The Scrivener's Tale

by Fiona McIntosh

  She nodded. ‘Yes, it’s famed for a spa.’

  ‘We don’t want anywhere famous,’ Cassien frowned.

  ‘No, but it’s only known to Morgravians. I doubt that the demons will know of it,’ the queen replied. ‘And it’s tiny, on the southwestern edge of the Great Forest.’

  ‘Be careful,’ Gabe said. ‘The demons may not know but they have access to Darcelle’s knowledge. Presumably she knows of it.’

  ‘Yes, Darcelle knows of it, but she doesn’t care for the place. It’s too remote for her. I’m suggesting it only because we can get supplies there and if I choose somewhere entirely unknown then Tamas and Ham will have a hard time finding us.’

  Cassien nodded. ‘All right. Let’s go with Tyntar. Buy us one day’s ride, Tamas, and then get out of Stoneheart. Use whatever excuse you can, but put distance between yourself and Darcelle.’

  ‘Cyricus will swap bodies. He’s looking for a male,’ Gabe said, glancing at Tamas.

  ‘Well, he can’t have me!’ the king snarled.

  Gabe gave a sympathetic shrug. ‘I say this only so that everyone is under no delusion. We won’t know who he becomes so we have to mistrust everyone. And you must believe me when I say he has the most cunning of minds, so he will not be obvious and he is patient … he will use many bodies if he has to, especially as I know he wants to get rid of Aphra sharing the same body.’

  ‘Let me get this straight, Gabe. His intention is to topple the imperial Crown?’ Florentyna pressed.

  He shook his head. ‘No, that is merely for his amusement — part of his revenge is because of this man I mentioned called Elysius, who ruthlessly protected the land you preside over. His real target is the Wild.’ He shrugged again. ‘I think he wants to lay waste to your realm, to Briavel, to do whatever he can to raze all that Elysius held dear.’

  ‘Well, it is Fynch who is now his enemy,’ Cassien reminded them. ‘Fynch brought Ham and myself together.’

  ‘And that same man paid me a visit too,’ Florentyna reminded them. She shook her head in disbelief. ‘The Fynch of legend?’ she asked, pointing to the ceiling, where a boy rode a dragon. She glanced at Cassien and caught his nod. Florentyna swallowed, said no more.

  ‘Let’s get on with this,’ Tamas said, becoming impatient. ‘The sooner we move, the better our chances are of keeping the imperial Crown safe. We shall meet up at Tyntar in two days. Until then …’

  Cassien smiled inwardly at the way Tamas had taken charge, every inch the king, and perhaps a born leader — even though he believed Tamas would dispute that.

  ‘I am now officially your personal messenger, your majesty,’ Hamelyn said and bowed.

  ‘Excellent. I’ll have you kitted out in Ciprean colours in no time. But for now, let’s go take our first look at this demon.’

  ‘Don’t jest, Tamas,’ the queen said. ‘I’m worried enough about you.’

  ‘Don’t worry. I plan to see you again,’ he said and, surprisingly, hugged her close. ‘Cipres is a small place but breeds its royals tough.’ He smiled sadly and then turned to Cassien. ‘I know you’ll keep the queen safe.’

  Cassien bowed to the king and took a moment to kneel in front of Hamelyn. He took him by the shoulders, privately wondering at how small and thin the boy was for his age. ‘I know your skills mean you can remember everything we’ve shared. They have none of the background we’ve learned. Stay watchful and careful.’

  ‘I always am,’ the boy said. ‘I suppose it hasn’t occurred to you that you and Gabe look alike?’

  The queen turned and regarded them. ‘It has occurred to me, but I thought I was imagining it. If Gabriel’s hair were longer …’

  ‘And if he were not so scrawny,’ Tamas offered.

  ‘You could be brothers,’ Ham finished.

  Gabe frowned. ‘I have no siblings.’

  ‘I have lived alone most of my life but I did have family once,’ Cassien replied. He felt awkward as a forgotten memory nipped at his subconscious, but time was drifting on. ‘You’d better go,’ he said to the king, who was anxious to leave. ‘We don’t want to make Darcelle too angry. Say the queen is speaking with the guard, has gone to the barracks. That should give us sufficient time to get out of Stoneheart’s immediate reach.’

  There was a knock at the door again. Cassien put a finger to his lips and everyone was silent as he answered.

  ‘Ah, thank you. I’m taking the queen out for a quiet ride. She —’

  Florentyna suddenly appeared. ‘Hello, Sharley.’

  ‘Majesty. I hope these will do.’

  ‘Perfect,’ she said. ‘Please don’t tell anyone. I just need a little while on my own. I’ll be in the palace grounds, but if they ask, shrug!’ They shared a conspiratorial grin. ‘Thank you, Sharley.’

  ‘That was well done,’ Cassien said to her as they bolted the door. ‘Hurry, get changed.’

  ‘Help me, Ham,’ she said, pointing at the laces behind her bodice.

  The men turned away politely, but Cassien thought Hamelyn had drawn the lucky straw.

  They heard a swish of silk and a few moments later, Florentyna returned to them looking far more comfortable. ‘I’m ready.’

  The king nodded at Cassien and Gabe, squeezed Florentyna’s shoulder and then, together with Ham, walked out of the chapel.

  ‘They’re brave,’ Gabe murmured.

  ‘Our turn to be brave,’ Cassien said. ‘We’ll go into the bailey and make for the barracks, but then we can —’

  Florentyna gave a small gasp. ‘Oh, how dim of me. I know how to get us out.’

  ‘There’s only one door,’ Cassien remarked wryly.

  ‘Ah yes, but that’s because you’re not a royal of Morgravia, nor are you related to the Briavellian royal family, which believed utterly in secret passages. If I had time I’d explain that. But over there,’ she said, pointing, ‘behind the altar and that huge tapestry hung against the wall, is a passage. No-one but the sovereign ever knows of it.’

  The two men looked impressed.

  ‘How come no-one’s opened it?’

  ‘Because no-one has the means.’

  ‘Not even your sister?’

  ‘Not even Darcelle,’ she said. She dipped into her shirt, between her breasts and withdrew a chain. Hanging from it were several small items, one of which was a tiny peg of stone. ‘I have worn this since the day my father died. Darcelle thinks I wear it out of sentiment. She has no idea that this is a key.’ She walked up to the tapestry. ‘Pull this aside, would you?’

  They did as she asked. ‘My father showed me this once only, so I hope I remember how.’

  ‘I see no door,’ Gabe remarked.

  ‘Cunning, isn’t it? The great Empress Valentyna had it made.’

  ‘To where?’ Cassien said.

  ‘It splits, goes two ways,’ Florentyna explained. ‘One path leads into the palace,’ she said, slotting the peg into a hole that looked like a random pockmark in the stone. She held her breath; they heard a soft click and then a sigh as the stone seemed to let go. And with that sound, the shape of a narrow opening became visible as its door relaxed from whatever tight hinges kept it in place.

  ‘Brilliant!’ Gabe said. He hauled it back. It swung easily and without the groan that Cassien had anticipated.

  ‘Where does the other path lead?’ he asked the queen.

  ‘To the cathedral. Once there we will be in the midst of the city,’ she said.

  ‘Does this door close with no sign of ever being opened?’ Cassien asked.

  ‘Invisible,’ the queen assured.

  The passage was low and narrow. Although it was dusty, Cassien could feel a soft breeze against his skin. ‘Close it,’ he said to Gabe. And when it was done, he nodded. ‘Right, your majesty. Lead us to Pearlis Cathedral.’

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  The trio ran through the tunnel, Cassien privately marvelling at the Empress Valentyna’s foresight to have built this passage. If only she could have known how one day it migh
t save her great-great-granddaughter’s life.

  ‘My father told me that she famously quipped to Emperor Cailech, when asked about her folly, that she didn’t want her hair getting wet when she visited the cathedral,’ Florentyna explained. She gave a wry smile. ‘Although everything I’ve learned about her suggests she was not in the least bit vain, despite her beauty.’

  Cassien believed Florentyna took after her ancestor and might have ventured to say so, but she put her finger to her lips before he could.

  ‘We’re close now,’ she whispered.

  ‘Will there be a service on?’ Gabe wondered.

  ‘A service?’ the queen repeated.

  He looked lost momentarily. ‘Will the cathedral’s priest be holding a …’ He couldn’t find the word.

  ‘Ritual, do you mean?’

  Gabe smiled awkwardly. ‘Perhaps I do.’

  Florentyna squeezed his arm sympathetically. ‘I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, how strong your conviction in yourself must be. But we’re the lucky ones that you defied his evil magic, Gabe. After that, learning our language will be —’

  ‘A piece of cake?’ he finished for her. And when Florentyna stared at him bemused, he smiled more confidently. ‘Perhaps I can teach you some new expressions too, your majesty.’

  She regarded him alongside Cassien for a moment. ‘Hamelyn’s right. You really do resemble each other. I’ve been puzzling at it … there’s something in the lilt of your voices, and the way you stand.’

  ‘With respect, you are definitely away with the fairies now, your majesty,’ Gabe said, adding, ‘because it’s just not possible.’

  ‘And until today, I would have said it’s just not possible to travel between worlds. But you’ve proved me wrong.’ She gave a small smile. ‘The cathedral is only used for important official events of a religious nature,’ the queen continued, changing the subject. ‘Otherwise, it’s always open for pilgrims coming to find their beast and for followers of Shar who simply wish to pay their respects.’

  Cassien was intrigued by the newcomer. Like Florentyna he admired the man’s tenacity and courage in thwarting the demon. He’d not sensed any guile in Gabriel; believed the man was in shock, but had told them the truth as he’d understood it. The magic surrounding him was baffling and the notion that they looked alike was nagging at him. He could see it now that it had been mentioned; something in the way Gabe held his head when he was listening was rather familiar. He’d tried to ignore it, but now he was searching for mannerisms that echoed.

  ‘I can’t tell you how I’ve dreamed of this place,’ Gabe continued in a whisper. ‘Years and years of seeing it in my mind’s eye, using it as a crutch, fleeing to it for safety when life challenged me. I even dreamed of having a brother, I think. I hear his boyish voice sometimes.’ He shrugged. ‘Dreams are filled with confusing images at the best of times.’

  ‘Extraordinary,’ the queen replied. ‘Did you know it was Pearlis?

  He shook his head. ‘I thought it a place of my own imagination. It was Aphra who showed me I had been dreaming of this place.’

  Florentyna looked to Cassien. ‘There has to be a reason for Gabe dreaming the cathedral.’

  He nodded. ‘I wish Ham was here. He’s young but he sees things in different ways, from different angles. He’s got a talent for seeing everything as a whole.’ She looked at him quizzically. ‘I’m not explaining it well, I know! He can pull in unrelated facts and tie them together to form the truth.’

  Florentyna was thoughtful. ‘So he might make something of the fact that Gabe has come from a different land but dreams of Pearlis, while you have a vague recollection of family but were raised outside normal life in a monastery of sorts. You both act rather similarly despite being worlds apart and you both clearly have a fortress mentality that can defy even the biggest of tests. Gabe flees to the cathedral and you draw upon the forest … nevertheless it is a highly developed mind trick — a shared skill.’ But it was her final words that had the most impact. ‘He can roam in his body like a spirit.’

  He felt her reasoning like a slap. Gabe roams? Not identically, but similarly, so their magic could surely be linked.

  The queen continued, oblivious to Cassien’s sense of revelation. ‘And do you think that, given all of these observations, he might surmise that you are brothers?’

  They both stared at her with startled expressions. She gave a small, satisfied rise and drop of one shoulder, her mouth twisting in a crooked half-grin. ‘Given that we’re having to accept the presence of magic and strange phenomena, why is being related so far-fetched?’ She tapped Gabe’s arm. ‘I hope our cathedral lives up to your dream.’

  Queen Florentyna moved forward, leaving behind her shocked companions.

  Hamelyn walked alongside Tamas with a heavy heart.

  ‘Are you frightened, Hamelyn?’

  ‘Yes, sire.’

  The king gave a short burst of laughter. ‘I like your candour. Well, if it consoles you, so am I. But we’re going to keep each other safe, you and I.’

  He’d only just met the king and yet the man was treating him as an old friend.

  ‘You sound so brave.’

  ‘It’s an act, young man. I have to sound like this. I’m the king. Responsibility stops with me.’

  ‘You could have left with the queen. No-one would have blamed you and it would have made more sense.’

  ‘The truth is I couldn’t. I have to prove to myself that Darcelle is lost.’

  ‘You really love her.’

  The king gave a small sigh. ‘Love is a difficult thing to understand, Ham. This marriage was highly beneficial to two realms. Darcelle is …’ he cleared his throat ‘… a prized young beauty with a fine mind for politics. I’ve watched her in action and her skills in diplomacy would render most other counsellors impotent. She would be like a weapon — her charm, her looks, her intelligence. She would have been a magnificent asset to Cipres and to me personally. But …’ he hesitated ‘I think you’re actually asking me about whether my heart turns somersaults for her?’ He smiled and didn’t wait for Ham’s reply. ‘I’m too realistic for that. What does amaze me is that she could look forward to a life with me. That makes me very fond of her and thus makes me believe I should be with her, give her everything I can.’

  ‘But what about your heart, your majesty. Doesn’t it need to be filled?’

  The king laughed. ‘What a curious child you are, Hamelyn. I like you. You ask such deep and relevant questions. Most wouldn’t. They stay with surface politeness around a king.’

  Ham’s expression grew grave. ‘Forgive me, sire, I didn’t —’

  ‘No, I know you didn’t. I’m not at all offended, boy. I find you refreshing and interesting and intelligent. And provocative. Let me be honest because we both could be dead by next bell. Do I love her? I thought I could learn to love her, but I’m comparing it to how my heart felt about a childhood sweetheart. Grown-up love has evaded me. I’ve had my share of women, mind, but I rotate them — if you understand me. These are not women to fall in love with … they are women who give their affections freely.’

  ‘I understand, sire,’ Ham replied, earnest in his expression.

  ‘Darcelle … well, she made sharing a crown with me seem sensible. I could have made her happy and she would have given me a fine royal family. I have never looked for butterflies in my heart, child.’

  Hamelyn nodded. ‘There’s still time,’ he assured the king.

  Tamas clapped him on the back and chuckled. ‘Indeed.’

  ‘You’ve promised you’ll be careful,’ Hamelyn began, and felt surprised when the king took his hand briefly and squeezed it.

  ‘I always keep my promises,’ he replied. ‘Now walk tall, Ham. Look as though I’m giving you lots of instructions. You’re my personal messenger now.’

  Ham nodded. He hoped he would be as brave as King Tamas. As they ascended the vast staircase of Stoneheart he wondered at how his life had change
d. A few days ago he’d been an orphan, with nothing to his name but the few coppers thrown to him by nobles who needed directions or assistance with their bags, horses, errands. Now he walked alongside a king.

  He remembered the image of the boy and two companions that he’d seen in the trembling white heat of Master Wevyr’s crucible. At that moment, he knew the three were Cassien, Gabriel and himself.

  They were the Triad.

  The knowledge had been nagging at him since he’d first seen Gabriel and Cassien standing near one another. He just hadn’t been able to pull his thoughts together. Now his heart surged; it felt as though a piece of the puzzle that he’d been fiddling with had clicked into its rightful position, and as they crested the flight of stairs his eyes were drawn to the head of a wolf sculpted into the newel post nearest him. The wolf was looking at him … and then, impossibly, it spoke to him.

  You are the heir, he heard in his mind, and it was the voice of a she-wolf.

  ‘Ready?’ Tamas said, breaking into his thoughts.

  ‘Yes, sire.’

  ‘Into battle then, brave Hamelyn.’ The king squeezed his shoulder and sighed at the harried maid who saw Tamas and ran toward them, dropping into a curtsey.

  ‘How is she?’ he asked in a wearied but conversational voice, betraying none of his fear.

  Hamelyn admired Tamas for this moment. And decided that if Tamas could act so well, he could too.

  We are going to hunt you, Cyricus, he swore silently. He cast a prayer to Shar to keep them safe in the face of evil, long enough to work out how to send the demon back to the void he’d come from.

  ‘Wait here,’ the maid said to Hamelyn.

  ‘He comes with me,’ the king ordered and stared her down when the maid began to protest. ‘Hamelyn, I’ll need you to run a message to Captain Wentzl shortly, so stick close, boy,’ he instructed in a gruff voice, different to his reflective tone earlier.

  Act! Ham reminded himself. ‘Yes, sire,’ he mumbled as he’d seen Meek do.

  ‘And straighten up, boy! You’re in the presence of a princess and soon to be your queen!’