“Oh.” Finlin paused, then said, “When our replacements come, they’ll have to find a way to get us across these cracks. They’ll want to know what happened.”
“We’ll tell them it was an earthquake. Then you’ll stay here and cover their shift while I take them out for as much ale as they can drink and tell them to never mention this to anyone. I’ve got cousins in the excavation business; I’ll get them to come down here tonight with a couple of wagons of dirt to fill the cracks up. Your job is to stay quiet.”
“I can—”
Tavi lost her magical connection to the conversation, but she’d heard enough to bring a smile to her face, even as she gasped for air. A moment later, the Golds’ sprint ended at an abandoned building Tavi and Tullen had found the day before.
Once they were inside, Tavi updated the others on the guards’ conversation. Upon hearing it, Tullen opened the pack strapped to his back. He pulled out a whiskey bottle. “I guess we’re safe for now. Anyone up for some of this?”
There were tears and laughter then, both bordering on hysterical. No one drank; they needed their full faculties. When they’d calmed, they began to leave two at a time, scarves over their mouths.
The Golds were back in Savala.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I have worked my hardest to develop my magic, but I experience resistance so often. Will you ask Sava to give me gray magic? I mentioned my desire to the midwives who do our training, and they reprimanded me. But you know Sava well, and he has already blessed you with gray magic. Surely if you pray for me, he will listen to you.
- Liri Sinniver to Her Royal Highness Queen Camalyn, from Year One: Correspondence in the Corminian Kingdom
Remina Birge entered the throne room. She gritted her teeth while the silly secretary introduced her, then kept them clenched while she bowed to the king and queen. It was all a performance, and the monarchs weren’t even actors, they were puppets. Unlike most of the people who came in here, Birge knew she was part of the cast. She’d play her part when necessary, but she wouldn’t try to be too convincing.
“Ms. Birge, it’s a pleasure to see you,” Camalyn said. “You may step forward.”
Birge relaxed her jaw but didn’t go so far as to smile. She approached the stage. “Where is Konner?”
“He had an errand to run,” Relin said. “Should be back any minute.”
“Very well. I’ll wait.”
Camalyn raised her perfect eyebrows. Relin stood, stepped off the throne platform, and walked to the food table. “Care for a pastry?”
“No,” Birge said.
“Darling?” Relin asked Camalyn.
“No, thank you.”
Birge looked at the queen’s face. Despite cosmetics, it looked a bit gray. Was the girl still suffering from nausea, over halfway through her pregnancy? Birge almost felt sorry for her.
Relin took his pastry back up to his silly leather “throne” and ate it there. He had a napkin, but it fell off his lap. When he finished, he picked up the largest crumb from his lap and ate it before brushing the rest of the crumbs onto the throne platform. Birge did smile at him then, in a condescending sort of way. He returned the smile.
The door opened, and Birge turned to see Konner stride in. “Remina,” he said when he’d taken his place next to the throne platform, “lovely to see you.”
He didn’t even try to sound sincere. She appreciated that about Konner. He knew who he could fool and who he couldn’t. Birge had always been one of the latter.
“It’s been some time since we spoke, and I thought I should check in,” Birge said. In reality, she was bored. She’d liked all her visits around Cormina, acting as one of the king’s envoys. Surely there was something to keep her attention until the roads were pleasant enough to make her want to travel again.
“It’s only been five weeks,” Konner stated. Sava, his memory was good.
“Any progress?” she asked. “New ideas? Plans? I know you, Konner, you aren’t just sitting still for the season.”
“There is a time for action and a time for planning,” Konner said. “We’re in a planning phase.”
“Planning what?”
Konner just smiled, lips closed.
“Oh, let’s tell her,” Relin said. “You know she’s trustworthy, and she might have some good ideas.”
Birge turned to Relin. “I appreciate that, Your Majesty.”
“Fine.” Konner said, his tone blasé. “Tell her.”
Relin smiled widely. “We’re going to take Pellagi in the spring.”
Birge’s eyes widened. “Take Pellagi?” She turned to Konner again. “Are you planning an invasion already?”
He nodded. “It’s time to annex them. They won’t be able to stop us.”
Birge stared at Konner. She wished she could use her hearing gift to filter out his lies, but he’d never allow that. She’d worn a hat in his presence once, and he’d demanded she remove it. “How are things going with the army?” she asked.
Two voices answered at once.
“Perfectly well,” Konner said.
“Poorly.” That was Camalyn.
Birge ignored Konner and turned to Camalyn. “In what ways?”
“Under Talger, they’re undisciplined and will soon be hungry. They’re nearly out of black powder, and our production of it has slowed to a trickle, so it’ll be some time before we can adequately resupply them. The soldiers are supposed to be training, and I suppose they could be, but I doubt it. We haven’t had a messenger from them in weeks.”
Relin stood, stepped off the platform, and returned to the food table. The room was quiet; Birge, Konner, and Camalyn all watched him until he was back in his seat, another pastry in hand. He lifted it as if toasting them.
Birge blinked and turned back to Camalyn. “You said there hasn’t been a messenger in weeks? The roads aren’t that bad; one person on a horse can still travel. Especially with all the inns between here and there.”
“You don’t travel in the winter, Birge.” Konner stared at her. A challenge. He wanted her to become defensive.
She didn’t take the bait, stating simply, “I’m not a twenty-year-old adventure seeker.”
“Remina is right; they could send messengers,” Camalyn said. She turned to Birge. “We sent one to them last week, instructing Talger to step up their weapons training and demanding an update.”
“But you said they’re almost out of black powder; how can they train with weapons?”
Konner said, “They can practice quick loading, even if they must use dirt in place of powder. They can also practice marching and various battle scenarios. I’m confident they’re doing all this. By spring we’ll have a disciplined army with plenty of powder. We’ll be ready to invade.”
“How many Blessed are in the army?” Birge asked.
Konner shrugged. “I don’t know, probably several dozen.”
“How many with gray magic?”
“Just Talger.”
“Why?”
“Because the more people who have gray magic, the greater the chance that someone reveals how they got theirs. It’s our most valuable secret.”
“Konner,” Birge said, “our army is depending on weapons which are slow to load and difficult to aim. And now you tell me we don’t even have much powder. I’d wager there are a good number of Blessed in that army who could use their magic in frighteningly creative, violent ways if they didn’t have resistance to deal with. They would be far more powerful than your silly, heavy hand cannons.”
Konner glared at her. “At no time will we allow that many people to walk around with the secrets of gray magic. It would take away all our power.”
“No, it wouldn’t! You’re still in charge of all the safety officers and the army! Or, pardon me, the king and queen are.” She smirked at Camalyn and Relin. The king was licking his fingers. Then she turned back to Konner. “I joined you because I believed in your vision for this nation. A place where people can fight to be
on top. Gray magic is crucial for that.”
“Clearly you never understood my vision,” Konner said.
“Or I did understand it, and you’ve backed off now that you’re holding the reins. You’re scared of losing the power you’ve grasped, and that’s coloring every decision you make.”
She and Konner glared at each other, the tension thick between them. She heard one of the monarchs shifting in their seat, but she didn’t look that direction to see which one it was.
Finally, Konner asked, “Was there anything else?”
She raised an eyebrow. “That’s it.”
“Then go home, Birge. Take a hot bath, drink some tea in front of the fire, and enjoy your winter off. Things will feel better when you get back on the road.”
Birge spun around and headed for the exit, stopping just short of it. “Zakkur, walk me out,” she said.
The big guard looked toward the thrones. Apparently receiving whatever confirmation he needed, he held the door open for Birge and followed her out.
When they were on the street and out of earshot of the outside guards, Birge glanced at Zakkur. “You can’t tell me you’re fine with the way they’re running things.”
Zakkur’s steps slowed. “You know I’m not. But I’m still not sure I want to help you.”
She didn’t say anything until she’d reached her carriage. Then she stopped, crossed her arms, and faced Zakkur. “Why not?” she asked, keeping her voice quiet so her driver didn’t overhear.
“I miss the way things used to be. Putting you in charge might not fix anything.”
“You miss the way things used to be?” Birge asked. “When you patrolled the streets of Savala every night, breaking up bar fights?”
Zakkur crossed his arms and looked down at his big feet.
“You guard the king and queen,” Birge said. “And when they’re gone, you’ll guard me. You won’t just be one of the guards; you’ll be the head of my personal guard. How is that not an improvement?”
He glanced up. “I need to think about it more.”
“Well, don’t think too long. There are plenty of other guards I can talk to. Now open my door.”
Zakkur complied, but Birge didn’t step in her carriage. Instead, she grasped Zakkur’s thick arm and said, “Meet with me tonight. We can talk more. We have to do this together.”
His eyes shifted left, then right. “I can’t meet tonight.”
“Can’t, or won’t?”
“I can’t. I have something else.”
His nervousness struck her. She hadn’t gotten to where she was without honing her instincts. She kept her expression flat, nodded, and said, “I’ll see you soon.” Then she stepped into her carriage, and he closed the door.
Tavi, Sall, and Wrey knocked on the door of a small house in a clean, no-frills neighborhood. A tall, muscular man opened the door and waved them in. They entered and pulled the scarves off their faces.
There weren’t any chairs left in the tiny sitting room, so they stood. The room was full; all the other Golds had already arrived, two at a time.
Tavi looked at the man and smiled calmly, holding back the full-on grin she really wanted to display. They’d been in Savala for a week. First she and Tullen had used their hearing gifts to hone in on Zakkur’s voice at his home. Then they’d tried to find his house by following the sound. But neither of them had ever tracked someone through their gifted ears, and they couldn’t get the hang of it.
So Sall had begun spending time near the temporary palace in the mornings. He hadn’t wanted to arouse suspicion, so he’d only spoken to a guard or two each day, asking them if they knew Zakkur. Several days in, he’d gotten lucky and met the man himself, when Zakkur was walking to work. And incredibly, the guard had agreed to meet with them.
“Why are you all here?” Zakkur asked.
Sall answered, “We have something in common with you. We don’t trust Konner Burrell or our new monarchs.”
Zakkur stepped back, but Jenevy was sitting in a chair behind him, and he nearly tripped when his foot collided with hers. “Sorry.” He moved forward again, then asked, “Why don’t you think I trust them?”
“We’ve overheard some of your conversations with Remina Birge.”
Zakkur’s eyes widened. “How?”
Tavi took over. “We can talk about that later. What we need to know is whether you’ll join with us to stop them.”
He looked around the room warily. “Who are you all?”
Tavi smiled a bit. “Don’t you recognize any of us?”
Zakkur looked confused for a few seconds, and then, as he looked at Tavi, his eyes widened in recognition. He looked around at the others and finally said, “You’re on the posters. Some of you, anyway. And there’s a young boy on one of the posters too; where is he?”
There were a few muted chuckles, and Tavi answered, “That one was a mistake.”
“So you’re rebels, trying to kill the king and queen,” Zakkur said.
“We’re not trying to kill them,” Tullen said. “Just stop them.”
Ash added, “We only want to kill Konner, not the king and queen.” That earned him impatient glances from several of the others. “I’m kidding!” he protested.
Tavi cleared her throat, and Zakkur looked her way. She shared a little about their history with the Grays, enough so that his face took on a look of understanding and, she thought, admiration.
“Will you help us?” she asked.
He looked toward the sitting room door and said, “Possibly. I need to talk to my wife first.”
“Fair enough,” Tavi said. “We need a way for you to communicate with us. You asked how we overheard you. A couple of us have gifted ears, and we’ve been listening to you. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but it’ll be the best way for you to communicate with us. Every night at ten o’clock, one of us will listen for your voice, right here at your house. If you need to tell us something, just whisper to us.”
“You’ll hear?” he asked.
“Most likely,” Tullen replied. “But if we don’t contact you by the next day, repeat the process. Just in case we don’t catch it.”
“So you can listen, but you can’t talk back to me?”
“I wish we could,” Tavi said. “We’ll have to come here if we need to contact you.”
He didn’t look comfortable with that, but he shrugged. “I suppose that’ll have to do.”
It was dark when they arrived back at the midwife house. There, they all sat by the fire in the upstairs common room. At nearly ten o’clock, Tavi stood and said, “I’m exhausted.”
Tullen pointed to the clock on the wall. “It’s five ‘til.”
“Oh, right.” She sat. “Let’s activate our gifts now.”
Tavi and Tullen activated their hearing gifts, then sat on either side of Ven. He placed a glowing finger on each of them.
It took Tavi most of the five minutes just to locate Zakkur’s house. But finally, she heard the guard telling his wife good night.
“I’m going to get a little more knitting done,” his wife said.
“Don’t use too much lamp oil,” Zakkur said.
Then Tavi heard the man’s breath and footsteps, followed by the sound of a door closing. He’d seemed so calm a moment before, but he suddenly spoke in a panicked whisper.
“Birge showed up an hour after you all left,” he said. “For Sava’s sake, I hope you can hear me right now. You’ve got to meet with me. Tonight.” He named a pub and told them how to get there, then said he’d walk there right away.
Zakkur went to make some excuse to his wife, and Tavi released her gift. Tullen did the same, and they updated the others.
“I hate that woman,” Ash said. “Birge is dangerous. Konner’s never given her enough credit.”
“We have to find out what she told Zakkur,” Wrey said.
“Could be a trap,” Ash said. “Whoever goes, they need to be able to defend themselves.’
Ev
eryone looked at Tavi. “I’ll go,” she said, “but will you come too, Tullen? I think I should have a method of rapid transport in case things go badly.”
He agreed, and they put on shoes, bundled themselves against the cold, and left.
Zakkur was waiting in the pub, a huge stein of beer in front of him. He looked up with wide, bloodshot eyes when Tavi and Tullen approached.
“Want a drink?” he asked.
“We’re fine,” Tavi said. She sat, and Tullen did the same. They kept their scarves on; better to look odd than be recognized. Hopefully they wouldn’t be there long. “What did Birge say to you?” Tavi asked.
Zakkur briefly buried his face in his hands, then rubbed his eyes and took a drink before responding. “She knew nine people had visited my house, and she asked me why.”
“Did you tell her anything?” Tullen asked.
“Soon as she got there, she turned on that terrible gray gift of hers. She uses it any time she’s afraid I’m lying to her. She can hear—”
“We’re aware of her gift,” Tavi said.
“Oh, right. Good.” Zakkur spread his arms. “I didn’t want to answer her, but once her gift was active, I had to. I can’t lie, and if I refuse to answer, she won’t trust me. She’ll get Konner to arrest me. She asked if the people who visited knew about her, so I said yes. Then she asked if you were trying to stop the king, and I said yes to that too. So she asked if I was going to work with you, and I told her no.”
“And she knew you were lying,” Tullen said.
Zakkur gazed down into his beer, then took another big swig of it. He swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of a shaky hand. Then he looked at Tavi and Tullen. “It wasn’t a lie,” he said.
Tavi’s mouth dropped open. “I thought you wanted to help us.”
“I—I talked to my wife. She doesn’t want me to.”
“But we’ve listened to conversations between the two of you,” Tavi said. Zakkur’s eyebrows shot up, but Tavi kept talking. “Your wife doesn’t like the new monarchy either.”
Facing the Fire Page 22
