Johai looked over his shoulder at me. That same smirk parted his lips, revealing his white teeth. “If your vision spoke true, then he will.”
My stomach flopped. My vision that I half-concocted. I knew I had to get to Blackthorn; I was just not certain he would treat with the Biski. Two years ago Biski tribesmen had laid siege to Blackthorn. The siege had been broken when Adair and his men had come down and smashed the Biski force against the walls of Blackthorn. Aland had sent a messenger with a request to parlay, and to my surprise Duke Wodell had invited Aland and a few of his men to stay at the castle. We had left the bulk of our men a few leagues south, so as not to appear as a threat. Johai is playing all of them for fools, Danhadine, Biski and Neaux alike. None of them know what he really is.
A scout emerged from the shadows of the forest, and I startled. I jumped in the saddle, and the horse danced beneath me. Beau’s hand darted out in an instant, grabbing a hold of the reins before the horse could spook and bolt, taking me with her. I gave him a grateful smile.
We stopped as Aland and his scout conferred. He spoke with the man, a youth more like, with a patchy black beard and long legs and arms. He was thin as a willow tree and quick and silent on his feet. Aland nodded as they conferred. After a few moments he dismissed him and called to Elenna and me.
I approached Aland on horseback. Johai stayed close; he was never far from Aland.
Aland addressed us, “We are not far from the holdfast, and it seems that the duke is riding out to meet us. I would have you both ride beside me when we greet him.”
I found it strange. Why me? I am a convicted traitor in Danhad. Duke Wodell had spoken out at my trial, claiming the proceedings to be unjust. He was my father, but he would not have any way of knowing that. Whatever he thought of my trial back then, he would be committing treason to admit me into his house. I don’t have an army to give Adair to win a pardon. In the eyes of the Danhadine, I am a traitor and a king-killer. Adair had, in fact, framed me for the murder of the former king. I was risking much to even come to Duke Wodell. I must make him understand, convince him to help me.
I glanced at Johai, wondering what his motives were. I hoped to approach the duke alone; what I planned to ask him could put us both in danger. Johai was attempting to keep us apart, I suspected. Johai is testing me. He still does not trust me. I dared not show my fear, though. This was supposed to be my plan.
We arrived outside the gates of Blackthorn a few minutes later. It erupted from the forest like a black monolith. The forest surrounding it had been cleared away, and a ditch filled with pikes circled the walls. The walls were high and black as coal, contrasting against the blue sky. I blinked in the sudden flood of light from the lack of trees. The battlements were wide, and I spied soldiers walking the length of them with bows and arrows slung over their shoulders. Duke Wodell met us upon the drawbridge. He wore black and white. The tangle of thorns upon his surcoat denoted his house, Wodell. It was strange to look up at him and realize this was the man who sired me.
He looked much as I remembered him if not grayer and a tad thinner. His skin seemed to hang loose at his jowls. He was flanked by men in his household, also wearing the white and black of House Wodell. They made for an impressive sight, and I had no doubt it was made to make a statement. I looked at Aland from the corner of my eye. His lips were pressed tight as he looked at the duke. I wonder if it was the Stone Clan who laid siege to Blackthorn. If so, it must chafe at Aland to come here under the terms of peace. A banner flew above the duke, the black field with white thorns, beneath it the white banner of peace.
We stopped a few feet from the duke’s party. The tension was ripe in the air. The soldiers walking the walls stopped and peered down at us. I saw a few arrowheads glinting in the mid-day sunshine. They could kill us all as easy as taking a breath.
“Wodell, do you trust so little that you bring out half your force to greet us? Surely you have heard of Danhad’s pact with the Stone clan?” Aland said to the duke. Despite the supposed peace between the two nations, the Biski were still wary. Hands hovered over weapons and eyes scanned the turrets, where someone might loose an arrow unseen.
The duke glowered at Aland. “I have not forgotten that spring when some wild men presumed to attack my lands. They burned, raped and slaughtered before trapping me inside my own castle for a month’s turn. Forgive me, we live in dangerous times, and I have my people to protect, just as you have yours to protect.”
Duke Wodell disagreed with Adair’s alliance with the Biski. He would not say it outright, but his actions made it clear enough.
Aland’s hands tightened on the reins. Johai leaned over and whispered something in his ear. At first he continued to stare at the duke, but his grip slowly slackened, and even his scowl faded to an expression of near euphoria.
“We come here in peace, Mikell,” Johai said. His voice boomed off the walls and echoed back to us. Everyone in the castle must have heard him speak. It could only be some sort of spell he was trying to place upon the castle. “Is it necessary to threaten the innocents that are here with us?” Johai urged his mount forward, and as he did so, the hood he wore flew back, revealing his streaming white hair.
Duke Wodell regarded Johai for a moment. “Very well, you have come to talk, then talk.”
“I would rather not speak out in the open. This is an important matter that cannot be settled from horseback,” Johai said.
The duke sniffed. “Yes, I have heard about your plots down in the south with the wild men. Do not think me a fool, Johai. You are your father’s son, make no mistake of that. I will hear what you have to say, then. Welcome to my home and hearth.”
Johai smiled, seemingly pleased with himself. The duke’s forces parted to let us through. Duke Wodell wheeled his mount around and rode into the courtyard beyond. Grooms were waiting to take our horses. I slid down from the saddle, relieved for the moment that the initial meeting had not come to bloodshed. There is always dinner, I suppose, I thought wryly.
“Then it is true; you are alive,” the duke said. He was standing near me. His eyes searched my face as if looking to confirm I was not, indeed, an imposter.
I smiled. “Yes, in part thanks to you.”
He rubbed his palm against his mouth and tugged at his beard. He shook his head. I thought he would say more, but Aland demanded his attention, having found his voice once more. The duke hurried off without another word. The servants showed us to our rooms. Elenna and I were given a chamber to share, and I was just thankful that I had a night away from Johai. Now that we are in Danhadine lands, things may be different. Whether my plan works or not, everything changes after this.
The servants drew us both baths, and we took turns bathing. We did not have dinner clothes of our own, but the servants found some things of Duchess Wodell’s. The dress I wore smelled faintly of musk. It was tight on my hips and loose in the bust. Despite that, it felt good to be clean with fresh clothes. I dressed my hair simply, with a black cornet to match the black beading upon my gown. Elenna wore her hair loose and wild. Paired with the forest green gown she wore, she looked like a maiden from a story. Her gown was too short for her, and a few inches of her wrist showed beneath the billowing sleeves, and the hem had to be let out to cover her ankles. She seemed like a strange exotic oddity dressed in Danhadine garb. She is like a wild animal, feral and powerful. Despite her ill-fitting garb, she was a sight to behold, and the men stared as we entered the dining hall.
The duke set an impressive table, and we dined on pheasant, cream soups, and salads with dried candied fruits. The food was a bit rich for me after having eaten gruel and salted dried meat for so long. I ate and listened to the conversation. Aland had forgotten his earlier animosity, and he and Johai alternated peppering the duke with questions. The duke laughed and listened, but all the while he watched me. When he drank from his goblet, his eyes were on me. When Johai was speaking with him of the Stone Clan’s numbers, he nodded, but his eyes more often than not f
lickered in my direction.
“What say you, Lady Diranel? I have heard both sides. What vision has the Goddess given you in regards to this coming war?” the duke addressed me at last. I had hoped and feared he would call upon me.
I looked at my father’s face. I tried to see a resemblance there, some sort of recognition, blood calling to blood. I had met him at court and never suspected he was my father. It was strange to acknowledge that looking at this man, but I knew it was true, the water did not lie.
“I think war is abhorrent but inevitable. When Danhad provided soldiers to fight the Biski, they flooded Sanore with Danhadine soldiers. Queen Celeste convinced a few to do her bidding and painted Danhad as the culprit. Queen Arlene will not sit aside and let this apparent takeover go unpunished. Adair has no choice but to prepare for war.”
Duke Wodell nodded. “Well said, Lady Diranel. He is a young king, but I think even he will agree, though he has spoken against war many times.” He tugged at his beard again and contemplated his meat pie. “I assume you are looking for men to join your force,” he said to Aland.
Aland inclined his head. “Yes, Danhad steel is superior to our own stone spears and axes. Your king has promised to add his men to our own.”
Duke Wodell did not respond right away but stroked his beard. Once more his gaze slid to me, and there was a question in his eyes. I felt Johai watching us, and I looked away and pretended to be interested in a conversation Elenna was having with one of Duke Wodell’s men.
“I will have to consider this matter,” he said at length. “We are still in need of defense unless you can claim to control all of the Biski.”
Aland scowled as he replied, “No, but I do have much sway in the decisions among the tribes.”
The duke folded his hands on the table. “I will give my answer after some careful deliberation.”
Johai was smiling, presumably pleased with himself. Aland was scowling, his hands twisting his napkin in his hand.
When dinner was over, Elenna and I retired to our room. I paced back and forth, waiting for the right moment to implement the next part of my plan. Elenna sat on the edge of the bed, looking into the flames of the fireplace. She seemed lost in her own thoughts. I stopped my pacing and stood in front of her for a few moments before she realized I was watching her. She raised her eyebrow in question.
“You’ve been in a daze since Mother Lake. Are you ready to tell me what troubles you?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It is nothing that I would trouble you with.” She stood and placed both hands upon my shoulders. “Shall we perform the spell?”
“Do you think the hour is right? What if we go too early and I am seen?” I glanced to the window. The sun had set some hours before, and the stars had come out. The castle was quiet but for the howl of the wind and the distant call of guards to one another upon the battlements.
“Yes, the time has come. Sit down here beside the fire.”
I did as I was told. The stones beside the fire were warm, but I felt a chill creeping up my spine. Elenna paced around me in a circle, speaking an incantation in Biski. I wrapped my arms around myself and focused on my plan. I had rehearsed this next part since I had made my decision along the river ford. Elenna sprinkled water on me from a water skin. On my hands and feet she made marks in ash. Each symbol different but notating the different elements. As she placed the last marking upon my right hand, I felt a tingling sensation wash over me. It felt like I was being wrapped in a warm blanket.
“The spell is complete. None shall see you but those you are meant to reveal yourself to.”
I stood and went to the mirror. Where my reflection should have been, I saw instead the fireplace and Elenna standing beside it. I laughed, relieved the spell had worked.
“I shall not be long,” I said. My voice seemed strange and echoed to me. It’s like I’m not here at all.
Elenna hugged me suddenly and held me for a moment. I could hear her heart hammering in her chest. She is nervous as well. I clung to her for a moment, both reassuring her and gathering my strength to step out the door. If I am seen, then all is lost.
“I’ll be back soon,” I said and pulled away.
I walked barefoot, and my feet padded on the ground. The halls were empty but for a few torches left in the sconces. I kept close to the walls, careful to avoid any passersby. I may have been invisible, but I was still able to be heard. A light came from the opposite end of the hall. Voices came along with it. I pressed myself against the wall and listened as they passed by. It was a pair of servants coming to blow out the torches. I waited till they were gone, their voices fading away, before continuing on. I headed towards the duke’s chamber. How I knew where it was, I was not certain, but my feet seemed to lead me there.
I knocked on the chamber door and held my breath. It is late. What if he is abed, or worse, what if he is not alone? There was a thump followed by a mumbled reply. The door opened. The duke had a candle held up to his face. When he saw me standing in the hall, he nearly dropped his candle in surprise.
“I need to speak with you,” I said.
He looked up and down the hallway. “Come in,” he said in a whisper.
I slipped into his room. His fireplace had been lit, and beside it was a pair of armchairs. I walked over to them but did not sit down.
“Lady Diranel, why have you come to me at this late hour?”
I did not answer straight away. I looked to his bed, which had not been slept in. The duke was in his nightshirt, and I suspected I had just missed his valet, who would have helped him dress for bed. His wife was away at Keisan. We were truly alone for the first time. It is now or never.
“I dared not speak out in front of the others; I am in desperate need of your help.”
He frowned and looked at me for a moment without responding. He thinks this is a trick. He already does not trust Johai, and I am a convicted traitor. He may even think I killed King Dallin. But he let me into his room, and that is a start.
I decided to start from the beginning. If he did not believe I was his daughter, then he would not believe the rest. “Do you remember a Biski woman named Helene?”
His expression went from suspicion to surprise. “Yes… how?”
“I am her daughter.”
He regarded me for a moment. His eyes travelled over my face. I saw the recognition dawning. “You have the look of your mother, Helene.” He spoke her name like a prayer. “I can see it in your features now. How did I never see it before? Perhaps I did, and I did not want to admit it. So she married, then. I am glad. I always wondered where she went after she disappeared.”
“She went to Keisan, where she bore me. She never married or lay with another man after you.”
His eyes grew large as saucers as he regarded me. He pulled on his beard again, then dropped his hands to his sides. He shook his head. “Then you are…?”
“I am your daughter, your daughter by Helene.”
He fell to his knees. Tears were falling down and soaking his beard. “I should have known. I should have sensed it. When I saw you at Keisan, it brought forth those memories, the ones that I thought I had long buried, but seeing you today riding alongside the Biski, I thought it was her come again.”
I kneeled down beside him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
“I never wanted you to be put to death for treason. We thought we were doing the right thing. The Order was fighting for a better kingdom. That’s why I joined, but Adair, he is so impulsive. He told me that he would spare you the executioner block… I am so sorry. I should have known. I should have stopped him.”
We held each other for a moment, letting the truth settle upon us both. I have found more kin than I knew I had, a grandmother, a cousin, a father. I am rich with family now.
“I did not know the truth of my paternity until recently,” I admitted. “That is not why I came here to you, however.”
He had regained his composure, and we took seats in the
chairs by the fire. Duke Wodell sat back, his hands on the arms of his chair.
“Does this have something to do with Helene?” my father asked.
“Yes and no,” I replied. I looked to the flames dancing in the fireplace. Dare I speak the words? I took a deep breath. “I need to return to Keisan. I would have you help me get there.”
He shook his head and rose to his feet. “No, Adair has demanded your life if you are found. If you return there, your life is forfeit.”
I smiled. Yes, but not at Adair’s hand, that much I have seen in the water. “Tomorrow Johai will ask you to take me to Keisan. He means to make me a spy.”
The duke sat back down. “Who are you to spy on?”
“Danhad. The Stone Clan has made pacts with both Danhad and Neaux. Half of the force has gone to join the Neaux army. What Aland brought is but half of his numbers. Johai is not who he once was, and he is using his newfound powers to manipulate both kingdoms to his own ends.”
“Then I will tell Adair his plans. We can stop this—”
“No!” I shouted. My voice echoed off the chamber walls. I continued in a lower tone, “Johai has been possessed by an ancient spirit. He is no longer himself, and he is much more dangerous than a man. If he were to suspect he had been betrayed, you would pay in blood.”
“Then you would have me send you to the wolf den in Keisan?”
“Yes, because that is what Johai wants. He wants me to turn myself in as an informant against him. He is going to reveal his own plot to Adair in order to confuse and mislead.”
The duke shook his head. “This is madness. Why play his game? What does he hope to achieve?”
Death. Chaos. Destruction. Any of those would be true. Instead I said, “He wants the throne, all of them. He wants complete control.”
My father contemplated the fireplace for a moment, perhaps considering my words. If he denied me, I would need to escape in the night. I had to get to Keisan, and with the duke’s protection, I might make it there alive. Without, I could risk my chances and hope Adair would be intrigued enough to listen.
[fan] diviners trilogy - complete series Page 73
