Shadow Magic (28 page)

Thorn didn’t know what to do, what to believe. He wanted to shake K’leef, shout at him for being so stupid, for lying to them, his friends. But it wouldn’t do any good now.

Thorn could track animals, he could hunt, and he could travel by the stars, but he had a hard time understanding politics—things like sabotage, treason, and assassination. These things didn’t happen back in Stour. “Why would someone want to set you up for killing Lily?”

“To make us enemies. To make the Shadow family hate mine, House Djinn. Then, when Duke Solar next attacked my country, he’d have everyone from Gehenna beside him.”

It made horrible sense. If Lily had died and the blame had fallen on the sultan’s son, then Gehenna would have gladly joined Lumina to avenge itself on the Sultanate of Fire.

Tyburn booted the door open. Guards stood behind him, the closest carrying a set of iron cuffs. He bowed, ever so slightly. “M’lord, I have some questions for you.”

K’leef didn’t protest. The shock he’d shown in front of Thorn had completely disappeared. He looked calm and in control. Like a true noble. “Of course. You won’t need the chains.”

Tyburn nodded. “I’ll have the cell made as comfortable as possible.”

K’leef shot Thorn one last, desperate look before the guards led him away, leaving Thorn with the grim-faced executioner.

Tyburn casually searched the box of rings, perhaps looking for another one storing poison. “I wondered why he’d stopped wearing them.”

“He ain’t the assassin,” said Thorn.

“The ring was his. He had the opportunity, and he had the motive. Am I missing anything?”

“Yeah, the real killer.” Thorn was desperate. “What about this sixth brigand? You were sure he was behind this poisoning.”

Tyburn turned and faced him. The dark eyes of his went cold. “I was, that is true. I made a mistake. I was so fixated on the man I was chasing that I forgot the first rule of the hunt: Beware of other predators.”

“Yeah. My dad warned me to watch out for the wolf at my front
and
the bear at my back.”

“Wise words.” Tyburn smiled. “I’d like to meet your father one day.”

“Maybe you ain’t wrong. Maybe it is this sixth man. You just ain’t found him yet.”

“You’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment. Do you think K’leef is the first person to betray a friend?”

“No, that ain’t K’leef. He’s got honor.”

“Honor? The first refuge of liars and scoundrels.” Tyburn looked over at him. “You’ve a lot to learn about the world, boy.”

“So you think all this time he was just pretending?”

“Yes,” Tyburn replied. “It’s difficult for you to understand the stakes. You value friendship too much.”

“Friendship is important.”

“To some.” Tyburn scratched his chin. “Given how Gabriel treats him, it makes sense that K’leef would try to poison him. The crystal goblets all looked the same, but it didn’t really matter. If Gabriel had died, his father would have blamed the Shadows. If Lily had died, the Shadows would have held the Solars responsible. There would be war between the two countries all over again. K’leef would have saved his country with a few pinches of poison.”

“K’leef thinks he was set up, to give the Solars and the Shadows a reason to attack the Sultanate,” said Thorn.

Tyburn looked doubtful. “Interesting theory, but not as believable.”

“Maybe the duke arranged it,” said Thorn. “Just to keep K’leef from getting home. He’ll end up an old man, a prisoner of the duke for life.”

“No, he won’t,” said Tyburn. “By attempting to murder Lady Shadow, K’leef has committed treason.”

“You can’t mean…”

“K’leef’s not going anywhere but Lamentation Hill,” said Tyburn. “Where he’ll be executed.”

“L
ady Shadow! Wait!”

Thorn ran across the courtyard. He’d been waiting all morning, and finally Lily was out, though guarded by Mary and three of her maids.

Lily stopped, and Mary frowned as Thorn skidded up to them.

He bowed. “Can I have a word, m’lady?”

Mary got in between them. She crossed her arms and snorted. “Don’t you have errands, boy? Lady Shadow is far too busy—”

“It’s all right, Mary.” Lily touched her nanny’s arm, and the old woman, most reluctantly, stepped aside. “What is it, Thorn?”

“In private.”

Mary gave him a scowl, but Lily nodded and the two of them walked a few yards away.

Thorn glanced over at the Needle. “So they let you out?”

“Yes. Now that we’ve discovered the poisoner, there’s no need for me to be locked up there anymore.”

“You don’t believe it’s K’leef, do you?” How could she? K’leef was her friend more than he was Thorn’s. “He would never hurt you.”

“Tyburn says he might have been trying to poison Gabriel and the goblets got muddled up.” Lily bit her lip. “Oh, Thorn, I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

“Please, Lily. He’ll be executed in three days. You have to do something.”

Lily’s eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked so tired. “Don’t you think I’ve tried? I’ve pleaded with Uncle Pan, but he says there’s nothing we can do. I have to uphold the law, for noble and commoner.”

“But what if the law’s wrong? Then it must be right to break it.”

Lily’s gaze cooled. “I hope you’re not planning anything stupid.”

He almost blurted it out right then and there. But he held his tongue, despite himself. Instead he gave Lily an insipid smile, the sort of smile he’d seen a lot here in Castle Gloom. “Of course not.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Lily glanced back at the waiting Mary. “I have to go. Duke Solar’s back and it looks like he’s brought half of Lumina’s nobility with him. I’ll do what I can, but you’ll have to give me time.”

“K’leef ain’t got no more time.”

She took his hand. “Please, Thorn, let me handle this.”

Thorn watched her go.

She couldn’t save K’leef. She just didn’t want to admit it.

It was up to him.

The rest of the day was spent preparing. He groomed Hades and fed him to bursting. The bat used up a lot of energy flying, and Thorn needed him to fly as far and as fast as he could tonight with two on his back.

Thorn gathered enough food for two days, and he collected the few crowns he’d earned as tips for grooming the horses. It wouldn’t get them far, but if they reached the coast, he reckoned they could get a ship to take them south. The sultan would reward any captain handsomely for the return of his son.

Thorn had visited the underground cells earlier that evening. The jailer was a sallow-faced man who drank a lot and slept even more. K’leef was his only prisoner. Thorn handed over a stolen bottle of wine, telling the jailer it was a gift for his good work. The cork came out before Thorn had even left the room.

Thorn settled himself down among the bales in the stables, telling the other squires that he wanted an early start. No one noticed.

He waited until the moon was past its zenith. The castle fell quiet.

Thorn brushed off the hay as he stood. He hefted his rucksack.

This was it, all or nothing. Either they got away, or in a few days both of their heads would be up on Lamentation Hill.

Don’t think about that. Think about saving your friend. Think about getting home. Think about anything but the touch of cold sharp steel on your neck.

Thunder glanced at him. Thorn wandered over and rubbed his forelock. “I’m gonna miss you, boy.”

The big stallion stamped his hoof.

“I ain’t got no choice.” He looked around the other horses. Yes, he was going to miss this place. For somewhere that wasn’t his home, it wasn’t too bad.

Thorn searched behind the oat sacks and drew out a club, nothing more than a heavy lump of wood he’d taken from the log pile. He might need to use it, if the jailer wasn’t asleep.

Thorn crept across the stables to the door and peered out. No one in the courtyard and the moon hidden behind heavy clouds. Torches flickered weakly on the walls. Perfect.

Down to the cells. Get K’leef, then across to Murk Hall and Hades.

Simple. Like all the best plans.

Thorn stepped into the courtyard.

A match light hissed into life.

The flame waved over a pipe and lit the hard contours of Tyburn’s face. He puffed at the stem until the tobacco was glowing, then leaned back on his stool, which was positioned a few yards from the stable doors. He was unarmed.

“Go back to bed, boy.”

Thorn looked across the flagstones. The door leading to the steps to the underground cells was no more than fifty yards away.

All that stood between him and that door was Tyburn, an old man. Thorn tightened his grip on the club. One good whack and the executioner wouldn’t wake till lunchtime.

Tyburn puffed out a big smoky ring. “I’m not in the habit of repeating myself.”

You just want me to do something stupid. It ain’t gonna happen. I’ll wait.

After all, Tyburn couldn’t watch Thorn
all
the time.

Thorn chucked the club away and went back to bed.

“W
ater the horses, troll.”

“Take those sacks over to the kitchens, troll.”

“More wood for the fires, troll.”

“Faster, troll, faster!”

Old Colm woke Thorn an hour before the other squires. Fetching, carrying, feeding, watering, and a dozen other chores that should take all day and Old Colm wanted them done
now
.

Thorn ran back and forth across Castle Gloom. He knew why they were doing it. Tyburn must have spoken to Old Colm.

Keep Thorn busy. Too busy to think about doing anything else. Anything stupid.

There was plenty of activity outside the castle walls as more and more people arrived. Tents sprang up, creating a city of dazzling cloth around the fair on Devil’s Knoll.

Nobles loyal to House Shadow arrived, and their horses needed grooming and looking after.

And it wasn’t just allies to House Shadow. White pavilions rose along the walls, lined between Troll Gate and Skeleton Gate. Paladins in their silver armor rode in and out of Castle Gloom as if they owned it already. Stonemasons began measuring for windows to be added to the Great Hall.

One more day until Halloween.

Two more days to save K’leef.

He just needed to come up with a new plan. If only he could rest for just a moment…

“Wake up, troll!”

Thorn jerked and looked around. He must have fallen asleep standing up.

The other squires smirked as Old Colm tossed Thorn his keys. “Get down to the armory, troll. Bring me up ten more blades. Take someone with you.”

“Yes, sir.” Thorn nodded at Wade, and they went down to get more weapons.

The guard at the armory waved them through, and Wade held the lantern as Thorn pushed open the door.

Sword blades glistened in the lamplight. Suits of full plate armor lined up in silent regiments. Spears were stacked like kindling, and sheaves of arrows filled old wine barrels.

“The training weapons are over there,” said Wade. “At the back.”

How big was this place? Like everywhere in Castle Gloom, there were tunnels and passages going off in all directions. They found enough weaponry to arm the Black Guard ten times over. A row of saddles, each made of sculpted leather stretched over wooden frames. Lances as tall as trees. Thorn knew that Gehenna didn’t have enough men to use them all. The population had never been large, as the earth was too poor to grow anything more than the most meager harvests. That was why the Shadows had used the undead to bolster their numbers. Corpses were plentiful during wars.

Thorn grinned when he came to a rack of axes. There were single-handed hatchets, ideal for trimming branches off trees and limbs off men. Then he found a hefty double-bladed great ax. He reckoned one of these could take down a horse.

Ah. Now this is more like it.

He picked up a battle-ax. Easy to carry in both hands and the head was just like his dad’s back home. He ran his thumb along a blade. Dad had taught Thorn about sharpening early on. Thorn had learned how to stroke the whetstone along the steel, making sure the edge wasn’t too shallow—the metal would chip—and not so steep that it wouldn’t bite deep enough. He put it back and ran his fingers along the row of ax handles, enjoying the way the wood slipped through his fingers.