“It was Rimagia.” I reply.
The Sergeant blanches and mutters a curse. I give him a curious look. The Sergeant tells me a story. “I thought I recognized it from your tale. I’m from Leton. Leton is what’s left of Rimagia. It ended up being a war trophy, picked apart and ground under the heel of every kingdom that conquered it.”
I nod. “If you’ve got anyone at all you care about in Leton, don’t repeat what I’ve told you. If they get any ideas about revenge, Ellisar will flatten them all over again. Had I known, I’d have told you a different story.”
The Sergeant nods, and I look at Kenric. “If your king has any ideas along those lines, turn this carriage around and let’s go back. Now. Before it all starts here. Ellisar said you’d be welcomed in our court. Gather up anyone you care about, and let’s go back. We might even be able to catch The Hamadryad before it leaves port.”
Kenric gives me a strange look, and I frown at him. “If your king has any of those kinds of ideas, we need to go back. I’d rather not be here when Ellisar decides to light this place on fire. Myanthar wasn’t known for being a particularly scheming or conniving king. Ellisar is. Your king is going to find himself hip deep in trouble until the end of his days, which won’t be many. None of it will be from Ellisar directly either.”
Kenric waves me off. “I doubt that Ellisar knows or cares what goes on in this kingdom.”
I snort. “We know what goes on in all the human kingdoms. If your king has breathed a word to anyone about such plans, Ellisar knows it. He already has plans in motion to address the issue. Even if you were to dissuade your fool of a king from pursuing it, it’s already too late.”
Kenric shrugs, clearly not understanding the danger. “Look around. We’re safe enough. We’re not at war with anyone.”
This is the first time Kenric has said something that makes me want to call Kenric a fool.
“I don’t think you understand the danger that this whole place is in. I swear to you that Ellisar has spies in every human kingdom. Many of them probably don’t even know that they’re his spies. A simple glamour is all that's required to make them write a note and attach it to a bird if certain things are heard. You could torture them for months, and they still wouldn’t be able to tell you that they’re his spies because they’re not aware of it. It might even be that there are some disguised Fey in some of the courts.”
Kenric looks curious. “Disguised how?”
I snort dismissively. “Let me show you, since I don’t think you’ll be willing to believe me otherwise.”
I flick my wrist and see the startled expressions on both Kenric’s and the Sergeant’s faces. When I speak, it’s with Kenric’s voice. “I know you well enough to take your likeness. I dare say I could walk right into the command tent, and no one would be the wiser. If I didn’t stop to talk to anyone, I could rifle through all the plans and walk back out again. Who among you could tell? Your people have been so busy burning those with magic that you have none left. It leaves you defenseless against this sort of thing.”
Kenric starts to scoff, but the Sergeant stops him. “You said you trusted her. She seems quite serious. I know that I can’t tell the two of you apart. You have to admit that it is at least possible.”
Sighing, Kenric nods. I flick my wrist again and return to myself. “Now do you begin to understand the danger that all of us are in? Gods help us all if your king has breathed a word of this, and judging from the looks on your faces, he’s done more than that. I tell you plainly that if he’s mentioned this, even obliquely, Ellisar has set things in motion to ensure this king never gets the chance to bring those plans to fruition. This place will burn, and if we aren’t cautious, we will all burn with it. Our best chance for survival is to send the caravan on to the capital without us. Turn around, right now, this very instant, and go back to the port. We should get on a ship and leave this place. Every second you delay increases the chances that we will be caught up in whatever plans Ellisar has to deal with this king of yours. When Ellisar is done, we’ll be fortunate if there is one stone atop another.”
The Sergeant nods, “That’s how it was in Rimagia. I’ve heard the stories of wars that were fought there from my grandfather, who had them from his grandfather. I believe you, but Kenric is my sworn lord, and I follow his orders.”
I look at Kenric, who seems uncertain. “I can’t leave yet. We can’t leave yet. It’s part of the trade agreement. I have to take you to the capital and marry you again. The agreement isn’t binding until my king recognizes our marriage.”
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I roll my eyes. “Oh, for the love of all the gods! Why is that in the agreement? Surely our marriage among my people is sufficient. Why can’t your king recognize that and have done with this farce?”
Kenric looks a bit abashed. “I wanted to be sure that no one could challenge my claim to you, so I asked Ellisar to put it in there.”
I close my eyes for a moment, trying to control my frustration. “Let me see if I follow. If we were to turn around now, you’d be branded a traitor for tanking this trade deal. If we are already married, how can anyone challenge your claim to me? Do I get no say in who my husband is? What other little surprises are in that agreement?”
I open my eyes and look at Kenric. Kenric winces a bit at my expression. “There’s a clause in there that says that if anything happens to me that my king must return you to your king.”
Oh, Kenric, I know you meant well, but you may well have signed your own death warrant with that. I gesture for him to continue. “I saw how the other lords on the trade delegation watched you, even the ones that were already married. I wanted to be sure you’d be safe from them. I wanted to ensure that none of them could claim you. Women here are not well-treated.”
The Sergeant snorts. “Tell her the truth of it. Women here have as much say in what happens to them as the horses pulling this carriage do. Women in this kingdom are little more than property. You cannot buy or sell anything on your own. You need a male relative for that. You cannot own anything. You cannot leave without a male’s permission. If anything happens to Kenric, you’d be put out of the keep by the new lord and lucky to have the clothes on your back. Some women, when their lord dies, don’t even get clothing. They’re put out naked. One of those lords would have forced you into becoming his mistress, if not his wife. Gods help you if you marry one of them. Beating a disobedient wife is common here. If you should die during such a beating, it would be frowned on but not actually illegal. That’s why Kenric wanted to be sure you’d be sent back.”
I want to scream and cry and rage. Why, Kenric, did you bring me to this horrid place? This is beyond horrible. Who treats women like this? I can’t even buy food without Kenric’s permission. Worse yet, those fools would hold my ability to work magic over my head and threaten to turn me over to those who burn us alive. I am starting to panic, and Kenric seems to sense it. He scoops me up and rocks me. “Hush now. Nothing bad is happening, and when it does, we’ll deal with it. I’m fine. You’re fine. We’ll figure it all out.”
Panic and fear are always the enemy, so I start forcing myself to calm down. With my face buried in his chest, inhaling the scent of the Old Forest, it becomes easier. “No wonder Ina says widows are common here. I can’t imagine staying married to some son of a banshee that treated me so.”
I look at the Sergeant. “Have you ever considered adopting a daughter?”
The Sergeant looks at me for a long moment and does something I never thought I’d see. The Sergeant laughs. “That’s one way to get around their laws. With Kenric gone, I’d need someone to serve. May as well be you.”
I’m calmer now. I can get myself to the Dryad Grove or the port by pulling on the tags I left there. I can claim the Sergeant as my father and get us both to port and on a ship away from this place. Plans are in place to address this issue. I take a deep breath and relax a bit. “Now that just leaves bearding this lecherous king in his den until he’s ready to let us leave. Hopefully, that won’t take long.”
Kenric grimaces again. “Duke Jellema said it might be months. He said it would likely take someone else getting married and presenting their wife at court before he’d allow you to leave.”
This day keeps getting better. I palm my face, knowing that this will take months that we may not have. I sigh heavily and flop back against Kenric. “Let us see what we can do to dissuade him, then. What tack can I take that will be least likely to give him offense?”
Kenric shrugs. “We’ll have to play that by ear. I don’t mind playing the newly married, doting, besotted husband and following you around. I won’t be much of a stretch to pretend I’m wrapped around your delicate little pinky. I can give you googly eyes and sneak kisses.”
I stare at Kenric. “You’re actually looking forward to this.”
He shrugs, and the Sergeant toes him. “What’s not to look forward to? I am absolutely besotted with you, and I don’t care who knows it. You have the perfect excuse to be just as besotted with me.”
I give Kenric a look and bat my lashes at him while the Sergeant harrumphs. “The two of you are going to give me a toothache. You know that the king is going to find excuses to call you away so he can try to get her alone.”
Kenric nods. “We’ll have to get her some ladies quickly so that she can insulate herself with them. Maybe, in a pinch, you can use your magic to hide.”
I roll my eyes at Kenric. “Of course. No one’s going to notice when I vanish in the middle of a hallway. If it’s anything like Ellisar’s palace, there will be people everywhere. Someone will see. That will create an entirely different kind of trouble. I’d prefer not to have to demonstrate my control of fire, if you don’t mind.”
Welton, the first mate on The Hamadryad, warned me about the things some of the local religious groups do to magic users.
I launch into a rant about bloodthirsty barbarians and their savage ways of dealing with magic users. Kenric manages to look a bit ashamed. “I knew about all that. I doubt you’ll get involved in it.”
I frown at him. “We should have stayed there. I didn’t realize it was so bad that I needed a man to buy food or book a passage home.”
Kenric doesn’t look impressed. “If things are too bad, just glamour yourself to look male and go home.”
I smirk at Kenric. “Only if you have a brother so I can take him back with me to appease Amer. He’s pretty keen on you. If I go back without you, he might just come here looking for you. Something about your ability to make a mark.”
Kenric shakes his head. “I don’t have any brothers, and my sisters have all been married off.”
I look at Kenric. “Do you think we might go visit them?”
- If you could give one character a power-up mid-fight, who would it be?