The Kingmaker Complete Trilogy (The Kingmaker Trilogy #1-3)

by Gemma Perfect

  “I will never forgive myself for not stopping him.”

  “You probably won’t, but you should.”

  They walk along in silence. Everleigh lifts her face up to the rain, washing away her tears. Then she calls it off.

  When they get closer to the castle Everleigh lifts her cloak over her face, and Finn does the same. They head to the island and sit on the bench, quietly waiting for Ginata.

  Ginata

  WHEN I ARRIVE AT THE island I can see Everleigh has been crying and they’re both soaking wet. “Everything alright?” I ask and they both nod. I don’t even push it. We have a job to do and I want to do it quickly.

  I feel anxious after spending time with Millard. He’s in a strange frame of mind, swinging between moods like the child that he is. He told Wolf to come to his rooms tomorrow at first light and then dismissed him. I kept my eyes down and kept out of it. He poured my wine and tried to be a good host, the affable King, but I cannot help but be wary of him.

  As soon as I was able, I excused myself. I told him that I wanted to raise a fire, to look for clues of Everleigh’s whereabouts once more and he was happy to let me go. If he saw me now it would be the end of my life, I know.

  I am wearing one of Halfreda’s old cloaks, and I have two sleeping draughts in my pocket. “Let’s go.”

  Everleigh is going to hide by the wall again, like she did last night. She is going to wait for a little maid, like she did last night, and she will ask for help, like she did last night. Any one of the little maids will help her; I have no doubt.

  Once the guards have been given their drug-laced drinks we will wait five minutes before storming the tower. Well, not quite storming, as we don’t want anyone to hear us and we have no weapons and no army and just Everleigh and Finn, hoping for the best.

  I won’t hang around; I cannot risk being caught.

  Everleigh and Finn will steal the keys, head up to the top of the tower and free Lanorie. By the time morning comes, the guards will have awoken and believe they have lost Addyson. No one will ever know about the switch and we can all rest until Saturday.

  So simple. And yet I feel a twist in my guts; is it going to work? We can only try.

  I will be glad when it is all over.

  There is room for the three of us by the wall and we silently wait, watching the kitchen for signs of life. It’s not as late as when Everleigh came last night, but it is dark enough to aid our adventure.

  “I hope this works,” I say, more for something to say than any belief that it won’t. It’s a good idea. The guards are always boozing on wine and ale and will be happy to be brought a drink. The sleeping draught is undetectable; it has no smell and no taste.

  Once the guards are asleep Everleigh will easily be able to get the keys and with Finn’s help she can shift the guards one way or another if she needs to get them out of the way. Lanorie has no injuries and will be able to walk out of the tower and down to my cottage before the night is even half over.

  I will slip off to my bed soon, and prepare to look shocked in the morning. I know how furious this will make Millard and I do not relish having to face him. But I am good at hiding my true thoughts and my true feelings, just as easily, really, as I can see them in others. Most of the time.

  We sit in silence the three of us, squashed in a row, waiting for some help. The moon is covered in cloud and the air feels damp and just as my leg starts to cramp, a little maid comes past us whistling for the dogs. She has a bowl of meat scraps. I shrink back as Everleigh steps forwards. “Hey.”

  The little maid turns and smiles. “You again. Did you speak to the King yesterday?”

  Everleigh smiles at her. “Yes. I did thank you. Can you help me again? I want to see my sister in the tower.”

  The little maid shakes her head, fear passing across her features. “I don’t know.”

  “Please.” Everleigh’s voice is soft, and when Everleigh reaches for the little maid’s hand, I see her face change. She will not refuse her princess or her Kingmaker. Even if she wants to.

  “I just need two mugs of ale for the tower guards. They won’t get hurt, just fall asleep.”

  The little maid nods and darts back to the kitchen.

  “I’m going to move back a bit.” I tell them both once she’s out of sight. I pass Everleigh the sleeping draughts and back away from the wall. I cannot be seen here and I cannot help. I am sure nothing will go wrong and yet...

  I try to concentrate my mind on Lanorie, on her freedom, on her happiness and I cannot. Maybe the walls of the tower are too thick for me to penetrate. I don’t see death but I sense danger.

  But then this situation is dangerous. Everleigh being out of hiding is dangerous. Me being near her is dangerous. Lanorie swapping places with Addyson is dangerous.

  Yes, there is danger in the air. It smells like a fire that’s just gone out, sharp and acrid, but not unpleasant to me.

  I close my eyes. Everleigh will not die tonight. Lanorie will not die tonight. Finn will not die tonight. Neither will I. That may be the best I can do.

  The little maid comes back and now I cannot hear what she says, but she does have two mugs of ale. Finn helps Everleigh to undo the bottles and pour them in.

  The little maid nods and walks carefully across to the tower, a mug in each hand. I can just make out the shadowy figure of the first guard as he leans against the tower door.

  He will be glad of a drink I am sure. Pleased with the diversion. It must be a boring job.

  The little maid stops in front of him and I can see her hold out a mug. Then I hear her scream.

  And all hell breaks loose. The guard is yelling, though I have no idea what he’s saying. He has hold of the little maid and I can see her struggling. I hear dogs barking and the sound of people running, men shouting. Everleigh and Finn have both shot up from their hiding place and I can see Finn’s hand on her arm. I run forward. Whatever is happening here, she cannot help.

  “Finn, take her back to the cottage.”

  “No!” Her voice is fierce.

  “This may be a trap of some sort. We can’t risk your capture or death. I’ll go to help her.”

  The fight goes out of Everleigh and her shoulders drop. Finn takes her hand and leads her away.

  I run over to the guard. “What is going on here?” My voice is sharp and hard, but I am scared.

  He has hold of the little maid, tightly and roughly, his arm across her neck. Her face is red and tears stain her cheeks. She looks petrified. “Unhand her.”

  “I hold her on the King’s orders.”

  “I will be responsible if you let her go. She will promise not to run. Where would she run to?”

  He loosens his hold but doesn’t let go. This is one of the castle maids, probably ten years old. From one of the neighbouring villages, she has more than likely worked here since she was six or so, her duties changing as she has grown up. She is hardly an equal opponent for a man of his size and strength and were she to run home she would, no doubt, get a clip around the ear off her father for abandoning her duties.

  He lets go of her, coming to the same conclusion that I have. She is not a flight risk.

  The hounds and the King’s men come running into the courtyard and surround us, and the little maid sinks on to the floor sobbing.

  Wolf steps forward, taking charge and grins at me. “Ha! I never trusted you. Wait till I tell the King.”

  Molten fear loosens my insides and then I smile at him. “I just got here. I was walking through the grounds when I heard this little maid screaming.” I stoop down and gather her into my arms, pull her to her feet, keeping her next to me. I feel so guilty that we put her in this position, but at the same time so glad that I kept myself hidden. “I have no clue what’s going on. But it’s good to know where we stand.” He glowers at me and asks the guard if what I say is true. The guard nods and I scowl at Wolf.

  “I may be a new advisor to the King but I know he thinks highly of me. I cannot
imagine what he’ll say about you accusing me like this.”

  Wolf kicks at the stones on the path. “Apologies. I saw her with the drink and I saw you and I thought...”

  “What drink?” I am missing something here, a feeling I’m not used to, a feeling I don’t like.

  Everyone snaps to attention and even the hounds are quiet.

  Our King has arrived.

  14

  MILLARD MARCHES TOWARDS the gathering of guards, King’s men and Ginata with an icy glare etched on his handsome face.

  The crowd bows low and he cannot help but smile despite his evident fury.

  “You?” He raises a hand and points at Ginata, but Wolf jumps in.

  “My King, I thought the same. I was wrong. The guard agrees with her version. She was passing by when she heard the maid scream.”

  “Truly?” His eyes soften and he smiles at his new wise woman. He’d like to believe she serves only him.

  Ginata steps towards him and takes his hand in hers. “My King. These are early days for us two. You, a newly crowned King, crowned by me. Me, a newly appointed wise woman. I understand that you might not trust me fully, but I assure you with an open and true heart, I serve only you.”

  Millard’s eyes mist with tears and he hugs her to him. Ginata smiles and lowers her gaze from his.

  “I hope I am right to trust you, Ginata. I feel like I am, but I wish I could be sure.”

  “Be sure. And tell me why this brute was hurting this poor little maid?”

  The guard has the grace to look embarrassed and Millard nods at the little maid.

  “What’s your name?”

  She blushes when he looks at her and stammers out the word: “Molly.”

  Millard gestures to the two mugs of ale, placed on the floor, next to the tower door. “Who gave you these mugs, Molly?”

  “I got them from the kitchen.”

  “On whose say so?”

  She stutters and mumbles and shrugs helplessly at him. She does not want to tell him but she is petrified not to. Little maids only ever follow orders; there is no such thing as initiative at the castle, and she cannot lay the blame anywhere other than at Everleigh’s door.

  “The Kingmaker. Everleigh.”

  Millard all but hisses, and grabs hold of her wrists. “She was here? Where is she?”

  Molly cries out and Ginata reaches out for her, covers Millard’s hand with her own. It loosens his grip and as he looks at her she wonders if she has overstepped the mark, but he smiles at her, head to one side, as though he’s contemplating something about her.

  He lets go of Molly, who is still crying, too scared to wipe at her tears, just standing as still as she can, hoping the King will turn away from her.

  “Last night when my lovely sister tried to kill me, she drugged my guards. I thought she might stoop so low as to try it again and I was ready.”

  “A sleeping draught? I suppose Halfreda had so many potions it would be all but impossible to know if any were missing...” Ginata says, and it’s true, it’s not just to distance herself from Everleigh.

  “Ha! She is so sneaky. So, after she drugged my guards, it got me thinking. Aside from having me killed, what matters most to Everleigh?”

  Ginata shakes her head, though she knows the answer: Addyson.

  “Our little cursed sister, Addyson. So, then I thought to myself that if she could drug my guards once, she could do it again. I warned the guards here that if anyone offered them a drink, outside of their normal meal times, they should keep hold of them and call out for my men.”

  He looks so proud of himself for thinking of this, for making such a plan, for guessing what his sister had planned.

  Ginata is nodding along with him, trying to keep a smile on her face when she realises that they have walked right into his trap. He is one step ahead of them.

  “My King, let her go.” Ginata gestures to Molly.

  “Molly, do you know where she is or where she went?”

  Molly shakes her head no, fear silencing her.

  Millard gestures for her to leave and as she runs back to the kitchen, he turns to Wolf and whispers so that nobody but Wolf can hear him: “Kill her. When you get the chance. Just kill her.”

  He turns to Ginata. “I’m going to move Addyson. I have to. I can’t risk Everleigh getting hold of her. She will stop at nothing to ruin my reign.”

  Ginata keeps her voice as calm as she is able. “Leave her, my King. Surely Everleigh will not try again tonight. She must have seen what happened to little Molly. She must have fled. She wouldn’t be so stupid as to try again.”

  “I can’t trust her, Ginata. Men, take the hounds out, see if you can find Everleigh. You, Sir,” he claps the guard on his back, “did a good job. Now I need you to drink this, just to see if I was right.”

  Millard picks up the mug and passes it to the guard. “Brett will watch the door if it knocks you out.”

  The guard smiles and takes the drink. Whatever he is asked to, he will do it. He lifts the mug in a cheers motion and downs it.

  If she wasn’t as on edge as she was, Ginata would probably be laughing; within seconds he falls on the floor like a sack of spuds and is snoring in less than a minute.

  Millard curses. “My sister will be the death of me.”

  Ginata gives an almost, she hopes, unperceivable nod of her head, let’s hope so.

  “Brett, guard the door until he wakes up.”

  Brett nods and Millard turns away, upset marring his features. “Wolf, join the others, see if she’s anywhere close around. She can’t have gone far. Maybe I’ll be lucky.”

  Ginata falls into step with him, happy to be moving away from the tower.

  “Lock your door, Ginata. If she is stealing potions she may try it again.”

  “I will, though I have to say I have not seen her.”

  “I believe you.” He reaches out and strokes her arm, just for a second.

  “I would feel happier if she was locked away. If she was safe,” Ginata says, hoping to sway him away from the idea that he has to kill Everleigh.

  “I hate to say it but I don’t think that locking her away is going to be enough.”

  “My King?”

  “She wants me dead. She wants my crown. She came here tonight to steal Addyson from under my nose. I cannot bear her. I cannot let her live and make a fool out of me at every turn.”

  “My King. I agree that she has done some things which would make you question keeping her alive. But to lock her up would be to take away her freedoms, her ability to usurp you. And the people would thank you. You know she is beloved, don’t you?”

  “I do. And you are right. Maybe the tower would work...”

  He stops still, looking back at the tower, before turning and walking away from it.

  Ginata almost collapses to the floor, relieved that her treachery will go unnoticed for at least another night.

  Ceryn

  WE HAVE RIDDEN HARD and the fury over what happened at the inn has pushed me on. I will not stop again until we reach Archer. I will sleep tonight in his care, at the castle; I will not put myself in danger or in an awkward position again. My boys will keep me safe.

  Weaver pretends he isn’t, but I know he’s watching me as we ride. “What?” I shout at him after the twentieth time I catch him looking.

  “Nothing.”

  I don’t even answer that; just glare at him, pull Pitch to a stop, forcing him to do the same.

  “What?”

  “We love you. Archer and me. We love you. Regardless...That’s all.”

  I huff and snort at the same time, the sort of unfeminine noise I often make. Weaver laughs and I ride on again, ignoring him. We are almost at the castle, following the river now, letting the horses drink as we go.

  I spot the castle and spur Pitch to go faster for the last leg of the journey.

  We ride to the gates and call up to the guard that we are here to visit the wise woman. I don’t know Halfreda person
ally, but the guards will. They might not know Archer by name, though they will surely know his shock of red hair. There will be less explanations wanted and waiting around in the cold and dark, if we ask for her instead.

  He shows us where the stables are and tells us the pages will help us from there.

  I jump off Pitch’s back and walk along with her, rubbing her side as we go. Weaver calls out to a page. “Can you help us, please? We are here to see Halfreda and her kin, Archer.”

  The page turns white, upset changing his face. “Halfreda’s dead. The wise woman’s dead. The King killed her.”

  “Who can help us, boy?” My voice is harsh and he scoots away. I have a feeling in my stomach like a thousand angry wasps have woken up in there, they are writhing around, stinging me with sharp little snaps. If Halfreda is dead, is Archer alright?

  A woman is walking towards us, young-ish, pretty, worried looking. “Miss, can you help us? We’ve ridden to see Halfreda and her kin, Archer. The young lad told us she’s dead. That the King killed her, but the guard let us in when we asked for the wise woman...”

  I trail off, watching her face. “Archer?” She closes her eyes, like we might have disappeared when she opens them again, but we won’t. I need answers and I don’t think I’m going to like them.

  She looks at us both and the sorrow on her face confirms it. Halfreda is dead and so is Archer. I drop to the floor crying.

  I hear her talking to Weaver but I don’t know what she’s saying. It just sounds like a mess of noise.

  In my life, my friendship with Archer and Weaver, after my love and protection from Carter, has been the most important thing, the only thing. It has become part of me. When my feelings changed for Archer, I kept my secret locked inside, a tight, hot, emotionally charged ball; that ball has burst open now, killing me from the inside.

  How can he be gone?

  He was the most perfect man. He made me want to be a girl.

  I can hear myself howling and the voice is not my own; something’s changed for ever.