The Exile and the Sorcerer Page 4

  For a long time, Tevi stood on the cliff top watching the seagulls while listening to the crash of surf below. A line of clouds hung over the horizon, but the sky above was clear. Sunlight glittered off the waves. The brisk wind, heavy with salt, snapped at her hair. It eased her tension, but the decision could not be put off. She had to take steps to silence the gossip, and one particular course of action was unavoidable.

  Brec had spoken of Sparrow. Presumably, Brec knew her own brother. Would he really be willing if she made a play for him? A rueful smile crossed Tevi’s face. Actually, his response was unimportant for her purpose. A more useful effect on gossip would probably be had if he ran from her screaming, “No, no, you beast, leave me alone!” But if he agreed...? Tevi pursed her lips. It probably would not be so bad. After all, she liked Sparrow. He was a friend.

  Tevi hung her head. She had to do it, but the coming evening would be a trial. The rest of her life would be a trial. She remembered her childish disappointment when she realised that being the Queen’s granddaughter did not automatically make her the best at everything.

  Tevi turned around. The sun was sinking to the horizon. It was time to go to the feast, but all things considered, maybe death in battle might not be so bad.

  *

  The smell of roast boar greeted Tevi on her return to the main square. The air was thick with ribbons of sweet smoke. Every child in Holric seemed to be gathered by the fire pits to watch the cooking. Many stood with eyes and mouths wide open, while others laughed and squabbled.

  Women had begun passing around flagons of wine and beer. There was no sign of the envoy and her comrades. Presumably, they were in the Queen’s hall. The mood in the square was cheerful, and for once, Tevi did not feel that she was the subject of hostile scrutiny. A gang of young women were sprawled to one side. Tevi was tempted to join them, but she had an objective to achieve that night. She turned in search of Sparrow.

  The interior of Lizard’s family hall was dark and noisy. Once her eyes had adjusted to the light, Tevi spotted Sparrow sitting surrounded by a group of small boys, helping to braid their hair. Tevi made her way to within a few feet, then came to a standstill, suddenly very nervous and uncertain. A boy tapped Sparrow’s shoulder and pointed in her direction.

  Sparrow looked up and smiled. “Are you looking for Brec? She’s only just gone.”

  “No...I was looking for you.”

  “Me?”

  “Well, I thought...you might like to come with me...if you’re finished here. And...we could see if the cider has settled. It might be nice if you and I, er”—Tevi knew she was flustered. She prayed she was not blushing as well—“spent some time together.”

  To her relief, and slight surprise, Sparrow’s smile broadened. “I’d like that. But I thought you were due to meet Brec. She was looking everywhere for you.”

  “We had no plans.”

  “I think it was important.”

  “I don’t know...” Tevi hesitated.

  “It’s not a problem. I’m going to be a bit longer with the children. When I’m finished, I’ll look for you. I promise.” Now it was Sparrow’s turn to be shy. He fiddled with the comb in his hand.

  “Right. I’ll go and find her. We’ll meet later.” Tevi shifted from foot to foot, wondering if she should hug him, but it felt false. Besides, all he had agreed to was meeting her at the feast. There would be time to say more later, and the cider would help.

  Once outside, Tevi raised her face to the sky and let out a deep sigh. Sparrow had seemed happy. Maybe Brec was right about him liking her. Tevi did not know whether to feel pleased or frightened.

  Remembering Brec, Tevi scanned the village square without success. “Have you seen Brec recently?” she asked a nearby woman.

  “I saw her head off to the beach a while back.”

  “Thanks.”

  Tevi jostled through the crowded square with as much speed as possible. The sun had not yet set, but already, some people were drunk. One almost fell in her path. Running bands of children collided with her at waist height. Several minutes were needed before she cleared the press of people lining the square and left the noise behind.

  Tevi spotted a lone figure returning from the beach. “Hey! Brec!”

  The figure raced towards her. “Where’ve you been? I’ve searched everywhere for you.”

  “What’s up?”

  “We need to talk. Come with me.” Brec was clearly agitated, now that she was close enough for Tevi to see her face.

  “What about? What’s wrong?”

  “We can’t talk here. Come on.”

  Brec could not be drawn to say more. Anxiously, Tevi followed her friend past the empty workshops. At last, Brec led the way into one of the barns at the edge of the village. A mound of hay filled the back, and a row of small barrels lined one side. Apart from these objects, the building was empty.

  “Right. So what is this about?” Tevi asked.

  Brec held up one hand. She clambered onto the hay and peered over at the rear wall. Tevi stared in astonishment.

  “I have to check if we’re alone.”

  “What...why?”

  “You’ll understand.”

  Brec jumped down and pushed the door shut. The last of the sun’s rays fell squarely on the timber planks. Light squeezed through the cracks. Tevi selected one of the barrels and sat on it, waiting for an explanation.

  Brec had her hands clasped behind the back of her head, staring at the ceiling. Judging her expression was hard in the dimness. Only the faint sounds from the distant square broke the silence.

  “Brec?” Tevi prompted.

  “I’ve been thinking...about what we were saying beside the boat. At least...I’ve been doing a bit more thinking,” Brec said unsteadily.

  “So have I. I’ve talked to Sparrow, and I think you’re right. He does like me.”

  “You’re not really keen on him.”

  “Of course I am.”

  “But not as a man.” Brec’s voice was quiet. “Your sister was right, wasn’t she?”

  “Brec!”

  “It’s all right. You don’t have to deny it.”

  Tevi’s mouth went dry. For the space of a dozen heartbeats, she could not force out any words, while fighting the temptation to give in to panic and run. Eventually, she found her voice. “Has someone been getting at you? Was it Laff? You shouldn’t bother about her.” Tevi stood. “Come on, let’s go back to the feast.”

  The other woman made no attempt to move.

  “Brec?”

  Brec’s face dropped into her hands. Her voice came in a strangled whisper through her fingers. “I love you, Tevi.”

  The words hit like a physical blow. Blood pounded in Tevi’s ears. Her legs turned to jelly. Stunned, she sank back onto the barrel.

  “Tevi?” Brec’s voice was tense, devoid of emotion.

  Tevi did not answer. In her mind’s eye, she saw the body of the executed murderer, broken and blood-soaked.

  “Tevi. Did you hear me? I said I love you.”

  “It’s dangerous.”

  “But do you love me?”

  “You must know that I do,” Tevi said in a monotone whisper.

  “Will you meet me here tonight?” Brec spoke urgently.

  Things were going too far, too fast. The solid world was wrenched out of joint, and Tevi felt stunned, yet the request struck through the fog. She stared at her friend in alarm. “Have you gone mad? Do you know what’ll happen if we’re caught?”

  “I don’t care.”

  “We could be exiled or executed.”

  “Are you frightened?”

  “Yes. Aren’t you?” Tevi’s head was spinning.

  “But it’s just the fear of being caught? If it was safe, you’d want to be my lover?” Brec’s voice was harsh in its insistence.

  Tevi fought for control of her voice, but now she could be honest. “More than anything in the world. I’ve loved you hopelessly for years.”

  “T
hen please meet me here tonight. No one will miss us with the feast.”

  It was insane, but Tevi could not say no. “All right, I’ll be here.”

  “And we’ll be lovers?” Brec’s question sounded like a challenge.

  “Yes.”

  “I think we’ve heard enough.” The Queen’s voice rang out. Tevi’s head jerked in its direction, also hearing movement at the rear of the barn, behind the hay. Bewildered, Tevi turned back just in time to see Brec’s fist. The blow knocked her sprawling on the floor. A foot swung into her stomach, driving the air from her lungs.

  “Stop that,” the Queen said sharply.

  Gasping for breath, Tevi was vaguely aware of the presence of more people in the barn—walking around, standing over her.

  Brec’s voice sounded over the others. “Goddess! Did you hear her? I don’t know how I managed to—”

  The Queen interrupted. “We heard her. You played your part well. Don’t overplay it. Now bring her over here.”

  Still fighting to suck air into her lungs, Tevi was hauled to her knees. The sound of striking flint was followed by the gentle light of a lantern springing into life. Tevi’s head cleared as her breath returned.

  She found herself kneeling in the centre of the floor. Both arms were twisted behind her, sufficient to hurt and prevent her from moving but not enough to cause injury. Tevi twisted her neck. Brec was holding one arm; Laff, the other. In front of her, Lizard and the Queen sat on barrels. Red adjusted the lantern before limping over and joining the two older women. A cold fist clenched Tevi’s stomach: three judges and herself as prisoner. The hay barn was empty apart from the six of them.

  The Queen spoke. “I take it you accept the authority of this court. Or would you prefer a public hearing?”

  Tevi shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

  “I thought as much.” Her grandmother leaned forward. “So what are we going to do with you? You really do present quite a problem.”

  “She always has. I blame myself for bearing her,” Red interjected.

  “Blame isn’t the issue. As I said, Tevi presents us with a problem. We have to decide what to do about it.”

  Tevi was swamped with the bitter knowledge that her mother would be unmoved to see her provide the village with an afternoon’s entertainment in the quarry. “You’re going to have me executed.” She found her voice.

  The Queen shook her head. “That’s an option, but not a very good one. I’d have to tell people why, and I’m afraid it would have a damaging effect on our family’s reputation. With war imminent, we cannot afford that sort of scandal.”

  “So why have you engineered this?”

  “Because you were all set to cause a scandal whether I acted or not. Knowing you, you’d set it off at the worst possible moment. That’s why I pre-empted things. Always meet trouble halfway. It lets you pick the battleground. I learnt that years ago. Right now, we’re in an awkward situation. Executing you will only make it worse.” The Queen paused while she brushed loose straw from her knees. “So I’m going to give you a choice.”

  Tevi raised her chin. A pulse leapt erratically in her throat. “You want me to kill myself.” It would spare her the humiliation of public execution, but before she could weigh up the option, her grandmother shook her head.

  “That would be a better way out, but not the best. If you commit suicide, people will talk. The gossip might even make things worse than they actually are. You can bet Queen Fearless-warrior will encourage the rumours. Even if you make your death look like an accident, it will be seen as bad luck. Coming on top of your mother’s injury and losing the chalice, we’d be seen as a very unlucky family. People would say the Goddess had turned her back on us, which won’t help in gaining allies.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to go,” the Queen said firmly.

  “Where?”

  “Anywhere. The farther, the better.”

  “You’re exiling me.”

  “In effect, yes. To do it officially would give free rein to the rumourmongers, so I want you to appear to go of your own accord. The feast tonight will provide a suitable audience. I want you to put on an act, like Brec did just now. Make a scene. Say the theft of the chalice is an insult to our family, and you can no longer sit back and do nothing. Swear that you’re going in search of Abrak’s chalice and won’t return until you find it.”

  “But nobody knows were the chalice is.”

  “So nobody will be surprised when you don’t come back.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  “I’ll have to think of something else. Maybe frame one of the women from Rathshorn for your murder. It might work in our favour, but it would be a very high-risk plan. Much better for you to disappear on a heroic quest. It’s romantic and will make for some good songs. But one way or another, I’ll make sure you don’t disgrace the family.” Steel had crept into the Queen’s voice.

  Tevi raised her eyes to the roof. Shouts and laughter carried from the square. Someone was beating out a drum rhythm, displaying more enthusiasm than skill. Both Brec and Laff were shaking, even more than herself. A trap had closed around her. “It’s not a real choice, is it? All right, I’ll give you what you want. I’ll go.” The gasp of relief from her sister surprised Tevi.

  The Queen nodded. “Let her stand.”

  Tevi’s arms were released. A dazed numbness settled on her. She got to her feet, rubbing her shoulders, hardly conscious of the room. She did not look at Brec.

  The Queen also stood. “Now I think we should leave as discreetly as possible, not all at once.”

  Laff beat everyone to the door, wrenching it open and rushing out. Brec would have followed, but the Queen snapped, “I said, not all at once.”

  Brec stopped dead. She leaned against the doorpost, her eyes fixed on the Queen. After a while, the elderly woman nodded. Brec marched off in the direction Laff had taken.

  Tevi made no attempt to move until a gentle push sent her tottering through the doorway. She stumbled away like a sleepwalker, blind and deaf to her surroundings.

  Lizard left next, after a brief exchange of regrets.

  Alone with the Queen, Red ran her hands through her hair and scowled. “It’s the big disadvantage of being a woman; you can’t dispute who your children are. If I were a man, I could’ve questioned whether she really was mine.”

  “Nor can I deny that I’m her grandmother, but unlike you, I’ll confess I’m saddened to lose her, particularly in this fashion,” the Queen said quietly.

  “You can’t mean that.”

  “But I do. And I also think somewhere deep inside, you’re grieving, too. Though I know you’ll never admit it.”

  Red stuck out her chin. “That’s because I’m not. If I’d been in your place, I’d have gone for framing one of the Rathshorn women for her murder.”

  “How can you say that? It’s your flesh and blood we’re talking about—mine, too.”

  “Supposing she doesn’t leave the islands? Supposing she joins with Fearless-warrior?”

  “She won’t.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Red demanded.

  “That’s what this whole charade was about. I could have spoken to her in private, explained my suspicions about her preference in lovers, and asked her to go. Then she might have fled to Rathshorn. I had to drive it home that she had no future on any of the islands. There’d always be the risk of rumours catching up. On top of that, my guess is she’ll want to get as far from Brec as possible. If she sails to the opposite end of the earth, she won’t feel it’s far enough.”

  “Well, it’s my bet that she comes to a miserable end, no matter where she meets it.”

  “Hopefully not. Anyway, she should do better than she would here. If only she knew it, I’ve done her a favour. She wouldn’t last five minutes in battle or five days as Queen. But if I thought she had a chance, I’d back her to the hilt.”

  “You’ve always had a soft spot for
Tevi.”

  “While you’ve long preferred Laff. But let me tell you, Tevi would make a much better Queen. Leastwise, I’d feel happier passing Storenseg on to her care.”

  Red laughed in disbelief.

  “I’m being serious.”

  “With respect, Mother, I think you are being blinkered.”

  “Tevi is neither a fool nor a coward.”

  “Nor is Laff,” Red retorted.

  “Laff doesn’t think she can lose, and that’s a good starting point for disaster.”

  “At least I can trust her.”

  “You can trust Tevi. She’d never betray a friend. Unlike Brec.” Contempt was clear in the Queen’s voice.

  “Lizard will tell you it took a lot of argument and downright threats to get Brec to go along with this. Come to that, it took me enough time to talk Laff into assisting.”

  “She clearly wasn’t happy.”

  “I’d have thought she’d be more eager for her chance to lead the war band.”

  “I’ve always suspected she taunted Tevi more to persuade herself of her dislike than anyone else—as do you.”

  Red scowled. “Anyway, it’s over now.”

  “Oh, yes, for us.” The Queen looked at her daughter with clear disapproval. “We’d better get to the celebrations before our absence becomes too marked.” She stalked out.

  Red collected the lamp and followed slowly, addressing her last comment to the empty barn. “I still think we’re well rid of her.”

  *

  The rush of waves over sand sounded soft on the night air. Stars peeked between shreds of clouds. Tevi lay in the lee of her boat, wrapped in an old wool blanket. She was warm and sheltered but could not sleep. The scene she had made kept running through her head. It had gone much easier than expected. Carried by the pain of her betrayal, her vehemence surprised even those expecting the speech. People had sat stunned, some with jaws hanging open. The Goddess alone knew what the women from Rathshorn had made of it.