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A knock on the door grabbed everyone’s attention. “Come in,” Allias called out, annoyed at the interruption. His frown turned into a smile as Tallon walked into the room. “Welcome back,” he said, walking up to his son-in-law and grasping his hand firmly. “How was the trip?”
“Good,” Tallon replied warmly. He was a tall man, with blonde hair and brown eyes. Though only in his mid-twenties, his weather-worn face sometimes made him appear much older. “I seem to have interrupted something. Do you want me to come back later?”
“Not at all. I need some time to think about a suitable punishment anyway.” He called for a guard and instructed him to escort the stable master to the cells. Tallon was busy greeting those present in Allias’s study when his eyes fell upon a face he did not recognise.
“Good to see you Tallon,” the tall man said, as though they were old acquaintances.
“I am sorry,” Tallon said in confusion. “Do I know you?”
Nosmas laughed. “We have met, but I can understand why you do not recognise me. The last time you saw me I was a wolf.” Tallon’s frown deepened. “I will explain later. I am Nosmas, son of Bellak, though you knew me as Samson.”
“I see,” Tallon replied as memories of the wolf played through his mind. “I have a feeling that is going to be a long and interesting tale.”
“Enough pleasantries,” Allias interrupted, having overseen the removal of the stable master from the room. “Down to business. Tor has a favour to ask.”
“I know,” Tallon informed him. “I bumped into Ria on my way in. I know what you need and I would love to help you out, but unfortunately my seal was one of the things my brother stole when he left, just before the wedding.”
“Do you have any idea where he is?” Tor asked, though not optimistically. Tallon surprised him by not only naming the city, but also the timeline for him remaining there. After the wedding it had taken a while for his father to track down his youngest son, but when he did he decided it would be best if he stayed away for a while longer and sent him to Kavern for half a year.
Patrick groaned. “I really do not want to go back there,” he stated. Others nodded their heads in agreement.
“Neither do I,” Tor informed him, “but we have no choice. Tallon, thank you. You look exhausted. You should get some sleep and we can talk in the morning.”
After thanking Tor for his courtesy, and apologising again for not being able to help, Tallon left the room and gratefully went to bed. Other than Allias, who too retreated to his bedroom, everyone else headed to the library, where they found Ria and Hawk. It was another unproductive night and spirits were low when they entered the dining room to join the royal family for breakfast. Allias enquired as to their progress.
Tor sighed. “I am beginning to think that we are never going to find the location of Orion.”
“Did I just hear you say Orion?” Tallon asked as he strode into the room. All eyes turned in his direction.
“You heard correctly,” Tor confirmed.
Tallon was smiling broadly as he sat down, having first held out a chair for his wife. “Then your trip here was not wasted. By pure coincidence I have been studying some of my father’s history books over the last few weeks.” He looked furtively towards Selene before continuing in a low voice. “I needed something to occupy my mind while my wife and the other women talked incessantly about babies.” She affectionately punched him on the arm.
“When you two have quite finished,” Patrick intervened, “would you be so kind as to tell us where Orion is, or should I say was?”
“Sorry.” Tallon forced his gaze away from Selene. She was not pretty in the traditional way, but he found her unbelievably attractive and loved looking at her. “We are talking about the plague city I take it.” Patrick nodded. “I may need to check some old maps, but the books I was reading indicated it is the other side of Mercia’s mountain range.”
Tor looked at Sam. “Before you retire, we should get a message sent to Brodin.”
“I will take care of it,” Sam assured him.
“Where is Brin?” Selene suddenly asked, noticing the elf’s absence. The silence that greeted the question made her shiver. Nobody knew what to say.
“It is a long story. I will tell you everything before I seek out my bed.” Selene seemed satisfied with Sam’s answer and the uncomfortable atmosphere soon disappeared.
When breakfast was almost over, Tor got everyone’s attention. “Now that we know where Orion is likely to be found, we need not stay here any longer. It is going to take us a long time to travel to Kavern then cross Mercia, so I suggest we leave at nightfall.” There were murmurs of agreement. Tor looked towards Tallon and Selene before continuing. “That should give the ladies plenty of time to coo over the young Prince after they wake up.”
“I do not coo,” Ria said under her breath, but her smile suggested she was looking forward to seeing the baby.
“In case I do not have time to see you before we go,” Tor continued, turning to address Allias, “thank you for once again being a gracious host and I hope that next time we meet this quest will finally be over.”
“You are welcome back any time,” Allias assured him. “It is a shame that you could not stay until Torrick returned. I know he will not be happy that he missed you.” Allias stood up and held his hand out to his wife. “Good luck,” he said to everyone before leading the Queen from the room.
Tallon said he had some things to attend to and everyone else sought out their bed chambers, leaving Sam alone with Selene. As she needed to find a bird, Sam suggested a walk in Selene’s garden, promising to fill her in on the Brin saga while they walked. Sam had just finished explaining why she had left Brin when the conversation was interrupted by a gardener. He informed the two women that a large bird had been spotted acting very strangely around the palace grounds and they should beware in case it decided to attack. Selene thanked him for his advice while Sam looked into the sky.
“What are you doing?” the Princess asked when Sam started to make bird noises.
“I’m calling to it,” she explained. “It may be a message from Dean.”
“Who is Dean?”
“That is the next part of my story,” Sam told her. Before she could say more, she spotted the bird hovering above the garden and held out her arm. It landed in a nearby tree and it took a lot of persuasion on Sam’s part before it would approach. It was unhappy to find that Sam was not alone, but eventually she managed to convince it that Selene posed no threat.
Tears formed in Sam’s eyes as she listened to the message about Modo. When the bird had finished, she politely thanked it before asking if it would return to Dean, as she had a reply that needed to be sent. She requested that it pass on the location of Orion as well as the fact that she needed to now go to Kavern. When she had finished speaking, she thanked the bird once more and it flew off into the sky.
“Bad news?” Selene asked, seeing the distress clearly written across Sam’s face. She nodded and told her friend about Modo’s fate. “Get some rest,” Selene said gently. “You can tell me all about Dean when you wake up.”
Sam gratefully accepted the suggestion, though it was a long while before sleep finally arrived. She slept peacefully for a few hours, before a new nightmare consumed her. In her mind, she saw herself ready to give birth, but not in the normal way. Her friends held her down while her child clawed its way out of her. She woke up with a scream, sweat covering her entire body. Remembering every detail, she shivered and wished, not for the first time, that Dean had not given her so many details.
Despite the bright sunlight streaming into her room through a gap in the curtains, she managed to get to sleep once more. This time her dreams were happier, though no less frightening. She found herself in a number of life threatening situations, but each time she was rescued by a stranger, wrapped in a cloak, before she was attacked.
It was mid-afternoon when she awoke for the second time and decided to get up. After bathing and dressing in clean clothes, she made her way to Selene’s cottage, where she found Ria happily holding a sleeping baby. Selene’s grandmother had left the cottage, and the garden it was built inside, to Selene in her will and Selene and Tallon had made it their home, choosing to stay there rather than in the palace whenever they were in Vada.
“Say a word to anyone and I will murder you,” Ria said before Sam was able to comment. She looked so motherly, Sam couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
The next few hours were spent playing with the baby, until he fell asleep once more, and telling Selene about Sam’s relationship with Dean.
“You are looking fat,” the Princess announced when she returned from the nursery, making Sam blush and Ria laugh.
“That is something else I need to tell you,” Sam said before Ria was able to. “I’m pregnant.”
“Congratulations,” Selene said and gave Sam a hug. “Dare I ask who the father is?”
“Brin, of course,” Sam confirmed. “And he doesn’t know anything about it.”
Selene sat down again and made herself comfortable. “So let me get this right. First you split up with the greatest love of your life. Then you discover you are pregnant, but instead of going back to him you decide to not even tell him. Then you meet your old fiancé who you thought was dead and the two of you get back together, despite the fact that you are pregnant by someone else. Did I miss anything?”
“No,” Ria said, trying not to snigger.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Sam insisted.
“So when do I get to meet this mysterious Dean?” Selene already knew the latest details of the quest, as the royal family were given a full update over breakfast, so she knew it would be a while, but she couldn’t resist asking. Sam was unable to give her an answer.
Later, everyone made their way to the dining room for one last decent meal before departing and Sam had the unenviable task of informing them of Modo’s fate. It was an extremely depressed group that left the palace after darkness had descended. When the members of the group had gone in two different directions, the goodbyes had been quite jovial as it had been taken for granted that they would all meet up again. The knowledge that this was no longer true weighed heavily on everyone’s minds and the question they kept asking themselves was ‘who else will not make it back?’
The first time they stopped for a prolonged rest, Ria asked a question that had been bothering her since her conversation with Tallon. “Has anyone given any thought to how we are going to get the seal from Tallon’s brother? From what I have heard about him, he is not the sort of person who will willingly help us.”
“Good question,” Tor said. “Who knows the most about him?” All eyes turned towards Sam.
“Don’t look at me. I only know what Selene told me.”
“Then you probably know more than the rest of us.”
Sam cast her mind back to the first time she had met Selene. The Princess had just returned from Kinfen, where she had been a prisoner. She was pregnant and nobody would believe her story about falling in love with Tallon and being treated kindly by him. Sam was the first person to actually listen to her, so she had told her the full story.
“I remember that he gave Tallon his scar. When Tallon tried to stop him whipping a horse, he decided to whip him instead. He has a terrible temper. He is physically gorgeous, though you probably remember that as most of you have seen him. Except for his eyes. Selene described them as cold and his smile as an evil leer, though this may be just prejudice on her part. She absolutely hates the man, as does Tallon. He tried to drag Selene into his room against her will, but luckily someone stopped him. Who knows what would have happened to her if nobody had seen them. Does that help?”
“Not really,” Patrick grumbled. “We already know he is a thoroughly unpleasant son of a...”
Nosmas interrupted before he could finish the sentence. “There are ladies present,” he reminded him.
“So do we have any idea where we might be able to find him when we get to Kavern or how we can retrieve the seal?” Patrick continued, ignoring the interruption. “I cannot imagine him giving it to us willingly.” Silence greeted his question.
“Maybe we should have asked Tallon before we left,” Hawk suggested.
“Thanks for that,” Ria said dryly. “Did it not occur to you to say something a bit earlier?”
“We know he likes women,” Sam volunteered. “Even if it is only to torture them. He did try to attack Selene after all.”
“So we also know they do not have to be pretty,” Patrick said a little too loudly. He hadn’t intended any of the ladies present to hear him. The blows that rained down on him told him they had. Although none of them would argue that he was wrong, it was still not a nice thing to say out loud. “What did I say?” he protested, knowing full well how unkind his comment had been.
Tor continued as though Patrick had not spoken. “What exactly are you suggesting?” he asked Sam.
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not exactly sure. If we could guarantee he had it on his person, we could have someone seduce him, then drug him when she gets him alone.”
“It is a possibility,” Tor reluctantly admitted. “As long as Nosmas is able to brew the drug.” He glanced towards the wizard, who nodded. “There is one problem though; who can we trust to do the job that he will not recognise? He has seen us all.”
“Not all,” Quartilla said quietly.
“No,” Nosmas snapped. “That is not an option. Do not even suggest putting yourself forward as bait. Again.” When Patrick and Ellen had been held prisoner, against everyone’s advice, Quartilla had distracted the brigands while others tried to free the pair. “Listen to me this time.”
“Calm down,” Tor said in a placating manner. “We can discuss this once we have found Tallon’s brother and only as a last resort. Does anyone know his name, by the way?”
Everyone shook their heads. They had only ever heard him referred to as Tallon’s brother or King Yeland’s son.
“There is one other thing we may need to think about before we arrive in Kavern,” Ria said, trying to change the subject. Nosmas was still glaring and it was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable.
Nosmas could see what she was trying to do, but went along with her anyway. “What is that?” he asked.
“How are we going to stop Patrick murdering Kavern’s King?”
Ria instantly regretted her words as smiles dropped from everyone’s faces. Even Quartilla knew the story of Ellen’s exploits in Kavern, a land where magic is banned. When told the only way to save his son was to use magic, the King gave his permission. Once the deed had been done and the boy started to recover, he had ordered Ellen’s execution. Hawk had arrived before she died, but not in time to save her. His only option was to turn her into a vampire.
Surprisingly, it was Patrick who broke the silence. “Do not worry. I have no intention of committing regicide.” Tor breathed a sigh of relief. “However, when we were last there I did hear a rumour that the King was looking for a new Queen. The unlucky lady would have to be young, exceedingly pretty, titled and, most importantly, a virgin.”
“And exceptionally stupid,” Nosmas whispered to Quartilla.
Tor ignored him. He was more concerned with the smile that spread across Patrick’s face. “Carry on,” he instructed, knowing he was not going to like where this was heading.
“Hopefully he will have chosen someone by the time we arrive there.”
“What are you thinking of doing?” Tor asked suspiciously.
“Well seducing her of course. Little Miss Queeny will not be quite as virginal as the King believes by the time he weds her, or should I say beds her?”
Nobody was impressed with Patrick’s comment. “You really are despicable,” Sam observed. “I can understand you wanting to get your revenge on the King, but why drag some innocent young girl into it?”
“The way I see it, I will be doing her a favour,” he replied modestly. “At least she will get laid properly once in her life.”
This was going too far for any of them to stomach, so Tor ordered everyone to mount up before Patrick could say anything more. Nobody wanted that particular conversation to be brought up again, so all talk about Kavern was banned for the rest of the journey. As a result, when they reached the city gates, they had not planned their next move. The only sensible option open to them was to book into an inn and seek the help of friends. Not wishing the King to know of their presence, they chose one on the opposite side of the city to where they had stayed previously. The ladies were then ordered to stay in their room while Tor and Nosmas sought out the Bard and Utel, his sister, whom they had befriended on their last visit. Patrick was banned from leaving the inn, an order he intended to ignore the minute Tor was out of sight.
After reminding Nosmas to never mention magic, let alone use any, Tor led him to the inn where Utel worked. He was pleased to find her on duty, serving food and drinks to the customers, and took a seat at an empty table to wait for her to be free. She recognised him the moment she saw him, but he signalled for her to remain silent as she approached. She was a plump young woman with smooth, tanned skin and a cheery disposition. The long brown hair she had when they had first met was now cropped short.
“I was not about to call out your name or anything stupid,” she told him quietly as she leaned over to remove some dirty plates from the table. “What can I get you gentlemen,” she said in a louder voice when she noticed some of the locals watching the new arrivals suspiciously. Nosmas ordered food and ale, while Tor slipped a note he had prepared earlier into her pocket.
The ale arrived first and the two men drank in silence while waiting for their food to arrive. “My brother and I will come to your rooms after his evening performance,” Utel whispered when she returned with two steaming plates.
Patrick arrived back at the inn they were staying at before the other two men, looking very pleased with himself. When Sam asked why he seemed so cheerful, he informed her that not only had he managed to find out that the King had indeed settled on a future Queen and where in the city she was currently staying, but he had also managed to get himself invited to a party she would be attending that very evening.
“Tor is going to murder you,” Ria told him.
“What again?” he replied sarcastically before heading out once more in search of the public baths and a tailor.
“Dare I ask where Patrick is?” Tor asked upon his return. Sam had taught the other two women how to play ‘rock, paper, scissors’ and they had used this to decide which of them would inform Tor about Patrick’s plans for the evening. Quartilla had lost and reluctantly told the Prince everything Patrick had said.
“If he gets himself into trouble, I am not going to help him out this time,” he said angrily. “We leave as soon as we have the seal, whether he is with us or not. Understood?” They did. Patrick was putting them all in danger and Tor would not tolerate it any longer.
As promised, Utel and her brother visited them before they turned in for the night. Visitors to the city often arranged private meetings with the Bard so none of the locals found it strange that the pair should go to Tor’s room. The Bard was a small, weedy man in his early twenties. He was not an impressive man to look at, but the moment he started to speak he had entire audiences captivated.
Tor introduced Quartilla and explained why he did not have his brothers with him. Utel became quite upset when she heard of Vitkin’s death. He had treated her well and she had liked him a lot. Tor went on to talk about the latest clue and the reason for their return to Kavern. He described Tallon’s brother, hoping that one of them would have some idea where he was staying.
Utel looked nervously at her brother. “You must be talking about Prince Manus,” the young man said. “Yes, we can tell you where he is staying, but I would not recommend letting any of your ladies near him. They will probably find him very attractive, but he will not treat them well.” He placed an arm around his sister before continuing. “He was staying at the inn Utel works at until her employer threw him out for almost raping her.”