The Whisperer (27 page)

They were all crowded into Calico Grace’s suite. She’d insisted that everyone eat and get some much-needed sleep so they all had enough energy to do whatever they planned to do. And whilst they ate, Dash had done a pretty good job of patching up Davren.

‘That’s very neat,’ Tess said to him.

‘Years of mending sails, young Tess, not to mention I’m using a needle and thread created with magic,’ he winked. ‘And I’ve stitched men many times before today but never an animal and never, even in my wildest dreams, a creature so handsome as your centaur.’

She hugged Dash. ‘Thank you. He’ll be fine, won’t he?’

‘As good as new. He can wear that as a war wound.’

She nodded. ‘Yes, he’s already quite proud of it.’

It had been decided that the creatures they had laboriously rowed back to the
Silver Wind
would remain on the ship and out of harm’s way. Tess, however had refused, with steadfast determination, to remain behind with Calico Grace.

‘No offence,’ she insisted, ‘but I began this journey with Griff and I plan to end it with him.’ Before anyone could put up more excuses she’d raised her hands. ‘No, save your breath. We started this together, we’re sticking together come what may. Rix and Davren are coming with us too.’

‘You don’t suppose Janko might think it slightly odd that I’ve somehow found myself a girl, a veercat and a centaur?’ Bitter Olof asked, his tone dry.

‘I don’t care what the murdering Duke thinks. But I guarantee that all he’ll really be paying attention to is the fact that Lute has been spotted. How you came by us will be irrelevant to him as I imagine he plans to kill us all anyway.’

That brought a horrible silence to the room.

‘I like this girl,’ Calico Grace finally said into the silence, puffing on her pipe. ‘She’s one after my own heart.’

‘No-one’s killing any of us whilst I’m around,’ boomed a new voice from the open doorway.

Bitter Olof and Lute exploded into action, running towards the huge figure, who scooped them both up with ease.

‘Little Thom, you made it!’ Lute shouted, delight in his eyes.

‘Good as new, like that strange animal Dash was just stitching in my chamber. What a fine creature. I have no idea how he came to be here.’ He looked around. ‘Or why we have so many people…or two King Lutes.’

Laughter erupted. Bitter Olof explained everything as Little Thom looked with wonder over the two brothers. He shook his head at the tale before shaking hands and then bear-hugging Pilo.

‘I’m glad that’s all over,’ he said to his old friend.

‘Me too,’ Pilo admitted. ‘And I’m even more glad you’re fit to be alongside Bitter Olof and Griff. What was in that stuff?’

Calico Grace gave a mock sneer. ‘Bah! You owe me, Little Thom. I used on your wounds all of the re-awakening potion that the Witch Grevilya put on the ship! Now you too are in my debt.’

Griff had enjoyed listening to all the happy conversation around him but he knew it was a false happiness. Everyone, including him, sensed the tremendous danger that he, the dwarf and now this giant of a man were putting themselves into. He had been tempted to talk to Lute privately via the mindlink but he was enjoying the freedom from voices in his head that Davren and the creatures offered him, and also because he could talk to Lute openly, he preferred it that way. He walked over to Lute, frankly still rather amazed by their likeness, and couldn’t help but grin as he stared at Lute, who was now dressed in his clothes. ‘I’m sorry they’re so battered,’ he offered, slightly embarrassed.

‘And I’m sorry mine are so damp,’ Lute responded. ‘We nearly drowned.’ Then his expression grew more serious. ‘Griff, are you sure about this?’

‘Tess came up with a good plan.’ He shrugged. ‘He’s never going to suspect that I’m not you.’

‘But you could be ki—’

‘No. Let’s not think like that. You’re going to send the army and hunt down Janko before anything like that could happen to us. We’ll be cautious, I promise. All we have to do is stay out of sight long enough for your men to rescue us.’

‘I can’t let you take all the risk by pretending to be me.’

Griff stared at him. ‘I’d do it for any of my brothers.’

‘That doesn’t make it right!’

‘It doesn’t make it wrong, either, brother. Listen, you were raised for this. You know how to be King. I don’t. I can’t do what you do. You can’t do what I do, which apart from looking like you, is to use magic to hear thoughts. This is not about bravery, Lute. We need you to survive and to go and claim the crown from Janko. That’s your duty. Standing up to him and especially tricking him is being brave and so much more. It’s being smart.’

‘I’ll beat him at his own low game!’ Lute growled. Then the anger dissipated and he stared at Griff again. ‘Why did he give us away?’

Griff knew exactly what his brother referred to. ‘I’ve been thinking about that, too. Our father was so poor when we were coming along that the offer of gold from the Queen would have been impossible to turn down. It was a way to ensure the future of his family—and of the realm. Three of us could remain and he’d have money to look after us, and the one who had to go would have a life of privilege. Better that than starve. Then, when the Travelling Show made an offer to our elder brothers, and he could see they desperately wanted to get away from the tiny village and have a more exciting life as performers, he could not deny them.’ Griff shrugged. ‘When you meet Phineas and Matthias you’ll know why I love them so much, and Da knew he
couldn’t let us be parted. He knew my heart would break being left alone and he was probably all too mindful that he’d already ripped me away from one brother. He let me go with Phin and Mat. Master Tyren liked to tell me Da sold us but I think he accepted the money unhappily. In truth, he was letting us follow our own desires. We can all be reunited soon but first you should know that we would all put you first…you are not only our family—you are our sovereign.’

‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘Don’t say anything more. Let’s get this charade under way.’

Tess had joined them quietly. ‘Do we know where Janko is? How do we ensure he spots us?’

Pilo glanced towards the brothers. ‘I think our amazing Griff can do that for us.’

Griff nodded. ‘I’ll need to take us into the Silvering, Lute, and once I look through your mind and get a picture of Janko and the sound of his voice, I’ll be able to find him.’

Calico Grace looked astonished. ‘Is this a jest?’

Pilo winked. ‘Not only you lay claim to magic with your ship, Gracie. Griff here has a talent that you can hardly imagine.’ He nodded. ‘Do it. We still have the cover of darkness. We need to get ashore to wherever Janko is.’

‘What if he’s already back at the palace?’ Lute queried.

At this Pilo frowned. ‘We have to pray he’s not.’

Griff returned from the Silvering and smiled secretively. ‘He’s not at the palace. I’ve found him.’ All except Helys and Elph were on shore and they gave muffled cheers, glad for the news but keen not to be heard. ‘He’s at Tarrow’s Landing. A place called The Shepherd’s Rest.’

Lute threw a glance to Pilo, who smiled. ‘Yes, I know it well. I even hope he’s stealing my horse back. It will give me great satisfaction to have another reason to hate Janko, not that I need one.’

‘Alright, then. It’s back to Tarrow’s Landing for us, then,’ Bitter Olof said.

‘It’s a pity we have to take the longer way around,’ Pilo said. ‘If we could use the route through Tarrow’s Landing we could be there so much quicker.’

‘Master Pilo,’ Tess said, ‘I have another idea.’

They all turned to look at her; she was holding Rix.

‘It makes sense to dress Griff in Lute’s clothes. But if you dressed the King very differently, perhaps you could slip through Tarrow’s Landing unnoticed.’

‘What have you got in mind now, Tess?’

She smiled. ‘You’re not going to like it much, your highness, but I think you should be in a dress.’

‘What?’ Lute cried. ‘Absolutely not. No! No King of Drestonia wears women’s clothes!’

Pilo laughed, scratching his head. ‘That’s not such a bad thought actually.’

‘No, I won’t,’ Lute gasped.

‘I think you’ll have to,’ Pilo said. ‘It cuts another day from our journey. Come on, majesty. Whatever it takes, we must do. Griff is putting his life at risk for you.’

‘Yes, the least you can do is wear a dress,’ Calico Grace cut in but then added, ‘You too, Pilo. I know you’ve shaved your beard off as a disguise but I think we can do better still. I’ll search out something from my trunk for you. I’m sure I’ve kept a couple of lovely dresses from my days when I was much taller, much trimmer,’ she said, tapping her girth, with a wicked smile on her face.

‘Er, no, that won’t be necessary,’ Pilo stammered but he realised he had already lost the fight. Everyone but Lute and Pilo were laughing and Calico Grace had already signalled that the men should be ready to row back to the ship.

‘We’ll be back in a jiffy, Pilo,’ she said and even Lute’s face creased in a smile at Pilo’s look of horror.

Calico Grace cheekily tied a bow beneath Pilo’s chin. ‘There we are. Perfect,’ she cooed. ‘You can be Mistress whatever-you-please for a day and this is your darling daughter, Miss Lucy.’

King and aide gritted their teeth with displeasure beneath their bonnets. ‘This is not funny,’ Pilo growled, his skirts flouncing around him.

‘Oh, but it is,’ Bitter Olof chortled. ‘That dress fits you rather well, Pilo.’

‘So help me, Pilo, I find you quite attractive,’ Little Thom teased and blew him a kiss.

‘Alright, boys, enough joshing,’ Calico Grace said, suddenly taking charge. ‘I’m going to bring
Silver Wind
around to Deep Bay, which is where the royal brig is anchored. If you need me or my lovely silver cannons, we’re at your disposal.’

‘Thanks, Gracie. I’m hoping it won’t come to that,’ Pilo said. ‘Just keep Elph and Helys from harm.’ He glanced at Tess, who was nodding in agreement. ‘So Davren and Rix travel with Bitter Olof’s party to Tarrow’s Landing. I know I don’t have to tell you,’ he said to Tess, ‘that your creatures are in serious danger. They should stay concealed within the fringe of woodland.’

‘I promise they will,’ she said.

‘Then we ride now. Good luck everyone. Griff, you will need to keep Lute informed of where you are at all times. We’re deaf and blind to your plight so we need your magical skills working hard.’

Griff nodded. ‘Just get back to us fast. Who’s going first?’

‘You lot get going. We’ll follow at a more sedate pace. We can’t risk being seen too close. Remember, Olof, only allow yourselves to be glimpsed and then go for your life.’

Bitter Olof tapped his nose. ‘I know you don’t, but trust me, Pilo, I’ll keep Griff safe. Initially I did this for you but now I’m doing it for the King. I’ve grown quite fond of the boy! Rest assured I won’t let that swine touch a hair of Griff’s head.’

‘You do that.’ Only Tess caught any more of Pilo’s muttered words: ‘For so help me should anything happen to Griff I’ll—’

Tess didn’t listen any more. She could guess what Pilo would do and she was sure the dwarf could as well.

Duke Janko was stirring a darkly golden sweet syrup into his bowl of porridge. He was privately seething and his fury kept him sour enough that he couldn’t taste whether it was honey or treacle. Nor did he care. In fact he was so distracted by his internal anger that he struggled to swallow and the only reason he’d ordered anything to eat was because he knew it was going to be a long day ahead and an empty belly might weaken him.

And this was not a time to be weak. No, by Lo’s light! he thought to himself. This is a time to be stronger than ever. An old-timer had once counselled him that a soldier breaks bread before he fights. At first he had dismissed the words as blather, but as he’d matured he had grasped their wisdom. Consequently, he always forced himself to eat, even when like now, he didn’t feel hungry in the least. Unless one counted his hunger for power that is, or his hunger for vengeance.

He threw down his spoon in disgust. Where those archers had suddenly emerged from at the beach he had no idea. One moment they’d had Lute and his wretched minders, the strange dwarf and equally strange giant of a man, and the next his own men were dead around him. It had just been a stroke of luck that he’d been mounted and able to gallop away down the beach, then pick his way back towards Tarrow’s Landing.

At least he’d killed the big fellow. Now that Lute had lost his big warrior, he would be more vulnerable than ever. If anything,
the dwarf was a liability not an asset, and Janko assumed that the pair would have to surface somewhere soon. They were in the sea, for Lo’s sake. With luck their bloated bodies might turn up, drowned and no longer a threat, but even Janko believed that was too much to hope for. Whomever had come to their rescue from behind the point was obviously interfering, but still this was a group of strangers. Once they learned the truth—if Lute ever told it—it was unlikely they’d want any part of it. That sort of group, lurking in the shadows of a well-known pirating beach, would likely be thieves of some sort. He had made some enquiries. It was the haunt of many pirates and he had not spotted a ship, so presumably they were opportunists who happened to get involved because they were on hand. His gut told him that Lute and his dwarf friend would turn up somewhere soon, however. Lute could not stay hidden for long—not if he had any intention of claiming the throne.

Janko laughed bitterly, drained the ale in his mug and slammed it down, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. It would all be over soon. He still had some mercenaries travelling with him. Not many—not as many as he’d like—but they were eager to be paid and knew they’d get not a penny until the boy, alive or dead, was under his control.

His thoughts wandered as the serving girl drifted over and as he watched the pretty, golden-haired maid top up his mug from her jug, he began to imagine whether Miralda would accept his terms. He’d already made it very clear to her. She had begged him to spare Lute’s life and the only way, he had sneered at her, that he might go along with such a thing, would be if she agreed to marry him. He had always had a flame burning for Miralda, even though she made it obvious that she despised him. But he found her irresistible and had never been able to understand what she had seen in Rodin. At least, he had argued, she would still be Queen, and Lute could remain Crown Prince—after they’d made a big fanfare of his miraculous recovery…so long as he would be King.

She had said she would think about it but he’d seen in her
eyes that she had no intention of agreeing to it; she’d simply promised to consider it as a means of buying time. Miralda would have to be shipped off immediately to some distant convent, where she could live out her days in silence and solitude and sorrow. What a waste of an opportunity! He sighed as the daydream’s bubble burst. He was about to order a warm drink when one of his men barged in and hurried over to him.

‘What is it?’ he questioned, testily.

The man didn’t seem at all bothered by his tone or humbled by the person he was addressing.

Wretched mercenaries, Janko thought. I’ll have all of you dealt with as soon as I’m King. ‘Well?’ he prompted.

‘We’ve sighted the dwarf and the boy,’ the man replied lazily.

Janko was on his feet in a blink, his chair scraping back noisily on the flagstones. ‘Where?’

‘Ah, now…that would be telling.’

‘What?’ Janko growled, his eyes narrowing. ‘What are you saying? We have a deal,’ he said but only loud enough for the man to hear.

‘
Had
a deal,’ the man corrected, equally quietly. ‘The situation has changed. I’ve lost too many of my men on your folly. And you never told us we were murdering a royal.’

‘He’s a boy!’ Janko hissed.

‘Well, by law he’s King.’

‘He is
not
King!’ Janko’s voice had escalated in volume and he looked around at the disturbed drinkers and diners, who up until now had paid him little notice. He had deliberately dressed in very plain clothing, wore no insignia and carried nothing more than a common-looking sword. It was sharp enough to do its job, just not elegant enough to attract attention. Normally he enjoyed being recognised, but right now Janko wanted to pass through this trading town unnoticed. He wanted to capture Lute with as little fuss as possible, although the royal wretch was proving to be as slippery as an eel.

‘Hush now, you don’t want to attract undue attention, do you?’

‘You rogue.’

The man shrugged. ‘Let’s discuss terms and then we’ll discuss where the pair were sighted.’

Janko took a long breath to calm his rage. It would not do to lose his temper here. Later, when this was all done and Lute was in his possession, he would take great pleasure in dealing with this two-timing thief. Unfortunately at the moment he needed the help of these men and so, through gritted teeth and a voice he had wrestled back under control, he said calmly: ‘Alright, I’ll double the wages I’ve already offered.’

‘And we’ll have the wages of the men who have died for your cause.’

‘That’s—’

‘Uh-uh, Duke,’ the man said softly, careful not to be overheard as he used the title. ‘Those men, however much they irritated you to be in your employ, had families. You were quite happy to make use of their services. Now you’ll pay for those services in full and their bereaved families will benefit…as they should.’

Janko growled something unintelligible under his breath.

‘Do we have a new deal? I’ll need to see some gold to seal it,’ the man continued, not at all threatened.

Janko closed his eyes to calm his anger. Then opened them, smiled serenely at the man he intended to enjoy killing one day soon, and nodded. ‘Deal. Outside before any money exchanges hands.’

‘No hurry. Enjoy breaking your fast,’ the mercenary said and grinned at the Duke before he left him to his bowl of now-cold porridge.

Pilo and Lute kept the horses at a deliberately sedate canter as they approached The Shepherd’s Rest.

‘Hold your nerve now, boy. They have no idea who we are.’

Lute nodded. ‘Lovely day isn’t it, Mama?’ he said sweetly, in a higher than normal voice.

Pilo glared at him from beneath his big yellow bonnet.

Lute shrugged. ‘Just getting into character.’

‘Don’t speak at all if you can help it.’

Lute smiled beneath his own red bonnet, although deep down he was nervous. He could see some of the mercenaries leaning against posts and sitting on the ground, no doubt awaiting their next orders. Some were checking their bows, others were chewing on bread. They were close enough now that he could see that their bread was thickly smeared with blackberry jam. He felt his own belly grind with hunger, having only nibbled at the food offered on the ship, but the truth was he was more tired than he was hungry. Unfortunately there was no time to sleep or feed. He wished they could simply hit a hard gallop but he quashed that desire as quickly as it arose and continued at his dignified pace.

As they drew almost level with the inn, Lute saw with horror that his uncle was emerging from one of its doors. He looked to be in a hurry and seemed to have lost his normally very controlled, always vaguely amused expression. This morning he looked angry and was speaking tersely to the man who walked alongside him.

Pilo had seen him too. ‘Steady, Lute. Just keep riding, smile if necessary but be shy, keep that bonnet low.’

Lute felt a burst of nervous laughter erupt in his chest. He’d only just noticed that Pilo had put on the long gloves that Calico Grace had suggested he wear to cover his hairy arms and hands. It took every ounce of willpower not to explode into giggles that would have attracted all the wrong attention.

Even so, the Duke noticed them. He had been reaching into his pocket for something when he had stopped himself. It looked furtive even though he tried to cover his actions by smiling at the passers-by. ‘Morning, ladies.’

Lute dipped his head and presumed Pilo must have done the same.

‘A lovely morning for a ride, isn’t it?’

The Duke clearly expected more than just a nod and it would be impolite, certainly noticeable, if they didn’t respond in the right manner. As Pilo couldn’t risk using his deep voice, Lute
had to fill what felt like a horrible silence, although it was only a momentary pause.

‘It certainly is, sir,’ he said in his new higher voice.

He saw from the corner of his eye that Pilo had lifted a gloved hand and was waving politely.

‘Enjoy your day, ladies,’ they heard him say as they passed by fully before he added to his companion. ‘Here!’ They heard the unmistakable chink of gold. ‘Now where did you see the dwarf and my nephew?’

Lute glanced at Pilo and could see the cunning smile. ‘He’s taken the bait,’ Pilo said, finally out of earshot of the Duke.

‘I’m already worried for Griff and Bitter Olof,’ Lute said.

‘That’s why it’s time to ride, my boy. Let’s take these horses up to a trot and get across that river as soon as we can.’

It was all straightforward. They met no other soldiers and it was still early enough that they could keep themselves to themselves and not be noticed for the impostors that they were. The man in charge of the ferry was barely awake and was too busy scratching his huge belly and yawning to take much notice of the mother who paid from a daintily gloved hand, and was travelling with her daughter, who boarded his craft with their horses.

Lute was sure he held his breath for the entire crossing and felt a surge of relief as they finally led their mounts off on the other side.

‘Now we can gallop,’ Pilo whispered.

Lute chanced a look back. ‘Janko and his men are making the crossing too.’

Pilo nodded, looking at the Duke, who was impatiently waiting for the ferry to return to his side of the river. ‘Makes sense. I told Olof to be noticed on this side, getting a feed at the Old Wheatsheaf.’

‘It’s worked.’

‘Are you ready?’ Pilo asked as they both settled into their saddles.

‘As I’ll ever be.’

‘Ride hard, boy. We’ve got lives to save now.’