Herald of the Storm

  Merrick grumbled but began fumbling with his boots.

  Buttercup turned to Kaira. ‘See he gets cleaned up, then stay with him … at all times! Don’t even let him use the privy alone.’

  Merrick appeared taken with that, but a stern look from Kaira made him shrug and turn back to the boots.

  ‘Now, if you’re both clear on what’s expected of you, I have business elsewhere.’ She paused on the threshold. ‘And see if you can find him a decent blade. That last one wasn’t up to much. We wouldn’t want our legendary swordsman left holding a useless weapon, would we?’

  She winked at Merrick then left. He threw her an obscene gesture – once she was gone.

  ‘I’m starting to dislike that woman,’ he said. ‘There’s something about her that I just don’t trust.’

  You don’t know the half of it.

  ‘Where are we bound next?’ asked Kaira, keen to change the subject.

  ‘I have to get cleaned up, obviously. Find a decent change of clothes. Then there’s a lovely tavern in Dockside I was thinking of dropping in on. And you’re welcome to join me. It never hurts to have a beautiful companion on your arm whilst frequenting a favourite drinking haunt.’

  ‘But Buttercup said—’

  ‘Buttercup can kiss my arse … if you’ll pardon the phrase. With what I’ve been through in the past few days I deserve a drink at the very least.’

  ‘Have you not had enough to drink recently?’

  He frowned at her. ‘What? Are you thinking of joining the Daughters or something? Live a little. Let your hair down.’ He glanced at her short cropped hair. ‘You know what I mean.’

  ‘You have a task and it is my job to ensure you complete it. There will be no diversion. No drinking, no alehouses. Nothing must distract you.’

  He looked quizzical. ‘Nothing? Are you sure about that?’

  ‘Yes, I am.’

  ‘And just how are you going to—’

  She struck out, grabbing his hair in one hand and pressing hard against the yellowing bruise on one of his eyes. Merrick yowled like a wounded alley cat, reaching up to stop her, but she slapped his hands away.

  ‘All right! All right!’ he yelled. ‘You win!’ He fell back on the bed, his hand covering his eye. ‘There’s no need for more violence.’

  ‘Good. Then we understand one another?’

  ‘I understand that my angel’s turned into a maniac. I’m starting to realise why Palien hired you.’ He gave her a wounded look. Then fingered the bandage around his head.

  ‘It’s time we left,’ Kaira said. She had made her point, and had shown she knew how to handle Merrick from now on.

  Obediently he stood up then walked to the door, finally managing to pull the bloodstained dressing clear and throwing it to the ground.

  ‘You’re buying me a new sword,’ he said petulantly as he left the chamber before her.

  As Kaira turned and locked the door, she couldn’t suppress a grin.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  The palace of Skyhelm was in upheaval. From two floors above, Janessa could hear Garret barking at his men. Odaka’s bass voice also rumbled along the corridors, frequently clearing them of servants and handmaids even before he appeared.

  Janessa sat in her chamber, the governess at her side. Graye stood in one corner of the room, her face anguished. Though the floor had been cleaned of blood, some still stained the rug that covered most of the chamber. Janessa could only stare at that stain, a reminder that River had been badly wounded.

  River, who had come to slay her as she slept.

  Where Raelan was she didn’t know; the young lord had been carried off by a contingent of his father’s bodyguard.

  He had saved her life. Or had he? Had she really been in mortal danger? Would River really have murdered her? He had spoken so tenderly to her only the other day. Opened his heart to her. Had it been a ruse, something planned all along? But why had he not killed her when they had first met? It would have been so easy to take her life unobserved at their meeting place. Surely much easier than breaking into Skyhelm.

  Yes, he had told her of his life: of abuse, of hardship and being forced to do things increasingly alien to his nature. But never for a moment could she have imagined this – imagined he was … what? A killer? An assassin?

  Of course she had wondered at his scars, those marks of maltreatment, but she had never thought …

  Perhaps she had always been in danger. Certainly Garret was assuming she still was. He had doubled the number of Sentinels on every post, set about castigating the knights on duty, screaming at them like a madman as he admonished them for their lack of vigilance.

  And what would her father do when he found out? The king was battling to save the Free States. But if he knew that his daughter was in danger from assassins, he would almost certainly abandon the defence of his kingdom, if only for a while, and ride back to protect her himself.

  She could not impose such a choice on him. He must be allowed to focus on protecting his people.

  Janessa stood up, making Governess Nordaine, who had wearily succumbed to sleep, stir from her slumber.

  ‘I must speak to Odaka,’ Janessa said.

  Graye looked shocked. ‘We must stay here for now. We can’t go—’

  ‘I can do what I like, Graye.’

  She hadn’t meant to snap; Graye was only thinking of her safety, but she couldn’t allow word of this to reach her father before he faced the Khurtas in battle. Nothing must distract him now.

  ‘Graye is right,’ said Nordaine groggily. ‘We must stay here.’ But Janessa was already making her way to the door.

  She hurried down the corridors of Skyhelm, nightgown flowing, her hair a mess, calling out that she must speak to Odaka. The two Sentinels who had been assigned to her struggled to keep up. Janessa knew she might appear hysterical, treading the corridors of the palace like some wild banshee, but she didn’t care.

  No one dared to stop her, the palace servants moving from her path, Nordaine and Graye following behind but not daring to restrain her.

  Janessa reached the lower corridors, guided by Odaka’s voice to a chamber door. There she stopped to dismiss Nordaine and Graye.

  ‘You can go now,’ she told them.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Graye asked.

  ‘I have to do this alone. I am a girl no longer, Graye. I will be queen one day, and you will not always be at my shoulder in case I should stumble.’

  Governess Nordaine made to speak, but Janessa held up a hand to stay her, surprised when it worked.

  The women left Janessa at the door.

  Steeling herself for the confrontation with Odaka, Janessa opened the door, but before she could tell the regent of her wishes, that her father not be told of the attempt on her life, she stopped in her tracks.

  Odaka was not alone. Baroness Isabelle Magrida looked with slight amusement towards Janessa as she stormed in. Her son Leon complemented his mother’s gesture as a sly smile crept up one side of his mouth.

  ‘Majesty,’ said Odaka, bowing as she entered.

  The baroness inclined her head with a curtsy and Leon granted her a slight bow, as though the effort were almost too great.

  Janessa regarded the three of them for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. She wanted to tell Odaka that what had happened in the palace must be kept a secret, at least for now, but not in front of the baroness or her son. It did not concern them, and it was certain they lacked discretion.

  It was Odaka who broke the silence first. ‘I was just reassuring our guests,’ he said. ‘Skyhelm is secure, the most secure place in the city.’

  Isabelle seemed unconvinced. ‘And yet an assassin was allowed to breach its defences, regent. If it had not been for Lord Raelan, the princess would have been murdered. Had my own son been chambered closer, the assassin would now be dead, instead of escaped into the night.’ She turned to Janessa, affecting a look of sympathy. ‘And how are you, my dear? You need to rest in bed after suc
h an ordeal.’ My dear? Janessa winced. ‘If there is anything my son or I can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.’

  And what would you do, Baroness? Don some armour, grab a halberd and stand at my door of an evening?

  ‘I am most grateful for your concern,’ Janessa said, affecting a smile almost as insincere as that of the baroness. ‘But I can assure you I am quite well. If that is all, there are matters I must now discuss with the regent.’

  Isabelle’s expression curdled briefly, but her mask was back up in an instant. ‘Of course, my dear.’ My dear again? I am “majesty” to the likes of you! ‘Come, Leon. We will away to our chambers and rest … if we can.’

  They bowed and left.

  Janessa immediately turned to Odaka.

  ‘Has word of tonight’s events been sent to my father yet?’ she asked.

  Odaka frowned, shaking his head. ‘We have been ensuring the palace was secure, my lady.’

  ‘Good. My father is not to know about this until the trouble in the north is concluded.’

  Trouble? Janessa realised she had made it sound as though her father were settling some minor diplomatic dispute, not fighting a war for the very survival of the realm and the lives of his subjects.

  ‘But your father must be told. Amon Tugha has struck within the capital, within his palace, and against his daughter. The Elharim has made his intentions clear – he will show no mercy, not stop until the king and the Mastragall line is eradicated. I cannot keep that from him.’

  ‘You can and will, Odaka. This must not reach my father’s ears. He must not be distracted at this crucial time.’ Again, she had not meant to sound so forceful, even dictatorial, but it was almost becoming second nature.

  Odaka said nothing. Janessa wondered whether she had overstepped the mark, but remembered his words: And I live to obey.

  ‘Your father will find out about this eventually. When he learns I have kept it from him—’

  ‘At my command. You have kept it from him on my order. My father must also learn that if I am to rule one day, I must be allowed to make decisions. If he hears of this would-be assassin he will send men back to the city to protect me, men who need to be fighting under my father’s banner. The news will burden him unnecessarily. I cannot allow that. I will not allow that.’

  Odaka finally nodded. ‘As you wish, my lady. I will see to it that no word is sent until after the armies of the Free States have faced the Khurtic horde.’

  Janessa felt calm. In control. She almost thanked Odaka, but managed to stop herself.

  ‘Has anyone been hurt? Other than Lord Raelan, I mean?’

  ‘One of the palace sentries was injured, but he will live. Unless Garret throttles him for his failure. Other than that, only Lord Raelan encountered the assassin.’

  ‘And how is he? Does he recover?’

  As though on cue, the door to the chamber opened. Two Sentinels entered and behind them strode Lord Raelan, flanked by his own bodyguard: two of Valdor’s notorious Border Wolves. These grizzled men from the north were sticking close to their young ward.

  All three took to the knee before Janessa and bowed their heads.

  ‘Your majesty,’ said Raelan. ‘I heard you were here. It gladdens me to see you safe.’

  Something about him had changed, something that made Janessa somehow pleased to see him, and glad that he seemed unharmed.

  ‘Please, Lord Raelan, stand.’ He and his men obeyed, and she saw the yellowing bruise on his jaw where he had been struck by River. ‘You are well, I hope?’

  ‘I am, my lady. And all the better to see you safe.’

  She examined his face with concern. ‘Your wounds …’

  ‘It is nothing. I’ve had worse in the training yard. I am only sorry that I allowed your assassin to escape. Would that I had been able to capture him.’

  ‘Yes … it is regrettable he escaped. It seems the Elharim’s influence has reached Steelhaven already.’

  ‘But you are safe now, my lady. I vow to protect you. My wolves and I will be your guard night and day.’

  Janessa felt Odaka shuffle uncomfortably at the suggestion the Sentinels could not protect their princess but he remained silent.

  ‘I am flattered that you see it as your duty to protect me, but I assure you, Lord Raelan, it isn’t necessary. I am quite safe. The guard has been doubled and my door is watched over day and night. An army of assassins could not reach me now.’

  ‘Very well, my lady. But please know I am your servant. An attack on you is an attack on everything I hold dear.’

  Janessa smiled. ‘You flatter me with your devotion, Lord Raelan.’

  Raelan stepped forward, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He lowered his voice so only she could hear.

  ‘You should know, my lady, that my devotion to you is unswerving. I would do anything for you. Go to any lengths to protect you. Give my life even.’

  Janessa was taken aback. Where was such an outpouring of emotion when he had proposed? Did he mean this, or was he just play acting, trying to win her over that she might ultimately gift him the throne?

  ‘I … I appreciate your words, Lord Raelan. And do not doubt that I am still considering your … proposal.’ The word almost stuck in her throat.

  He shook his head. ‘Please, my lady … Janessa. My concern, my fear for you, is real. It would destroy me to think anyone might harm you.’

  Raelan was gazing at her ardently, his voice no longer lowered. He didn’t give a damn if his profession of love was heard by everyone present, even his grim bodyguard.

  Janessa reeled. Did he really love her? Was this baring of his soul what she had looked for?

  It was overwhelming. She felt uncertain before all those eyes, awaiting her response. Should she accept his proposal of marriage now, in front of Odaka and Raelan’s own men?

  ‘Thank you,’ was all she could manage to say.

  Janessa glanced down, realising she was still in her nightgown. She managed to twitch out an awkward smile from one corner of her mouth, spun on her heel and aimed for the door.

  Her head was ablaze with frantic thought as she rushed back to her bedchamber. She willed back tears, wishing now that her father was here. He would know what to do, he would tell her what to do.

  But then he had already told her – his wishes were that she should marry Raelan.

  A Sentinel stood at her chamber door.

  ‘I have been sent to be the guard within your room, majesty. On the orders of the regent.’

  She turned on him, her anxiety fuelling her rage like a spark to a fire. ‘Am I expected to be watched while I sleep?’ she bellowed, glaring up at the armoured man.

  He made some uncertain noises, clearly at a loss for what to do. The knight could neither refuse the orders of the regent nor ignore the anger of his princess. Janessa felt guilty. This man had done her no wrong; her outburst had been unacceptable.

  ‘Oh, just stay out here,’ she cried, pushing open the door to the bedchamber and slamming it behind her.

  The tears came then. Janessa managed to stifle the sobs, to preserve her dignity. One day she would have to rule this land, this city, and a weak queen would be worse than no queen at all.

  And then she sensed something lurking in the shadows at the far corner of the room. Though almost imperceptible in the gloom, she could tell the figure was shivering in the dark.

  Janessa might have screamed, might have fled back through the door, but she didn’t. Somehow she knew …

  He moved into the light, hood drawn back, his face now visible in the candlelight – that scarred yet beautiful face.

  Janessa rushed to him as he stumbled forward, and she managed to support him in her arms. She felt the feverish heat of his body, the clamminess of his skin, the thin film of sweat that covered him. He clutched his side where his clothing was crimson-stained. His hands were covered in congealed blood.

  With some effort, Janessa moved him to her bed, where he fell back, gritting his te
eth but making no sound.

  ‘We have to stop the bleeding,’ she said, gathering a fistful of linen sheets and vainly trying to staunch the blood oozing from his side.

  She was weeping – but he was smiling.

  He raised a hand to her face to let a tear trickle onto his bloodstained finger.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word the door to her chamber opened.

  ‘I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I couldn’t sleep. Garret’s all but screaming the place down,’ said Graye as she walked in. ‘I’m glad I’m not one—’

  She stopped, staring at them both on the bed, the colour draining from her face.

  Janessa sprinted across the room, slamming the door shut before Graye could think to run out. She placed a hand over Graye’s mouth before she could cry out in alarm.

  Janessa could see the fear in her friend’s eyes.

  ‘You have to trust me, Graye. You have to trust me as you never have before.’ Graye’s eyes flitted to the man lying on the bed. ‘He is my friend, Graye – you have to believe me. He would never hurt me. He couldn’t.’ Janessa knew how hard this must be to believe. ‘If I move my hand will you cry out?’ Graye hesitated then shook her head.

  Janessa removed her hand.

  ‘What in the hells is going on?’ Graye said in a hoarse whisper.

  ‘I don’t have time to explain right now, Graye. All I can tell you is that he’s wounded and I have to stop the bleeding. Will you help me?’

  Graye looked over to the man lying on the bed, clutching the crimson sheet to his side, his breath laboured.

  ‘Of course,’ she replied.

  TWENTY-NINE

  She came for him before dawn, awakening him as the grey light of an autumn day began to filter through the shutters. This time she didn’t speak, but Waylian knew what to do.

  Silently he donned his robe, not even bothering to splash water on his face, before following her down the winding staircase to the base of the Tower.

  Part of him was thankful no one else had yet risen. For the past few days he’d been too ashamed to show his face in the communal areas, far too embarrassed to see another soul. He could feel them laughing behind his back, pointing their fingers and whispering to one another.