| |
All fighting had stopped. Tor glared at his brother. “You had better go.”
“I did not want this to happen,” Vitkin said, but Tor was not in the mood for listening to him. Some of Lycane’s men were dead, but most were walking wounded and would be able to ride. Those that were unconscious would need to be brought around and Ellen provided a pungent potion which would help.
Before looking after her friends, she quickly inspected the injured enemy, healing wounds and stitching deep cuts. She wanted them away and out of sight as soon as possible and would do all she could to ensure that happened.
Vicky, the only other skilled healer, was in no fit state to help. She was too overcome with grief as she hugged her son’s dead body to her and screamed continuously, tears flowing down her face.
Bellak tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away. “How dare you touch me,” she yelled. “This is all your fault.”
“How is this my fault?” he shouted back. He was hurting almost as much as she was and did not like her accusations.
“You are the one who insisted that we go on this stupid quest. If it was not for you, my son would still be alive.”
“Our son,” he spat at her. He knew it was just the grief making her talk like that, but could not prevent himself from reacting. He tried to calm down. The only way to cope with the situation would be together and he longed to take her in his arms and comfort her.
Vicky turned to Vitkin. “You look like you could do with having a healer travel with you. Will you take me with you?”
Bellak could not believe what he was hearing. “It was one of his men that attacked Nosmas,” he protested, but Vicky was not listening to him. She stood up and walked over to the wagon to retrieve her belongings.
Tor followed her. “Vicky, do not make any rash decisions. I know you are hurting right now. I cannot even begin to imagine what you are going through, but leaving with Vitkin is something you will soon deeply regret. You need to be around friends right now.”
“What I need,” she hissed at him, “is to be as far away from that man as I can. And I need to make him suffer like he has made me suffer. Nothing personal Tor, but I am going to do everything I can to make sure you lose this quest so Bellak will know he got our son killed for nothing.”
“It is not Bellak’s fault.”
Vicky ignored him and pushed him aside so she could walk up to Vitkin. “Well?”
Vitkin glanced at Tor, who nodded his head. He would rather Vicky travelled with his brother than went off alone.
Everyone tried to talk Vicky out of leaving, but her mind was made up and she rode away without a backward glance.
Nobody knew what to say or do. Only Ellen kept her wits about her and ordered Patrick to remove his shirt so she could take a look at his arm and instructed Liselle to try to wake Ria.
Bellak sat beside Nosmas’s body, scowling down at it and refusing to speak to anyone. By the time Ellen had finished treating Patrick and Tor, Ria was awake and complaining of a headache. Other than a nasty bump on her head she appeared to be uninjured, but she agreed to ride in the wagon for the rest of the day.
Most of the team had minor injuries which were easily treatable. The most serious turned out to be Tor, who had broken his ankle. How he had managed to keep fighting was beyond Ellen’s understanding.
She sang a healing spell and by the time she had finished Tor was able to put weight on it, though not much and she advised him to stay on horseback as much as possible for the next couple of days.
Soon it was time to depart and still Bellak had not spoken. Tor hobbled over to him and sat on the ground beside him.
“Nosmas needs to be buried.”
It was a statement that Tor did not expect Bellak to argue with, but he did.
“No.”
“Bellak-” Tor started to say, but the wizard held up his hand.
“No Tor. He is my son and I will decide what is best for him. Please go and leave me alone with my grief.”
“I am really sorry for your loss, but being alone is the worst thing you could possibly do right now.”
“I said go. Let me know where you are headed and I will join you when I am ready. If you move on, leave a message for me.”
Tor wanted to argue, but knew it would be pointless. “As we are going back to Remeny, we will stop in Raven. There is an inn there called the Rose. If there is no sign of us when you arrive, wait there. If something unexpected comes up so we cannot make the rendezvous, I will get a message to you somehow.”
Bellak nodded his head. He was not sure if he was going to be able to join Tor again, but at least he had a way to find them if he wanted to.
It was with a heavy heart that Tor gave the order to mount up. Initially he had not wanted to travel with many people, but he had grown to like being with them all and the team now felt depleted. Nosmas and William were dead, Jem and Marie had been left behind, Vicky had gone off with Vitkin and now they were abandoning Bellak. It all felt wrong.
They rode in silence, nobody much in the mood for talking. Seth made sure the food was especially tasty when they stopped for the night by a river, but nobody ate much.
Days passed and the mood slowly lightened. They missed Nosmas and were sad that Bellak and Vicky were no longer with them, but they could not let their misfortunes get them down and eventually the usual banter crept back into their journey.
They crossed the border into Remeny and instantly Tor knew that something was wrong. They received no friendly greetings from the residents of each village they rode through. Children fled from them as they passed and women shut their doors as soon as they saw them approaching.
There was no sign of any healthy young men about, only the old or the wounded. In the third village they came to Tor called a halt. He wanted to know what was going on. This was his country and something bad had obviously happened.
Instructing the others to remain where they were, he took Ellen to the inn and banged loudly on the door. He could hear movement inside, but nobody came out to greet him. He banged again, this time calling out. “This is Prince Tor of Remeny. I demand that you open this door.”
Using his name had the desired effect and the door slowly opened, revealing a terrified young lady. “Your Highness,” she stammered as she tried to bow while still holding the door.
Tor spoke softly to her. “I am not here to hurt you. My friends and I are merely passing through. Why are you so scared of me?”
The girl did not answer. She just stood there, staring at him and trembling.
“Tor, go away,” Ellen instructed. “Send Liselle and Ria over. And maybe River. We will have a chat with this young woman and see if we can find out what is going on.”
The woman stared in amazement as Tor did as he was told.
“Can we come in?” Ellen asked when the other women had arrived. She nodded and stepped back, opening the door just wide enough for them to slip through. As soon as they were in it was banged shut and locked.
“Should we be worried about them being shut in there alone?” Patrick asked, but Tor shook his head.
“I would be if Ria was not with them.”
Time passed and Tor began to pace impatiently, while Torrick’s gaze never left the inn door.
Eventually it opened once more and Ellen slipped out, pulling the young lady with her.
“This is Quill. She and her husband run the inn. I have managed to persuade her to let us stay here for a few days.”
“We do not really have time for a few days rest,” Tor pointed out.
“When you hear her story, you will make time.”
Ellen was right. By the time Quill had finished explaining to everyone what was happening, Tor did not care how long they had to stay there. There was a problem that needed fixing and he was determined to help out.
Young stable lads took care of the horses, brushing them down then releasing them into a field where there was a good supply of fresh green grass and clean water. The inn had a stable, but it could not cope with that many horses. They tried to put the donkey in it, but the stubborn animal refused to enter and ran off to join the horses.
There were not enough rooms for them all, but pallets were found and they did not mind sleeping on the floor if they needed to.
Once the accommodation had been sorted out, Quill sat at a table by the fire and told her story.
“A little over three weeks ago soldiers entered the village, dressed in the uniforms of our Lord’s personal guard. They told us that Remeny was at war and all able bodied men had to join the army. They took them all away. Any who resisted were savagely beaten and thrown in the back of a wagon. We have not seen them since.”
“Who are we supposed to be at war with?” Tor asked. He had been away from home for a while, but he could not believe that he would not have heard something about a war while he travelled.
“We were never told.”
“Then I should head straight home and find out what is really happening.”
“Wait Tor, you need to hear the rest,” Ellen told him. “Go on,” she said gently to Quill. “He needs to know everything.”
“Since then, soldiers have been visiting us nightly, sometimes only a few, other times there are dozens of them. They take whatever they want, including the women.” She shuddered as she spoke the last few words.
Tor’s face darkened. “Who is your Lord?” His voice was cold and hard.
“Lord Dorrik.”
Tor stared at her in surprise. “Thomas Dorrik?” She nodded. “I know him well and his son. They are both honest and fair men. They would never allow this to happen. They must not be aware of it.”
“You are right,” Patrick agreed. “I was good friends with Thomas when he was a young man. If he had any idea what his soldiers were doing he would have them all executed. But, having said that, he has always been well informed about everything that goes on in his territory.” He noticed Quill giving him a strange look as she tried to work out how someone who looked no more than thirty could have been friends with a man who was now nearly seventy, when the older man was young.
“It is a long story,” he told her. “I will explain when I get back.”
Tor raised a questioning eyebrow. “Going somewhere?”
“Well I presume that you and I are going to be paying Lord Dorrik a visit.”
“Indeed we are.”
If they left soon they would arrive at the Lord’s estate before nightfall. Tor only planned on taking Patrick with him, leaving the rest to defend the villagers, should the soldiers come back that night. Ria, however, had other ideas.
“I am coming with you,” she announced. “If this Lord is behaving out of character then you have no idea how he is going to react to seeing you. You could be thrown in jail. I will be able to break you out.”
“She has a good point,” Ellen told him.
Tor was not in the mood for arguing. “Alright, she comes with us. Torrick, I am leaving you in charge of the defences. Find a way to protect everyone who is here. I know that the other villages nearby are probably suffering the same nightly attacks, but we can only defend one. If any soldiers come here, I want at least one kept alive for questioning.”
“Understood,” Torrick said. He was a trained tactician and knew what needed to be done. He sat down with Quill and started asking questions about the layout of the village, how many people were left, where they were and which were the largest buildings.
Happy that the locals were in good hands, Tor led Patrick and Ria to the field to collect their horses.
They rode hard and the sun had yet to set when they arrived at the outskirts of the Lord’s estate. Tor had visited there many times and Patrick had often stayed there when the Lord was younger. Outwardly nothing looked different. They rode down the driveway and stopped in front of the manor house, but nobody came out to greet them. On all his previous visits Tor had been met by stable hands the moment he dismounted, but this time there was no sign of anyone.
“I know where the stable is,” Patrick said and led the horses around the back of the house. When he returned, Tor went to the front door and rang the bell. He could hear it reverberating around inside, but it was a long time before it was finally answered.
“I am here to see Lord Dorrik,” Tor announced before the door was even open.
The butler jumped back in surprise. “Prince Tor. We were not warned that you would be visiting.” He bowed low, but was visibly trembling. “And Patrick, how good it is to see you again.”
“This is Lady Ria.” Ria almost laughed at Tor’s introduction, but managed to keep herself composed. “May we come in?”
“Of course. Forgive me. I am a little surprised, that is all. I will take you to one of our reception rooms, arrange some refreshments and inform Lord Dorrik that you are here.”
They were led to a large room with a couple of low tables and comfortable looking sofas. None of them sat down.
“Something has him terrified,” Patrick observed. “I have never seen a butler forget to invite a guest into the house.”
“Do you know him well?” Ria asked, but Patrick shook his head.
“I have only visited here once or twice since he took over from his predecessor, and not for a few years, but he always gave the impression of being very efficient at his job.”
Ria did not query how the man recognised Patrick so quickly if he had only seen him a few times. She hated to admit it, but Patrick was rather unforgettable.
“Tor?” she asked.
“No. I have not visited here since he has been butler. I have no idea how he knows who I am.”
“Tor, in Remeny, everyone knows who you are,” Patrick informed him.
They were not left alone for long. A serving girl arrived with fruit juice and cakes for them and she appeared to be as nervous as the butler.
“What did you do last time you were here?” Ria teased Patrick once the maid had departed. “Everyone seems terrified of you.”
He was saved from answering by the butler returning. “Lord Dorrik will see you now,” he announced.
They were led through the house, which was surprisingly quiet, to the stateroom where Lord Dorrik held all of his most important meetings. The man in question was sitting in a high backed chair when they entered and the butler announced them.
“Prince Tor of Remeny, Lord Patrick of Shelton and Lady Ria to see you my Lord.”
Lord Dorrik jumped to his feet as the butler backed out of the room, closing the door behind him. He walked up to Tor and embraced him fondly, then shook hands with Patrick. He took Ria’s hand and kissed the back it. “Welcome to my home,” he told her.
He was an old man, but had aged a lot since Tor had last seen him. His hair was now white and his blue eyes, which were surrounded by crow’s feet, had lost their sparkle.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” he continued.
“We came on an urgent matter, Thomas,” Tor said as he eyed the two soldiers standing either side of the chair that had just been vacated. While they dressed the part, they did not act the part. They slouched instead of standing up straight, their hair was untidy and their beards were in need of a trim. The Thomas he knew would never allow such sloppiness in his ranks.
“Please, take a seat.” He indicated some chairs that had been placed near his own, which he returned to and sat down.
The three visitors did as asked, then Tor continued. “We passed through one of your villages today and were surprised to be told that all of the men had been conscripted to fight a war.”
Tor and Patrick both watched him closely, looking for any sign that he did not know what they were talking about. “War? What war?” His words said one thing, his expression said something else. He was well aware of what was happening. “I am afraid you must have been misled. I know nothing of any war and have not conscripted any men into my army.”
Tor pressed on. “We were also informed that each night since the men have been taken, your soldiers have been visiting the unprotected villages and raping the women.”
Thomas paled. He glared at one of the soldiers next to him, but said nothing.
Patrick took over. “We knew that you would never condone such an atrocity so we thought it our duty to come and inform you.”
“And I thank you for doing so. These accusations will be immediately looked into.” His tone lacked conviction. Both Patrick and Tor knew nothing would be done. “Is there anything else?”
“If it is not too much of an imposition, it is late. May we stay here tonight and continue our journey in the morning?”
For a moment the Lord did not know what to say. “Of course,” he finally spluttered. “I will have rooms made available and inform the cook that we have guests.”
He rang a bell and the butler returned. “Please have rooms prepared for our guests and let them know what time dinner will be served.”
“Of course, my Lord,” the butler said, but Tor noticed that he looked toward one of the soldiers for confirmation of the order.
They were shown to their individual rooms as far away from Lord Dorrik’s personal suite as possible. Once the butler had departed they met up in Tor’s room.
“Your friend Thomas knows most of what is going on, but not all,” Ria stated. “He seemed shocked to hear about the women being attacked.”
Patrick nodded. “I think there is something going on. Where were the children? Every time I have stayed here Thomas had at least one of his children with him at all times. When they grew older, his grandchildren were by his side. He believes they should learn affairs of state from a very early age.”
“You think something is going on,” Tor said. “I know it. When he embraced me he whispered ‘please help me’.”
“So what do we do?” Ria asked.
“Have a pleasant meal. Pretend we see nothing suspicious. Wait until night falls. Then you, my little thief, are going to see if you can get to see Thomas alone, while everyone else is sleeping.”
The meal was tedious. Thomas asked about the quest, so there was enough to keep the conversation flowing, but none of his family were present and the two soldiers never left them alone. Ria left early, claiming she was tired. A soldier offered to escort her, but she insisted she could find her own way back to her room. For a moment it looked like the soldier was going to protest, but Thomas ordered him to remain where he was.
Ria did not go directly to her bed, choosing instead to take a circuitous route via the Lord’s suite, the other guest rooms, the bathhouse, other function rooms and even the kitchen. She needed to work out the layout of the house if she was to go on a night-time excursion.
She had not been in her room long when she heard Tor and Patrick returning. There was a soft knock on her door and she let them in.
“Do you have any questions?” Tor asked her.
“Just one. Which room does Lord Dorrik sleep in?”
Tor did not know, but Patrick told her where he always used to sleep and he could only hope that he still did.
The two men bade her a good night and good luck then shut themselves in their own rooms.
Time passed and Ria watched the moon rise. When she judged the time was right she tried to open her door. It had been locked from the outside. She had been expecting this and quickly picked the lock.
Glancing left and right, there was no sign of anyone about so she slipped out, silently shutting the door behind her. She hoped to be able to traverse her way to Lord Dorrik’s room without being seen but, should the need arise, she would exit through a window and climb along the walls.
Her luck was in and there was no sign of any guards anywhere. They obviously thought that the three guests were safely locked away so none needed to be posted.
She arrived at the Lord’s suite without any wrong turns and was not in the least surprised to find the door locked. This lock proved as easy to pick as hers had been and she let herself in without any sound. She went directly to the room Patrick had suggested Thomas should be found in and discovered this one was also locked.
“Talk about overkill,” she muttered to herself as she unlocked it.
Lord Thomas Dorrik was asleep, though his tossing and turning suggested that he was not having a pleasant dream. She tiptoed over to the bed and placed a hand over his mouth before shaking him awake.
The curtains were open and the moonlight streaming into the room lit it enough for him to recognise her when he opened his eyes. She put her finger to her lips and when he nodded his understanding she removed her hand from his mouth.
“Who are you really and how did you get into my room?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“All you need to know is that I am a friend of Tor’s and we are here to help. What do we need to know?”
Thomas then told her everything. He talked about how armed men had broken into his house and had taken all of his family prisoner. He described being forced to order all of his soldiers to hand in their uniforms and weapons and go to work in the mines which had recently been discovered on his land.
“None of the men now guarding me work for me. They are part of a gang that has taken over the mine and are stealing all of the ore. They are holding my children and my grandchildren hostage so that I comply with all of their wishes.”
He continued, telling her how he had been forced to watch as they butchered his oldest son, cutting him apart while he was still alive. He went into great detail and Ria was feeling a little queasy by the time he had finished. After that, with the threat of the same thing happening to the rest of his family, he now does everything they ask.
He knew about the men from the villages being taken. They, too, had been sent to the mines. He had no idea what conditions were like there or if they were being well treated as he had not been allowed to leave his house since it had been taken over. The servants were also under guard, carrying out their duties with the threat of death hanging over them.
He swore that he knew nothing about the women being attacked, not that there was anything he could have done about it had he known. Now that he had been informed, it was just one more thing to give him nightmares.
“I often think about killing myself, taking my own life,” he confessed, “but what would happen to my family if I did? You cannot understand the misery that my life has become.” Then he sadly shook his head. “But it must still be better than what those poor women are going through. Can Tor help?”
Ria nodded. “I can make no promises, but I have every confidence that he will find a way.” She looked out of the window at the position of the moon, using it to judge the time. “I should be going. Is there anything else I should know before I leave?”
Thomas shook his head. “Not that I can think of.”
She left the room, remembering to lock the door behind her, as well as the one to the suite. Instead of returning to her own room, however, she unlocked Patrick’s door and entered.
As soon as she closed the door behind her she felt a sword at her throat and froze.
“Ria,” Patrick hissed at her as he lowered his weapon. “You should never sneak into a man’s room like that. I could have killed you.”
“Well I could hardly knock, could I?”
He refused to acknowledge that she was right.
“Come with me,” she said. “I have lots to tell you.”
She unlocked Tor’s door and they both entered. As expected, he was awake and pacing the room.
“Did you get to speak to Thomas?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
Ria nodded and proceeded to tell the two men everything as quickly as possible.
“Well at least we know why Thomas is doing nothing to help the villagers,” Patrick commented. “His hands have effectively been tied. He has no idea if any of his family are still alive, but cannot take any chances just in case they are.”
“Did Thomas say how many men we are going to have to face when we attack them?” Tor asked.
“He does not know,” Ria replied, mentally noting that Tor had said ‘when’ not ‘if’.
“It would have been nice to know exactly what we are going to be up against, but it looks like we cannot always get what we want. Go back to bed and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we return to the village and make some plans.”
Ria turned to go, but he quietly called her name to get her attention. “Thank you.”
She grinned at him, then she and Patrick left him alone. Remembering to relock the two doors, she made the two men prisoners once more. As she locked the door to her own room she thought about how much more fun it was breaking into places when her next meal did not depend on it.