Treachery in Tarnstead (Stoneblood Saga Book 5)

by Robyn Wideman

  Nathan, seething from Gadwell’s comments about Camille, still had his emotions under control enough not to bite. “Trial by combat isn’t a right in Elderwood. Nor is it applicable here.”

  “Are you suggesting that Elderwood doesn’t respect the Solotine accords?” Lambert Symons said as he stepped out of the crowd of nobles and merchants who were now watching the spectacle.

  “Nathan, before you answer that, can I borrow you for a second,” Count Mavane said.

  Nathan turned to the count. “What accords are they talking about.”

  “The Solotine Accords are a treaty signed long ago between all the kingdoms in Solotine. They give the official representatives of each kingdom certain rights so that local authorities can’t arrest them for political gain. Trial by combat is one of the accord rules that the rulers in Northern Solotine insisted on. You’ve publicly threatened to throw him out of Elderwood which is a breach of the accords. By not accepting his right to trial you risk war with Tarnstead, and possibly Venecia if they consider the breach of the accords worthy of war.”

  Realization struck Nathan like a rock to the head. “So, I just walked into a trap. If I don’t accept a duel with him, I give King Parth an excuse for war, which you would be required to fight as a member of Tarnstead.”

  “I’m afraid so,” Count Mavane said. “I’m sorry Nathan. I had no idea something like this might happen.”

  “Don’t be. I’m just glad you were here to stop me from falling into the trap.”

  “I wouldn’t say you haven’t fallen. I didn’t recognize him before, but this Gadwell is no noble, he’s a member of the king’s blackguard. He’s a killer.”

  Nathan smiled at Count Mavane. “I’ve dealt with killers before. I’d rather take my chances with a duel than risking a war with you on the other side. Anything I need to know about this trial by combat business?”

  “It’s just what it sounds like. A duel to the death. If you win he’s guilty. If he kills you, then you were in the wrong and he’s granted safe passage out of Elderwood.”

  “Figures. Would you do me one more favor and go outside and fetch Verin for me. He needs to make sure the guards don’t do something foolish if he wins.”

  “He’s just coming in the door now. I had one of the guards go fetch him the moment I saw what was happening,” Count Mavane said.

  Nathan stepped away from the count and looked at Gadwell and Lambert Symons who were standing together waiting for Nathan to finish his conversation with the count. “Your right to trial by combat is granted.” Nathan looked around and spotted Quinton who was standing with Sharon behind him. “Quinton, my weapons are hanging in my quarters.”

  Quinton nodded and took off running.

  “We’ll do this in the courtyard where we can have a little more privacy,” Nathan said. The evening was already ruined no matter the outcome of the fight, so no need to exacerbate the situation by making it a public spectacle.

  “I’m afraid not, Milord,” Lambert Symons said. “Trial by combat must be witnessed by all who choose so that no man can suggest foul play. Wouldn’t want one of your guards to accidently trip Gadwell or give him a quick nick of the blade when no one can see them.” Symons looked around. “Despite the wonderful magic music still playing no one is dancing. I would suggest the dance floor is a perfect place.”

  Nathan narrowed his eyes, his anger burned at the way these two were manipulating the situation. Waving his hand at the bloodstone being used for the music he turned it off. Keeping his voice calm but loud and firm, Nathan addressed the crowd. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize for the interruption, but we’ve had a disagreement and one of our guests from Progoh has claimed his right of trial by combat. If you would all step back and clear the dance area, we’ll get this unfortunate business out of the way.”

  As the crowd moved to the edges of the room, Nathan stepped towards Verin and Count Mavane who remained in the middle of the dance floor.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Verin asked.

  “Do I have a choice?” Nathan asked.

  Verin shook his head. “Not really. The accords have helped keep peace throughout Solotine’s history. To break them would put us in a bad light with all our trading partners and invite war. I’m afraid this bastard Gadwell has us cornered.”

  “Gadwell is a puppet,” Count Mavane said. “A dangerous one, but Lambert Symons is the one making him dance, and I’m afraid that Lambert is the king’s man.”

  Nathan nodded. He understood what was happening. The situation was like his visit to Raumont. Now it was the king’s man who was being sent to test him and possibly kill him. However, they were choosing to goad him into anger and use ancient customs to force him into battle.

  Quinton stepped back into the room, bringing Nathan his sword belt which contained his sheathed black steel sword and dagger.

  Thanking Quinton, Nathan put the belt around his waist and removed both sword and dagger.

  “A sword is the customary weapon for duels,” Lambert Symons said.

  “In Progoh,” Count Mavane said. “Elderwood has no such custom. Nor does Venecia.”

  A few of the merchants and nobles in the room voiced their agreement.

  “As the crowd agrees, it seems that nothing in the accords prohibit two weapons. You may lend Gadwell your weapon if you like.”

  Lambert Symons grinned and gave a small bow. “I stand corrected.”

  Gadwell sneered. “I won’t be needing no dagger. My sword will be enough to defeat this phony prince. I’ll finish what Duke Evollan started and remove the stain of the Stonebloods from Southern Solotine.”

  Verin grabbed Nathan by the arm before he could react. “They’re trying to goad you. To make you angry.”

  “It’s working.” Nathan’s heart was pounding, and he could taste blood.

  “Just don’t let your emotions control you. The man is a warrior and if they planned this the whole time, he’s probably extremely dangerous. Remember your training.”

  Nathan nodded. Verin was right. He knew himself well enough to know that his temper, while slow to rise, was always an issue. Taking a deep breath, Nathan focused on the memory of his father and his training along with that which Verin had provided. They had both taught him to breathe, be aware of his surroundings and to maintain control. When he was younger and only sparring Nathan had never truly understood what they were talking about when they said to maintain control. He’d felt anger and the desire to lash out, but nothing like he felt now. The desire to destroy Gadwell, Lambert Symons, and anyone else who wanted to insult the memory of his fallen family was a temptation hard to resist. Taking another deep breath, Nathan started to notice something else. His necklace was heating. Closing his eyes and focusing on it, Nathan was startled when he could hear Ava’s voice.

  “You’re too angry,” Ava’s spirt spoke to him. “You are going to get hurt if you don’t calm down.”

  “Ava. You’re here?”

  “I’m always here, silly boy. Our spirits are connected, now get yourself together and do what needs to be done. We can talk later.”

  Shocked by the abrupt conversation with Ava’s spirit, Nathan opened his eyes and looked across the dance floor to where Gadwell stood waiting.

  “If you’re done praying to your pathetic ancestors, we can start any time,” Gadwell taunted.

  Nathan said nothing. Ava’s spirit had done what Verin’s words had failed to do. He was now calm and centered. Nathan stepped forward. As he moved he truly studied his opponent for the first time. Gadwell was a tall, well-built man, dark hair with speckles of gray. His clothing was that of a noble, dark pants and a white tunic with gold embroidery around the collar. The style was actually very common in Elderwood. Perhaps the man had bought the clothes here in Elderwood for the party. If he was a mercenary or a soldier it would make sense. The man’s boots were not new though, and his left boot had a bulge along the side indicating a hidden dagger, despite his previous claims of
not needing one. His sword was of a standard length and shape for a soldier, but the blade itself had a dull dark hue along the edge. Poison? It wasn’t unheard of for mercenaries to use poisoned blades to ensure that even the smallest cuts could be fatal. Nathan assumed that the man’s hidden dagger would also have the same dark hue.

  The idea of a poisoned blade didn’t faze Nathan. He had a knowledge of poisons that went far beyond the average healer thanks to his mother’s dedication and persistence in her lessons, and after Ava’s death from poison he’d spent a lot of time gathering ingredients for antidotes. Of course, the simplest solution to dealing with a poisoned blade was to simply not get cut by it.

  Gadwell moved forward, he moved with the grace and confidence of an experienced fighter. He glided across the dance floor before bursting into a bevy of quick striking slashes.

  Nathan parried the attacks, using both his sword and dagger. However, he didn’t attempt any counterattacks. He waited, learning his opponents style, and fighting rhythm.

  “What’s the matter, Princey? Did daddy not teach you how to use your sword before he died?”

  Nathan ignored the taunts. Ava’s message had him focused, nothing the man could say now would matter. Gadwell might be an accomplished killer and expert swordsman, but he wasn’t as skilled as the opponents Nathan had faced over the years. In fact, the man’s skills paled in comparison to those of Verin. His attacks were swift and graceful, but his angles and timing were poor. At first, Nathan thought he was trying to trick him into attacking by pretending to use inferior tactics, but as the fight went on, he could see this wasn’t the case. Nathan started to wonder how the man got his reputation as a fighter. Was it built on duels such as this, or through murder? If his blades were indeed poisoned that would explain it. With his aggressive style Nathan could see the man scoring plenty of glancing blows, small slashes that would otherwise be harmless without the deadly effects of a fast-acting poison.

  Growing frustrated, Gadwell tried pushing the pace faster, attempting a double slash to Nathan’s left side. The move was the opening needed to end the fight. Blocking the attack with the sword in his right hand. Nathan pivoted on his forward foot, as he spun around he reversed the grip on his dagger. As Gadwell realized his mistake he tried to bring his left hand back to block Nathan’s attack, but his reaction was too slow. Once his hand struck Nathan’s arm the dagger was buried deep. The blade pierced the ribcage and entered the heart. Gadwell’s eyes widened, and his sword dropped to the ground.

  “Dirty northern scum,” Gadwell said, between gasping last breaths.

  Nathan removed his dagger from the man’s side. Letting him fall to the ground. Even in death the man’s thoughts were filled with hate and malice. Looking past the dying man, Nathan stared at Lambert Symons, the man who’d likely orchestrated the duel. “If you want to avenge your friend. I would understand.”

  Lambert Symons looked down at the dead man at Nathan’s feet. He shook his head. “No. You misunderstand the situation. I hardly knew the man. My only interest was in seeing that as an emissary of the king he received fair treatment. We all witnessed you granting him trial by combat. As far as I’m concerned, the matter is concluded, and I see no reason for this unfortunate incident to have any impact on the budding relationship between our kingdoms.”

  Nathan doubted his sincerity, but to push the matter would only make things worse. “Very well then.”

  Count Mavane stepped forward. “As per the accords, we’ll prepare the body for your return to Progoh. Nathan, the customary procedure is to send a small bag of coin with the deceased dignitary to offset any funeral expenses the family may incur. To my knowledge the man had no family, but someone may come forward.”

  “Please do whatever is appropriate,” Nathan said before turning to address the crowd of gathered nobles and merchants. My apologies but I’m afraid this concludes this evening’s festivities. The lunar festival activities in the city pavilion are still ongoing and everyone is welcome to make their way there. Or carriages will deliver you back to the inns.” Nathan then headed to his rooms. He needed to clean up and give the crowd time to head back to the city before he spoke to Verin, Avera, and Count Mavane about what had just happened. The fight was obviously more than just a simple duel, and he needed to figure out what to do next. Behind him, he could hear Verin and Count Mavane talking. Count Mavane was speaking to the visiting dignitaries while Verin was ordering the guards to take away the body of Gadwell Maycott.

  21

  Nathan turned as he heard a knock at the door of his private chambers. “Hello.”

  Hanna popped her head in the door. “Can I come in.”

  “Please do.”

  Nathan watched as Hanna walked in and started inspecting his quarters. She peeked into his bedroom and the adjoining blacksmith workshop.

  Hanna nodded her approval. “This is more like it. It suits you better. The castle is too …”

  “Royal?”

  “No. Too decorative. You’ve done an amazing job building it, and it’s a great castle, but all that pomp and ceremony and official titles are just like that huge castle. They serve a purpose, but they aren’t who you really are. This feels more like you. Simple, clean, and functional. A warrior’s quarters, and a builder’s quarters.”

  “You’re right. When we lived in Balta, I didn’t mind living in Avera’s house. It was basically a castle, but it was hers. I was just a guest. I had a room in the main section of the castle when we first started building it, but I could never get comfortable. Here, I can be by myself. I can work in my smith shop. I’m much more comfortable living in here.”

  “I see Ava was finally able to connect with you,” Hanna said.

  “You could tell?”

  Hanna took another look in the blacksmith shop. “How do you deal with the smoke? We are still inside the mountain.”

  “Piping. Above the firepit is a hole that connects to the castle vents. I only burn wood that doesn’t smoke too much, and it works great.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem. I imagine you only use witch oak.” Hanna sat in one of the chairs. “I could tell by your necklace. I’m fairly sensitive to spirit magic now, and your necklace was flowing with energy. Even now, during the lunar alignment it takes a lot of energy for you to connect to the spirit world. I’d thought you would’ve been able to connect with Ava before this, but your earth magic is too strong.”

  “What changed?”

  “Your anger. They were smart to try to get you angry. It was working perfectly until they pushed too far. Your anger disconnected you from your magic, not fully, but enough for Ava to speak to you. In the future I would try focusing your thoughts on a different emotion than anger when you have a chance to speak to her. Anger is so draining.”

  Nathan frowned. “If I want to talk to Ava I need to be really emotional? Like crying or rage?”

  Hanna shook her head. “It doesn’t work quite like that. You just need your energy channeled into your emotions. And even then, that might not be enough. However, on a night like tonight where the spirit magic is at its strongest it should work. Just make sure when you go to bed you are focused on Ava. Today, your rage was strong enough to create that opening, but without someone like Gadwell or Symons here to goad you I fear anger would fail you. So just relax and think happy thoughts about her.” Hanna put a small vial on the table. I find these are good for dream walking. Take this before you go to bed and it will help clear up your dreams.”

  Nathan examined the vial.

  “It’s fermented mushrooms.”

  “Dream walking. What exactly is that? I’ve felt her in my dreams before, but it always felt like there was a barrier between us.”

  “Simple. Dream walking is when that barrier is finally gone. It was like that for me too, at first. That muddled feeling. I could see people, but when they tried talking to me nothing came out. It took me a while to hone my connection to the spirit world. Obviously, you are different than me, you
r connection to earth magic makes connecting to the spirit world even harder, but as you now know, it can be done.”

  Nathan nodded. He’d doubted it, even after learning about Rose’s connection to Ava. But hearing her voice inside his head, it was almost like the old days. To see her in dreams, to talk to her, even if it was only once, would be amazing. “Thank you, Hanna. For everything you’ve done.”

  Hanna shrugged. “You are family. But even if you weren’t I’d have done the same. I’d like to think we’d be friends even if we didn’t share the same blood.”

  Nathan smiled. “Yes. I think we would.”

  Hanna squeezed Nathan’s shoulder. “Sleep well.” She looked down at the vial. “Take it now.”

  Taking the vial, Nathan popped off the cork. He quickly downed the fluid.

  “You might want to get undressed and into bed right away. That is going to hit you pretty hard and fast. I made it extra strong to make sure you got where you needed to be.”

  Hanna closed Nathan’s door, leaving him alone in his quarters. Taking her advice, Nathan removed his clothing and slipped into bed. Now that the adrenaline rush of combat had worn off he was feeling exhausted. He closed his eyes and focused on his memories of Ava, the one that came to him was their first kiss. Sitting in the woods outside the original village of Elderwood where they’d grown up together.

  …

  Opening his eyes, Nathan found himself sitting beside the pond. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around. Was it a dream? He felt awake, but there was no way he should be at the pond, and the fog around the pond had a surreal feel to it. He could see nothing but black and fog in the distance.

  “Funny, of all the places we’ve been this is the one you’d pick.”

  Nathan turned, and Ava was standing beside him. “Ava. This is a dream?”

  Ava smiled and nodded. “Yes. I’ve tried to come to you in your sleep before, but never was able to. Did Hanna give you something?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. I was worried we’d never get this chance. It’s so much easier for me to connect with Rose. She was scared tonight.”