Eventide (Meratis Trilogy Book 2) (36 page)

“I tripped over his body. A half-assed attempt to bury him under the bridge in the courtyard. He’s dead, but he’s not the one that tried to kill Venn.”

“Fuck!” Jayden yelled, making Jasmine and Cassie jump. “I can’t keep anything straight. Wasn’t he the one behind the conspiracy?”

“Apparently not. Someone else must be wearing the black bear of Basten.”

“Black bear?” Venn asked.

“Yeah, the bear. The sigil. The image that you saw on the shield.”

Venn shook her head slowly, looking from Jeff to Jayden and back. “It wasn’t a black bear. It was a grizzly. Up on its hind legs.”

Jeff balked at the blatant miscommunication, clapping his hand to his forehead. Jayden’s lip pulled back in a snarl and he wheeled towards the door.

“Dorning!” he growled, striding at such a fast pace that both Jeff and Venn had to jog to keep up. “Where is he?”

“I haven’t seen him since this morning, when he volunteered to go to Treevale.”

“And take me with him,” Venn added, her face pale as she realised how close she’d been to another murder attempt.

“How could we have missed it?” Jayden yelled. “In front of us this whole fucking time.”

“And the rats run free,” Jeff said under his breath, the second piece of the Sisters’ puzzle fitting into place. Again too late.

The servant assigned to the Dornings’ rooms passed by, and Jayden made a grab for his collar. “The queen’s soldiers, where are they?”

“I-I don’t know, my Lord,” the man sputtered, not used to his master’s rough handling. “I think I saw them leave a few hours ago.”

Jayden released him. “Take a message to the guards, I want them on full watch in case they try to come back. Understood?”

“Yes, my Lord.” The servant hurried away, and Jayden continued to Darcy’s room.

The bed hadn’t been made, borrowed clothes strewn about the room, and laundry still waiting to be picked up. It was damp, as if Darcy had tried to wash it out and failed.

“It was him,” said Venn, picking up the bloody shirt and stretching it out. Droplets, smears, and spray covered the white cotton from neck to sleeve.

“Then he dies,” Jayden stated, like it was the easiest decision in the world.

Rage battled Jeff’s grief for Brady, furious that Michael had stood there, worried about Jasmine, when his own son had almost killed her.

They moved from Darcy’s room to Michael’s, but the only thing he had left behind was Harold’s dagger, still covered in blood, in the bottom of the wardrobe.

Jeff sifted through their brief acquaintance with the men, trying to pick out anything they might have said or done to give themselves away. A few choice words, in retrospect, but nothing that would have tipped Jeff off. Their plan would probably have succeeded if it hadn’t been for Venn. “They never wanted to bring you here,” he said to her. “At the time I thought they just didn’t want the extra burden, but really they were worried you’d recognise them.”

“What do you think they wanted?” she asked.

Jeff couldn’t begin to imagine what their goal had been. Keeping an eye on Feldall to see how close they were to finding Raul? Making sure they were out of dodge when the shit hit the fan back at the palace?

The servant Jayden had sent to the guards returned, out of breath. “The stableboy confirmed it, my Lord. The two soldiers rode out of here shortly after Lady Jasmine and the Creator. They didn’t say where they were going.”

“Great, now we’ve lost them, too.”

“No, my Lord, I believe arms-master Brian gave orders to send a rider after them.”

“Good.” Jayden nodded his approval.

“But there’s more news, my Lord,” the servant continued. “An emissary party has arrived from the capital. Their leader is looking to speak with you, sir. I believe it’s the first counsellor.”

Jeff admired the man’s ability to deliver his message so calmly.

“Gods be damned,” said Jayden. “All right, thank you, I’ll see to them.”

He ran his hand through his hair, and then smoothed it back down. “I guess our two weeks are up a little early. I’ll go greet our guests, find out what the hell they want. I’m not looking forward to sharing how badly we fucked up.”

***

Maggie had returned to cast her spell, so Jeff and Venn only had to share the news once. Cassie was mortified.

“I spent so much time with him, but Darcy never—I had no idea! Jeff, I’m so sorry.”

Jeff wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “No one’s blaming you for not seeing it. None of us did.”

“But why?” Jasmine asked. “What would the captain of the guard hope to attain by deposing the queen? Does he think they’ll rise him up to replace her?”

“They ran off before we could ask him, but I don’t know if it matters. We know they were in league with Raul, and we know they can’t go back to the palace. Likely they’ve gone to him. Hopefully the rider Brian sent after them will come back with some answers.”

“And now we have an emissary, as well?”

“Not sure how many of them, but at least First Counsellor Basten.”

Cassie frowned with disappointment. “But he’s so … moustached. You’ll see,” she added when Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

“Any change with Brady?” Jeff asked.

Maggie crossed her arms and shook her head. “I cast the spell, but it might have cost me more than it saved him. The moment I dropped the guard, I heard Raul’s voice in my head again. It’s not a nice feeling.” She brushed the back of her hand down Brady’s cheek. “I wonder if he heard it, too. Maybe he thought it was Talfyr and that’s why he kept pushing?”

Brady moaned, and Jeff and the four women held their breath, all hoping he would wake up. Jasmine hummed a soft tune, trying to soothe whatever demon made him toss his head against the pillows. Sweat beaded on his brow and trickled down his face, his skin turning pink and then red. When Maggie reached out to wipe his face with a cloth, her knuckles brushed his face, and she jerked back with a gasp.

“He’s burning up.”

The scholar began to thrash, his limbs convulsing against the cushions, the one at his feet sliding to the floor. Jasmine and Maggie tried to hold him down so he didn’t fall off, but his movements were too violent. He threw Maggie off balance, and Jasmine couldn’t hold on.

“What’s happening?” she asked.

“I have no idea. I think—gods, I think the Kemisan spell got in him too deeply. Even with the guard up …”

“No,” said Jasmine, unwilling to accept Maggie’s words. “It’s not that simple. We’re not just going to let him die. There has to be something more we can do.”

Jeff paced the room, unable to watch her panic without losing it himself. He cared about Brady. The scholar had been his rock the first time Jeff came to Andvell, always the voice of reason and patience. So eager to learn and so void of negative judgment. The thought of losing him, especially now when they needed him most, when Jasmine’s eyes had opened, and he was so close to achieving the happiness he’d pined for since he was six years old, it was too painful.

Not to mention Jeff would lose one of his best friends.

His throat closed up, and he dropped into Brady’s chair. Pulling the heavy book on the table into his lap, he hunched over it the way he’d seen the scholar do so many times. The book was open to a specific page, presumably the trance Brady had been working on the last couple of days. Jeff wondered how close the man had come to reaching his goal before Raul’s magic caught up with him.

The page was covered in small script and hand-drawn images. Jeff couldn’t understand the text, the words of the ritual written in some squiggly language, but the pictures suggested the goal of the trance was to find the centre of the mind and let it branch out. Similar to what Jeff had read about astral projection. All to do what? Order a dragon around?

With the ability to command Talfyr, Brady would become one of the most important men in Andvell. Not that he would want that power. The scholar always seemed happy to live outside the limelight.

Jeff’s eye returned to the title as the only words on the page written in English. He heard the women’s sighs of relief as Brady’s seizure eased.

Resurrecting the Ancient Ones; Commanding them in Ancient Tongues
.

“Ancient Ones and Ancient Tongues,” he murmured, and then repeated, “Ancient Tongues.”

The one with the Ancient Tongue must be allowed to die so all can live,
the Sisters’ words came back to him.

“No,” he said aloud.

Yes
, the voice in the back of his mind replied.

But we don’t even know if he succeeded! What if he didn’t learn any stupid ancient languages
?

The voice was silent, but the dread growing in Jeff’s belly didn’t need the words to know it was true.

“Jeff?” Cassie asked. “What’s wrong?”

Reluctant, he got to his feet. He didn’t want to tell them. Didn’t want to bring another one of the Sisters’ prophesies to life. Not this one. Not at Brady’s expense. But the way the women stared at him, at the probable expression of horror on his face, he knew he had to explain.

He carried the book over to Jasmine. She rested it on her knees, right hand still entwined with Brady’s, and lay her other hand flat on the page to keep the volume from slipping to the floor. She glanced at it, and then looked up at Jeff, incomprehension on her face.

He gestured to it again, and she let go of Brady’s hand to prop the book up towards the light.

Jeff saw the moment it dawned on her, the blood draining from her face.

“No.” She got to her feet, ignoring the book as it fell and half-disappeared under the sofa. “It’s not possible. It can’t be what they meant.”

Jeff swallowed twice to get the words out. In the end, he still couldn’t.

Stepping away from him, she turned back to Brady, who had gone still and limp. Maggie chafed his wrists, trying to get the circulation moving. Tears streamed down her cheeks and glistened in Cassie’s eyes. Even Venn, who hardly knew him, pressed her lips together and tucked her hands into her sleeves, shrinking into herself to avoid notice.

Jasmine’s breath grew quick and shallow with panic. “Oh gods, Jeff. Did we do this? Did we trade him for riddles?”

Jeff rested his hands on her shoulders, tasted tears he hadn’t known he shed.

“What’s going on?” asked Cassie, her tears spilling onto her cheeks as she blinked. “Trade with who?”

Maggie stared as comprehension dawned. “You spoke with the Sisters again.”

Jeff nodded and forced himself to say, “But no trades.”

He repeated the words louder, fury filling him up beside his grief on the chance the Sisters had tricked them. Jasmine cringed and turned to look up at his, desperation in her eyes, begging him to say it wasn’t her fault. He bundled her in his arms.

“We didn’t do this, Jax. I promise. They were telling us how it would be.”

Jasmine pushed him away. “Well this isn’t how it will be. I won’t give him up. How will his death save us, Jeff? Tell me!”

Jeff couldn’t say anything. He had no better ideas.

Cassie came up beside him to slip her hand into his.

“Will one of you please explain what’s going on?” said Maggie. “What did those witches tell you? What’s happening?”

Jeff swallowed again, and when he spoke, his voice shook. “The Sisters told us he has to die. If we want to stop Raul, he has to die.”

Jasmine fell next to Maggie, shaking her head in silent denial, and she started to chafe Brady’s other wrist.

Maggie’s eyes widened, and she looked from Jasmine to Jeff. “What? No!”

Jeff wished denying everything would save Brady. It would make everything so much easier. Just stick their fingers in their ears and squeeze their eyes shut until Raul went away. But the scholar’s skin had turned ashen, his chest almost still. Jeff squeezed Cassie’s hand in an effort to stay strong.

“It’s not going to happen,” Jasmine said through clenched teeth. “Come on, Brady. Come back to us.”

Jeff could barely see the trio through the haze of tears. He pulled Cassie closer and held her tightly.

“How does letting Brady die help us defeat Raul?” Cassie asked. “How do the Sisters know what’s going to happen? How can they always be right?”

“Don’t,” Venn spoke up, her shoulders drawing back as all eyes turned on her. She didn’t back down at their confused stares. “I don’t know who these Sisters are, but if they can be trusted and they say this is the only way to stop Raul, then I say we do it. I’m sorry about your friend,” she said to Jasmine, “but there’s more at stake than any one person right now. Besides,” she swallowed and blinked quickly, “if everything they’ve told you is a lie, then what’s the point of having lost so many people?”

“But why do we have to lose another?” Jasmine demanded as she turned back to Brady. “Why does it have to be the best of us?”

Maggie sobbed. “I don’t think it’s our decision anymore, love.

They watched as Brady chest moved for the last time, and then he lay still, the library growing cold with his loss.