Royal Exile

by Fiona McIntosh

  Barc smiled. “Yes, now that we have been triumphant, all our families, especially the women, can join us. Our leader wants the tribes to mix with the Set people. He will form a new race, he says.”

  “Does that worry you?”

  “Why should it?” the boy countered, frowning. He stroked the kitten. “This was the plan. And because I bear the tatua I can now take a wife, start my own family.”

  “Will you remain Red even if you take a Set wife?”

  “I will.”

  “Do you think your leader would mind your talking to us?”

  The youngster looked untroubled. “No. You are defeated. You have no army—your soldiers are either dead or under our control.” He flexed his muscles, beating the left side of his chest as he added, “And you have no heart now that all your royals are dead. Your people have to accept the peace terms and our rule. They’ll get used to it.”

  Kirin nodded, wondering how the Set that worshipped Lo would be expected to easily give their faith over to countless new gods from one that was responsible for fertility to another that could just as easily visit plague upon your kind. “And what of the Vested that were gathered up?”

  “Vested? Ah—the people who possess magic, you mean? I was among the warriors who brought them here.”

  “I was one of them. How are the others?”

  “You have magic?” The boy looked impressed.

  Kirin shrugged. “Not really. I can predict weather patterns,” he offered, “not always as accurately as some would like, but I get it right a lot of the time.”

  This didn’t seem to interest Barc much, as Kirin had hoped. “We have people who use magic. We call them The Masked. But we use them to communicate with the gods; each family has one.”

  This didn’t interest Kirin but he nodded as though paying close attention. Clovis returned, bearing a bowl of porridge. “I ate outside the kitchen,” he said. “Couldn’t wait.”

  Kirin began eating the porridge as he talked. “I was hoping to see some of the people I was rounded up with. Do you know where they are?”

  “I have a feeling they were taken to some important religious place south of here but I don’t know for sure. I was given other duties once we arrived at Brighthelm.”

  A bell sounded and Barc leapt to his feet. “I have to go. I’m back on duty now.”

  “Thanks, Barc. It’s been nice talking with you,” Kirin said.

  “We are meant to be enemies,” the boy said, “but perhaps in time we can live together easily.” He hurried away.

  “Not likely,” Clovis said.

  Kirin murmured agreement. “Do you know what he meant by the religious place south of here?”

  Clovis shook his head. “No, but Freath will.”

  They found Freath pale and anxious, hurrying through one of the corridors with Genrie.

  “We know where the Vested are being kept,” Kirin said, sensing the tension and keeping it brief. “Apparently they’ve been taken to a religious house south of here.”

  “Buckden Abbey,” Genrie murmured.

  Freath nodded. He looked around carefully. “We shall have to head there. But you should know what Loethar has commanded in our realm. It could spill into the others. He wants all males aged eleven to thirteen summertides to be killed.”

  “Every boy?” Kirin queried, his mouth suddenly dry.

  “And we’re going to provide the census records so they are easily found. Our most recent was last Harvest Festival, so it’s very accurate,” Freath said, mournfully. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t save these children. I can’t even save the boy we strive to protect. Valya thinks she saw the king and De Vis fleeing into the woods.”

  “Is she sure?” Clovis asked.

  “No, but it must be them. They’ve taken their chances and gone on the run.”

  “So Loethar will flush him out by killing all the males of the king’s age across all realms.”

  “Starting with Penraven. That’s hundreds of innocents savagely murdered in our realm alone.”

  “How can we stop it?” Kirin asked.

  “We can’t,” Freath growled. “But we will use it to find and protect Leo. We have to.”

  “Use it?” Clovis frowned.

  “I’m going with Stracker because I can read the census. He can’t. I can ensure that the killing is as merciful as possible. And you two are coming with me.”

  “What?” Kirin and Clovis roared.

  Genrie bundled them all into a chamber. “Hush. If we are found now, all is lost. Speak, Master Freath. You two, shut up and listen.”

  The three men obeyed her command. Freath explained, “We cannot stop this now. Loethar is a man driven beyond all reason. He wants Leo dead. But I think I have a way to halt his madness before the headcount gets too high. In the meantime, with the freedom we’ll have to travel, perhaps you will find it easier to hunt for the aegis. Either way, I could use your help, your eyes and ears.”

  “What about the Vested at the abbey?”

  “At least we know where they are. This new development takes preference. To be honest I doubt whether the person I seek is among those who were rounded up. Anyone with potential to be an aegis would have hidden himself beneath many layers of life’s disguises.”

  “It could be a child again,” Clovis reminded him.

  “How many children were with you?” Freath asked.

  “Very few. I think almost all, if not all but the very young, were killed.”

  “Are you sure the aegis will even know what he or she is?”

  “No, but the old writings suggest that each aegis is born with the inherent knowledge of who they are and what they’re capable of. But these people run from their calling. They fight its pull every day; they know that once they are trapped in the net of championship, their lives are over. They will die of old age, bonded to their king—unless their bonded dies of poor health or accident first, in which case they die then, too.”

  “They can’t be released?”

  “I don’t think so. But that’s an irrelevant detail right now. All that matters is finding this person.”

  Clovis turned away. “I can’t do it, I won’t. Kirin can accompany you. I would rather die than bear witness to the slaughter of more children.”

  “We need you, Clovis,” Freath urged.

  “What makes you think I’m capable of it?” Kirin asked, horrified.

  “You haven’t lost your own child to the barbarian! You forget I saw Stracker spear my daughter with his garforsaken blade. No, I refuse.”

  The other three shared glances and Freath nodded. “All right, Clovis. I understand. You will remain behind. Keep your ears and eyes open and keep Genrie abreast of everything you learn. You now have more freedom than she.”

  Clovis nodded unhappily but said nothing.

  “We’ll be missed if we spend another moment here,” Genrie cautioned. “Have you heard that Loethar’s bringing in a new set of servants for the palace?”

  Freath shook his head with exasperation. “No.”

  “It was the old woman’s suggestion and she’s supervising it. She’s also planning a barbarian celebration. No one in the Set will be permitted to celebrate Harvest Festival this year. It’s going to be replaced with a new event. I should also tell you there’s a wedding in the air.”

  “I’ve heard,” Freath said sourly. “Still, we have no control over any of this. We must remain focused on securing our king’s protection.”

  “I must go,” Genrie said. “Don’t leave immediately after me. Good luck, Freath.” Her gaze rested momentarily on the older man before she nodded at the other two and slipped out of the door.

  It was difficult saying farewell to brave Greven, even harder watching Lily hug her father goodbye. Leo wondered if they would ever see him again. He doubted it. The leper had already said in passing that without his daughter’s welfare to think about, he might not stay put. He had admitted that the hut and even the forest would seem horribl
y empty without her. Leo felt the guilt of more people’s sacrifices settle around his shoulders. Perhaps it would be easier to simply give himself up to Loethar, to get it all over and done with.

  Both Gavriel and Lily had halted, looking at him with a mixture of astonishment and anger, and Leo realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

  “I didn’t mean to say that,” he said.

  “I should hope not,” Lily said. “I’m not doing this because it’s an adventure I’ve been longing for.”

  Gavriel threw him a sympathetic look. “Leo, this is not just about you. This is about our realm, about the Set, about preserving our way of life and fighting against the oppression of the barbarian. We know he’s got his own agenda and from what we saw it is not simply about claiming triumph over the Set.”

  “What do you mean?” Lily said.

  Gavriel had already told her how they’d hidden in the ingress, even though Leo had scowled at him, preferring to keep it a secret. But he understood that Gavriel’s admission was necessary; Lily would demand to know how they had seen so much or knew so much about Loethar. If they hadn’t been honest with her from the beginning, she would have begun mistrusting them. And right now, Lily was their guide, their hope for reaching the den of Kilt Faris quickly. “Tell her,” he said.

  Gavriel made a rueful face and Leo realized he hadn’t been seeking permission. “Loethar’s angry. He’s on a personal crusade of destruction. If he could he would wipe the Valisar name and its history from all records and everyone’s memories, I think that—and only that—might appease him. But that’s not possible, so instead he’s settling for destroying every living Valisar. Ruling the Set as an emperor is not yet enough…not until Leo dies. And we know he’s hardly threatened by a child, not with his marauding army. So his quest goes deeper but I don’t understand it.”

  “I don’t think you’re meant to,” Lily said, clambering up a new incline. “Watch it here, it’s quite slippery,” she said, reaching for a tree branch to haul herself up. “By the sounds of all you’ve said, he’s obviously quite mad.”

  “I don’t think so,” Leo said, accepting her hand to pull him up and then turning to do the same for Gavriel. “He is frighteningly sane when you watch him up close.”

  “His half-brother is the reckless one, the brute who does his dirty work. Loethar is far more sophisticated in thought and action,” Gavriel agreed.

  “None of this makes sense, of course,” Lily added. “My father said the Set and Steppes people have historically been on good terms with one another. We’ve had centuries of peace.”

  “Was your father really serious about leaving the forest?”

  Leo asked. “Surely it’s familiar, home?” Somehow the man reminded him of his father. Perhaps because he was about the same age as Brennus.

  “Oh, that man!” she replied, exasperated. “He’ll get himself killed. I know it appears to you as though he has hidden in the forest for his own sake but the truth is he lives within the cocoon of the woods for me. I am the one who craved its peace and solitude. I was the one who wanted him to be away from those who treated him badly. He lived the quiet life to please me but my father is a traveller at heart. He doesn’t like to be still. If he could have convinced me, we would have wandered the realms as travelling herbalists, with me as the face of our service.”

  “They’d have still made him wear the hooded robe,” Leo began.

  “And sound his clappers, yes,” she sighed. “But he never minded the humiliation. I did.”

  “I’m sorry we’ve taken you from him, Lily,” Leo said, taking her hand, feeling a thrill at touching her. He’d already worked out that this woman was not one given to crying. But she was clearly very sad.

  “We’re all making sacrifices, Leo. I make mine gladly for you because I don’t want to be a barbarian’s woman and that’s what I face if we don’t make a stand.”

  “Then marry me now, Lily. I’ll save you from the tatua oafs,” Gavriel said theatrically.

  Leo scowled at him. “You’ll never be a barbarian’s wife. I won’t let it happen.”

  “Thank you, my king,” she said and kissed his hand playfully.

  She had no idea what that did to Leo. For a period after the kiss he could say nothing. He knew his cheeks were burning, and his mind was racing down pathways it shouldn’t. He suddenly really minded Gavriel’s easy-going manner and even easier conversation with Lily.

  “…after all, we have now shared a bed,” he heard Gavriel say as he came out of his thoughts.

  Leo stopped walking. “What?”

  “Pay him no heed,” Lily soothed. “He’s delusional.”

  Gavriel grinned broadly. Leo suddenly became aware, perhaps for the first time, how helplessly handsome Gavriel was. Leo knew girls had always found Gavriel irresistible but that knowledge had never interrupted the fun he’d shared with the De Vis twins. Now he felt he was competing against Gavriel—and that he had absolutely no chance in the contest. “I was not delusional when I awoke to find you naked and next to me this morning, Lily,” Gavriel continued, playfully.

  Leo thought he was either going to be sick or he was going to punch Gavriel. He stomped ahead.

  “Shut up,” Lily said, grinning at Gavriel, unaware of how their fun injured him. “He jests, Leo, ignore him. I climbed into the bed only when we heard the men arrive so I could pretend we were husband and wife.”

  “Why?” Leo rounded on them.

  Gavriel must have sensed Leo’s unease, for he stopped leering at Lily. “Because they were obviously searching for two people who fitted our description. We must have been spotted somehow. And even if they hadn’t found you, they might have grabbed me for simply looking like the fellow they were seeking,” he explained, frowning at Leo. “Are you all right?”

  Leo didn’t want to feel angry with Gavriel, especially after all they had shared, but he couldn’t quite resolve how he was feeling. “Yes, of course,” he said, backing down. “I had no idea what you’d all gone through when I was hiding below ground.” He sighed, changed the subject. “I think I’m hungry.”

  “No time to stop, your majesty,” Lily said. “Come on, let’s speed up. We’ve got a journey ahead of us.”

  “How long, do you think?” Gavriel asked.

  Lily’s expression turned unsure. “I don’t really know. All I can do is keep heading us north.”

  Leo rallied. It would not do to create a difficult atmosphere between the three of them. “Please, no more calling me ‘majesty.’ Not even Leo if you want to protect me.” They both nodded, although Gavriel had long ago given up titles. “On my father’s maps the forest was roughly six miles from Brighthelm to its northen point.”

  “And how do you know Faris is north?” Lily asked.

  “Father once showed me on the map where he thought the main outlaw hiding area was. It was almost at the northern tip of the forest.”

  “Then as the crow flies we’ve got at least another four miles of this rougher terrain to travel,” she confirmed.

  “Speaking of crows, you didn’t happen to see a huge raven around the time that we came along, did you?” asked Gavriel.

  Lily stopped walking. “What an odd thing for you to say.”

  “It’s just that we were sure a raven was moving through the trees with us when we were making our escape.”

  “He’s big,” Leo added.

  “I’m really staggered,” Lily said and sounded it. “I did see a raven. He was very still but I was extremely aware of his presence. Huge black bird he was. I didn’t see a mate, or a nest, either, and he wasn’t acting territorially. He seemed rather tame, in fact. He certainly wasn’t scared of me—he even flew down to the ground and hopped around, making lots of clicking and clacking sounds.”

  “Then what?” Gavriel demanded.

  She shrugged. “Then nothing. I followed him a short while before I lost sight of him. Next thing I knew I had stumbled upon you two letting my trapped hare go.”

>   Gavriel and Leo shared a glance.

  “Why? What does that mean?” she asked, noticing it.

  “Nothing,” Gavriel replied. “Nothing important.” He shrugged. “We’d convinced ourselves he was following us.”

  “I doubt it. Ravens are intelligent but not that cunning,” Lily said airily. But Leo knew better and he suspected Gavriel felt the same way. He was sure they would agree that Vyk had not only followed them but had led Lily to them. Why?

  Twenty-Two

  Freath nodded as he poured wine into Loethar’s goblet. “I do think it’s the best solution, sire. I can read the census and I can also offer insightful information to your brother if he needs it.”

  “Half-brother,” Loethar corrected. Freath acknowledged the correction with a dip of his head. “I wouldn’t have thought witnessing killing was quite up your alley, though, Freath. You realize what you will have to watch?”

  “I don’t have to watch it though, my lord. My aim is to ensure it is carried out precisely to the letter, that we do indeed select the right sons from the census. I shall take only one of my Vested, so I shall be no burden on Warrior Stracker.”

  “He wishes to be known as general.”

  “Are you comfortable with this, my lord?”

  “Every emperor needs his general, Freath. Stracker is mine.” Loethar sipped his wine and nodded his approval.

  Freath noted that Loethar didn’t precisely answer his question but couldn’t care less. He prayed one day the brothers—half or otherwise—would come to blows and fight it out for supremacy. So long as they killed each other, he’d be happy. For the time being he kept his expression composed, blank. “As you wish, my lord.”

  “I will need to send one of our tribe with you for your own protection. Stracker can be unpredictable.”

  “He’s already on his way to the first town—Devden, correct?” Loethar nodded. “I will need to leave quickly.”

  “I shall brief a runner to accompany you.”

  “My lord, I hope you will not take offense at my question, but I wonder whether this mass murder is in your best interest?”