“Your Highness, we were given orders to find and detain you the moment of your return. Not that we thought you were returning at all.”
“By whom? Who gave this order?”
“Your father, the king.”
“And how did you find us? On what grounds do you hold us?”
The soldier gestured to another. “Bring her forward.”
Movement from the back of the line rippled to the front, and a soldier stepped aside to reveal a haggard, browbeaten Samia. Her hands were shackled behind her back, and a soldier lead her by a long chain attached to an iron collar around her neck. He stole nervous glances toward her hands. Did he think she was a conjurer of some sort? If so, they were woefully misinformed about how such a practice functioned.
Instead of her brilliant robes, she’d been clothed in a shapeless, brown fabric that brought to mind sacks of potatoes, though she had at least been allowed to keep her head covered. William’s expression morphed from anger to fury.
“What is the meaning of this?” William whirled on the soldier who’d spoken, then on the others in turn. “Why do you hold prisoner a servant of the crown? One of the Lord’s warriors! This is anathema.”
“It’s His Majesty’s command,” said the soldier, finally sheathing his weapon. “And we’re to bring you to him immediately.” At those words my arms were yanked behind my back and bound. The iron bit at my wrists. A soldier came toward me with an iron collar and William drew his sword again. In a lightning flash, held the blade’s tip against the soldier’s throat.
“You will not collar her like a hound, nor will you approach the actual hound here with one of these devices.”
“But the king—”
“Will answer to me if there’s a problem.” William glanced at me, an unspoken question in his eyes. Are you well? I nodded, for I’d had enough of bloodshed and had no desire to see more of it this day. He looked back at the soldiers. “Do you have orders to shackle me as well?” The soldiers again shifted with unease. “Has my father given a reason?”
“There’s a banishment on magic of any kind,” said the soldier who’d bound my hands. He stepped nervously away, as though he expected me to turn him into a newt or twist his skin inside out with merely a look. “Anyone caught conducting business by unnatural means is to be arrested, tried, and condemned.”
“Tried and condemned? That sounds like the trial is no trial at all.” The soldier looked away. William gestured to Samia. “And what has she done?”
The soldier appeared surprised that William even had to ask the question. “Why, she kidnapped and murdered the king’s son.”
William turned wide, incredulous eyes on me. I shrugged—it was as much a mystery to me as it was to him that his father would behave in such a way. It didn’t sound like the king at all, who—though perhaps severe and extreme at times—did not order executions without reason. Such an act was contrary to the central tenets of a paladin’s calling.
“Do I look murdered?” William held his arms wide. When no one responded, he thrust a finger at Samia. “Let her go. She’s done no wrong. I left of my own free will.”
“I have done wrong,” she said, and the soldier next to her raised his hand as if to strike. William flicked his sword at the man and he backed away.
“I don’t mean to fight your battles for you,” he said to her, “but I thought you could use the help. Now, what do you mean, you’ve done wrong? I don’t believe it.”
Samia glowered at the surrounding throng. “I promised to ensure a safe home for you to return to. As you can see, I’ve failed.”
“Do you honestly think I’d blame you for—” he gestured at the scene around us, “—this?”
“You should,” she grumbled.
“You’re one person,” William said.
“And you’ve seen me fight.”
William paused. “I have. You make an excellent point.” He took a step closer to her and I strained to overhear. “You haven’t failed. You’re simply not finished. After all, I’m not quite home yet.”
Her eyes brightened though her lips remained firm, and I had an odd feeling that if Samia did not want to be clapped in irons—or if she didn’t already have a purpose for her captivity in mind—she would already be free. A wordless exchange passed between the two paladins, and then William swung to face me. But I’d spotted movement in the distance, on the road beyond where we stood, near the ruined cathedral. I narrowed my eyes, trying to make sense of what I saw, but it looked so strange that it was difficult to comprehend. “Are those people?”
The soldiers’ silence told me the truth. They were indeed. A line of people walked up the road toward the palace, but not with the boisterous anticipation I had experienced when last I’d hurried along that road. No, they trudged, with soldiers before and behind, chained together like cattle led to slaughter.
And I had thought we’d left the horrors behind.
“What the … ” William couldn’t even finish his thought, and the soldiers began to urge us onward toward the road. I was at a loss for words, as was William, and he fell into step beside me with Cerberus between us.
“Samia,” he called up the line. “When did this happen—no, allow her to speak, you’d do well to treat me as regent until there is a conviction.” A soldier stepped aside so Samia could speak over her shoulder.
“The moment I stepped into court to give report, I was arrested and thrown in a cell beneath the castle.” She inclined her head toward the shackled citizens who proceeded before us. “And the same fate awaits them, or worse. They might simply be thrown in the pens the king has set up to hold people before execution. Trial? There is no trial.”
“And all of these people are suspected of using magic?”
The soldier beside William spoke first. “His Majesty is righteously angered by your kidnapping and murder, Your Highness. Someone needs to be held responsible, and as a paladin, your natural enemy is dark magic.”
“Natural enemy?” William nearly yelled. “And you would accuse my peer, an honorary guest in the palace, as an enemy? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
The soldier’s eyes widened, and it was clear that he didn’t, in fact, have any idea. Even I saw how such an accusation had violated the guest-host bond of trust, perhaps even shattering one of the many tenuous yet critical treaties our kingdom held with outside lands.
“Who accuses Samia of dark magic?” William did yell now, and many of the soldiers cringed in shame at a reprimand from their crown prince. “What evidence is there, and on what grounds? No one in this kingdom is to be held without cause, and … look, she returned and reported that I still lived. How could she, or any citizen, be arrested and held responsible after an eyewitness report of my continued existence?”
“His Majesty waited a few days,” the soldier said, “but when you didn’t return, he thought she must be lying, and we had orders to arrest or kill anyone or anything what emerged from that open portal. We’re just following orders.”
“But no one went down after us?” I asked.
“Oh, no,” the soldier said. “King’s orders.”
None of this sounded even remotely plausible, considering the state of the kingdom when we left. “It all must have happened so fast,” I murmured, then startled as a soldier on horseback thundered by, yelling instructions to those being taken to the castle as prisoner.
“Orders, when given in the wrong, are still wrong,” William growled.
I dared look behind us toward the town, and my heart sank at the sight. Gray pillars of smoke rose from what looked like several different places in the eastern quarter as well as the market square, thicker and more billowing than chimney smoke. A wooden barricade had been erected along the main roads to separate the town from the palace. Guards lined the barricade and as I watched, more citizens were dragged through—women, men and children alike—as some of these soldiers hurled insults at the terrified people.
What gave them the right to act this way? I knew many of these soldiers by sight, having met them in passing. It was as if they’d been given permission to reveal a depravity, a hatefulness in their souls that they’d previously kept hidden.
It wasn’t right. I squeezed my eyes shut. Perhaps I was asleep. Perhaps I had fallen into another nightmare. Perhaps we were still in hell and hadn’t climbed out of the pit after all but were trapped in one of its circles.
But when I opened my eyes, the sight remained. I thought about the Abyss and its desolation and was struck by a particular notion. “How long have we been gone?”
“I returned three weeks ago,” Samia said. “And we were gone for two before that.”
“What?” William and I locked gazes, echoing each other’s shock. It hadn’t been that long for us, not nearly, but perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised that time’s passage in eternity wasn’t the same as on the mortal plane.
I knew not what else to say, and so we marched in silence and despair toward the palace gates—to what should have been refuge, a respite after the trials of hell. I believe we would have continued to spar, or perhaps even have charged into battle right then and there, but neither of us had the strength left for a clash of wits or warfare, and so we allowed ourselves to be led up to the gate, through the entrance, and to the door of the throne room. A small group of soldiers took Samia away, and though William bellowed after them and demanded to know where they took her, all attending soldiers refused to answer. She glanced back one final time, and I saw a subtle nod for William alone.
“Wait here,” said a soldier, “While I announce your presence to the king.”
William snorted. “I don’t require an announcement. This is my home.”
“I’ve been ordered—”
“I don’t care.” William shoved past the soldier, took hold of the doors, and swung them open. Inside the throne room sat the king, lying across his throne like a lounging Roman at repose. Guards stood watch around the room with tense, stern expressions. The king’s clothes were not the bright blue, white, and gold I had come to expect of paladins on official business. Instead, he wore ornately brocaded velvet, leather bracers, and a heavy gold crown.
He leapt to his feet as William stormed into the room, and I noticed with curious dread that he no longer carried his talisman, a kingly sceptre.
“Greetings, Your Majesty,” said William, striding forward, his tone dripping with derision. I pushed through the soldiers with ease to follow close behind, and not one made a move to stop me. I assumed that not only did they still fear my powers, but that none of the soldiers assigned to us were all that eager to enter the throne room themselves. Or to get in the way of Cerberus, for that matter.
“Guards!” The king’s head swiveled from side to side and the guards to the left and right of the dais leveled their spears at William—though their nervousness at doing so was quite apparent. William, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate to draw his own sword.
“Father,” William let his sword tip rest on the rug beneath his feet, but he didn’t loosen his grip. “As you can see, I’m neither kidnapped nor murdered. Call off the hunt at once, for I can attest to the fact that no one coerced me into my leaving—no one forced my hand, and it was I who released my bride from your imprisonment. That was my doing alone. I also requested that Samia, Peter, and Lorenz attend me on our journey. There’s no need for this campaign against our own citizens. I haven’t been wronged—if anyone has, it’s Ellison. What’s come over you? Release our people and end this.”
I was proud of William’s speech, for I had never heard him speak with such conviction and authority to his father. My heart swelled with pride, and I was certain that the king would listen and all would be well.
Except he did not, and it was not.
“No,” the king said. He sat, turned his face from his son, and waved the tips of his fingers in dismissal. “Take them way and throw them with the others—in the dungeon.”
43
The Retrieval
“Father?” William’s voice cracked.
The king refused to spare him even a second glance. “You are not my son. My son wouldn’t speak with such insolence, nor defend a creature of such wickedness as she who stands behind him. Put them in the dungeons and execute them at dawn. Let them be an example to everyone else.”
“What?” I shrieked. How had the situation gotten so out of hand so quickly? What had happened while we were gone?
Hands gripped my upper arms and dragged me out of the throne room with William close behind. The moment the doors were closed, William shook off the soldiers, struck two in the face with his palm and his fist, and wrenched his sword from the soldier who’d taken it from him.
He backed away and gestured me to his side. I might have been taken hostage by the soldiers then, if Cerberus had not been with me. I crossed the hall to stand with William and Cerberus took up his stance of protection.
“I don’t want to harm any of you,” William said, “but something strange is happening here. You can’t all be content with it. Georg, when did this madness begin?”
The young, rust-haired soldier he’d addressed as Georg stepped forward. “Your Highness, it began when the king found the girl had escaped from the dungeon and that you were gone. He sent out search parties and when we found the staircase descending into the earth, he demanded that we keep watch and question any who might have seen, heard, or helped the girl escape.”
“Ellison.”
“Excuse me?” The soldier blinked in confusion.
“Not ‘the girl.’ Her name is Ellison,” said William, “and she is your future princess. So, I expect you to refer to her with due respect. Or would you prefer that I only speak of you as ‘the boy soldier?’” Georg shook his head, trembling like a hare. “I thought not. That goes for the lot of you. And everyone in the palace, so spread the word. I will no longer allow disrespect of any kind to stand, be it toward Ellison, other members of the household, or the staff serving in any capacity.” William scowled at the assembled group. “Now, then. This rounding-up of citizens, how long has it been going on? Has anyone lost their life as a result?” He glanced at me. “And whichever of you has the keys to unbind my betrothed, do it now.”
Georg shifted uneasily as he replied, while another soldier came forward to unlock my shackles. William had been right—clearly not everyone supported the king’s strange and destructive orders. “Since Samia’s return, His Majesty has obsessed over finding your murderer. I don’t know why Samia is still alive, unless the king is hard pressed to find someone willing to perform her execution. She’s been taken daily to the town square and beaten while the people attend to their errands.”
“So there have been no executions?”
“Not exactly.” Georg refused to meet William’s eyes. “Robert, the guard on duty when the girl—Ellison—escaped. He was first pardoned when another prisoner in the dungeon attested to the miss having help in her flight, and it was believed that the guard—Robert—had been poisoned by an assassin. But after Samia’s return, when you were declared dead at the hands of evil forces, his pardon was revoked, and he was hanged in the square.”
Oh. I felt as though I’d been struck. The poor man had done nothing wrong, and my selfishness had caused his death.
“Stop blaming yourself, Ellison,” William murmured. “I see what you’re thinking, it’s written all over your face. I broke you free and bear as much responsibility, if not more. I gave him the sleeping draught, not you.” Then, to Georg, “What about the other prisoner? Is this person still alive?”
“Yes, I think so,” Georg said. “He was part of a troupe who auditioned for the privilege of playing for the wedding, but after the announcement of your death, I’m not sure what happened to him or his players. Your father—His Majesty—flew into a rage and ordered everything to do with the wedding burned. Not that there was much to dispose of, but still, remaining a
t the palace wouldn’t have been safe.”
Another soldier approached Georg, agitation plain on his face. “Why haven’t we arrested these two, sergeant? We’re under the king’s orders, not beholden to the whims of a corrupted prince.”
William barked a laugh. “You think I’m corrupted? Until not long ago, you thought I was dead and followed my father’s orders to move against the citizenry based on a falsehood. Well, here I am. All of this—the disruption, the arrests—can stop.”
“How do we know you are who you say?”
“I have my seal.” He held up his hand bearing the royal signet ring, which had remarkably managed to remain on his person throughout all we’d endured. “And my medallion. Proof.”
“And how do we know you’re not simply an evil spirit inhabiting the prince’s body?”
William startled at this accusation, as did I. “My father implied much the same. Where is this coming from?”
“The king warned us,” he said, “that these evils might come.”
I touched William’s sleeve. “We do no good remaining here.”
He hesitated but took a step back, his body already set to flee even if his mind was apprehensive to follow. “You’re all fools if that’s what you believe,” he finally spat. “How long have we served together? How long has the Paladin Council protected this kingdom with my father and I at the head? I could no more turn against you than you can refuse to blindly follow orders from your king—no matter how outrageous, it seems.”
And with that, he backed down the hall, away from the soldiers, as Cerberus and I followed. At the next hall, William took my hand and we ran, together, until we reached the library and collapsed breathless inside the doorway.
“I don’t suppose anyone will search for us here,” I said, taking in the room with wonder. I had been here only several times before, and each occasion had filled me with marvel for all the volumes found within. I’d often hoped that one day, when we were married and living in the palace, I would read them all.
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