Light the Reign (The Forgotten: Book 3) (17 page)

The Dakelh leader reached into its nesting
place, huddled in amongst the cave wall, and drew it out. The power
pulsed around it for a moment, as the spells it powered stopped,
and everyone held their breaths. Katya counted her heartbeats. One,
two, three, four, five. Nothing. No sounds of crashing water or
cracking wood. No screams from the village below. And no fluxes in
the magic of the spell they bound to this place.

It had worked. The Dakelh leader let out her
breath noisily and smiled, turning to Katya to hand her the stone.
“It appears that you are worthy of bearing it,” she commented.

Katya took the stone and brought out the
other two from her pockets, comparing them. They were all obviously
of the same stone, but each in its own unique odd shape. Katya
looked at the edges of the newest compared to one of the other’s
sides. They looked like they might fit together. Experimentally,
she brought the two together, and grunted in satisfaction as the
broken edges fit perfectly together.

She almost dropped them when they flared to
life, magically mending the break of its own accord. Katya repeated
the process with the third and again, it attached itself to the
bigger stone. Now, instead of her three smaller stones, Katya had
one large stone. But it was still not complete, two gaping sections
were evident where the last two stones belonged. They were getting
closer. Closer to the people of Naoham’s – and eventually the
world’s – salvation.

Several of the people around them gasped at
the spectacle, and one little girl came forward. “My mother asked
me to give you this,” she said in a quiet, stuttering voice.

Katya took it from her gently. “Thank you,”
she said, looking at the object in her hand. It was a bottle of
some kind of clear liquid.

“It’s water from the healing spring,” the
girl supplied. “My mother is the healer and she says that it might
help you with the curse.” The little girl scampered off, relieved
that her duty was complete, and eager to get out of the
spotlight.

The Dakelh leader watched with interest.
“That is quite a gift indeed,” she commented, “there is only so
much that the spring produces and it is saved and conserved for the
most serious of cases. Use it well.”

“Thank you,” Katya repeated again, “Thank you
for everything.”

CHAPTER 10

Kali humored the man with an audience. He had
sent her an urgent summons that everything was falling apart.
Though his ‘falling apart’ was likely to be her success, she was
interested to hear exactly how it was happening.

She strolled into his sitting room and was
immediately bombarded by his nasal whine.

“You said they wouldn’t find the stones!” he
accused, standing and pointing a finger at her face. She had
convinced him that their looking for the stones would be a
distraction and would keep them taking the chokeroot longer. He
seemed to be rather intimidated by the monarchs’ talents for some
reason.

“They found another one?”

“Yes! There’s only one left other than the
stone of the tribe she’s traveling with who are bound to just give
it to her!” he was nearly foaming at the mouth he was so frantic.
“And not only that, but there’s talk of not even needing the last
stone, that the items the party has sent back from the north have
been so successful in stopping the progression and spread that they
think they can cure it with just these and not have to bother with
trying to get the last one. They are going to find the cure before
us, and they could be stopping taking the chokeroot any time
now!”

“What?” Kali clenched her teeth. She was so
close. She couldn’t let them stop her plans when they were so close
to coming to fruition. She would have to show them that the disease
was worse than they thought.

The blubbering man was still talking. “Once
they have the cure, they will not be happy to find out that I have
been harboring the Bricrui in my manor. I should have told them
right away! Now I will not be the one to find the cure, but will
need to beg their assistance to cure mine! Not only that, but
people in the manor who shouldn’t have the curse are starting to
become ill. I think it might be spreading!”

Starting to become ill?
Kali thought.
Had he not been keeping track of the infected at all? She knew that
the Bricrui had already spread throughout the entire manor and she
had ensured that it had advanced quickly.

“They’ll stop taking the chokeroot and their
talents will return, and I’ll be doomed! Doomed, I tell you! We
need to finish our cure right now.”

One of the ways she’d been manipulating him
was by convincing him that they could come up with the cure to the
disease themselves, before Gelendan did, proving to Treymayne that
they didn’t need the merger, and making him a hero. She’d even
actually broken the curse on one of the worst cases to prove to him
that they were making progress. Of course, she’d lied and said the
man wasn’t totally cured – though he was – and he’d unfortunately
had to stay at the manor…where he was immediately re-infected.

The man was hyperventilating and mumbling
about telling the Ieldran and the Council everything. The time was
upon her.

Swiftly, she pulled out her knife and drew
the sharp blade over his throat. Before his body hit the ground,
she was strolling out his front door, and none of the servants
tried to stop her. She felt the rush of power flow past her as his
death released the wards on the manor, letting the Bricrui
free.

She immediately made for the main part of
town, searching the signs for a tavern. Spying one, she went inside
and sat herself in the most crowded area. Sticking her finger into
the ribs of the patron next to her, she leaned over and said
loudly, “Have you heard? There’s an outbreak of the Bricrui curse
right here in town!”

*

Sir Ruawn finished his report and Layna
chewed on her lip. Indeed, the bodies had been piling up in the
North End, and all within the wee hours of the morning. It seemed
that their concern over something disturbing occurring was correct.
Layna hated to think that there could be someone so depraved to be
murdering the Bricrui for fun, but given all that she had
experienced these last few years, very little was beyond her realm
of imagination.

“We’ll have to go back again tonight,”
Gryffon stated and Layna nodded absently. That was obvious, the
question would be how they were going to find out what was going on
when they had seen no indication of any foul play any of the other
times they had observed the area.

“Perhaps we could draw them out,” she said
slowly and both Sir Ruawn and Gryffon turned to her. “If we gave
them something they want…”

“You mean a Bricrui?” Gryffon asked with a
hint of disgust in his voice.

“I don’t mean use someone actually infected,
or–” she paused uncomfortably in the face of the situation; that
probably every person in the city was infected, “at least not one
who’s showing the signs of the last stages. But we could make it
look like we were and it might attract whatever person it is.”

“You cannot be serious, Majesty,” Sir Ruawn
exclaimed in alarm. “It is one thing to go into the city to sneak
around to see what’s going on, but it is quite another to dress
yourself up to be targeted! It may be something as simple as
someone who views themselves as a vigilante, thinking that they’re
doing the right thing killing off the Bricrui.”

“Except for the state of the bodies,” Gryffon
pointed out. “They are torn to pieces. That is not the work of an
honorable person trying to keep the streets safe.”

“And all the more reason for you not to put
yourself in danger. Whoever this person is, you don’t want to put
yourself in the situation of being their next victim.”

“It just might work,” Gryffon murmured,
ignoring Sir Ruawn’s protests.

“We could use make-up to make our skin look
pale and glue on something to make it look as though we have
pustules all over. Magic would have been easier, but…”

“We can do it without,” Gryffon said firmly.
“It’s decided then, the only thing left to determine is who we’re
going to use as bait, me or you.”

Sir Ruawn opened his mouth again, but wisely
chose to shut it again, once they had made up their mind, there was
no swaying their decision. Instead he said a moment later, “At
least let me put together a few men to follow you in at a discrete
distance for this outing. That way once you find this madman we can
come to your aid.”

Layna nodded, “That would be acceptable. And
as for who will be the bait, I will.” The tone she used broached no
argument, though she could see one formulating in Gryffon’s mind.
“That way you will be unhindered by disguise to protect me,” she
pointed out.

Sir Ruawn’s immediate relief that they would
at least allow guards with them on this escapade evaporated and his
face filled with worry once more. “One of the men, or myself, would
be better suited to be the bait,” he said.

“Nonsense,” Layna shook her head, “We
couldn’t possibly expect one of you to do such a thing, it is far
above and beyond your duties.”

“My lady,” Sir Ruawn protested, “this curse
has pushed everyone far above and beyond, including Your
Majesties.”

She smiled at the concern in his voice. “I
appreciate you and your men’s willingness to stick by us in these
trying times,” she said, “but I cannot be dissuaded. I need your
sharp eyes on the lookout for trouble as well.”

They made their way back to the palace and
Layna called one of her most trusted maids into her private
rooms.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” the woman curtsied
prettily, looking rather ruffled and still half-asleep. Layna was
reminded that though she and Gryffon were now used to the late
nights they’d been keeping, most normal people were in bed at this
hour. No doubt her summons had woken the girl from sleep and she’d
been forced to try and make herself acceptable before
answering.

“I’m sorry to have woken you,” Layna began,
“but I need your help with something.”

The girl’s half-closed eyes brightened a bit.
“With what, Your Majesty?”

“I need you to make me look like one of the
Bricrui,” she told her, “Do you think you can do that?”

The girl’s eyes opened wide now, her brows
shooting upwards. “Why on earth would you want me to do that?” she
blurted out, disgusted, before catching herself. “Sorry, Your
Majesty,” she curtsied again, “Of course, right away.”

She busied herself gathering the implements
she would need for the task and Layna watched her practiced hands
fly over the table, pausing to hover over this powder a moment,
then flitting to another to add it to the pile. Layna thought about
having the girl sworn to secrecy over this request, but decided it
would be pointless. As good as the girl’s intentions were,
something as juicy as this odd request was bound to slip out
sometime. And besides, hopefully after tonight whatever it was that
was going on in the North End would be over.

The girl got to work, and Layna watched in
amazement as her reflection changed miraculously by the maid’s
careful handiwork. The girl was certainly suited to the task, and
despite having been woken from sleep to perform it, seemed to be
enjoying herself. The final result was hideous. Layna hoped she
never got to see herself actually turned into one of the Bricrui
after this glimpse into what her future could hold. Not that she
would much care what she looked like at this stage in the
disease…

“Oh,” exclaimed the girl, wrinkling her nose,
“You look awful!” She bit her lip, “I mean good-awful, but…”

Layna smiled, though when she saw the result
in the mirror quickly returned to a more neutral expression. She
wasn’t quite sure why, but something about such a menacing-looking
countenance bearing a smile was terrifying.

“Thank you very much,” she dismissed the
girl, letting her get back to her rest, “and don’t worry about
getting here too early tomorrow, sleep in.”

The girl smiled her thanks, though still
wearing an insanely curious expression and turned to leave after
giving Layna a final curtsy.

“Wait,” Layna held up a hand, sighing
inwardly, knowing the feeling all too well. The girl deserved
something for her hard work.

The girl turned back, curiosity turning to
worry as she examined Layna’s face, no doubt thinking that she had
seen something that needed to be fixed.

“There is something odd going on in the
city,” Layna supplied, not wanting to give away too much
information, but also not seeing the harm. The people were well
aware by now that the disease was taking hold. Those who had
started the chokeroot too late, or who had refused to take it at
all were more numerous than Layna had ever expected. It also
inexplicably seemed to be progressing faster and faster in the
cases in the city. “The number of Bricrui in a particular area has
been turning up in greater numbers than would be expected. We
believe that someone may be using them to further their own needs,
or taking it upon themselves to wipe out those infected, forgetting
that we all are.”

The girl’s eyes widened so wide now that
Layna thought they might bulge out of her head. “And you are going
to try and catch these people by disguising yourself as something
they want?” The incredulity in her voice made Layna doubt the
success of their plan for a moment, but at the girl’s next words
realized where it really stemmed from. “You can’t do that! You’re
the Queen!”

Layna just smiled – knowing the effect – and
sure enough, the maid curtsied quickly and removed herself from the
room. She gathered the rest of the things she would need. Though
Leoht would have to be left behind since a sword bouncing on her
hip would be a rather dead give-away, she was not about to go in
empty-handed. She stuffed her clothing with knives, then began
ripping them and rubbing dirt all over herself.