Thief

by Jane Glatt

slicked down his hair, did not fit that disease.

  Kane seemed comfortable and almost amused by the current discussion, so Brenna relaxed a little and concentrated on the king. She compared what she knew about diseases with his symptoms, starting with the most common and moving towards the most obscure. When she had run through all the diseases she could think of, she started over. She must have missed one. Unless …

  “Your Majesty,” Kane said. “I suggest that if we are finished with the initial charges it would be appropriate to remove the young lady at this point.”

  “Yes, of course,” Mattias said. “By all means, let her go, let her go. Duke Thorold, I suggest you send to Comack for your own personal records. I’ll have my clerks go through them.”

  King Mattias rose slowly. Brenna followed Kane’s lead and bowed low as the King left the room, followed by his guards. Dasid edged over to her and led her back into the corridors of the castle. After a quick stop to retrieve her pack they made their way to Kane’s office.

  “That went well,” Dasid said as soon as he closed the door. He motioned to a chair and Brenna sat down while he sat behind the desk. “We looked through the records a few days ago and found no mention of either you or your mother. We didn’t want to mention it to you in case the argument didn’t succeed or Thorold laid the trespassing charge.”

  “Thank you,” Brenna said. “Trespassing would have been the most obvious charge. I was caught inside his estate.”

  “You were caught in his private office,” Dasid amended. “We’re lucky he over-reached himself and tried to get total control of you. Having you jailed and released again was not what he wanted.”

  “No. And I am lucky,” Brenna agreed. She grinned in relief and was rewarded with one of Dasid’s rare smiles. The door opened and they both turned as Kane strode in.

  “Well, that’s it then.” Kane sat in the chair beside her.

  “That’s it,” Brenna echoed. “Thank you. Now what do we do?”

  “We leave Kingsreach,” Kane said. “This will only make Thorold more furious. I’ve just resigned my commission as Captain of the Kingsguard.”

  “Can you do that?” Brenna asked. “Simply resign?” She was a little surprised, but she understood the truth of it. Thorold would not stop. He would try to kill her - and Kane too, despite his rank. His former rank.

  “The king didn’t like it,” Kane said. “But I told him that the continuous disagreements between Duke Thorold and myself were causing him undue stress. He cannot afford that in his condition. In the end he agreed.” Kane shook his had sadly. “In part because he was simply too tired to argue. Uncle Feiren will be asked to take over until a new captain can be named.” He looked at Dasid. “Unfortunately I don’t think it will be you, although I’ve already advised the king you’re my choice.”

  “Which is what we expected,” Dasid said. “If Thorold spends his energy making sure his own man is chosen for the captaincy he won’t pay attention to other things.”

  “What other things?” Brenna asked.

  “The former captain leaving town with a known thief,” Kane said.

  “When do we leave?” Brenna asked.

  “Tomorrow,” Kane said. “Thorold won’t do anything today, not so soon after the matter being decided by King Mattias. He’ll put a plan into action soon, though. He isn’t the type of man to let something like this slide.”

  “Tomorrow,” Brenna repeated. “That doesn’t give me much time. I need to get to the Collegium library right away.”

  “No,” Kane said. “Absolutely out of the question. I’m taking you back to my uncle’s house and you won’t be leaving it even if I have to tie you down and stand guard all night.”

  “You could try,” Brenna said. “But you’ll take me to the library first. The king is being poisoned and I need to confirm what I think is being used on him.”

  Thorold sat in quiet fury. Absently he picked up the glass of wine on the desk in front of him. It was his favorite vintage, shipped from the Talis Islands in the Southern Sea. Usually he savored the rich fruity taste, but today he barely tasted it at all. By the One-God, how could Kane Rowse have gotten the best of him? And he’d risked his position to save a thief. Why? It didn’t make sense. The man had barged into his home and then used his access to the records all to keep that brat free.

  It was that witch’s fault. Ever since she’d told him she was his son’s daughter and not his he’d had a sick feeling. If he’d missed something that significant he might have missed something else as well, something more important to his plans. He had to get Beldyn to Kingsreach as soon as possible. His second born son had always been a biddable child, but he’d thought that of his eldest son too. The king had accepted Beldyn as his royal heir but it was Thorold who would hold the power. There was no way he would let anyone, even his own son, especially his own son, forget that. It was humiliating to think that all those years ago Alastair had deceived him, but knowing that the witch and her mother had fooled him for so long was intolerable.

  Thorold reached down and opened the bottom desk drawer. He had the mother’s knife, the one he’d killed her with. He’d use it to kill the daughter as well. He activated the switch that opened the false bottom. Empty. His body shook with rage. She’d stolen something after all. His rage subsided and an uneasy feeling settled over him. How had she known where to find the knife? Curse that disloyal guard and Kane Rowse for allowing this to happen. It was too late for him to report the loss of the knife - the king had already freed the witch. But there were other ways to take care of problems. He rang for a servant.

  “Bring me the captain of my guard,” he said. The man bowed and hurried out of the room. It was time he sent a strong message to the witch and Rowse.

  Kane sat across from his uncle. He and Brenna had just returned from the library. It was time to tell Uncle Feiren the news.

  “From what I saw today,” Brenna said. “The King is very ill. I doubt he’ll live more than two years.”

  “As bad as that?” Feiren asked.

  “Yes,” Brenna replied. “He might not even have that long. I don’t know how fast his illness has been progressing. Kane tells me his health has deteriorated significantly in the past five or six years. He has yellow skin, thin hair and he smells very sweet, which are the symptoms of a liver wasting disease. But he also has glassy eyes and excessive sweating. Those are specific signs of long term trefell poisoning. Trefell is a rare plant that grows in very high altitudes.”

  “Like they have in Comack,” Kane interjected. He didn’t need to say it. Who else but Thorold would be doing this? And doing it during his term as captain of the Kingsguard. He had failed to protect the king.

  “Yes,” Brenna agreed. “Trefell is extremely toxic, but in low doses it doesn’t kill. At least not right away. According to the book I found in the library it was originally used in small doses to keep those who have lost their wits docile. However, long-term use is deadly - the patient’s organs became unable to clear the body of natural toxins - their skin takes on a yellowish cast and their hair thins. When enough toxins build up in the body, the eyes seem almost coated and the body tries to eliminate the toxins through sweat.”

  “Can we reverse it?” asked Feiren.

  “No,” Brenna said. “The damage to the body is done. But we might be able to counter the poison so that the symptoms get no worse. Perhaps the king’s health could improve a little over time with proper care, but it’s hard to predict.”

  “What do we need to do?” Feiren asked.

  “I can create an antidote,” Brenna said. “But finding the correct dose will be difficult and could take some time.”

  “There’s no proof,” Kane said. “But Thorold must be behind this. His son is the king’s heir. He has the most to gain.”

  “I think it was my mother who gave Thorold the information about Trefell,” Brenna stated. “Remember I told you that when I was fifteen my mother made me learn all about poiso
ns? Well, the timing fits. That was seven years ago, just about the time I believe the king was first started on the poison.”

  “So it’s fitting that her daughter’s knowledge will be used to help the King,” Kane said and was rewarded with Brenna’s grateful smile. “Uncle Feiren it will be up to you to make sure the king gets the right dose for the antidote. Brenna and I will be gone by dawn and you’re the only one close enough to Mattias to administer it.”

  “I’ll make up some different doses of the antidote,” Brenna said. “You’ll need to watch King Mattias carefully to see which one is correct,” Brenna said. “The effects should be apparent within a day or two of administering it. He’ll have more energy and his eyes should get clearer.”

  “Why don’t I simply tell King Mattias he’s being poisoned and ask him to take the antidote?” Feiren asked.

  “You could. It might work in the short term.” Brenna leaned across the desk. “But if you do that Thorold could simply use a different poison on him.” Brenna looked over at him before turning back to his uncle. “There’s one more thing. The cure, zarid, is an equally dangerous poison. If you get caught you’ll be rightly accused of poisoning the king.”

  Kane’s heart jumped at her words. He hadn’t known that! Uncle Feiren nodded slowly, deliberately, his face grim.

  “Hand me the poison then, lass,” Feiren said.