Royal Exile (35 page)

‘I had no argument with our royals, sire. I have no argument with you other than the killing must stop,’ Briar spoke up, rather courageously, Freath thought.

‘For someone who was scared of me, priest, you seem rather brave in telling me how to run my conquered realms.’

Briar flinched. ‘You terrify me, my lord. But because you could have me killed at the mere glance to one of your henchman, I realise I have nothing more to fear from you. I might as well be true to my god and behave as he would want.’

‘The killing will stop when the people give me what I want. And what I want is the Valisar heir. He was here all along, did you know that?’

The priest paled. ‘Here? No, my lord, how could I? I thought he must have been sent away just before the palace was taken.’

‘So did I. But Freath saw him and one of the legate’s sons running back into the palace.’

Briar looked at Freath, genuinely astonished. ‘It’s true,’ Freath said, his tone as uncaring as he could achieve. ‘If he’s still here we’ll find him.’

‘He won’t be found in the palace,’ Loethar cut in.

‘Oh? Why’s that, my lord?’ Freath asked, a chill spiking through him.

‘He’s been spotted, we think. Slinking away from Brighthelm with his friend.’

Freath felt his throat tighten.
So they’d made their dash for
freedom
. ‘Really? Who saw them?’

‘Valya did, when she was out riding. I’ve already sent out a hunting party, but in the meantime I shall press ahead with my plan to flush him out using his own people. Father Briar?’

‘My lord?’

‘When you return please send word and I shall meet you in the library. I require your assistance.’

‘Very good, sire,’ Briar said. Freath was relieved he resisted glancing towards him in enquiry. ‘I shall make my deliveries and be back before the next bell, my lord.’

The forest was cloaked by darkness. A fat new moon loomed inordinately large overhead, throwing a watery glow between the leaves. Leo had always thought of the moon as being silvery white but when it was full like this, he could swear it possessed a golden hue. He preferred it silver and far away — this yellow felt somehow sinister. He wondered if Vyk was watching them from the treetops. As the sounds of night erupted Leo was convinced the space beneath the trees became noisier than by day. Crickets sang loudly, an owl hooted mournfully and somewhere not too far away various animals were scrabbling through the undergrowth.

Gavriel pointed. ‘Badger,’ he whispered, as though dropping in on his thoughts.

Leo nodded. It could be the bleaching effect of the moonlight but he felt sure Gavriel look paler than was safe. The blood- soaked fabric at his arm looked black. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

‘Don’t worry about me,’ his friend replied, pushing Leo forward.

Leo halted suddenly. Caught in a trap in front of them was a hare, large enough to be a buck. It stared at them, glassy-eyed and frantic, and judging by the blood, it had already begun tearing at its own leg in an attempt to free itself. As it gave a low squeal of fear, Leo re-lived his father’s gutting, his mother’s terrible plunge, the knowledge of his baby sister’s ashes being blown into the far corners of the realm, and then Piven’s ever smiling face turned sorrowful. The hare reminded him of himself. Trapped, helpless, lit up in the clearing where it lay defeated and breathing hard from its exertions at escape.

‘What are you doing?’ Gavriel said as Leo approached the animal.

‘I’m cutting him loose.’

‘Are you mad? That animal could feed a family.’

‘He’s a fine beast. He shouldn’t die like this.’

‘How should he die, then?’ Gavriel asked, irritated.

‘Bravely, fighting in spring for his territory, for his mate.’

‘Leo, you old romantic! And you’ve never even kissed a girl.’

Leo blushed, glad of the cover of night. ‘Give me a blade.’

Gavriel obliged. ‘Keep it,’ he said, sounding suddenly weary.

Leo tried to calm the wild animal but the hare was suspicious, angry and injured. A bit like Gavriel, he thought, smiling. ‘Be still, won’t you,’ he begged it and finally was able to cut through the braided string that had held its leg so effectively. ‘Count yourself lucky we didn’t bring beagles,’ he said as he watched the hare dart, not so nimbly, off into the trees and safety.

‘Not even a thank you, Leo,’ Gavriel said.

Before Leo could reply a new voice startled them.

‘You bastards! Don’t even move.’ They both looked up in surprise to see a woman, her arrow trained on Gavriel, the bow held taut between long slim arms. Instinctively, both raised their hands.

‘That was our meat!’ she snarled at them.

Leo kept his hands raised but began to rise. ‘Miss, I’m sorry but —’

‘Be quiet, boy! You. Who are you?’

Gavriel pointed at himself. ‘I’m Jon, this is my brother Mat. We’re —’ Gavriel suddenly stopped talking, slumping over in a dead faint.

‘Ga—, er, help!’ Leo yelled, leaning over Gavriel.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

‘He’s bleeding, can’t you see?’

‘Get back. I know this is a trap,’ she warned.

Leo looked at her, anguished. His temper, already well and truly frayed, suddenly snapped. ‘Oh sod off, would you! Go back wherever you came from. I’ll pay you for your damn hare but just leave us!’

She lowered the bow, astonished. ‘How dare —’

‘Listen, either help me help him or get away from us. Do we really look that dangerous? Damn him, I knew he was lying when he told me the cut wasn’t so bad.’ Leo had already turned away from the woman. Gavriel was conscious, groaning softly.

‘Well how you do think you look with all those weapons? How safe do you reckon I feel?’

‘I couldn’t give a hog’s arse. Please either help or just leave.’

‘What happened to him?’ she said, flicking dark hair out of her eyes.

Leo looked up at her wearily. ‘We ran into the wrong sort. He fought them off but he got hurt. I think he’s burning with fever. Can it come on that fast?’

‘Oh, get out of the way,’ she said, irritated, pushing Leo aside. She laid her hand on Gavriel’s forehead. ‘Yes, big fever. Help me get him up. Neither of us can carry him alone.’

Impossibly, Gavriel appeared to rouse as they hauled him to his feet.

‘Where to?’ Leo asked, genuinely glad of her help.

‘My father’s hut.’

‘What’s your name?’

‘Not until you tell me yours. I know he was lying.’

‘Mine’s Lewk. His is Gaven. And we don’t mean you any harm and I am sorry about losing you your hare.’

She nodded. ‘I’m Lilyan … Lily.’

‘Thank you for your help, Lily.’

‘Neither of you deserve it,’ she replied, still clearly angry, but nonetheless bearing the greater burden of Gavriel’s weight as they half walked, half dragged him through the forest. Almost impossibly Gavriel began to sing deliriously at the top of his weakened voice. Leo recognised one of the soldiers’ favourite ballads — comparing a woman’s arse to a ripe peach. He didn’t know whether to grin helplessly or blush even more furiously, for Lily certainly had a delicious arse.

Finally a small hut came into view. Leo dropped Gavriel as they approached and his sudden letting go dragged Lily down with his friend. She landed on top of De Vis but Gavriel made no protest.

‘I think he’s unconscious,’ she said, alarmed.

‘What’s all this, Lily?’ asked a tremulous voice from the doorway. Leo looked up to see a robed figure, illuminated from behind by the glow of a single candle. He was pulling on a hood, though it really wasn’t that cold. His voice sounded old and fragile; perhaps he felt the cold more, Leo thought.

‘It’s all right, father. They’re no danger.’

‘What’s happening?’ he asked, walking out towards them, suddenly sounding much stronger, much younger.

‘I came across these travellers. They’d been set upon by thieves. This one’s wounded. This other one’s name’s Lewk.’

‘Lewk,’ the man acknowledged.

Leo couldn’t see his face, shrouded beneath the hood, but he held out his hand. ‘Lily’s been very kind to help us. I’m afraid we owe her for the hare we let go.’

She shook her head. ‘Let’s not worry about that for now. Let’s just get your friend inside. Here, father, you take the other arm.’ The father and daughter hauled Gavriel into the hut, leaving Leo to trail behind.

‘Onto the bed,’ the man said.

Leo wondered what he meant. He saw no bed. They laid Gavriel down onto a rug beneath which was strewn some straw on a pallet.
Ah, the bed
, he thought, surprised, suddenly acutely aware of how unfamiliar he was with life beyond the palace gates.

‘Get the candle, Lily,’ her father said, ripping Gavriel’s sleeve open. ‘This young man’s lost quite a bit of blood, I think.’

Lily placed the candle on a small shelf just above Gavriel’s face. The man pulled back his hood and Leo reared back, unable to stop himself. His reaction drew their gazes and though neither looked embarrassed — they were obviously used to this — he read a fleeting pain in Lily’s eyes that made him feel instantly contrite.

‘I’m sorry,’ he bleated, honesty coming before he could think of anything polite.

‘We’re used to it, son,’ the man said, ‘and that’s why we prefer to live here in solitude. Not that it’s good for my daughter, but —’

‘Hush, father. That’s our business and it’s very old ground we’ve trodden too often.’

The man sighed, flicked a wry glance at Leo and focused his attention on Gavriel. ‘This is a deep wound. It’s also infected. Must have been a filthy blade that cut him.’

‘Can you help him?’ Leo asked.

‘Let’s get it all cleaned out and see what we’re up against,’ the man said kindly. ‘I’m Greven, by the way.’

Leo nodded. He wasn’t very good at ageing people but Greven looked no older than his own father. His greying hair was neatly tied back and, despite the ravages of his face, his body looked lean and fit. ‘What can I do?’

‘Help Lily to get some water boiled. She’ll show you where everything is.’ He directed the rest of his instructions to Lily. ‘We’ll need some willow sap, comfrey balm, and a posset with some liquor to get his strength back. Oh, and mix up some henbane for the pain.’

‘But we have so little left, and it’s for your —’

‘Oh, Lily, don’t fuss. Let’s do what we can for this young man, shall we? And then we’ll worry about ourselves.’

Leo felt another stab of guilt. To think he’d deprived these good people of that hare. It probably would have lasted them several meals.

‘I’ll also need some of that white lichen. We’re going to have to cover the wound with that once we’ve done the clirren leaves.’

‘I wish I understood all this,’ Leo said, impressed. ‘He’s going to be all right, isn’t he?’

‘Is he your brother?’

Leo nodded, hating to lie outright.

‘Where have you come from?’

‘Er, around Brighthelm,’ Leo said, sticking as close to the truth as he could.

‘Is it true the barbarian has moved into the palace?’ Lily asked, wide-eyed, as she gathered up various small pots and containers. ‘Here, hang this over those coals,’ she said, pointing to a spouted container. ‘It’s not long since it boiled anyway,’ she said.

Leo did as asked. ‘He has,’ he said, turning away.

‘So the king and queen are dead? The rumours are right?’

‘Yes,’ he answered coldly.

‘We heard that the queen gave birth —’ Greven began.

‘She did. The news from the palace is that the baby died immediately.’

Lily’s expression darkened. ‘Too much sadness for one family. Is the mad son —’

‘Not mad,’ Leo corrected too abruptly, wishing he hadn’t as both of them looked up sharply. ‘I have met him once or twice. Our, er, father worked at the palace. One of the royal guards,’ he said, thinking it up as he went along and hoping the story held enough weight. ‘Piven is just simple, not mad.’

Lily nodded. ‘And the heir? Where is he? He’d be about your age, wouldn’t he?’

‘Bit younger I think,’ Leo said, amazed by how easily the lies rolled off his tongue. Gav and Corb had always said he acted well beyond his years. He prayed that characteristic would hold now for him. ‘I’ve only seen him from a distance and I don’t know his fate.’

‘I saw the queen once,’ Greven mused. ‘A beautiful woman. She paused on her journey back into the palace to say hello to me. Can you imagine that? And me so ugly.’

‘You’re not ugly, father.’

‘I’m hardly pretty, Lily.’

‘What … is it?’ Leo asked hesitatingly.

The man sighed. ‘Leprosy, son.’

‘The townfolk insisted he wear this robe and although he does that much I’ll be damned if I’ll agree to his having to cover his mouth or make the noise with the wretched clappers to signal his approach,’ Lily said, and Leo could hear the anger driving her words.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said, at a loss for further words.

‘He doesn’t want pity. He just wants to be left alone. So now we live here in peace.’

‘What about you?’ Leo asked.

‘Me? The leprosy doesn’t touch me but that doesn’t matter to them. I’m tainted by his sickness. So long as I keep my distance and don’t infect them,’ she snarled, ‘they will tolerate me. They won’t even accept our money because it’s deemed unclean. The few things that we need are bartered.’

Leo frowned. ‘What do you exchange?’

‘Father’s a herbalist, if you hadn’t guessed. Your brother chose the right people to collapse in front of.’

‘A shaman?’ Leo asked, his interest fired further in the man.

‘No,’ Greven said brusquely. Then his voice softened. ‘I just understand the natural world.’

‘Then why can’t you cure yourself?’

He shrugged. ‘I love a youngster’s logic. I’m afraid there’s no cure for me.’

Leo looked at Lily, who wore a sneer she wasn’t disguising very well. ‘Father believes this is a punishment. A divine curse for being a coward.’

‘Hush, child,’ Greven admonished. ‘Hurry with all that stuff.’

Leo followed Lily, carrying the tray she handed him, while she carefully lifted the boiled water and carried it over to her father.

‘Coward?’ Leo asked.

‘My mother died not long after I was born,’ Lily explained. ‘She was very sick. We used to live in Cremond and some of the local folk brought in a healer who wanted father to make an offering in blood to Lo. They believed it would save her.’