Arrows Of Change (Book 1) (9 page)

Riana nearly choked on her apple. “Ye thought it’d be
simple?”

“Well, no, but less complex than this, certainly.” He
grinned at her. “You know, Ashlynn looked at me the same way when I complained
that this was more than I signed on for. Especially since I was the one that
talked her and Ash into helping me to begin with.”

Aye, she could imagine.

“Well, we’ve had our challenges, but so far it’s going
well.” Edvard popped an apple slice into his mouth and happily chewed. “I’m terribly
glad that you and your father were found, too. You have no idea how happy I am
about that. A lot of trouble has been following my wizard-siblings recently.
People somehow assume that if not for them, I wouldn’t be able to maintain my
kingdom or win any battles.”

Well, those rumors might be about half-right, but Edvard
possessed that special something that drew people to him, and encouraged
amazing bonds of loyalty. He could be a complete idiot when it came to strategy,
and still, people would follow him into battle.

Ash came to them and handed Edvard a new scroll. Edvard
popped the last apple slice into his mouth to free up his hands, then rolled it
out. He nodded, “mmming” approval around his mouthful.

“I take it that it meets your approval, and you want me to
build it immediately?” Ash translated dryly.

“Mmm-hhmm, mmmm.”

“There are no take-backsies on this one, alright? Once it’s
built, no magic will move it.”

“Hmmm. Mmm.”

“Fine, then I’ll get to work. Riana?”

How in the world had he kenned any of that? Amused, Riana
got to her feet, nodded goodbye to Edvard, and followed her wizard out the
door.

Somehow, in the time that they’d been working, beds had been
found and brought up to the wizards’ rooms. The narrow poster beds were shoved
into the corners, with chests sitting at the end of the footboards. Broden had
wondered where he and his daughter would sleep that night, but with a castle of
this size, he’d assumed they’d be given a place of their own. At least for
tonight, until things were sorted.

But that seemed not to be. Were both wizards so determined,
then, to keep their newfound partners close by?

Ash had gone confidently inside, gesturing for him to
follow, but when Broden hesitated at the doorway, the wizard looked back up at
him in confusion. “Well, don’t just stand there; come in.”

Broden did not budge an inch. “There be magical doohickeys
hanging about from the ceiling, glowing circles on the walls, and a carpet on
the floor that looks like those—” his fingers made a scribbling motion in the air
“—things ye draw afore ye chop down trees, and ye want a man to just casually
enter? I think no’.”

Throwing back his head, Ash laughed aloud. “They’re not
dangerous! I promise you. In fact, they’re here to prevent danger.”

That was a fine thing to say to a man about his sleeping
space. “What sort?”

“Magical attacks, for the most part. Some of them are alarms.
Like this one here—” he pointed to one that hung from the ceiling “—is
connected to a city alarm. We’ll know if a fire breaks out. And with this one,
we’ll be alerted if a large body of men approaches Estole.”

Oh. Like that wavy-lined trinket of Ashlynn’s? That be fine,
then. Reassured, he entered all the way and got a better look at the rest of
the room. If a man could ignore the magic squiggles, it seemed ordinary enough:
just beds, trunks for clothes, and a washstand next to the window. An open
hearth was against the back wall, a fire already going, chasing away the
evening chill. He’d slept in far worse places.

Satisfied, Broden opened the trunk to put his pack inside,
only to pause when he found several sets of clothes in there. “Ash. Whose trunk
be this?”

“Yours. So are the clothes. I had a quiet word with Ashlynn,
who had a word with someone, likely Miss Haley, and she arranged for clothing
and things to be sent up for you. Think of it as an advance payment.”

“Miss Haley?”

“She’s the head matron of the house. She runs things around
here. You’ll likely meet her soon.”

“Ah.” Well, true, he and Riana only had what was in their
packs to claim, but how would this woman know what size of clothing to get him?
Gingerly, he set his pack near his feet before lifting a shirt and shaking it
free of its folds, holding it up. His eyebrows climbed as he realized that it
looked like it’d fit him fine. “Lad, the sizing be too close to be a guess.”

Ash shrugged, eyes crinkling up at the corners. “You’ll soon
discover that my sister knows many things that she shouldn’t. The fact that she
knows your size is not the least surprising.”

True, the lass had seemed uncanny in the way she’d handled
the surprising things of the day. “Then, Riana’s chest be akin to this one?”

“Oh absolutely. Ashlynn made sure of it.”

From next door, they heard a pair of voices giggling.
Broden’s head snapped around, astonished to hear his daughter laughing. She had
not made a sound that happy and carefree in…well, longer than he could remember.
Mayhap years. It softened his heart to hear it.

“I knew those two would hit it off.” Ash grinned at the
wall, smile growing when one of the girls said something to the other and
started another giggling fit. “They’re scarily alike in some ways.”

“Aye, they be at that,” Broden grumbled good-naturedly.
“Quick to let the fists fly, they be, and loyal to their own.”

“Yes, exactly.” Ash seemed to take a breath before he turned
and looked at Broden straight in the eye. “Broden. I know you’re worried about
me. Worried about me being alone with Riana, I should say.”

Well, now. Broden rocked back on his heels, surprised that
Ash would so candidly face him on the matter. “Aye.”

“She’s highly attractive; I recognize that. She’s everything
I’ve ever wanted my partner to be. I won’t pretend otherwise.” Ash’s voice was
level, firm, unapologetic. “I can’t promise you that I won’t put her in harm’s
way. That’s not why she’s here. But I swear to you I’ll never cross the line of
propriety with her, and I’ll defend her as fiercely as I’d protect one of my
sisters.”

So said the man that was Court Wizard and Lawmaker of
Estole, and had put his life and magic on the line to defend not only his
family, but his new country. Broden did not doubt for a moment that the man was
good for that promise. “I take yer word as truth, Ash.”

“And if I break it, you’ll deal with me then?” Ash
responded, brows arched in sardonic humor.

“If there be anything left of ye after Riana’s done,” he
agreed, eyes twinkling.

Ash seemed to realize that he was not joking. “Warning
taken. Well, then, let’s get ready for bed.”

A sensible enough plan. Broden went about changing into more
comfortable clothing, but he did not put on a nightshirt, just a looser set of
linen pants and a cotton shirt that he found in his chest. His bow and quiver
he set next to the headboard just in case, with a long dagger slipped under the
pillow. It did not sit well with him to be completely at ease when there was
such tension with Iysh, no matter what sort of protections Ash and Ashlynn had
about the room.

Ready for bed, he sat on the edge of the mattress, one knee
tucked up near his chest. “Ash?”

“Hmm?” Ash pulled a shirt of a similar kind to what Broden
wore over his head before sitting on his own bed.

“Ashlynn mentioned to me that bribes come for the pair of ye
time and again. How long has that been going on?”

“Oh, ever since Edvard declared independence of Iysh. That
was the first unified tactic they tried, actually. We just sent them back at
first, but that didn’t deter them. Now, we burn whatever they send and return
the ashes.” Ash rubbed his hands together in small circles and said
thoughtfully, “I’m beginning to think that we should send hexes along with the
ashes so that they’ll get the message.”

“I would no’ rush that,” Broden advised. “Better bribes than
assassins.”

Ash’s eyes went wide. “Zounds! Hadn’t thought of that. But
that’ll likely be the next thing they send, won’t it?”

“Belike. Or worse, they will find some weakness of yers to
use against ye.”

“Well, now, there’s a cheery thought.” Ash gave Broden an
uncertain look. “I know we said that we’d try out our partnerships for a while
before making any decisions, but if Zelman really does try something else, it’d
be best to have dedicated bindings with both of you.”

Broden wagged a chiding finger at him. “No rushing things,
lad. No’ on a mayhap.”

“You and I both know these are likely the partnerships we’ll
end up with anyway,” Ash responded, exasperated. “My sister was singing your
praises all during dinner. Just you standing there looking menacing made people
behave. Normally she’d have to break arms to get the same sort of respect. And
you aren’t easily rattled in a crisis, which is an invaluable trait to have
with her new position.”

Well, to himself, he could admit that working with Ashlynn
that day had been more pleasurable than he would have thought. But one day was
not enough to base a decision on. “Give it a few more days at the very least, lad.”

“Fine, fine.” Ash held up his hands in surrender. “I just
hope that we have our partnerships sorted before more trouble comes knocking on
our door.”

Broden sat in the main dining hall enjoying a moment of
peace as he tucked away a breakfast fit for a king. (That be no exaggeration as
the table was set for Edvard.) Riana and Ash had eaten and gone, determined to
use every bit of light to build as much of the wall as they could. Ashlynn had
run upstairs to fetch something or other, leaving him at the table alone for a
few minutes.

The peace would not last long, but he enjoyed it while it remained.
He’d be out again in the city soon enough, dealing with one fashious situation
after the next. As he ate, he mulled over Ash’s words of the night before. He
did not care to admit it, but Ash likely was right. Probably they’d end up in
the partnerships they had now.

Part of that would be because of Ashlynn’s job. Oh, the lass
said it was temporary, but she was very good at protecting the law and dealing
with the lawbreakers. Broden had been around long enough to know that when a
man (or in this case, woman) showed skills in a job, they wound up with that
job permanently. He’d lay good money on the odds that Ashlynn would be Sheriff
of Estole forevermore. If that was the case, Riana should not partner with
Ashlynn. Oh, his little girl could handle herself fine. But she had the same
problem Ashlynn did—she looked too sweet and innocent. A man would not take her
threats seriously until she riddled him with holes.

And the idea of sending two beautiful women out to deal with
criminals by their lonesome made a chill grip his spine.

No, Edvard was wise to send him with Ashlynn. His simple
presence right next to her had made many a man stop and think about crossing
the blonde, and that second of hesitation was all that was needed for Ashlynn.
Besides, he liked working with the lass. She had a good head on her shoulders,
that one, and her sense of justice was strong. He could think of worse fates
than staying with her.

After the talk he had with Ash last night, he felt a little
better about that situation too. He also knew full well how strong a man’s
instincts could be, though, when near a pretty woman. He himself had perhaps bent
a rule or two with Riana’s mother as they courted. He trusted that Ash would
try his very best to live up to the promise he’d given, but Broden would keep
an eye on the two of them regardless.

A light set of footsteps rang on the floor, coming this direction.
They were heavier than Ashlynn’s tread, but too light for a man’s. Broden’s
first instinct was to grab the bow and quiver leaning up against the table, but
he doubted an intruder would make that much noise. So he simply bided his time
and kept a watchful eye on the door.

The woman who pushed into the room was heavy set, like a
matron with five children. Her hair was tucked in a severe dark bun on the top
of her head, skin pale, dark eyes sharp as a raven’s. Her dress was a sensible
dark blue cut that had traces of flour on the sleeves. She smelled like fresh
made bread. Spying him at the table, she stopped dead and folded her hands over
her waist in a prim gesture.

“You must be Master Broden Ravenscroft.”

“Aye, I be.” He gained his feet and gave her a bow. “May
harmony find ye.”

She blinked and relaxed into what might have been a smile.
“I am Haley Summerfield, the matron of this house.”

Ahhh. “Ash mentioned ye to me last night, Miss Haley. I
thank ye for the clothes. They be a fine fit.”

“Yes, so I see. Both Ash and Ashlynn have explained your
situation to me, and requested that I see to any needs that you or your
daughter might have. I am pleased to do so.” Her tone suggested that it was her
duty to do so, yet she was still not sure what to think of either Ravenscroft.

Edvard came strolling in, nodding politely to Miss Haley,
and offering a “good morning” to both of them.

“A good morning to ye,” Broden returned, sipping at his cup.

“Good morning, Edvard,” Miss Haley responded. She sounded
more like a mother greeting her son than a housekeeper.

Broden noted that with interest. It did not surprise him,
really, considering what Riana had passed along to him of Edvard’s family
history. With a rogue of a father who was never home, and a mother that wilted
at every trial in life, it was likely the housekeeper had brought up the future
king.

She went immediately to the sideboard and started loading up
a plate for him. Edvard sat at the table as if it was usual for her to do this,
and instead, engaged Broden in conversation. “I hope you don’t mind, Broden,
but I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“Aye, I do no’ mind it. Ask away.”

“Ash recounted to me your family history, but I admit that I
am struggling to understand it.” He paused as his housekeeper put a plate in
front of him. “Thank you, Miss Haley. Yes, that’s fine. Were you really under
such heavy prejudice because of your great-grandfather?”

Miss Haley quietly slipped out of the room without saying
another word to either man.

Broden let out a long sigh. “Aye. Although I think it became
more a thing of convenience than anything. It be a hard way of life in Cloud’s
Rest, and there be no’ much that can be done to change things. A man finds it
easier to blame another for his troubles than to get off his duff and fix it.”

“Oh,” Edvard said in a tone of complete understanding. “Now
that
I understand. It’s how we’ve lived with the Bindings for the past two centuries,
and no one’s done anything to change it.”

“Exactly.” Broden lifted his glass to him in silent salute.
Different situations, aye, but the root of the problem was the same. “Riana and
me, we be the perfect thing to curse at when things go wrong. Me parents were
the same, and their parents, and so on.”

“So why didn’t you leave before this?” Edvard seemed very
puzzled by this point. “That’s what hasn’t made sense to me. If you were that
badly treated, if you knew the situation was never going to get better or
change, then why stay?”

“At first, it be a matter of habit more than anything, I
suppose.” Broden rubbed at his jaw and tried to find the words to explain. “I
went out as a guard a few times when I was younger, so I knew the outside did
no’ view me as me own clansmen did. It gave me hope. But I always returned, as
me family be there. Then, after me parents and wife died, there be nothing to
hold us there but ignorance. We did no’ have the money to travel with, nor any
place that could be a new home for us. It be dangerous to just take to the road
without a destination. Ye have no way of knowing if there be work to be had,
after all. We had to wait until we found an employer.”

Edvard’s brows compressed, still not following. “But the two
of you are capable archers and hunters. Wouldn’t it be safe enough for you to
travel? You could simply hunt for provisions.”

“That only works out short term,” Broden disagreed. “A man
cannot travel and stay out in the woods for long. Aside from that, we had no
way of knowing which roads led where, or what dangers we would face if we
traveled them. If a man and woman travel alone, they leave themselves open to
all sorts of danger. And in a foreign country, where I do no’ ken the customs
or know anyone? Where would we turn for help if something went wrong?”

Edvard opened his mouth for a rebuttal, but paused as he
realized he couldn’t really find a way to respond to this. Finally, he said,
“But if Cloud’s Rest was really that dangerous, that harsh to live in, wouldn’t
you have rather taken the chance?”

“Ah, but they be known dangers.” Broden shook his head with
a sad smile etched into his face. “We knew them, knew how to avoid them, or
fight them. Exchanging old for new be not always better, me king.”

Edvard sat staring at him over a cooling plate of food for a
long moment. “If Riana had not been with you, if it had been just you, would
you have gone?”

“Aye. Because there would no’ have been much to lose. But I
could no’ drag me daughter into the world without some safety net to catch us.”

“Hence you waited until Ash came along.” Edvard finally
realized that he had been neglecting his food and started eating. “But what if
he hadn’t?”

“Oh, a caravan comes up our way every two years or so.”
Broden shrugged and played with the last of his bread. “I be actually waiting
on them, ye see. The merchant that runs it has hired me on as a guard a time or
three, and I planned on joining in with him and leaving.” If the man had been
willing to hire them. That hadn’t been a guaranteed thing.

“So Ash coming for you first was just a happy coincidence?
Interesting. We’re very lucky he went up for lumber when he did, then, and
didn’t wait longer. Otherwise he might have missed you altogether and my
wizards would still be without partners.” Edvard smiled lopsidedly. “And to
think I argued with him about going all the way to Cloud’s Rest for lumber.”

Now this was a point that Broden had wondered about. “Why
did he? There be forests aplenty just across the channel.”

“They’re all soft woods,” Edvard explained. “Pines and the
like. For a wall that will protect the city, we need something harder, which is
why he went for the massive snakewood trees up on Cloud’s Rest.”

Granted, snakewood had been known to break a man’s axe now
and again. If Broden had to choose a wood to make a defensive wall with, that
would be one of his top choices.

“It’s a pretty wood. I was surprised by that. It’s the first
time I’ve actually seen it.”

Broden nodded agreement. “Aye, it be that. Yer carpenters
and woodworkers be glad it be Ash that has to work with it, though, I bet.”

Edvard chuckled. “Yes, probably so. I hope that you aren’t
regretting your choice to come with Ash. I don’t think this is quite the
‘safety net’ that you were envisioning when you left your home.”

“No,” Broden allowed, eyes crinkling. “It certainly no’ be
that. But I did no’ expect perfect safety and harmony with an infant kingdom
either. Leastways it be no’ boring.”

The new king of that infant kingdom seemed to find that
funny, as he nearly choked on his food, fighting not to laugh.

“Do no’ choke, lad.”

Edvard coughed into a napkin, pounding on his own chest with
a fist to clear his airway. “Don’t make me laugh when my mouth is full!” he
chided, although his eyes were still dancing. “Not unless you want to be short
a king.”

“I will mind it,” Broden drawled. “But if ye be worried
about what I think of yer kingdom, I have hopes for it. At least here, me and
me Riana be welcome.”

“You always will be,” Edvard assured him. Clearing his
throat, he picked up his fork and then paused, eyeing Broden suspiciously. “Is
it safe for me to eat, or are you going to make me laugh again?”

The archer quirked a brow at him as he said wryly, “I will
no’. We can ill afford to lose our king and frankly? I do no’ want yer job.”

“No one does,” Edvard replied morosely, stabbing at his
plate with a fork.

Broden snorted, but had no pity on the man.

Miss Haley reappeared in the doorway and said, “Is there
anything more that you require, Edvard?”

“Thank you, Miss Haley, but no. I believe we are fine.”

They heard Ashlynn coming before she came popping through
the same doorway, neatly avoiding plowing into Miss Haley by doing a quick spin
with cat-like grace. “Oh, Miss Haley, good morning.”

“Good morning, dear.” Miss Haley openly smiled at her, the
usual stiff expression on her face softening.

“Are there any problems this morning?”

The housekeeper ticked things off on her fingers. “The usual
grumbling about the martial law, the shortage of housing deeds, and the sewage
buildup in some of the streets.”

Ashlynn let her head fall back so that she stared straight
up at the ceiling and groaned, long and loud. “Where’s the sewage buildup?”

“Port Road.”

“I’ll kill those dock men when I get my hands on them,”
Ashlynn swore aloud.

As she went to get her plate, Edvard looked at Miss Haley
with a frown. “Just how serious is the grumbling about the housing deeds and my
martial law?”

Miss Haley openly hesitated before carefully phrasing, “I
would advise doing something about both soon.”

“In other words, serious,” Ashlynn translated dryly.
“Edvard, I don’t want to rush you in making those new laws of yours, but you
better pick up your pace.” 

The king grumbled some inarticulate words under his breath
and stabbed at his plate again.

No, Broden did not want the man’s job. He was not envious in
the slightest.

“After we’re done with breakfast,” Ashlynn told Broden as
she slid into a seat, “we’d best go to Port Road and deal with that sewage
problem.”

She wanted to do that on a full stomach? Lovenanty, the lass
was brave.