Dead.
It’s so final, so harsh.
Lanorie is dead. He will never hear her singing in the kitchen again and howling with indignation when Cook clips her around the ear. He won’t see her in the great hall, carrying platters of food and jugs of ale with an ease that she didn’t have outside of her work. She wasn’t graceful, not really. She was simple and plain and so, so lovely.
Missing her hurts like a physical pain. Not like. It is a physical pain. A physical manifestation of his emotional turmoil.
He lays on the bed. Had her head laid on this same bed, her warm body? Her poor dead body.
He has to take his thoughts elsewhere and thinks about his father.
Not his real father of course. He has never met his real parents, and he has no idea who they were. He was abandoned and found by the man he now considers to be his real father. The man who loved and raised him, alone, because who would ever love a fool?
Well, he loves his father and his father loves him. He remembers how they had talked, and laughed and hugged after Millard had threatened his father. “Son, I love you and you must do what is right by that girl, the girl who will be Queen. If you are willing to believe in her and serve her, so am I. Even if it means my life is over.”
That was a father. Will is crying again. He has lived a small life really, in comparison to some, but he has lived an honest and happy life.
Now all he can do is wait.
And hope that Everleigh doesn’t risk her life for his, that Ginata convinces her to stay safe, that she is crowned and then as Queen comes and opens the door to his tower and he is free.
Or Millard comes with a sword and kills him.
ONCE THE LAST FLAME in her fireplace fizzles away to nothing Ginata pulls on a cloak, picks up her filled basket and heads out of the castle. She knows Millard and all his hangers on will be too busy enjoying the evening’s entertainment to miss her and she wants to get to the cottage before everyone beds down for the night.
She is quick getting there and is relieved to see the lamps still on inside both cottages. She goes to her own cottage first and gently knocks while pushing the door open, taking a deep breath to steady herself for the bad news she has to deliver.
But there is already sadness in the room, it’s palpable. Weaver and Finn aren’t there but the four females are. Della is brushing and plaiting Addyson’s hair. Ceryn is chewing on a twig and Everleigh is blotchy from crying. They must be worried sick just wondering where Lanorie is and now Ginata has to deliver the worst possible news.
Everleigh rushes to Ginata’s side and they hold each other tightly. “I have some news about Lanorie,” Ginata says.
Everleigh pulls back. “We know. Ceryn and Weaver were there. They saw it.”
Ginata puffs out a big sigh of air. What a terrible mess all of their lives are at the moment. “How? I didn’t think you’d know...”
“She went for a walk, but never came back,” Della volunteers the information because Everleigh is crying again.
“She was captured by one of the King’s men. He recognised her.”
“Poor Lanorie...”
“Me and Weaver went looking for her on our horses and we saw the King kill her. He’s bloody evil.”
Ginata nods, thinking of his lips on hers. “He is. I’m so sorry Everleigh.”
“We went back. Everleigh made a fire for her.”
“Oh, poor poor things.”
Ginata hugs Everleigh again and reaches over and touches Ceryn’s hair. She sinks on to the arm of the chair. Now she has to tell Everleigh about Will. Or should she just tell Ceryn? No, Everleigh would never forgive her. She has to know the whole story.
“I have to tell you something, but you have to promise not to fly off the handle. It’s what your brother wants. Please.”
“Will?” Everleigh knows.
Ginata nods her head. “He’s only in the tower, but...” She hangs her head, crying. She cannot bear to say it.
“What?” Everleigh’s voice is harsh, and everyone has moved closer to hear. The door pushes open and everybody jumps.
Finn and Weaver wince as they slope inside. “Sorry.”
Weaver takes in Ginata’s presence and the sick look on Everleigh’s face. “What now?”
“Millard’s taken Will. He’s in the tower.”
“There’s more, but Ginata won’t say.”
Ginata sighs and holds up her hands. “Fine, but Everleigh, you have to promise to stay calm.”
Everleigh nods.
“Look, he’s only taken him to get you out of hiding, so you have to promise to stay hiding. To stay safe...”
“Tell me.”
“He says he’s going to send messengers to all of the villages tomorrow to spread the word that if you don’t come out of hiding, by noon, he’ll hang him.”
Everleigh doubles over, hand over her mouth, rushes out of the door and retches into the bushes.
They all follow her out.
“I can’t, I can’t, I can’t lose him too.”
She’s on her knees, sick dripping from her mouth and still every one of them would die for her, is desperate for her to be their Queen.
“I have to go to him.”
“No!” More than one voice shouts out but Everleigh shakes her head.
“I cannot let him die. I cannot see one more person I love die.”
Ceryn kneels next to her. “We’ll all go. In the morning. Don’t rush off like a fool. Think like a Queen.”
They both stand up. Ceryn ushers her back inside and they all congregate around her.
“We could all do with a good night’s sleep...” Della says.
“We need a plan,” Weaver says.
“I’ll be happy to help kick Millard’s ass after what I saw earlier.” Ceryn grimaces.
“I can help, if you need me to.” Finn looks almost embarrassed offering his help; he knows he’s no match for Ceryn and Weaver.
“We’ll all have to work together. We have to rescue Will.”
Ceryn
WE TALKED AND PLOTTED and argued and planned until Ginata realised how late it was and panicked. Weaver offered to ride her back to the castle on his horse and the rest of us went to sleep. I reckon he might fancy her. I’ll ask him later.
I know Everleigh wants to kill her brother and I want to as well.
My hand is itching to strangle him. The way he killed that girl yesterday. I know I didn’t like her, but I didn’t want her dead. He just did it; like it was nothing. Like she was nothing.
I pace the path outside. We are waiting around for someone to come to the village and announce Will’s hanging. It will probably be some of the King’s men and a herald, so we’re keeping Everleigh hidden for now. Everyone’s eating but I feel too sick.
My stomach is twisting and leaping, ready for a fight.
“Hey.”
“You’re not eating either?”
I know Weaver is like me. He’ll feel too sick. The anticipation and excitement that comes before a fight or a battle.
He shakes his head. “Can’t.”
“How was Ginata last night? When you took her back to the castle? Did she say thank you?”
“Behave.”
“What?” I try to make my voice innocent, but Weaver knows me better. He punches my arm. I laugh, but don’t press the issue.
We need to get our heads ready for today. We have made a plan. Kind of. We’ll wait for the announcement. Then we’ll all go to the castle, but me and Weaver will stay hidden. Everleigh will talk to Millard but use some magic to keep him back. Like a fire or a storm or something. She doesn’t really know what she can do, so we’ll see.
Then Weaver and me will lamp Wolf, get him out the way, so he can’t do Millard’s dirty work. Then we’ll wait for the rope to go on Will and shoot it down, or something. And then we’ll capture Millard, somehow and...
It’s not the best plan I’ve ever worked with and like me and Weaver told everyone, plans don�
��t always go according to plan, but, we are all going to go and somehow, we’ll rescue Will. It would be nice if we got hold of Millard too. But I reckon he’s a slippery snake and might get away.
Getting hold of Wolf will be good and we can do that while Millard is talking to Everleigh. We are trying to convince Addyson to stay here. She’s too young to get in the middle of this fight.
But if she’s anything like I think she is, she won’t listen.
The door opens and Finn comes out and grins at Weaver. They’ve become good friends since we got here and it’s nice for Weaver, with Archer gone...
I can’t think about him today. It’s too sad.
We need to fight today. We need to battle today. We need to win today. I can’t be moping around or distracted.
I go inside the cottage.
Everyone is quiet. Tense. Addyson looks like she’s been crying.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“Everleigh says I can’t come today.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“I’m nearly twelve. I’ll be fine.”
“I watched your brother kill someone yesterday without a second’s hesitation. He killed your brother, his own brother. He didn’t care. If he gets hold of you today, he’ll kill you.”
“He wouldn’t.”
“He would. He locked you up but you got away. He’s be so angry...”
“He won’t hurt me.”
“It’s not just that. Have you ever been in the middle of a fight? A proper fight to the death?”
Addyson shakes her head.
“It’s scary. There’s shouting and screaming and swearing, and thuds and clashes of swords, and blood. So much blood. Half dead men dragging themselves across the floor towards anyone who might help them-”
“That’s enough!” Della rushes to Addyson’s side. She’s gone white and she’s crying.
“Sorry. But I thought she should know.”
“She should.” Everleigh’s voice is firm. “Addyson, I love you and I need to keep you safe. I don’t know what Millard will do today. He might capture me; he might kill me.”
“No!”
“He might.”
“Not if I can help it.”
Everleigh smiles at me. “You wanted to kill me yourself when you met me.”
I lower my head, embarrassed, but then I laugh. “People change.”
And I have. So quickly. I hated Everleigh before I even met her, and when I saw her I wanted to hurt her so badly. But now we’re on the same side. The same team.
The morning drags and just as we are wondering if Millard has changed his mind, there’s a clatter of horses and the noise of the herald.
Everleigh turns white but we shut her firmly inside and rush out. There are three little cottages across and down a fair bit from Ginata and Della’s cottages, but I can see the owners are all outside, listening like us.
There are ten horses with liveried guards atop and the herald, blowing his little bugle. “Announcement from the King. The fool will be hanged today at noon, unless the King’s sister, the Kingmaker, Everleigh, makes herself known. For those who hide her, leniency. For the fool, his life.”
They ride off and repeat the words further away. They will continue doing this all morning.
Noon.
It doesn’t give us long.
We wait until the last rider is out of sight before going inside.
Everleigh is crying. “I heard. They’ll hang him at noon.”
“They won’t, because we’ll rescue him. We just need to make sure you’re safe too.”
Addyson speaks up. “I’ll stay here, then.”
I give her a big hug. It’s hard to feel left out, but she needs to be left out of this.
The tension is thick again. We are all quiet. Lost in our thoughts, worries, concerns.
“I’ll stay too,” Della says and I agree with her. She was only ever an extra pair of hands.
Weaver and me will be the main fighters, Everleigh will distract Millard and we have to risk taking her so he doesn’t kill Will. Ginata will give us any aid or information without blowing her cover. We don’t really need Finn, either, but he’s sweet traipsing after Weaver and I won’t offend him and that shows exactly how much I have changed!
Offending people has always been my favourite thing to do.
28
WILL WAKES UP IN THE tower, surprised that he even managed to get to sleep. He is alive which is good but he has a feeling of doom and fear which is not good.
What will Millard do? He wants to draw Everleigh out of hiding to kill or capture her. Surely, he needs Will alive to do this? But he could hurt him, parade him around with his injuries on show, who knows? Not him.
He can only sit and wait. All the foolery is gone from him; he doubts he could make anyone laugh if a knife was at his throat. What will this day bring? His freedom or his death. He’s sure enough that it will be one or the other.
MILLARD WAKES UP REFRESHED and excited. Today is the day, he is sure, he will kill or capture his little sister and then he will have free reign over the Realm and all who reside within it. This is all he wants and it’s not a lot to ask. Girls have never ruled before and regardless of some stupid prophecy he doesn’t see why they should start now. Everleigh could have lived alongside him as a royal sister, a princess, married to some good and wealthy man, maybe someone from the North of the Realm. Everyone would have been happy, but no, she had to be awkward and greedy; hankering after everything that is rightfully his. He didn’t kill his brother to give away his throne to a girl. It’s just ridiculous.
GINATA DREAMS UNHAPPY dreams of hurt and betrayal, love and lust and wakes in a sweat. Today is the day she will redeem herself and atone for a sin she committed without choice, a sin that was foist upon her. She will help Everleigh kill or capture her brother and end the day by placing the crown upon her head.
JUST BEFORE NOON WOLF and Brett come for Will. “Come on, fool. Let’s see how funny this is.” Wolf revels in doing Millard’s bidding. The more heinous the better.
Brett takes hold of one of Will’s arms, but doesn’t pull him as hard as Wolf does.
Out in the courtyard they present Will to his future; the hangman’s noose.
Will keeps his face blank, refusing to breakdown or cry. He has to believe he will be rescued or he’ll go mad.
The wooden frame for the hanging was set up overnight, Will vaguely recalls the hammering he heard from the tower and dismissed as nothing important. Will Everleigh come? He knows she will, and wants her to; he wants to be safe. But he wants her to live and rule more. If rescuing him leads to her being imprisoned in his place, then he would rather die.
And he might.
Millard comes to join them, all looking at the wooden frame and the thick rope hanging down, the noose ready for a neck of Millard’s choosing; he’s nodding his approval. “Morning, Will.”
Will manages to bow low. “My King.”
“My fool. I know my sister. She’ll come, and you won’t hang. I’m sure of it. I have no desire to kill you. I find you funnier than your father – and that is a compliment indeed.”
Will bows his head in thanks, and smiles at the farcical nature of needing to thank the man who wants to hang him.
“We’ll have to set it up to look real, though. The villagers love a good show.”
The courtyard is already half full of men, women and children thrilled to watch a good killing. It’s a long time since there’s been a hanging in the courtyard; the old King wasn’t one to dole out punishments for public delectation and neither is Millard really. If someone deserves to die, then they deserve to die now, not in a day or two when the wooden tower has been erected, and the villagers informed of the show to come.
“I understand.” Will looks directly at Millard but sees nothing in his eyes but a glint of mischief; he’s enjoying this.
“String him up, Wolf.”
Millard steps back and Wolf steps in. Will offers no r
esistance but Wolf still drags him roughly to the tower, hauls him up onto a small wooden stool, and slips the rope around his neck, pulling it tight enough that Will wonders if he’ll choke to death before the stool is pushed away. He knows that’s not how it works, but the reality of the situation is making his brain fuzzy.
His neck is bent at an uncomfortable angle, so that he’s staring at his feet. If he lifts his head he can see the crowd, and the first time he does so, a bare foot boy throws an apple at his head and the crowd burst into laughter. He keeps his head down, determined not to look up again until this is all over, but he lifts his head again when he sees his father’s feet.
He doesn’t even know how he knows his father just by his feet, but he does.
“Son, what is wrong with this King?”
“He’s definitely mad. But I’m alright. I know Everleigh won’t see me die.”
“She saw her brother, her father, Halfreda and that boy she loved die.”
“And Lanorie.”
“Well, then.”
“She’d have saved them all if she could.”
Will’s father doesn’t answer just kisses the top of his head. “I would save you if I could, son, and that’s as much use to you. I’ll go now, I’m going to drink the day away. Hopefully at night fall it’ll be you that finds me passed out drunk down at the inn and throws me in my bed. I love you. Always have. Always will. But I cannot stay and watch this.”
“I understand. Have one for me, too.”
Will’s father laughs. “I will, Will.”
His shoes shuffle away and Will watches his tears drop onto the dusty floor where his father’s shoes had been. He hopes he will be the one to find him drunk and unconscious.
GINATA IS WATCHING Millard and Will from near the castle wall. She’s not ready to face either of them yet. She took breakfast alone in her room, which she hasn’t done before and now she’s watching for any sign of Will’s rescuers. She wishes she was with them, instead of on the other side. She’s not even sure if she should go to Will’s side or if Millard will see it as a betrayal. She makes her way over to her King.
The Kingmaker Complete Trilogy (The Kingmaker Trilogy #1-3) Page 41
