Tangle of Thornes

by Lorel Clayton

  “I want the satisfaction of ‘speaking’ to him myself. Help me walk.” As the adrenaline that fueled me dissipated, my sore ankle clamored to be acknowledged.

  I held out an arm and Erick took my weight. Then he surprised me by swinging me onto his saddle. The horse was well trained and didn’t stir from munching yellow grass. Erick led me and the animal back towards the shattered remains of the slaver wagon.

  Harald was on the ground, stunned from the horse’s charge. Erick bound his wrists with leather cord, raided the cache of magical ingredients in his belt pouch, and shook the slaver into alertness.

  “Where were you destined?” Erick demanded to know. “Tell me where you’ve been sending slaves and why.”

  Harald was rigid with fury, but he kept quiet.

  “You will speak.” Erick felt in his bags for a spell to use. I hoped mages weren’t immune to others’ magic. From the way Harald fought from tasting the herbs Erick shoved into his mouth, I doubted even he could resist.

  Falling snow sizzled as it hit the embers of the wagon. I felt sorry for the oxen, bound to it for so long, and then killed for being in the way. I stared at the debris while Erick struggled with Harald. I wanted desperately to hear what the slaver had to say, but I didn’t want to look at him. He made me angry, and I liked the feeling more than I should.

  I climbed down from the horse and looked around. Beneath the driver’s seat were a few items that hadn’t burned: a small barrel of water, part of a bedroll, and a small strongbox. I recognized it, the casket from Viktor’s bank vault, which I’d thrown in Randall’s face when I bought Kali. I kicked it out of the ashes and used a twig to lift the metal clasp, which was still hot from the fire. My silver with the foreign markings was inside. There were gems and Highcrowne coins as well.

  When the strongbox cooled enough for me to lift it, I transferred it to the satchel of dried travel cakes Erick had given me. Slaver money was tainted, but why should I let someone else find this? Most of it was mine anyway. Besides, I felt better knowing the money wouldn’t be used to buy more slaves.

  When I returned my attention to the slaver, I noted the sick on the ground. Harald had tried to vomit up the herbs, but it was too late. He looked feverish and swayed.

  “Now,” Erick, “answer me.”

  “I was headed for death. My Jhenna should have killed us all.”

  “You at least,” I said.

  Erick raised a hand, warning me not to interrupt his questioning. I bristled, but there was probably a good magical reason that Harald should hear only one voice. Of course, Erick could just be bossing me around, which I didn’t like. He had come all this way to help me, though, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

  “Where were you sending the slaves?” Erick asked again.

  Harald strained against the compulsion, his mouth clamped shut, jaw grinding.

  “Stop trying to bite your tongue off,” Erick ordered.

  Harald obeyed, the fight suddenly leaving him like a gust of wind through an open door. Blood edged the slaver’s mouth.

  “Were you sending slaves to Solheim?” Erick seemed to dread the answer.

  After a long moment, Harald said, “To the fort on the border of it.”

  “Why?”

  Harald turned and looked at me with the vacant gaze Erick’s magic had given him, as though his soul had stepped out, leaving nothing but the shell behind. “Ask your sister.”

  I stiffened. “Ilsa?” I didn’t want to believe she was a part of this. It meant...I wasn’t ready to think about what it meant.

  “You know more. Tell us,” Erick said.

  “Jhenna.” A flicker of life returned to the slaver’s eyes then vanished again. “Jhenna played message runner. To the Central City. She could pass into the elf court.”

  “The Elf King is involved?” I said. I knew he hated humans, but to round up all those people and sell them into slavery? And Ilsa? How could Ilsa possibly be a part of that? She was human too. “Why?”

  But Harald would not obey me, and Erick had to repeat everything. “What does the Elf King want with refugees?”

  “The Compact of course. The agreement that ended the war,” Harald said.

  “Which war?” I gave Erick a contrite look. Curiosity always took over no matter what other orders I gave my brain.

  Harald continued as if I hadn’t interrupted. “The Compact keeps the Dead God from advancing. This whole world would be his if not for what we do.”

  What was he talking about? The Dead God had taken Solheim and all the kingdoms near it. Highcrowne, protected by ancient magic, was the closest unconquered nation. Even now, lesser human kingdoms on the Dead God’s border fell. That war hadn’t ended as far as I knew.

  Oh.

  Now that I thought about it, it was strange how Highcrowne remained free. I’d always assumed Avian magic kept it safe. Maybe it was really this Compact. It was human sacrifice.

  I felt sick, thinking of the street girl whose name I didn’t know, all those slaves on the ship, Nanny.... “You sent them to die?” I was shocked and angered by the enormity of it. I itched to hold my Ashur again. Harald deserved to join his wife.

  Erick shook his head. “I have seen wagons bring offerings to Solheim. I have watched from a distance as the victims were staked before the gates, begging for their lives. But only two each month, in honor of the moon gods who brokered the deal. The Solhan Circle and the Elf King have sent thousands. The Compact has never demanded so many. More offerings will only feed the Dead God’s power.”

  So even Erick knew about it? Who else was in on this atrocity?

  “Tell me everything,” Erick ordered. I wanted to say the same thing, but my fury kept my tongue firmly planted against the top of my mouth for the moment.

  “I thought it was for the Compact,” Harald repeated. “But something Jhenna said makes me think the Elf King is up to something.”

  “What do you mean? What is the Elf King’s plan?” Erick growled.

  “How would I know the plans of a king? I only heard Jhenna say King Fharen did not want to pay the Compact forever.”

  “Tell me what he intends!” I’d never seen Erick so angry, his lips raised in a snarl. He fingered the dagger at his belt, and I thought he might murder Harald then and there.

  Erick was Solhan too. He must find it as difficult to deny his nature as I did. But, we needed the slaver alive as proof. This was bigger than the Outskirts and the merchant council. This was why Viktor had been drafting a plea to the other two Crowns, gathering testimony from the slaver’s bookkeeper, lists of names and military officers involved…. This was a matter for kings.

  I put a hand on Erick’s, keeping it away from his weapon. “We should take him back to Highcrowne.”

  “There is no defeating Solheim,” Erick told Harald, seemingly unable to hear me. “None of us can stand against the god.”

  Harald smiled a bloody smile and shrugged. “If a god can be raised, maybe He can be laid to rest again.”

  23│ HIGHCROWNE JUSTICE

  ~

  I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ARMIES, or facing down gods. I couldn’t even comprehend a conspiracy so large it involved one of the Crowns, the Solhan Circle...my sister. It was all too big for me, so I focused on the one thing that had kept me going. I could finally ask the question that had been haunting me for so long.

  “Why did you kill my brother?”

  No response.

  “Answer all her questions,” Erick ordered.

  “I didn’t kill him,” Harald said.

  “Don’t lie to me.” Fury burned through my veins. Before I realized it, I’d slapped Harald’s face.

  “He can’t lie,” Erick said.

  It couldn’t be. I had finally gotten justice for Viktor, or so I thought. Had I killed Jhenna for nothing?

  No. Harald may not be able to lie, but he could be very precise with his answers. “Did Jhenna kill him then?” I asked more calmly. “Did Ilsa?”

  “
I don’t know,” he said, unrepentant. “I hope so. He was an annoying bastard.”

  I moved to slap him again, but I stopped myself this time. My control was too thin to allow anything past it. I had to battle that sweet anger. “What would she have needed his heart for? Jhenna or Ilsa?”

  He shrugged. “The most potent magic is fed by souls.”

  “What about Nanny. Why did you take her?”

  “We searched your brother’s house, but we never saw the old woman. Perhaps Jhenna took her later without telling me? She made most of the decisions.” Unexpectedly, the life returned to him, and he hung his head, tears falling to the grass. Erick’s spell of compulsion must have worn off. “What will I do without her?”

  “You won’t have long to be alone,” I soothed. “The hangman will stretch your neck for what you’ve done.”

  “Good. Good.”

  He disgusted me. I went to the horse and stroked the animal’s mane to calm myself. Erick came up beside me.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about the Compact?” I said.

  “Few who know about it are allowed to live. I chose not to endanger you.” Erick put his arms around me. “In any event, a greater evil has been perpetuated by King Fharen. His abduction of so many humans, whatever his plans for them, not only risks those people’s lives but also the Compact and the thin hope Highcrowne has of survival.”

  This was way too big for me. “All I know is I want Nanny back, and I want Viktor’s killer brought to justice.” Whether it was Jhenna or Ilsa, I would find out.

  “Harald will reveal every one of his compatriots,” Erick said. “I will hunt them down. I promise. Someone must know what became of Madam Olinov.”

  I wanted more than a promise. I wanted this to be over. The ache left in my chest by Viktor’s death had not dulled with time but continued to grow stronger.

  ~

  Erick tended my burns. The salve he used cooled the reddened skin on my arms and legs and enabled me to ride the horse without discomfort. I ate to replenish my strength, while Erick walked beside Harald.

  The slaver was bound and tied to a short tether. Erick held the leash and questioned him as we travelled.

  The horse was faster than oxen, but there was no way it could carry three people. The burned-out wagon was beyond repair, even if I could bring myself to step inside one again, which meant the trip back to Highcrowne would be a long one. I almost wished for one of those frightening locomotives to speed things up.

  Along the way, we learned Randall was still in town and within reach. I was eager to see him put in irons too.

  The Solhan Circle’s other wagons were encamped farther east, near the pass leading to the fort and the Solhan border. Olaf the accountant was with that caravan. I hoped the slave my brother had once tried to help would finally be freed for good. The Guard would have to go after him, however, because it was the opposite direction from where I wanted to go.

  I needed to find Ilsa. My sister might be the only one who knew where Nanny was and what had really happened to Viktor.

  I dozed with my head resting on the horse’s neck. When we camped for the evening, I was fresh with questions for Erick. “I sent a bogle to fetch Karolyne, but you came instead. Not that I’m complaining. Did the creature find you?”

  “Yes. I have spoken to them before, and they know me. Bogles see much and are useful for avoiding trouble. I employed a few as lookouts whenever Viktor and I set a slave free.”

  “You employ them?”

  “They dislike the scraps they’re forced to eat and prefer proper food if it’s available.” He took a bite from one of the travel cakes and chewed slowly, his expression making it clear he preferred proper food as well. “They have no use for currency, but they also appreciate a few copper knuts in payment.”

  “Huh,” I said, fascinated. “I’ll have to remember that about them.” If I found the bogle who helped me, I’d reward him with a platter of food, as promised, bought with my newly recovered silver.

  I tried to ignore the slaver trussed up on the other side of the fire and put my head on Erick’s shoulder. “I may have forgotten to say it earlier…Thank you.”

  “Thank you for living,” he said, stroking my cheek. Gently, he whispered, “I need you.”

  I smiled. “You need trouble, do you? I come with a lot of baggage, tagged with the name of ‘Thorne’.”

  “I know, but I’m still here.” He kissed me, and, even this far outside fortified city walls, I felt safe.

  I snuggled closer, tired enough to fall asleep after all. As I drifted off, I saw Jhenna’s burning form, silent and stone-like, and started awake again.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing.” I shook my head, trying to clear it. “How did you stop her? Jhenna was immune to fire until you came along.”

  “The means to destroy the Dead God’s minions is a simple magic to learn. All it takes is the right knowledge.”

  “It looked to me like you commanded her to stop, and she did. She obeyed you.” I tried to keep the awe I felt out of my voice. Power like that frightened me a little, but I couldn’t help being impressed by it.

  “There is still consciousness inside them, a soul trapped, but the compulsion driving them makes them do whatever unspeakable things are necessary to reach the god’s side. The god is not the only one who can compel, however.” He smiled and smoothed my hair. “Sleep.”

  ~

  We reached Highcrowne in a little over four days. It was sunset, the entire mountain above us and the massive stone buildings of the Central City all glowed orange. I was excited when we rode into the Outskirts, ready to fight with the Crowns themselves, whatever it took to see the slaver’s dealings stopped.

  After we stabled the horse, we dropped the saddlebags, including my strongbox of coins, at Viktor’s. The place looked the same as I’d left it—a mess.

  Kali ran down the stairs and stopped just short of hugging me. “Jorg and I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You vanished like Nanny—but I like you. I didn’t know what to do.” She caught sight of Harald and went quiet, cowed by the presence of her old slave master.

  “Don’t worry about him. He’s not going to be here much longer.” I filled Kali in on my adventures over the last week, leaving out many details I wanted to forget. “This isn’t over yet,” I told her, heading to the front door. “We’ll be back soon.”

  Erick suggested I stay home and rest, but I didn’t like those kinds of suggestions. After I put on my one good dress—I know I was stupid. Who I was I trying to impress?—I took hold of Harald, raised my weary chin high, and started walking.

  Erick followed with an amused expression. I think he was starting to realize that damsel in distress wasn’t my usual state, and I preferred to be in charge.

  Before we left the Outskirts, Erick raised his hood and said, “This is where I must take my leave, Darling Eva. I wish you luck with your crusade.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Not far. I will find you later when the excitement has died down.”

  “I can’t picture my excitement dying anytime soon.”

  He slipped into the sparse shadows beside the columns of the Light Bringer temple.

  I kept walking, Harald trailing behind thanks to a renewed compulsion left on him by Erick, one that placed the slaver under my command. Not that Harald had much fight left in him. After I dealt with him, I’d face Ilsa. She, I was certain, would put up a fight.

  I strode up to the Guardhouse in the Goldsmith’s Quarter, Conrad’s Guardhouse, looking as high class and authoritative as I could. I had to erase his memory of my past idiocy. But Conrad wasn’t there. Only dwarves, with their brusque voices and inscrutable, hairy faces, answered when I knocked and told my story.

  It started sounding ridiculous, so I kept to the salient points, such as slavers stealing refugees off the streets and shipping them to the front, presumably under the Elf King’s orders but against all Highcrowne laws.


  “I see,” the dwarf captain said. I still hadn’t gotten his name, but he remembered me. I could tell by the dubious expression and the arch to his bushy eyebrows that seemed to say, ‘Another wild yarn. This woman is crazy.’

  I didn’t let go of Harald’s leash, even as soldiers surrounded us and marched us uphill. I hoped we were headed for the Central City, but they stopped outside the prison in the Market District. I hadn’t enjoyed my stay there, but being locked in the wagon with Jhenna had been worse, so my memory of it was almost fond in comparison.

  “No,” I told the dwarf captain. “This isn’t good enough. Didn’t you hear me? King Fharen is involved.”

  The dwarf snorted. I must have really amused him this time.

  The gate creaked open before I could come up with a better argument. I recognized the silver-haired mage who had questioned me on my last visit.

  “No,” I repeated. “You can’t trust Harald to an elf.”

  “Miss Thorne,” the elven mage said. “You’ve changed. I didn’t hear you complaining about my race before, and now you seem to have your friend on a leash. As impenetrable as human behavior often is to me, I find that part particularly perplexing.”

  “This slaver is not my friend. He has a confession to make.” While Viktor had been gathering suspicious documents, I had proof positive to offer. I commanded Harald to speak and tell his story again.

  The elf cut Harald off before he could finish. “We do not concern ourselves with human affairs.”

  “This should concern you. It should concern the Elf King himself, since he’s been caught out. Maybe you shouldn’t have bothered so much with emancipationists when there are far greater problems to deal with.”

  “Miss Thorne...” he began condescendingly.

  “Harald here,” I said, yanking the slaver’s tether to make him look up, “has been stealing people off the streets and shipping them to Solheim. That is against Avian law. Highcrowne law.”

  “Miss Thorne, I do not care what he says. A human has no right to accuse a Citizen of anything, let alone a Crown.”