by Duncan Lay
“I need to speak to your Ana now,” he said gently. “But I promise you that I will be back. Promise me you will be strong.”
They both drew themselves up, Asil rubbing the tears away from his eyes.
“We will, Baba,” Asil said, Orhan echoing his words a moment later.
Kemal reached out to place a hand on each of their shoulders and squeezed gently. “I know you will,” he said.
They stepped back, going over the other side of the room, and Feray reached out to brush his check. “My love, your face – it has healed,” she exclaimed. “Your foot as well?”
“I am as I was before,” Kemal confirmed, although he knew the words were a lie.
“Can we trust these Gaelish?” she asked.
Kemal kissed her hand. “We have to,” he said. “I have put you at their mercy because of my weakness. I am so sorry, my love. Maybe if I had been stronger, they would have had to let us go—”
“You cannot blame yourself,” Feray said instantly. “Fallon is a monster and he would have hurt our boys and then me. You are far more of a man than he is.”
Kemal cradled her hand to his cheek. “I wish I felt it. I swore to keep you safe and failed. But I will regain my honor and my manhood, get you back and wreak vengeance on Fallon and his foul accomplices.”
“Be careful, my love. I will happily put my life in your hands, but freeing so many slaves cannot go unnoticed. Your brothers will bring it to your father’s attention. I would not see you lose position—”
“Silence,” he said, leaning in to kiss her lips gently. “I don’t care about the Elephant Throne. An eternity sitting on its cold stone is not worth a moment in your warm arms.”
She smiled gently. “You were blessed with the gift of flattery but it is a welcome gift. And do not worry about us. I will keep the boys safe.”
“I will be back before you know it,” he told her. “But I should go now. I do not want them to come in here and tear me away from you. I do not want that to be the boys’ last memory of this day.”
She nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks and he kissed them away, tasting the salt on his tongue.
“Come, give your father a farewell embrace!” he called and the boys rushed over.
Kemal closed his eyes, feeling their arms around him, then forced his eyes open and let the feel and smell and sight of them fill his senses, so he would have something to keep him strong over the next moon. Whatever it took, however long it may be, he would see Fallon dead for this.
*
Fallon watched the little Kottermani flotilla sail away into the darkness, feeling hope stir in his chest, the way the sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon to the east.
“Can we trust him?” Brendan asked, when they had returned to the Guildhouse and gathered in the entrance. Their captives were upstairs, held by Donnchadh and a few other villagers.
“He was prepared to do anything for his wife and children, just as we are. He will come back with Bridgit and the others,” Fallon said confidently.
“Can he trust us? Are you thinking of keeping his family after we get our people back? They would make a powerful bargaining tool,” Padraig said. “You can make Prince Kemal do anything for them.”
Fallon glanced at the old wizard. “I will keep my word, as I said I would,” he said shortly. “I don’t know about you but I have had enough of betrayals and politics to last me a lifetime. We will get our families back and then sail for Cavan’s island. Kemal will hunt for us but never find us.”
Padraig nodded and gave him a small smile back in return. “That is good to hear, my son. I would not want Bridgit to return to find her husband was here but his spirit was lost, replaced by a lesser one.”
“It sounds like she is changed herself. Leading the people! Apart from the likes of those numbskulls Sean and Seamus, there’s all the dimwits at Killarney and a bunch of others as well. To lead them is no easy feat,” Gallagher said.
“Aye,” Fallon admitted. “It sounds as if she has found her strength again.” Thinking of her made him groan aloud with longing. He wanted to see her again so badly! And not just see her. Just thinking of her made his groin throb.
“What now?” Devlin asked, cutting in on those thoughts.
Fallon had to take a moment to tear his mind away from a naked Bridgit.
“We will keep Kemal’s family in the Guildhouse. People stay away from that, so any agents the King has prowling the city won’t find them.”
“Won’t the Kottermani agents be more of a worry? I am sure Kemal left some of his men behind, with orders to find and free his family,” Gallagher said.
“Those too,” Fallon agreed. “Keeping his family away from people will stop any word from getting out. As to watching them, we need to move a dozen of us in here. Get blankets and food out of the rooms and bring them along. We’ll rotate the men through here.”
“Don’t forget the city’s still looking for those missing kids. If people nearby hear screaming children, they’re going to come in for a look,” Gallagher warned.
Fallon grimaced at the thought. “We might bring Kerrin down here and have him play in the square, so passers-by see a local child about the place. Aroaril knows he has been stuck with nobody but us for company for long enough. But only during the day, mind you, and only with me to keep an eye on things. I don’t trust that wife of Kemal’s. She’ll have her eyes open for a chance to get out. If she grabs Kerrin, things could get ugly.”
“And of course they have been going so well up to now,” Padraig said.
Fallon rubbed gritty eyes. Dawn was not far off and none of them had slept. “Well, Aroaril willing, we will only have one moon more of this nightmare.”
EPISODE 3
CHAPTER 21
“The King wants to see you now,” Regan said.
Fallon rubbed sleep from his eyes. It felt like he had just closed his eyes when the chamberlain turned up. “What is it?” he asked.
“He told me to fetch you, not answer pointless questions,” the chamberlain said testily. “Get cleaned up and hurry down to his office.”
“Does he just want to see me?”
“He didn’t say. Perhaps bring a few, if you wish, and they can wait outside. If the King wants them as well, then call for them. Again, I would advise you to hurry. It is luncheon in less than a turn of the hourglass and the King will not want to be kept waiting.”
Fallon splashed water on his face, pulled on clean tunic and trews and collected an equally sleepy Gallagher and Brendan. Had the King somehow discovered what they had done? Regan was said to have a network of informers in the city. Had one of them seen something? But he had to leave his friends outside while he went inside.
Fallon had to be careful to keep his face calm. Kemal had given him even more reasons to hate the bastard. Aidan was the one behind the Kottermanis taking Bridgit and the others, as well as stealing the children. His blood boiled as he thought of all the money people had had to pay to protect themselves from make-believe selkies. And then to blame witches and selkies and to burn innocent women at the stake, all the time knowing the truth … He had to fight the urge not to smash his fists into the King’s face; he contented himself with the thought that Aidan’s time on the throne was limited and in a moon’s time Fallon would be gone from Gaelland, never to see the undoubtedly humiliated King again. All he had to do was keep out of Aidan’s way until then. He plastered a small smile over his fury and disgust.
But the King showed every sign of being delighted to see him. “Sit down, Fallon, we have much to talk about and little time,” he said cheerfully.
Fallon did so, trying to look interested.
“The Kottermani fleet has sailed for home,” Aidan said, leaning back in his padded chair. “Do you know why?”
Fallon hoped his face looked mildly confused and not guilty. He made a show of thinking. “No idea, sire,” he said.
Aidan considered him for a few moments, then sighed. “It is a
shame Prince Kemal did not wait a little longer, for I had a surprise for him, which would have wiped the sneer off his face. No doubt he plans to return in the spring, with more men, so we shall have to be ready for them then.”
“What is the surprise, sire?” Fallon asked, careful to keep his voice respectful.
Aidan smiled. “Ah, I would love to tell you but that would spoil it! Perhaps in a little while … Yes, I think I can tell you soon. I do so wish that Kemal had stayed. It has been a long time coming. I was all set to unleash the surprise on him when he returned to the castle to demand my answer. What I would have given to see the look on his face then! His smug arrogance would have been wiped off in a heartbeat! I wonder why he left so suddenly though. Perhaps he heard something about the surprise, through all his agents running around my city, curse him!”
“You know about his agents, sire?” Fallon asked, eager to get the conversation away from reasons why Kemal left.
“Oh yes. I had my son meet with them, so we could mark who they were and then keep an eye on them,” Aidan said dismissively.
Fallon nodded thoughtfully to disguise the tremor of fear that rippled through him. If the King’s men were watching the Kottermanis and got wind of Prince Kemal’s family …
“But while I wish Kemal were here to swallow his bitter medicine, it seems we shall have to ram it down his throat in spring,” Aidan went on. “And this is where you come in.”
“Sire?”
“Tomorrow you will train me an army.”
Fallon felt his mouth sag open and closed it quickly. “Sire, where am I going to get the men from? And the weapons? We would need thousands of swords, shields and suits of mail. If every blacksmith in the land worked from dawn until dusk, we would not have enough,” he said carefully.
Aidan waved a hand. “You will soon see that we have more than enough,” he said, with a broad wink. “I have been planning for this for moons now. The first shipments will begin to arrive in Berry this moon and there will be plenty more to come between now and spring. Train me the men and I shall see them fitted out to face the Kottermanis.”
Fallon nodded slowly, swallowing his horror. “But what men should I train, sire? We do not want to use up all the valuable workers and take them away from their jobs.”
Aidan patted the table with his left hand. “See? I knew you would be the right man for this job. It will be an army of the young, sons aged between sixteen and eighteen summers. They will be eager to learn as well, once they know the famous Fallon will be leading them into battle.”
Fallon wanted to argue more, to try and protect these young men from what was coming, but the King’s face was alight with enthusiasm and he knew there was no chance of an outright refusal. Not without creating more problems than he could handle.
“I shall need some extra trainers, sire. The more expert men I have working with them, the faster the training and the better the soldiers at the end of it,” he said.
King Aidan immediately pulled a scrap of parchment towards him and scribbled quickly on it.
“I shall tell Kelty that you can have one hundred of his men. Along with your own men, that should give you plenty,” he said.
“How big an army do you want, sire?” Fallon asked, shocked at the numbers.
“Several thousand,” Aidan said casually.
“Are there enough young men in the city for that, sire?”
“I doubt it. But there will be plenty more arriving from the counties. They are already on their way here, or I shall want to know why not.”
Fallon nodded, his mind whirling. More than ever, he felt as though he were a twig, being swept along by a river to parts unknown. One thing was obvious. Aidan would have an army, with or without Fallon. And Fallon reckoned having the army loyal to him, rather than to Kelty or that seasick idiot Quinn, was by far the best plan. If he controlled the only army around here, then the King would be at his mercy. Besides, his training might just save a few of their lives.
“I shall start at dawn tomorrow, sire,” Fallon said, standing and saluting.
Aidan handed him the written orders and smiled. “I am sorry that Prince Kemal left so soon. My final gift was to demand the return of your families. I am sorry that has been delayed but, once we have destroyed the army they send against us, I promise you it will be my first concern!”
Fallon made himself nod and offer a small smile. “Thank you, sire,” he said, not having to make up the hoarseness in his voice.
“No, thank you Fallon. I shall not forget the service you have done for Gaelland. It was chance that brought you into my plans but I am truly thankful it was so.”
Fallon met the King’s eyes and felt, strangely, that the King was being completely honest. He saluted again and turned away, unable to stand looking at Aidan any more. His hatred was just as strong but there was another layer of confusion over the top. What else was the King playing at?
*
He collected Brendan and Gallagher and the three of them went in search of Kelty, to give the grim captain the news that he had to hand over a company of guardsmen. They found the officer out the front of the storage block, supervising the unloading of a dozen wagons.
Fallon headed straight for Kelty, the orders in his hand, but stopped when he saw what was in the wagons. Swords, spears, shields and crossbows were being dragged down by the barrel-load. “Where did these come from?” he asked, watching sweating servants carry them inside, past where Regan stood, making notes on a long scroll.
“All over,” Kelty said with a shrug. “These ones have the badge of Londegal on them.”
“But how? It must have cost a sack of gold!” Fallon exclaimed. “Where did the money come from?”
Kelty said nothing but his look said it all. Fallon remembered the last time he had been there, when Kelty had been selling off part of the tax tithe to the local merchants in exchange for coin. And then there had been the selkie tax … The more he learned, the more it seemed King Aidan had been planning this from the start.
“Which men do you want?” Kelty said.
Fallon turned back from watching a bundle of spears being carried in carefully, the leaf-shaped heads looking shiny with grease. “How did you know I wanted men?” he demanded.
“I know what you have to do. And I told the King you would need help to do it,” Kelty said with a shrug.
Fallon handed him the orders and Kelty’s scarred eyebrows rose a little. “A whole company, eh? Which ones?”
That was easy for Fallon. “The men I led against the Moneylenders.”
Kelty handed back the orders. “I’ll have them ready at dawn tomorrow in the square outside. I already have a company of men taking the King’s orders out around the city. Looks like you’ll be in for a busy few moons.”
Fallon nodded. “By Aroaril, don’t I know it!”
Kelty gave him a strange look and then turned away so Fallon waved to his friends and went in the other direction.
“This is all coming together now,” Gallagher said softly as they walked away. “Looks like Aidan has bought the weapons stores from Londegal. No doubt he has done the same with the other counties. That would have cost plenty of coin. The sort of coin you could only raise through a selkie tax, say. He’s probably had every smith in the country working for him for the past moon.”
“If he hadn’t sold out our people to do it, I could almost admire him for it,” Fallon whispered back.
*
“What do you mean, he did not attack my husband’s ship?” Duchess Dina demanded.
Fallon shrugged. “What I said. Somebody else did it, most likely the King. After all, he tricked me into killing his own son, so having his cousin murdered does not seem like it would bother him.”
“But surely he was lying!” she protested. “He must have wanted to hold on to his most valuable slave!”
Fallon sighed. “Sister Rosaleen was sitting beside him and told us everything he was saying was true. Besides, he knew we had
his wife and sons under guard elsewhere. We had broken him: he was giving us everything he knew. I know you were hoping that your husband was being held in Kotterman somewhere but it looks like he was killed and his ship sent into my village to give the King some sort of evidence to proclaim the selkies were behind the disappearing people.”
Dina looked away for a long time her hands over her eyes and, when she turned back, those eyes were red and watery. “Then I must accept it,” she said. “We need to bring this to the attention of the other nobles, get them to denounce King Aidan at his next meeting. The fact he sold off his own people and kidnapped children, blaming it on witches and selkies, is disgusting. But what will really outrage them will be the news the selkie tax did not need to be paid!”
Fallon coughed lightly. “It may not be as easy as you think to get some outrage going. It looks like he is using that money to buy weapons from every county. I saw wagonloads arriving from Londegal just this day.”
Dina looked at him for a moment and then cursed. “I thought it was just for Lunster,” she said disgustedly. “All our weapon stores purchased and then enough money to pay the local smiths to replenish the stocks. Of course I have not only lost a husband but had hundreds of gutter scum from Berry dumped into my county. For the others, it is different. They will just see the gold flowing to them and forget about everything else.”
“But you have to get them to stop him,” Fallon said firmly, thinking of what would happen after he left for Cavan’s island. “I don’t trust him. His plan to make an army will see thousands of people slaughtered. I think the Kottermanis will see Berry as the key to Gaelland and the easiest way into Berry is the harbor. But even if we defeat them inside the city walls, the ordinary people will pay a huge price.”
Dina laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Have you ever seen him change his mind?”
