Five Kingdoms: Books 01, 02 & 03

by Toby Neighbors

  “I thought she was going to get perfume for our night together!” Simmeron shouted.

  “You fool, she was a prisoner.”

  “Your prisoner, not mine. All I saw was a beautiful girl. I think I’ll marry her when the soldiers bring her back. She can’t possibly say no to that, and I’ll need a good queen when my father dies.”

  “Fool! The only way this ploy works is if we give the girl to Zollin. She’s the bait and the whole reason he’s coming here. If she’s married to you when he arrives, we’ll have to kill him and then where will we be?”

  “I don’t care, I want her.”

  “You can have any woman in the realm, your highness,” Branock said the title with obvious disdain.

  “I don’t want just any woman, I want Brianna.”

  “You only want her because she had the courage to resist you.”

  “Shut up, wizard, I do not want or need your counsel.”

  “You’re a fool,” Branock said again.

  “Say that one more time and I’ll have your tongue cut out,” he said, but his voice cracked as he said it.

  Branock laughed, then he turned to the Prince, his eyes glowing with magical power. He waved a hand and the door to the Prince’s private audience chamber slammed shut. Simmeron jumped at the sound. Branock lifted his small staff and pointed it at the man.

  “Your whole army could not defeat me,” he said, his voice brimming with magical power that made it deep and resonant. “I am Branock, wizard of the Torr, and now of Yelsia. I shall not be threatened.”

  “I am Prince Simmeron, soon to be King-”

  “Only if I provide the throne,” Branock said.

  “I want the girl,” the Prince whispered.

  Branock realized the only way to mend the potentially devastating situation was to play along with the spoiled Prince and then deal with him at a more convenient time.

  “Fine, but not until after we secure the boy.”

  “But I can see her, once we bring her back to the castle?”

  “Yes, you can see her, but no touching her, do you understand?”

  The Prince nodded and Branock stormed from the room.

  * * *

  That same night, Brianna didn’t sleep at all. She had no money and nowhere to go. She was afraid to go too far from the city, knowing that troops would soon be dispatched to search for her. A young girl obviously leaving the city would be a dead giveaway. Her best option was to blend in with the people of the city. She didn’t want to be locked inside the city walls, so she wandered through the markets on the outskirts of the city until the sun went down, then she found an empty vendor’s stall to hide in. It was small enough that she could sit, but not big enough to stretch out in. Several times soldiers passed the empty stall, but none stopped to look for her there. By the next morning she was frigid with cold and exhausted. She found a tailor and traded her finely made dress for simple, homespun clothes and a few coppers. It wasn’t enough money to survive on for more than a day, but it was enough to get her a room in one of the run down inns near the river.

  She hoped, after hiding out all day, that the search for her might lessen, but she was wrong. The room she had been shown to was small; the only furnishings were a hook on the wall and the narrow bed. She opted to pull the rough blanket off of the filthy bed, which she was certain was infested with lice or other vermin, and slept on the floor. She locked the door and made sure that, if she had to escape out the window, there was a safe place to land. Below the window was a pile of garbage. It wasn’t an ideal place to land, but the refuse heap was better than landing on the hard packed street, and even though she was on the second floor of the inn, the building was built low and the drop was not far. She was certain that if she had to jump from the window, she could do so without being hurt.

  The inn keeper had served ale to some of the soldiers searching for Brianna the night before. He knew as soon as Brianna showed up in the morning requesting a room that she was the girl the soldiers were looking for. He took her money, fed her stale bread and goat’s milk, then went in search of the nearest soldier in the King’s army. They didn’t check to see if the door was locked, they simply kicked the door in with one hard blow and fell on her before she could even cast off the blanket.

  Brianna screamed in terror, but it made no difference. She kicked and squirmed, but the soldiers were too strong to escape from. They took hold of her arms above the elbows and jerked her to her feet. She felt helpless as they pushed her along, her feet barely touching the ground. She could feel the bruises forming from their unrelenting grip on her arms, and her shoulders felt as if they were going to pop out of their sockets.

  “Let me go,” she screamed at the soldiers. “Let me go, you’re hurting me.”

  But the men didn’t speak. They forced her out of the inn and back into the city. People stared, but no one tried to help her. Brianna was sobbing, she was terrified of what Branock would do to her now and devastated that she hadn’t gotten away. They carried her through the castle gate and received cheers of congratulations from the other soldiers. Brianna noticed that the King’s Royal Guard didn’t cheer, or even speak. They just watched the spectacle with silent disdain. The main doors to the castle were open, and Brianna was flung inside. Branock was there, meeting with military officers who had pulled their troops from defensive positions around the city to look for Brianna.

  She sprawled onto the stone floor of the castle entry, hitting her head and seeing stars, as well as bruising one knee. Branock left the officer he was talking with and came over to where Brianna lay on the floor.

  “I warned you, didn’t I?” he said, his voice even and tight, hiding his anger. “I see your night of freedom didn’t sit well with you.”

  He started to levitate her to her feet, but she still had the white azure stone ring that Zollin had given her and his spell did nothing. He cursed silently and turned to one of the officers he had been speaking with.

  “I will return momentarily to finish this conversation,” he said. Then he turned to the two soldiers who had brought Brianna to the castle. “Where did you find her?”

  “She was hiding in one of the inns on the outskirts,” said one of the men.

  They conveniently forgot to mention that the inn keeper had tipped them off. Branock sent them away with coins for their reward, then marched Brianna back to her room on the third floor.

  “You are confined to this room,” he growled at her. “And if you try anything else, you will find yourself in a cell in the dungeons.”

  He slammed the door and sealed it magically with a wave of his hand. He was just turning to leave when Prince Simmeron came sweeping into the room. His retinue, which included his steward, two guards, and several personal servants, waited outside.

  “You see,” Simmeron crowed. “I told you they would find her.”

  “You were right,” Branock said, pacifying the Prince.

  “Now, let me see her. You promised me.”

  “I did, but she needs a bit of cleaning up.”

  “I don’t care about a little dirt, I want to see her.”

  Branock decided that perhaps letting the Prince see her in homespun clothes, with tangled, matted hair and dirt on her face, might change his opinion of her, but he was wrong. He opened the door, and Brianna, who had been inspecting the bruises on her upper arms, pulled the collar of her shirt back up over her shoulder and glared at the Prince.

  “Ah, my love,” he said when he saw her. “You poor thing. Quickly Branock, fetch the servants. My fair Brianna needs care.”

  “She should stew in her own juices for a while, your highness.”

  “Nonsense. Send for a bath and fresh clothes.”

  Brianna was furious. Her plan had been bold, but not well thought out. She had made good her escape, but lack of funds and poor knowledge of the city had kept her from having a safe haven. She was so tired that she couldn’t keep the tears from streaking down her cheeks. Now the arrogant Prin
ce was fawning over her, and hope that she would ever be with Zollin again was like a fading spark.

  “I shall,” Branock said, “but let her rest for now, we have business to attend to.”

  “Business can wait,” the Prince said.

  “As you wish, but remember your promise. Not until Zollin joins us.”

  “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”

  “You gave me your word, Simmeron. Don’t make me regret this.”

  “What’s to regret?” he said, smiling at Brianna. “Your young wizard should be honored to give his love to the King.”

  “Don’t be a fool,” Branock said.

  “I will die before I let you touch me,” Brianna said.

  “You see, she is strong. She is not like the other wenches my steward brings to the castle. They are all either milksops or whores. Brianna speaks her mind. Do not worry, my love, you will come to see how great I am. Soon I will be King of Yelsia and then we shall be married. You will live in luxury and bear my children. Every desire you have will be fulfilled.”

  “I desire to leave this place and never look back,” Brianna said.

  “I shall build you a palace wherever your heart desires.”

  The servants finally arrived, and Branock convinced the Prince to see to their business. When the doors finally closed, Brianna sobbed uncontrollably. She sat in the hot water, letting the servants scrub the filth from her body, but it was the loss of hope that haunted her. When they dressed her and combed her hair, she complied easily enough, but her mind was far away, on a snowy mountain with Zollin. She remembered the morning they had spent together, kindling the fire and warming themselves by it.

  Oh Zollin, she thought to herself. Where are you?

  * * *

  At that moment, Zollin and Mansel were riding swiftly toward Orrock. They had passed through a small village and learned that they were a hard day’s ride from the city. They planned to ride until they reached Orrock, even if they didn’t reach it until late in the night. Zollin and Mansel had only gotten a couple hours of sleep, but the proximity to their goal at long last spurred them on.

  “What do we do once we reach the city?” Mansel asked.

  “We need to get a lay of the land,” Zollin replied. “I’ve never been to Orrock, have you?”

  Mansel shook his head.

  “Quinn made me promise we would wait two days if he hadn’t caught back up with us by the time we reached the city, but I doubt he is coming.”

  “Why wouldn’t he come?”

  “Because I told him not to.”

  “Why would you do that?” Mansel asked in surprised.

  “Father-son stuff,” Zollin replied.

  This seemed to pacify Mansel, and they continued in silence for a while.

  “It seems to me, if this wizard really has sway in the capital, then surely he’ll be ensconced in the castle. Do you think you can deal with an entire army and the castle defenses as well?”

  “I don’t know, I’ve never tried.”

  “Well, give me an idea of what we’ll be doing. I mean, I’m as keen on rescuing Brianna as you are, but I just don’t know how we’re going to do it.”

  “Me either! You think I have a plan all worked out in my head or something? I’m just hoping that we can figure something out when we get there.”

  “If Quinn were here, he would know what to do,” Mansel said.

  “Maybe, but he isn’t here. This is up to you and me, unless you want out.”

  “I’m not backing down, I’m no coward.”

  “I didn’t say you were,” Zollin argued.

  “I’m just saying we need a plan. If you go riding in there and start striking people down with lightning bolts, we’re going to be wanted men for the rest of our lives.”

  “Well then maybe you’ll understand how I feel.”

  “Don’t act like we haven’t been with you every step of the way since Tranaugh Shire, Zollin. People have tried to kill me, too.”

  “All I care about is getting Brianna back.”

  “All I’m trying to say is that we should wait for Quinn.”

  “We don’t even know if he’s coming.”

  “You promised you’d give him two days.”

  Zollin wanted to rail at the thought of leaving Brianna in Branock’s vile clutches for even one minute more than he had to. But still, he knew he couldn’t simply ride into the castle without a plan. And forming a plan meant getting to know the city, making friends, having a way to leave the city safely and a back plan if something went wrong. Mansel was right, Quinn was certainly much better at forming plans than Zollin was. He tended to act on his emotions or react to what was happening, rather than thinking through the consequences of his actions.

  “Alright, two days, but if he doesn’t show up in two days, we figure something out ourselves.”

  Mansel nodded and they rode on.

  Chapter 34

  Kelvich was exhausted by Quinn’s unrelenting pace. They rode all day long and late into the night. When they reached Felson, he was forced to take a room at the inn and stay behind. Quinn rode on, leaving his friend felt wrong but he was anxious to catch up to Zollin and Mansel. The messengers did their best to keep up with him, but their duty only pushed them so hard. Quinn had no idea what his son was facing or if he would ever see him again, so it came as no surprise that after a full day’s ride from Felson, he left the soldiers making camp and rode on through the night.

  His mount was tired and it was hard to see in the darkness, so he walked his mount through the long hours of the night. When he came to an inn the next morning, he paid the inn keeper to feed, water, and rub down his mount while Quinn slept for two hours. Then, shortly before noon, he set out again. In his mind, he kept seeing Zollin’s face as he accused Quinn of caring more about his work than about his family. It didn’t surprise him really, he had thought similar things about his father, but the remarks still cut him deeply. Zollin had no idea how much Quinn cared about his son, but perhaps one day he would have a son of his own and then he might understand.

  Just before sundown he came to a small village. There was no inn, but one farmer had room in his barn. He was already sheltering a woman and a young boy, so he invited Quinn to stay with them as well. Quinn refused to stay the night, but he did accept care for his horse and a hot meal. He was so tired that every bone, muscle, and joint ached, but he refused to stop. He would walk his horse until he couldn’t take another step, then sleep for a few more hours. But first, his horse needed food, water, and rest. And, if truth be told, Quinn needed the same.

  The farmer’s name was Olin, and he was preparing a vegetable stew that was mostly potatoes and there was some freshly baked bread and soft cheese. Quinn had very little money left, but he gave the man a silver coin and found a place to sit and wait for the food to finish cooking.

  “You look familiar,” said an inquisitive voice.

  Quinn had begun to doze, and at the sound, he opened his eyes to find a young boy of eleven or twelve years. He had shaggy hair and bright eyes that were studying Quinn intently.

  “I do, eh? Well, you’re completely new to me.”

  “Where are you traveling to?” the boy asked.

  “Orrock. You?”

  “Back to Felson. We were going to Orrock, but we decided to turn back.”

  “Oh really? Any particular reason?”

  “Too dangerous, I guess. I’m Jax.”

  “Quinn,” he said as they shook hands. “So what’s so dangerous about Orrock? Has something happened there?”

  “No, not yet. But I have a friend who is going to face an evil wizard.”

  “You do!” Quinn said, sitting up suddenly, his fatigue completely forgotten. “What’s his name? Do you remember his name?”

  “Of course I do. His name is Zollin.”

  “And is Mansel still with him? Are they well?”

  “They were fine when we left them. That was two days ago.”

  “H
e’s my son,” Quinn said, tears filling his eyes. “I’m trying to catch up to them.”

  “You better ride fast then, they are pushing hard for Orrock.”

  “I will,” Quinn said, climbing to his feet. His body still hurt, but the news of Zollin and Mansel had been just the encouragement he needed to push on.

  He thanked the farmer as he wolfed down the stew. It wasn’t quite ready, the potatoes were still a bit raw, but he ate it anyway.

  “You’re welcome to stay the night,” Olin said. “That silver coin is more than enough payment.”