An Oath Of The Kings (Book 4) (13 page)

Lewstin appeared at the edge of the Grayan Forest just off the southern road north of the Illian River like a withered hulking mirage. A wooden palisade at least twenty feet high and in dire need of repair surrounded the town. Despite the grueling days on the road, nothing about the place felt welcoming to Kiernan. Vines and plants crawled up the sides of the fence converging with the branches of the trees crouching down from the top, swallowing the town hole. The forest seemed to be steadily making an attempt to reclaim its territory—and winning.

Up ahead, Cael’s father shouted up to a soldier peering over the wall and then waited for permission to enter.

Cael reached over and grabbed her hand, his eyes imploring her to listen once last time. “Run now, Larkin. Please. This isn’t your fight.”

She swallowed as the gates slowly began to open. “It is now,” she told him softly.

He sighed. “Very well. I’ll do my best to protect you and make you happy. I know you haven’t made your mind up about me, but I would never do you wrong. I don’t have very much to offer, but that I can promise.”

She smiled up at him. “We will protect each other then.”

He lifted his hand and rubbed a thumb across her cheek. “My little maid has the heart of a warrior.”

The word
warrior
gave Kiernan pause. It felt as though someone had directed that word at her before. Often. It made her smile. The idea that she had used her life to fight for others pleased her.

Cael’s father started forward and cleared her view. She inhaled sharply at the dirty faces peering out between the slats of the palisade. Big eyes. Forlorn. Yearning.  

Eyes fixed on the townsfolk, Kiernan licked her lips nervously, her stomach clenching in knots. A whisper of movement in the woods to her right caught her attention and she glanced over.

Another pair of eyes. As big and forlorn as the people inside the fence, only amber in color. The same orbs she saw a few days earlier in her reckless flight into the woods near Janis. A Grayan wolf? A tiger? She had heard of sightings of the orange and black striped cats in the southern reaches of Iserlohn although she had never seen one.

She turned to Cael. “Cael, what is that animal?” she asked, pointing.

Distracted from trying to guide the wagon through the gate, he followed her gesture in a brief glance, but muttered, “I don’t see anything,” and turned back to his task.

She looked back. The animal was gone.

She didn’t have any further time to think about it as the wagon pulled inside and she got her first look at Lewstin.

A
hell hole
according to Cael.

And, he’s right.

Decrepit wooden buildings sat haphazardly along wet, muddy roads. A long, narrow barracks-like building took up most of the town square. In the distance, the white sandstone cliffs that surrounded the majority of the island. When she asked, Cael confirmed that they were the location of the diamond mines.

Men and women with hunched shoulders trudged barefoot and mud-caked to the knees up a small hill toward the mines. Most carried the tools of their trade, others hauled crates or buckets. Standing around the barracks was another large group of older women and young girls, all with a child in their arms or balanced on their hips.

Lean stray dogs with ribs outlined through their fur slunk in packs at the perimeter of the activity, noses low to the ground as they searched out a life-saving meal.

Kiernan had never seen a more desolate place in her life.

The faint sounds of whimpering drifted to her ears and she turned. Off to the left, a man knelt before a wooden pole with his arms tied above his head. Long slash marks striped his back from a fresh whipping.

She gulped back a bitter revulsion that soon turned to anger when she noticed the large, well-maintained estate situated on a hilltop several yards away from the town square with a large fence and a regiment of soldiers surrounding the grounds.

“Whose house is that?” she asked, pointing to the house on the hill, but already knowing the answer.

“The Duke’s.”

“And, this building?” she asked Cael, indicating the long structure in the center.

“It’s the women’s barracks. It’s…” He paused. “It’s where you will live.”

Before Kiernan could spit out her retort, a young, filthy boy ran up to the wagon. “Master Trathen! The Duke wishes to see you straight away. He said to bring your guest with you.”

****

Kiernan wasn’t sure what she expected the Duke of Lewstin to look like, but the boy-man standing before her was not it. He was short and chubby with a mop of curly brown hair. Very non-descript in every way until you looked in his eyes. Those dark, beady little things exposed the malice that dwelled beneath like two beacons.

He came around his desk as she and Cael were shown into his library.

Kiernan scanned the luxurious room in outrage. Thick carpets, expensive oil paintings, heavy furniture polished to a high sheen. Anyone could see that the Duke of Lewstin lived far better than any of his people.

“Cael, I see you have finally returned. I expected you back days ago.” He gave Kiernan a bold look that said he suspected her for the reason of the delay.

“I apologize, Duke, but we had rains and—”

“Excuses, Cael, excuses. Let’s get to the point,” he leaned back against the desk and crossed his arms at his chest. “How many oreshifters did you bring me?”

Cael’s jaw twitched uneasily. “None.”

“This woman here is not an oreshifter?” he snapped with a jerk of his chin in Kiernan’s direction.

“No.”

“Then, why, may I ask, is she here?”

“I…I plan to marry her, my Lord Duke. This is Larkin Malley.”

Kiernan bent into a shallow curtsy. If he took her insult as ignorance, so be it.

The Duke stroked his round chin with two fingers. “Is that so? I didn’t know you were seeking another wife so soon, Cael.”

Kiernan heard Cael let out a small hiss beside her. She quickly stood in front of him. “Yes, my Lord Duke. Although, rather sudden, I am here in Lewstin to stay.”

The Duke’s dark eyes narrowed. “Leave us, Cael.”

“Leave…?”

“Now! I will have a private word with Mistress Malley.”

Cael hesitated in indecision, so she turned to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Go ahead. I’ll be fine. Wait outside for me?”

It took another full moment, but he finally nodded and left.

The Duke stood to his full height and Kiernan couldn’t help but notice that he was a good two inches shorter than she. “What are you doing here, Mistress Malley?”

“Cael explained—”

“I don’t believe him. I know how he felt about his wife. And, you? You’ve known him for less than a week.”

“That is true,” she said smoothly, “but, I recently suffered a loss and Master Trathen helped me to cope. I’ve come to care for him very much.”

“I see. I don’t know what Cael told you, but here in Lewstin we are like family and we all work together toward a common goal.”

She tilted her head. “No. I don’t think those were the words he used at all.”

His lips pressed together. “Did he tell you that it is highly unusual for an outsider to move here?”

“That, he did say.”

The Duke moved closer to her. “I need oreshifters here, Mistress Malley. Blasters, extractors, millers, cutters and polishers. Our business is diamonds and anyone who does not contribute to our mining goals is…if I may be so bold to say…dead weight.” His gaze slid brazenly over her body. “Unless, of course, you have other talents that may be in demand.”

She ignored the insinuation of the petty little man in front of her and smiled. “I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know anything about mining, but I’m sure I can prove useful. The town streets and buildings appear to be in need of improvement. I can help organize that.”

He leaned in close. “Are you daft? I don’t give two bloody coppers about improvements to this town! Do I have to draw you a picture, Mistress Malley?”

Oh, your meaning is very clear.
It took all of her willpower not to mindshift him into ramming his head into the wall. “I am loyal to Cael.”

He laughed and spun away from her. “I was hoping you would say that.”

“What does that mean?”

“Loyalty. Such a lovely word. It can reduce the most hardened of men to whimpering fools. There is only one reason a man like Cael Trathen submits to my whip, Mistress Malley. Loyalty. Loyalty to those he loves and his desire to keep them safe.”

The tight rein she held on her anger snapped and she stalked toward him. “What you’re doing to these people is reprehensible,” she hissed in his face. “Intimidation, floggings, imprisonment. Does your liege know how you run your town, Lord Duke?”

The boy-man took a step back, his nostrils flaring in anger. “Cael has a big mouth.”

“No, he just wanted me to know what I was getting myself into.”

A smirk turned up one side of his mouth. “As do I. To that end, my question to you is this. How loyal are you, Mistress Malley? Will you do all that is asked of you to keep Cael safe?”

Her fists clenched at her sides as she trembled in rage.

The smirk faded. “We’ll talk again soon. Very soon.” He stood back from her and clapped his hands. “Guard! Please show Mistress Malley out!”

“That bastard!” Kiernan snarled under her breath.

“What did he want?” Cael asked with a glare at the Duke’s slamming door.

She strode past the line of guards and marched down the hill, pulling up short at the river of mud that served as a road. “Demon’s breath!”

“What happened?” Cael asked again, more urgently this time.

“Why is there so much mud here?” she snapped, angry that she could not continue to expel her anger by taking herself as far away from the Duke of Lewstin as fast as possible.

“It’s runoff from the mines,” Cael answered, distractedly. “Every time the blasters open a new section, the mine floods.”

“Well, there has to be some way to divert the excess water from the town! This is absurd!” She hopped on one foot to remove first one sandal and then the other. Picking up both sides of her dress, she stepped down into the quagmire and sank up to her ankles. After days of open travel, she had longed to wash the road dirt off her body and feel clean once again. Now, it looked as though she was destined to be perpetually dirty staying in this dilapidated town.
Most animals live better than the people of Lewstin.

“Men in high houses care little for the conditions below,” Cael commented.

“By the Highworld he should! As a landowner, it’s the Duke’s sworn duty to provide his townspeople a safe and suitable place to live. If my…” She paused and shook her head. “If the King were still alive, he would correct this wrong. He was a fair ruler, Cael.” That much she did remember.

He nodded. “I believe you. Sadly, the Duke is not. If any of the folk here bring up ideas to improve our living conditions, we’re punished for wasting time. He doesn’t want us to invest time in anything that doesn’t involve the mining of diamonds.”

“So, I’ve heard,” she muttered. She sighed and looked around. Twilight had descended and two men moved through the town square lighting lamps. Several couples were gathered around the women’s barracks bidding each other a good night. She looked at Cael. “Am I really to sleep there?”

He nodded sheepishly.

“Can I have a bath at least?”

“You have to put your name on a list.” He hesitated. “It usually takes a few days.”

“So, not tonight?”

“Probably not.”

She looked down at the red dress she had been wearing for days with a grimace.

He took her hand in his. “We better hurry and get you inside before curfew.”

“Curfew?” she exclaimed loudly.

“Yes,” he said dragging her forward. “Come on.”

The mud squelched between her toes as she followed in resignation. People on the street glanced her way, most with curiosity, some with openly hostile looks. All with an underlying sadness.
These are a beaten people.

Cael pulled her to the side before the door to the barracks. His eyes softened and he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Papa!”

Kiernan stepped out of the way as a young, blonde girl of around ten years of age ran to Cael.

He squatted down and hugged her tight. “Hello, love. Have you been behaving yourself while I’ve been gone?”

“Yes, Papa.”

He stood. “I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Mistress Malley. Larkin, this is my daughter, Tilly.”

The little girl gave her an awkward curtsy.

“Nice to meet you,” she told Tilly with a smile.

“It’s getting late,” Cael announced. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He gave Tilly one last kiss, squeezed Kiernan’s hand and walked away into the night.

“This way, Mistress Malley,” Tilly said.

Kiernan followed the little girl into the barracks and froze at the chaos inside. Women and children packed the room. Babies cried, mothers cooed, young children shouted and played in any available space they could find. Small cots lined both sides of the long building. Every one of them occupied. Those that did not have a bed slept in the area between on blankets.
Dear Highworld, how do they live like this?

A gray-haired woman seated on a stool to the right of the door gave her a shocked look. “And, who might you be?” she asked, pushing her considerable bulk upright. She wore a simple frock and was barefooted, although it was hard to tell with the amount of mud that covered her legs.

“I’m Larkin Malley.”

“Haven’t had no newcomers around here in a long time. You lost?”

“No. I came with Cael Trathen.”

“Bloody idiot,” she murmured and eyed Kiernan’s gown. She reached into a cubbyhole behind her and pulled out a worn dress, frayed at the edges. Nothing had ever looked so good to Kiernan in her life.
At least it’s clean.

“Thank you,” Kiernan said gratefully, accepting the dress. “Where should I change?”

“Do you see any noble lady’s dressing room around here? You can undress right where you stand.”

A few of the women within hearing distance chuckled.

Red-faced, Kiernan peeled off her gown and quickly changed. “I don’t suppose a bath is available?” she asked, tying the laces at the bodice of her new dress.

“Of course, there is.” The woman checked a parchment nailed to the wall. “Two days from now.”

Kiernan fought back the urge to cry.
Two days living with a coating of mud.
“Please put me on the list.”

“I’m Marian, the matron here.” She handed Kiernan a blanket. “There are no beds left, so you’ll have to make your own spot somewhere. Lights out in one minute.”

Kiernan nodded and turned back to the pandemonium with despair. A small hand slipped inside hers.

“You can sleep with me,” Tilly told her softly and led her into the room along the narrow aisle. All conversation ceased as they passed and walked toward a small cot in the middle of the room. “Sod off!” Tilly shouted, shooing away a young boy that had been lying there.

Kiernan removed the handkerchief from her head and lowered herself down onto the cot after Tilly and had to take the young girl in her arms to make room for them both.

“Lights out!” Marian shouted and all the lanterns were extinguished.

Kiernan lay her head back and without thought began to stroke Tilly’s soft hair. She stiffened at a familiar swelling that surged inside her breast. A fierce, protective force that had nothing to do with blood oaths or duty. It was an instinct born of nature and that had the power to move mountains.  

She allowed the tears that formed in her eyes to run unchecked down her cheeks at the memory that had managed to breach the foggy corners of her mind. A personal realization that touched her heart to the core and one that she knew without a doubt to be true.

I’ve held babies of my own at one time. I’m sure of it.

****

Beck strode ahead moving north now through the Puu Rainforest, his little band of followers straggling behind. He wasn’t intentionally trying to discourage them from continuing on by the pace he set. It was just that the need for urgency drove him above all other trifling consideration. Josef Asher could only hide for so long. Gage Gregaros could only forestall an accession war for so long. More importantly, somewhere on this island Kiernan needed him, and he had already made the decision to put her first.

The thought sent adrenaline flooding into his limbs pumping them harder and faster until he was suddenly in a blind run. Vines and tree branches slapped at his face and body as he ran. He could have set a shield around his body if he had been thinking clearly, but he wasn’t. Shouts sounded behind him, but he ignored them. Footsteps crashed through the forest in an effort to catch up. Beck cast out with his earthshifting and moved the dirt beneath him until the ground lifted his steps into long, leaping bounds. The trees melted away into indistinct replicas as his magic pitched him forward one enormous stride at a time.

Beck ran on this way for hours, stopping only when the muscles in his legs finally gave out and he fell to his knees on the path.

He was still there, catching his breath when the sprinting footsteps came closer sounding loud in his ears. Too loud. He stood and spun around. People poured out of the forest in all directions, running hard. Men and women. A few children! Even a one-eyed Cyman! There must have been a hundred of them.

“What…? What in the Highworld is all this?”

“King Beck! You ran so fast!” Tristan exclaimed, skidding to a halt, the strings of his biggins cap swinging wildly beneath his chin.

“What is going on here?” Beck barked again, ignoring the royal title as he had numerous times over the past few days. The boy simply refused to acknowledge Beck’s claims.

Tristan looked puzzled for a moment. “What? These people?”

“Yes, Tristan,
these
people. Where did they come from?”

“Oh, I guess word has gotten around in Iserlohn.”

“Word about what?”

“That you’re out looking for Princess Kiernan, Your Grace!” he answered slowly as though Beck were dimwitted. “Since the Scarlet Sabers refused to help, we kinda decided that we’d take their place. Like I said, King Beck, you and the Princess have done a lot for the people of Iserlohn. We’re not the type to forget about a thing like that.”

Beck ran a hand through his hair, alternately touched and exasperated. “Look, Tristan…” He looked around at the group. “Everyone, please hear me! The Scarlet Sabers did not refuse to help me! I am on my own by choice!”

“So are we, Your Grace,” Tristan said with a shake of his head.

“Tristan! You don’t understand.”

The stout boy gestured dismissively and started away. “We’re wasting time. Come on, Your Grace. We’ve a Princess to bring home.”