Devan Chronicles Series: Books 1-3 (67 page)

Vrooosh!

A gigantic fireball leapt straight up into the air. Julia watched worriedly as it disappeared into the clouds, but it didn’t come down anywhere near the town, thank the God. She hadn’t known what else to do. She knew so little! She couldn’t even stop children from fighting without scaring the wits out of them. They were staring at her in silent awe and fear.

“Give me your pouch, Mathius, and get the baggage opened up quick.”

Mathius nodded and handed her his food before running off. Julia pointed to a boy and he hesitantly came forward. She handed him a piece of bread. He swallowed it in one go and waited for more. She pointed to another boy and gave him the same amount trying to make the food last until Mathius returned. Some of the guardsmen started handing out their rations. A few of the children deserted her to go to them. Keverin handed his pouch over so that she could continue.

When Julia ran out of food to give them, the children ran off to find someone else. Hundreds of people were lining up to the wagons. It wasn’t just the children. The entire town was starving, but it was crazy! Thirty or forty leagues to the north there were prosperous towns and fields aplenty, yet these folk wouldn’t have survived without Keverin’s column! What if they had chosen another road? Julia shook her head preferring not to think about that.

“We need to stop here, Kev. We can’t leave them like this—we just
can’t!
”

Keverin was nodding. “This is much worse than Kirstal. Much, much worse.”

Julia nodded remembering her first sight of Kirstal…

Kirstal was a town on the highroad they had visited briefly. They had noticed something wrong as soon as they rode in, but at least the people had some food to eat. Not much, but some. Kirstal was only a village really. Most of the homes were two roomed cottages with thatch roofs. The inn had the usual red tiles on its roof, but it was the only one with more than a single story. Most of the homes looked rundown and neglected. The thatch needed replacing and the walls needed re-plastering, but the people didn’t seem to care. They were listless and uninterested in their surroundings. They weren’t starving—not quite, but they were obviously poor. It didn’t make sense.

Julia looked around in puzzlement. Her expression was mirrored on Keverin’s face. Jihan was frowning back the way they had come. The fields were bursting with life and colour. The farms seemed prosperous, yet the village could almost be called abandoned if not for the few people hurrying away from them.

“Something’s not right,” Jihan said. “It’s market day. Where are all the stalls and peddlers?”

“I don’t know,” Keverin murmured. “Let’s find out.”

Jihan nodded. “Disssss-mount!” He called and the order was repeated down the ranks.

Keverin jumped down and helped first Julia and then Jessica to the ground. Burke’s horse was led away to find a blacksmith, and the other guardsmen milled around stretching their legs. Ahnao murmured something to Jihan as he handed her horse’s reins to one of his men. He nodded and trotted off toward a house they had passed.

Julia watched as he pounded on the door. “Ahnao?”

“It belongs to the wise woman. See the sign?”

Julia frowned, but then she saw it. There was an iron bracket with a board hanging from two short chains. A mortar and pestle was painted on the side facing her. It was faded and old. “A healer?”

Ahnao nodded. “Every village has at least one.”

Keverin was listening to the innkeeper. He was scowling ferociously and shaking his head. He raised a hand and the innkeeper fell silent to listen in his turn. Whatever they were discussing had made them both angry. Julia tensed, but it wasn’t anger aimed at each other. It was aimed at another.

Keverin stalked off and banged on another door. She watched as this was repeated until he finally came back to her fuming in anger.

“Report!” Julia said mimicking Keverin’s way of speaking to his captains.

The men nearby guffawed, and Keverin laughed. That eased him somewhat, though the scowl wasn’t completely gone. “The people here are ready to erupt. Lord Scalderon is a fool if he thinks he can get away with treating the people like this!”

“Treating them like what? You haven’t told
me
yet,” Julia said in annoyance.

“He’s been taxing everything in sight and saying the King demanded it. I just spoke to the head man. Even he believed it was the King’s order! I told him the truth, and he’s going to call a town meeting. What they can do about it…” he shook his head. “I just don’t know.”

“Will there be a fight?”

“I don’t know… I don’t
think
so. Scalderon isn’t a strong lord, but it wouldn’t take many guardsmen to terrorise these people.”

Jihan met his lady upon his return and they approached together. “I think we need to visit Scalderon. I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand by and do nothing while these people are bled dry.”

Keverin nodded. “We can speak with him, but anything more will have to be decided by the King when he’s crowned.”

Jihan was shaking his head. “They haven’t got time for that. What would you say if I sent a messenger back to Malcor ordering three hundred men to occupy Kirstal?”

Keverin looked thoughtful. “I would say… Athione is closer,” he said with a crooked grin.

Jihan laughed.

Keverin sent a messenger to Marcus with precise orders stating he was to send three hundred fully equipped men to defend the people of Kirstal from
any and all
attacks—that included depredations by Scalderon’s men.

Julia shook her head. Keverin and Jihan had paid a quick visit to Scalderon but he was away visiting another lord—or so the seneschal told them. Keverin had been vexed to say the least. He had returned to Kirstal to await the men from Athione and cursed Scalderon daily for the delay.

They had moved on as soon as the fresh contingent of guardsmen arrived, secure in the knowledge that Kirstal was safe, but now they had an even worse situation on their hands. Hringham was larger than Kirstal and the people were in dire straights. They were starving and it almost had to be the local lord’s doing.

“Who is lord here?” Julia asked.

Keverin thought for a moment. “That would be… Meagan of Herstal Keep.”

Jihan nodded.

“You can’t tell me Meagan is an honourable lord.”

“He’s a weasel,” Keverin said in disgust. “He’s powerful enough to put most men in their places, but not me he’s not.”

“Nor me,” Jihan growled as he watched the people queueing for food.

“What are you going to do? You’re not going to fight him are you?” Julia said worriedly. Keverin could look after himself, but mistakes did happen. Mistakes in a sword fight led to death or maiming.

“Don’t worry. Meagan is a non-entity as a swordsman—a total dandy.”

Julia felt better hearing that, but she decided to pay special attention to Meagan. She had letters belonging to the Lord of Herstal. Now that she had seen Hringham, she would be sure to use them. Meagan had thoughtfully not signed his name, but his seal was enough to give him away as an ally of Athlone and therefore a traitor to the crown.

“We’ll need more food by the looks of it,” Julia said nodding at the crowds.

“That’s what I’ve been thinking,” Keverin said in concern. “I’ll send another messenger to Marcus. The way we’re going, he won’t have any men left to command!”

Julia snorted. She walked toward the crowd on Keverin’s arm to watch the progress. It would take a good many wagons to supply a town this size. She made a mental note to ask Jihan to send a messenger to Malcor as well. Two caravans were better than one.

“Do you think Meagan is at home?” Jihan said still watching the children.

“I don’t know,” Keverin said watching the food being gobbled by the hungry little mites.

Jihan stroked the handle of his sword as he watched. “I could pay him a visit—a
courtesy
call you understand.”

Keverin smiled as he imagined it. “Hmmm… I would hate to be discourteous.”

Julia opened her mouth to argue.

“It’s settled then,” Jihan said. “We ride to Herstal to pay our…
respects
.”

“Now?”

“Now would be best,” Jihan agreed with a white knuckled grip upon his sword now that mirrored Keverin.

“Now wait a damn minute!” Julia said. “If you think you’re leaving me behind—”

“Or me!” Ahnao said glaring at Jihan.

“—you have another think coming!”

Keverin and Jihan eyed each other over their lady’s heads. Julia stood with her fists on hips and glared fit to blister paint. Ahnao was more direct. She fisted Jihan’s shoulder.

“Now Ahnao…”

“Now Julia…”

A few short candlemarks later, Julia rode with Keverin and Jihan to the keep. Ahnao was conspicuously quiet. Julia didn’t know what Jihan had said to her when he guided her away for a private chat, but whatever it was had her red-faced and fuming.

“Are you all right?”

Ahnao scowled. “I be fine.”

Julia raised an eyebrow at that. Ahnao had fallen into her old way of speaking without even noticing. “Are you sure?”

Ahnao took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She nodded. “I’m fine Julia, it’s just…”

“Just what? Did Jihan say something to upset you?”

Ahnao grinned mischievously. “We can make up later.”

Julia chuckled. “So what did he say?”

“Nothing important,” she said and quickly changed the subject. “When I lived in Bri with ma…
mother
, I used to dream about living in a fine castle with lords and ladies. My dream came true when I met Jihan, but it’s different to how I thought it would be.”

“How is it different?”

Ahnao hesitated and then spoke softly. “It’s harder to pretend that I’m a lady than I thought it would be.”

“Hey!” Julia said and Kev looked back. She flicked her fingers at him and he faced front again with a smile. Julia grasped her magic and raised a ward of silence. “You’re not pretending—you’re more a noble lady than I will ever be!”

Ahnao looked quickly at Jihan.

“Don’t worry, they can’t hear us.”

“Magic?”

Julia smiled. “You’re Jihan’s consort, Ahnao. That on its own would be enough to make you a lady in most people’s minds, but he didn’t make you what you are. You did that. I told you once that anyone can act like a lady, but it’s what’s inside that really counts. Jihan saw it in you the moment he met you, and so did I.”

Ahnao smiled and took Julia hand. She squeezed once then took her reins again. “Thank you for saying that.”

“Is everything all right at Malcor? Are the others giving you a hard time?” Julia said thinking that she would pay Malcor a long visit and sort this out.

“At first they did,” Ahnao said with a shrug. “Whispers and spite. Nothing I couldn’t handle. I never told Jihan, but I had to wipe the floor with one of them in the women’s quarter.”

Julia gaped. “
Really?
”

“Yes really!” Ahnao said through her laughter. “You ought to see your face!”

She looked away sheepishly. “Who was it?”

“Ellyn.”

“I liked Ellyn,” she said, disappointed in the woman who might have become a friend.

“I still do,” Ahnao said. “After you and Jessica, she’s my best friend.”

Julia blinked.

“It’s not Ellyn or Malcor that I’m worried about. It’s Devarr.”

“Devarr? What’s at Devarr for you to worry about?”

Ahnao looked at her as if she were dense. “Every Lord and Lady in the land will be there.”

Ah! Julia had to admit that she’d been a little apprehensive about that as well. She knew very few of the lords. There was Jihan, Purcell, and Gylaren of course, and lord Blaise was a friend of Keverin, though she had met him only three times. There were sixty lords. Most, if not all, would bring their consorts to Devarr for the new king’s coronation. She knew only four of them.

“I’m in the same boat, Ahnao,” Julia said but her friend looked confused. “I mean that I feel the same way. At least you know what to expect. I’ve only been on this world a year!”

Ahnao nodded. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I guess we should stick together. You watch my back and I’ll watch yours.”

Ahnao and Julia looked solemnly at each other. A moment later they spoilt it with fierce grins.

* * *

4 ~ Herstal Keep

Keverin shook his head at the impossibility of Julia and Ahnao chatting without a sound coming from their lips. He shook his head again. He was becoming resigned to impossible things happening. Living with Julia nearby was making them an almost common occurrence.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Jihan said. “I could never get used to it.”

“I’m not so much used to it as I am resigned to it,” Keverin said with a small smile. “I’ll tell you one thing, there’s nothing that Julia has done or could do to make me give her up.”

Jihan nodded seriously. “It’s the same with me and Ahnao. She means more to me than… well, anything!”

“Exactly my thought. Things have gone well for you?”

“Very well. Do you remember what you said to me that time in your armoury?”

“Ouch wasn’t it?”

Jihan coughed. “Before that.”

Keverin smiled. Jihan had asked for his advice regarding Ahnao. It was before Julia destroyed the legion in the pass. Before the battle in the north and the re-taking of Malcor. He had told Jihan that he must do what was best for Ahnao no matter what that might be. Jihan had been considering not returning to Malcor. He had even mentioned renouncing his place as his father’s heir.

“Are you glad that you decided against the forester’s life?”

“I suppose I am. With Ahnao beside me I would have been happy, but…”

“But?”

“What of children?” Jihan said.

“Ah,” Keverin nodded feeling suddenly melancholy.

His forty first year had come and gone, yet he had no sons. He wanted children. He wanted what he saw in other’s eyes when they looked upon their sons. The love and the pride he saw caused a yearning in him for the same. He took a deep breath trying to shake off his mood. There was time yet for children. Once their business was done at Devarr, Julia and he would be wed, but he couldn’t help regretting the lost years before they met.