The Forsaken Crown

by Christina Ochs

  That the duke had been so quick to take her on had come as a huge shock, and she had never considered that she might be inside the palace, alone with the prince so quickly. But if she didn’t complete this part of the mission first, she’d be out on her ear, with no easy way back.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Irena had murmured as they left the duke’s chamber.

  “I don’t,” Sonya said, “but we have to. It’s not so bad. We’ll get it over with and then we’ll be able to help the prince.”

  She just hoped she could come up with a plan before the duke asked her to commit a worse crime.

  Now she was alone with the prince and his mother in this beautiful, peaceful-looking room, Sonya felt her resolve falter. She wondered if there was a way to hustle the two of them out of here, get them past the guards ... and then what?

  Sonya had expected something quite different, imagining she’d spend a few days spying out the place, gathering information in Heidenhof, and so on, before deciding her next step. She’d hoped only to take the duke’s measure, and get a good look at the palace before he threw her out. He had caught her flat-footed.

  Sonya gulped down her nausea and cleared her throat. Then she turned to face Kendryk, still sitting in the chair. The room was quiet and there was no one else around. With the door shut, no one in the corridor ought to be able to hear. So she spoke quickly and quietly.

  “I’m here to help you,” she said, “but I can’t do it right now. The only way I can get the duke to trust me is to follow his orders. It’ll hurt, but I need to show him I’m willing to do it. Then perhaps he’ll leave us alone with you.”

  “Really?” Kendryk’s voice quivered with anger. “Why are you claiming to help me? Who sent you?”

  Sonya took a deep breath. “Count Faris,” she said. “He got your letter, but wasn’t able to come right away, so he sent me.”

  “Thank the gods,” the princess said, from the chair she had dropped into. “Now my dear, I suppose you must do as you were told.”

  Her calling Sonya “my dear” didn’t help her resolve in the least, but Sonya nodded.

  “I’m very sorry, Your Grace,” she said, clenching her fist and planting a heavy punch on Kendryk’s left eye. She’d have bruised knuckles. So much the better. “That ought to swell up nicely.”

  Kendryk hadn’t made a sound when she hit him, though now he covered his eye with one hand, the other looking at her accusingly. His mother rushed to his side, putting an arm around him. She didn’t look up.

  “You can go now,” Kendryk said, as if he were ordering a servant who’d brought his food. “And tell the duke you did your job.”

  “Sorry about that,” Sonya said. “I really am. With any luck, the next time we see each other, I’ll be getting the two of you out of here.” She nodded at Irena, and the two of them left the room without a backward glance .

  “Well, that was awful,” Irena said, once they were in the corridor. “I hope it does the job.”

  “It had better,” Sonya said. “Now, let’s report to the duke, then get out of here so we can make a plan. I didn’t expect to start working for him today.”

  “Maybe it was lucky,” Irena said, dropping her voice as they came down the stairs with the guards standing at the foot.

  “I hope so,” Sonya said.

  The duke didn’t seem particularly pleased when Sonya reported that she’d disciplined the prince. Of course, he hadn’t yet seen the results, though she made sure her bruised knuckles were prominent.

  The woman who’d been with the princess had gone to the duke, and now cowered in the corner.

  “How did you find Princess Renata?” the duke asked Sonya.

  “Quiet, polite.” Sonya shrugged.

  “She spoke to you?” the duke looked puzzled. “The Baroness here claimed she spoke as well, but it doesn’t seem possible.”

  “She said a few words,” Sonya said.

  The duke glared at the baroness. “You told me you put the drops in her food. What happened?”

  “I-I don’t know,” the baroness whimpered. “I kept putting them in, same as always. I don’t know why they stopped working, or when. Before today, she never said a word.”

  “Well, based on what she said, she knows what you’ve done, which means the prince knows too.” The duke shook his head. “It’s as I feared. Especially after that student appeared the other day, I can’t risk keeping them here any longer.”

  He turned back to Sonya. “That’s where you can help me. I must move the prince and his mother, but it must happen with the utmost discretion. Can I rely on you?”

  “Certainly,” Sonya said, “though I’ll want a contract drawn up first with all those promises you made.”

  “Mercenaries,” the duke muttered, before saying, “very well. I’ll have something for you tomorrow. Report back here early.”

  He fished in a pocket and pulled out a small bag, tossing it at Sonya. “Here, treat yourself to a nice inn tonight, but don’t get so drunk you forget to show up in the morning.”

  Sonya caught the bag, gratifyingly heavy for it’s size. “Don’t worry, we’ll be here.”

  “It goes without saying that you won’t breathe a word about what happened here today,” the duke went on.

  “Of course.” Sonya rolled her eyes, as if discretion was her most natural state.

  After a curt nod from the duke by way of dismissal, Sonya and Irena left and retrieved their horses. Neither of them said a word until they’d left the palace gates well behind them.

  “Nasty character,” Irena said. “Though I’m glad we got at least some of his money. That poor little prince. Did you ever see such a sweet face?”

  “I’m sure some awful criminals have faces like that, but I doubt he’s one of them.” Sonya had so many questions, but was trying to sort them out in her head, one at a time. “And now we’ve dealt with the duke, it’s safe to say Count Faris was right to worry. He was having the princess drugged too. Clearly, he wants them both out of the way, but has to tread carefully.”

  “What’ll we do?” Irena asked as they reached a crossroads. “Are we headed back to Runewald?”

  Sonya hesitated. “No,” she said. “It’s still early, so we can get to Heidenhof. I need money from the bank so we can hire help. I imagine the duke wants us to move the prince and his mother somewhere tomorrow. Once that’s done, I doubt we’ll get another chance. We must help him right away.”

  “Maybe we’ll have time on the road.”

  “I doubt we’re going far.” Sonya shook her head. “My sister makes up the craziest stories, but she might have been right about something. I think the duke will put them in Birkenfels Castle.”

  “And once they’re inside, we’ll have a devil of a time getting them back out,” Irena mused.

  “Exactly. We can’t let it happen.”

  They went straight to the bank in Heidenhof, where Sonya withdrew as much money from General Faris’s accounts as she dared. The banker’s expression never changed, so she wondered if she could have asked for more. Either way, she’d never possessed such a sum in her life.

  Next, they found a pleasant inn, and used their ill-gotten gains from the duke to hire a nice room with two beds and an excellent meal, complete with the best wine Sonya could order.

  Once they were at their table, Sonya glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to hear, then said, “I’ll write to Andrei and tell him everything, and Count Faris as well. That way, if something happens, they’ll know what’s going on and might help later.”

  “If it’s not too late,” Irena said darkly. “Has it occurred to you that the duke wants us to murder the two of them, hide the bodies and never speak of it again?”

  “It has,” Sonya said. The thought made her take a huge gulp of wine. “But I’d be surprised if he’s ready to take that step yet. Besides, he knows Count Faris got the letter and might have to explain himself when he returns.”

  “That d
uke doesn’t seem like the sort who’d explain himself to anyone,” Irena said.

  “He will soon enough, if I have anything to say about it.” Sonya poured more wine for both of them. “We have little time, but we need to see how many soldiers we can recruit right now.”

  “How do we know someone won’t tell the duke we’re doing it?”

  “We don’t. But time is short, and that works to our benefit. It’s unlikely any message from here will reach Birkenhof before we do. We’ll just have to assume the duke will figure it out and be a step behind us. Close behind us.”

  Birkenhof Palace

  KENDRYK HOPED HIS MOTHER was all right. She’d gotten a damp cloth from the bowl in her dressing room and dabbed at his bruised eye. But then she pulled him into her trembling arms, her tears wetting his uninjured cheek. Kendryk didn’t know what to say, though in spite of everything, it was nice to be held by his mother.

  The duke came soon after, likely to be sure his minions had done their job. He stared at Kendryk then said, “Good,” presumably in approval at his injuries.

  Kendryk stared back, hatred in his eyes. Somehow he would make this man sorry he’d ever become regent.

  The duke turned to Kendryk’s mother. “Is it true you can speak?”

  “It’s true,” she said, dabbing at Kendryk’s eye with the damp cloth. “My son outsmarted you. I haven’t been drugged in nearly a month.”

  “How annoying,” the duke said. “Well, it makes no difference now. You’ll be out of my way soon. Now come along.”

  He snapped his fingers and a guard stepped forward, grabbing Kendryk by the arm. “The prince will return to his room for the night.”

  As Kendryk walked down the corridor flanked by two guards, the duke hurrying off ahead, he worried about his mother being unattended. But then he remembered she was no longer catatonic and could take care of herself. She didn’t need the Baroness Engler—or anyone like her—ever again. He hoped they’d both live long enough to enjoy it.

  His eye hurt so badly, Kendryk didn’t sleep at all that night. Arvus tutted over him, bringing cold compresses and trying to force brandy down his throat.

  But Kendryk needed to keep a clear head. He wanted to hope that the awful woman with her enormous fists was here to help him, but feared more treachery. He wasn’t sure how he’d oppose any of them—he hadn’t managed so far—but perhaps he’d come up with something.

  Kendryk wondered if Georg had been caught, and asked Arvus if he had heard anything about him.

  Arvus shook his head. “Last I saw, he was walking down the road, away from the palace. Might be they spotted him, but if they caught him, they must have done it elsewhere. I hope they didn’t. Nice fellow.”

  “He is,” Kendryk agreed. “I hope you’re right.”

  Morning came at last, and Kendryk got dressed, then struggled to force down food. He needed to keep up his strength for whatever was coming, even death. He wouldn’t let the duke, or the horrible woman, or anyone else see him snivel and cry.

  Still, it was one thing to tell himself to stay strong, it was another to do it when the guards came for him.

  They led him outside, into the courtyard. Kendryk wore his cloak, but it was so cold, his teeth chattered by the time he reached the waiting carriage.

  The two red-coated women were nearby, both of them mounted on splendid Zastwar geldings.

  Another time, Kendryk would have stopped to admire the horses; today he barely gave them a glance.

  His mother was already inside, bundled up in a long cloak, her hood still up. With the two of them in here, it would hopefully soon warm up.

  “How are you doing?” Kendryk asked, sitting down across from her.

  “Not bad, though I worried about you all night. You look terrible.”

  Kendryk had made a point of not looking in the mirror, but his eye had swelled up overnight. He could barely see out of it.

  “It looks worse than it feels,” he said, attempting to smile, though that hurt too.

  “I’m rather annoyed with myself,” his mother said. “All those years I might have been able to do something, to be an active regent, to help you, and I’ve wasted them. Now I’m back to normal, I can’t do a thing.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Kendryk said. “I’m mostly sorry we never got to talk, or really become acquainted. I was so young when I left.”

  “I wasn’t much of a mother back then, I’m afraid. Young and silly, obsessed with dresses and parties.” His mother shook her head as the carriage lurched into motion. “I wish I could make up for it now, but I fear there’s no time.”

  “I refuse to believe that. We’ll get away somehow. Did you notice who’s coming along? Perhaps those women really are here to help us and we’re about to escape.”

  “I’d like to think so too. But there are so many guards. What can those two do against all of them?”

  “Well, everyone says Ruso Faris is a most excellent warrior. If these two work for him, perhaps they’re nearly as good, which is all we need.”

  The carriage turned onto the main road. The window coverings were tied down, so Kendryk couldn’t see anything, but he was certain they’d turned toward the river. Perhaps they’d be put on a boat, or inside Birkenfels Castle. If the duke wanted them out of the way without killing them, that would be a good solution.

  It might be good for Kendryk as well. As long as he wasn’t put in the dungeon, he would be comfortable, and maybe they’d leave him with his mother. That wouldn’t be so bad.

  He turned to her with a smile. “Nice to get out of that musty old palace isn’t it?”

  That made her laugh, but then they sat in silence, listening carefully, hoping to hear sounds of a fight outside .

  Velta River Road, Terragand

  THE MORNING WAS COLD and foggy, usual for this time of year, and the fog grew heavier as they approached the river. It mirrored Sonya’s mood in the aftermath of the duke’s shocking instructions to her earlier that morning.

  “I kill people for money,” she’d said, hoping her expression remained as blank as it needed to be, “but not unarmed civilians. I don’t want to be involved in a crime like this.”

  She pushed the sheet of paper back across the table in the duke’s direction.

  “I’ll make it worth your while.” The duke stared at her with his awful eyes. “I should think the sum I’m offering is more than you’ve seen in your life.”

  “It is,” Sonya said, though that wasn’t quite true after her visit to Faris’s banker. “But it’s still not enough for cold-blooded murder, of a prince no less.”

  “Does his rank make your work more valuable?” The duke radiated impatience.

  “People care about what happens to royalty. If you wanted me to kill a commoner, others wouldn’t ask so many questions.”

  “How much more do you want?” The duke snatched the sheet of paper back.

  “A lot.” Sonya leaned back in her chair. She was stalling while the shock wore off enough so she could think. She had a solid plan, but the stakes had suddenly increased. “Money isn’t enough. I need security after something like this. I need to be sure you won’t get rid of me, and that other authorities won’t pursue me.”

  “I am the authority in Terragand,” the duke said, his nose in the air. “After today, I will be prince. I can grant your every wish. I swear on my honor you and your friend will remain unharmed.”

  “Oh well, in that case.” Sonya struggled to keep the disbelief out of her voice. This man was talking to her of honor? She paused, trying to calm herself. The sooner she got the prince out of here, the better.

  The duke huffed impatiently.

  Sonya sighed. “Just double the amount, and pledge in writing that I’m immune from prosecution and retaliation of any kind.” Not that she planned to honor any part of this agreement, ever.

  The speed with which the duke granted her request proved to Sonya he had no intention of letting her or Irena survive the day. Once t
he prince and his mother were dead, she expected they’d meet with an accident as well.

  Now they were on their way, with the incriminating contract in Sonya’s pocket. Once she’d seen the prince safe, she’d get it to someone who could see the duke brought to justice. Perhaps an imperial magistrate would be interested.

  She was annoyed by the presence of the duke’s guards, though she had expected them. No doubt they’d been instructed to dispose of her once she’d killed the prince.

  Her guess about taking the prisoners to Birkenfels Castle had been incorrect, but they still headed in the same direction, so her small force would be waiting in the right place. She didn’t know what she would have done if the duke had sent them elsewhere.

  Now, it was just a matter of waiting to be ambushed. With the fog so heavy, it was hard to see more than a few steps ahead, though Sonya hoped they hadn’t reached the right spot yet.

  The demobilized infantry sergeant she’d hired the previous evening had assured her the road would pass through a narrow defile as it entered the river valley. He and the twenty unemployed soldiers he’d assembled would attack from the outcroppings on both sides.

  Sonya and Irena rode just ahead of the carriage. With any luck, their red coats would distinguish them from the rest of the guards, and Sonya’s hirelings wouldn’t kill her accidentally.

  “Halt!” a firm, feminine voice said, just ahead.

  Sonya pulled Zeki to a stop, and raised her hand.

  “Stop!” Irena shouted over her shoulder and the rest of their convoy came to a halt.

  Sonya urged Zeki forward, hoping to see who blocked the road. Beside her, Irena drew her pistols.

  In the middle of the road, mounted on a pure white palfrey, sat a tiny woman with a long white braid hanging over one shoulder. The robes she wore were unmistakable. Behind her stood a cluster of elaborately liveried, heavily armed guards.