A Crown Imperiled (12 page)

This time there seemed to be more urgency, more need to move quickly and not be seen. Hal wasn’t sure why it felt that way, but in the months he had been hiding with Ty he had come to rely more and more on his hunter’s skills, adapted to an urban setting. Alleys and streets were no more or less treacherous than trails and paths, and the predators in Roldem made up for their lack of fang and talon with guile and weapons.

It was early in the morning, perhaps an hour before sunrise, so the sight of three men skulking would certainly raise a hue and cry, given that the curfew inflicted on the population weeks before was enforced with severity by the roving gangs of marshals appointed by Lord Worthington.

Little word had reached them from their benefactor: Lady Franciezka had only visited them once in the last three weeks, and then had been tight-lipped. Something was afoot that she felt was best kept from the two young men, but both Hal and Ty could see that she was deeply troubled by whatever it was.

Since then they had been forced to endure isolation. For the frontier-bred Hal, used to wandering at will, it was more torture than he had endured in his life. He had combated it with a regimen of reading anything he could find – the lady had a prodigious library in every house she owned – and vigorous exercise, which he discovered not only enabled him to keep his weight under control, but reduced his worry and helped him sleep. And he spent hours practising his swordplay with Ty.

Ty was easily the most gifted swordsman Hal had ever faced. But in those hours of sparring, he had come to recognize patterns and weaknesses, and eventually he had begun to score his share of touches. Hal doubted he would ever be Ty’s equal, but it was likely he’d never face another swordsman better than himself.

Their guide held up his hand and they stopped. He peered around a corner and motioned for them to stay close and together they hugged the storefronts that were deepest in shadow as the dawn light shone into the city. As in most ports, there was a morning mist that would burn off early in the day, but for the moment it served their purposes in shrouding their passage.

They took a circuitous route but at last found themselves at the corner of an alley and a narrow street with high buildings of two and three storeys turning it into a dark canyon.

Hurrying along, they reached a door and were inside before anyone might spy them. Inside, two armed men waited and when the three threw back their hoods, sword points were lowered. ‘Good,’ said one of the two who waited. ‘This way.’

They followed their new guide down a short hall to the house’s back stairs – the servants’ passage – and ascended. On the third floor they entered a small room, used by the maid to prepare the service of meals.

The guide and the two armed men were unknown to Hal and Ty. All the two young men knew was they were working for Lady Franciezka Sorboz. All three looked dangerous. If nothing else had convinced them that the lady was important to the crown of Roldem, the seemingly endless number of these capable men at her beck and call confirmed it.

One, tall and heavily muscled, wearing the short-sleeved, close-fitting shirt and bell-bottomed trousers of a sailor said, ‘A pledge, gentlemen. Lady Franciezka asks you to swear that what you are about to see remains with you and no matter what may occur in the future, you will hold your silence. Agreed?’

Hal and Ty exchanged quick glances. Then both said, ‘Agreed.’

Their escort pushed open the door to the large master suite and the two young men entered. Three women sat quietly waiting inside a finely appointed parlour.

Lady Franciezka rose and waved with her hand for Hal and Ty to enter. They hesitated for a moment, for the second woman in the room – girl really – was Princess Stephané, the King’s daughter. The third woman was unknown to either of them, but she was as striking a beauty as the other two.

‘Your Highness, Lord Harold of Crydee and Tyrone Hawkins.’

Stephané smiled and both young men felt their stomachs tighten, as they had the first time they had been presented to the royal family after their duel at the Masters’ Court. Ty had won the Championship after Hal had been forced to withdraw due to a muscle pull during the final match.

The Princess was clad in a travelling dress, dark blue cut straight across the bodice and three-quarter-length sleeves, with a hem at mid-thigh and matching leggings. Her boots were plain and serviceable, suitable for hiking or walking. She wore no jewellery and her hair had been gathered back and pinned high.

‘This is Lady Gabriella, the Princess’s companion.’

Both young men bowed to the Princess and nodded acknowledgement of Lady Gabriella. Both Hal and Ty thought they must have caught a glimpse of Gabriella at the gala; but each wondered how he might have missed her if so. She was easily six feet tall in her stockinged feet, and like the Princess was dressed in travel garb: tight trousers and tunic, high boots, and a hooded cape.

Ty glanced at his companion and tried not to grin. If Franciezka noticed the byplay she chose to ignore it. ‘We have a problem,’ she said plainly.

Without hesitation Hal said, ‘How can we help?’

‘Can you sail a boat?’

They both nodded. Hal said, ‘I grew up in a coastal town. I’ve sailed small craft since I was a child.’

‘Me too,’ chimed in Ty.

‘Good,’ said Franciezka. ‘We haven’t much time, so attend closely. While you two have been doing a fine job of staying out of sight, there have been events unfolding both in the palace and here in the city that were not visible to the populace. The short of it is that a coup d’état is underway.’

Both young men were stunned. At last Hal said, ‘The King?’

It was Stephané who replied. ‘Father and Mother are safe, for the time being.’ Obviously under stress, she still managed to remain admirably calm about the danger to those she loved. ‘Lord John Worthington wouldn’t harm either if he can convince them to sanction my marriage to his son. Once that happens, then he can do what he needs to do to make his son king.’

‘But your brothers—’ began Ty.

‘Safe, for the moment,’ said Franciezka. ‘None of them are where Worthington assumes them to be. For the time being, Lord John is content to think he has the three princes confined.’

The two young men glanced at one another, both instantly realizing that it would be futile to ask where they were.

Franciezka said, ‘What I need to do is take care of two problems at once.’ She looked at Hal, ‘Kesh has agents looking for you. I seem to have blunted their search, but there is another player, whom I do not know, and that has me concerned. Those agents are doubly dangerous because some of them used to be mine.’

Hal and Ty said nothing, but their expressions revealed surprise.

‘I was certain by now you had some sense of my role in the affairs of Roldem.’

Hal said, ‘I assumed your role was important, but I hadn’t thought about spies.’

Ty said, with some chagrin, ‘I did, but dismissed the idea. I thought you might be . . . a special friend to one of the princes?’

At that Stephané laughed. ‘My brothers? They are sweet, but none of them could keep up with our good lady here.’ Her tone revealed a mix of admiration and no little distrust. If Franciezka was the spy-mistress of Roldem, that distrust was likely well earned.

‘With former agents of mine in play, my identity is no longer a matter of state secret. Once this is over, and should we all survive, I will be of little use to the Crown in my current role.’

‘Are these turned agents working for Lord Worthington?’ asked Ty.

‘Almost certainly. I’m the only one who knows where the Princess is hiding. Otherwise Lord John would have sent squads of soldiers to my door to fetch the Princess back. The princes are currently surrounded by men of unquestioning loyalty, but those are few in number. The rest of the army and navy take their orders from the Crown, which at this point means they take orders from Lord John Worthington. But should he attempt to force them to return to the palace, it could start a civil war he’s not certain to win.’ She took a deep breath, crossing her arms. Her right index finger tapped idly against her left arm while she considered. ‘No, we’re dealing with a handful of my former men who know me well enough to pick their moment, once they discover exactly where I’ve hidden Her Highness. They don’t have enough swords to do otherwise, and even if they could overwhelm those loyal to me, they would expose themselves as traitors.’

Ty said, ‘What must we do?’

‘For about two hours, nothing; but then we must move and do so at great speed. Kesh’s flotilla is anchored less than a half-mile outside the harbour mouth. They are content to let ships bound for the Empire pass without trouble. Their position appears to be one of keeping a wedge between the two Kingdoms, and to keep Roldem’s war fleet from venturing out. We’ve managed to move a few smaller ships – refitted to look like trading vessels – out of the harbour, heading south, as if heading for Pointer’s Head. Any ship headed towards the Eastern Kingdoms is stopped at the Straits of Ilthros, boarded and searched, and if no contraband is found, it is given safe passage.’ She paused to see if the two young men were following. ‘Do you understand what you must do?’

Hal nodded. ‘I’m vague on the details, which I’m sure you’ve already anticipated, but we are to get the Princess and her companion off this island, to somewhere beyond Worthington’s reach.’

Ty said, ‘You want her in Rillanon.’

Franciezka smiled. ‘Aren’t you the bright one?’

‘Rillanon?’ said Hal. ‘I would have thought somewhere in the east, like Olasko.’

Ty shook his head. ‘Worthington might be able to pry her from the gentle protection of the Duke of Olasko, if he’s ignorant of what’s occurring here. But if Her Highness is safely visiting King Gregory’s court, with the Kingdom and Keshian fleets between Worthington and the Princess . . . ?’ He smiled and looked at the Princess. ‘It seemed a bit obvious to me.’

Hal’s brow furrowed. ‘Well enough, but exactly how are the two of us going to sail from here to there? That’s almost the entire length of the Sea of Kingdoms.’

‘That would be foolish. No, we’ll hide you in a ship bound for Watcher’s Point in Miskalon, but at the right time you’ll be put over the side in a specially-provisioned boat, and with the gods’ grace, you’ll land in Ran.’ She turned and picked up some folded parchments. ‘With these documents, you’ll have safe passage should you encounter any Roldemish ships.’

Hal inspected them then handed them over to Ty. ‘The King agrees?’

‘The King wishes to be ignorant of the details. I’ve forged his signature enough times no one can tell the difference, not even the King.’

‘The seals look perfect,’ said Ty as he inspected the documents.

‘They should be,’ said Lady Franciezka. ‘I have the royal seals safely hidden away.’

Ty grinned as Hal’s mouth dropped opened.

Lady Franciezka smiled. ‘The King might be persuaded to sign decrees against his better judgment by Worthington, but without the seals . . .’ She shrugged, then handed a purse heavy with coin to Ty. ‘Now, you should be able to arrange for a fast Kingdom ship from there to Rillanon. You’ll be behind the Keshian blockade. If that turns out not to be the safe choice, then hire a coach to Bas-Tyra.’

‘When do we leave?’ asked Hal.

‘In two hours. My cargo ship has already been inspected prior to departure. We’ll slip you aboard moments before she weighs anchor. My only concern will be getting you past the Keshians at the blockade line, but I think everything is ready.’

Hal and Ty exchanged a look that silently communicated they hoped all was ready as well.

The quarters were cramped aboard the ship,
Meklin’s Lady
: one small cabin for the four of them. Hal and Ty tried to ignore each other when they slept side by side on the narrow floor but in vain since each swell the ship breasted caused them to roll up against each other. The two young women, however, seemed able to abide sharing a narrow bunk designed for one person, despite Lady Gabriella’s height.

They had come aboard two mornings previously, an hour before dawn, while most of the crew still slept. Only the captain, first officer, and a few of the crew knew about the passengers. The rest were kept ignorant, and by design the second officer’s cabin had been left unfilled this voyage. Designed for one person, and that barely, it proved very cramped for four. One berth against the bulkhead, a single large window, a tiny chest under a small table with a water basin barely gave anyone room to move. A single curtain opposite the bunk opened on a small door through which they found the officer’s garderobe, called ‘the captain’s jakes’.

It had taken remarkable self-restraint to keep calm and relaxed in those quarters, but the four had discovered that telling humorous stories passed the time. As it was rare for any common seaman to venture into the stern-castle, they did not fear being overheard, but still tried to keep their voices low. Food had been provided in the form of a large sack of dried fruit, jerked meat, fresh bread, and two large water skins. Their confinement was only for two days and nights, but they could not leave their quarters, save for a quick dash to the captain’s jakes, which proved to be nothing more than a seat with a hole that hung over the open water. Ty found himself wondering how the officers employed it during rough weather.

In the two days the young men found the two young women to be excellent company. The Princess was well educated, which was to be expected, but she was also a young woman of strong opinions, which was not. Rather than some prized flower to be sheltered and shielded, she seemed to have a point of view on everything, not least of which was the rise and ambition of Sir John Worthington. Hal could not keep from grinning when she described how she wanted him treated when her father regained control of the state. To call some of the images grisly was to understate. Hal realized that in its own way, court politics was warfare and a princess of Roldem had to be a different sort of warrior. His initial infatuation was soon replaced by a strong attraction coupled with newfound respect. Whoever married the Princess would be a lucky man; one with his hands full, but lucky nevertheless.