The Quickening

by Fiona McIntosh

  ‘You lying snake!’ Wyl railed at the King’s terrible fabrication, and yet felt helpless at the look of shock on Valentyna’s face.

  Valentyna felt the dull, tingling sensation at the back of her head which precedes rage. She recognised it even though she had felt it so few times in her life.

  ‘It’s true, your majesty. He tried to extort a sack of gold from me, laughing at the way he had murdered your father, claiming he had paved the way for Morgravia to overrun a weakened Briavel.’

  ‘I shall kill you —’ Whatever Wyl wanted to say next was cut off by a firm arm around his throat.

  Celimus had regained full control of himself now. The smile was back as he wiped the dampness from his face with a linen. ‘I speak true, Valentyna. He is an extortionist. I sent him packing with nothing, of course. Warned him if he set foot on Morgravian soil again I’d hang, draw and quarter him. Sad as it is to admit, Koreldy was General Thirsk’s choice as captain for the mission to Briavel. I’m sure you have heard there was some acrimony between Thirsk and myself, but at that time we were sorting out our differences. Think on it, your majesty, why would I allow a man such as Thirsk to come on such a delicate mission to win your hand if I did not trust him implicitly? He insisted on gathering his own handpicked men about him. Yes, I thought it strange at the time that he did not take Legionnaires but Thirsk insisted on using mercenaries. He persuaded me that taking a troop of Legion men into Briavel could be misconstrued and cause ire. It is all much to my regret now, but who was I to question my General on matters of strategy?’ he said innocently. ‘This man, your Champion is false, Valentyna. He has betrayed me and Morgravia and now he has done the same to you. Execute him!’

  She had listened carefully to the King whilst her rage bristled beneath the seemingly calm countenance she had forced herself to adopt. She heard the lie in his voice, despite his best attempts to conceal it, and she would never believe that Wyl Thirsk had been untrue — she had met him, heard the sorrow in his voice as he told his tale. Now Valentyna drew herself to full height and squeezed her hands together to keep herself from allowing the fury to show itself. ‘It is my understanding, Celimus — now that we are discussing this — that you organised General Thirsk’s death.’

  Her words fell like splinters of ice before them and Wyl was only sad that none of the Legion’s soldiers were close enough to hear this exchange. Pity, he thought. It could have changed everything.

  ‘Your majesty,’ Celimus replied just as coolly, but masterfully paying her appropriate respect as this shift in the situation demanded. ‘I am surprised you know of such a thing and I cannot deny it. But what you will not know is that General Wyl Thirsk was suffering from delusions. He was readying to make war on Briavel.’

  ‘What?’ both Valentyna and Wyl cried together.

  She looked towards her guards and they gripped Wyl tighter. He was meant to stay silent as the sovereigns spoke.

  ‘Yes, your majesty,’ Celimus continued, ignoring Romen. ‘Wyl Thirsk was unstable. My father knew it and warned me of it but our two families go back such a long way that I had to know for myself. I liked Wyl, despite our differences in opinion.’ He shrugged. ‘I grew up with him.’

  Wyl began to rant and Valentyna had him removed. Liryk had no choice but to give orders to take him to the gatehouse and secure him for the time being.

  Valentyna was in great pain from Romen’s betrayal and this new information threw a whole new spin on the story she had been told. She had to hear it in full. She gave a signal and her team of people started a new contest of boulder throwing which every strong man in the audience was invited to participate in. It achieved the diversion she needed and people began to drift away, stunned at how the contest had turned out — it seemed clear now that the Queen’s Champion had attempted to hurt the King. However, the wealth of entertainment on offer soon distracted them and the disquiet and confused murmurings died down.

  Relieved, Valentyna returned her attention to the royal party. ‘Thank you, Commander Liryk. I will call for Koreldy when I’m ready,’ she said, then addressed the King. ‘We shall continue this in my solar.’

  She turned and strode away. Celimus, still fuming, followed along with Jessom. Krell brought up the rear but soon stepped ahead of the royal party to make arrangements for refreshments. Inside the solar the silence was keen as cool drinks were served.

  When all servants had withdrawn, Valentyna addressed her sovereign guest again. No warmth had found its way into her voice in the interim.

  Celimus bowed and then set about fashioning his elaborate tale. ‘I was determined to give Wyl every chance to prove his worthiness as a General fit to command the Legion, your majesty. As I said, we’ve had our differences but I respected his abilities and his position. I wanted us to work together as my father and his father had before us. I chose to send him on this special diplomatic mission to petition yourself and your father on my behalf … such was my personal esteem for Wyl, despite the gossip.’ He smiled softly. ‘I realise you and I didn’t exactly get off to a good start in our first meeting during childhood and I wanted to approach this matter gently … mindful of your sensibilities.’

  ‘For which I am grateful, sire,’ Valentyna said sharply. ‘You were saying about General Thirsk?’

  ‘Well, it is as you understand it, your majesty. According to Romen Koreldy — and I only have his word to go on — things went from bad to worse during the journey. Wyl’s delusions set in and he began talking about needing to kill Valor before it’s too late.’

  Valentyna allowed a small groan to escape; she could not help herself. Could Fynch have been a traitor in all of this, bursting from the privvy at the predetermined time?

  Celimus was sure he had her now. ‘He kept talking to the other men he took with him.’

  ‘Why did you not use your own soldiers?’ she demanded.

  ‘Because I felt it might promote trouble. As I said, I was mindful that Morgravia and Briavel are ancient enemies and I wanted nothing to stand in the way of this potential union, least of all the spark which the sight of Legionnaires in Briavel might ignite. At the end of all the discussion, I decided Thirsk made a wise decision in hiring mercenaries.’

  She nodded. There was some truth in this.

  ‘It so happened that Romen Koreldy had come to our notice before. He was an impressive soldier and assured Thirsk the other men in the party were trustworthy. And yes, I sent Romen along to watch out for Wyl and if he did anything dangerous or which compromised Morgravia in the eyes of Briavel then he had my permission to despatch him. It was my own father who had counselled me that Wyl Thirsk was not fit to command our army. He was dangerously unbalanced after an incident at an execution which took place a few years back, majesty. This is perhaps not the time to —’

  ‘No, perhaps not,’ she interjected, knowing full well that he was referring to Myrren’s burning.

  He nodded, realising the Queen was not interested in pursuing the digression.

  ‘And?’ Valentyna was determined to get to the crux of this report.

  Celimus shrugged. ‘I have no idea of what was said between your father, yourself and Wyl. It is my understanding that Wyl began to spread rumours that I executed his friend, Captain Donal and threatened to execute his sister.’ He feigned a hurt laugh. ‘It is ludicrous, your majesty. Ylena, bless her, is like my own sister and presumably at her family home right now.’

  ‘And the Captain?’

  ‘Donal, I believe is on the northern borders. I’m not sure I approve of this interrogation, your majesty.’ There was a subtle threat in his voice.

  Valentyna pursed her lips. She needed to remain in control of this conversation, but it would not be easy for her to pursue whether Donal lived. ‘You know that Koreldy substantiates these claims of Thirsk’s. Says he was present in your chambers and witnessed the execution of Donal.’

  ‘He lies, your majesty. Koreldy is a cheat, a fabricator and brigand of the worst kind. Do you know
his background?’

  She shook her head, suddenly realising she knew very little of Romen.

  ‘Well, perhaps you should look into it. You would learn that his thieving ways put a price on his head with the barbarian, Cailech, and Koreldy’s cowardice resulted in his elder brother and twin sister, no less, being executed on his behalf in the most traumatic fashion.’

  Valentyna swallowed hard. Who to trust!

  Watching the Queen blanch, Celimus pressed his point. ‘I was able to discover this using family connections in Grenadyn. Morgravia had a first-hand report that Koreldy watched his brother and sister suffer for his sins. Cailech would have spared their lives, I’m told, if Koreldy had given himself up but he watched them die on the cross and then stole away, hardly batting an eyelid. I understand he remained in the Razors for some time, but ended up in Morgravia, and presumably now prowling Briavel, putting you under his spell.’

  ‘So you gave Koreldy permission to kill Thirsk?’

  ‘I did. Koreldy, whatever he is, is a skilled sword and he controlled the other mercenaries. Without him, they were simply rabble. I gave permission only if Wyl acted in a manner detrimental to Morgravia. And he did. He was threatening to kill your father at the first opportunity. The talk of those mercenaries killing the King is his story, majesty.’

  ‘How can you know if you were not there?’

  ‘Because one of them escaped and returned to me with the truth,’ he lied smoothly, without so much as blinking.

  ‘This is news to me. So what did this man see, what does he know?’

  ‘That Koreldy did kill Thirsk and that he also killed Valor to stir up trouble between the two realms. His aim was to collect gold from both of us. From me by blackmail that he would go to you with a lie which you would easily believe for truth, and money from you on the fake promise of protection. He has won from both of us, your majesty. Koreldy is ruthless. He has no loyalties at all, not even to Grenadyn. I believed him when he threatened. The situation was so delicate between us that I could not risk him coming to Briavel with his lies that I organised the death of your father. So I paid him. I wish only peace for our region. And I could not risk killing him on Morgravian soil because I had no proof of what lies he might already have told you on his mission to Briavel with Thirsk. He is not a trustworthy man, your majesty. This is why I organised soon after to travel to Briavel in person. I needed to prove my commitment to our peace and union.’

  Smoothly done, Jessom thought, if a little wordy.

  ‘But Koreldy did make it back to Briavel,’ she said curtly.

  Celimus nodded. ‘He escaped and we lost track of him in the north. I sent a man called Jerico to track him but Koreldy murdered him and sent me Jerico’s head as a taunt that I could not catch him. His note said he would create problems for Briavel and Morgravia as he had threatened but I did not realise it would all happen so soon. I am deeply regretful that you have been duped by this fellow. It occurs to me that he was aiming to kill me today, your majesty, to carry out his threat of war between our realms.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I suppose because I had stopped payments of gold. At first I had no option but to pay, for he was dangerous, demanding larger and larger sums. That’s when I sent Jerico out to track him down.’

  She took a deep breath. It was too much. She needed to think. ‘King Celimus, I appreciate your position in all of this and would ask your understanding and patience.’

  He did not quite grasp her meaning. ‘What do you plan to do with Koreldy?’

  ‘I will need to think on all you have told me before I reach that decision. Please, sire, I am no longer in a position to continue with our diplomatic discussions. I need some time to sort through certain domestic affairs which this dramatic event has brought about. Please accept my most sincere regrets that we have brought you here on a fruitless journey.’

  Celimus could not believe he had lost her in that moment. Yet he could tell she had made up her mind. Something in her tone and the set of her mouth made him realise there would be no talk of marriage until this matter was fully cleared up. Damn Romen Koreldy! There was nothing he could do right now except graciously accept her apology.

  Jessom whispered in his ear, echoing his own thoughts. ‘Better to earn her gratitude now and win her hand later, than lose all the favour we’ve earned so far.’

  Celimus cleared his throat and nodded. ‘Of course, your majesty. My man has just given news that we would be appreciated back in Morgravia — trouble in the north. Cailech grows bold, and we must work together against the barbarian. We will talk of this another time.’ He took her hand and gravely added, ‘You are aware that harmony for our realms is best achieved by you and I unifying in all senses of the word. We alone can set the tone for our future success and secure peace for our children.’

  He was right of course but she was relieved he would depart without protest. ‘Thank you, sire.’

  ‘We shall make our preparations to leave,’ he said, bowing neatly. ‘Perhaps you would be kind enough to keep me informed of events connected with Romen Koreldy. He will be captured and executed as a traitor if he sets foot in Morgravia. I would suggest you consider the same for Briavel.’

  ‘I shall think on all I have learned, my lord, and yes, I will certainly appraise you of the outcome.’ She allowed him to kiss her hand. ‘You have been most understanding, sire.’

  ‘Be well, Valentyna. I am patient of your dilemma but urgent for your decision.’

  Valentyna nodded. ‘We will speak soon,’ she said, keen for him and his retinue to be gone so she could face the trauma that was looming. ‘I shall farewell you shortly, my lord.’

  Celimus took his leave, trailed by Jessom. Out of earshot of the Queen, the King spat his anger. ‘If Koreldy is not executed by her royal decree I want our assassin to move in and finish it, now! The finger bearing his family ring is to be delivered to me within the week, do you hear?’

  ‘It will be done, sire.’

  When Fynch surfaced to consciousness, parched and muddled, the festive noise of the tourney had disappeared. There was silence and it sounded grim. He shook his head but the dull headache was still there and he remembered what he had seen in his vision before he had passed out. It disturbed him afresh and he hurried outside the building and retched into the bushes at the memory of seeing Romen dead.

  Knave was nowhere to be seen. Fynch ran to the palace well and, after dragging up a pail of water, splashed his face and rinsed his mouth to revive himself. Dripping and feeling only marginally less distracted, he went in search of his friends.

  It was one of the pages who finally filled him in. ‘Ho, Fynch. They’ve been looking for you.’

  ‘Who has?’

  ‘Her majesty’s people. I don’t know what they want you for but all hell’s broken loose this afternoon.’ His voice fell to a whisper. ‘Koreldy’s been branded a traitor.’

  ‘What?’ Fynch felt his insides flip.

  ‘True as I stand here,’ the boy admitted, eyes gleaming with the intrigue. ‘She’s pronouncing sentence now. He’ll be lucky to escape with his life, they’re saying.’

  Fynch did not linger to hear any more. He broke into a run, frantically wishing Knave was close, for the dog always knew where to find Wyl and he had not thought to ask the page.

  Knave was already with Wyl; he had not left his side, in fact, since Wyl had been carted off to the gatehouse where he had awaited his fate. Wyl had expected to wait longer but it seemed Valentyna had reached her decision swiftly. Not long ago he had been brought to the Great Hall. A hush had blanketed the long chamber as he was led, hands bound, to a chair before the throne. He sat now dejected, not caring to look at the nobles, dignitaries and counsellors, all in waiting. The atmosphere felt ominous and a frigid bleakness, similar to that he had first experienced in the dungeon at Stoneheart just before Myrren’s torture overwhelmed him. For those gathered it was a different tension — a sense of anticipation and foreboding amid
, excited whisperings.

  Liryk came to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘Sorry, Koreldy,’ he murmured and moved on. Wyl was not sure yet what the man was giving apology for but he could guess.

  Krell also moved by and Wyl acknowledged him. The Chancellor had the generosity to stop.

  ‘Chancellor Krell, I —’

  ‘Hush, Koreldy. We are not permitted discourse with you. Everyone in this room is here to bear witness. They have already been briefed on what occurred, though most would have seen anyway.’ The man’s lips twisted upon the already grim countenance. He nodded and departed. There was nothing else to say.

  No one else had spoken much to him since other than a few necessary words from guards. He was grateful that Knave had been permitted to remain with him in the gatehouse, but where the dog was now he knew not, hopefully with Fynch. He wondered where Fynch was, hoping the boy had found the opportunity to petition the Queen on his behalf. He realised his hopes were futile when the horns sounded, the voice called, ‘All rise for her majesty,’ and he saw her stern composure.

  All bowed low as she entered the hall. When he straightened and looked long into that face he loved, he saw a remoteness to chill his heart. Her dark blue eyes glanced towards him once. What he glimpsed in that moment was not just sadness or disappointment but wrath. He could only begin to imagine the terrible lies Celimus had wielded to corrupt her mind against Koreldy. Wyl felt sick and he looked away, no longer interested in the proceedings which would seal his fate. He had lost Valentyna — that was obvious. Nothing much else mattered now.

  As Krell had mentioned, the assembled nobles had already been briefed prior to the prisoner’s arrival which is no doubt why the Queen, in a clear, steady voice, had summoned him to stand before her without preamble.