Black Rose Queen: Black Rose Sorceress, Book 3

by Connie Suttle

"You think Kaakos will increase his efforts, now that Ruarke is dead?" I asked, while a fear I hadn't known before crawled inside my mind.

  "He will want revenge against Az-ca for the destruction of his army, both times. He'll want Adahi dead, too," Pottles' laugh was humorless. "He wants Adahi and Az-ca destroyed, however he can do it. I've worried about this ever since I learned that Kaakos was in control of Ruarke's mind—secretly, of course, until just before Ruarke's death. What Ruarke had done to his spies, Kaakos did to him. It would be fitting, if it weren't so terrifying."

  "What are you holding back?" I asked, watching as one of the four trainees was eliminated from the game.

  "Kaakos has abilities that Kyri and I have little knowledge of, and other talents we've only speculated about," Pottles said. "In Kyri's absence, I worry that Kaakos will work out a way to recruit more spies—willingly or not."

  "How? I thought he'd have to be in close contact with the ones he controlled, to set the spell," I began.

  "But hasn't he been? We don't know how many are still living, with whom Ruarke came in contact. If Kaakos was using Ruarke as a pair of eyes—secretly of course, how many of those could he have marked—also secretly? It takes a great deal of power to pull them into his web, but he's angry enough to expend that power."

  "The villagers from Vale?" I turned to Pottles, then, forgetting the trainee contest before us. "Were any of those washouts?"

  "Only the King or Hunter would have those records. We can't say for sure, Adahi and I. Without Kyri's assistance in this, we can only assume."

  "And Kyri was foolish enough to go after him herself," I breathed.

  "I haven't heard from her in several days." Pottles' admission contained a great deal of worry.

  "At least you've heard from her," I began.

  "I think she may be attempting to contact your dreamwalker, who may be avoiding her," Pottles said.

  "Why would she do that?"

  "To ask questions that only the dreamwalker might know."

  "That bothers me."

  "That Kyri won't contact you?"

  "That—and that my dreamwalker has a mind of her own," I confessed.

  "It's you—just a different you, buried in a part of your brain that isn't conscious when you are. You share memories, but only after the fact, according to Adahi."

  "I vaguely recall what the dreamwalker has done and said," I agreed. "At first, I thought those things were only dreams."

  "Do you remember if the dreamwalker had any other interactions before you came to us in Kyri's City?"

  "I don't know. If she did, then I considered it a dream and forgot about it."

  "Interesting. Two more out. We have a winner," she said, drawing my attention back to the game. With a sigh, I followed her onto the training field to congratulate the victor.

  "I have something to tell you," I said, at the precise moment Kerok informed me of the same as we sat down for dinner that evening.

  "You go first," he said, a smile curving his mouth. Even with a deep scar, he was handsome, especially when he smiled.

  "All right," I frowned at my plate, considering how to begin. "We have two students at the girl's training camp. They're what Pottles calls troublemakers. She and the others have to watch them every second."

  "We get the same thing at the men's camps sometimes," Kerok agreed.

  "What do you do about it?" I asked.

  "Punishment. Demerits, too. If they still don't behave, they're washed out and their power is removed. If a crime is committed, then the appropriate punishment for that is also levied. Those are crimes against the King as well as against Az-ca."

  "Pottles said that in the old times, the troublemaker's power was reduced if they continued to get into trouble, with a warning that it would be burned out of the offender if they still refused to behave according to the rules."

  "I haven't heard of that," Kerok's brows drew together in a frown.

  "She says it can be done, it just hasn't been done in a long time. She'd like to request your permission to reinstitute that rule."

  "I'll need to see it in writing, and then determine who is talented enough to limit power rather than removing it. I can make a decision after that."

  "Will you mind if Cole, Caral and I work on it?"

  "Mind? Of course not. If what you say is true, it may be a good alternative to what we're doing now. With recent losses and dwindling numbers of those with the talent, we need every able body we can get for the army. I don't believe for a moment that Kaakos is done with us."

  "That's something else Pottles said. She told me that all along, Ruarke had spies here in Az-ca. People you wouldn't notice, normally, because they were mostly invisible to the rest of us. One in particular was a warrior washout who went to work as a servant to a Councilman. When Adahi found him approaching the Bulldog to convert her to Ruarke's cause, he discovered the plot and killed both, as the Phantom. He made the servant's death appear to be from natural causes, so no questions would be asked.

  "That's—interesting," Kerok lifted his fork cautiously, as if it would turn on him next, as some of Az-ca's citizens had already done.

  "It frightens me. She said Kaakos was secretly in control of Ruarke, and my dreamwalker confirmed that. Anyone with power or who used to have it, that came into close contact with Ruarke, may be targeted by Kaakos now, because he knows who and what they are."

  "Did Doret say anything about Veri's death? Was she approached, too?"

  "I don't know," I replied. "I was so stunned by the other news, I forgot to ask."

  "I think I'll have a conversation with Adahi the next time he's here," Kerok's frown became a grimace.

  "What's your news?" I asked.

  "It can wait," he said. "It's nothing important—not compared to yours. Write up the proposed law. Hunter and I will review it together."

  Arresh

  I call myself by that name—Arresh—because it is the near-mirror image of Sherra's name. We are one and separate, at the same time. I stand at her bedside, watching her sleep, taking care to place a shield over her so she won't be wakened.

  This time I had to be careful; if she awoke, she would argue with me. I disliked that idea—in this case.

  I intended to break the law.

  With a fleeting glance at Thorn's sleeping form, I stepped away from the royal suite and straight into the King's lockup, where Merrin and Garkus were held prisoner. One would be freed—the other would die. I had reasons for both, and those reasons would be kept from Sherra.

  Once inside Merrin's cell, I cautiously approached his sleeping body, careful not to awaken him. His death would anger Kerok, but there were things Kerok didn't know and likely wouldn't, until it was far too late.

  I only needed to enclose Merrin in a tight shield and remove the air from it, allowing him to suffocate. Reaching out a hand, I formed the shield.

  Merrin's eyes flew opened as he gasped for breath.

  Then, the worst happened—I struggled against the power that suddenly infused Merrin's body; his power had returned and he fought to step away. Merrin I could hold. What I wrestled with was the power behind Merrin.

  In the end, Merrin didn't step away. Kaakos jerked him to Ny-nes, knocking down half the cell to do it before I could bring Merrin his death in another way. That's when Garkus, whose cell was nearby, began shouting for guards.

  Hurriedly, I turned to perform the second portion of my plan, since the first had gone so spectacularly wrong.

  With a heave and a great deal of expended power, I sent Garkus in the same direction Merrin had gone.

  Chapter 2

  Kerok

  My angry shout brought Sherra into the sitting area of our suite immediately. Wrapped hastily in a dressing robe, she looked disheveled and terrified from being awakened so abruptly, but there was no help for it.

  "Repeat that, please," my voice was a hiss as Kage stood in the doorway with Hunter and Barth.

  Kage kept his voice steady as he re
peated the message from the guards at the lockup. "Merrin and Garkus have escaped. Half of Merrin's cell was destroyed in the process. We still don't know how Garkus slipped away—his cell is intact and the door is still locked."

  "I have done divination on the guards who were on duty at the time—none were involved in any way," Barth confirmed Kage's words.

  "Adahi," I shouted.

  He appeared beside me, looking concerned.

  "Did you do this?" I demanded.

  "Do what?"

  "Set Merrin and Garkus free?"

  "Why would I do that?" Adahi shook his head. "That defies reason."

  "Have you determined anything from the divination of their cells?" I turned back to Barth.

  "It was blocked," Barth confessed. "I couldn't determine anything from the walls or inanimate objects there."

  "Bloody, fucking hell," I cursed. "Does it look like either regained their power? How is this possible?"

  "I've never heard of anyone regaining power on their own," Barth said, his expression troubled. "If the power is removed, someone would have to give it back to them. I burned the power out of Garkus myself."

  "I will take a look at the cell. Do you wish to come with me?" Adahi asked.

  "Yes. Let me get dressed."

  "I'll come, too," Sherra said and almost ran toward the bedchamber to find clothing other than her robe.

  Sherra

  "How?" I shook my head, just as Kerok did. Barth had done a second divination in both cells, while I maintained contact with him.

  The mystery surrounding the escape was just as deep as it was before our attempt.

  Nothing came from it. Even if someone had Merrin's talents gained through Thorn's Book, we should have sensed something.

  Do you suppose Kaakos is involved in this? Kerok asked in mindspeak.

  I hope not. The idea made me shiver in the dim, early-morning light inside Merrin's cell. The covers on his bed were rumpled, as if he'd awakened suddenly before disappearing through a broken wall. The trouble, however, was that beyond the wall lay the only escape from the lockup, and it was guarded. "We should have killed him when he was captured," I whispered.

  "A let-down, isn't it?" Somehow, Pottles had received word and she'd stepped in, with Armon right behind her.

  "I sent mindspeak to both," Adahi said as he gazed at Merrin's cell. "As they should be made aware of this."

  "Do you think Garkus is a danger to the people?" Kerok turned to Barth.

  "I didn't see that in him when I removed his power and had him locked up," Barth said. "But that was before he spent time here." He swept a hand to indicate the lockup.

  "Nevertheless, we must inform the villages, so they will report to us if either are seen," Hunter advised.

  "Write the message and order it carried to the villages," Kerok ordered.

  "It will be done, my King."

  If Kaakos is involved, somehow, Adahi warned Kerok and me.

  I'd already thought that; his silent words merely confirmed my fears.

  Ny-nes

  Kyri

  "Why in the name of anything resembling sense would she send you to me?" I glared at Garkus, as if that would make him disappear as quickly as he'd appeared early that morning.

  "She calls herself Arresh, when she's like that," Garkus looked troubled—by where Sherra's dreamwalker had sent him, and by my reluctance to accept his help.

  She'd restored his power, too, before tossing him through the barrier to land in the poor lean-to I'd inhabited for a few weeks. It lay in a very small, incredibly poor village outside Kaakos' main city.

  Long ago the city had another name, but for five centuries it had been called Mendacium. The people no longer knew the meaning of the word, and to the unenlightened, it was held as a holy name and one associated with their Prophet.

  Years ago, I'd laughed about it—that the city itself stood upon the lies that held Ny-nes together.

  I couldn't see Mendacium for the clouds of pollution surrounding it, and people choked on the soot and filth of it every day.

  Garkus cleared his throat—he thought I was ignoring him. I wasn't, I'd merely been distracted for a moment. He and I were back to Arresh, and the thing she'd done that troubled me most of all. She'd changed Garkus' skin tone. His normally darker skin would have made him stand out in Ny-nes, and mark him as an intruder. After Sherra's dreamwalker was finished with him, he essentially looked like anyone else in this despot-ruled land, except for his well-fed appearance overall.

  "Merrin disappeared—I was told that much before I landed here," Garkus sighed.

  "I think he was inhabited by the one you call Kaakos. I heard him talking to himself at night—or so I thought. Until I heard him answering questions that sounded relatively sane," he shrugged.

  I went still, staring at Garkus after his admission. It was more than possible that Kaakos had done just that.

  "Tell me the answers he was giving," I snapped.

  "He gave numbers—of Council members. Names, too, of those who'd attend his trial, and their rank or title."

  "No wonder Sherra's dreamwalker intervened." I was beginning to see the sense in her actions, now. Sending Garkus to me with this information was helpful, too, in allowing me to see how sly and inventive Kaakos had become. Somehow, he'd pulled Merrin away—probably to serve his purposes in Ny-nes, or to teach him before sending him back to Az-ca, at the head of an army.

  Kaakos likely had hidden spies in Az-ca—ones that Adahi hadn't located yet. With Ruarke dead, it was only a matter of time before Kaakos found a replacement, too—and Merrin could be a suitable fit, with his penchant for torturing before killing. Merrin also had sufficient information on how Az-ca's army fought. Kaakos would revel in that knowledge, before finding ways to destroy Az-ca, once and for all.

  "We have a lot of work to do," I sighed. "Tread carefully here, Garkus. Kaakos' spies could be anywhere. Unless I'm wrong, Merrin has joined the enemy, willingly or not."

  "What are we doing here, then?" Garkus demanded. "We could be found and killed in the next few minutes, if what you say is true."

  "We're looking for a way into Kaakos' palace," I said. "What else would we be doing?"

  King's Palace

  Sherra

  "Nobody knows where Garkus may have gone," I said. "Merrin—I worry that he's defected to the enemy."

  Cole's brow furrowed as I spoke, but he didn't say anything. He and Caral had joined me in my study—the one Kerok had given me, suitably appointed for my needs.

  My study wasn't far from his, actually; Kerok said it was in case he needed to confer with my advisors and me.

  Cole and Caral had become regular attendees at advisory meetings with the King, Hunter (whose title of Crown Prince still befuddled him), Barth, Armon and Levi. Occasionally, Kage would join us in discussions regarding the King's guards, because he also served as their commander-in-chief.

  It didn't hurt that Kage still held all his warrior's abilities in his position. He'd gone with Kerok and Hunter to relieve many former Council members of their positions, sending them home without retirement compensation.

  They'd done nothing to deserve it.

  The ones remaining had given at least a half-effort to represent their villages, although they'd been outnumbered during their tenure and any suggestions made were quickly voted down by their opponents and Crown Prince Drenn, Kerok's deceased brother.

  "Word has been sent to the villages about Garkus and Merrin's escape, and a reward has been posted," I went on, coming back to the subject at hand. "Although I don't believe Merrin is still in Az-ca."

  "How much?" Cole asked.

  "Fifty gold pieces for Garkus, two hundred fifty for Merrin."

  "That's quite the reward," Caral blinked.

  "Kerok is that angry about it," I explained. "He swears if he finds that anyone participated in either escape, they'll be brought before him for swift judgment."

  "What would the Queen's position be on that p
erson?" Cole asked, his voice steady.

  "I don't know—I trust Kerok in the matter," I waved a hand. "He has the most experience in this."

  "Very well. You say you wish to rewrite the old law? Is there a written reference to the old one?" Cole was back to the business at hand.

  "I—there may be one in Kyri's library," I said. "I can ask Pottles."

  "I can send mindspeak to Doret," Cole offered. "If there is a copy of the old law, I'd like to see it before writing the new version."

  "What if it's in the older writing?" I asked.

  "Kyri taught me how to read it. I can write it, too, if necessary."

  "That would be helpful," Caral ventured. "Armon says there are records in the King's library that nobody can read because they're written in an archaic fashion. Hunter told him so."

  "Kyri has many copies of those things in her private library," Cole said. "She let me read some of them, but this particular set of laws wasn't included in that list. With your permission, my Queen, I'll visit Doret at the training camp to ask about those."

  "Go ahead," I told him. "Caral and I can put a list of considerations together while you're gone, and we'll compare that to the old laws when you find and translate them for us."

  "Good idea." Cole gave me a smile and left my study, heading for the side door of the palace. He'd step from there to the training camp for his conversation with Pottles.

  "We need a list of possible infractions," Caral began after Cole left the room. "So they'll know exactly what they're doing when they break the rules."

  "Good idea," I said, taking a seat at my desk and pulling a sheet of paper toward me to write.

  Kerok

  Absently, I reached for my mug of tea while going through the lists of supplies needed at Secondary Camp.

  I realized something had happened only when the cup slid the short distance across the desk and slapped into my hand, slopping tea over the side and onto my fingers. Had the tea been hotter and I without my power, I could have been scalded. As a fire wielder, it couldn't burn me.

  The fact that the mug had come at my unconscious command?