The Beast of the North

by Alaric Longward

  ‘Too dangerous,’ Sand whispered.

  She nodded in full agreement. ‘Your success was Valkai’s bane, and we are grateful for that. He was not trustworthy, and we were fools to work with him. But this is a terrible price to pay.’ Her voice crackled with sorrow, and I nodded gratefully at her.

  ‘They are dead,’ Sand stated bluntly, in shock.

  I grunted. It needed saying. It had to be said. I would not understand it otherwise. It was, probably Mother’s slight body swinging around in the wind. She was dead. No. Yes. ‘Why?’ I asked. ‘Why are they dead? It makes no sense.’

  ‘You robbed from the crown,’ Shaduril said directly. ‘They had your name, and someone knew Bear’s business. He had associates. Likely, someone made a lot of silver for betraying him. The king has a surprising number of spies in Bad Man’s. Or it was the White Brother who learned Bear’s real name. There he is.’

  There were Brothers down there on horses, hidden by the smoke. I did not see them right that moment, but Shaduril had seen the White one.

  ‘No,’ I breathed. ‘I mean why did they hang them? Why not hold them? To get the gold back, to find me?’ I wondered weakly, stunned as Mother’s corpse swung around in the wind. I was numb. So numb. It did not feel real. None of it. A rider appeared from the smoke and Sand hissed. He was a Brother Knight. His tall helmet was glistening in the light of Lifegiver. A white horsehair tail was rustling in the wind. He was staring at the clearing as if unconcerned with the whole business.

  ‘You said they went for Valkai?’ Sand asked with a hollow voice. ‘He was hung there this morning, no? I saw him, I think.’

  Shaduril nodded and showed me the note she had received. ‘They sent a thousand men, Hawk’s Talon down there in the harbor yesterday and this night. They tore into the old city and butchered hundreds of criminals. You saw them being taken out of the city for burial in some hole. Most were Jesters, some others. They did a good job at making sure everyone saw the procession of the corpses being carried out. Then they sealed the tunnels though I doubt that would keep a determined rat at bay. There are dozens of tunnels they will never find.’

  ‘Valkai?’ I asked her. ‘It was him on the scaffold?’

  ‘He fought well,’ she said with a small, satisfied grin. ‘The note said he holed in some ancient tavern and killed six men trying to get in, but he was impaled and dragged out by his entrails. They hung him after and will bury him later.’

  ‘The Horns?’ I went on.

  She hesitated. ‘There was a southern woman there,’ Shaduril said cautiously. ‘They said she wore this strange mask. Perhaps it was this … Horns? She killed herself before being captured. They hung her anyway. The filth is gone, Maskan. Thank you.’

  I was nodding. ‘He, she … was scheming. Just like you are. To kill Magor. Apparently, she was their leader. Valkai was just—’

  ‘Yes, we guessed he was not the brains of the outfit. Shady and lucky and savage, but not smart enough,’ Shaduril told me. She was wiping some stray hair from her mouth, and I briefly admired her delicate features and then loathed myself. Mother and Ann. And Sand’s father. All dead. While I gawked at a woman.

  ‘As Maskan said, you and this Horns had similar interests,’ Sand growled. ‘You were going to use Maskan here to kill the royals, and now you are here, telling us you have no idea who betrayed us. You claim the king has spies, but you were onto our plan the whole time.’

  She looked down in shame. ‘Yes. Lith figured it out as Kallir came to her, asking for a favor.’

  Sand spoke on. ‘Someone let us down; that is true. Perhaps you did?’ Sand’s face was turned her way, rage playing on his features. ‘That is my father over there. You played us for fools—’

  Shaduril sighed and shook her head forlornly. ‘You can blame everyone for what happened. I feel guilty, Sand, I do. My father will not. It was fate. Believe me; we had no interest in seeing your family hang. We wanted to see you succeed and could have done nothing more to aid you. Right, we hoped to have Maskan help us after. It went wrong.’

  ‘You wish to kill the king,’ Sand stated with a low growl. ‘And here we are. With no ties to anyone. We only have revenge left. But we cannot do it alone and you—’

  She raised a finger and Sand went quiet. ‘You are making quite a fantastic conspiracy theory out of this.’ She laughed bitterly. ‘I said, we couldn’t have done anything more to help you. No. The Bear there had the plan to be rid of the Valkai, and it was a clever one, yes? We liked it. And yes, we helped you. And wanted you to help us after. Things went wrong. It happens. If we had wanted to use your family against you, we would have grabbed them and brought them to the Crimson Apex. That is our ancestral fort and home, the land of the High Hold. Now we only have trust. And we trust you. Remember,’ she said and held my shoulder. ‘We could have grabbed you yesterday in that alley like the Jesters did. But instead we are here, and I am at your mercy.’ Sand was about to argue, but she shook her head at him, and my friend relented and nodded as Shaduril stared at him with pleading eyes. She went on. ‘But can we trust you? You are now reckless, dangerous to you, dangerous to us, and gods know if we can manage to keep you alive. But we shall try. And yes, we shall need you. And you will need me. Us. He has to fall. Magor is merciless and mad. I see him daily and know he is evil.’ She shuddered in hate and loathing, and I felt very sorry for her. She was right. It had been our plan.

  The White Brother, the Knight, was joined by two more, both riding from the woods. One was the Black and the other the Red one, and my hand twitched with hate. Red Brother. He had looked kind and brave but had led them to our home. At least he had put them on the scent, I thought. The Black Brother was gesturing at a soldier. The man twitched visibly, unsure of what was being asked of him and then, and finally he handed the king’s flag to the knight. The Black Brother took it, drew a long dagger, and hacked off half the pole, leaving the end sharp like a stake. He guided his massive mount forward and stopped at the corpse of the Bear. The crows stared down at him balefully but thought better of making trouble with the large man and took off in a wild flurry of wings. The man heaved the pole forward, impaled the Bear with it, and left the king’s flag there to be seen.

  ‘Rancid cur,’ Sand cried softly. ‘You shit.’

  ‘You will kill the queen? And the king?’ I asked darkly.

  Shaduril shrugged. ‘Yes, you know we will try. There are a hundred plots by the High King to discredit and even kill kings all around Midgard, but none by the nobles of the Red Midgard. I know Magor works hard to thwart the south, but he thinks the nobles of Dagnar are loyal. We have a chance, it is unexpected, hasn’t been done before. And the Red Brother, Black and White, the evil Brothers, and famous knights down there? They will have to fall as well. I doubt they would serve another. Should you help Balan Blacktower execute regicide and help us bring new glory and stability for us all, perhaps you will see them hanging one day. Or just dead. Even that would comfort you, I think. I cannot promise you will kill them.’

  ‘Balan. Your father?’ Sand asked her without taking his eyes off the three knights now mustering their troops for a trip back home.

  She sighed and turned to speak to me. ‘He is. Balan is our father. This has been a family affair for this year, though, as you know, we had to ask for Valkai to help. They had the resources we do not have though perhaps Maskan will change that now.’

  ‘How many are there in your family?’ I asked her.

  She waved her hand east and west. ‘Father. You know Lithiana, of course. My damned sister. There is Taram, our brother, but he should be kept at arms length from this plot. He has trouble dealing with … with many things.’ She shook her head slowly as if lost in her thoughts until she slapped her knee. ‘But we don’t have the army to fight the king. Some hundreds of men, mostly peasants. Our High Hold has a large population of villagers, of course, but they are not fighters, no. We are training and arming all we can, of course, but that is barely enough. That’s wh
y Valkai’s troop was a godsend. But he was greedy. Too greedy. Don’t worry about that now. We will find men, and perhaps we will be happy to kill the royals alone though that will be the death of me. I would love to see an army take the Tower after I slay the king, but I doubt that can take place.’

  ‘I am sorry—’ I began.

  She interrupted me, looking somber. ‘We will make a pact. If you just agree to do your best for us, we will do so for you. The result will be for the sake of the land and our revenge.’

  Sand looked at me feverishly. I owed him. More, I owed Mother.

  ‘Yes, we shall make one. I’ll do what needs to be done. We shall … kill the queen. Then you … will slay the king. I am sorry he is interested in you.’

  ‘It is terrible,’ she breathed. ‘He is old but has been courting me for a while. He is in love. But it gives me the opportunity to kill him.’

  I blushed. ‘You are his mistress.’ I cursed myself and looked away.

  She shook her head, unwilling to discuss it. It was as if a dark cloud had descended over her, and I could swear there had been a tear in her eye. Finally, she nodded. ‘We all make sacrifices for our family. And we will murder them and hope the blood washes away the shame and the pain.’

  ‘How will I kill—’

  ‘Not now,’ she said.

  ‘How will you kill the king?’ Sand asked ferociously. ‘I wish to know.’

  ‘Sand—’ I started, but Shaduril waved me down.

  She sighed. ‘I will poison him with a deadly hairpin,’ she told me. ‘The Brothers are hovering over him, but not when …’ She went quiet, and we nodded, embarrassed. She went on. ‘When the queen dies, I will try it. No matter if I am alone with him or not. Chances are he is not alone with me. He doesn’t last long in bed. If he is out of the bed, then I will likely die. But I will kill him, and we shall see what happens. If we fail, it doesn’t matter for us any longer. If we succeed, we still have to figure out how to kill the Brothers and Danegell dependents. Father is thinking about the plan, but he will need allies, as we have none currently. So far, it is all pretty shaky. Let him work on that part. We should all do our best for our families and the country, and accept the price shall be high. That way we won’t be disappointed.’ She steeled her voice. ‘The Danegell family has to fall. All of them.’

  ‘We shall see them die,’ Sand added ferociously. ‘I will see their guts hanging out.’

  She was nodding, uncertain. ‘I am not sure what you can do, Sand. But you are welcome in the Apex.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ he asked with a suspicious voice.

  ‘Well,’ Shaduril went on. ‘You cannot change your face. You cannot get anywhere near our enemy. Nor can you tie people to our cause. You are a thief. A … thug.’

  ‘So am I,’ I said abrasively, and she lifted her hands, trying to calm us.

  ‘You know what I mean,’ she said. ‘Sand does not fit comfortably into this plan. We are above him, and he resents nobles. Perhaps it would be best if he were hidden away.’ She leaned on the shocked Sand. ‘You will smile over the corpses of those men down there, one day. I promise you that.’

  ‘You don’t want me?’ Sand asked, his face reddening with anger. ‘I’ll not stay out of it. No madam.’

  ‘He should be there,’ I said in his defense.

  ‘There is no role for him,’ Shaduril said with a soothing voice. ‘He might risk us. If he is your friend, do him a favor and let us keep him safe. Far from you. I can hide him.’

  They stared at each other. Finally, Sand shook his head. His face betrayed grief and hopelessness. ‘It would have been convenient if those guards had caught me when I was burning the house.’

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘You would have talked if they had taken you alive.’

  Sand was fighting her words but seemed at a loss for what to say. I shook my head at her. ‘No. Sand?’ I said. He looked up at me, his face white with fatigue, sorrow, and disappointment. ‘We will finish this together. You might not be able to join me in everything, but I want you to be there. It is our family down that died. We shall finish it together. Always together. You won’t take him anywhere. He wouldn’t let you anyway. We go on together. Or not at all.’ I hesitated as I said that. I did not wish to be parted from her.

  ‘But—’ Shaduril began.

  I snapped my fingers, and her eyes grew large. ‘No. He comes. And didn’t you just say you need soldiers?’

  Shaduril hesitated and then nodded her head. ‘He might come to regret it. But yes. Balan asked to bring him along, so I guess I must agree. But remember I warned you.’

  Sand ignored her warning and pulled at me. ‘I swear on their blood, that the king and his queen, the Brothers, and Lord Captain Helstrom, whose men are down there as well, they shall all die by our actions.’

  ‘I swear it with you,’ I said. ‘On their blood.’ Shaduril said nothing.

  We stared at the Brothers below. They were still speaking, gesturing, and looking around, confused.

  ‘That one,’ I asked her softly as I saw the White Brother shake his head. The Black Brother urged him to do something, and he shrugged and put his hands to his sides, concentrating. He sat there for a time. ‘He can find people?’

  ‘He can, sometimes,’ she whispered. ‘He did find your people. As you were told. But he will not find you while you are with us. Near us.’ I looked at her carefully, up and down. She looked beautiful, but not magical.

  ‘You have something to make it so on you?’ I asked her, eyeing her. ‘Some way to fend him off? That pendant?’

  ‘The family has its ancient secrets,’ she said and grinned, her finger tapping at an amulet of red, with a black tower and the ravens. ‘He won’t see you while you are with us.’

  ‘Useful skill,’ Sand said, and Shaduril grunted in agreement.

  ‘It would be, but it is not a skill. It is an artifact of past ages. Maskan shall speak with Father about things like that, no doubt,’ she whispered. ‘Now. Let us wait for them to leave. Then we can go.’

  ‘What happens,’ I asked her as we waited, ‘if Valkai or the Horns told them about you?’

  She shrugged. ‘They found our coins. The ones you carried and stole from me.’

  ‘They did?’ I asked, horrified.

  She leaned on us and smiled. ‘But there are so many houses who bought favors from them. Hard to blame us.’

  ‘That was a fortune,’ I said.

  She nodded. ‘It was. We have friends in high places, Maskan. Times are dark, but we have some few friends. The king won’t hear of the coins.’

  They knew someone who matters, I thought.

  We waited in silence and stared at the riders finally lead the men of the Mad Watch away. Their steel was bright in the light of the Lifebringer and tall spears were heaving above the troops. The three Brothers were riding smoothly on their massive dark horses, apparently happy with the day’s work. ‘We go and bury them. Then we shall go to your place,’ I said. ‘This Crimson Apex.’

  ‘Let us bury them,’ Sand said and got up, and Shaduril grabbed his hand. ‘What?’ Sand asked incredulously. ‘They left.’

  ‘No, they did not leave. They have archers in the woods, and they will be there for weeks,’ she explained softly, easing Sand’s tensions. ‘Of course, they expect you to go back there to cut them down and give them a proper pyre and perhaps even prayers, but it is not something we can do.’

  I felt it was cruel, too cruel to fathom. ‘I could take a face of a guard, and—’

  ‘He could!’ Sand insisted.

  She smiled at him coldly. ‘You would need more. Their gear. You would have to kill one first. Then you would go and find all the archers sitting in the wood, wondering why you are cutting the bodies down. And perhaps there is a Brother there. It is too risky. Believe me,’ she told the enraged Sand, who calmed slowly. His frame shook as he fought the wisdom of her words. She whispered something to Sand, who looked at her rebelliously.

  ‘She ha
s a point, Sand,’ I said softly.

  ‘Fine. She is right,’ Sand said unhappily and rubbed his face. ‘I’ll bury them later. When I can. First chance I get. Take us away, then. Let’s go and hear your mad plans.’

  ‘Yes. I will have to go back to Morag’s court soon, but I have time to take you to Father to discuss our plight. This Horns had a beautiful plan, and we will use it, no doubt with fewer practical resources than the Jesters possessed, but still enough to try it. Trust us.’ She nodded at three horses tied to a tree. ‘Are you coming?’

  ‘Lead on,’ I said and turned my face from my dead family. And she did.

  She led us through the thick, pristine woods and meadows of Red Midgard. The summer was old, but nearly unbearably hot and flowers seemed to cover most of the riverbanks. There were farmers and shepherds about, and we skirted sturdy walls set to separate the wealthy estates from each other. We hiked through rustic villages and saw pigs being chased by children. The tough, nearly black northern bread was being baked in huge outdoor bakeries. People might be dour, but they could be happy, especially out of the city. Most people we saw were healthy and stout, ready to take up spears for their country. For their king.

  I wanted to kill the king. So did Sand, I thought. Mother had been worried about me. Ann had been so sad. I gazed at Shaduril. She was brave. And wise. I would follow her.

  We slowly rode all day along the Broken Crown Way, then trailed the coastline northwest, and by late afternoon we reached a set of vibrant villages off the main way. We passed them, and beyond them, we found a land full of high cliffs falling into the sea below. She guided us to an unusually high hill and pointed to the northwest. There, far from us, Shaduril pointed at a spot near the edge of a rough cliff, and on top of that, there was a white castle with red towers. It was not a large castle but boasted high plastered walls, the towers held gleaming ballista and catapults, and there was apparently a deep moat quarried across the cliffs, which to me seemed like an invitation to topple the whole thing to the sea.