The Pendant Read online

  The two assailants, who had been carefully watching the inn from their hiding place behind a bush, were beginning to grow impatient. With their weapons on the ground beside them, they were waiting for their target, but there was still no sign of him. They were about to give up, when their attention was drawn to a figure walking down the street, whistling to himself. It was too dark to make out his face, but the cut of his clothes, his posture and the grace with which he walked indicated that it was Patrick who was approaching.

  One of the assailants smiled to his friend, who nodded, his hand carefully taking hold of his weapon. Patrick drew level with the inn, but they made no move to stop him. They continued to wait, excitement growing within them, until he opened the door. The light from the inn flooded over him, making him so visible he may as well have had a red target painted on his back.

  Both assailants threw their weapons; their aim could not have been better. They watched as Patrick was struck from behind, unable to keep the grins from their faces.

  “Do you want me to go and look for him?” Hawk volunteered, aware of Tor’s impatience to be on the move.

  Tor was about to accept his offer when he heard the back door of the inn opening and saw a figure approach. “What is that smell?” he asked, covering his nose with his sleeve and trying not to gag.

  “Very funny,” Patrick said angrily, throwing his bag onto the floor and hunting through it for one of the shirts he had just purchased.

  “Seriously,” Sam said, trying not to breathe through her nose. “You smell disgusting.”

  Patrick unbuttoned his shirt and practically ripped it off his back before he spoke once more. “A young street urchin tried to pick my pocket as I made my way into the city’s shopping district. He was not happy that I caught him. I gripped his arm so tight I almost broke it. He will not be picking pockets for a while. He shouted that he would get me back as he ran off.”

  He put on his clean shirt, threw his old one on a pile of garbage that was leaning against the back wall of the inn, and jumped onto his horse’s back. “And?” Nosmas asked. Patrick’s habit of dragging out a story was beginning to grate on his nerves.

  “The little bastard, along with one of his friends, lay in wait for me and when I returned to the inn, pelted me with rotten eggs.”

  Quartilla laughed so much she almost fell off her horse.

  “It is not funny,” Patrick snapped.

  “Oh but it is,” Ria said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “You are such a source of entertainment.”

  Patrick looked around. Other than Nosmas, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the wagon, everyone was mounted and ready to depart, and they were all chuckling. He could even hear Hawk sniggering as he flew above them. “I hate you all,” he announced, causing them all to burst out laughing once more. Ignoring them, he instructed his horse to leave the stable yard and head towards the city gates.

  A few days later, as they were leaving Janton and approaching the outskirts of the Kinfen mountains, Nosmas, who was acting as rear guard, called for a halt. Once all of the horses had stopped and gone quiet, he looked back towards where they had come from, listening carefully.

  “What’s wrong?” Sam asked, drawing her horse up beside his.

  “I thought I heard some sort of barking, or yelping, but it is not an animal I have ever heard before.”

  Sam listened, and she too could make out the sounds. They were coming nearer. “Whatever it is, it’s looking for us,” she announced.

  “How do you know?”

  “It’s calling my name.”

  Sam spoke to Thresnine, and the horse began to slowly walk towards the sounds, but Nosmas grabbed her arm before she was out of reach. “It may not be friendly,” he warned.

  A blur of orange appeared in the distance, stopping as soon as it saw them. It was not stationary for long. It was suddenly approaching at a very fast rate. “It’s a fox,” Sam cried out in glee as soon as it was close enough for her to see it clearly in the moonlight. She slipped off Thresnine’s back and instructed her to move away. The fox had slowed and was now approaching more cautiously, throwing worried glances towards the horses.

  Sam walked closer to it, then sat on the ground, speaking quietly. Once it was sure that there was no danger, it sat down on its haunches next to Sam and delivered Dean’s message. The fox was young and excitable and yelped enthusiastically when she praised it for accomplishing its mission so well. Once it was out of sight, going back the way it had come, Sam rejoined her friends and informed them that Dean and the rest of the party were approaching the Annan forest, close to the Auxland border.

  “Are they all still alive?” Ria asked. The question was not sarcastic. After all that had befallen them since they had gone in different directions, she was not the only one worried about the safety of their companions.

  Sam nodded. “That was one of the first things I asked. The fox described each one of them accurately enough for me to identify them.”

  “How did he find us?” Patrick wondered out loud. “It is not as if Dean could have guessed we would head into Kinfen.”

  “I was wondering about that, so I asked him. Apparently Cirren and Brodin managed to describe the border into Thauma well enough for the fox to recognise it when he arrived. From there he has been asking the local foxes if they have seen us and receiving directions on which way we went.” Sam paused, frowning. “For some reason the wildlife really notices our passing. I wonder why.”

  “As soon as you find a suitable animal willing to act as messenger, you should let Dean and my brothers know where we are and that we are making our way to Orion,” Tor instructed. “Suggest meeting up in Camal. It is in Mercia and both teams will have to pass close by it in order to reach Orion. One of Cirren’s favourite inns is there. Whichever team reaches the city first can take rooms there and await the arrival of the others.”

  The following morning, at first light, Sam did as instructed. They found a clearing next to a small wood, suitable for a campsite, and while everyone else worked on finding firewood, refilling their water containers and brushing down the horses, Sam wandered into the wood in search of wildlife. It did not take her long to locate smaller creatures, rabbits, a badger, and even a family of moles, but none that were suitable to carry a message to Dean. They were, however, very helpful and provided directions to an area close by where the birds liked to roost. She soon found one that was happy to go on a long journey and returned to camp, arriving before those who had gone in search of water.

  “Message sent,” Sam confirmed before Tor was able to ask his question. “As soon as my feathered friend can track them down, Dean and your brothers will know we are heading across Emvale and will rendezvous with them in Mercia.” Tor nodded his appreciation and Sam set to work cleaning and chopping some of the edible roots that Tor had managed to find.

  A few days later, as darkness was approaching, they found their path blocked; an old woman was sitting in the middle of the road and did not move out of their way as they approached. While there was room to manoeuvre the wagon around her, it felt wrong to do so without first approaching her.

  Patrick was in the lead so he dismounted and walked up to her, bending down when he was close so as to address her without towering over her and appearing menacing.

  “May I enquire as to why you are sitting in the middle of the road?” he asked mildly.

  She pulled back her hood, revealing grey hair and a wrinkled face. “I am waiting for you Patrick,” she said, taking him by surprise. He started to request how she knew his name, but the words stuck in his throat as she began to shimmer. Years fell off her before his eyes until he found himself staring into the bright blue eyes of a slim and attractive young lady. “I have been here ages. What took you so long?”

  “You,” he shouted and lunged forward, reaching for her throat.

  Chapter 20

  It took Brodin a moment to realise how serious the situation was. If Dean refused to s
pend the night with the woman, which he was obviously going to, and if he could not persuade her to accept that Dean was already betrothed, Dean would be arrested.

  “Your Ladyship, if you will not accept the picture as proof, will you take my word for it?” He had little hope that she would, but had to try something.

  The woman snorted at him. She was middle aged, her blond hair turning to grey, with rolls of fat that were straining against the thin fabric of her dress in an effort to escape their confinement. She had an unattractive, sour face, which was made worse when she sneered at him.

  “Why should I listen to you? Do you know whom you are addressing?” She looked at his travel-stained clothes in disgust.

  “No your Ladyship. I have not had the pleasure of a formal introduction.” Brodin knew he was being overly polite, but his protocol training was too well ingrained for him to speak his mind.

  “I am Lady Vex from Tennel. Not only do I outrank you, but I am also a personal friend of the Queen.” Brodin was shocked to see her raise her head and go onto tiptoes so she was literally talking down to him. To hide his anger, he forced himself to smile while trying to ignore the sniggers coming from Cirren’s direction.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said, pulling himself up straight and bowing slightly. “Let me introduce myself and my companions.” He started with Dal. “This is Lady Dallen and her husband.” Both inclined their heads, making the movement as shallow as possible without it being classed as rude. “Dean is my friend and associate.” Brodin noted the way Lady Vex smiled when he neglected to give Dean a title. “This is my brother, Prince Cirren and I am Prince Brodin of Remeny.” He couldn’t deny the feeling of satisfaction that flowed through him when the smile dropped from her face.

  She recovered well from her surprise, snorting once more in an attempt to hide her initial reaction to his title. “Of course you are. And I am married to the King of Amenia,” she said derisively.

  Seth, unable to contain himself, spoke before Brodin could. “No, that would be Queen Hetta. Lovely woman. Nothing like you. She is much prettier, not to mention slimmer. Never has a bad word to say about anyone, at least that was the impression I got the last time I met her. I was at her step-daughter’s wedding by the way. Were you?”

  Lady Vex was overcome with fury. She had never been spoken to like that and to have a commoner do so was more than she could stand. “Guards,” she screeched at the top of her voice, pointing at Dean. “Arrest this man.”

  Seemingly from out of nowhere, two heavy set men appeared. Their bright red uniforms displayed a crest that neither Cirren nor Brodin recognised. They had to be Lady Vex’s personal guards and therefore had no authority to arrest anyone. As the two men roughly took hold of Dean’s arms, Brodin drew his sword and held the point to the neck of the closest guard. Following his brother’s lead, Cirren did the same to the other guard.

  “I am a visiting dignitary and your men do not have the authority to arrest a member of my retinue,” he informed Lady Vex coldly. “Have them stand down or I will kill them.” He pressed the point deeper into the guard’s neck to emphasise his point, though not quite hard enough to draw blood. Uncertain as to what he should do, the guard looked towards Lady Vex for instructions. Too angry to find her voice, she glared at Brodin.

  “Release him,” she finally ordered, without taking her eyes off the Prince. “You have not heard the last of this,” she spat at him before theatrically turning her back on him and stomping out of the inn, slamming the door behind her.

  “I suggest you make yourself scarce,” the guard whispered to Brodin once he had lowered his sword. “Her Ladyship does not like to be crossed.”

  Brodin shook his head, re-sheathing his sword. “I will not be deprived of a decent night’s sleep by a sour-faced woman who is so pumped up with her own importance that she thinks she is above the law. I appreciate the advice though. Sorry about threatening you with the sword.”

  The guard waved away the apology with one hand, while he rubbed his neck with the other. “No harm done.” He glanced towards his colleague. “I suppose we had better find out where she has got to,” he said unenthusiastically and the two men trudged out of the inn.

  Dean was just drifting off to sleep when he was awoken by someone pounding on his door. “Open up,” a voice called out. Wearily he opened the door and found himself facing a man in the uniform of the Queen’s guard. “You are under arrest,” he was informed. “You must come with me to the jailhouse. You will face your accuser first thing in the morning.”

  Dean groaned. “You should really think about notifying Prince Brodin that you are taking me away,” he suggested. He knew the man was only doing his job and wanted to save him the embarrassment of being confronted by an irate Prince when the sun rose. The guard accepted the suggestion and spoke quietly to Brodin, who was not happy, but agreed to do nothing until the morning. While all of his friends spent the rest of the night sleeping in comfortable beds, Dean had to make do with fresh straw which had been placed on the cell floor.

  The first rays of light were just hitting the rooftops when Brodin and Cirren arrived at the jailhouse and demanded to speak with the man in charge. They explained the situation to the man, who introduced himself as Captain Gane, and displayed their rings as proof of identity. While the Captain accepted all they said, he regretfully told them that his hands were tied. An accusation had been made against Dean, one that was not being denied, and someone with more authority than he would be needed to accept Brodin’s word that Dean was indeed engaged.

  “Could you not just sleep with her?” Captain Gane suggested.

  “No,” Dean said emphatically. “I will not cheat on Sam.”

  Gane sighed. “Then I am afraid you will have to visit the Queen.”

  Brodin swore under his breath. “Is there no alternative? We are in rather a hurry.”

  “I am afraid not. Only the Queen can overrule the law.” Reluctantly Brodin accepted that they would have to make the detour and sent Cirren back to the inn to get everyone ready to ride as soon as possible. Dean tried to convince them that he could visit the Queen alone and would catch up with them as soon as the situation had been resolved, but Brodin would not hear of it.

  “I have some very bad news for you I am afraid,” Captain Gane said, somewhat reluctantly.

  “What?” Brodin asked irritably.

  “The accuser has to travel with us.”

  The journey was long and unpleasant. Lady Vex was the worst travelling companion any of them had ever had the misfortune to journey with. She insisted on travelling by coach, along with her maid and cook, which meant they all had to stick to the roads, making the journey twice as long as it needed to be. By the time they reached the capital city of Tennel, even Captain Gane was ready to strangle her. When she wasn’t complaining about something, she was describing in great detail exactly what she was going to make Dean do once the Queen had found him guilty. She point blankly refused to accept that Cirren and Brodin really were Princes and spoke to them the same way she spoke to her servants, when she bothered to acknowledge their presence. Her attempts to order Seth and Dal around were soon shot down by Brodin, who pointed out that they did not work for her so she had no authority over them.

  As the days progressed, Lady Vex became increasingly waspish, especially towards Dal. When she finally went too far and referred to Dal as a ‘little tramp’, Seth grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against a tree. “My wife is a Lady and you will start treating her like one,” he whispered into her ear. “Or next time I will press a little harder.” He increased his grip slightly before releasing her.

  “Arrest him,” she yelled at Captain Gane. “He just threatened my life.”

  “Sorry your Ladyship,” Gane replied, unable to keep the smile from his face, “but I did not see anything. Anyone else?” Nobody admitted that they had witnessed the incident, not even Lady Vex’s guards.

  “You are both fired,” she snappe
d at them. To her surprise, the two men did not beg her to change her mind. Instead, they thanked Seth for getting Lady Vex to break a work contract they had been unsuccessfully trying to find a way out of for the past year. They packed their bags, mounted their horses and rode off in the opposite direction to which they had been heading, waving farewell until they were out of sight.

  Lady Vex shouted after them, informing them that they had no right to leave her unprotected, insisting that they remain with her until she safely reached her main residence in Tennel. They ignored her and did not return.

  Night was approaching when the group entered Tennel, so Lady Vex and her two remaining servants went directly to her home, while Captain Gane and the three other members of the Queen’s guard who had accompanied them took Dean to the jailhouse. Gane gave directions to the best inn in the city, but Brodin decided that the hour was not too late to visit the Queen. The guard on duty at the main gate recognised the two Princes from their last visits, though he was surprised to see them together. He confirmed that Queen Tibia was in the palace and sent one servant to inform her that she had important visitors and another to find the housekeeper, with instructions that rooms would be needed in the guest wing.

  “May I recommend cleaning yourselves up a bit before your audience with the Queen,” the guard suggested.

  Cirren smiled at him. “I really do not think she will mind what we look like.”

  “You are quite right,” a voice sounded from down the corridor. Five heads turned and watched the Queen approach.

  “Tibia,” Cirren said, holding out his arms. She kissed him on the cheek as he hugged her tightly. “You look different,” he observed, looking her up and down critically when she stepped out of his embrace. “More confident, regal even.”

  She laughed lightly. “Thanks to you, and your brother, of course. You have given me back my country and I am finally acting as a true ruler. I guess it is affecting me in ways I did not expect.” Tibia was referring to Tor, when she spoke of Cirren’s brother. Both had been instrumental in removing her uncle from power and educating her in what misdeeds were being done in her country.