CHAPTER 10
Erynn half-expected Quinn to chase after her, or demand she stop, but he did neither. Still, she raced from the main keep and across the ward to the stables, not stopping until she had reached the servants' quarters. By now, all of the other women were asleep, so she moved quietly down the moonlit aisle to her cot and crawled in, not even bothering to change her clothes.
Somewhere outside, likely up on the thick wall that divided the inner and outer wards, a man laughed.
Erynn pulled her blanket up to her chin and lay still, staring back down the aisle at the door and listening for heavy footsteps on the stairs. She knew one thing for sure: if Quinn did tell Holden what he saw and he sent Marik to arrest her, she wasn't going to go quietly. She'd wake everyone up. Make sure they all knew what Holden was up to with the Galians. And since it might be her last chance, she'd tell them about Lord Caden, too.
She closed her eyes as an image came to mind, of the one and only time she'd ever met Gareth. It was the day before his wedding to Lianne, and only a few days before he left with Adena's father and a small host of men for Ridan. She was in the market, shopping for her mother, when she saw her father step into one of the shops across the street. She had wandered in after him, but found the store empty and his voice coming from the back room. Not bothering to knock, she walked in and saw him talking to Gareth and a bald man with a red beard she'd never seen before. Her father had seemed oddly upset at the interruption, and the red-bearded man had quickly slipped out the door, but Gareth didn't seem annoyed at all and had even talked to her for a few minutes. She knew he was leaving for Ridan and had asked if he was scared to be going off to a war, but instead of answering he had kneeled down in front of her and asked if she thought she could fight to protect those she loved. She said she was just a girl, not a knight with a sword, but he said that didn't matter and that if she loved someone, or something, enough she could do things she never thought possible. She had believed him for a while, but then her mother's illness worsened and no matter how hard Erynn worked to take care of her, it made no difference. She had been powerless to save her father, too.
Erynn opened her eyes. Was she powerless still? Gareth had written her not long after she returned from Galia, to tell her how sad he was to hear of her father's death. It was a letter she had been absolutely stunned to receive and which she still kept, safely stowed away in its letter tube, in the pack under her cot — along with the black stone and the letter old Soren had found. That the future King of Alyria would take time away from the war to write her had touched her in a way nothing else had at the time. More than anything the king himself, Lord Brison, or anyone else had said. How could she let them kill him now? Telling the king was out of the question. And Faris wasn't likely to be of any help, either. The guards weren't just watching the falcons and she wasn't sure she could trust him anyway. Her only hope was Sheldon Birch. If she could find him and convince him to send a letter to Gareth, warning him about the banquet, maybe she could do something this time. Maybe she could save him.
Erynn hadn't expected to sleep, but before she knew it light was creeping into the room and the other women were up and getting ready for the day. For a second she wondered if it had all been a bad dream, and that Holden wasn't really conspiring with the Galians to kill his brother, but then she realized she was still dressed and knew every moment of it was real.
Adena glanced over at her from the next cot and seemed to pick up right away that something was wrong, but Erynn motioned for her to say nothing. She rose and changed her clothes, discovering with some alarm that she had forgotten all about the dried tea leaves in her pocket and they had spilled out into her cot during the night. She discreetly swept up as much of them as she could and tucked them back into her pocket, reminding herself to get rid of them on the way down to the village.
Erynn waited until she and Adena had left the servants' quarters and were down in the stables, alone, before finally telling her everything — from the plan she had come up with to go down to the village, to her overhearing the plot against Gareth and her encounter with Quinn. But it wasn't until she had finished her story and Adena was still trying to absorb everything, that Erynn realized who it was the Galians might be after.
"Lianne?" Adena said with a frown. "Why her?"
"Because she was originally supposed to marry Naedra's son," Erynn said. "Her father called off the engagement after Galia invaded Ridan."
"Her father's the King of Verdan, right?"
"Right," Erynn said, remembering that Adena had never cared much for history or politics.
"But why would they want her now? That was four years ago."
"I don't know. The king told me once that Galia and Verdan haven't gotten along since she married Gareth. Maybe this has something to do with that. Maybe Naedra wants Lianne because she thinks it will give her some control over her father."
"Or control over Gareth?"
"Lord Caden seemed pretty sure they could get to him at that banquet."
"Well, you have to tell the king what you heard. Or at least Lianne."
But Erynn had already made up her mind. "I can't. Now I know Holden will do something if his father tries to interfere. And I already told you I can't tell her. She'd probably just go to the king. Or confront Holden. Maybe even tell him where she learned of his little plan."
"Well, you can't handle this yourself," Adena said, whispering as a couple of stablehands walked by. "It's too dangerous."
"I don't have any other choice, Adena. I can't let them kill him. Besides, Lord Caden said Naedra will be upset if her plan fails. Maybe she'll blame him and kill him herself."
Adena still didn't look like she agreed, but she finally sighed and at least seemed resigned not to bother her about it anymore. "Well, I still can't believe you didn't read the king's last entry. That's why you went up to the study in the first place."
Erynn hadn't even remembered that fact until she had almost finished her story. She knew why the Galians were here now — or at least she was certain she did — and how Holden was conspiring with them to kill his brother, but she still didn't understand why Krystalix cared so much. What would make him go against his usual behavior and kill two of the Galians? She rubbed a hand over her eyes, still able to smell the dust from the drapes amid the faintly sweet scent of dried tea leaves. An image came to mind of the dark-haired woman she had read about in the history book, standing next to Krystalix with her hand on his nose, but then another stablehand walked by and she pushed the thought away. "I need to go before someone sees me and tells Mirella I'm dawdling. I'll try to see the king when I get back. If he does suspect the Galians have come for Lianne, maybe I can find out more."
"They want me to help with the Galian horses today," Adena said. "Who knows, maybe I can learn something useful, too."
After wishing each other luck, Erynn headed out the stable doors and turned south toward the inner gatehouse. She was hungry and wanted nothing more than to go to the kitchen and grab something to eat, but didn't want to risk running into Mirella.
Halfway across the ward, she saw a sight that stopped her cold.
Marik was standing near the gatehouse, talking with two men she'd never seen before. The men seemed agitated about something and had horses waiting nearby, as if they'd just arrived at the castle, but Marik seemed calm. Standing next to him was Quinn.
Erynn stopped and glanced around, feeling a sudden urge to hide but too far from the stables or the keep to duck out of sight. She couldn't believe her luck. Why did they both have to be at the gate now? Right when she wanted to leave?
A wagon rolled past and she realized it was the one Mirella sent down to the market every morning for supplies. The same one the headservant had insisted on sending for the tea. Without giving it much thought, Erynn stepped in behind the wagon and moved to the side opposite Marik and Quinn. She knew she couldn't hide from them completely, but hoped they'd be too busy talking to notice her pass by.
The
wagon rumbled forward toward the gatehouse. People passed by on foot and on horses, but Erynn kept her eyes down and simply focused on putting one foot ahead of the other. Soon the shadow of the inner gatehouse loomed in front of her and then she was through it and into the outer ward. And then finally, several minutes later, she was through the main gatehouse and out on the road, making her way down the long winding hill towards Caraden Village.
The road was thick with horses and wagons, so she kept close to the side to avoid being hit. As she walked, she dropped bits of dried tea leaves onto the road and tried to figure out what she was going to say to Sheldon. She just hoped he felt as strongly about saving Gareth as she did.
She hadn't been gone long when a group of horses rode up quickly from behind. She tensed and glanced back.
It was Quinn. He and all five of his men were galloping down the hill towards her.
For a moment Erynn was sure he had come to arrest her, but he didn't slow down and simply caught her eye and gave her a brief nod as he thundered past. The two men she had spotted talking with Marik were also with him, and as she continued walking and watched them disappear around the corner at the bottom of the hill and then reappear a short time later on the road west, she wondered where they were off to in such a hurry and if he had said anything to Holden. The not knowing was starting to drive her crazy.
The market was busier than Erynn had ever seen it before. News of the Galians — and the banquet — had clearly drawn people from all over Alyria and they filled the aisles and seemed far more interested in talking about what was going on than buying or selling anything. She wandered around for a while, watching for Sheldon and listening in on bits of conversation to see if she could find out anything new about the war, but she heard nothing of interest. Just some talk of recent thefts in the northern towns around Caraden. Eventually she made her way toward the back of the market, where Sheldon usually kept his stand, but instead of the old falconer, she found a younger man selling a variety of kitchen goods — plates, mugs and utensils.
"Anything interest you, miss?" he asked as she approached. "Some new plates perhaps?"
The last thing Erynn was interested in was plates, but she smiled politely. "I'm actually looking for Sheldon Birch. Do you know him? This is usually his stand."
The man shook his head. "No, but then I'm new around here. I did hear he might not be back for a while though. Some sort of tragedy in his family, I believe."
Erynn's heart sank. "Who told you that?"
He gestured toward a rather large woman selling baskets on the other side of the market, a woman Erynn had seen before and knew was one of the organizers. She thanked him and headed down the aisles toward the woman, hoping with all her heart he was mistaken.
"I'm looking for Sheldon Birch," Erynn asked when she reached the woman, interrupting a conversation she appeared to be having with a shorter woman in the aisle. "The man at his stand said he wasn't expected back soon and that something had happened to his family. Is that true?"
The woman exchanged looks with the other in the aisle, and then a sad look came over her face. "I'm afraid so. We heard the news a couple months ago. His son was killed. And his daughter-in-law. Awful, awful news."
"Killed?" Erynn asked. "What happened?"
A slight look of unease crossed the woman's face, as if she didn't feel comfortable saying anything more. She looked again at the other woman before finally glancing around and leaning her great weight forward across the table, between two baskets. "They said it was soldiers from the castle. Marik Fayne."
Erynn closed her eyes, suddenly not sure she wanted to hear the rest.
"I can't imagine what Sheldon must be going through," the woman in the aisle said, shaking her head sadly. "He taught his son everything he knew about those birds and it was falconry that got them both killed."
"Falconry?" Erynn gasped, and as both women nodded she remembered what Faris had said about Marik killing people who weren't obeying Holden's new law. And how dangerous he said it would be for her to try sending the letter herself. She felt ill, like she needed to sit down, but at the same time she knew she couldn't leave yet, that there was still one more question she needed to ask. The only problem was, she no longer wanted to ask it. "Do you know where he lives? It's really important that I find him."
"Only that it's in the south somewhere," the woman behind the stand said. "He never said much about himself, or his family. Just liked talking about those falcons."
Erynn thanked the women and headed back across the market, wandering rather aimlessly for a while. Her thoughts went to Adena's brother, Jared, and how Sheldon had given him lessons in falconry. Secret lessons, so his father wouldn't find out. If Marik could so easily kill Sheldon's son and daughter-in-law, he could easily kill Jared, too. She knew how much her friend missed her brother, but now she wondered if maybe it was better he wasn't in Alyria.
She stopped several times to ask other vendors she knew had been around for a while if they knew where Sheldon lived, but they all seemed somewhat uncomfortable discussing the old falconer and simply told her the same thing: that he lived down south somewhere and no one expected him back soon. Eventually she gave up and headed across the market towards the herbalist. She still wasn't sure what she was going to do about the letter in her pocket, but knew she didn't have any more time for that now. She needed to pick up the tea and get back to the castle before she landed in even more trouble with Mirella.
The herbalist recognized her at once and immediately set to work preparing a package of the same blackish-green leaves. An old woman sat next to him on a stool and hadn't stopped staring at Erynn the entire time they talked. Erynn knew she was his mother, but had had a few odd encounters with her in the past and wasn't in the mood for one now. So she turned away as she waited and let her eyes pass back over the market.
Her attention landed on two men at one of the stands a few aisles over. They had a rather rough and menacing look, and were both wearing long dark cloaks and swords — unusual for the market. The taller man was thin, with a slightly pointed chin and black hair. He had a tool of some kind in his hand, which Erynn wasn't able to see very well through the crowd, and he appeared to be trying to sell it to one of the vendors. The other man had a barrel chest and a receding brown hairline and kept casting glances around the market. The vendor was shaking his head, not looking interested in buying the item let alone even talking to the men, but the taller man didn't appear willing to take no for an answer.
The herbalist handed Erynn a small parchment-wrapped package of tea, and she forgot all about the two strange men with the swords and turned for the road. But she hadn't gone more than a few steps when she felt a tug on her arm.
It was the old woman.
Before Erynn could speak, the old woman leaned close and pressed something into her palm — a package similar in size and shape to the one the herbalist had just given her.
"Put it in their drinks, dear," she whispered.
Erynn frowned. "What is this?"
The old woman's eyes darted around. "Do it during the evening meal and no one will know."
For a moment, Erynn was speechless. "I don't understand. Who —"
"The Galians, dear. Do it for your father."
Something in the old woman's eyes and the tone of her voice set the hairs on the back of Erynn's neck on end. What had the old woman given her? She raised the bundle to her nose and noticed it had a slightly nutty smell. "Is this … poison?"
"Sshhh!" the old woman said, waving a hand to silence her. A heavy-set man brushed by in the aisle and she waited for him to pass before leaning close again. "No one will know, dear. They'll go to sleep but won't wake up."
Erynn felt a chill run down her spine — suddenly very aware of all of the people moving around them in the market. It was poison! She could see it in the old woman's eyes. She wanted her to kill the Galians! As she glanced back down at the package, her mind reeling, she remembered Adena's comment
s the day the Galians arrived. About slipping something in Lord Caden's stew. The old woman had just given her exactly what she needed to do it. To give her the justice she wanted. But could she?
She shuddered. Was this how Naedra planned to kill Gareth? To slip something in his meal at the banquet in Sarda? She could feel the old woman watching her, nodding silently and waiting for her to head back up to the castle with the poison clutched in her hand. A wave of nausea rose inside and she clenched her teeth. She wanted justice, but couldn't bring herself to do it this way. She thrust the package back. "Take it. I don't want it."
The woman seemed disappointed — and refused to take it. "Do it for your father, dear. They deserve it. All of them. Once they have Ridan, they'll come for us!"
"No," Erynn said, shaking her head. "Take it!" But still the woman refused.
People turned their heads, but Erynn ignored them. She was going to drop the package on the ground if the old woman refused her again.
"Mother?" the herbalist said, obviously noting the commotion and coming around the stand. "What are you doing?" He looked at Erynn and saw the package on her outstretched palm.
"Tell her to take it," Erynn said. "I told her I don't want it."
Before he could speak, the old woman snatched the package and tried to slip it in her pocket, but he grabbed her arm and wrenched it from her hand. He raised it to his nose and a split-second later his eyes went wide.
"You gave this to her?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.
The old woman shrugged, as if she didn't think she had done anything wrong. "She works in the kitchen. Those Galians deserve to die for what they've done. Every one of them. One day she'll wish she had."
The herbalist looked at Erynn, shock and apology and even a touch of fear in his eyes, but she just turned away and started for the road, wiping the palm of her hand against her dress. People crowded the aisles, the market getting even busier as the day wore on, but she pushed her way through, causing more than a few to remark on her rudeness. She only glanced back at the herbalist and his mother once — and that was when she walked right into him.
A hand grabbed her arm — tight — and she whirled around, her mouth automatically opening to apologize for not watching where she was going. But then she froze.
It was Marik.
"Why, Erynn, what are you doing here?" he said with a smile. "I would have thought you'd be busy in the kitchen."
Erynn pulled back and he immediately released her arm, but for a moment she was so stunned to see him that she couldn't speak. Had he followed her all the way from the castle? And more importantly — had he overheard her conversation with the old woman? "I – I was just picking up some tea for the king."
"Tea?" Marik said with a frown. "Surely we have enough at the castle?"
"It's a special kind. It helps him sleep."
He raised a brow, a slight grin on his face. "Not sleeping with the Galians around, is he?"
Erynn said nothing. A couple of soldiers were standing out on the road, looking like they were waiting for him with his horse, but other than that she didn't see any more of his men around. Several people had stopped and were staring at them and whispering.
Marik watched her a moment longer. Then his face turned serious and he motioned toward the road. "You better get going. It's a long walk back to the castle and I'm sure Mirella's expecting you."