Risen Queen

by Duncan Lay

  ‘You would like the reassurance that Zorva stands ready to help you, while not committing yourself to Him?’ Ezok suggested.

  ‘You have it exactly, Ambassador!’ Gello said with relief.

  ‘Well, as it happens, sire, I think I may have an answer there for you. I have been speaking to Archbishop Prent, who does not have the favour of Aroaril. But he would be ideal for this purpose. After all, he is your spiritual adviser already. Surely it makes sense to have him able to wield actual power, should the worst happen.’

  Gello smiled wickedly. ‘Excellent idea! Should I speak to him?’

  ‘No need, sire. He and I have already spoken on this subject and he is eager to help. You may rest easy on this matter. Although, when you see what Zorva can do—’

  ‘This is far enough for me at the moment,’ Gello interrupted.

  ‘Of course, sire.’ Ezok bowed and smiled. It was almost too easy to manipulate Gello now. ‘There is one thing: Prent will need to make a few sacrifices.’

  ‘I don’t care if he has to give up his old house and robes!’ Gello snorted.

  Ezok coughed gently. ‘No, sire. I meant blood sacrifices. Might I suggest some of your disloyal nobles?’

  Gello had no doubt there would be a thick sheaf of complaints from the nobles waiting for him when he returned to his quarters. ‘They are all disloyal, all but Worick and Cessor. Take any you need—but hide the bodies. And tell me what you discover from them in the process.’

  ‘As always, your majesty is wise.’ Ezok bowed.

  Merren had been cheered by the people she talked to. They were worried, but she promised them, time and again, that the town would never face a siege. In turn, they told her how happy they were to be living under her rule, how they would never go back to Gello’s rule. She had brought along Jaret and Wilsen as guards, not so much because she feared for her life, but more because the crush of people eager to talk to her made it hard to move through the narrow streets, and a couple of large men in armour was an effective way of parting the way. Merren felt she and the people were drawing strength and encouragement from each other. She certainly did not mention she had ever considered walking away from the country.

  She was working her way down one street, talking to stall owners and residents alike, when the press of people lessened suddenly.

  ‘Where’s everyone going?’ she asked.

  ‘The Archbishop! Back with Captain Martil!’ someone cried.

  Merren and her guards cut down a side street to where people were trying to catch a glimpse of the Archbishop, who had only visited Sendric once before.

  ‘He’s a bit older than I expected,’ one woman said critically, only to be hushed by her friends.

  ‘And where’s the rest of the captain’s men? I thought he left here with a dozen of them?’ someone else muttered.

  Merren pushed closer to see Karia walking hand in hand with an elderly man in the robes of an archbishop, followed by a woman in the robes of a bishop, what looked like a serving girl, and Martil with Kesbury walking behind. She wanted to get through, but the press of people was too great. She gestured to Wilsen.

  ‘Make way for the Queen!’ he bellowed, and the crowd parted as if by magic.

  ‘Merren!’ Karia cried and ran over to her, gave her a hug, then took her by the hand and led her across to the new Archbishop.

  ‘Archbishop Nott, I presume?’ Merren forced a smile for the benefit of the crowd.

  ‘Your majesty.’ He bowed.

  ‘Let us give the people a little encouragement,’ she said softly, then turned to the gathering.

  ‘We have Aroaril on our side! We have the Dragon Sword on our side! Nothing can stop us now!’ she shouted, gesturing at Nott and Martil, and hoping it was true.

  14

  Martil had taken his place at the council table dully. He spoke to Louise and Gia, who sat in their husbands’ places at the table, but ignored the bard.

  Karia was not there; Nott said she was playing with Tiera. He did not argue—the old priest had made sure Martil was not alone with Karia since that outburst in the forest and he could not blame the man.

  But he was driven out of his torpor by rage when he learned what had happened at the ranger barracks, and how the Queen had only just escaped an elaborate trap that had killed Forde, Wime and Tarik. Losing them was a bitter blow.

  ‘If only I had been there! I could have killed that weasel of a Berellian!’ he growled when Barrett had finished outlining everything that had happened.

  ‘Well, you weren’t there, and we cannot change what is done—we must focus on what we can do,’ Barrett snapped.

  Martil ignored him. ‘We must gut that Berellian bard that lied through his teeth to us. He was sent here to tempt us into that trap!’

  ‘Too late,’ Conal said and shrugged. ‘When we learned what had happened to the Queen, Quiller and I took a squad of guards down to the cells. He had opened his veins with a sharp blade obviously hidden on his person.’

  ‘He had scars on his arms that were only half-healed. I would say he was using his blood to communicate with a Fearpriest and tell him what we were doing,’ Quiller confirmed. ‘I heard followers of the Dark One are able to do that.’

  ‘It all ties in with what we learned,’ Nott agreed. ‘It seems Gello is being helped by a Fearpriest, whether he realises it or not. But the real danger, of course, is that a Fearpriest would not be content with merely helping. He will want control, eventually.’

  ‘I am more concerned with what is happening now,’ Merren said sharply. ‘We have lost valued friends and companions and all we have to show for it is a new archbishop and a bard. What do we do now? Would it be better for the people if I went into exile?’

  ‘No!’ Nott said vehemently. ‘Not with Fearpriests loose in this land. Now is not the time to run—now is the time to stand and fight! I have high hopes for the priests and priestesses we freed. They will spread word of the evil that has taken hold of Gello. Once they get word to us, we can go and bring back recruits, plenty of them.’

  ‘It’s too late, Father—I mean, Archbishop,’ Martil said tiredly. ‘Even if we could bring back hundreds of men, we would not have time to train them. Gello does not have enough supplies to lay siege to the passes. He must mass his men and smash through, within a few days. To send untrained farmers and townsfolk into battle will only see a massacre.’

  ‘So what are we going to do? Barricade ourselves behind these walls and try to wait Gello out?’ Louise exclaimed. ‘We can hold for weeks, maybe months, but I know you cannot hold the walls forever. They will get in here—and what happens then?’

  ‘I will not allow that,’ Merren said immediately. ‘Whatever happens, I will not subject the people of this town to another street battle that will see many of them killed. This will be decided on a field far from the town, so that Gello will not get a chance to destroy Sendric, Gerrin or Berry. We will accept every man we can get, of course we will. Several hundred extra men, even if they are untrained, could prove the difference. We proved that in the victory we enjoyed in this very town. We shall use the Battle plan that Martil recommended at our last council meeting—tactics he used successfully at the Battle of Mount Shadar. With Aroaril’s help, and a little luck, we shall hurt Gello so badly that he withdraws to lick his wounds. To that end, I expect Captain Martil to draw up a detailed battle plan, and present it here by tomorrow at the latest, so we can make a final decision.’

  Martil bowed his head, which also had the desired effect of hiding the horrified expression on his face.

  Mount Shadar had been classed as a victory, but he had kept from her the fact it had only come about when the Berellians had retreated rather than face the Ralloran reinforcements. Another turn of the hourglass and his brave defence would have ended in the utter destruction of his men.

  How in Aroaril’s name was he going to defeat an army even bigger than the Berellian force he had faced, with little more than what he had at Mount Shadar?<
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  Barrett watched Martil suspiciously. The man had been acting strangely ever since his return. He was not telling the truth, Barrett was sure of it. And if he could prove Martil was lying, then there was still time to persuade Merren to abandon this futile battle outside the passes and adopt his brilliant idea to sacrifice the Rallorans. He made a mental note to dig through Count Sendric’s papers. Surely there was an account of the Battle of Mount Shadar there.

  ‘Barrett, may I have a word?’ Archbishop Nott patted him on the shoulder as the council broke up.

  ‘Yes, Archbishop?’

  ‘I have a young woman, a serving girl we rescued from the chapter house. Her bravery helped us greatly but she also revealed some ability with magic. Apparently she could see what was happening when Karia helped us escape. I think it would help her greatly if she were to study with you.’

  ‘Really? While I recognise that I have a duty to help other magic-users find their way, I already have a student—an exceedingly talented student. This girl is obviously only mildly gifted, or her talent would have shown itself before now. Surely she would be better off working with one of the two wizards in town…’

  ‘She has already developed a relationship with Karia. But, more importantly, she was…abused by Prent. She is a brave woman but it has obviously affected her greatly. I would like to see her learn with a man I can trust, a man of honour. Not casting aspersions on the other wizards, but I do not know them. You, on the other hand, I know by reputation. You would not think of taking advantage of the natural bond that a teacher and student develop, the undoubted respect she will have for someone of your ability—’

  ‘Absolutely not! I would never dream of hurting a woman, or pressing my suit on another,’ Barrett declared. He cleared his throat. ‘A serving girl, probably from a poor family—perhaps she never had the chance to study. I’d be happy to run her through a few tests tomorrow. Obviously Karia must be my priority—I mean, to think she actually managed to help you escape by opening an oaken gateway! She may have had a better teacher than I but I do not think I could have duplicated that feat at her age! She already has more control and power than most of the wizards in this country and she’s not officially allowed to sit her test for the First Circle for another four years!’

  ‘She is a wonder,’ Nott agreed. ‘Every day I look at her and feel pride. She is a special child. What you have done to unlock her talent is inspiring. It is partly why I feel so confident entrusting Tiera to your hands.’

  Nott shook hands with Barrett and left.

  Barrett watched him go. It was strange, but he did not feel quite so angry and hurt inside now. Had the old man done something to him? He knew how natural magic worked and would have detected that in an instant but the new Archbishop had the full power of Aroaril available to him. All he had been thinking about was a way to humiliate Martil, now he was starting to think about how he might be able to teach this young woman.

  Nott caught up with Martil before the warrior could escape.

  ‘We need to have that talk now,’ he said firmly, steering Martil into a side chamber.

  Martil could not even muster the energy to rage at the man. For the first time, he was ready to surrender. The Dragon Sword had given up on him, and the Queen thought he had a winning battle plan, when all he had was a creative way to get them killed. But, most importantly, he had proved himself unworthy of Karia.

  He sat, subdued, waiting for the axe to fall.

  ‘I have to apologise to you, Martil,’ Nott said sadly.

  Here it comes, Martil thought.

  ‘I have been monopolising Karia for the past few days. It has been at a time when you have been under a great deal of pressure, and I know how much you enjoy time with her.’

  Martil just looked at him. He wished the old man would hurry up and get it over with, then he could go out and crawl into a wineskin somewhere.

  ‘But, you see, it was an old man’s vanity. My God has forced me to give up many things but to give up my granddaughter, once to that bastard Edil and now to you, seems to have been the hardest thing. I have a greater duty now and I cannot take the time to look after Karia. I’ll be going to tell her that now, and I will need you to comfort her and take care of her, because she will be upset. But knowing she means so much to you will be my comfort. I can go out and do what my God requires, because I have faith that she will be better off with you. So, you see, I have treated the last couple of days as a farewell. Of course I will be able to see her from time to time but she needs to have some certainty of where she is and I cannot provide that. You can. I know being shut away from her for the past few days has been hard on you. I ask you to forgive me for that, and thank you for indulging an old man.’

  Martil stared at Nott. His brain was having trouble digesting what he had just heard.

  ‘You don’t want to take her away from me?’ he said stupidly.

  ‘Aroaril’s beard, no! She needs someone who can devote time to her. She needs you.’

  ‘But, but—what happened in the forest! I don’t deserve her!’ Martil cried.

  Nott sighed. ‘She knows you did not mean that and she saw how upset you were. She is also feeling a little fragile. She fears that neither of us wants her, when the truth is we both do. But it will be better for her, on many levels, if she is with you. With your blessing, I would like to look after her for one last night.’

  Martil did not know what to think or feel. He was still awash with self-loathing over raising his hand to Karia. He had been so sure that Nott would take her away that he could not comprehend she would stay with him.

  ‘I think we should both go to Karia, and tell her together,’ Nott said calmly.

  Martil slumped in his chair. ‘I don’t deserve her,’ he groaned. ‘Why are you leaving her with me?’

  Nott grabbed him by the shoulders and Martil was struck anew by the force in his grip. ‘You are a better man than you think. You need Karia’s help to free yourself from the horrors of your past, as Karia needs you to do the same for her. No, you don’t deserve her. But if you think that every day, and resolve to be the best dad you can for her, then that is enough. Now come on. She is waiting, and worrying about what we are going to say to her.’

  Nott almost dragged him up and out of the room. Martil shambled along beside the priest, trying to get his head around what had just happened. By rights he should have been ecstatic that Karia was to stay with him but he had been so worked up about losing her that all that was inside him was a dull ache. And in his brain was the repeated thought that he was unworthy, that Nott might want him to look after her but why would she want to stay with him?

  Karia had set all her dolls up carefully, and inspected them for the fourth time. She was too nervous to play with them. She had been playing with Tiera but then Bishop Milly had arrived and taken Tiera away, saying that Tiera was going to meet Barrett and learn how to be a wizard, too. That was all very exciting but now she was alone, and she knew Father Nott and Martil were coming, to talk to her about who she would like to live with. They were taking a long time, and she had all these butterflies swirling around in her stomach.

  She wanted to stay with Martil but after the way he had raised his hand and yelled at her, her fear was he did not really want her. She had not really been afraid of him but it had been a shock to see him act like that. He had yelled at her before, the first time she had met him, at Father Nott’s house. Now they had met up with Father Nott again, he was yelling again. She did not know what that meant but she did know she didn’t like it. But the Martil she knew, that was the one she wanted to stay with.

  She cuddled Dolly close and found herself wondering if they wanted her to make the choice. If so, who would she choose? Martil or Father Nott? Her first impulse was Father Nott; after all, she had known him for so much longer, but then she thought harder. Life with Martil was definitely more interesting and, truth be told, more fun. She wanted to say that she wanted to live with both of them—that wa
y they could both take care of her. But she realised that she would choose Martil and immediately felt anew the fear that he would not want her.

  When the door opened, she almost jumped. Then she leaped to her feet, as Nott and Martil walked in.

  ‘What’s happening?’ she demanded.

  Nott smiled at her. ‘Martil and I have been talking about you. You know we both love you very much, and we would both like to look after you. But I am afraid my new job will take me away from you after tonight, so you will be staying with Martil.’

  She looked at Martil, who appeared anything but happy, and she knew her fears were real.

  ‘Doesn’t he really want me?’ she asked, trying to keep the quiver out of her voice.

  Martil looked up then. ‘Of course I do! I just don’t think I deserve you!’ he cried.

  ‘I thought you didn’t want me any more,’ she accused.

  ‘I’m sorry if you thought that. I love being with you. I want to make you happy.’ He fell to his knees. ‘I am so sorry for what happened back in the forest. I swear to you it will never happen again. Do you want to stay with me?’

  She rushed over and hugged him. ‘Yes!’

  When he felt her small arms around his neck, holding him close, he felt something break within him and, moments later, they were both crying.

  Nott wiped a tear away himself. This had sadly been necessary. And not just for Martil to be able to escape his dreams. Aroaril was going to ask a great deal of both of them. Apart, they were never going to be able to handle it. He hoped what he had done, while hurting them, had made them realise that their future lay together. At least he knew they would be happy, as long as they lived. Now he had another task to fulfil.

  Gello and his captains left the plains and rode up through the hills, closer to the first pass, the most northerly one. With them, as was his wont, was Ezok, and with him was the Berellian Champion, Cezar. Ezok knew the captains were frightened of him and that, in battle, it was easy for accidents to happen. Cezar was there to make sure the accidents happened to other people.