The Forsaken Crown (The Desolate Empire Book 0)

by Christina Ochs

  Sonya and Irena rode just ahead of the carriage. With any luck, their red coats would distinguish them from the rest of the guards, and Sonya’s hirelings wouldn’t kill her accidentally.

  “Halt!” a firm, feminine voice said, just ahead.

  Sonya pulled Zeki to a stop, and raised her hand.

  “Stop!” Irena shouted over her shoulder and the rest of their convoy came to a halt.

  Sonya urged Zeki forward, hoping to see who blocked the road. Beside her, Irena drew her pistols.

  In the middle of the road, mounted on a pure white palfrey, sat a tiny woman with a long white braid hanging over one shoulder. The robes she wore were unmistakable. Behind her stood a cluster of elaborately liveried, heavily armed guards.

  “Your Holiness,” Sonya said, bowing over the saddle. She’d never seen a Maxima in the flesh, but knew what one looked like. “What is the problem?”

  “The problem is, you are committing a great crime. Removing the prince of the land from his seat of power, against his will, is treason of the highest order.”

  The woman’s voice was deep and resonant. She rode forward until her palfrey stood nose-to-nose with Zeki. “You will release the prince into my custody this instant.”

  Sonya didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and prayed that the troops she’d hired wouldn’t make a sudden appearance. That would get messy fast.

  She looked over her shoulder. The duke’s guards stayed behind the carriage, at least for now. Sound carried in the fog, so Sonya spoke in just over a whisper. “I’ll do that, and gladly. Count Faris sent me to help the prince and—”

  “A fine job you’re doing of it,” the Maxima snapped. “You are under arrest, all of you.” Her voice carried to the back of Sonya’s little convoy.

  Sonya glanced over at Irena, glad to see she’d already put her pistols away. The Maxima had solved her problem at least for the time being, and they could explain themselves later. Count Faris’s letters and orders were in her saddlebags, and would prove why she was here.

  “I think it’s best we go with the Maxima,” Sonya said loudly, praying the duke’s guards wouldn’t take exception. From behind her, she heard hoofbeats, soon fading into the distance, and realized that at least one guard was heading back to Birkenhof. Well, the duke could fight it out with the Maxima later.

  “I’m glad you’re being reasonable,” the little woman said, as her guards moved forward, surrounding Sonya and what remained of her party. “Now, let’s return to Heidenhof at all speed. Kill anyone who tries to stop us,” she said to her guards.

  Velta River Road

  “That’s Julia Maxima,” Kendryk said, grabbing his mother’s hand. “She’s stopped them.” There was no mistaking the cleric’s strong voice, accustomed to being heard in the vast reaches of Heidenhof’s great temple.

  “How did she know to come here ?” Princess Renata asked, smiling.

  “Don’t know,” Kendryk said, unable to keep from smiling himself, even though it hurt his face. “I’m sure she’ll explain once we’re safe.”

  “Thank the gods,” the princess said.

  They didn’t speak for the rest of the ride, which took about an hour. Kendryk wasn’t sure, his relief was so great.

  His relief intensified as the road turned to cobbles when the carriage passed through the city gates. Not too long after that, it came to a halt and the door opened.

  “You go first, Mother,” Kendryk said, and someone handed the princess out of the carriage. Kendryk followed, and found himself in the courtyard of the Maxima’s palace, as he’d hoped.

  Julia Maxima stood before him, her eyes wide with horror. “What happened to you?”

  “She did,” Kendryk said, nodding toward the tall woman in the red coat, standing nearby, surrounded by guards. “The duke had her punish me for talking to my friend.”

  “Beastly,” Julia said. “Take her to the dungeon. I’ll deal with her later.”

  The woman made a noise of protest, something about Count Faris again, but was soon dragged off. If she’d been trying to rescue him, she hadn’t been doing a very good job of it.

  Kendryk was sure Julia would get to the truth of the matter.

  “Now,” Julia said, “Let’s go inside and we’ll decide what to do next.”

  She led them into her palace, down long corridors and finally into a cozy room that looked like a private study. She sent a servant to bring them hot drinks, then urged Kendryk and his mother to take seats by the fire.

  Julia sat down in a nearby chair and said, “I’m sure the duke will send someone to get you. No doubt he’ll make an excuse for why you were being transported down to the river.”

  “You won’t let him take us back, will you?” Kendryk asked. “He’s been keeping the two of us prisoner for some time.”

  “He’ll take you over my dead body,” Julia said, with a finality that instantly allayed Kendryk’s worries. “I had my suspicions about your captivity, and Mother Luysa confirmed them. She was convinced you had done nothing wrong and was certain the duke was just waiting for an opportunity to get rid of you, likely hoping to make it look accidental. I don’t suppose he encouraged you to go hunting often ?”

  “He did.” Kendryk had to laugh. “He was constantly trying to get me to join his son, and I was always making my excuses. I can’t stand the fellow.”

  “Lucky for you,” Julia said. “I’m certain you would have broken your neck before long. Once you sent out the letters, you forced his hand. I’m sure in time he would have gotten rid of you, but he had to hurry it up when your friend arrived.”

  “Georg?” Kendryk shook his head. “I thought the duke had captured him too.”

  “Someone attacked him on the road after he’d left you. But your friend is surprisingly athletic for such a scholarly fellow, and laid him out flat.”

  Kendryk smiled. “Georg grew up in the rough part of Kronfels. So he’s all right then? Where is he?”

  “Staying with me,” Julia said. “I’ve put him to work copying letters, but you’ll see him soon.”

  “Thank the gods. So Georg gave you more details about my situation. But he didn’t know the duke would take me away. How did you learn about that?”

  “A soldier came to see me last night. A foreign mercenary had hired him to waylay a small convoy leaving the palace this morning. He thought you might be in it, and wasn’t certain what would happen once the convoy had been stopped. It seemed odd to him, and lucky for you, it made the most sense to him to report it to me. Now I’m sure you were meant to die in that attack. The duke could pretend you’d been set upon by bandits, or some other such nonsense. I doubt anyone would have believed it.”

  “Duke Desmond wouldn’t care about that.” Kendryk’s mouth was dry, but just then they were interrupted by a servant bringing mugs of hot tea. So he took a few sips while he marveled at his good fortune.

  “Thank the gods for the man who came to you.” Princess Renata had been silent so far. “It warms my heart to know at least some of our subjects are still loyal. Do you suppose the duke wanted to take over rule of the kingdom?”

  “I’m certain of it,” Julia said. “If Kendryk died, his uncle Evard would be next in line. But he’s far away, and I’m sure Desmond would have gotten rid of him too. He might have let you live.” Julia nodded at the princess, “but only if he could keep you senseless. The man is completely without a conscience.”

  “Which makes him a difficult opponent,” the princess said. “Even now he sits in Birkenhof, controlling all of Kendryk’s forces. What are we going to do?”

  “I’m not certain yet,” Julia said. “But I have troops of my own, and I’m sure we can raise more.”

  “I have no money,” Kendryk said.

  “I’ll stand you a loan. The temple has plenty. But first we’ll make you comfortable here, and my doctor will see to you. Then we’ll make plans.”

  Maxima's Palace, Heidenhof, Terragand

  The guards hustled Sonya
and Irena out of the courtyard and into a building next to the palace, all but shoving them down steep stone stairs. They pulled them down a dank, dark corridor and into a cell. It wasn’t completely dark in here, weak light coming in through a tiny, high window.

  “Search them,” a guard said, and another patted Sonya down, none to gently. They took her weapons and emptied her pockets. There wasn’t much in there but a small amount of coin, and the duke’s contract. In the excitement, Sonya had forgotten about it. All of her thoughts had been turned to Faris’s letters and how she might use them to prove her mission.

  Her stomach lurched as a guard unfolded the paper.

  “Bring a light,” he snapped, and someone bearing a lantern drew near. His eyes widened as he read, then he folded it up and put it in his pocket with a chuckle.

  “Her Holiness will love this,” he said, stepping outside the cell and shutting the barred door with a clang. “Proof of the duke’s guilt, and yours,” he said to Sonya, before turning away, and disappearing down the corridor.

  “Oh gods,” Sonya said, slumping against the wall. “Why didn’t I destroy that?”

  “They’ll never believe us now,” Irena said, sitting on a narrow bench against the wall. “Especially with the little prince taking a set against us.”

  “You can’t blame him,” Sonya said, dropping her head into her hands. “I shouldn’t have hit him. I should have walked out when the duke asked me to do it and figured out another way.”

  “Maybe.” Irena sighed. “But it’s too late now. Hopefully the Maxima will be reasonable.”

  “She didn’t sound very reasonable,” Sonya said. “But with any luck, we’ll be able to convince her we really were trying to help. Perhaps the fellows we hired can be found and back us up.”

  “Oh yes, unemployed soldiers are such a reputable lot. I’m sure the Maxima will believe every word they say.” Irena shook her head, then laughed. “Ah well. I was hoping for adventure in Terragand, and I got it, didn’t I?”

  “Sorry,” Sonya mumbled. She took a spot on the bench next to Irena and tried to come up with a plan. This was a proper dungeon, not a broken-down hut on the steppe. Even if someone wanted to rescue her, she doubted they’d be able to. She’d have to talk her way out, which had never gone too well before.

  She was just wondering how long they’d be here before something happened, when there was a noise in the corridor, followed by a lantern. Right behind that came Julia Maxima, her robes white against the darkness of the damp stone walls.

  “Bring a chair,” the Maxima said, with that booming voice she had, “and let me into the cell.”

  Sonya was on her feet before the door opened, but made sure she stayed against the wall. With a half dozen guards clustered behind the Maxima there was no chance of trying anything. Instead, she bowed as correctly as she could.

  “Well, you’re polite, for a hired killer,” Julia said, sitting down in a camp chair. “You may sit.”

  The two of them took their places on the bench again, Sonya feeling like a chastised schoolgirl.

  “This,” Julia said, waving the duke’s contract, “is very interesting, and unfortunately for you, quite incriminating. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

  “I do,” Sonya said eagerly. “I never meant to fulfill it. Until this morning, I was certain the duke planned to move the prince and his mother to Birkenfels castle. I hoped he wouldn’t be bold enough to try to kill them.”

  “It seems you were wrong,” the Maxima said dryly.

  “I was.” Sonya sighed. “I hired soldiers last night hoping to ambush the convoy. We wanted to take the prince and his mother to safety.”

  “Where would that be?” Julia regarded her with flinty gray eyes.

  Sonya shivered. “I didn’t know a safe place we could get to in a hurry, so I planned to bring him to you. Seems you were a step ahead of me.”

  “At least one.” The Maxima shook her head. “I’d like to believe you, since you seem of good Terragand stock, judging by your look and your accent. I don’t know or care how you came to be among barbarians.” She threw a dismissive glance at Irena.

  “My friend is no barbarian,” Sonya said, her indignation rising. “She’s more loyal and brave than anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “How nice,” Julia said coldly. “The fact remains the two of you are in a great deal of trouble.”

  “I have letters from Count Ruso Faris in my saddlebags,” Sonya said. “Have you seen those?”

  “I have,” Julia said, “and I’m not sure what to make of them. From what I can gather, he sent you to help the prince, but you were turned by the duke’s far more extravagant offer.”

  “That’s not true.” Sonya’s panic rose, once she realized how plausible that sounded. “I would never do such a thing.”

  “Well, I’m not convinced.” Julia’s voice and eyes were ice cold. “You will of course receive a trial, so if you have any evidence which might help you, please tell me. Any witnesses who might attest to your character?”

  Sonya shook her head. She wanted to call on her family, but she couldn’t involve them, or worse, let them see her disgrace.

  “A pity.” Julia stood. “Think about it some more, and if you come up with a witness, let the guards know.”

  The cell door opened and she swept out, turning back to Sonya once it was shut again. “I’d think hard if I were you. Your life depends on it.”

  Maxima's Palace

  Once Kendryk had been shown to a luxurious suite of rooms, Julia’s personal doctor came. She fussed over Kendryk’s bruised eye and put a salve on it, numbing it to a pleasant degree.

  “You should rest,” she said, standing at the door. “You’ve had a rough few days.”

  “I’m better now.” Kendryk smiled. He was eager to figure out his next steps, but even more, he wanted to see Georg.

  After the doctor had gone, he called for a servant and asked where he might find the Maxima’s new secretary. The servant led him to the library, where Kendryk found Georg at a table, working his way through a stack of documents.

  “There you are!” Georg said, getting up and pulling Kendryk into a firm hug. “I was so worried, but the Maxima said you were fine. I was to let you rest until tomorrow.”

  “I don’t need to rest,” Kendryk said, sitting in a chair across the table from Georg. “I need to figure out how to get Duke Desmond out of my palace and into prison, where he belongs.”

  “Did he do that to you?” Georg pointed at his own eye, wincing.

  “He sent someone to do it,” Kendryk said. “I’m not certain why he wanted it done, since he planned to murder me the next day.”

  “Probably just for fun.” Georg put the lid on his inkpot. “He sounds like a nasty character. What do you suppose he’ll do next?”

  “I don’t know,” Kendryk said. “I’m a little worried he will demand my return.”

  “He’s doing that right now,” Georg said cheerfully. “A servant stopped by a quarter hour ago, and said Julia Maxima had shut the city up tight. The duke is at the gates, but won’t get past them.”

  “Gods, I hope not,” Kendryk said, suddenly much less comfortable, trying to remember if the duke had any cannon at his disposal.

  “You needn’t worry,” Georg said, his eyes twinkling, and calm as always. “That Julia, she’ll stand up to him. You couldn’t ask for a better ally.”

  “I know,” Kendryk said. He’d met Julia previously on a few social and ceremonial occasions and had always found her rather intimidating. Today she’d been even more so. “I don’t know what to do next.”

  “We’ll come up with something.”

  “We?” Kendryk grinned at Georg.

  “Certainly. Now you’re free I’ll take up my position as your personal secretary. I’ll write your letters, take notes at all of your councils, and should you need my advice, I’ll be happy to offer it.”

  Kendryk had to laugh at that. It was so like Georg, always cheerful
and as sure of himself as any aristocrat. There was something to be said for getting ahead on one’s own merits, Kendryk thought. That was something he hadn’t done, but planned to change as soon as he could.

  After taking his leave of Georg, and promising to involve him in any planning session, Kendryk went in search of his mother. She’d also been installed in a fine suite.

  “How are you, Mother?” Kendryk said, kissing her on the forehead before sitting down. Princess Renata lay on an ornate daybed, a large cushion at her back.

  “Better than I’ve been in a while,” she said, taking his hand. “The doctor came to see me too. She fussed over me and told me I must eat and exercise more. All those years lying in bed left me very weak.”

  “I’m sure they did. Well, I’m sure you can stay here as long as you need to, while I figure out how to get us back into our palace.”

  “I’m glad we’re safe for now.” The princess sighed. “But I worry. Desmond will not give up his place easily, and he’s spread the most awful stories about you.”

  “I’m not giving up,” Kendryk said, “especially not before trying. If Julia can fund me, I’ll raise an army. And if the woman who hit us is right, Count Faris might well be on his way, hopefully with a sizable force.”

  “You can’t count on him. Who knows where he is and how long it will be before he can come.”

  “I won’t count on it, but I’ll keep hoping.” Kendryk smiled. “Julia will help me spread the word about what’s happening. After this, Desmond will have to keep a lower profile, and perhaps I can change the minds of the gossips.”

  “I hope so.” His mother looked doubtful. “It all seems very dangerous, and you are so young. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just go into exile in Galladium for a time? Once you’re older, Gauvain can help you raise an army and you can return.”

  Kendryk shook his head. That would be the easy way and he couldn’t deny it was tempting. Just the thought of seeing his friends again warmed him through. But he couldn’t do it.