The Wizard's Curse (Book 2) (63 page)

Tarkyn glanced over at the older man, “I only wish my brothers were as friendly to each other as these two seem to be.”

Lorin brought over a cup of tea but stood holding it, not knowing how to give it to the prince while he maintained his shield.

Tarkyn thanked her and asked her to place it on the ground next to him. “Hmm, this presents a small problem, doesn’t it? I can’t get at my cup of tea without removing my shield. Perhaps now would be a good time to finish our previous conversation before my tea gets too cold.”

Trey frowned, “In what way, my lord?”

“Why do you not fear me as a rogue sorcerer if you know about my exile? And why are you prepared to show me due respect?” Tarkyn narrowed his eyes, “I can feel no cunning or antipathy emanating from you but I am loath to trust my own judgement and lower my shield. Too many people depend on me.”

“We do not trade in people, my lord,” said Trey with an edge of anger in his voice. “No matter who you were, we would not trade a person in for a reward.”

Tarkyn raised his eyebrows. “Indeed? And what if the fugitive had ransacked your holdings, raped your women and killed your children? What then?”

Trey shrugged, “Then if we caught him, we would kill him out of hand.”

“And what if he had killed others but not those known to you?”

Trey met Tarkyn’s gaze levelly, “Sire, I would not presume to exact revenge for someone else’s loss. I am no vigilante. But I would protect and avenge my own.”

Tarkyn became more specific, “And what if it transpired that you had kin among the palace guards who died?”

Trey gave this some thought before replying, “It would depend on the manner of their death, Your Highness. After all, a palace guard is paid to take risks. But I understand you acted in self-defence and did not actually fire on anyone. Is that correct, Your Highness?”

Tarkyn nodded and frowned, “And now we are back to where we began. How do you know this and how do you know that I am not a rogue? Only two weeks ago, I had a family cowering in front of me expecting me to kill them. What has changed?”

Before Trey could reply, Lorin broke into the conversation to say, “My lord, you could place your shield over us instead of yourself and then you could feel safe and reach your cup of tea.” She smiled timorously as she waited for his response.

Tarkyn blinked as he adjusted his train of thought. He smiled, flicked a shield up around the family while maintaining his own. Then he released his own shield, retrieved his cup of tea, and then replaced his own shield before releasing the family.

It took only a matter of seconds for the whole operation, by the end of which he was grinning hugely, “Now there’s caution for you. You’re a clever young lady, aren’t you, to think of that?”

Varga and Vaska were wide-eyed, “That was amazing. You used two shields at once,” said Vaska.

Tarkyn beamed, “Yes, I was quite pleased with that too. I haven’t done that particular trick before.”

“But I’ve never seen anyone perform two spells of any sort simultaneously before,” said Varga.

“No, neither have I,” replied Tarkyn, smiling. “I managed to hold off a whole party of nine sorcerers sent to track me down because I could do more than one spell at once. Look, I’ll show you.”

He sent a bronze ray through his shield and blasted a small hole in the ground, well to one side of the sorcerers.

“Wow, that’s great!” Vaska’s enthusiasm finally began to override the air of constraint that had pervaded the clearing since the prince’s arrival. “We heard about them. We feared for your safety. So tell us how you held off so many…if you don’t mind.”

By the time Tarkyn had finished telling them the story and everyone had laughed at the image of Tarkyn riding Danton in the air, the sorcerer family had relaxed and were talking naturally to him as though he were one of their own. Tarkyn noted this with mixed feelings, reflecting that the princely air of aloofness that he had nurtured all his life seemed to have deserted him with sorcerers as much as with woodfolk. A thought struck him, “How did you know about that hunting party? It’s less than a week since I faced them.”

Trey replied, “There are many people keeping an eye on your affairs, my lord. As you probably know, the rumours about you were dire when you were first exiled. I’m actually surprised you survived unscathed. Everyone was out for your blood” The big man walked to the fire and poured himself a cup of tea. “But recently, a new version of events has washed across the countryside. Rumours of you saving a family from bandits at the Great West Road have spread and questions about what actually happened at the Harvest Tournament were raised. Suddenly everyone was asking how you could win a tournament you had already destroyed. That just didn’t make sense. Then word spread of your visit to Lord Tolward and a new version of the events in the Great Hall was on everyone’s lips. Nothing else has been talked of in taverns across the country for the last fortnight.”

“I see.” A smile played around the prince’s mouth as he recognised the work of Stormaway Treemaster and Lord Tolward. He casually waved away his shield, stood up and stretched, feeling his muscles protest. “Don’t get up,” he said, “I am merely changing position.” Tarkyn moved to a spot further along the log where he could reach a large fir tree at the edge of the clearing. He settled back against the log and placed his palm firmly against the trunk of the tree. After a moment while he focused on connecting himself to the fir tree’s strength, he said, “This, of course, changes nothing in terms of my value if I am turned in. No doubt a reward is still posted for my capture.”

Trey looked uncomfortable, “I believe that is so, my lord. However, a huge groundswell of support for you is spreading across the land. People are outraged at the treatment dealt you by your brothers. There is little love for Kosar and Jarand as it is, but now their betrayal of you has provided a focus for everyone’s discontent.”

“Oh dear,” said Tarkyn with a sigh.

Trey frowned, “But Your Highness, are you not pleased? Everywhere people are preparing to back you to wrest the throne from King Kosar. We want you to be our king.”

“Hmm.” There was a long pause while Tarkyn thought out what to say. Finally, he said, “I am honoured that people, and you in particular, would accept me as your king.  However, if the people have turned their opinions so radically in a fortnight, no doubt they could just as easily turn them back again.” He shrugged, “After all, they have just spent two months crying out for my blood.” Tarkyn shook his head, “I think I will wait to see how long their latest stance endures. Will their sudden-found faith in me survive a new set of rumours if my brothers devise some new story? They were quick to believe my brothers the first time. Why not again?”

A gentle woman’s voice addressed him. He turned to see Raitei speaking, “I can see you have been hurt, Your Highness. And perhaps you are angry that no one stood by you. But you cannot blame people for supporting and trusting their king. That is how things should be. It is a mark of the esteem in which you are held that anyone was prepared to give consideration to the possibility that the king had given out false information.”

“And that the facts about the tournament didn’t add up,” returned the prince acerbically. “If not for that, it is quite possible that no one would have believed Lord Tolward’s story.”

Raitei shook her head, “No. The official version only ever held water on the premise that you had undergone some sort of breakdown. Once Lord Tolward bore witness that you were not a rogue sorcerer, the King’s story lost all credibility.”

“Hmm. This is all very flattering but no one thought to ask me my intentions in all of this.” Tarkyn ran his hand through his hair, “Lorin, could I have another cup of tea please?” He smiled as she dropped him a little curtsy and took his cup to refill it. He returned his attention to the adults, “I have no wish to be king. Why should I usurp my brother, assuming that I could?”

The sorcerers looked at each other in confusion.

“But surely, Your Highness, you would want to avenge the wrong done to you?” asked Trey.

Tarkyn shook his head, “No. Not at the cost of countless lives. I have no intention of making my supporters pay with their lives by seeking out revenge on my behalf. And my being slighted does not require a kingdom as recompense.”

“You are very generous, my lord,” said Raykel from where she was sitting with her baby.

“No, It is not generous to regard other people’s lives as having value beyond their relationship with me and my family. If I decide to take issue with my brothers for the wrong they have done me, it will be between them and me only.”

Lorin returned with Tarkyn’s cup of tea and handed it to him. He was slightly surprised when she sat down against the log right next to him but smiled down at her nevertheless. “Thank you for the tea.”

She smiled up at him but said nothing.

“How old are you, Lorin?”

“I am thirteen years old, Your Highness. So is Lokley. We are  also twins.”

“Is that right? Twins run in your family, do they?”

Lorin nodded, “But Trey’s twin was killed.”

Tarkyn turned his gaze to Trey, “I am sorry to hear that. You carry your sorrow on your face. I wondered what had caused it.”

“Prince Jarand’s bullies are what caused it,” said Trey bitterly. “First, brigands swept through our village looting from us at knife point. Then, just as we had mustered ourselves to drive them out, along came Prince Jarand’s vigilantes. They finished what we had started and chased the brigands out of the village but then they returned and demanded that we join their ranks. When we refused, they became angry and threatening.” He sighed, “Trask was always hot-headed and provocative. He abused and taunted them until one young officer cracked and drove him through with his sword. It all happened so fast. As soon as Trask fell, the older officer roared at his men and ordered them out of the village. As he left, he gave us twenty-four hours to make up our minds and as an afterthought, flung an apology over his shoulder … But that didn’t bring back Trask.”

“And that is why you are now here in the forest?”

Trey nodded, “We do not want to become vigilantes like them. They said they would destroy our houses and our stores if we did not join them. We could not risk our children’s lives. And so we fled.”

“So Your Highness, what about the misery your brothers’ rivalry is wreaking on sorcerers across the country?” demanded Varga. “If you do not want to challenge the king on your own behalf, do you not care for the people of Eskuzor?”

Tarkyn took a deep breath, “I do care about the suffering that is being caused by my brothers. Most deeply. But if I throw myself in front of a poorly organised makeshift army of supporters, Eskuzor will have civil war, not between two factions, but between three. I am not so vain that I think the entire nation would flock to my standard. They would not. Many powerful lords have vested interests in supporting either Kosar  or Jarand.”

“I think you would make a very good king, Your Highness,” said Lorin softly.

Tarkyn glanced down to find her gazing up at him, her eyes shining.  His eyebrows twitched and he resisted the impulse to pull away. “Thank you, Lorin,” he said dryly. He looked up to see Varga and Vaska smiling sympathetically and Trey’s cheeks tinged red with embarrassment at his daughter’s behaviour.

Tarkyn cleared his throat, “As I was saying, I cannot see an easy solution to this.”

“Then, you will not help us?” said Raitei sadly.

“I did not say that.” Tarkyn’s voice held an edge of annoyance. “I said I do not wish to be king and that civil war will cause more damage than good. But I will not abandon you. I just do not yet know what to do.” As he was speaking, he put his hand up to feel his temple. “Ah, that’s better,” he said, pulling his hand away from the tree. “And I think at last I have regained my strength.”

Lokley leaned forward and stared at him, “Your bruising has gone!”

“Not green, am I?” asked Tarkyn anxiously.

Lokley frowned, “No. Why would you be?”

Tarkyn shrugged and smiled, “Just a little tendency I have; to turn green when I have taken too much power from the trees.”

“You may not be a rogue, Your Highness,” remarked Vaska, “but you are a little unusual.”

Suddenly an image appeared in Tarkyn’s mind of the clearing surrounded by woodfolk. Without turning his head, he could see where each of them was waiting for him, stationed in the fir trees and behind bushes. His face relaxed into a wide smile.

“My friends, I must leave you shortly. But before I do, I would like to know that you will be safe. Do you have enough food? Where are you going? What will you do?”

Trey shook his head. “We have a few provisions with us but they will not last us long.” He shrugged, “As to what we will do or where we will go, we do not know. We are running from, not running to.” He gave a tight smile, “When I saw you, I had hoped that you would take us into your service and fight with us against the troubles that beset us.”

Tarkyn stood up and waited until they too were standing, “I will take you into my service but not to stand by my side. And I will fight for you, but not now and not by main force. I will provide you with directions to Lord Tolward’s house and a letter of introduction. I will also ensure that you have sufficient provisions for your journey to the grasslands. Just a moment.” He closed his eyes and sent a request for Danton to come to him. When he opened them, he found that the whole sorcerer family had sunk to their knees.