Changing Fate [Fate series] (4 page)

On top of the coffin was a letter and a small pouch. Briam picked up the letter, glanced through it, then handed the letter to Akila and the pouch to the carpenter. “Payment for the coffin,” he explained.

Akila looked at him in surprise, then bent her head over the letter. True enough, the first few lines dealt with the matter of the coffin and the payment for it. She turned it over to check the signature. “And Lord Ranulf commends your craftsmanship and the orderly way in which you keep your shop,” she told the man.

He hefted the pouch in his hand, looking puzzled. “Strangest invasion I've ever seen—or heard of,” he said. “He hasn't fired the village, has he?"

"I doubt it,” said Galin calmly. “For one thing, we'd see the smoke if he did, and for another it makes no sense from a tactical standpoint. If he could win, it would be his village and he wouldn't want his own property damaged."

Akila noted Galin's use of the conditional tense with appreciation. She was sure that he know as well as she did that “it will be his village” was more accurate than “it would be his village.” By her reckoning, they had food for three more days.

She forced herself to smile at the carpenter, hoping that her face didn't look as stiff as it felt. “If he had burned your shop, he certainly wouldn't bother to pay you for the coffin,” she pointed out. “And I am glad that you had it ready made, since we do have need of it.” She blinked quickly to forced back the tears that suddenly blurred her vision. I can't break down in front of people, she thought. I've got to get away for a bit.

She looked quickly at Briam. He seemed to be holding up just fine. Probably shock, she thought, but I'll work with what I've got. “Briam, why don't you get some men and take the body to the chapel, while I go see about getting the proper herbs.” Briam nodded and he and Galin chose several men from the group standing around them to help carry the body.

Akila headed for her room as fast as was consistent with the dignity she had to maintain under the circumstances. She would rather have run, screaming, but that wasn't an option.

When she got to her room, she bolted the door and collapsed on the bed, shaking violently. Then she blacked out.

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Akila awoke to find the sun streaming in her window. It took her several minutes to figure out what she was doing lying on her bed fully clothed in the middle of the day. She felt cold all over, and sick, and too shaky to stand. She twisted to reach the clothing chest at the foot of her bed. When she reached to open the chest, she found that she still held Lord Ranulf's letter clutched in her hand. She dropped it on the bed beside her and opened the chest, reaching inside it for the dried fruit bars she kept there for times when she had been shape-changing and needed extra food in a hurry. She unwrapped one with shaking hands and crammed it into her mouth. Even chewing it took enormous effort, but after she had eaten three of them, she felt at least half-human again.

She picked up the letter and looked at the salutation. It was addressed to her.

Well, that explains why Briam gave it to me, she thought. But how odd, why would Lord Ranulf write to me? Did Stefan tell him that I made the decisions around here—no, Stefan wouldn't know that, because Father was here when he was, and besides, I heard what Stefan was telling Lord Ranulf...

She turned her attention back to the letter. After the part about the coffin which she had read earlier, it continued “...It may relieve your heart to know that I neither killed your father nor ordered his death. The mercenary Stefan brought his body to me in hope of a reward, which I have not given him."

But Stefan is still with you, Akila thought, so you must have promised him something, or else he still hopes for something.

"...I bear no ill will toward you, nor towards any of your people, and you may assure your brother that my intentions towards you are quite honorable. I ask that you do me the favor of becoming my wife. I feel sure that you have sufficient sense to see the advantages to this plan. You will be able to live comfortably in your own home and remain mistress of your estate. In time, the property will pass to your children..."

Akila dropped the letter, feeling profoundly shocked. It was silly, of course, that the idea of having children should shock her, but children of her own were not something she had considered. Her father had made it quite clear, without ever saying anything explicit on the subject, that she was never to marry or have children. The inheritance was Briam's, not Akila's. Now Lord Ranulf seemed to be looking at it from the opposite point of view. Akila picked up the letter and read it carefully from start to finish. Except for the one reference she had already seen, there was no mention of Briam. So what does Lord Ranulf plan for him? Akila wondered.

She continued to wonder during the next several days, during which they buried their father next to their mother in the family graveyard behind the main hall, cut the food first to half-rations, then quarter-rations, and watched Lord Ranulf's army.

Most of the army patrolled outside the walls, but Akila and Galin noted that every morning a large group of men would march off toward the village and fields and would not be seen again until after dark, when they returned to camp. She wished she dared change to eagle shape and find out what they were doing, but she did not think that Lord Ranulf had been bluffing about shooting any creature trying to leave the castle. Even if the shot was merely intended to disable—an arrow through the wing, for example (Akila shuddered, visualizing an arrow tearing through feathers, tendons and muscles, and told herself firmly that she had too vivid an imagination), Akila was unsure of her ability to land safely using only one wing and even less sure of her ability to hold eagle shape if she were injured. And the idea of being naked and helpless in the middle of a strange army was terrifying.

They were all down to one meal a day now, a gruel made from the last few barrels of last year's grain in the storerooms. There was no meat, no fruit or vegetables. Water was no problem, the castle had a good well inside the walls. But the harvest, the fruit trees, and the wild game that was their usual diet at this time of year was all outside the walls. They weren't dying yet, although some of the younger children were starting to sicken, but Akila knew that time was against them. They could hold out for a while longer, but they couldn't last forever. And their father had no allies who could be expected to come to break the siege. Akila mentally damned her father; if he hadn't spent his entire lifetime making enemies instead of allies, and then getting himself killed, they wouldn't be in this mess. Lord Ranulf was going to win this; there was just no other possible conclusion.

She paced the walls with Galin and Briam, watching the a group of Lord Ranulf's troops leave as they did each morning. Suddenly one of the men on the walls shouted and pointed up.

"Look! The great eagle!"

Briam and Akila looked at each other in astonishment before looking up. Sure enough, there was an eagle circling over the castle, bigger than any eagle in nature. “It's a bit bigger than you are,” Briam whispered in her ear, “but other than that, it looks identical."

"That's impossible,” Akila whispered back.

The eagle folded its wings and dove straight towards them. Briam and Galin moved in, crowding Akila in an irrational effort to protect her, but the eagle unfolded its wings a short distance above them, scooped air to break its fall, and landed neatly on the wall directly in front of them. It looked sharply at Briam, then Galin, before fixing its eyes on Akila's. Akila met its stare, reminded of the afternoon the army had arrived, when she had been an eagle and had watched Lord Ranulf from the walls. There seemed to be intelligence behind the eyes that stared into hers. Had she looked like that? She forced herself to stand perfectly still and keep her face calm. Animals generally couldn't out-stare a human, and as long as its claws were on the wall the eagle wouldn't hurt her. Unlike owls, eagles didn't bite. After several long minutes, the eagle turned, dove off the wall, and flew away beyond the trees.

Akila felt so shaken that it took her several seconds to realize that Galin was talking to her. “The men seem to think it's a good omen,” he said, looking around at the few men they had stationed on the wall.

"I wish I thought so,” Akila said.

Galin looked sharply at her. “You are tired,” he said firmly. “Go and lie down for a bit—there's nothing you need to do right now."

He was right, Akila realized as she went wearily back to her room. There was nothing constructive for her to do, nothing that needed her attention, nothing she could do to save her people, her brother, her home, or even herself. She lay down and promptly fell asleep again.

It was early evening when she woke, and when she went to find Briam, she was horrified to find him on the walls, parlaying with Lord Ranulf.

"Lord Briam,” Lord Ranulf was saying courteously, “you cannot hope to withstand me for much longer. I may not know to the measure how much food you have left, but you know, and I can guess. I can certainly starve you out, but that is both unpleasant and bad for your people, who need not otherwise be harmed. Yield now, and save them."

"I will not sell my folk and my sister into slavery so tamely,” Briam retorted. “I challenge you to single combat."

Akila check her first impulse, which was to grab Briam, drag him down from the wall, and lock him in his room until he came to his senses. This has got to be the most incredibly stupid thing he has ever done in his life! she thought. I'll never be able to get him out of this one.

"If I lose,” Briam continued,” the castle is yours; and if I win, you give that turncoat mercenary over to us for justice and depart in peace."

"A somewhat uneven bargain, Lord Briam,” Lord Ranulf replied. “Why should I risk the castle in single combat when I can win it simply by waiting a little while longer?” He thought for a moment. “If you want to fight someone, fight Stefan, since you seek his life, and if you win, you go free."

"And my sister goes with me.” Briam countered.

"What life would the lady have wandering about with you?” Lord Ranulf asked reasonably. “I pledge to marry her in all honor; she will have her home and position."

Akila came up to Briam's side and grabbed his arm.

Agree, Briam
, she thought at him.

You want to marry him?
The thought was hurt and incredulous.
I can't go away without you!

Of course not, but I'll get out of it. Just agree to these terms.

Briam spoke at her prompting, “I will agree to the following terms: tomorrow morning I will fight in single combat with the mercenary Stefan. If I win, I go free with my armor and weapons, my horse, and my eagle. If I fail to kill Stefan, you will dismiss him from your service and banish him forever from this estate. In either case, the castle will be surrendered to you, and you in turn agree to show mercy to the serfs and castle folk and treat them well."

"I agree to your terms with the following exceptions: you may have horse, weapons, armor, and such baggage as you can carry, but not the eagle.”
But he
can't
know!
Akila thought.
Can he?
“And I will marry your sister."

"If she will have you!” Briam retorted.

"Very well, if I can gain her agreement.” Lord Ranulf sounded much too confident for Akila's taste. “Then we are agreed upon the terms?"

"Yes,” Briam said slowly. “We are agreed."

"Until tomorrow morning then.” Lord Ranulf bowed in the saddle, then turned and rode back to his army.

Briam and Akila retreated to Akila's room to talk in private.

"Akila,” Briam said, worried, “can you change into a horse?"

"A colt, maybe, but nothing big enough to carry you."

"I could lead you, and walk."

Tears came to Akila's eyes, and suddenly she couldn't stop crying. Briam picked her up and sat on the ledge holding her in his lap. “Don't cry, Akila, please don't cry!"

"I'm just tired, Briam,” she sobbed. She sat up and resolutely began to scrub at her face with the hem of her gown “Why did you challenge Lord Ranulf?"

"In single combat the right side always wins,” Briam replied simply.

"Oh, Briam, that's only in a minstrel's tales.” Akila sighed. “Have you seen Stefan fight?"

"Yes, I watched the men-at-arms practicing before they set out with Father. Stefan's not bad, but I've seen better. And I have the right on my side."

"Well, I suppose that's some help.” Akila tried to remember what it was the guardsman had said about Briam's fighting ability. “But remember, Stefan will be fighting for his life tomorrow, so he'll fight harder."

"If I lose, I'll be dead,” Briam said slowly. Obviously he was just now realizing this. “Do you think it hurts to be dead?"

Akila reminded herself sternly that this was no time to turn squeamish over what her brother had gotten himself into—if he didn't do this, probably they'd just kill him out of hand. Oh, if only she could turn him into something, some form insignificant enough to sneak out safely. But her changing ability was limited to herself, and she could only change herself into an animal. Unless the potion she had labored so hard over worked—it was designed to give her the ability to turn herself into anything. And it had better work.

"Akila?"

What had he asked her? “No, being dead doesn't hurt; dying probably does, but the pain stops once you're dead. But you're not going to die tomorrow, not if I can help it."

"And you'll change into a horse and come with me?"

"No, that won't work.” Akila frowned. “I don't know how, but I'd swear Lord Ranulf knows I'm a changer. Remember what he said about not letting any creature leave the castle."

"So what are you going to do? I'm not going away without you."

Akila took a deep breath. “I'm going to turn myself into a sword.” It was the first time she'd dared to say the words out loud, and she hoped she didn't sound as scared as she felt. “And you're going to use me in combat, and then walk out of here with me at your side."