The Pendant Read online

  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.”

  Chapter 12

  Fajfah was livid. “Are you insane?” he shouted. “We are not murderers. We cannot kill innocent people. Oak deserved what happened to him. These men,” he pointed towards where Brodin, Cirren, Dean, Dal and Seth were sitting, “and woman,” he quickly added when Dal scowled at him, “are good people. I have travelled with them, spent time with them. We should not do this.”

  The man he was confronting sighed. “I understand how you feel, but we have no choice.”

  “Think carefully before doing anything rash,” Fajfah advised. “You are talking about murdering royalty.”

  Uncertainty crossed the man’s face. While the threat of a long jail sentence hung over his head if he allowed the witnesses to live, he did not want to even think about what might happen to him if he was found guilty of killing two Princes. Fajfah had told him numerous times in his communications that the presence of royalty might cause an issue, but he had never dreamed the problem would be this big.

  “You are right,” he reluctantly agreed. “I had forgotten that these are not all commoners. We should sleep on it and continue our discussions further in the morning.”

  Fajfah breathed an audible sigh of relief. He may not have saved the people he had learned to look upon as friends, but at least he had postponed their execution for a while. He hoped he had bought enough time to convince the others that there was a better solution. Now all he had to do was think of one.

  He took a water skin to the captives, holding it up so they could drink. Dean took a large mouthful, then spat it out into Fajfah’s face. “Traitor,” he snarled. The half-dwarf did not even attempt to defend himself. He had explained his position as best he could. If his friends could not understand and forgive, there was nothing he could now do to persuade them.

  He did not approach them again, choosing instead to move closer to the fire and try to get some sleep. Dawn was only a few hours away so he did not hold out much hope that he would succeed. Other than Dal, the prisoners still had their arms tied behind their backs so the rest of the night was going to be long and uncomfortable. Despite this, and the worry that they might be facing their last dawn, sleep eventually took them.

  It was still dark when Dean was awoken by something tickling his face. He slowly opened one eye, and found himself staring into a small furry face. “What are you?” he asked quietly, making the creature jump back in surprise. Now that it was not so close, he could see the creature better. It looked like a cross between a hare and a guinea pig, though much too large to be either. He struggled to sit up without frightening the animal away, but this was not easy with his hands tied behind him.

  It wasn’t until he straightened up that he noticed a tiny man was astride the creature, riding it the same way humans ride horses. He was so surprised he almost called out, stopping himself just in time. The ‘man’ was brandishing a small spear, pointing it towards Dean in a threatening manner. Clad in garments made from animal fur, the little person looked so comical Dean could not keep the smile from his face. In as calm a tone as possible, he introduced himself. He had no idea what language he was using, but the strange little man seemed to understand him. He stopped thrusting his spear and slid off the animal’s back.

  As soon as he was on the ground, he bowed to Dean and introduced himself. “My name is Candrel,” he said in a high pitched voice.

  “Glad to meet you,” Dean said politely. “If you don’t mind
me asking, what are you?”

  “I am an imp,” Gladrel said. “And this is Mamoss, my mara.” The imp patted the hare-like animal as he spoke. Then he frowned, noticing for the first time that Dean’s feet were securely bound with rope. “Why are you tied up?”

  Dean glanced over to where the man who was supposed to be on guard was snoozing by the fire. Keeping his voice low so as not to wake him, Dean told Candrel all that had happened.

  “That is monstrous,” the imp declared, thrusting his spear into the air. “Do not worry, we will save you.” Dean looked at the little man doubtfully. What could an imp and a mara do to help? Candrel put his fingers to his lips and emitted a shrill whistle so high pitched Dean could only just hear it. Suddenly the clearing was filled with imps riding maras. Candrel gave orders and they set to work, one group using their spears to hack at the ropes binding Dean and his friends, the other tying up their sleeping captors with vines. The imps were so quiet and gentle they did not wake any of the sleeping men, not even Dean’s friends. Dal, however, opened her eyes the moment the imps approached her and Dean had to quickly cover her mouth to stop her from screaming out. He whispered into her ear that their rescuers were friendly and only released her once she had nodded confirmation that she would make no noise.

  One by one, Dean and Dal gently woke their slumbering companions and instructed them to silently leave the clearing and follow the imps into the woods beside which they had been camping. The mara were surprisingly fast and, once they were far enough away that stealth was no longer essential, the humans had to break into a jog to keep up with them. They did not stop until the first rays of sunlight could be seen in the sky and Dal called out that she needed to stop to catch her breath. They were deep into the wood by then and completely lost. Dean forwarded Dal’s request to Candrel and he called out to his fellow imps to stop.