Villain's Assistant

by Carley Hibbert

  Dally led her through hallways and courtyards, pointing out servant entrances behind tapestries. She relished her brief exposure outside as sunlight fell into the courtyard they passed through. She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and smiled as a mild breeze cooled her face. It was easy to forget about the onset of autumn, locked away in the castle.

  They walked past the clerks’ offices where Branwen and other officials worked. Other than a curt nod, no one thought anything of Dally wandering through offices and pointing things out to a servant. She got the feeling that Dally had worked in all aspects of castle life at one point or another. All treated her respectfully, and she seemed to know everyone, with quite a few as more than casual acquaintances.

  “How do you know all these people?” Rebecca asked, once they were off by themselves again.

  “When you’re the royal governess temporarily without a princess, they find useful things for you to do, so that when she comes back, you’ll continue to be useful to her.” She winked.

  “They?”

  “Branwen and the king.”

  “Really? You work directly with my—the king?”

  Dally cast Rebecca a cautionary look but nodded. She cleared the corner to see if anyone was within earshot. She leaned in very close. “It helps to have been the one who got the princess out of the castle alive. That earns you a lot of trust,” Dally said with watery eyes.

  Rebecca nodded and closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to block out her few splintered memories of that night. She had been around two years old. Many of her memories of the fire and the death of her parents, she was sure she constructed from what the Lieutenant had told her about that night. He answered every question but volunteered very little.

  She was too young to really have her own memories, but she swore she felt the flames and choked on smoke as she ran through a dark forest. This was ridiculous, since Dally would have carried her in her arms through the escape tunnels that led to the forest. When Rebecca opened her eyes, Dally puckered her lips tightly. The aging nurse met her eyes as if reading the questions written there.

  “We haven’t talked about that night.” Dally glanced over her shoulder. “You weren’t old enough to know what was going on. Do you remember anything?”

  “Just smoke, fire, and screaming,” Rebecca said.

  Dally pressed her graying hair to the side of her head. “Yes, there was all of that.” The old nurse closed her eyes and drew Rebecca closer to the wall. “There had been strange things going on all week, people and things missing or in the wrong place. When I heard the yelling and running, I panicked. I grabbed you and ran straight to the hidden passage in your parents’ rooms.”

  Dally touched a silver scar by her temple and checked around the corner again. “I followed it out into that nightmare forest. I think we only survived because those black trees took pity on us. They understand the need to run from fire. I’ve never been so scared. It was the Lieutenant who found us the next day. He saw the fire and rode straight into Waldren’s Wood, without the slightest thought for his safety, hoping to find his friend and sister but finding only us. He had been spying so long for the king, he didn’t even know that you’d been born. You were all the family he and the king had left.” Dally leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Doubly precious.”

  They heard footsteps. Dally straightened into her formal posture and motioned for Rebecca to follow. Sir Wendell nodded as he passed, his mustache rippling. Did he recognize her? Two high-ranking officers followed him without a glance their way.

  Dally gave her a brief tour of the main wing upstairs. They passed women and men carrying buckets of water and baskets of crisply folded bed linens. Young girls just slightly older than Rebecca passed by in groups of twos, giggling.

  “We’ll walk by Lady Jalene’s rooms next. They adjoin her aunt and uncle’s rooms.”

  They rounded a corner to a quieter hallway. A formal guard was stationed halfway down the hallway from the lady’s rooms. He stood at attention as they approached. Dally nodded and then knocked on the lady’s door. A maid answered the door and smiled as she recognized Dally.

  “I just wanted to check in with Lady Jalene and the duchess regarding the banquet.”

  The maid nodded and opened the door, announcing them.

  A woman with brilliant gray hair set down her teacup as they entered. The duchess aimed a polished smile at Dally that complemented the elaborate display of jewels around her neck. She patted one of the two greyhounds that lay at her feet. “Dally, I just asked my girl about you. What delightful timing!”

  Jalene stood up from a small desk where she had just sealed a letter and tucked a black curl behind her ear with a long finger as she handed the letter to her maid. Jalene’s dark eyes flicked warmly to Dally and Rebecca in welcome.

  “Pauline, can you have this sent out for me, please?”

  Pauline took the letter with a curtsy and left the room.

  “How were the last samples I sent you?” Dally asked.

  “Brilliant!” the duchess beamed. “The gold thread around the edges of the napkins came out perfectly!”

  “Thank you for letting us help,” Jalene said with a smile. “It’s been so nice to have something constructive to do.”

  She settled next to her aunt, in many ways a darker and younger version of the duchess. Jalene glanced politely at Rebecca; the aunt ignored Rebecca’s existence. That alone told her more about Jalene and her aunt than anyone could have.

  “Well, seeing as how you’ll be needing to run a whole castle soon, my dear—”

  Her aunt smiled sharply and patted her niece’s hand triumphantly. She paused to give her niece an inquiring look as she sensed her unease. Dally smiled affably and then gestured to Rebecca.

  Rebecca took a deep breath and stepped forward. The bold motion caught the duchess’s attention. She looked with full scrutiny at the bold servant girl.

  “Duchess, Lady,” Dally said, “may I introduce you to the king’s niece, the princess Reyna Brynn Rae Ulmer.”

  Rebecca curtsied slightly more than necessary, in a conciliatory gesture.

  “I apologize for the deception, Duchess. I felt that we needed to meet in order to speak plainly about our situations.”

  The duchess’s back went rigid, and her face froze into a glassy smile as she took in this new development. After a few awkward moments, the duchess stood and bowed deeply, her niece complying with her.

  “Please, Duchess, Lady, sit. It will soon be I that will be doing the bowing and pleasing before you.”

  The duchess looked up, her pale face nearly matching her gray hair. She flicked her eyes toward the rooms next door where her husband must have been.

  “It has been brought to my attention that there are individuals who may not fully support the king’s intentions to marry,” Rebecca said. “I want to openly support his marriage to the Lady Jalene.”

  The duchess narrowed her eyes, and her smile tightened.

  Rebecca sat and gestured for all to join her.

  “After spending years in hiding and carrying the burden of being the one heir of the kingdom, I am more than willing to share that burden with someone else. In short, I’d like to put as many people between the throne and me as I can. I would love nothing better than to support the claim the lady’s offspring would have to the crown of Lam.”

  “Why?” The duchess shed her mask of civility, revealing blatant skepticism. “Doing so would be handing over your power. What will that leave you to bargain with?”

  Rebecca took this in and set it on a shelf to think over later but proceeded on. “Because they will be my uncle, the king’s, children as well. One thing that has been instilled in me from a young age is this kingdom’s need to heal. Lam needs a stable crown, not more wars and double-crossings. The people prefer a straight line that is transparent and clear. An heir that could not be contested—that is what King Aldo wants. Therefore, Duchess, that is unquestionably what I want.”

&n
bsp; The noblewoman pondered this silently. Jalene glanced gingerly at her aunt.

  “I would prefer an alliance over yet another rivalry,” Jalene said. Her dark eyes pleaded with her aunt. “My uncle, the duke, only yesterday was guessing at those who may wish me harm and the plots set against me and my family.”

  The duchess frowned slightly at this and gently touched Jalene’s arm.

  Rebecca smiled but kept her voice even. “We share many of the same enemies. We both represent a new future. We would both live better and longer working together rather than against one another. The worst thing that could happen is for us both to lose.”

  The duchess stared into the distance as she fingered the bloody rubies at her throat. They all watched her as she pulled apart the secret plans she had held on to for many years and weighed them one by one. Finally, the duchess nodded as all the pieces were accounted for. “I think that such an agreement can be reached, at least for now. We are concerned about the banquet. We have heard whispers of how easy it would be to let a little poison slip into the right goblet.” The duchess shook her head, causing her silver-streaked curls to swing at her temples. “Honestly, we are not sure who the intended target would be—Jalene or the princess. Though, no one is entirely convinced that there is a princess. So Your Highness is protected that way.” The duchess of Alain smiled like a cat who knew her advantage.

  “I appreciate that fact dearly.” Rebecca met the duchess’s eyes, not blinking. She knew that she still held the highest card, her uncle. “I’m sure the king does as well. I’m sure that he will reward you for all that you have done for his sake.”

  FORTY SEVEN

  Benjamin shivered awake. He tugged his blanket over his shoulder, the rough wool scratching his chin. The world was covered in weak light that was still devoid of the sun’s warmth. They stood at the cusp of the autumn months. The soldiers quietly rolled up their blankets while Benjamin stood with help from Keston, the captain of their expedition.

  Benjamin’s muscles had clenched up during the night and now protested with every movement. He had no idea how he was going to survive another day on the back of a horse. Denny strolled to his horse with his roll under his arm. Benjamin clenched a biscuit between his teeth as Keston shoved him on his horse. Soon the sound of horse hooves set the rhythm to Benjamin’s thoughts. Please don’t fall off. Please don’t fall off. Please don’t fall off.

  The group of clandestine soldiers paused not far from the gateway—just two crumbling piles of stones—that marked the division of the kingdom. Mouthrot must have known the princess was at the castle, because the road was no longer guarded. The men divided into twos and waited fifteen minutes between departures. Each rider securely stored his maps and orders in his head. They raced toward their different destinations with nothing that would betray their mission.

  The roads were uncomfortably silent for most of the day. The sparseness of the Thieves’ Plain was shocking after so much forest. Benjamin and Denny pulled off the road and hid behind a tangle of bushes, not far from the Gray Gander. As a group of marauders rode by, their eyes firmly pressed to the road ahead, the boys held their breath. The rider all carried rapiers. The boys sunk against their horses and exchanged looks of relief before climbing back on their horses.

  Benjamin and Denny arrived at the hideout late afternoon. They led their horses through the brambles that surrounded Benjamin’s old hideout. Odie stepped out of the bushes with Rina at his heels. A grin spread across his face, exposing large, rocklike teeth. He hugged Denny, lifting him several inches off the ground. Denny slapped him on the back and let his brother take the horses.

  Benjamin paused in front of his door. So much had changed. The memory of the unfinished business with the Lieutenant held him at the door, twisting into a knot deep in his chest. Denny sighed and then pressed Benjamin inside.

  The Lieutenant peered up from the map he was studying and nearly dropped his chipped mug, one of Ursula Black’s. Benjamin cleared his throat, unsure how to start.

  “Well, it’s good to see you’re still alive,” Benjamin said. “We’re going to need you.”

  Denny slapped Benjamin on the back, shaking his head. “Translation: ‘We have a plan. We think you’ll like it.’”

  The Lieutenant set his mug down, crossed the room, wrapped an arm around each boy, and squeezed. Benjamin’s head knocked into Denny’s. The Lieutenant stepped back and smiled at both of them, his hands resting on their shoulders. Benjamin squirmed a little, uncomfortable with the unfamiliar gesture. He slipped quietly off to check the contents of a pot on the stove. The Lieutenant bit his lip and gave Denny an extra squeeze. Benjamin spooned up the gruel to allow the awkward moment to pass.

  “The king is sending an army?” The Lieutenant fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, watching his son warily.

  “Not exactly.” Denny slapped the Lieutenant’s back and went to accept the bowl of gruel from Benjamin.

  “There’s already an army here,” Benjamin said, setting the warm bowl down to hunt up a clean spoon.

  The Lieutenant tugged at his missing eye patch and glanced back at Denny for an explanation.

  Benjamin coughed. He clenched his spoon and forced himself to look at the Lieutenant’s brown and black eyes. “Branwen’s been running men all over the Thieves’ Plain for years. That man has serious trust issues.”

  “Dirty old crow!” The Lieutenant laughed.

  “Don’t I know it!” Benjamin raised the pitcher of milk in agreement.

  “So how are we going to gather so many strays and make them useful?” The Lieutenant’s eyes lit up at the possibilities, the wheels visibly turning in his head. He cleared the maps.

  Benjamin swallowed his bite forcefully. “It’s already begun.”

  Denny stirred his gruel. “We’ve sent men to gather the network.”

  “We need to be ready in three days,” Benjamin said through a mouthful of food.

  “Three days?” The Lieutenant’s mismatched eyes widened.

  “We want to attack before Mouthrot has time to hear from his castle spies.” Benjamin shoveled more gruel into his mouth.

  “We’ll use Baldo for our eyes and ears,” Denny said as he reached for the pitcher.

  “I know another.” The Lieutenant scratched his chin. “Helda works in the laundry. In her prime, she could fight as well as any man.”

  “Two is always better than one.” Benjamin filled his empty bowl with milk. “Then we need to find a way to lower morale, lure the men out, or render them useless.”

  “More bad food?” The Lieutenant pulled the empty pot off the stove. “Rumors of easy money?”

  Benjamin smiled. If there was one thing that would cause anyone on the Thieves’ Plain to pick up and move, it was the promise of easy money, no matter how improbable. He tipped his bowl back and drank. “That was Rina’s milk, wasn’t it?”

  Benjamin waited to see if his body would revolt against it. He shrugged and finished the goat milk unharmed.

  + + +

  The brothers went to the fortress to say good-bye to Baldo and tell him about the new gold mines in the mountains, assuring all who overheard that there were many employment opportunities available. They’d come back in a few months with buckets of gold.

  One day later, men bled from all the cracks of Shreb’s fortress. Not that any of them would dream of working in the mines. No, there was money to be made from the mule trains that carried supplies and gold. Pockets to pick. What else were young, underemployed men from the Thieves’ Plain supposed to do?

  Benjamin sat with Denny, watching Shreb’s men slip out among the farmers. Benjamin scratched a few more tally marks into his notebook as he noted a few more poorly disguised guards walking away from the fortress.

  “Baldo nearly split a gut when I told him.” Denny rested the spyglass on his knee, smiling as he remembered. “He thought that story was brilliant.”

  “Well, it’s nice to know someone around here can appreciate a br
illiant plan.”

  “And from Baldo. He’s only twelve but as smart and clever as they come.”

  “Hmm.”

  Benjamin grabbed the spyglass and counted the guards. Many of them stopped to gaze at the mountains in the distance. No one stopped the men from fleeing the fortress.

  “You know, I think you and Baldo would really get along. Maybe when this is all over, he could be your man when you’re a duke or lord or whatever.”

  “I’m sure that the Lieutenant could find something for him to do.” Benjamin examined the spyglass’s finish.

  He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do when this scheme was over. Benjamin couldn’t imagine living in the same four walls with the Lieutenant when the old man finally retired to his quiet estate. He couldn’t imagine the Lieutenant not taking his band of young men with him. Denny and his brothers would always be underfoot.

  Perhaps traveling was in Benjamin’s future. A few gold coins in his pocket and he could go anywhere and do anything. Anything he wanted. It would be bliss.

  A bird screeched behind them, and Denny turned around and waved Odie over, but he just shook his head and motioned back to the road.

  “Guess he’s got something to tell us,” Denny said, standing up.

  “You know Odie; he’s always a wealth of information,” Benjamin said.

  Denny punched Benjamin good-naturedly in the shoulder as he shoved his book into a pocket. It still hurt. Benjamin rubbed his arm as they walked. Odie led one of the horses, which was packed with supplies from the brothers’ place.

  “Looks like the place was clean,” Denny said, poking under the blankets and bags.

  Benjamin watched the brothers carefully, unsure how they communicated. Odie never talked, though Benjamin was sure he was capable. Maybe he was just used to Denny talking for him. “Great! So we can use it as a second staging area?” Benjamin asked, fixing his eye on Odie, waiting for a response. Odie simply nodded.

  Denny readjusted the coverings on the horse and placed a hand up on Odie’s shoulder that was level with Denny’s ear.