The Princess in the Tower (Schooled in Magic Book 15)

by Christopher Nuttall

  “Go away,” Emily ordered. It was hard to speak, even though he’d stopped pressing against her throat. “Now.”

  He glared at her. She could smell his breath, so foul that she dreaded to imagine what he might have been eating. His beady eyes were alight with calculation, clearly wondering if he could get the other knife away from her and then...she shuddered at the thought she saw so clearly on his face. She’d have to use magic and that would be far too revealing...

  His gaze slipped to the side and froze. Emily blinked in surprise, then risked a glance herself. Cat was standing there, holding his sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. The mercenary hesitated, then jumped back and ran down the corridor with commendable speed. Emily didn’t really blame him, even though it was shameful. No one would fault Cat for killing someone who laid hands on his woman.

  She took a long breath, then picked up her dagger and slotted it back into her belt. If she’d cut the bastard’s throat...perhaps she should have cut the bastard’s throat. The girl he’d wanted to rape wouldn’t be his last victim, not after what Emily had done to him. If the other mercenaries found out that he’d been threatened by a mere woman, he was going to be a laughingstock. He’d take it out on any woman unlucky enough to cross his path.

  “Emily,” Cat said. “What happened?”

  “He was going to rape her,” Emily said, numbly. “I had to intervene.”

  “I know,” Cat said.

  Emily looked at him, surprised. How could he know? He hadn’t seen the girl...no, he had seen the girl. She’d had the presence of mind to fetch him. Emily felt a flicker of admiration, mingled with a grim awareness that the mercenary wouldn’t be the first or last guest to threaten the inn’s staff. It wasn’t as if they were protected...

  “She fetched you, then,” she said. “That was good thinking.”

  “She told me to hurry,” Cat agreed. “And I don’t blame you.”

  They walked back to the room slowly, keeping their hands on their weapons. The room hadn’t been disturbed, as far as Emily could tell, but they had to check everything anyway. It was quite possible that someone had managed to get in without disturbing the charm. Jade hadn’t risked using a powerful spell, knowing that might cause comment too. Who knew what might alert the king’s watchers.

  Cat took a lantern from the outside wall, shone it into the room as he opened the door, then used the flame to light the lanterns inside the room. Emily checked the beds automatically, before walking over to the window to peer into the darkness. The night sky was glowing with stars, twinkling high overhead, but the land beyond was lost in shadow. There were no lights, as far as she could see. The inky darkness had consumed everything. A chill ran down her spine, even though she was used to the lack of electric light by now. Most people in the Nameless World never risked going outside after dark.

  “Jade’s still downstairs, pretending to drink and swapping lies with the others,” Cat told her, softly. She was all too aware of him coming up behind her. “Did you hear anything useful?”

  “Just rumors,” Emily said. The women might not have had much in the way of power, but that didn’t make them stupid. Women and servants had eyes and ears, something that many of the great and good forgot. “I don’t know how much credence to place in them.”

  “Every rumor has a kernel of truth.” Cat stood beside her, just close enough for her to feel him without being too close. “But sorting out the truth from the lies is a task for a lifetime.”

  Emily nodded, stiffly. Rumors changed, growing and warping in the telling until they were no longer recognizable. The stories people told about her...no wonder no one recognized her, when everyone knew that Lady Emily was three meters tall, breathed fire and squashed necromancers as easily as a man might step on a slug. She supposed it wasn’t all bad–she could walk outside and not be recognized by a passing stranger–but it was still annoying.

  “They’ve realized that Alassa is in jail,” she said, softly. “And they’re spreading lies about her.”

  “We heard some of those too,” Cat said. “I had to keep Jade from smashing a particularly obnoxious idiot in the nose.”

  He snorted. “Did you hear the one about Simon Harkness being fathered by the king?”

  “No.” Emily shook her head. “But it doesn’t seem very likely.”

  She tried to remember if she’d ever met Simon Harkness. She’d met his adopted mother, shortly before the first coup, but she didn’t think she’d met the son. Simon Harkness would probably have been mooted as a potential husband for her, if not Alassa. Who knew? Perhaps his mother had been one of the hopefuls who’d written to Void to ask for Emily’s hand in marriage...

  ...But if someone was claiming he’d been fathered by King Randor, were they trying to give him a claim to the throne? Or perhaps to keep him from having a claim to the throne?

  “He’s about the same age as us, I think,” she said. “I think...”

  She broke off. King Randor already had a child Emily’s age, Alassa. The king could certainly have sired Simon Harkness...but he’d been so desperate for a male heir that he would have taken the child as soon as the paternity became clear, even if the boy was a bastard. No, it made no sense. But to someone who didn’t realize how unlikely it was that the king would have left the child alone, it might almost be believable. Lady Barb had taught her that people had a tendency to believe what they wanted to believe.

  “No,” she said. “He can’t be the king’s bastard son.”

  “He certainly won’t submit to a paternity test,” Cat agreed. “But it might give him a claim to the throne if Randor and Alassa are dead.”

  And probably Alexis too, Emily thought. Alicia’s child–a baby–was unlikely to survive if his paternity became clear. He’ll be dead before he has his second birthday.

  She took a long breath, tasting the cool night air, then turned to look at Cat. His profile was cast in shadow, illuminated only by the lantern he’d hung from the ceiling, yet...his face looked to have been carved from stone. She felt...she felt a complicated mixture of emotions, including some she was unwilling to name. Cat had asked her out on a date–and he’d kissed her–and she found him attractive, but...part of her wondered if it would be a good idea to date him. Or even do anything with him. He wasn’t Caleb, who’d been gentle and caring and as inexperienced as she was. Cat was...

  Different, she thought. It was hard to imagine Cat being willing to back down, if he thought he’d been placed in an untenable position. Or being unwilling to fight. She had no doubt of his bravery or his competence. But he’s also more demanding than Caleb ever was.

  Cat turned. She found herself looking into his eyes. “Emily?”

  Emily stared back at him for a long moment. It would be easy to lean forward and kiss him. It had been a long time since she’d initiated a kiss, let alone gone further. Her body was intent, all of a sudden, on reminding her just how long it had been since she’d slept with anyone. It was strange, so strange, to realize that she’d come to enjoy sex...

  “I was just woolgathering,” she said, softly. “Did you hear anything else that might be useful?”

  “Very little,” Cat said. If he knew where her thoughts had been, he gave no sign. “We ran into a recruiting officer and had to swear blind that work awaited us in Alexis, for better or worse. Everyone seems to be hiring mercenaries these days.”

  Emily tensed. “Is he going to cause trouble?”

  “Not unless his master really wants to piss off the mercenary guilds.” Cat pushed away from the window and strode back to the bed. “They’d be furious if someone started bullying sellswords just because they refused to fight for them. It wouldn’t be long before no one would fight for them.”

  “I suppose.” Emily turned to follow him with her eyes. “Still, he could make trouble.”

  “Perhaps.” Cat looked up and winked at her. “But how much damage are two sellswords going to cause? We’re not an entire mercenary company, you know.�
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  Emily had to smile. There were mercenary companies that were practically small armies in their own right. They deployed hundreds–even thousands–of men, to the point where she’d heard they were regarded as potential kingmakers and thus dangerous. Most mercenary bands were smaller, but nonetheless effective. Cat was right. Making trouble for two men wasn’t worth the risk of pissing off every mercenary in the world.

  Cat stripped off his leathers and then his shirt, heedless of her presence. Emily looked away hastily, although not before she caught a glimpse of powerful muscles and a protective tattoo just above his heart. It looked like the rune she’d had carved onto her chest, though there were quite a few additions. Cat wouldn’t just be protected against subtle magic. He’d be protected against quite a few other charms too.

  “You can look back now,” Cat said. “I’m decent.”

  Emily reddened. She hadn’t meant to peek. She’d done better when they’d shared a tent during the war, although they’d had a number of others sharing the tent too...and, really, they’d been too tired to do anything more than collapse into their blankets every night. She forced herself to look back at him, noting the nightshirt he’d pulled over his head. It could have passed for a shirt if he ran out of other clothes to wear.

  “Jade can take the first watch, on the grounds he’s not here to fight over the job,” Cat said, as he climbed into bed and pulled the blanket over his legs. “You sleep through the night.”

  “I’ll take the third watch,” Emily said. The men could drive the wagon while she slept in the back. It wasn’t very fair, but someone would probably notice a woman driving a wagon and ask questions they didn’t want to have to answer. Besides, horses hated her. “You wake me up when you’ve finished your watch.”

  Cat looked a little relieved, although Emily knew better than to point that out. He’d need his sleep, yet he wouldn’t feel right forcing her to take a turn keeping watch. Emily doubted there would be any trouble in the middle of the night, but she knew better than to take that for granted. It was better to be ready for trouble than let it catch her by surprise.

  She removed her shoes, then reached for her bag and poked through it until she found the chat parchments. Alassa’s parchment was completely blank, of course. She hadn’t written anything since she’d been arrested. Whatever had happened had clearly happened in a tearing hurry, if only because Alassa hadn’t had a chance to write anything. A brief statement of what she was planning would have made their planning much easier. Frieda’s parchment, on the other hand, was glowing with message after message. Emily smiled, wanly. Frieda had to be feeling better.

  “Be careful what you tell them,” Cat said, as Emily started to write a reply. “You don’t want rumors to spread.”

  “Duh,” Emily said. Sergeant Miles had drilled operational security into her head, along with quite a few other lessons she’d considered useless at the time. “I won’t tell her anything useful.”

  She took a breath, then started to write a vague response. Frieda would know Emily was leaving out all the interesting details, but...she’d understand. She’d had good marks in Martial Magic, even though she’d kept getting into fights. God alone knew what would happen by the time she recovered–Emily had no idea if Frieda would be allowed to retake Fourth Year or if she’d be forced to start from Third Year–but at least she’d be safe. Gordian would take care of her.

  The door shook. Emily reached for her dagger, just as it opened to reveal Jade. His shirt was stained with beer–Emily could smell it from right across the room–but he didn’t look particularly drunk. Emily wondered, absently, if he’d forgotten that they didn’t have any washing facilities. They’d probably have to stop by a stream to wash their clothes.

  “I think you’d better go jump in a lake,” Cat said, wryly. “You stink.”

  “Better to stink than to be drunk,” Jade said. He closed the door behind him and slotted the bolt into place, then hastily removed his shirt. “I think I was standing in a pool of beer.”

  “No one will notice,” Cat said. “The whole place was practically drenched in beer.”

  Emily made a face. “Yuck.”

  “They really should have poured the beer back in the horse,” Jade said.

  “This place isn’t that upmarket,” Cat said. “I think they should have poured it back into the dog.”

  “And not the cat,” Jade said, deadpan.

  “No.” Cat shot him a rude gesture. “Emily had a little adventure of her own.”

  “Ah,” Jade said. “Another one?”

  Emily shrugged, dismissively. “There’s something else I have to tell you,” she said. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have, but they needed to know. Now. “Paren was a traitor.”

  Jade stared. “What?”

  “It’s a long story,” Emily said. She winced, inwardly, as Jade’s face started to darken. He’d never liked secrets being kept from him and this one had blown up in his face. “Really.”

  She took a long breath and started to explain.

  Chapter Four

  “PAREN BETRAYED THE KING?” JADE ASKED, when Emily had finished. She could see the anguish in his eyes. “Why?”

  Emily met his eyes. “Five years ago, Paren and his allies sided with Randor and Alassa against the coup plotters,” she said. She had to think about how to say it without letting her feelings get in the way. “Promises were made, promises of representation and a say in affairs that were not honored. Paren was ennobled, but the Assembly was effectively neutered over the next couple of years. Reformers were purged, particularly the ones who wanted to smash the system.”

  She took a breath. “And eventually, Paren decided that they needed to take more direct action before the king crushed them utterly.”

  Jade’s eyes narrowed. “They tried to kill Alassa on our wedding day.”

  “They tried to kill everyone in the chamber, including Imaiqah,” Emily pointed out. “Paren thought their forces could take control in the chaos. Nanette had other ideas, I think; their plan to take the city never got off the ground after their leader was killed.”

  “How do you know all this?” Jade’s eyes bored into hers. “And why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Paren confessed to me,” Emily said, flatly. In hindsight, it was clear that Paren had tried to recruit her before the wedding. “I...I believed it would be better if the secret died with him.”

  Jade glared. “You should have told us!”

  Emily looked back at him. It was an effort to meet his eyes. “And then what? What happens to the families of known traitors? Should I have put Imaiqah’s head on the chopping block myself?”

  “Something could have been worked out,” Jade snapped. “Emily...”

  “She’s right,” Cat said, smoothly. “Jade, what choice did she have?”

  Jade opened his mouth, then closed it again. Emily understood. He–and his wife–had been blindsided because she hadn’t told them the truth. But how could she have risked telling Alassa, when her father could demand the truth from her at any moment? How could she have risked telling Imaiqah, when that would have robbed her friend of the chance to swear innocence of any plot against the king? How could she have done anything, but kept her mouth shut?

  “You should have told us,” Jade said. “If Imaiqah was innocent...”

  Emily glared at him. “Do you think Imaiqah would cold-bloodedly plot her friend’s death?”

  “No,” Jade said. His eyes were very hard. “And an oath would have proved her innocence.”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered,” Emily reminded him. “The families of known traitors are sentenced to death, from the oldest to the youngest. Imaiqah stands condemned by the mere fact her father became a traitor. And there would be no hope of hiding it if someone else knew.”

  “Except someone did know,” Jade pointed out. “You. And Nanette. Is she involved in this, somewhere?”

  “I don’t know,” Emily admitted. She’d assumed that P
aren had covered his tracks very well, after the king’s investigators had failed to find anything that might have led them to the masterminds. “I don’t know how the king found out.”

  Jade let out a heavy sigh. “Then we will have to watch for her. As if we didn’t have enough problems.”

  “We had a problem we didn’t know about, an hour ago.” Cat gave Emily a fond look. “I’d say we’re better off now.”

  “Only because Emily kept her mouth shut,” Jade said, angrily. “You should have warned us.”

  “And then what?” Emily asked. “Imaiqah takes her family and goes into exile?”

  “You never gave her the choice,” Jade snapped. He balled his fists for a moment, then–with visible effort–forced them to unclench. “You never gave any of us the choice.”

  Emily nodded, shortly. Jade loved Alassa, deeply and truly. He’d do anything to protect his wife and unborn child. Emily remembered just how shaken he’d been when Emily had used a forbidden spell to save Alassa’s life. Jade was her friend, but she had no doubt that he would put Alassa first, whatever happened. She didn’t blame him, either. Indeed, she envied Alassa. Would anyone ever care about her like that?

  “Alassa will have to decide what to do about...about you keeping the secret until it was too late,” Jade said, heavily. He leaned back on the bed. “You do realize what this means, don’t you?”

  He went on before Emily could say a word. “We’re not talking about rescuing the pair of them, not now. We’re talking about...about kicking a king off his throne, perhaps even about killing him to prevent him from coming back and retaking the kingdom. We are talking about outright treason!”