General Rigby shouted, “My Queen, we’re not going to make it. We can still go back. We’re going to die if we continue ahead.”
For the first time, Leimur waffled about what to do. She could see the green grass on the other side of the marshlands but if the terrain kept deteriorating, they would surely sink into the marsh. She froze, with the bugs still pestering her and a throbbing pain in her eyelid.
If I should die, I know Huber and Romer will be fine with Ali-Tiste. At least I can say I lived with honor and always put Goldenfield ahead of my own intentions. I know I am leaving the kingdom in better condition than when I took over. But I will never be remembered like Marius Leluc.
“Stay the course, move ahead,” screamed Leimur.
“Are you trying to get us all killed?” General Rigby yelled back. Several others demanded that the Queen turn back, but Leimur stood strong.
“I said we continue on. Forward march,” she ordered.
The horses struggled mightily and some sank down to their ankles, making movement almost impossible. Leimur Leluc, Queen of Goldenfield, closed her eyes and wished for the best but expected the worst as she kept heeling her horse.
ELISA
Elisa and Lady Victoriah traveled near the back of the group. The enclosed wooden coach with plush interior served as a mobile meeting room on the way to the King’s Castle. Elisa rubbed her choker, made of connected onyx squares.
Her Lord of Defense had a defeated look on his face as he jumped into the slow moving coach. Lord Wendell Deerheart relayed messages from Lord Ichibod to the ladies. The man bowed his head and spoke softly, “My queen, my lady. High Lords Wedgeword and Lolat are pledging fealty to King Jon Colbert.”
“That dirty usurper has no rightful claim to your throne. He killed Jermar Lolat on the Royal Road and he just chased Sir Oliver Wedgeword out of Falconhurst. How can these houses stand behind him?” Victoriah complained.
“Regardless, he’s obtained quite an army and didn’t suffer a single casualty when he usurped the crown. The other high lords haven’t responded to our request to clarify their allegiance,” the defense master told her.
The excitement of leaving for battle had taken a sobering slap in the face when the news arrived that Jon Colbert had assumed the throne. Elisa had never seen Lord Ichibod as angry as when he heard about the takeover. He fed the raven that delivered the message to his hawks. They continued to move forward as planned but Elisa realized the task had become much more daunting.
“I can’t believe that sleaze, Lord Nanbert!” Elisa exclaimed.
“Oh right. He did send a letter confirming his position of support for our claim. He’s the only lord we really need to get to the Capitol. Without Pigeon Bridge, we have a much more arduous route to our prize,” Lord Wendell reported.
“Pigeon Bridge? I fear you mean Pigeon Shit Bridge. Beware of the flying white waste; I hear it feels like a hammer hitting you on the head. We’ll stay in this coach but the men might want to wear their battle helms. I’m glad Lord Nanbert is still on our side but I don’t want to see his ugly face again,” Lady Victoriah said.
“I second that sentiment. Send a letter to Jon Colbert and do not address him as king. Tell him that we thank him for his efforts in trying to rectify the kingdom but he can cease and desist. Let him know that the true heir of Donegal will forgive him if he relinquishes the throne. The rightful king will allow him to serve as Falconer and nobly serve the realm. Sign the letter in the hand of Ali-Varis Wamhoff, first son of Ali-Stanley Wamhoff, and the Gods’ choice to be King of Donegal. Let him know we won’t back away from our claim,” Elisa stated confidently.
“You do understand he is going to reject this outright?” Lady Victoriah asked her.
“Of course. I want him to worry about why we are so confident in our stance. We could use a bargaining piece. If only we could capture one of his family members, we would have something,” Elisa uttered. I cannot believe I just said that. Is this how my enemies think about Telly? Mayhaps I am becoming cold and cruel?
“Have the other false claimants renounced their stakes to a claim?” Lady Victoriah asked.
“I don’t believe any have backed away which could help or hurt. Ali-Samuel Wamhoff and Queen Emilia have washed up in Waters Edge. They are rumored to have Krys Colbert in tow. If could get to him, that is if he is actually with them, now that’s a bargaining piece,” Lord Wendell said.
Elisa felt betrayed again as her co-conspirators appeared to have hatched a plan to retake the throne without her. She knew they had been using her to take the fall for King Ali-Stanley’s death.
“It should seem they are camped out near Elkridge. The bastard usurper holds the castle and the two armies are at a standoff. This works to our advantage. Keep them both up there. I’ve been to war with both men and neither will blink on this matter. My only concern would be them banding together,” the defense master told them.
I hope the bastard crushes her army straight into the Sea of Green. I knew I couldn’t trust Ali-Samuel but I can’t believe Emilia played me for a fool too. I pray to see that backstabbing bedswerver just one more time.
The coach came to a stop for an afternoon dinner. The leaf-covered road was flanked by sprawling stretches of grass trying to hang on to that bright summer green. Elisa would never admit it out loud, but she missed the services of the Grizzly Bear. She was still disturbed by the images of the trial by combat as she removed her veil to breathe the smells of horses and crushed leaves. Petyr, her new guard, barely talked to her. He always sported a gawky smile and stuttered when talking to the ladies. It seemed unusual for a hulking man to be intimidated by women. Petyr the Powerful lit the braziers and open fires while keeping an eye on the queen. They traveled with fourteen cooks who quickly got to work butchering and roasting some game. The amenities weren’t as nice as the castle but she could hardly claim that she had been suffering the rigors of war. She was dirtier than usual because the travel tub took quite an effort to fill with hot water. She was thankful that they would soon pass several castles that would love to let a queen bathe.
She noticed Darryg Ellsworth sitting alone and went to talk to the young man. “Nice day, isn’t it?” she started the conversation.
He responded, “Quite nice. Jealous as well.” Elisa gave him a queer look.
“Jealous it could never be as fair as our lovely queen,” Darryg said with a perfect smile. He was a charming man and always respectful to Elisa.
“It must be killing you to have to ride back here and not up front with all the men,” she said. He gave her a strange look as Elisa realized her words could have been misinterpreted. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that you probably wouldn’t want to travel with the women. Alright I am just going to stop talking right now,” the scarlet-faced queen said.
Darryg grinned to break the tension. The future King of Donegal had been ordered to stay away from any possible action by his parents. Conversely, Lord Ichibod planned to have his eldest son, Anderley, serve in the vanguard.
“Can I share something with you?” Darryg asked.
“I’ve kept all the other secrets we share. I can’t see why not,” Elisa told him.
“I’m nervous about this. I never served my military duty. My parents paid the tribute to keep me alive. I was supposed to go after Penrose but when he decided to serve in the King’s Guard, my father didn’t want the heir of Lightview getting killed defending the Wamhoffs. I’ve never killed a man and I don’t know if I could do it. I would think about the mother or wife of the man, or even his children. I shouldn’t be choosing when men die. I’m not a God. It’s not right for me to decide another man’s fate,” Darry said with misty eyes.
“It’s a shame more men don’t think like you. There wouldn’t be any silly wars and men could finally stop killing each other,” Elisa said without realizing that her actions were only perpetuating the eternal problem of war. The queen looked over to a poplar and started to get angry. “Please
excuse me, Darryg. It should seem I’ve got to get my sister out of a tree again,” she curtsied and rushed away.
“Telly, you get down from there immediately,” Elisa ordered.
“What for? This is the only fun I get to have. None of the kids in my carriage can even talk,” Telly said in a snotty tone.
“Look, it’s too dangerous for a girl to be climbing trees. It’s unbecoming of a princess,” Elisa chastised.
“I’m not your daughter, I’m your sister. I am not a princess,” Telly said, as she climbed higher.
Elisa snapped, “Well you still need to act like one. Now get down from there this instant.”
The younger Burke sister slowly worked her way back down the tree until she hit the ground.
“Now I know you don’t get to do everything you want but I also make sacrifices every day. I never get to do anything I want. The faeblors tell tales of queens doing whatever they fancy but it’s only a story, and a cruel story at that. Real queens have to make sacrifices and guess what, so do their sisters. You’ll be able to have all the fun you want once we take over the realm. I promise,” Elisa said.
“I was going to tell you something important, but since you’re being mean to me I don’t think I will tell you,” Telly said.
“With mother gone, I am a sister and mother to you. I know you don’t want me to worry about you but I have a duty to make sure you stay safe. You know I want to be nice to you all the time, but I have to correct you sometimes just like mother corrected me when I was your age. It doesn’t mean I love you any less. I could have sent you away to any lord’s castle in this entire kingdom. You could have been sworn to a marriage with a stranger but I wouldn’t do it. You’re my sister and I will need you to rule this realm someday. Now what do you have to tell me?” Elisa asked emotionally.
“Lord Ichibod is always mean to me. I want you to tell him to stop,” Telly said.
“How is he being mean to you? He is barely around anymore,” Elisa responded.
“When he is around, he yells at me for playing too rough with the little ones,” Telly said.
“I’ve seen you around the kids and there are times when Lord Ichibod could have a point,” Elisa told her.
Telly began to get very angry and asked, “So are you going to talk to him?”
“I’ll tell you what. If he keeps it up, let me know and I will talk to him,” Elisa promised.
“Well, that’s not all of it. He also said some stuff about you,” Telly said.
“He talked to you about me, did he?” Elisa needed to know.
“No. I was up in a tree and heard him talking to another man. He said once he takes the King’s Castle, they were going to kill Ali-Varis,” Telly informed her.
Now Elisa started to get riled up and asked, “Who was he talking to?”
“I couldn’t see the other man but he had a laugh like a woman. Lord Ichibod told him that once Darryg took over as king, they would have no need of an overbearing queen. He said they could manipulate Darryg like a puppet, just like he was doing with you,” Telly revealed.
Elisa was now seething and asked, “What else did Lord Ichibod say?”
“He said he was going to cut out your tongue and make you wear it as a necklace for a fortnight,” Telly told her.
“I can’t believe that man,” Elisa said.
“That’s not all. He said only after he let every soldier rape you, would he grant you a painful death in front of everyone. He said it would show what happened to those who challenged the Ellsworths. Lord Ichibod said it would show their power and be the perfect beginning to the long rule of the Ellsworths. I told you he was evil,” Telly said.
“Who else have you told about this?” Elisa wanted to know.
“No one. I mean, just you, that’s all,” Telly swore.
“Don’t tell anyone, promise?” Elisa waited for her sister to confirm.
“I promise, but you better be careful. What did you get us involved in?” Telly stormed away before Elisa could render an answer.
Elisa couldn’t move for several moments. How could he betray me? I should have known something was amiss when he took me falconing. I should have seen right through his recent bout of niceness. Has Lady Victoriah taught me nothing? And people think I am becoming too cold. It’s quite obvious I’m nowhere near cold enough. I let my guard down with one man and he plots my death behind my back.
The confused queen wandered around wondering if Lady Victoriah was privy to the plan. Elisa tried to catch a strange look from a guilty guard but nothing aroused suspicion. Count Pettice approached and said, “My queen, we are about to take off the bandages and assess the wounds.”
“Alright then, I’ll follow you,” Elisa said. Sir Petyr was lurking as always and Elisa told him, “Sit and enjoy some food. I’ll be fine to walk over to that wagon with the Count.”
“Yes, my queen,” said Petyr with a bow.
They neared the wooden wagon with the champion laid out in the back. He had several linens wrapped around his entire body. The count started to pull back the bandages and expose a severely bruised chest. Count Pettice peeled away the blood-soaked white bandages around Brehan’s head. Elisa didn’t know what to expect. His face had been covered in blood when they had rushed him to the Count’s quarters after the duel with the Grizzly Bear. Elisa couldn’t stand to watch the process and had gone to pray for Brehan’s recovery instead. She had only seen him awake a few times since the death match. He remained unconscious as his face started being exposed. Count Pettice pushed open Sir Brehan’s eyelids to expose cloudy gray eyes with occasional blood spots. Elisa jumped back in horror as the count uncovered Brehan’s nose, or lack of one. The Grizzly Bear had ingested most of the nose during the brawl. The deep gashes on his cheeks and the overall lumpy look of Brehan’s head made Elisa ill. He looks hideous. He’s like a pig, almost demonic-looking. He used to be gorgeous. I did this to him. I turned him into a monster.
The count opened Brehan’s mouth and it got even worse. Almost every tooth was either knocked out or shattered. Elisa turned away. The body stayed completely still as the count looked over the rest of Brehan.
“My queen, there is a strong chance that he will never regain full mental faculties. Eating will obviously be a challenge and we cannot repair his nose,” Count Pettice informed her.
“So he is going to be grotesque?” she asked.
“His looks will not improve much from here, I am afraid, if that is your question,” the count said.
“That was the question. Thank you for your service, Count Pettice,” Elisa uttered.
“As you wish, my queen,” the older man said.
Elisa nibbled on a few pieces of braised elk shoulder before getting back into the coach. Her mind bounced back and forth from Ichibod to Brehan. Lord Ichibod has all the power. There’s no way I could have him killed. The Grizzly Bear was the only man I could convince to do something like that. Is there anyone else who would be willing to help? What about Anderley? Brehan is the only one who would help me unconditionally out of love but the count said he may never be the same again. I need to take care of Lord Ellsworth before he takes care of me. And as for you, Lady Victoriah, you better hope you aren’t duplicitous in this endeavor.
Elisa tried to stare through the black veil and get a read on the lady. She couldn’t see a sign of quilt on her so-called friend who had vowed like a noble knight to protect her always. Elisa thought about Brehan and realized he was the only person she could truly trust in this world.
TERSEN
“Again, we seem to be getting ahead of ourselves and forgetting who is king here,” Tersen said when he couldn’t take any more insults from Sir Oliver.
“Jon Colbert is king from all I see. I think you’re forgetting that you are no longer king of anything. Out here, where you make the wrong turn and your throat gets slit, I’m the king. You can run off on your own and be king of the damn forest if it makes you feel good, and I wish you the best of luck wi
th that. Now, if you stay, stop complaining and be happy you’re still alive,” Sir Oliver exploded at him.
The former king had no rebuttal. He wasn’t suited for the outdoors. Traveling through dense woods and under the canopy of changing leaves prevented the sun from attacking the albino. However, he was harassed incessantly by insects. The bugs seemed to be the only citizens in the land that were willing to get close to Tersen Wamhoff. Even his wife sat as far from him on the wagon bench as she possibly could. “I think we are all going to die if we go to Castle Cuthbart. He’s the one who sent all those slanderous letters around the realm,” Tersen said.
“He also loves money. We sell him the crowns and he gives us a guarded entourage to escort us to my father’s castle. Once we get there, you two will have no problem getting to a nice ship to go away for a while. It’s all pretty simple,” said Sir Oliver Wedgeword.
“I don’t think we will get out of there alive,” responded Tersen.
The former king was used to living in plush environments so he couldn’t snuggle up and get any sleep on mother earth. He could hear Sir Oliver snoring almost every night while he stared at the moon and stars. Tersen kept whining, “They also said he backed the bastard usurper during our rule.”
Sir Oliver screamed at the king from his mount, “Enough already. Don’t make me shove a scarf in your mouth to quiet you.”
Tersen couldn’t believe the way his guard was talking to him. A month ago, he would have used other guards to kill Sir Oliver for the disobedience. Tersen didn’t like it but he realized power had quickly shifted. This trip humiliated the man who carried a feminine reputation. He felt as worthless as possible. He couldn’t light a fire, kill game or lead the sumpters on a beaten path. Every flying bird or sounds of rustling leaves caused Tersen to pull the hood of his pelisse over his face. He was constantly scared for his life. He knew how many people would like to see him dead.
Six Heads One Crown (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 3) Page 11
