Voice Of The Demon (Book 2) (23 page)

Finnlay froze, desperately trying to get some air into his lungs. His vision kept fading in and out and his heart was racing. Frantically, he tried to gather his wits together, to remember something of his combat training, but for some reason, his mind wouldn’t work properly.

‘So very easy,’ the voice continued, lazily, contentedly. ‘You astonish me. I would have thought you’d have more sense than to try something like this so soon after your notorious arrest and untimely death.

‘You are Finnlay Douglas, aren’t you? And you didn’t die in some silly fall from a cliff.’ The blade drew closer to Finnlay’s skin, drawing blood. He could feel it trickle down his chest.

‘Tell me, does your brother know you’re a sorcerer? Did he play along with the trick you used to make Osbert believe he saw your dead body? Or does the poor Duke really think his baby brother has passed on to the next life? I can’t
imagine he would know and just let you carry on. The great Dunlorn would never be a party to anything so low as sorcery.’

Finnlay began to lose the strength to move. The sneering voice grated against his senses, pouring evil into every corner of his soul. Yes, this is what Jenn had meant. If only he’d understood back then.

‘Yes, that was very clever what you did with Osbert. A pity too many people saw you captured in Kilphedir. If you’d been a little more discreet, I might have been convinced the whole thing was a hoax. As it is, you’ve only made me more curious. Now get up.’

Struggling, Finnlay forced his legs to move. He wanted to turn around and see the face of this Angel of Darkness, but he was held completely, his life draining away with every breath.

Again the voice spoke, a whisper now, close and terrifying. ‘Just when I thought everything was falling apart, you come to me. Easily and foolishly. Take a final look at the sky, Enemy. It will be the last time you see it.’

With that, Finnlay gasped as pain seared his whole body. He stiffened, then darkness folded in on him and he lost sight of everything.

Jenn picked her way through Elita’s forest, her eyes fixed on the ground at her feet. Thick carpets of fallen leaves obscured the sprouting green she was searching for and the bottom of her gown kept catching on twigs. The ground was damp but not too wet, from autumn rain the day before. The morning had dawned cool and grey, as though awakened to the sudden change in season; not a good sign for the winter to come.

Voices came to her through the trees and she paused long
enough to look down the hill. Keagan and Shane, two of her father’s men, were busy digging in the rich earth, arguing some point she couldn’t quite make out. Shane was doing most of the work, his sun-bleached hair picking up what light bled through the half-naked canopy above. Keagan held a sack between both hands, taking the roots as Shane dug and pulled them up. It had taken Jenn an hour to show them what she was looking for and although they worked easily, she knew neither man really understood what they were doing.

But they were all she had; those two and Addie, her faithful maid: all she had dared to Seal in the weeks since she’d got back from the Enclave to find the awful news about the hospice in nearby Fenlock. Some time ago, the Church had handed over control of hospice work to the Guilde, thereby denying the poor free healers to see to their needs. The changeover had taken a long time, and at Fenlock longer than most, but she’d known the day would come when Guilde soldiers would march into the village and Brother Benedict would be forced to stand idle as the most needy would be forgotten.

Jenn refused to stay idle, however. Convincing Benedict had been difficult to begin with, her father even more so, but eventually she had persuaded both to allow her to coordinate a secret coterie of Benedict’s healers to go out at night and see to those who needed them. Elita’s gardens provided the necessary herbs – with the help of Shane and Keagan – and Benedict was able to continue his efforts without interference from the Guilde.

And Jenn went with him; partly to learn, partly to use her powers to shield him from discovery. So far, she’d only had to put up one Mask to avoid detection, but more were sure to be needed. She didn’t know how long they would be able to keep doing this, but something was better than nothing, at least as far as healing was concerned.

With a sigh, Jenn turned to the durmast oak in front of her. Taller and slimmer than its brother oaks, this tree still had a cover of leaves and the brown marks of a few acorns still trapped along its branches. With a quick glance back at
the men to make sure they weren’t watching, Jenn lifted her skirts and stepped up on to the lowest branch. Within seconds, she’d climbed high enough to gain a view of Elita through the trees.

Even overcast, the castle appeared golden against the autumn backdrop. Unbidden, a great welling of love and affection filled her. To think that, once, she’d never known that this place was her home.

But thoughts of her life before brought back others of Finnlay and the Enclave. That dream she’d had, sent without doubt, by the Key.

And the prophecy.

It was ridiculous to think she, of all people, had been singled out like that – but there was no doubt the prophecy referred both to her and to Robert. No doubt at all.

And Robert alone knew the rest of the prophecy, had kept it secret since the age of nine, claiming it was personal and had nothing to do with anyone else; that he was prevented from talking about it by the Key. He had told Finnlay as much; along with a warning that even if he could talk about it, he wouldn’t, because it was dangerous.

So Robert was banished from the Enclave, cutting himself off because he feared the prophecy so much. But what could possibly frighten a man like Robert to such an extent that he turned away from his own brother, his friends at the Enclave, his own country? Jenn?

Was . . . was it the fear that was at the heart of the darkness she had seen in him? He’d given it a name once: the demon. It seemed she was the only one who could see it, or was even aware that it existed, and yet she knew it was the driving force behind so many of his decisions.

He kept an iron control on it – but what would happen if he lost that control? If only he wasn’t so damned stubborn; if only he would talk about it, give her the opportunity to help—

‘My lady?’

With a start, she looked down to find Shane and Keagan coming up the hill towards her, a full sack suspended between them. Quickly, she scrambled back down from the
tree, ignoring the disapproving look from Keagan at her unladylike behaviour. She picked up her herb bag from where she’d dropped it and turned a smile on them. ‘All finished?’

‘Aye, my lady,’ Shane nodded.

Jenn turned and led them down the hill towards the stream. The men behind her were silent. She knew they had questions about sorcery and other things, but she was prepared to wait until they were ready to ask. She too had needed time to think when she’d first found out about her powers. To those without them, the questions were that much harder because they had no first-hand experience.

She paused as a cry from above reached her through a clearing in the trees. She looked up. An eagle soared and dived, feinted and soared again, each time playing a deadly game with the pigeon that was its prey. Desperately the small grey bird flapped its wings and darted left and right, narrowly missing the eagle’s talons. Tiny white feathers drifted down towards Jenn to land on the forest floor.

With a cry, the eagle dipped again and abruptly both birds were lost to sight behind the wood’s thick cover. The forest was silent again, but Jenn kept her eyes on the sky, hoping for a last glimpse of the brave pigeon.

‘The eagle must eat, too, my lady.’

‘I know, Shane, but I’m not sure this one’s really hungry. He’s young and testing his strength, his hunting skills. The poor pigeon only knows that his life is in the balance. He must fight with all he has and that may not be enough.’

‘In that case, I understand your empathy, my lady.’

The birds did not reappear and Jenn turned to look at Shane. ‘And with what does my empathy lie?’

‘With the pigeon, my lady. You feel you have little power, little strength to withstand the grand eagle, but are determined to fight it nonetheless.’ Shane seemed pleased with this statement, but Keagan only gave a grunt.

Jenn held her bag in front of her. ‘Or I could be the powerful eagle, testing my own wits against those who would duck and dive at every turn. Readying myself for the day when my skills would be really needed.’

Shane pursed his lips, stuck out his jaw, lifted his head, trying to hide a smile. In the end, he lost. ‘I think perhaps your testing is of me, my lady, not the Guilde. I already quake on their behalf.’

Keagan chuckled dryly. ‘Don’t be such an ass, man!’

Jenn had to laugh at the two of them. ‘Go on, you two, get back with that load. I’ll be along shortly.’

They hesitated only a moment before taking off towards the castle. Alone now, Jenn took the path down to the stream. As the ground dropped before her, the trees thinned out, the green moss turning to brown and she arrived at her favourite place: the ruined mill. This was where she had been playing, the day she had been abducted, the day her life had changed for ever. For some reason, this place still held a powerful fascination for her, as though it was still the dark, mysterious playground of her childhood. She stepped through the arched doorway and into a room which had no roof, only the remnants of four walls. Green with moss and black with age, the grey stone had almost melted into the forest. One day it would vanish altogether and the mystery would be gone.

Why did she feel so at home here? The only childhood memory she had of Elita was of this place, of the men who had ridden towards her, engendering terror in her child’s heart. But there was a warmth here, in the air, and a freshness to the scents of the forest that pricked at her senses in a way that brought comfort against the memory of fear. As though, in this space alone, could she really be herself.

A child’s fancy perhaps, but this ruin, more than any other part of Elita, was the spot she really thought of as her home.

*

Neil was waiting for her when she returned to the castle. He held open the garden gate as she came through, taking the bag from Shane.

‘Forgive me, my lady, but your father is asking for you.’

‘Is something wrong?’

‘We’ve been receiving reports all day about soldiers across the countryside. They’re stopping carts and merchants and all sorts of people. They appear to be looking for somebody.’

Jenn swallowed, suddenly unable to speak. Had Robert gone to Marsay to find Ayn? Had something terrible happened?

She threw a warning glance at Shane, then headed into the keep. Jacob was in his study and looked up from his desk as she entered.

‘Did Neil tell you?’

‘Yes, Father. Are there many soldiers? Do you know who they’re looking for?’

‘I’ve no idea. I’ve sent Keagan out to take a look. It’s not an invasion, though, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s mostly King’s soldiers, though there are a few Guilde colours in there.’

Jenn took in a deep breath, but it did nothing to soothe the tension inside her. Robert must be safe – he had to be. Yes, if the soldiers were looking for him, they’d go straight to Dunlorn, wouldn’t they?

‘I want no further contact between you and Benedict until they’re gone,’ Jacob continued. ‘I know we don’t know what these soldiers want, but I’m not exactly in a position to ask.’

‘No, Father,’ Jenn murmured, wandering behind him to stare out the window.

Jacob turned his chair around to face her and reached out to take her hand. ‘Do you realize that it’s almost a year since you returned to us?’

Jenn shook her head. ‘Is it really so long?’

Jacob laughed. ‘A year is not so long, child – not after so many without you. I intend to hold a celebration for all our folk to mark the anniversary.’

‘A celebration?’ Jenn couldn’t help smiling. Jacob was obviously very determined. ‘Are you sure that’s such a good idea?’

Jacob nodded vigorously, suddenly serious. ‘You know you have very little time left. Up until now, Selar has been happy to leave you be, content to think you might enter orders. And while I was glad to see you back from the priory early, I cannot help thinking the King will have heard by now. His spies are everywhere. He’s left you alone because he still feels secure. Should anything change that, you’ll be taken away again.’

‘It doesn’t have to be like that, Father,’ Jenn said. No, it didn’t. She could always run away and, like Finnlay, spend the rest of her days living in the caves, shut away from the sunlight and all the things she loved most. What would be worse? An unwanted marriage – or a living prison?

‘No,’ Jacob said, ‘I could find a husband for you myself. But unless I chose somebody close to Selar, he’d find some way to destroy the arrangements. Even if we did it all in secret he would assume subversiveness on our part and that would be the end of us.’

Jenn nodded. ‘Perhaps I
should
take the veil. I’m not sure I want a husband.’

‘You’re a child, my dear, a romantic at heart.’ Jacob replied softly. ‘I’m sure you’d find marriage and children more preferable to a life in the cloister. I doubt you’d find a Mother Superior as indulgent as I.’

‘Perhaps Selar will find me a husband as indulgent as you. After all, I wouldn’t want to deprive you of having something to worry about,’ she said with a smile.

Jacob’s gruff laugh echoed through the room. ‘All that education and the best you can do is find ways to thwart your own father!’

Jenn giggled. ‘I did hear a rhyme about a lady from Fenlock – but I don’t think you want to hear that one.’

‘Certainly not – and especially not from you.’

She bent down and kissed his forehead, then left him alone. That way she didn’t have to promise not to go out with Benedict tonight.

*

The sun set almost invisibly behind the hills lining the lake, so it was with some surprise that Jenn realized she needed to light a candle to continue reading. She got up from her window seat, but before she could get too far, Addie came in with a candle already lit.