Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) (25 page)

The people of Turill had not liked the disrespect shown for their former King either. They too wanted to give their beloved King a sendoff that benefitted his station. Their anger at the funeral services for the old King didn’t last long. They had quickly found a new target for their outrage: the staggering new taxes Cain had imposed on them. The usual harmonious people of the city had changed to a disgruntled mob in just a few weeks. Her father had been right. Cain was quickly destroying their Bandara.

Her mind was torn, half of her was filled with rage at her brother and the other half with the feelings she was starting to have for the handsome healer from Tara. It was exasperating; Cain’s deplorable actions had weaved themselves into her life like the thread of a cheap rug. She simply wouldn’t think about it anymore, what could she do anyway? Raygan decided to turn her thoughts back to Rhys.

She sat in her garden thinking about what she would say to the young physician when she saw him today. As she sat daydreaming, a large male peacock, one of the several that roamed the garden, walked into her line of sight. How her father had loved them, he had once even had the royal dressmaker construct a cape for her out of their tail feathers.

When she was in the garden her thoughts always returned to her father. He would have been very fond of Rhys too, she imagined. The healer was gentle and bright and the old King had loved those traits. She started to fantasize about what the two of them. What would they have talked about? It would be her, of course, the thought of it made the Princess smile.

The warm spring breeze brought her back to the present. Raygan wondered what was keeping Isabella and her healer. The peacock let out a piercing cry and quickly ran for the cover of a hedge cut into the shape of the pagan Goddess Octavia. She turned to see what had frightened the peacock.

Cain was coming across the lawn towards her. She started to shake despite herself. She had not spoken to him since he had almost killed her. All her petty schemes of revenge washed away only to be replaced by cold fear. She stood up from the bench and put her hands behind her back so Cain would not see her trembling.

“Sister, may I speak with you a moment?” He wore a heavy quilted red gambeson trimmed in gold with the phoenix of Bandara emblazed on the chest. It covered a shirt of fine chainmail their father had given him several years ago.

She swallowed hard, getting up the courage to speak. “I don’t want to talk to you, Cain, after what you have done to me. I don’t think there is anything to say.” She said it with as much disdain as she could muster.

Cain nodded his head. “You’re right, Sister. I was wrong to hurt you like I did, and perhaps I should have waited until you were able to attend father’s funeral, but war has come and there is no time to stand on ceremony or cater to the whims of women. Besides, you seemed to have overcome your injuries quite quickly. Selmac said that you would be permanently disfigured. Tell me, Sister, how was it you healed so swiftly?”

Raygan knew then that Cain had heard about Rhys. She had tried to keep his visits private and make them appear unimportant as possible, but Cain had found out anyway. She was not surprised, many of the servants in the palace were his spies.

No wrong had been committed and she was the Princess of Bandara after all and had the right to have a personal healer if she chose to. There was no reason to fear, but she found herself petrified.

“I found a very good physician in the city, he worked wonders on the damage you caused.”

“I know what you’ve been up to, Sister, and who you’ve been up to it with,” the King said. “His name is Rhys Morgan, and he is from Tara and if I’m not mistaken he is on his way here right now. I also know he had to have used magic to fix your face. Selmac said there could be no other way the damage was repaired.”

Raygan’s eyes widened. “No, no, no, there was no magic used, he has a special talent it has nothing to do with magic at all. I can tell you…”

Cain crossed the distance between them in two strides and put his hand over her mouth. “Shut up, Raygan, don’t try to lie to me; sit down on the bench and keep quiet and I will tell you what your King is going to do.”

Tears came to her eyes and she began to shake all over, there was no hiding it now she was terrified.

She obeyed Cain and sat down on the bench like he told her and she hated herself for doing it. “Very good, dear sister, you are learning. First, your healer will be arrested when he arrives today, the guards at the gate will take him to Bishop Lyfair and he will stand trial for using magic without consent from the Church, he will be found guilty and he will most likely hang.”

Raygan began to sob; she covered her mouth with her hand and tried to stifle the sound. “Second, you will marry Talorn tonight before he takes the Army north, and I will not listen to any complains about it. You should have kept your affair more secret, Raygan, on the bright side you have your looks back, and I won’t have to listen to Talorn grumble about wedding a woman with a ruined face.”

Raygan was stunned. Marry Talorn tonight? “Cain, there was no affair, he’s just my healer and…”

Cain held up one finger then pointed at the Princess. “I can put your face back like it was, if you like?” Raygan hung her head and said nothing.

The King stepped back from his sister. “Guards.” Four of the Royal Guard emerged from behind a row of hedges; they marched over and saluted their King. “Take her to her rooms and stay with her until the wedding.” They saluted again, then two of them grabbed Raygan’s arms and pulled her up from the bench. They formed a square around her and prepared to take the Princess back to the palace. Cain lifted her chin until she was looking in his eyes. “Don’t ever forget who rules Bandara, little Sister.” He jerked his hand away and motioned for the guards to take the Princess away. Raygan could only look back at her brother, tears streaming down her face as the guards led her away.

Isabella thought the guards were acting strange at the palace’s north gate. They seemed to be more alert than most days, watching the people of the city walk by with much more interest than usual. There were more of them too. Most days only two of the Royal Guards were at each entrance to the palace. Today the north gate had four.

She thought little more of it, perhaps it was on account of the coming war. The whole city was on edge about it. That and the tax collectors that were going door to door assessing what each citizen should be paying.

The Princess had bid her wait at the gate for Rhys and escort him to her as usual. Isabella didn’t mind, she liked the healer and he had been very kind to her over the last few weeks; he didn’t treat her like a servant at all.

At first she thought he was a wizard or evil mage, but as they spent time together and she watched him with the Princess she knew she had been all wrong about him. Isabella had grown fond of Rhys but not as fond as his royal patient had.

He had greatly improved the Princess’s mood and Isabella was very thankful to him for that. When the Princess was sad, she had a way of making everyone else around her sad too.

She saw Rhys coming and started to wave. As he got closer Isabella realized it wasn’t him, just a man who looked similar. The guards drew their swords and grabbed the man by the arms and started dragging him towards the gate, the man was struggling and asked the guards what he had done.

They held him there until an officer came down from the enter wall of the palace he told the guards they had the wrong man. They released the fellow and pushed him back into the street without even an apology. It took no time for Isabella to catch on to what man they were looking for. Someone in the palace had ordered Rhys’s arrest. The Princess would be furious.

She had to warn him, but what could she do? If she yelled when he approached she would be seen and that could go bad for her and there was no time to go find the Princess. She couldn’t let the healer be caught, she would just walk into the city and try to warn him before he got to the palace. Yes, that was a good plan. She walked out the gate as she did any other day, acting as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

Isabella had gotten only a few steps past the guards when they stopped her. “Halt, girl, the King has given orders for you not to leave the palace grounds.” She turned back towards them hands on her hips.

“The Princess has sent me on an errand and I must go unless you want to deal with her.” She turned her back to them and walked on. One of the guards grabbed her by the arm.

“You’re not going anywhere, girl.” She started to give the guard a good cussing when she saw Rhys come around a corner down the street. He was heading right for the gate. She had no choice, if she didn’t do something it would be too late. “Run, Rhys, run they mean to arrest you,” Isabella screamed as loud as she could.

Rhys looked up the street at her struggling with the guard. He seemed confused at first. Isabella thought he was going to come on down the street to see what was happening. So the handmaiden continued to yell, the guard tried to cover her mouth, but she bit him. Rhys must have finally heard her and realized the guardsman was holding her back. He turned around and ran back the way he had come. The guard holding her arms, cuffed her in the head.

“You’ll pay for that, you little Celonian ally cat.” The guard shoved her down on the ground and all but one of them ran down the street after Rhys.

The remaining guardsman picked her up and held her by the arms. The alarm bells were sounding throughout the palace grounds. Royal Guardsmen appeared from everywhere, she watched as over fifty of them ran out into the city.

A tall officer walked up to the guard holding her. He was so mad he looked like he could bite his sword in half.

“What the hell happened? All you had to do was stand here and he would have walked right up to you.” The man shoved Isabella forward still holding her by the arms. “This little bitch called out to him and he ran before he got all the way up the street.” The officer slapped Isabella across the face, making her mouth bleed. “Take her and lock her up inside, the King may want a word with her.”

The guard grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her to the palace. Isabella struggled but the man punched her in the back twice and she lost her air. She was caught, there was nothing she could do now. She hoped Rhys was a fast runner or it would all be for nothing.

General Talorn and King Cain stood talking together in the throne room. Captain Overton Hightower did not want to tell the King they had been unsuccessful in capturing the healer. The new King was already notorious for how little patience he had for failure.

Hightower had just been promoted to the position of Captain of the Royal Guard, and he didn’t want to lose the position or his head.

The King had been in a foul mood the last few days and Hightower didn’t want to be the one he took his displeasure out on. If he were lucky, the King’s anger would be directed at the scrawny blonde girl he had in chains by his side.

She had fought them when they first tried to put the chains on her, but his guards had slapped the disobedience out of her. Besides they would catch the healer soon enough, he had over a hundred men out looking for the elusive physician. Like it or not, he had to make his report.

“Majesty?”

Cain looked to the door. “Come in, Captain we were waiting for you, did we catch my sister’s … healer?” The King gave Talorn a smug look. The new general said nothing, but the captain could see he looked very unhappy.

Captain Hightower’s boots clicked on the marble floor as he walked his shuffling prisoner across the throne room. He brought the girl to stand before the two most powerful men in Bandara. The captain told the King and General Blackthorn what had happened at the north gate. They listened without interruption.

Cain climbed up the stairs of the dais and sat down on the phoenix throne. “Talorn, would you go see if Raygan is still in her room? I want to make sure she is preparing herself for the wedding.” Isabella’s head snapped up she looked at the King but she didn’t say a word. Talorn slightly bowed and left the throne room.

“Captain Hightower, be so good as to shut the door and dismiss the rest of the guard. You and I should be able to handle one small girl.” The captain did as he was told. The room was still, only the hush of their voices disturbed the quiet. “My sister didn’t tell you about her upcoming wedding did she?” The handmaiden shook her head. Cain smiled down at the girl. “Don’t feel bad, she doesn’t think much of the lower classes. I doubt she would have allowed you to come to the wedding anyway, you know how she is.” The King watched the blonde girl carefully, but her expression didn’t betray her thoughts.

“Isabella, I want to ask you a few questions. Be at ease, just answer me truthfully and no harm will come to you.

“Did this healer, Rhys Morgan, defile my sister?” Isabella shook her head no. The King looked perturbed. “I want you to speak Isabella, not just nod. How will I know if you’re telling me the truth?”

The handmaiden shifted her feet rattling the chains around her ankles. “I don’t even think they like each other that way. At least I never heard either one speak of it, Your Majesty.” Her voice sounded very small in the empty throne room.

Cain tapped his finger against his lips and looked down at the girl. “Did the healer use magic to mend your lady’s injuries?”

“No, Your Majesty, I saw nothing like that.”