The Kinshield Legacy (44 page)

“So if you claim the King’s Blood-stone, he won’t have reason to hold Stronghammer.”

Gavin regarded him for a moment. “It’s Brodas Ravenkind.”

Edan blanched.

“He won’t stop until he gets what he wants. I have to kill him,” Gavin said. “I should’ve done it five years ago.”

Edan said, “I’m coming with you,” as Daia walked in.

She looked from one to the other. “You told him about Ravenkind.” Gavin nodded. “Forgive me for being blunt, Edan,” Daia said as she returned to her seat, “but I doubt we can negotiate with him.”

Gavin and Edan shared a smile. “Edan’s a champion archer,” Gavin explained. “He’s saved my hide with that bow o’his more times than I can count.”

“You know, every scar I have I got from saving you,” Edan said, grinning.

“Not every scar,” Gavin reminded him.

Edan touched his hand to his head. “All right, not every scar.”

They traded tales of adventure and mishap until their yawns started replacing their laughs.

“We’d better get some rest,” Daia said. “Morning will be upon us soon.”

Chapter 52

The following morning, Brodas rose after a fitful sleep and paced in his library. The rune solver was still at large, and Brodas had only an obstinate blacksmith and a handsome sword.

Surely the rune solver wanted his sword, if he was, indeed, a ’ranter. But what did he know about Brodas? He knew that the Sisterhood was looking for him, but only Lilalian and her officers knew anything of Brodas’s alliance with the Sisterhood. The only person who might present any danger to Brodas was Domach’s sister. However slim the chance was that the battler would find his way to her, she knew Brodas’s name and face. She knew where he lived. Perhaps instructing Toren not to kill her hadn’t been the wisest course.

And what of her brother, Domach Demonshredder? While he carried out his instructions under the threat of harm to his sister, he would turn on Brodas at his first opportunity. Of that, Brodas had no doubt.

A horrible thought crossed his mind: Domach had a map to Tyr’s farmhouse. He might have gone there to rescue his sister. Brodas reached over and rang the bell to summon his manservant. “Is Domach here? Have you seen him?”

“Yes, my lord. He’s at the stable.”

Getting ready to leave, no doubt. Brodas pushed past the servant and hurried through the kitchen and out the rear door. The day was chillier than recent days, and a smattering of clouds, some gray, some white, cast floating shadows on the ground. He hurried through the courtyard to the gate as a breeze billowed his shirt. Domach stood beside the stable, knife in hand, aiming at the wall.

Brodas felt a warm flood of relief. He started to call out, but hesitated, deciding it was better to wait until the battler was unarmed. Domach threw the knife, then cursed himself.

“Domach, come here.” Brodas waited while the swordsman jogged over.

Domach’s eyes were rimmed with dark circles, and the corners of his mouth were pinched. His entire body seemed stretched and on the verge of breaking.

“Let’s go inside. I have something to discuss with you,” Brodas said, clapping his shoulder. Domach leaned away from his touch. Once they were inside, Brodas motioned for Domach to lead the way. To turn his back on the man could prove a fatal mistake. “To my library, if you please.”

Once inside his library, Brodas gestured to a chair. “Now then,” he said, shutting the door, “I must admit I’m surprised you’re still here.” He sat next to Domach and crossed his ankles.

“Where would I go? You hold my sister’s life in your hands.”

“You still have the map to Tyr’s farmhouse near Calsojourn. Did you not consider that she might be there, waiting for your gallant rescue?”

Except for the tiniest tic under his right eye, Domach’s expression did not change. “I hadn’t considered that,” he said. His voice was strained, uneasy.

“Well, give the map to me, then.”

Domach cleared his throat. “I’m afraid it has been lost.”

“Lost?” Brodas asked, feigning surprise. “How could that have happened?”

Domach shrugged.

The man was too honest for his own good. Brodas reached for the blacksmith’s sword. “Let’s see if we can find out where it went.”

Domach shifted forward as if to stand.

“Stay there,” Brodas said in a patient voice. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just relax. I want to know what happened to that map.” He focused on the gem in the sword’s pommel.
Sola Spekken
.

Domach gritted his teeth. A growl erupted from his throat and smoothed into words. “Ghaaaii... I gave it— No!”

“Tell me,” Brodas prompted in a soft voice. He pushed harder toward the gem. When he expected his temples to ache, he felt the cool depth of the gems in the sword inviting him to unleash still more of his power. Oh, this was delicious.

Domach’s hands, balled into fists, trembled. “Gavin Kinshield,” he said in a quivering voice.

Kinshield! Brodas narrowed his eyes. He thought that stupid bastard had learned his lesson years ago. “I told you not to leave the grounds,” Brodas said. “When did you give it to him?”

Domach shook for a moment, clenching his teeth. “Two… evenings… ago.”

Now, this was an interesting turn of events. Domach had given the map to Gavin before he knew that Brodas was holding his sister. He must have thought someone else was there. Could Gavin be looking for Risan?

Brodas gasped. Could it be? Gavin solving the...? No. The notion was absurd. Gavin Kinshield was a bloody boor. Then Brodas remembered the girl’s description of the rune solver: a tall dark-haired battler with a scar, traveling with the Lordover Tern’s estranged daughter.
By the gods!

Of course, Brawna hadn’t actually witnessed Kinshield solving the rune. The swordswoman could have solved them. She was high-born, educated, cultured. The fact that she’d run away from her life as the lordover’s heiress to join the Viragon Sisterhood proved that not only did she have quite a strong rebellious streak, she was capable of independent thought. And she, too, would have an interest in a new sword. Still, he didn’t think a woman could possess the intellect required to understand the Runes of Carthis.

“Was he alone?” Brodas asked. He heard the desperation in his voice and ignored it, pushing harder toward the gem.

Domach cried out. “No! He was... with a... swordswoman. Daia Saberheart,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I see,” Brodas said, nodding. That confirmed it. Saberheart must have found the rune solver and was helping him search for Stronghammer and the sword. Brodas relaxed his hold over Domach and turned around to set the sword back on his desk.

Kinshield and Saberheart probably considered Domach an ally. If they found out that he’d given away their secret, he would no longer be of much use to them -- or to Brodas. Brodas considered making an ally out of Domach as he had with Lilalian and instructing him to mislead Kinshield, but decided against it. If Domach seemed insincere in his desire to help Kinshield and Saberheart, they might be alerted to the influence of magic. Brodas needed Domach’s help without Domach’s knowledge. And he knew just how he would get it.

“You gave your friends the map and asked them to rescue your sister, didn’t you?” Brodas asked in an accusatory tone as he turned around.

Domach snapped his eyes up with a confused expression.

Take the bait, Domach.

Domach lifted his chin and set his mouth. “Yes, I did. Daia told me what happened to Brawna and I knew you would send her there. Brawna’s safe from you by now.”

Good. Domach’s loyalty extended to Kinshield and Saberheart. “Well, it’s a moot point now,“ Brodas said, waving his hand. ”What I brought you here to tell you, Domach, was that you could go and retrieve your sister. But since she’s already safe from me, as you say, you’re free to leave.”

Domach blinked. His jaw dropped. “You aren’t serious.”

“Of course. Despite what you might think of me, I did not intend to harm her. I just needed her to ensure your cooperation for a time. But I have what I want now, so you are released from your obligation to me.”

Domach stood. “But... you don’t know who Stronghammer made the sword for.”

“That no longer matters. As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, the gems in this sword are the Rune Stones. The man solving the runes has been keeping his identity secret for a reason: he’s unfit to rule as king and he knows it. It has been my hope that once we met, he would recognize how well-suited I am for being king, and willingly reveal the secret of the final rune to me. But with the spiritual guidance of Asti-nayas...“ Brodas paused to make a subservient gesture. ”...and Crigoth Sevae’s journal, I’ve discovered how to remove the King’s Blood-stone from the tablet using the power of the gems in this sword. So, I no longer need the rune solver. As soon as Warrick returns from Calsojourn, we will travel to the cave, and I will claim the King’s Blood-stone and my rightful place on the throne of Thendylath.” He hoped Warrick wouldn’t waltz into the room right then. Domach would need some time to warn his friends once they returned from Tyr’s farmhouse. And if all went well, Tyr and Toren would be dead, unable to speak out against Brodas or present evidence of his involvement in any of their illicit activities.

Domach backed toward the door. “You don’t need the blacksmith further. Let me take him home.”

Brodas picked up the sword and turned it in his hands. He did not intend to free Stronghammer. The blacksmith was his insurance, at least until he had the King’s Blood-stone in hand. “You are free to leave, but Risan has placed an enchantment on this sword, and I need to learn what it is. You need not be concerned for him, Domach. Once I have the King’s Blood-stone, he’ll tell me what I want to know, and I will send him home to his wife.”

Domach turned and ran. Brodas cringed when the back door slammed, but he smiled in spite of his annoyance. If Domach was the sort of man Brodas thought he was, he would go straight to his friends with this concocted story.

Brodas went into the corridor and called for Warrick. After a moment, he heard heavy footsteps descending the stairs, and his cousin came around the corner.

“What is it?” Warrick asked. Another pair of footsteps padded down the steps, lighter.

“I need you to keep an eye on Demonshredder. Secretly. He believes you to be in Calsojourn, so don’t let him see you.”

Lilalian came up behind Warrick, tucking her hair back into her braid.

“Brodas, now’s not a good time,” Warrick said.

“There will be plenty of time for celebration later,” Brodas said. He tried not to sound too annoyed. He did not care what Warrick did to Lilalian or any other woman, but Warrick shouldn’t waste time satisfying his base desires while the King’s Blood-stone was still in the tablet. “Lilalian, I need you to send some of your women to the cave and have them to wait there, hidden from eyes and ears.”

“How many do you need?” she asked.

“A dozen, perhaps two. In fact, send them on foot so their horses don’t give them away.”

“Yes, my lord,” Lilalian replied. “I will select and lead them myself.”

“Brodas, what’s going on?” Warrick asked.

“Domach knows who our mysterious rune solver is.”

“Where’s the cur?” Warrick demanded. “I’ll get the name out of him.”

“Calm yourself, Warrick,” Brodas said. “I’ve released him from our employ. He’s at the stable saddling his horse now.”

“You’ve done what? Brodas have you gone mad?”

“Do I not always get what I want?”

Warrick’s shoulders began to relax as a smile spread over his face. “You never fail.”

“Keep a constant watch on Demonshredder. When he meets Gavin Kinshield—“

“Kinshield,” Warrick said. “You can’t be serious.”

“Warrick, listen to me. When you see Domach meet with Kinshield, follow them until they leave town. Then come and get me. Kinshield and his companions will be off to the cave to solve the final rune. We’ll time our arrival perfectly.”

Chapter 53

“I want to come with you,” Brawna said late the next morning. She’d slept well past sunrise and expected Daia and Gavin to have already left, but they, too, had only just arisen. The four of them sat at the dining table to break their fast. “I’ve rested, I’ve eaten and I’m healed. I can’t do any good staying here.” She chewed her lip and looked around the dining table at her companions, hoping to find an ally among them.