Tangle of Thornes

by Lorel Clayton

  I had forgotten I was in Highcrowne.

  “What about the law? No new slaves can be created in the Three Kingdoms.”

  “Ah yes, there is that. We may have to investigate the activities of the Solhan Circle further.”

  “So, we humans can’t testify against a Citizen, but we’re still subject to Highcrowne’s laws?”

  “Yes, that about sums it up.” The elf’s smile indicated he had no remorse for the obvious inequality.

  Their investigation could continue for weeks or months, with the bureaucracy’s glacial pace, so I reminded them of a few crucial details.

  “You need to send guards after the caravan in the Eastern Pass. They have more illegal slaves there, and in the ships on the river. They must be stopped before they reach the border with Solheim. And don’t send a lowly messenger to alert the soldiers at The Wall. Slaves could not have been taken through the pass without the officers there knowing. You need to send someone reliable.”

  “Of course.” The elf mage gestured for his own men to step forward.

  The dwarves made a gap, and an elf guard reached for the leather leash I held. I let go—what else could I do? I was surrounded by the Guard. They were supposed to be the good guys.

  When Harald was theirs, all I got was a dismissive wave. “You may go now,” the elven captain said. “Be assured the Crowns will enforce the law.”

  “I’ll be more assured when I see a few more people on the streets again.”

  His frown made me wonder how many of those refugees would be diverted down the southern fork of the Serpent’s Ribbon, and wind up in the war torn human nations rather than returned to Highcrowne.

  I’d been so stupid. Again.

  I turned to go but stopped with my back to them. “One more question, Harald.” I’d forgotten to ask the slaver everything. I blamed my oversight on exhaustion and not wanting to look at his hated face any more than I had to. “You deny killing Viktor, but what about the private detective I hired, Oberon? Do you blame his death on Jhenna as well?”

  “No. I killed him,” he said matter of fact. “Oberon recognized some of the refugees we’d branded as slaves, and it was easier to dispose of him. He was only a dwarf.”

  The dwarf guardsmen grumbled loudly. That would ensure they dealt with the slaver. Seemed Harald was as racist as my uncle. Solhans, elves, humans, dwarves, would none of us ever just get along?

  “Goodbye, Harald.”

  “See you by the Dead God’s side,” he said, cheerily.

  According to some Solhan beliefs, we would all end up serving Him once this life was over. Harald was reminding me how pointless my efforts were: we were going to the same place.

  I’d had enough for one day. I wanted to go home, but there was still Nanny.

  I asked after Ilsa until the moon was high. I visited all her friends and favorite shops, but not even Morgan had seen her. Maybe she knew something, maybe she didn’t, but she’d managed to avoid me very effectively. I would look for her in the morning.

  At least, I could show Gypsum my face again, tell her we’d captured the man who killed her brother-in-law, even if it was my fault the detective had gotten involved in the slavers’ business to begin with. One mystery solved.

  Maybe she would be more inclined to forgive me for abusing her friendship of late? I didn’t have a peace offering for Karolyne, but I’d think of something. Showing up for work might be a start.

  But I passed by Karolyne’s café without going in. I didn’t have the strength to face the crowd inside. They were loud and settling in for the evening. I saw merchants and mercenaries through warped glass panes, clustered round the hearth.

  As I stepped onto the deserted cobblestone street, oil lamps switched on, thanks to pure and simple Avian magic. Their orange glow reflected off icicles hanging from the eaves of nearby houses.

  Conrad was waiting for me, like he’d been after I was arrested, so quiet the lights hadn’t sensed him. I had a moment of déjà vu. He stood straight as a guard fresh out of training, which he really was. I had demanded too much from him.

  “Are you all right, Eva?” He took my hands, and they trembled in his strong grip.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry about the way I embarrassed you at the docks.”

  “I’m more ashamed of not believing you. When you were missing, I went crazy, looking all over the city. I feared you were dead.”

  “I was there to save her.” Erick stepped out of the dark and put an arm on my shoulder.

  Conrad jumped. I wondered how long he’d been waiting, not realizing Erick was there too.

  I stiffened, not enjoying the male posturing. “I’d dealt with Jhenna. I’m sure I could have handled Harald.” Irritation always made my tongue get away from me, so I added, “But, I’m glad you came along, Erick.”

  “I think everyone’s forgetting my contribution.” Duane smiled as he emerged from the shadows, a different set than the ones Erick must have been hiding in.

  Erick started, which almost made me laugh. What goes around comes around.

  I didn’t feel like crossing swords with Duane now, but I cocked a hip and said, “Just what do you think you did?”

  “Mister Adder told me that you’d been taken,” Conrad said. “Everyone was looking for you.”

  “His name isn’t Adder,” I said automatically. I thought of the fight in the old textile mill and felt a twitch of sympathy for Duane. “Did you find Grim and Gormless?”

  Duane nodded. “They were in bad shape. If not for your uncle...”

  “They’re alive?”

  “Yes, Ulric reversed the spell used against them. It was awful before that, terrible.” He held out my Ashur and belt pouch. “I found these. I can’t believe someone managed to disarm you.”

  “It has happened from time to time.” I looked at the blood dried on the Ashur, outlining the carvings in deep brown, and thought that I wouldn’t be disarmed by Jhenna ever again.

  Inside the soft leather bag, I found the amulet that led me to Viktor’s workshop and revealed the dark magic it seemed no Thorne could escape. After I refastened my belt pouch, I hung the amulet around my neck as a souvenir of my brother and a reminder of where I was headed if I didn’t watch myself.

  “You disappeared at the docks,” I chided Duane. I straightened the amulet on my chest.

  “I knew the Guard was incompetent.” He didn’t care that Conrad was standing right beside him. “So, I searched the ship for Old Nanny myself. She wasn’t onboard.”

  “Then how did Jhenna get her out of the city?”

  “Another boat?” Duane suggested. “I’ve kept up the search, for both of you, but no one has seen her and there is no place she can be. She must have been taken out of the city another way. I will find her, Eva.”

  I gave a noncommittal nod. I had hoped the Guard would discover Nanny when they seized the ship on the river, but Duane’s information dashed that hope. I put my lips against Erick’s ear. “We have to find Ilsa, and find Nanny ourselves.”

  Duane must have heard my whisper, because he tensed. He had to be peeved by my lack of faith in him—I tried hard to annoy whenever the opportunity arose—but he didn’t say anything.

  “Tomorrow,” Erick whispered back. “I will do whatever it takes to reunite you.”

  I sighed, weary and aching for a real bed, even if it was the guest room. “You’re right.”

  To Duane, I said, “Tell Grim and Gormless thanks for helping me.”

  “And me?” He shot me an insouciant smile. Duane was being uncharacteristically flirty, and it made Erick’s hand tighten on my shoulder. I was certain baiting Erick was Duane’s sole objective. Conrad looked miserable. I thought it best to put an end to the torture all around.

  “Thank you. All of you,” I said. “But I’m tired. Goodnight.” I took Erick’s hand and led him toward my house.

  I felt the other two watching me, like an itch between my shoulder blades. But, by the time I reached the door and Erick
kissed me, I managed to forget all about them.

  “I’m used to camping beside you now. I’m not sure I can sleep in a bed alone,” I said.

  Erick smiled. “I must admit that I cannot bear to leave you alone, not when you are hunted by someone so ruthless.”

  “Harald is in prison.”

  “Yes, but someone else wants your heart.”

  “You’re jealous of Conrad? He’s a friend.”

  “I was thinking of the Adder.”

  “Even more ridiculous.” I kissed Erick in such a way he could not doubt my feelings for him. Another crush? I was notorious for them. But I didn’t care. “Now, do you want to come inside or not?”

  “I could not forgive myself for abandoning you now.” He carried me across the obstacle cluttered floor and up the stairs, kissing me the entire time.

  Kali peeked her head out of Little Viktor’s old room. “Eva?”

  I came up for air. “Hello.”

  “What did they do to Harald?” she asked.

  “Can I tell you the whole story tomorrow?” Erick looked ready to set me down, but I clutched his neck tighter. I wasn’t going to let him get away.

  “Of course,” she said with a knowing look. “See you in the morning.” She ducked inside and bolted the door behind her.

  Although Erick had managed to evade the fragmented furniture and broken glassware downstairs, he tripped over the clothes scattered on my bedroom floor. The bed caught us both.

  There was enough light from the street lamps filtering through the window for me to see his smile and the glint of desire in his eyes.

  “Now,” I said, “I’ve heard that Kells are skilled in the arts of the bedchamber. You once mentioned passing through their land during your travels.”

  “Yes.”

  “You pick up any local lore?”

  “Some. Shall I show you?”

  “Please.” My troubles weren’t over, but, when Erick looked down at me, I felt happier than I had in a long time.

  ~

  Hours later, I dozed, satiated. Erick had learned a lot from the Kells, and I was jealous, thinking of the girls he must have met there. How was I going to hold his interest? Still, it seemed I was managing. Every time I opened my eyes, he was looking at me with a faint smile on his lips.

  “Shouldn’t you sleep?” I asked. “We have work to do in the morning, remember? More detective work.”

  “I want to fix this moment in my memory. I want to always remember you like this.”

  “Sleepy and messy haired?”

  “Beautiful, happy...and in love with me.”

  “You think I’m in love with you?” The arrogance of the man.

  “I know you are.” He held up a stone. It resembled a raw emerald, but one that glowed with inner fire. More magic. “This tells me what you’re feeling.”

  “Cheater.”

  “I’m a bad man.”

  “You’re Solhan; you can’t help it,” I said, only half in jest.

  His smile faded. “I mean it. I don’t want to do this. Forgive me.”

  I was still half asleep, but something about his tone made my heart speed up.

  “What?”

  “Forgive me,” he repeated.

  Then I noticed he held more than the glowing gem in his hand. There was a vial suspended above me. A silver drop fell as I watched. I was transfixed and didn’t move away in time. As soon as the liquid touched my lips, the cold sensation spread across the surface of my skin, encasing me in what felt like solid ice. It was like the privacy potion Erick had used before, except I couldn’t say a word or move a muscle. I was paralyzed.

  He said, “Time to meet your destiny, Eva.”

  24│ BARGAINS

  ~

  I EXPERIENCED ONE OF THOSE horrible moments on the edge of sleep where terror flutters in your chest and you want to wake up but can’t. I was already awake. The potion Erick gave me trapped me in a nightmarish limbo, where I was aware of the danger and able to think clearly but unable to do anything to save myself.

  “Preparations are necessary. Do not fear, Eva. I will return shortly,” he whispered into my ear, before quietly exiting the room. It was him returning I feared.

  I fought to gain control of my body. I couldn’t even open my mouth to cry for help.

  The potion hadn’t worn off by the time Erick slunk back in, half an hour later. He wrapped me in the blanket from the bed, leaving my face uncovered, and slung me easily over one shoulder. He carried me through the kitchen, down the back stairs and to the alley, where a two-wheeled cart waited.

  This must have been how Nanny was taken without anyone hearing or seeing anything. The slavers weren’t responsible for her abduction. It had been Erick all along. Was this how he’d removed Viktor’s heart without a struggle? Would he do the same to me?

  It was after midnight, the streets quiet except for the creak of wood and rustle of cloth as the cart’s movement shifted me from side to side. I couldn’t see where he was taking me, but it couldn’t be far. Erick pulled the cart himself, and I heard his labored breathing as we went uphill. It would be impossible to get me out of the city this way. He was likely only searching for a good spot to leave my body.

  Should I have guessed it was Erick? I’d had my suspicions at first, but then again, I’d suspected everybody, and he’d done so much to allay my fears. He hated slavery, and he’d risked his life to set people free. Had it all been a ruse to ingratiate himself with first Viktor and then me? Was I that bad a judge of character? He even saved me from Harald...because he wanted to kill me himself.

  I was stupid, and weak, just as Ilsa said. I’d fallen in love with him. Briefly. Those feelings were well and truly gone now, but they hadn’t yet turned to hatred. I hated myself too much to leave room for anything else.

  The cart stopped. This was it then: a stupid end to a stupid life. When Erick picked me up, his expression held such pity I couldn’t believe he was doing this voluntarily. He could be under some sort of compulsion. I felt a surge of hope. Perhaps he would break free and release me? Perhaps I hadn’t misjudged him?

  It was false hope. He unlocked a metal door and carried me down a narrow tunnel into a cave excavated from the mountain on which Highcrowne was built. It was a deserted dwarf structure. The place must be structurally unsafe for them to have abandoned such a large chamber. Light from a circle of braziers did not reach the farthest walls.

  The first thing I noticed was the heart. It rested inside a white circle painted on the stone floor, magic symbols smeared across the flesh with black charcoal. It looked fresh, but I sensed it was Viktor’s.

  Erick placed me in another small circle of my own. The white paint was tacky. I felt it against the bare flesh of my leg. I could feel again. The potion was wearing off, but I couldn’t move yet. He held out his hand, and a bogle ran out of the shadows carrying a wooden mortar and pestle.

  “Here, Master,” it said.

  The bogles were working with Erick, and not simply as lookouts. It hadn’t been luck that a bogle found me in the slaver’s wagon. Erick must have ordered it to watch me. He couldn’t let anything happen to his human sacrifice.

  He took the mortar. “Thank you. You have done well with the preparations.” He was always polite.

  The bogle rubbed his hands at the praise and backed away. It paused briefly beside the circle containing Viktor’s remains. “Must not eat the heart,” it muttered, “must not....” It scurried into the shadows.

  I slumped like a sack of grain, while Erick smeared the black paste the bogle had brought in the hollow between my breasts, just below the amulet I’d used to track Viktor. The amulet felt hot against my skin with Viktor’s living heart so near. It warmed the paste, which stunk of soot and animal fat. At least I hoped it was animal. The symbols he drew were the same as those on the heart.

  He bound my hands and feet and tied them to a metal loop, anchored into the stone between my knees. I was in a prayer position, legs trapped benea
th me, head bowed forward, hands squeezed tightly together. While I gave passing respects to the household gods, I hadn’t prayed in years. Probably too late to start.

  “Where’s Uncle ‘Ane?” a child sobbed.

  No.

  “Little Viktor?” I could speak.

  “Eva?” I recognized Nanny’s scratchy voice. More surprising than finding her in this dungeon was the fact she’d remembered my name.

  I could move my eyes but nothing more. Straining until I was afraid an eyeball would pop out, I finally caught sight of her on the opposite side of the chamber. I sensed Little Viktor somewhere in the darkness to my right, but I couldn’t see him, and his sniffles were muffled.

  “If Erick hurt you, Vikky....”

  “You’ll do what?” Nanny asked. “Call the Guard?”

  “I shall leave you to your reunion,” Erick said. “There is one crucial component missing. When he arrives, we can begin.”

  “I’m going to kill you, Erick!” That was my voice, but I hadn’t said it. I’d been thinking it. Ilsa was here too. She had the same voice as me when she shouted. Wonderful. Weren’t things bad enough already?

  “You don’t mean that, my love.” Erick’s words made my stomach twist. They sounded so intimate. I suddenly knew he had been with Ilsa as well.

  “Farewell, Ladies and Young Gentleman. I will return soon enough.” His footsteps echoed over Ilsa’s curses. She kept it up until the metal door screeched open and clanged shut again.

  Only when Erick was long gone did my twin stop screaming, panting for breath.

  “Not so special without your charms,” Nanny mocked her.

  “You didn’t fare any better,” Ilsa retorted.

  “He’s one of the Nine,” Nanny said. “We never had a chance.”

  “Ulric will stop him.” I couldn’t see her, but I knew Ilsa’s nose was in the air. She put a lot of faith in our uncle.

  Nanny cackled. “Not with five of us here now. If Ulric is smart, he’ll put the world between himself and Erick and leave us to die.”

  It was becoming clear now. Viktor hadn’t been killed because of his activities against the slave trade—he’d died because he was Ulric’s nephew. Everyone in this chamber had a connection to my uncle, either through blood, or in Nanny’s case, through affection, having raised him from an infant.