‘Where is she?’
Daphne gestured, and they walked along a small track by a stream until they were out of sight of the camp. Sitting under the braches of a pine tree was Chane, her head low.
Killop and Daphne approached.
‘We need to talk,’ he said.
‘What the fuck is it this time?’
‘Don’t take that fucking tone with us,’ Killop said, but Daphne put her hand on his arm.
‘Is something wrong?’ she said.
Chane looked up, her eyes bloodshot. ‘The world’s completely fucked, and you ask if something’s wrong?’
‘You’re drunk,’ said Killop.
She laughed. ‘Is a fucking Kellach about to lecture me on drinking too much?’
‘You’re on duty,’ he said. ‘We’ve just lost half of our food supply…’
‘The fucking wagon slipped, right,’ she said. ‘Don’t know what the fuck you think I’m supposed to do about that.’
‘You’ve been drinking heavily for days,’ Daphne said.
‘As I said, the world’s fucked.’
Daphne shook her head. ‘There’s something else going on. You were fine until about four days ago, but since then you’ve been walking about in a drunken rage, and you’re making mistakes.’
‘We can’t all be perfect like you.’
Killop watched as Daphne bit her tongue.
‘We want to help you,’ he said.
‘I don’t want help.’
‘Then I’m removing you from your command.’
Chane laughed. ‘Why the fuck not, eh? It’s not the first time it’s happened to me. You should never have made me an officer in the first place, I’m a total fuck-up.’
‘I could read your mind if I wanted to,’ Daphne said, ‘and find out the truth that way.’
Chane’s expression darkened. ‘Don’t you fucking dare, Holdfast.’
‘I’m not going to,’ she said. ‘You’re my friend, even though you seem to have forgotten it.’
‘I’m not your friend,’ Chane said, her eyes empty. ‘I’ve been lying to you. Friends don’t lie to each other.’
‘Then tell the truth now.’
‘You got a cigarette?’
Daphne produced her silver case, and offered her one. She took another for herself, and lit them both.
Chane took a draw. ‘You know how I said that there’s no weed left? I haven’t exactly been honest with you.’
‘So you’ve been keeping a stash of weed, so what?’ Daphne said. ‘It’s not a big deal, Chane.’
‘It was dullweed.’
Daphne paused, her brows crinkling.
‘There were wounded troopers, and you had dullweed?’ she said after a while. ‘I don’t understand, I’ve never seen you smoke it.’
‘I don’t smoke it,’ she said. ‘I have it in a tincture. Just a couple of drops each morning into my water bottle, would do me the whole day.’
‘Every morning?’
‘Yeah.’
‘How long?’
‘Since the River Holdings, though it got worse after the battle at Red Hills.’
Daphne’s eyes lit in fury. ‘Damn it, Chane. You’ve been addicted to dullweed since before you came to Hold Fast and you never bothered to tell me? And you held out on it when we had troopers with broken limbs and crossbow wounds?’
‘Sorry.’
‘And I assume that four days ago you ran out?’
She shook her head. ‘I had enough for thirds. I lost it.’
‘You lost it?’
‘Yeah. When we arrived at this camp, I looked for it in my pack, but it wasn’t there. I must have left it behind somewhere. I ran all the way back to the old camp, and searched everywhere, but couldn’t find it.’
‘Is that where you were?’ Killop said. ‘You lied about that as well.’
Daphne gave him a quick look.
‘Look, I don’t know how long it’ll take you to come off dullweed,’ she said, ‘but we’ll give you that time. As Killop said, you’re off command, but only temporarily. You can go back to work once you’re well again.’
‘Just stay out of folk’s way until then,’ Killop said.
‘Is that it?’ Chane said. ‘I thought you’d be more angry.’
Daphne stood. ‘We’ll give you a shout when the food arrives.’
Killop got to his feet, and they headed back up the path, leaving Chane under the branches of the tree.
‘I thought you’d be more angry too,’ he said.
‘I’m absolutely furious,’ she said, her face as calm as it always was, ‘but I didn’t want to show it. We need her working again as soon as possible. She’s the best officer we have, as well as my friend.’
‘She withheld medicine from the wounded.’
‘That’s what boils my blood,’ she said. ‘She had enough for thirds, and she couldn’t spare a few drops? The dullweed has rotted her mind.’ She shook her head. ‘I know I’ve had my own problems in the past. In Rahain, when I was an assassin, I took dullweed to numb myself. I remember how bad it was coming off it once I found out I was pregnant. So, even though I’m cross with Chane, I know I need to help her. She’ll be back to normal soon, I hope.’
They reached the camp.
‘Listen, everyone,’ Daphne said. ‘Captain Chane is unwell, and is being taken off duty for a while until she recovers. I would appreciate it if you would all give her some space. The good news is that food is on its way, enough for the next few days. When we eat tonight, we shall discuss our next steps.’
She nodded and stepped back, as the troopers round the fire went back to talking. Daphne and Killop sat on the cold ground next to Karalyn, with Celine and Kylon close by.
‘Unwell?’ said Celine. ‘That’s one word for it.’
‘Don’t, Celine, please,’ Daphne said. ‘Chane’s earned our respect.’
‘So we’re not going to talk about it?’ said Kylon.
‘It’s the Holdings way,’ Celine said, ‘at least among the upper classes. There’s never a problem large enough that it can’t be politely ignored.’
‘And that’s what we’re going to do,’ said Daphne. ‘Politely ignore it. Starting now.’
Celine shrugged. ‘So. Food. Mmm.’
‘For a few days?’ Kylon said. ‘I thought there was going to be more.’
‘At least we’ll eat tonight,’ Killop said, ‘and there was tobacco too. The Holdings troopers were quick to save that crate from the river.’
Daphne smiled. ‘We trained them well.’
The wagon arrived in the middle of the afternoon, and the crates and sacks were unloaded. The fire was stacked up, and dinner was prepared as the troopers stood in line to receive their allowance of cigarettes and rum. Daphne left to go on a walk up the ridge facing the great plains, and Killop played with Karalyn for an hour as the sun set over the mountains to the west. It grew colder despite the roaring fire, and the troopers wrapped their winter cloaks around themselves. Daphne re-appeared as food was being served, plates of warm flat-bread and cooked meat in gravy.
Silence descended upon the camp as they ate. Killop heard low groans of relief from folk who hadn’t eaten in days. He noticed Chane near the back of the group. She took a filled plate, and stole away to be on her own.
When they had nearly finished, Daphne banged her mug against a rock.
‘Everyone,’ she said, ‘now that hunger’s not the only thought in our heads, we need to discuss what to do next. First though, I have some news.’
Every pair of eyes gazed at her.
‘The Emperor has left the Holdings,’ she said. ‘He’s taken the four mages and Queen Mirren, and they’ve crossed the border back into the Plateau. I saw him with my own eyes. He’s gone.’
She lit a cigarette, while they waited for her to go on.
‘I think the time has come,’ she said, ‘to go back down to the plains. If we don’t, we may well starve up here in the mountains over winter. There’s no guarantee of when w
e’ll be able to bring in any more supplies and, as we know, there’s very little to hunt up here this time of year. Down on the plains, we’ll be able to see the damage the Emperor has caused, but the Holdings is vast. It’s impossible for him to have destroyed it all. There will be survivors, and food, though I imagine conditions will be grim everywhere this winter.
‘If you take my advice, and advice is all it will be, since none of you owe me any fealty after our defeat, then we should travel east, to Hold Fast. I know of scattered settlements on the edge of the desert, far from the main roads, where my own people will shelter us. It’s a tough life out there, but one where we should be safe. The Emperor thinks I’m dead, and if we keep our heads down, there’s no reason he’ll ever go that way.’
The thirty troopers sat round the fire in silence.
‘Should we vote?’ asked Killop.
‘Not yet,’ Daphne said. ‘I’d like to hear from anyone who disagrees first.’
A trooper raised his arm.
‘Speak,’ said Daphne.
‘Are we really giving up, ma’am?’
‘We lost,’ she said. ‘The Emperor got what he came for, and now we need to begin the long, slow job of rebuilding our country.’
‘But the Emperor’s still in charge.’
‘I know,’ Daphne said, ‘but there’s not an armed force anywhere in the world left to oppose him. All five peoples have lost countless numbers in the wars. Right now, our aim is survival.’
‘He could come back.’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘he might, and we’ll fight him again if he does.’
An older trooper raised her arm. ‘Ma’am?’
‘Yes, sergeant?’
‘I just wanted to pick you up on something you said. You mentioned earlier that our fealty to you was at an end. Excuse me ma’am, but that’s bullshit. You’re Holder fast, and the oath I swore was to you and your family. That oath doesn’t break because we got beaten, ma’am. If anything, it makes it stronger.’
The other troopers nodded and murmured their agreement.
Daphne sat in silence, her face calm, but Killop knew her heart was racing.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘It means more to me than I can say.’
Killop glanced around. ‘Anyone else wish to speak?’
No one replied. ‘Alright, time to vote. Those in favour of Lady Holdfast’s plan, say aye.’
‘Aye,’ roared the thirty voices.
‘Carried,’ Killop yelled over the noise. ‘We leave tomorrow, and head down to the plains.’
The troopers cheered, and settled back to their meals and rum.
‘I think I need some fresh air,’ Daphne said, standing.
‘I’ll keep Karalyn here,’ Celine said, as Killop got to his feet as well.
‘Thanks,’ Daphne said. She waited for Killop, and they began walking up the trail to the ridge. When they were out of sight of the camp, Daphne stopped. She put her right arm round Killop, and started to cry. He held her close, saying nothing as her tears fell.
He gazed out over the rough, jagged mountains as the last light of day faded in the western sky, and thought about Daphne’s plan. Somewhere safe with his family, that’s all he wanted, and if it had to be on the edge of a desert, then so be it.
He heard a cough, and turned.
‘Sorry for interrupting,’ said Kylon, standing in the darkness of the trail. ‘May we speak?’
Daphne wiped the tears from her face, and faced the Kell man.
‘What is it?’
‘I didn’t want to say anything in front of your troopers,’ he said, ‘but I disagree.’
‘I thought you might.’
‘Then you know what I’m going to say.’
‘I think I can guess,’ Daphne said. ‘You want to stay in the mountains. You think it’s too dangerous down on the plains. Too much of a risk for Karalyn.’
Kylon said nothing.
‘Am I close?’ she said.
‘The plains are too risky,’ he said. ‘If anyone recognises you then the Emperor will be back as fast as a flying gaien can carry him. And return to Hold Fast? I saw what he did to it the last time he visited.’
She shook her head. ‘You only saw a tiny fraction of the estate. Hold Fast is huge, one of the largest in the country. There are areas up by the desert where we’ll able to disappear.’
‘Maybe, but you’ll have to get there first. It’s a long walk.’
‘But down there is where the food is,’ she said. ‘We have nearly forty mouths to feed.’
‘Then maybe we should cut those numbers down. Send the troopers on their way, we don’t need them.’
‘I’ll not abandon those who’ve proved their loyalty to me. And with the devastation the Emperor brought to the land, there might be groups of bandits roaming the Holds. We’ll need the troopers then.’
‘As I said, the plains are too risky.’
Daphne frowned. ‘But you’ll be there to protect her, won’t you?’
He glared at her. ‘I will always protect her.’
‘When we head down to the plains tomorrow, you’ll be by her side, protecting her with your big, brooding presence. And if anything happens to me and Killop, I know you’ll be there to look after her.’
‘Of course,’ he said.
‘Then this conversation is over. Thank you for raising your concerns.’
Kylon chewed his lip, his eyes smouldering. He nodded, then strode off down the path in the darkness.
‘We should get back,’ Killop said. ‘Get some sleep before tomorrow.’
Daphne nodded. She took his hand, and they walked down the slope to the camp. Most of the troopers were still up, though they had put down their rum, and were cleaning their equipment, wiping the old blood and rust from their swords.
Killop and Daphne sat by Celine, who was cradling Karalyn next to the fire.
‘She been sleeping long?’ Daphne said.
‘Ten minutes or so,’ Celine said.
‘We should get her to bed.’
They got up and headed for their tent. Killop crouched as he went in, and followed Daphne to a curtained-off section at the back, where Celine put Karalyn into her makeshift cot. They kissed her goodnight.
Kylon appeared.
‘You all going to bed?’
‘Aye,’ Killop said.
Kylon nodded. ‘I might have a drink first. I managed to get my hands on one of the few bottles that Chane hasn’t drunk yet.’
‘I might stay up for one,’ Killop said.
‘Alright,’ said Kylon. ‘I have one of Chane’s maps, we can look over the route to Hold Fast.’
‘Let’s all have one before bed, then,’ Daphne said.
They ducked back through to where Kylon’s sleeping pallet lay by the tent’s entrance, and sat. Daphne lit a cigarette as Kylon laid the map on the floor. They gazed down at it. Daphne pointed. ‘We’re here, and Hold Fast is over here.’
Kylon filled four mugs with rum, and passed them round.
‘Where on the map is Hold Clement?’ he asked. ‘Chane’s Hold?’
‘Oh,’ Daphne said, her finger moving south. ‘That’s way down here, we won’t be going anywhere close. I intend to take us this route, and stay up north, in case we have to get back into the mountains in a hurry.’
‘And the desert?’ Killop said.
‘Hold Fast goes all the way out to here,’ Daphne said, her fingers gliding across the paper to the far east, right up to where the great ocean lay. ‘This whole coastal strip is desert. Sand dunes and barren, dry wastes. The estate takes in hundreds of miles of it.’
‘Why?’ said Killop, sipping his rum. ‘What’s the point of owning desert?’
‘The hunting,’ she said. ‘All sorts of fabulous wild beasts roam the wastes. My father used to love going out there in spring with the Hold Fast Company. When he returned there was always another head to be mounted in his study. The bit I like best though, is the strip between the grasslands and t
he desert, where it’s not quite either, and where people can live if they’re careful. That’s where we’re headed.’
‘Show me where you’re from, Celine,’ Kylon said.
‘Me?’ she laughed. ‘I’m from over here.’ She pointed to the region south of the capital, by the great river. ‘Hold Castor, very minor aristocracy, as I’m sure Daphne would agree.’
‘You’re an aristocrat too?’
‘I’d have to be,’ she said, ‘to be allowed to marry the heir to Hold Fast. Daphne’s mother had me interviewed several times. I had to write an essay stating my reasons why I felt I deserved to wed her son.’
‘Vince was her golden boy,’ Daphne said. ‘She was never going to approve of his wife, no matter who he married.’
‘I can’t believe we’re all that’s left of the Holdfasts,’ Celine said. ‘I miss Ariel so much.’
‘Me too,’ said Daphne, ‘and Father, though I’m glad he’s not around to see what the Holdings has become.’
‘Hopefully the worst is behind us,’ said Kylon. ‘The Emperor’s gone, and tomorrow marks a new start.’
Daphne nodded.
‘I’m knackered,’ said Celine. ‘I’m going to crash out.’
She crossed to her own sleeping pallet, and got under the blankets.
Killop finished his rum.
‘Another?’ said Kylon.
‘No,’ he said. ‘I’m pretty tired myself.’
‘See you in the morning, then,’ he said. ‘I might stay up for one more on my own.’
Daphne and Killop got to their feet, and went back to the curtained-off area. Daphne collapsed onto the bed. Killop sat and pulled off his boots. Across from him, Karalyn lay sleeping, a warm blanket covering her.
He smiled. Even though the world was falling apart around them, he still had Karalyn and Daphne. The only two people in the world he cared about. He still loved his sister, and always would, but it had been so long and he had no idea what she was doing. Kylon remained his friend, but he was more distant than he had been back in Kell during the Rahain invasion, and sometimes Killop wondered if he really knew him at all.
Who else was there? His mind floated over the faces of those he knew. Bridget, Larissa, Kallie. He fell back onto the bed. He shook himself and rubbed his eyes.
‘Daphne?’ he said, but she was lying fast asleep on top of the blankets.
The Magelands Box Set Page 183
