on her bare back.

  She reached out for The Blazes through him, and felt him fight her for control. They battled internally for what felt like a matter of seconds, but must have been tens of minutes. At length, he moved his hands to push her away, and succeeded. The fire was extinguished immediately. Breathing quickly and deeply, both appeared stunned from the shock of the experience.

  The lieutenant broke the stillness, stood

  and began to pace noiselessly up and down the length of the room, hands clasped firmly at his back. “I should not have...” He made an exasperated noise.

  Artemi redrew the bed sheets over herself. Was it supposed to feel as terrifying as that? She felt as if she had been charged with energy like a wind readying the waves for a tempest. Who was this man? And what would the penalty be for enjoying him when she was promised to the king? “It is our secret,” she said shakily.

  He stopped and his emotionless stare burned into her. “That cannot happen again.”

  Artemi felt her anger begin to resurface. If he was a womaniser, he wasn’t very good at it. “They’re next meeting in the main hall at Hafendh, a day-and-a-halffrom now. The list

  of names is in my bedside cabinet.” She did not move to extract them for him; she was too angry and too afraid to be helpful.

  “Your bedside...” he began, “You made me promise...”

  Artemi raised her eyebrows at him. It hadn’t been her best example of manipulation, by any means.

  The peculiar lieutenant sighed. “You would do very well at court, my lady. Out of interest, just how did you discover Veradlin’s schemes in the first instance?”

  That information she was happy to dispense. “I left the house for an evening’s entertainment, and encountered his slippery eel of a son. He was rather more forward than he should have been. In truth, I went to their home to wreak a little revenge. But instead I became

  an accidental attendee of one of the meetings.”

  “What did his son do to you?” The man’s face had lost all humour once more.

  It wasn’t as if this lieutenant was innocent! Though, perhaps that had been partly her fault. “He attempted what you have just achieved, my lord. I was staying at an inn in Seffarh and he came to my room whilst I was bathing.”

  He grunted, creases marking his forehead. “Doesn’t your father notice when you’re not here?”

  Artemi stifled a titter. “Ever since I was little, I’ve gone into the woods and hunted for several days at a time. I always come back when I say I will.”

  He bit his lip and regarded her for a moment. “No more excursions outside of the

  estate. If something happened to you, how should they find you to help you?” He didn’t wait for an answer, and instead knelt at her cabinet to open it. The leather-bound document was self-evident inside. He took it and slid it inside the open neck of his dark coat. “Thank you for this. I must go now, but I will return in a fortnight for your decision.”

  Artemi nodded. “That window really isn’t the best way out...”

  “I’ll be fine,” he half grinned and stepped smoothly through the open casement.

  If a man could travel unseen across a room, she considered, perhaps he could scale a bluff wall in the same way.

  The scent of white spring drops drifted slowly through his rooms from the gardens below, mixing uneasily with the odour of Lady Tanacet’s day-old sweat. She struggled ineffectually at her bonds. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!” she yelled again.

  Silar was very glad for the sound wall Selieni had made him. He regarded Myrte’s dark hair and cherubic features closely. Her face was well-proportioned but a tad too rounded to be considered pretty. Still, she had been the easiest target to choose for

  questioning first. No one would wonder at a woman being taken to his chambers, and she was low-ranking enough not to be missed by the other agitators. “Lady Tanacet, I happen to know of your direct involvement. You will not be allowed to walk free from here, no matter how much you scream. Tell me what you know of Veradlin’s plans and how he has communicated them to you. If you do, your sentence may be commuted.”

  The woman gritted her small, white teeth at him.

  “Fine. I suppose I willjust have to wait.” Silar didn’t particularly like the idea of physically torturing suspects. He had plenty of other weapons of influence in his arsenal before it came to that. He unfolded the small piece of paper Morghiad had given him just before he’d left. It contained a list of the names the king had been able to memorise from the original document. Silar began to read it aloud, “Master Carflin of Sefarrh, Lady Aval di Certa, Lady Latila Hyssop, Lord Gadlond di Certa, Master Lavand of Herton,” he skipped a few names, “Master Reduvi of-”

  Lady Tanacet jumped at that name. That was interesting. “...Conmar, Lady Myrte Tanacet, Lord Bracon Veradlin. ShallI read more, my lady?”

  The woman looked around at the room, as if hoping for a route of escape to present itself. She was breathing quickly now, and Silar permitted himselfto feel a degree of success. Myrte flicked her pale eyes back to him. “How did you get that list?”

  “It is myjob to find such things.” He

  celebrated his small victory internally, keeping his face stern.

  She scowled. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s gone too far for you to stop it. You and your bastard king have had your day playing rulers. You ought to savour what little time you have left!”

  Silar had joined this game rather late that was true - but he was certain it was not too late to alter the outcome. “Wilrea can be opposed easily, and I have already begun the process of pulling weeds like you from the garden of Calidell. So believe me whenI say, my lady, that you will be spending eternity in the gaol of Cadra. Unless, of course, you tell me of Veradlin’s chosen method of communication.” If he could just find out where to intercept letters, lights or signs he could

  crack down on this whole thing much faster.

  She laughed as menacingly as her childlike face would permit. “Your pathetic attempts at uncovering this betray your inexperience and immaturity. Infants, all of you!”

  “We may be young, but you are the one tied to my chair. Now, I am going for a bat
h. Be so kind as to wait for me here untilI return, my darling.” He offered her a small bow and made for the door.

  “Even your beloved army is ours, Lord Forllan. I think you should give up n-” She spluttered as he seized her by the throat.

  That was impossible. The army had always supported Morghiad. He was one of them; Artemi had been one of them. “Do not attempt to taunt me with lies, girl.” Beodrin

  would always be loyal, if not just for the sake of his daughter.

  Myrte grinned in spite of his grip on her. “It is not a lie.”

  Silar released her and went to stand by the mantelpiece. On the top lay a scrawled letter from his pride-son, Artemi’s brother. Silar had only met Toryn’s lad once, when the boy was barely able to walk five steps without falling over.

  Silar liked Toryn well enough, but it had been a clear slight to Morghiad that he had been chosen for both the honour and the name. He had a duty to protect the child, as well as Artemi, and if even one lieutenant had been turned, they were in danger. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind to concentrate on the possibilities. A few decades of practice had

  made him better at scenario building in the presence of distractions.

  Silar lined up the ten lieutenants of Calidell in the mists of his thought. Rahake, Beetan, Eupith, Luna, Tortrix, Jarynd and Orwin were rocks against the incoming surge of destruction. He had seen that represented as a tsunami countless times since Morghiad had first presented the plot to him. Hunsar, Pavon, Baculo were less stable against the wave, but they did not melt into it as Veradlin and di Certa had. No, if there was any army involvement, it had to be farther down. It would break his heart to see Calidell’s army divided, especially over this. Cadra needed Artemi back desperately, and in more ways than Morghiad was aware of.