“She is with the princess.”
Sam lowered her staff and let Master Carl go. He glared at her for a moment before hurrying forward and into the university.
Sam turned her attention back to the palace. If Helen was there, and if she was with Lyasanna, then what about Alec? Where would they have taken him?
Her only option was to attempt to reach the palace, and to do that, she had to be prepared for a fight.
But perhaps not at first. Maybe she could approach and make her way in before she had to fight.
Crossing the bridge had been far easier than Sam had expected. She flashed her ring, the sigil of the palace, and was granted quick access. Once on the other side, she paused, looked around, and waited for the patrols to move past. She headed straight toward the main entrance of the palace, walking with a confident step, trying to make it look like she belonged. If she showed any hesitation, she would be challenged.
She reached the doors without anyone stopping her.
She started to relax.
As she pulled the doors open, she glanced behind her.
A pair of either guards or Kavers started toward her. If guards, Sam could manage them. If Kavers…
She closed the door behind her and debated but finally set the lock. The palace doors were never locked, typically relying on the guards on the bridge and the patrols on the grounds to keep the palace safe. It would draw attention, but at this point, Sam no longer cared about that.
She hurried along the hallway and up the stairs. She would start with Lyasanna. She would demand that she release Alec, and then demand to find Marin, and then…”
Someone grabbed her arm, and Sam spun.
Elaine stood behind her, watching her.
“Samara. You should not have returned.”
“I thought I was welcome in the palace?”
“You were welcome until you began to protect Marin.”
“I didn’t protect her. I simply kept her captive so that I could ask her a few questions.”
“Is that not the same?”
“It’s not the same at all, and Lyasanna’s reaction to it was unnecessary.”
“And what reaction was that?” Elaine asked, guiding Sam along the hall. She held on to her arm, squeezing with a little force, just enough to keep Sam from jerking free. She relented, allowing Elaine to drag her along, choosing not to fight—not yet. That might have to come later, but she didn’t relish the idea of fighting Elaine.
“Attacking Bastan and his home. Sending Kavers to kill me.”
Elaine paused and looked back at Sam. “I didn’t attack Bastan.”
“Kavers did. Entire buildings within Caster were destroyed. Places that were my home.”
“This should be your home, Samara.”
“The palace? The palace will never be my home. I’m lowborn, and I’m fine with that.” It had taken her a long time to come to that conclusion, but now that she had, Sam felt good about saying it.
“You can never be lowborn,” Elaine said, pulling open a door and dragging Sam inside.
“No? I was raised in Caster. That’s about as lowborn as they get.”
Elaine shook her head. “No. No Kaver is ever lowborn.”
“Why?”
“Because you are a descendent of the Anders.”
28
The Cells
Sam held Elaine’s gaze, not able to look away. “Anders?”
“You didn’t think that you could simply come to the palace because you were a Kaver, did you? You didn’t make the connection before?”
“I didn’t think that it mattered. I thought the Kavers protected the Anders.”
“The Anders don’t need protection. The Anders are protection.”
Sam looked around. They were in a small storeroom, and Elaine positioned herself so that she locked the door, keeping Sam confined. “Are you going to hold me here? Do you intend to keep me captive indefinitely?”
“I don’t have any intention of holding you captive, Samara. I needed a chance for us to talk, and this seemed about as good a place as any for us to do that.
“Where is Alec?”
“Your Scribe? Why should I know?”
“Because Master Helen poisoned him.”
Elaine shook her head. “I sincerely doubt one of the master physickers would be involved in poisoning another physicker.”
“You can doubt it all you want, but that’s what happened.”
“Why?”
Sam debated whether she should be honest with Elaine or keep her in the dark. Honesty meant that she might reveal the fact that Alec knew—or possibly new—the recipe for easar paper. Then again, all it would take for Elaine to know would be for her to ask Master Helen.
“Because he thought he had found the way to make easar paper.”
Elaine tensed. “There should be no way for anyone to know that secret.”
“Why?”
“Because the Thelns would never allow that secret out. It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t know whether the Thelns would allow it to get out or not. All I know is that he had access to a book that contained a recipe he was trying, working with Master Helen, when he was poisoned. Were it not for his father’s help, Alec would have died.” She didn’t say anything about the fact that Alec may still be poisoned, and that their efforts to save him may have failed. That was part of the reason she needed to get to him, so that he could have eel meat, so that he wouldn’t get any weaker.
“Kyza,” Elaine said.
“What?”
“There has been a flurry of activity over the last few days. I haven’t understood it, but perhaps that’s what it’s about. If the secret to easar paper is going to come out, it would explain the activity, and it would explain the movement that I have seen.”
“What movement is that?”
Elaine shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. If the Kavers intend to attack the Thelns, then it matters. The Thelns haven’t done anything, other than try to get revenge for what Lyasanna did.”
“You can’t believe Marin.”
“And why can’t I? It makes sense. It fits with everything that we have seen. The Thelns only wanted to attack Lyasanna, and those who they thought worked on her behalf. They blame the Kavers for stealing their prince.”
It felt strange referring to Tray and that way, but that was what he was, especially with who his father was.
“Samara—”
“No. You have to think about other possibilities, Elaine. Don’t be so blindly beholden to what Lyasanna has told you that you ignore the other possibilities. And if Alec has managed to come up with the recipe for easar paper, and if it means that the Kavers intend to attack, then shouldn’t you know?”
Elaine took a deep breath and sighed. “Come,” she said, grabbing Sam’s arm and dragging her from the room. They hurried through the hallway and went down a flight of stairs to Lyasanna’s rooms.
Elaine knocked and when the door open, Master Helen greeted her.
“Helen,” Elaine said. “I am looking for Lyasanna.”
“She is unavailable,” Master Helen said. She glanced to Sam, and her gaze hesitated for only a moment, but enough that Sam saw the tension in her eyes.
“Unavailable? Is it because she is sleeping or because you would keep me from her?” Elaine asked.
“Because she is unavailable.”
“And yet, I am her Kaver,” Elaine said.
Master Helen stood in the doorway, blocking entry.
Sam took a deep breath, focusing on augmentation, letting it wash through her. Each time she did it, it happened more easily. This time, it was a flash of power. She darted forward, slamming into Helen and into the room.
When she was inside, she glanced over at Elaine. “Are you coming in?”
Elaine studied her, but said nothing, stepping inside the room and closing the door.
“What is this?” Master Helen asked. “What do
you think you are doing? Don’t you understand my position here?”
Sam held on to Master Helen. She was heavier than she looked, but with the augmentation, Sam was able to keep her firmly in her grip and prevented her from moving. “What did you do to Alec?”
“Is that what this is about? You blame me for something happening to your Scribe?”
“You were working with him. You’re the only one who could have done anything to him. Tell me what you did, and—”
“And what?”
“And then you will help me find Marin.”
Master Helen glanced from Sam to Elaine. “I think you have it wrong,” she said.
“Release her,” a voice said from the darkness.
Sam looked over and saw Lyasanna standing in the doorway. She was small, similar of stature to Elaine, and for that matter herself, and she had eyes that flashed with irritation. She took a step into the room, and there was something about the way she moved that surprised Sam.
She gasped, sudden understanding hitting her. “You’re not a Kaver. You’re a Scribe.”
Lyasanna frowned. “That’s not new news, Samara. You know I am Elaine’s Scribe.”
“Perhaps I do, but maybe that’s wrong.” She looked from Elaine to Lyasanna. “She’s augmented. That’s why Master Helen is here. I don’t understand what’s going on, but look at her, watch the way she moves. She has an augmentation.”
“If she had an augmentation, I would be aware of it,” Elaine said.
“Not if someone else placed it. And not if she is using someone else’s blood and their Scribe,” she said, looking at Master Helen. “Who is your Kaver?”
“That is a personal question,” Helen said.
“The king,” Elaine said. “Her Kaver is the king.”
If she was the king’s Scribe, and if they used the king’s blood to augment Lyasanna, what did it mean for the king?
“Where is he?” Sam asked.
“You have no right to ask about the king,” Master Helen said.
“I don’t? I thought that my being a Kaver gave me some right.”
“I think you overestimate what that means,” Master Helen said.
Sam turned to Elaine. “Something’s going on here. I told you that it was. I don’t care if you believe me but look at your Scribe. Look at the way she moves. Tell me she’s not augmented.”
Elaine turned her attention to Lyasanna. She stared at her for a moment, and as she did, her eyes widened.
“No. For a Scribe to be augmented, it takes considerable Kaver blood. It would take…”
“Elaine. It’s time that you depart. Leave Samara here,” Lyasanna said.
Sam snorted. “And with your augmentations, do you think you can hold me?”
“I don’t have to be the one to hold you.”
The door opened, and three others entered. They were Kavers, and Sam thought she might have seen one of them before, but she wasn’t certain. If she hadn’t, that meant they were all people who were new to her. More Kavers who had been hidden.
“Where have they been?” Sam asked.
Elaine glanced at the Kavers. “They were in the Theln lands. They were supposed to keep an eye out for movement.”
“And did you know they were returning?”
Elaine shook her head. “No.”
“Samara, I think it’s time you—” Lyasanna started.
Sam took a deep breath. As she did, she focused on more augmentations. She worked through them, thinking about what she needed, and power flooded into her.
She jumped back and spun her staff, connecting with two of the Kavers before they had a chance to react. The third swished his staff around, but Sam was ready and brought hers down, sweeping his legs and knocking him to the ground.
She turned back to Lyasanna, facing her and Master Helen, not certain what Elaine might do. How might she react?
“You have to decide,” she said to Elaine. “Something’s taking place and it’s not right. Don’t follow blindly.” She turned her attention to Master Helen. “What did you do to Alec?”
“What needed to be done. Once he provided the recipe, I couldn’t have him aware of it. It would create too many problems.”
“And yet, the recipe was incomplete,” Sam said.
“It was close enough that it won’t take long for me to determine the rest of it. Once I do, and once we have the adequate supply of easar paper, then we can finally fully infiltrate the Theln lands and be rid of them.”
Was that what this is about? Was this about Master Helen planning her attack? And why would Master Helen be the one to plan the attack anyway?
“You allowed this?” Sam asked Lyasanna.
Lyasanna stared at her. “The power has always been at the university. And now, with a presence within the Anders family, we can consolidate the two arms of power. With that, we can finally make short work of the Thelns.”
Sam glanced over to Elaine. She could see her mother was struggling with how to respond.
“You’re not going to do this. Even if you thought you could, the Kavers—”
“The Kavers will fall into line,” Master Helen said. “They will do what their Scribes instruct, and seeing as how I lead the Scribes, there is little else that you can do to stop this. It’s a shame that your Scribe proved to be so challenging. Had he only been a little more compliant, he could have been a part of this. You could have been a part of this. If anything, you should blame him.”
Sam shook her head. “Blame him? I agree with him.” It was time for her to get moving. “Elaine?”
“I’m sorry,” Elaine whispered, apparently still unwilling to go against the princess.
Sam gritted her teeth. She wasn’t ready to fight her mother, not like this, but what choice would she have?
Surprisingly, Elaine spun and struck Master Helen with her staff.
She grabbed Sam, and they darted from Lyasanna’s room, running along the hall.
“We need to find Marin and Alec,” Sam said.
“Once we do, we will be traitors to the Anders,” Elaine said.
“Apparently, I already was.” Elaine guided them along the hall, heading down the stairs to a section of the palace where Sam had never been. “What made you decide to agree with me?”
“You are my daughter. If nothing else, that connects us. I know I haven’t been the mother that you deserve, but I wasn’t about to let them harm you simply because you disagreed with them.”
Elaine reached the door. A man was blocking it, and she nodded to him. He stepped to the side, and Elaine passed through, revealing rows of cells on the other side.
She found Marin quickly, and Elaine opened the door, releasing Marin, who glanced from Sam to Elaine.
“What is this?”
“Apparently, treason,” Elaine said.
“No. The real treason is Lyasanna.”
Elaine frowned. “Why would you say that?”
“Look down there,” Marin said, motioning to a cell at the end of the row. Elaine frowned as she made her way over to it. When she reached the door, she peeked inside, and she gasped. “Jalen?”
29
One More Attempt
Alec stared out at the bars of the cell. This was an actual cell, nothing like when he’d been confined by Prince Jalen. At least then, though he might have been confined, there was never the sense that he was truly a captive. He had been well treated and fed, things the Shuver didn’t seem interested in doing. Instead, Alec had nothing more than a wooden mat and a bowl of mush. There wasn’t even a place for him to void.
Two men stood guard outside the cell, as if Alec could somehow break his way free from the barred confines that he was in. At least they hadn’t taken his cloak, and they hadn’t taken the svethwuud inside. If they had, he didn’t know what he would have done. He prayed Bastan would come, or better yet, that Sam would come, but considering the reaction that the Kaver got from the Shuver, Alec wasn’t sure he wanted Sam to come. Would the Shuver ha
ve his men attack her the same way he had them attack the Kaver?
The reaction suggested to him that the Shuver had encountered Kavers before, and he wondered what might have happened.
Had Sam been here? Had she somehow done something that had angered him?
He wouldn’t put it past her, especially if she thought she could gain something by coming here.
It had been hours since they had placed them in the cell, and he wondered how long they intended to hold him.
His mind raced through everything that had happened. The prince was now captured by the Kavers. Helen had poisoned him. And now he was captured, unable to even get word to those who might be able to intervene.
The prince had been kind to him, at least as kind as someone who held him captive could be. The door opened, and the Shuver entered, leading in a few others.
“Bastan,” he said.
Bastan looked over at the Shuver. “Let him go.”
“Let him go? You realize he came in here with someone who intended to attack.”
“I don’t care who he came in here with. All I know is that he is one of mine.”
Bastan spoke with a dark menace to his tone, and Alec appreciated the sentiment. He never really knew where he stood with Bastan. Bastan understood his connection to Sam, though not much else.
“Not until we come to an agreement.”
“There will be no agreement, Chester.”
The Shuver glared at Bastan. “You know how I feel about that name.”
“I don’t care how you feel about it. I know who you are. And don’t begin to think that because I have come into your section that you have any sort of hold on me. Do you really want to attempt to confine me?”
Bastan shifted, revealing the sword hidden beneath his cloak. Alec had seen him fight with the sword once before, and it had been a terrifying sight. Bastan was incredibly skilled, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the man could intimidate a man like the Shuver, even though Bastan had come into his section.
“Fine. He’s yours.”
The Shuver motioned to the two guards, and one of them turned and pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking the cell. Alec hurried out and took a place next to Bastan.
Amnesia: The Book of Maladies Page 24
