Dragonoak: Gall and Wormwood, page 5
“It’s fine,” I assured her. I was tempted to point out that she didn’t look as though she was in that much of a state: she’d recovered from rushing through the forest and her long, wavy had had sprung back into place. “Claire’s already told me a lot about you, name included.”
Eden bowed her head and smiled bashfully.
“I’m only glad Claire still trusts me. Whatever I can do to help, I will. And whatever you feel you need to keep from me… Well, I certainly understand the need for secrecy, after all you must’ve been through.”
There wasn’t an ounce of insincerity in her words. It would’ve been infuriating, if not for the way her smile put me at ease.
“Do you think I should…” I asked Claire.
Cringing conveyed the unspoken part of my question.
“If you feel you must,” she replied, and I trusted that she knew Eden well enough to be safe leaving the choice to me.
“This is probably a really strange thing to say to someone I’ve just met, but this has caused me more problems than you can imagine in the past. People are willing to help me, to be around me, until they find out. And this is more important that anything we’ve done before. I need to know that nothing will change your mind, so…” I hesitated. I couldn’t hold back after a build-up like that. “I’m a necromancer.”
“You’re a… Oh!” Eden said, words rushing out of her before what I’d said had truly sunk in. “You, ah—really?”
She stepped towards me, as if to get a better a look. I hoped that not instinctively backing away was a good sign.
“Really,” I said, forcing a smile.
“I’ve… I’ve never met one before. That is, one that I know of. I would never have imagined that you were a necromancer, though I suppose I’ve only known you for a matter of minutes,” she said, suddenly dizzy. She reclaimed her seat on the rock and Claire placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. “No. No. It won’t be a problem. But please, tell me you don’t have any more surprises for me today. It’s been stressful enough already, and it isn’t even lunch time.”
Claire bit back a smile. I couldn’t help but glance upwards.
“Nothing else. Other than the phoenix we’ve befriended,” she said.
Eden, who’d been sitting with her face in her hands, looked up to scowl at Claire.
“Claire. This absolutely isn’t the time for jokes,” she said, as Claire held out her arm.
Gliding down, Haru-Taiki landed on cue and bowed.
Eden’s face paled, and when she managed to open her mouth, all she could do was laugh.
“This is a dream, isn’t it? It must be. But I suppose I’ll go along with it, until I wake,” she said, shaking her head. “You said you wanted to speak with Alex, didn’t you? I can tell you you’ve picked the right day to slip into the castle unnoticed. It’s so busy I doubt anyone’s noticed me leave.”
CHAPTER III
Thule’s castle was built atop a hill. Even without its towers, it would’ve been the highest point in the city. It was a sturdy building, as firmly placed as a mountain, and had survived centuries of succession. It stood with wide roads leading down to Thule and thick forest behind it.
There wasn’t a moat. Not like the endless fall that had surrounded Isin’s castle. From the edge of the forest, I saw the gates and fences circling the castle, all of them as tall as trees in their own right. They caught the sun, gleaming in a way the Canthian palace’s hadn’t. On any other day, the gates would’ve been locked, but while there were no fewer guards than usual stationed around the castle, the grounds were open to all of Thule.
Marquees of every shape and colour had been set out across the wide, open lawn behind the castle, along with tables upon tables of food and no shortage of barrels of wine and ale. It was a condensed version of the Phoenix Festival: music rose into the air and shows were put on, and with thousands of people happily swarming the castle and its grounds, we went all but unnoticed.
The people of Thule only stopped smiling and laughing to eat and drink, making it easy to forget that all of this was provided by the people who had sent dragons to burn cities and citizens alike to ash.
Claire wrote a note, and after enough gesturing, Haru-Taiki returned to the others with what good news there already was to share. As we made our way to the castle, Eden’s gait faltered. She dropped back, face falling as she stared at Claire’s back. As if reuniting with Claire hadn’t been enough of a shock, with every step Claire took, Eden saw something else that had been stolen from her.
Catching Eden’s eye, I mouthed go ahead and held out my arm. She hesitated, stopping completely, but soon regained enough of herself to offer her arm to Claire. Claire took it without a word, and once we reached the outskirts of the castle, I took hold of the reins of Eden’s horse.
“Where are you from, Rowan?” Eden asked as we neared the castle gates. A growing discomfort rippled through the three of us, gaping enough to contend with the festivities within, but Eden recognised the need to stop dwelling on what may or may not happen over the next few hours. “That’s quite an unusual accent you have.”
“I’m from the south. I grew up in a tiny village you’ve probably never heard of, but it’s about twenty miles from Ironash,” I explained, thinking I should’ve been the one making such comments. Hearing Eden speak as she did was strange. I’d started to believe that Claire’s accent was hers and hers alone. “But I lived in Canth for a while! I probably picked up a lot there.”
“Canth? Goodness! It is really as dreadful as people say? Much of it is exaggeration, I suppose. No doubt they rightly think similarly awful things of Felheim.”
“Some of it’s true, some of it isn’t,” I said. “The Queen’s doing all she can to fix the problems, though.”
Eden mulled over the information, and I did her a kindness in not saying anything else. She’d taken in more than enough for one day, and we’d have to ration out what remained. Though it might be important to mention that the former Queens Kouris and Kidira would be joining us in due course.
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?” Eden asked Claire as she stopped to take a cloak from her bag and shrug it on. She pulled the hood over her head to complete the look. “Everyone will be focused on what’s happening outside the castle, true, but you’ll hardly be able to march in unnoticed. We could always appeal to your—”
“No. I could’ve begged my family to let me home years ago, but I will not. I will not ask for whatever forgiveness they believe I ought to obtain. I will simply be there, where it is my right to be, and it shall happen on my own terms.”
Eden nodded shallowly. One of the guards milling around recognised her and jogged over, but was easily distracted when she asked him to take her horse back to the stables. We did not so much slip into the castle grounds as stroll in, hidden in plain sight.
Banners ran between the marquees, triangles of red, blue and yellow zigzagging above our heads, and when a red-faced man offered me a chunk of the pig they were roasting over an open fire, I thought it might look odd if I refused. We drifted with the flow of the indecisive crowd, and I didn’t know how Claire could bear it. We were in the shadow of Thule’s castle, and yet she walked with her blind eye towards it.
We were at the place it had all started, but having seen castles and palaces from the inside, I was agitated instead of awed.
“Does this happen every year? On all of the royal family’s birthdays?” I asked, desperately avoiding thinking of the cost involved. Reis could likely refurbish all the buildings in Mahon with what was spent on food alone.
“Only Alex’s. He came up with the idea himself, actually. He wanted to reach out to his subjects and involve them in a celebration in a way they could really feel,” Eden said when Claire remained silent. “Rylan tended to host a ball in the winter, and Claire was always fond of more traditional celebrations, as well.”
A band in a nearby marquee played a song all in Thule knew by heart, and people sang along as they danced barefooted in the grass. Claire kept her head down, and the hood cast shadows across her face as she made herself impervious to the swell of noise and cheer surrounding her.
It was close to half an hour before Claire turned her head towards the castle.
“The healers,” she muttered under her breath. “They’re still offering their services, aren’t they?”
“… Oh, Claire,” Eden said, piecing her plan together. “Of course. Alex was in no mood for celebrations this year, and he certainly never would’ve gone through with them if there wasn’t a chance someone could benefit from all the fanfare.”
I didn’t need to ask what Claire was planning. I looked at her and something cold shifted down my spine as the festivities around us dulled.
The castle itself was guarded by a wall of soldiers. No doubt some citizens – though not as many as they feared – would take advantage of the situation and steal whatever silverware they could get their hands on. Two prominent doors had been left open, and a queue snaked out into the castle grounds and twisted around marquees. As we drew close, I felt sickness and disease twist amongst fresh injuries and poorly healed wounds.
For many people, this was the one day of the year when a healer might do something other than turn them and their empty pockets away.
“Come. They’re watching the queue too carefully,” Eden said and led us straight past the hundreds of people waiting their turn. “We’ll get nowhere if we go about this properly or try to sneak in.”
I froze on the spot and grasped motionlessly around myself. If we got too close to the healers, they’d know I was there. They’d feel the deep, resentful emptiness Katja always had, and though they might not understand that there was a necromancer in their midst, they’d start talking. They’d track that hollowness to the source, and how could I ever explain myself?
I drew a deep breath and did what I could to keep up with Claire and Eden. There was no sickness welling with me, meaning the healers were in another part of the castle, safe from anyone who might barrel through the open doors.
People grumbled as we passed, wanting to know why we weren’t waiting in line. I washed away sickness and disease alike without breaking my gait, knowing that I was stronger than the healers. I was stronger than all of them, than anyone, I could be broken and bent but I’d come back, back, my heart would regrow and my hand, it wasn’t my hand, and Katja was smiling, or crying, I couldn’t tell, and my hand and the other hand were shaking—
Claire’s fingers wrapped around mine.
“It’s alright, Rowan,” she whispered. “I’m here. You’re here. You’re safe.”
A handful of guards were stationed at the doors, along with a woman charged with hearing people’s woes and having them escorted one by one, down to the healers’ chambers. It wasn’t a fast-paced process by any stretch of the imagination, and I knew at least half of the people gathered wouldn’t get to set foot inside the castle.
“Lady Hawthorne!” one of the guards said, on the verge of reprimanding us for skipping the queue. “Are these people troubling you?”
“Oh, not at all, not at all. This actually happens to be the daughter of one of my father’s favourite costume makers. I thought helping her get to the healers was the least I could do for her,” Eden said. Claire raised her chin enough for the guard to see the burns disfiguring her face. They swallowed a lump in their throat, and Eden went on to say, “Usually, I wouldn’t presume to rush ahead, but…”
“Of course, of course,” the guard said, but their brow furrowed when their gaze skidded over to me.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t met my new maid yet, Laus! I’ve had her following me around the castle these past few days,” Eden said. “Well, I shouldn’t like to hold up the line any more than I already have. We’ll be on our way.”
The three of us took a step forward and the guard followed.
“Laus, I’ve lived here since I was twenty-two,” Eden said. Chuckling under her breath, she smiled fondly. “I do know where I’m going, but thank you so. I’d simply hate to keep you from more important matters.”
Laus looked between us and the queue, and with some unease, settled on saluting Eden and letting us through.
Claire made a show of taking slower steps than she needed to, leaning heavily on her cane as she made her way down the corridor. It split in two at the end, and judging from the flush covering Eden’s face and throat, we were supposed to have turned left, not right.
Claire and Eden had the same destination in mind and didn’t have to share so much as a glance to convey it. I trailed behind, ensuring no helpful guards caught up to us, wanting to point us in the right direction, and took in what little of the castle rushed past me.
The corridors were empty. The servants were busy tending to the countless guests beyond the castle walls, and the nobles were either mingling with the lower classes as some sort of novelty or doing what they could to keep well out of the way. White walls were bordered by gold metalwork and decorative pillars every dozen feet, and a green carpet was stamped with golden swirls. Portraits hung between chamber doors, and ornate golden frames reached out from the walls.
Eden went ahead, peered around every corner before we inevitably turned into yet another corridor, and when she finally slid a key into one of the chamber doors, one of the portraits caught my attention.
It was of Claire. She couldn’t have been much older than seventeen, but there was no mistaking her. She wore a uniform much like the Felheimish soldiers from the mountains had. The helm glinted, struck by a ray of light, and a green cape hung from an armoured shoulder. She wasn’t smiling and I didn’t expect her to be, but I was so taken in by it that I almost missed my chance to slip into the room.
It struck me, standing there and staring at the portrait of Claire that had stood for more than a decade and a half, that this really was her home. She knew the corridors and the shortcuts through the castle, but more than that, she knew the people. She wasn’t simply wearing the hood and keeping her head down because she couldn’t bear her burns being stared at.
It was because there were so many who’d recognise her, in spite of those burns.
“Rowan!” Eden called.
She poked her head out of the chamber and ushered me inside.
She locked the door behind us, should anyone get any ideas about dropping by unexpectedly, and rushed to arrange the cushions on the chairs for Claire and me. Eden’s chambers weren’t far removed from what I’d once seen of Kidira’s, though the cabinets and shelves were covered in more trinkets than Kidira would ever deem acceptable or necessary, and the smell of lavender made the room much more inviting.
Claire shook her cloak off and sat down. She tilted her head back, closed her eye, and I claimed the seat next to her.
Eden took to making tea. She moved quickly across the room and the silverware chimed together as her hands shook. Now that we’d reached our destination and could finally stop moving, all of the adrenaline was easing itself out of her system. There was nothing left for her but to reflect on what had happened and accept reality for what it was.
“Eden,” Claire said without having to open her eye. “Sit down. You’re getting yourself worked up.”
Eden placed the tea tray on the table the chairs were gathered around, and managed to sit down for a solid three seconds.
“I’m sorry. It’s all catching up with me,” Eden said as she sprang to her feet. Wordlessly, Claire leant forward and poured tea for the three of us. “You’re here. You’re really here, Claire, after so long spent wondering, spent fearing the worst. And the news you brought with you is… dragons. Dragons used by my King and Queen. By your parents! I understand that they are no longer my future parent-in-laws, but I have remained close to them regardless, and… Oh, I can barely remember what the letter said now. Does this make me a criminal? A conspirator? What are you going to do, now that you’re back?”
Claire sipped her tea. What Eden needed was to pace back and forth across her chamber. An answer to her question would only bring about more stress.
“You won’t be in any trouble, Eden. I can promise you that. I shall take all responsibility for my actions and claim you were kept in the dark about it all, if it comes to it,” Claire assured her. “Can I still rightly call my chambers my own?”
“Yes. Yes, of course. Nothing has been moved from them. Alex and I wouldn’t allow that,” Eden said, nodding as she continued marching back and forth across the room.
“And Alex?”
Eden came to a stop.
“What about Alex?”
“How will he react to my return?”
“Well,” Eden said, folding her arms across her chest. “You’ll most likely make him cry on his birthday.”
Claire put her tea down and carefully considered her next move. I was on the verge of helping myself to a biscuit when the door handle twisted and rattled.
The three of us didn’t dare to move a muscle until someone said, “Eden? Eden, are you in there?”
Claire and Eden shared a relieved look that said they recognised the voice, and Eden hurried to unlock the door and open it a few inches.
“Father!” Eden said. “Why aren’t you out enjoying the festivities?”
“Enjoying them? Eden, your father is due on stage in ten minutes. And what are you wearing?” her father asked, sighing. The door blocked Claire and me from his view and him from ours, but I saw him reach out and grab Eden’s shoulder. “Never mind that. Come on!”
Eden didn’t glance our way. She didn’t protest, or do anything to give us away; she went quietly with her father, and the door clicked closed behind her. Claire and I held our silence for agonising minutes, and when nobody else approached the chamber, I darted over to lock the doors.
“I saw a portrait of you,” I said, falling back into an armchair. “Wearing Felheimish armour. You looked pretty young, too.”
“Ah. That one,” Claire said, with no life in her voice. “I was sixteen. More than half my lifetime ago. I’m surprised my portraits haven’t been pulled from the walls and burnt.”
