She is safe, but her subconscious hasn’t realised it yet. “Come and meet my brother,” Della says, and the two girls follow her through to the other room.
Now that she isn’t half asleep and panicking about why Addyson is screaming, Everleigh is embarrassed, remembering her first meeting with Finn last night.
He bows low to them both and then straightens up, a smile playing over his lips. “Queen.” He looks directly at Everleigh and she covers her face, laughing.
“I’m so sorry about last night. I wasn’t very...Queenly.”
“Where had you been?” Della asks, the tiniest little bit of hurt audible in her voice.
“I went to kill my brother.”
All three people in the room, Della, Finn and Addyson, say the same thing at the same time. “What?” Della sounds shocked, Finn amused and Addyson frightened.
“It didn’t work. I wanted to. I had the dagger right there.”
“Why didn’t you?” Addyson’s voice is a whisper, filled with dashed hopes.
“He woke up. Told me that the guards in the tower would kill you if I killed him.”
“But I’m not there.”
“They’d have killed Lanorie instead. I couldn’t do it.”
“I wish you had...” Addyson says quietly.
There is silence in the room and Everleigh is all too aware that she is with strangers. Addyson is too young really to understand it all, and Della and Finn don’t know her. What must they think of her, sneaking off in the middle of the night to stick a dagger in her brother’s neck?
“He does deserve to die.” Her voice sounds strange to her own ears, hard, defensive, but also full of sadness. Just one week ago, she would never have said anything remotely like that about either of her brothers. It still feels, sometimes, like a dream, or something that’s happening to someone else.
“I was at the coronation...” Finn’s voice is quiet. “We both were. We saw what he did to your brother, the wise woman, the young knight.”
Everleigh’s smile is sad. The prince. The wise woman. The young knight. They sound like characters in a play, and maybe for anyone watching the coronation yesterday, that’s all they were. But for her they had been her family, her friend, her first love.
Was it only yesterday?
“I didn’t stop him.”
“You couldn’t have. He would have killed you, too. No question.”
“I should have stopped him. I couldn’t save the people who meant the most to me. I’ll be a terrible Queen.”
Della moved from Addyson’s side to Everleigh’s. “I don’t believe that for a minute. Didn’t you go last night to kill your brother? Like a man, alone?”
Everleigh nods. A Queen that fights like a man. That’s what she will need to be.
“But I didn’t. I failed. I failed my friends, and last night I failed Addyson, and for every minute that Millard is King, I fail the Realm, my people.”
“You didn’t fail me.” Addyson’s voice is small.
“You didn’t fail last night. You tried. And if you are alive, you can try again. You only fail if you stop trying,” Finn says.
Della nods. “We’ll help you. And your other friends. We’ll all help you to get to the throne.”
“Why? You don’t even know me.”
Della smiles. “I know Ginny, and Ginny is on your side, so I am too.”
“We both are,” Finn says.
Everleigh smiles at them both but shakes her head. “Being on my side is what got Halfreda killed, it’s what got Archer killed. I can’t ask either of you to do that. It’s enough that you’re letting us stay here, looking after us.”
Finn takes a long drink of his ale. “Do you believe you will be Queen?”
“I’d like to think so, but Millard is always one step ahead of me.”
“If you could though, would you? Would you want to rule the Realm?”
“Yes. I believe it’s why I lived. Why I was born, even.”
“So, then you can’t stop us serving you as Queen. If it’s what we want to do.”
Everleigh shakes her head. “And if you die?”
“All who serve a King or Queen put the life of their King or Queen above their own. Nothing you can say will change that. Let us help you.”
Everleigh nods, finally. She will agree to it but do her damndest to make sure all her people are safe. And the way to do that is to get rid of Millard.
“Enough talk,” Della says, standing up and taking Addyson’s hand. “Until Ginata comes back later, we need to get on with our day. We’ve got jobs to do.”
Lanorie
WELL I AM ALIVE, AND I guess that’s some good news. I haven’t even been in here a day and I am going mad, that’s the bad news.
Last night, after the sky got black, and the candles went out, I was alone in the dark. Every now and then the guard would cough or retch up some phlegm or mutter to himself, and even the company of a smelly pig with a sword was better than being completely alone in the silence
I don’t like silence. I talk to myself when I’m alone, but I couldn’t do that here in case he heard me. He might be thick as to not look at me, but he’d know the difference between me and Addyson if I started talking.
Every now and then I’d start to talk or sing or tell myself it would be alright and I had to bite my lip to be quiet. I hate the quiet.
My room is never completely dark, because it’s right by the kitchen and it’s always light in there so Cook can cook all night and usually I stay in with Cook talking till late, so really, it’s not often I’m in the dark or the quiet.
By myself.
And the dark in here is thick. There’s not a smidge of light. I held my hand in front of my face, and on my life, I couldn’t see it.
On my life. Oh, my life is running out, let me tell you. I can feel the end coming.
I might be alive now, but I don’t see it lasting. How long till the King wants to come and visit his little sister, whether to frighten her or reassure her?
Oh dear.
Well I have survived a night and I have rescued Addyson and I have eaten a good breakfast and so that might be it for me.
I have only kissed one boy.
I have never been in love.
I have never been beyond the castle, never mind the Realm.
I have lived a small life.
And it’ll be over soon.
It was the same little maid who brought me food this morning, that saw me last night. I asked her if she’d told anyone and she said she hadn’t. I asked her to very carefully and very quietly – making sure there was no one else in sight – tell Cook. She might be wondering where I am and I wouldn’t like her to worry.
And she might send me up some extra special little treats if she knows what I did, how I saved Addyson.
I might get to eat some nice stuff before I die.
Like cheese.
Like a honey cake or a lemon cake.
Or a big chunk of pork, with some bread.
I have only just finished my breakfast but I am starving.
What else is there to do in this horrible little tower room?
Eat and worry. Sleep in the dark and cry.
I have eaten.
I have slept.
And so, I cry.
Again.
10
MILLARD IS LOUNGING on a chair, his crown on his head, a little maid standing ready to pour wine should he run out and another passing him food when he clicks his fingers.
He is enjoying being King but he’s ridiculously angry with Everleigh. Angry and hurt. After the horribleness of yesterday, he wanted to have a gentle week, while he waited for his new coronation, his proper coronation; he wanted to please himself and relax and enjoy being the King, but now she has forced his hand by trying to kill him.
He frowns, remembering his sister’s duplicity. After he let her live, she repays him with a knife to his throat. He shivers, if he wasn’t such a light sleeper he would never have
heard her close the door to his bedroom, so quietly, but loud enough to wake him. And then he would be dead, and what sort of a reign would that have been?
She’s wilier than he thought, and more determined to be Queen than he would have imagined. He is her brother, after all, couldn’t she just be pleased that he was King, and forget all the nonsense of prophecies?
It’s what he would have done if things were the other way around.
It was a worry.
He had waited a long time to be King, and he had plans, good plans. It wasn’t fair of Everleigh to try to spoil them. Kings get riches, and women, and respect and the whole world makes sure they are happy. What do dead Kings get?
Nothing.
The hounds and the men had lost her last night, and frustratingly he has no idea where she’s gone. He’s sure she isn’t staying in the castle or it’s grounds, but he has instructed Wolf and Brett – Wolf’s number one, to do a full and final check. He wants every room, every alcove, every cellar checked, inside and outside. There are a million places to hide and he won’t rest and enjoy his Kingship until she is locked up with Addyson.
Poor Addyson. Cursed from birth and now locked up. He feels a bit bad, but not bad enough to consider letting her out, or visiting her. He might do that tomorrow. Visit, not let her out. Sadly, she will have to be locked up at least until he finds Everleigh. She’s not much of a threat by herself. She is only eleven. Nearly twelve, but still too young to worry him.
Everleigh on the other hand...every time there’s a knock at the door he jumps, sure it will be Wolf with the news that they have found her. He has made sure all his men know not to hurt her; if she is to suffer, it will be at his hands.
Last night, he’d been angry and when he set the hounds on her he truly hadn’t cared if they caught her and killed her, but the morning has made him forgiving.
That’s what will make him such a good King, if only people could see it. He can defend himself and kill if he needs to, but he can also be forgiving and merciful.
Merciful King Millard.
After all, she had held a knife to his throat last night. His own sister. No wonder he was angry enough to send the hounds out. No one could blame him for that.
But today he feels calmer. He will capture her and explain to her that he has waited too long for his throne; he isn’t going to give it up.
It is his now.
And if she doesn’t play the game, then he’ll kill her and it will be her own fault.
He calls for a page. He wants to speak to Ginata and Will. They know Everleigh better than he does and one of them must have an idea where she is. She is far too incompetent to be fending for herself.
DELLA USHERS FINN AND Everleigh out of the door. “We need fish for lunch,” she says and then adds in a whisper to Finn: “And don’t upset her.” She shuts the door behind them. She’s pleased to have a Queen to look after but she has a feeling that the little princess is in more need of a kind ear and a friendly face.
Everleigh laughs. “I heard that!”
Finn grins. “My sister is a bit bossy. And a bit of a mother hen. She’ll be in her element looking after Addyson. And you, of course.”
“I’m glad. I’d hate to feel like we were in the way.”
“Not at all. She loves looking after people. She hates that I’m too old for her to boss around anymore.”
“She’s a fair bit older than you.”
“Yes, ten years. Once our parents died, she took over as my mother. I don’t have the heart to tell her to stop. It makes her happy.”
“Telling you what to do?”
“I don’t always do it. But I let her think I’m listening. It’s easier than fighting.”
“She loves you.”
“She does and I’m glad. She could have gone off and left me alone, but she didn’t. I think she’s missed out, to be fair. Put her own life on hold.”
“That’s nice, family is so important.” She can’t stop her voice catching on a sob.
“I think you were really brave yesterday. It was a scary thing to watch.”
“Did you know that Macsen, that’s the one who got his head chopped clean off, had killed my father, the King?”
Finn is quiet for a moment. “There were some rumours doing the rounds. But I wasn’t sure. I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say. I’d like you to understand why I want to kill him, Millard, I mean. And why Addyson’s so important to me.”
“I get both of those things. Even if you didn’t want to be Queen, I can understand you wanting to kill your brother for what he did.”
“I don’t just want to be Queen. I’m meant to be. Just like I was meant to die. I never questioned that either.”
“The Kingmaker thing... I...um.” He pauses, a flush spreading over his cheeks.
“What?”
“I used to see you, around the castle grounds, or down by the river when I was younger. I used to watch you and think you were the bravest most fearless little girl ever, living with the knowledge that you would die and still being able to smile.”
“Why were you in the castle grounds?”
“My father, before he died, was one of the farmers. He used to bring meat over to the royal kitchen most days. I’d go with him.”
“I never felt brave. It was just a fact, like being a princess or a girl. But when Halfreda told me I would live, that I could live, I don’t know how I ever thought I could willingly die. Who knows what might have happened, but life to me now, is everything. It’s freedom, it’s hope, it’s...”
He smiles. “We all want to get older, wish away the years but it’s just getting closer to death.”
“I’ve had enough death for now. Well, except for wanting my brother dead.”
They are both silent for a while.
“Did you love that young knight very much?”
Everleigh cannot find the air to breathe to speak the words; her breath catches in her throat and she feels like she will choke on it. She nods.
Finn pats her arm. “Come on, the fish won’t catch themselves.”
Ginata
I AM STANDING BEFORE the King and he is trembling with rage, actually trembling.
I paint a calm smile on my face, I have to look innocent in all this. He cannot know the part I have played in hiding Everleigh. Or Addyson.
“My King.” I bow low, take a deep breath and look into his eyes. They are small with rage, small and cold, but I hold them. I do not shy away or let guilt colour my gaze.
“I need your help, your magic, or whatever.”
I do not answer, but smile, encouragingly.
“My sister, my dear, darling, sweet, innocent, kind and loving sister, tried to kill me last night.” He spits out the words and the shock on my face is real enough, which seems to placate him slightly. He turns and reaches for the ever-present wine. I don’t get offered any, which tells me his frame of mind. Not the affable host today, but the vengeful King.
“How?” I am shocked. When I left Everleigh, she was settling down to a late supper with her sister and looked as innocent as a lamb. A smile twitches on my lips and it takes all my will power to straighten out my mouth; she is feisty this one. Fierce.
“Came at me with a dagger in my bedchamber. She is lucky I was groggy with sleep or she would have been dead at my feet.”
“She is lucky.” He will take these words one way, though I mean them another. When I see her I will tell her how careful she needs to be. I cannot believe that she has not realised it yet. How close she is to dying at the hands of this madman.
“Wolf has been looking for her all day, but she has vanished. He is extending the search tomorrow out of the castle and into the villages. Someone is hiding her. Someone is helping her. They must be. She can’t fend for herself, there’s no way. Her handmaiden’s disappeared too, there’s not much they can do alone together, though. Some traitor is helping them.”
I nod along, masking the knowl
edge of my guilt, though I do not actually feel guilty for it.
“You say you don’t know where she is, then find her. Use your magic. Find her.” If he only knew.
My legs go weak at the thought. If he only knew, I would be dead.
“I do not know. I have no loyalty to your sister. Though I helped Halfreda it was never to aid Everleigh. I have only met her a handful of times. But... it may not be easy to see, if someone is hiding her, that will mask her whereabouts...let me make up a fire...let me try.”
“Try...yes. Try.”
I nod and smile. “I am sure you will find her soon, my King, and then you’ll...?”
“Lock her up. Or kill her if she makes a fuss.”
I nod again, fear curling around my innards; I can picture it like a furl of black smoke, withering my insides.
“While you try.” He emphasises the word and I understand the warning, trying is not good enough. Only results will be of any use here. Only results will guarantee my safety. My life. “I’m going to visit my other lovely sister. See how the tower is suiting her.”
Panic fills me, a hot and liquid churning, drowning the black smoke.
He cannot go to the tower. He cannot.
“My King. I have had an idea. What if I go to the tower and speak with Addyson? She has always been close to Everleigh and it may help me to take in some of that...essence...”
He is silent, watching me with narrowed eyes. “Essence?”
“They are sisters. They have a bond. And she will be happy to see me.”
“As opposed to me! True. I cannot argue. I am the big bad brother that killed Macsen and locked her up. I didn’t kill our father though.” He nods. “Yes. You go to the tower, give her my love and apologies. See what you can learn about Everleigh and I will see you this evening, at supper.”
I nod and bow. “Yes, my King.”
If he doesn’t expect to see me before then I may have time to go to my old cottage and warn Everleigh. Again. But first I have to see Lanorie.
The guards barely glance at me when I get to the tower and I realise it was probably easy for Lanorie to make the switch with Addyson. Not easy for her to decide to do it or carry it out in the logical or emotional sense, but easy in the physical sense. These guards may be handy with a sword, but they are obviously dim-witted.
The Kingmaker Complete Trilogy (The Kingmaker Trilogy #1-3) Page 29
