Even R, who usually seemed distanced from the goings-on of the camp, noticed the change when he returned. He sought Marie out in the kitchens one morning to ask her about it and listened with rapt interest to her story.
“Interesting,” he said, his face thoughtful.
Marie wished she were better at interpreting his strange expressions. She had downplayed Rafe’s skill, not wishing to draw attention to him, but she still felt uneasy.
As it turned out, she should have saved the concern for herself. Two days later, R interrupted the evening meal to announce yet another trip. It was the first public announcement he had made since Marie had joined the rebels. She nibbled on her tongue, wondering what was coming next.
“As our group grows,” he said, holding everyone’s rapt attention, “I no longer like to leave you all leaderless in my absence. I have, therefore, determined to appoint someone to act with my authority while I am gone.”
The uneasy feeling returned to Marie’s stomach.
“I have chosen Marie as my deputy and expect you to show her the same respect and deference you show to me.” His eyes turned hard, although Marie could see no rebellion in the faces around her. Even Peter looked acquiescent, lulled, no doubt, by the enchantment of R’s presence.
She glanced at her friends. Lisa looked thrilled and reached over to give her arm a quick squeeze. Danny looked approving, he had been wanting a better authority structure from the beginning. Rafe looked thoughtful.
He alone had never shown any signs of falling under R’s thrall, and Marie wished she could read his mind even more than she wished she could understand R.
He raised his eyebrows at her, and she shrugged in reply. What could she say?
R gestured for her to join him at the front of the room, and she reluctantly made her way forward. He placed a warm, approving arm around her shoulders, and she had to force herself not to cringe away. Despite how much time had passed, it still felt wrong to receive such a fatherly gesture from him.
She mumbled a few words of gratitude to the crowd for their trust and then quickly fled the room. R followed her.
“What are you doing?” she asked him. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“No,” he said, and there was a hint of steel in his voice that she hadn’t heard before. “I’ve been very patient with you. Indeed, I understand and applaud your desire to get to know the camp. But you also need to learn how to lead it. I’m giving you the chance to do so and also to protect your friend from any further attacks. Surely you want that?”
She stared at him, silenced by his words. What had he meant? Were his words merely a reference to Peter, or had that been a threat against Rafe?
“Very well,” she said, her words reluctant and her voice heavy.
R giggled. “That’s the way, my dear.” He smiled, patted her on the shoulder and was gone.
Marie sighed and returned to the dining cavern, trying desperately to think of what explanation she could give her friends.
Chapter 19
But to her surprise, no one questioned her appointment as leader. Lisa and Danny seemed entirely approving and not the least bit curious as to why she had been chosen. She could only assume it was a side effect of the enchantment.
Rafe, on the other hand, clearly wanted to know what was going on between R and Marie, but he couldn’t ask around the others.
Marie felt guilty about leaving him in the dark, but she also made sure to stick close to Lisa and give him no opportunity to talk to her alone.
She gave up working in the kitchens in the mornings and dedicated herself instead to learning all about the running of the camp. She interviewed as many of the rebels as possible, searching them out at their regular tasks and joining in where possible.
Everyone seemed happy to talk to her and enthusiastic about R, but they all seemed a little hazy on what exactly was going to be required of them as rebels. It didn’t help that they all gave her a different reason when she enquired as to the purpose of the rebellion. Almost as if they had each heard something different in R’s words. Once again, it made no sense except as a consequence of the enchantment. She had never heard of rebels with so little ideological cohesion or interest in fighting. Only a small handful even seemed to have a significant grievance against the crown.
Everything she saw led her to agree with Danny. For a rebel camp, the security and organisation were sorely lacking. She also had no trouble thinking of ways to improve the situation.
Her dilemma lay in the fact that she wasn’t sure she wanted to do it.
It surprised her to learn that she liked being in charge, and she had no doubt that bringing the camp into order would be supremely satisfying. But she couldn’t forget what the purpose of the camp actually was. Truly taking leadership would put her one step closer to defying her family and setting herself up as queen.
A part of her wanted to forget consequences and just do it. Whipping the camp into shape and uniting it under her leadership would be a challenge, a worthy test of her skill. After all, she had trained all these years to be the perfect royal, and now that she had discovered the truth of her heritage, all her effort might go to waste. Unless, of course, she seized the chance that R was offering her.
But still, she hesitated.
On the third day of her leadership, Rafe failed to appear at breakfast.
“He’s gone out hunting.” Danny shrugged, as if disclaiming responsibility for his friend’s strange actions. “He wanted to get out early, so he’s gone alone.”
Marie chewed on her tongue again. So he’d given up trying to catch her alone, then. She knew she should be glad, but she felt disappointed instead.
Now that she was in no immediate danger of bumping into him, thoughts of Rafe continued to dominate her mind. Eventually she gave up trying to focus on any of the tasks before her. Shaking her head at her own contrariness, she collected her bow and arrow and left the camp.
While it would be a triumph to surprise her teachers with success, she didn’t really expect to catch any game. She merely wanted a chance to get away. To clear her head.
The solitude of the forest was soothing, but it didn’t bring answers to her troubled mind. Waiting and watching had seemed like a wise plan, but she was starting to realise that it was getting her no closer to a solution. She suspected that the answer wasn’t going to drop down from the sky merely because she waited long enough. She was simply going to have to make a choice, however distasteful.
It was an unappealing thought.
Still trying to put off the inevitable, she focussed her attention back on the forest as she looped back towards the camp. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to flush out some game.
Hearing a noise, she froze, trying to track its direction. Easing back behind a tree, she stared towards the sound. Whatever it was, it sounded big. Perhaps a deer?
A deer did emerge from the trees but it wasn’t walking on its own legs. Instead they bobbed well above the ground, slung across broad shoulders. She mentally kicked herself. No wonder she’d barely survived in the forest – she couldn’t even tell the difference between a human and a deer.
Rafe looked cheerful, pleased perhaps with his catch, and she debated whether she should step forward and reveal her presence. She wished she could tell him the whole truth, explain her dilemma and ask his advice.
But she didn’t dare. She was too afraid of what he would think of her for lying to him for so long – for being tempted in the first place.
While she hesitated, the forest around her erupted. Shocked, she watched several of the young rebel men pour from the trees and rush towards Rafe.
Outnumbered six to one and hampered as he was by the deer, he had no chance to even draw a weapon. The rebels leapt on him, pinning him to the ground, and Marie recognised Peter in their midst, his eyes shining and fists flailing.
After a brief scuffle, Rafe was hauled to his feet, firmly clasped by three of the foresters. Peter placed himself in front of them.<
br />
“Not so high and mighty now, are you?” he asked.
His triumph made Marie sick.
She assessed the situation, trying not to focus on the blood trickling down from above Rafe’s eye. She glanced towards the camp, but the distinct thump of a fist hitting flesh pulled her attention back to the group before her. Rafe was bent slightly forward, curled, as much as he was able, around his stomach. Peter’s hand was still clenched into a fist.
Marie sucked in her breath and abandoned any thought of going for help. Instead she quietly selected an arrow and drew her bow. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she took aim and fired a shot into the tree next to Peter.
All seven of the men in the clearing looked up, first at the arrow and then back towards her position. She took the opportunity to nock another arrow and step forward.
Her hands were steady, and her voice was calm.
“The next one goes into you, Peter,” she said, keeping her aim on him.
One of the others took a hesitant step towards her. She shook her head without taking her eyes off Peter.
“I wouldn’t try that, if I were you. An arrow will move much faster than you will.” She paused to let her words sink in. “I will not have such doings in my camp. I suggest you all stand down – right now!”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rafe watching her. His expression was half admiration, half fear. He hadn’t looked fearful before, so she could only assume his concern was for her.
She knew that even with the bow and arrow and the element of surprise, the odds were against her. But she was relying on the authority R had bequeathed to her. Hopefully it carried some weight, at least with Peter’s five companions. None of them had shown any desire to flout their leader before, and she trusted that they weren’t as blinded by hate as Peter.
For a long moment, no one moved. Marie began to feel nervous. Perhaps she had miscalculated.
Then one of the rebels holding Rafe let go and stood back. The other two were quick to follow his lead. After that, it only took seconds for the rest of them to melt away towards camp.
Rafe stood up and shook himself off, and Marie lowered her bow. She wanted to run to him and check if he was wounded, but she restrained herself.
Her eyes remained focussed on him, however, so she didn’t see Peter rush towards her. He wrenched the bow and quiver from her grip and tossed them aside.
She had the briefest second to wonder what exactly he intended to do, before he was suddenly gone. Looking around, she found him lying on the ground. Rafe was standing over him, both fists clenched.
“I warned you,” said Rafe, his breathing heavy. “I warned you what would happen if you ever touched her.”
Peter looked up at the other man, and Marie could read the fear in his face. She could understand the emotion. She would have been terrified if Rafe had ever looked at her like that.
“You need to leave, now, and never come back,” Rafe continued.
“But I…” Peter’s voice died away.
“I gave you a chance,” said Rafe, his face and voice implacable. “I won’t be giving you another.”
Peter opened his mouth again but shut it without saying anything. After a moment, he scrambled backwards, putting distance between himself and Rafe. Once he had room to move, he stood slowly upright before turning and walking away.
“You saved me,” said Marie and then bit her lip at the stupidity of the obvious statement.
Rafe flashed her his usual cheerful grin, all trace of his earlier icy rage gone. “Then I guess that makes us even. I seem to remember you started this encounter by saving me.”
“I did, didn’t I?” A delighted smile spread across Marie’s face. “I guess all your training paid off!”
For a moment, they grinned at each other a little foolishly.
“Do you truly think he’ll leave?” Marie hardly dared to believe that Peter might be gone from their lives for good.
“I do,” said Rafe. “His pride was hurt, and he let his anger blind him, but he’s not suicidal. I suspect, once he has some distance, and if he can shake off R’s enchantment, he’ll be embarrassed by his own behaviour.”
“Enchantment?” Marie latched onto the word. She had never confirmed the villagers’ suspicions to Rafe. “So you believe R’s managed to bewitch them all?” She wished she could confirm it to him and discuss the implications, but how would she explain her own knowledge? What reason could she give for R confiding so openly to her?
Rafe gestured at the deer now lying on the forest floor. “Hunting was just a cover. I’ve been to Greenwood.”
“Oh, of course.” Marie felt stupid for not having guessed it.
“This time there was a note left under my stone.”
“What did it say? Can I see it?” Marie wondered if it had been written by her adoptive father, and if she would recognise the handwriting. She felt suddenly lonely for her old life and her family. The unexpected, desperate longing for some physical connection to them took her by surprise.
Rafe shook his head, looking apologetic. “I didn’t want to risk bringing it back with me. I read it three times and then burned it.”
Marie nodded reluctantly. She had come to the same conclusion with Rafe’s map, after all. “What did it say?”
“It was a warning.” Rafe sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Apparently they’ve received an emissary from Rangmere.”
“Rangmere?” It was the last thing Marie had been expecting. “From the new queen? What does that have to do with the rebels?” She chewed on her tongue. Northhelm’s relationship with their neighbouring kingdom had been rocky for some time. And although Queen Ava had promised that the aggression would stop under her reign, Marie’s old distrust still lingered. Hardly surprising given she had personally been a part of foiling a previous attempt by Ava, when she was only a princess, to annex their other neighbour, Arcadia.
She hoped it wasn’t some new threat to Northhelm. An image of her parents, at home in the palace in Northgate, rushed into her mind. Guilt clawed at her. She could vividly conjure up a picture of her mother’s anxious face – she would be sick with worry for Marie. The last thing either of Northhelm’s rulers needed was further stress.
“The Rangmerans came with a warning from Queen Ava. Several of her subjects recently uncovered a plot against her throne. It involved the use of an enchanted jewel that one of her nobles used to enthral the people around him. Apparently it overpowered their loyalties and made them follow him without question.” Rafe paused to give her a significant look. “Sound familiar, at all? The king certainly thinks so. And, unfortunately, the culprit got away. They believe he fled into Northhelm.”
“An enchanted jewel?” Marie spoke slowly, considering the information. It lined up with what R had told her about the source of his powers. “Was there a description of what it looked like? We should try to find it!”
“Queen Ava described it as large and blood red. But the noble in question apparently wore it on a thick gold chain around his neck. If R has somehow acquired this gem, I’m sure he’ll keep it on his person as well. I can’t imagine we’ll just find it lying around.”
“No, I suppose you’re right…” Marie wondered if she could ask R to show it to her. At least then she’d know where he kept it. She could excuse her interest as a desire to learn about ruling the camp.
“Was there any information about the enchantment?” she asked. “Does it have any limitations?”
“According to the Rangmerans, it starts out like a gentle suggestion, but the more time the person spends around it, the stronger the compulsion to obey its owner becomes. Thankfully, if a person is removed from the jewel’s influence, they should recover after a few days. One of the bewitched described it as waking up from a dream.”
“Hmmm.” Marie considered the information. “R must take it with him on his recruiting trips since it’s how he convinces the foresters to become rebels in the first place. Which expl
ains why he’s never gone from camp for too long. And how an incident like this is able to happen.” She gestured at the forest around them, which still showed signs of the earlier struggle. “Discipline starts to disintegrate the longer he’s away.”
“Yes.” Rafe sighed. “It does seem to line up. In lots of ways, Danny and Lisa are just like their old selves: as long as I’ve known him, Danny has been serious, conscientious and an excellent hunter. And Lisa has always been friendly, fun and incredibly loyal to her brother. But they both always seemed intelligent and I found it odd from the beginning that they never questioned R. Certainly, when he’s here, they seem to hero worship him. Particularly Lisa. But when he’s away, I’ve noticed occasional changes. As if they’re not really sure what they’re doing in the camp.”
Marie nodded. “I’ve noticed the same thing. It’s subtle, but it’s definitely there. Which means we can break his hold on them if we can only get them away from the jewel for long enough. Or somehow get our hands on it.” She frowned as she considered the matter further. “If the enchantment’s so powerful, though, how come it didn’t affect everyone in Greenwood? For that matter, how come it isn’t affecting us?”
She paused, suddenly struck by a horrible thought. “You haven’t been feeling any strange compulsions to join the rebellion, have you?” She wouldn’t put it entirely past R to have enthralled Rafe but then instructed him to test her loyalties.
Rafe shook his head. “Not a one. But then I wasn’t affected like Lisa and Danny were when R visited the village either.” Marie nodded, relieved to remember that Rafe had resisted the jewel’s affects from the beginning.
Rafe continued. “The Rangmerans reported that they were able to damage the jewel, thus disrupting its influence over those who had been enchanted. Unfortunately, the perpetrator fled with the jewel before they were able to examine it further. It’s possible, however, that it was permanently damaged in some way.”
The Princess Pact: A Twist on Rumpelstiltskin (The Four Kingdoms Book 3) Page 13
