The Ghost Of Eslenda (Book 1) (5 page)

"The poor weather has driven them closer to our borders," admitted Hal.

"Cane will claim they have crossed the borders. I believe he is already prepared to send troops. The King's approval is only a formality in his mind. However, let it be noted that it is likely the King will agree."

"How do you mean?" asked Hal.

"Your father is changing, or has changed over this past year. His tone is different and he lacks patience. He doesn't laugh at my jokes and my tumbling doesn't amuse him."

"It never did," laughed Hal. "I think you are more for the Queen's benefit than the King's."

"Oh, but my jokes are not suited for her ears! But come to think of it, I have heard the sainted Queen curse at the King and he laughs. He does not talk to her as of old. What's a fool to do?"

"What has happened?"

"I do not know. But there have been many visits from Lockwell, not many more than usual, but Roger Diggs has seen the King often."

"The physician? What is wrong?"

"Nothing that I know of for sure. Roger Diggs needs watching however. I have never been confident in his knowledge of medicine. Keeps strange company too, but I can say no more on that. However the King does seem to be colder toward his most loyal supporters, not that he is warmer to anyone else. He keeps his own counsel more often and is impatient in court. There is something weighing on his mind."

"Your words are well received," said Hal. "We are coming to a treacherous time for Eslenda. I fear Edward will set in motion a bloody war against Nuneland for Cane's support in his single-minded quest for the crown."

"Why not kill Edward?" asked Quink.

"Quink! How cold-blooded you are," said Elizabeth.

"Just practical, my lady."

Hal sighed. "If I do that, I stoop to his level."

"Perhaps, perhaps. Remember this, Prince Hal - Edward will fight at his level stooped or not. How will you defend against him?"

"I don't know why you are the fool, Quink," said Hal. "You are far wiser than me. When I become King I think you will be my favorite advisor."

"I cringe at that, your Highness. My wisdom is limited and I do not have the stomach for politics, only for wine."

"You have the mind for it," said Elizabeth. "And as you say, you are practical." She sipped on her wine as she watched the fool. He grinned and refilled his cup.

"That is questionable. However, the one thing that is not debatable is my unfortunate bloodline. I am not of a noble family. Indeed, there is some question whether my mother was human at all. There will be much indignation if I am given any sort of power. I know too much about people, even yourself. Who in their right mind would put me in such a delicate position?"

"It would be worth seeing," said Hal. "I guarantee that."

There was a knock at the door. Hal looked at Quink, who shrugged his shoulders. Quink opened the door to reveal the towering figure of Lockwell, the wizard. The man was bowed with age, but still extremely tall. He gestured with a long bony hand. His nails were long and yellowed, twisting in their length.

"May I be admitted, your Highness?" His voice was low and hissed as the sound crossed his lips. Quink turned to Hal.

"By all means, Lockwell. You are welcome here."

"Thank you. I was not sure." He glanced at Quink and waited.

"I was just leaving," said Quink. He nodded to Lockwell and bowed to Hal and Elizabeth and left.

"I am glad you are both here," said Lockwell. "I heard about the altercation earlier. Be wary of your brother, Prince Hal. There is an aura of death around him."

"Is that what you came all this way to tell me?" asked Hal. "You barely speak two words to me in a year. What is really on your mind, Lockwell?"

The old wizard rubbed his hooked nose and gestured to a bench. "May I rest my weary bones?"

"Sit," said Hal. The tall wizard folded his limbs into the chair Hal offered.

"There are many things on my mind, Prince Hal. I am like most supporters of King Henry acutely aware of how tenuous is my place in the castle. I wish to begin a better relationship with you. Times are changing quickly and your encounter with Prince Edward demonstrates how easily the balance can be upset. If one of you had been killed…"

"Are you to lecture me, too?"

"No, no. Just look at the possibilities. If one of you had been killed, the shifting of the political world would have been enormous. As it is, many are choosing sides already. There is belief that Prince Edward may try to shorten his road to the throne and I don't mean your death although that may come."

"I don't think he'd go that far."

"Well, I hope you are right. But do not be surprised if he tries to kill Henry. There are many weavings in this pattern taking shape."

"What else should I worry about?" asked Hal.

"Edward has been spending his money freely and many weak-minded nobles are now supporting him. Whatever he does, his has the strength to support it. There is another possible threat to your support. As you know your father has many prisoners, taken from different lands during battle. Some are from Nuneland. I happen to know that one of the female prisoners is the daughter of Lan Tagjet himself. And she has been captive for ten years or more."

"Ten years! Does my father know?"

"That I cannot say. However, I believe Lan Tagjet thinks his daughter dead these many years."

"Why did Henry have so many prisoners? We haven't been at war for ages. Are they from Eslenda or other lands? Did he ransom them?"

"Mostly from other lands," said Lockwell. "He did not ransom them."

"Then tell me what he did with them."

"Henry? Nothing. I employed them at your father's bidding. I cannot tell you with the kingdom at risk. Later when you are king, I will. You will not like it, however."

"You were saying that I should worry about Tagjet's daughter."

"If I were Edward, I would want Lan Tagjet to know the fate of his daughter. I would use it to laugh in his face and coax the Nunari into battle. There's the chance Henry could be killed in battle. I would remind Tagjet that Henry never told him of his daughter's existence in our dungeon and Henry never even tried to ransom her. Why is that? Whether Henry really knows anything about Tagjet's daughter does not matter. It would be a terrible blow to Tagjet. Another option is Edward would kill her and blame her death on his brother and cut Hal off from a potential ally in the Nunari in the battle for the throne."

"Does Edward know of her?"

"I cannot say for sure," said Lockwell. "Only recently I have discovered how deep his spying went. Make your preparations with the assumption that Edward knows all the dirty secrets of Eslenda."

"I don't understand you men," said Elizabeth. "You all talk as if King Henry is dead. He has many years left. If he has enemies, then warn him."

Lockwell looked at Elizabeth before speaking. She thought she could hear his mind at work.

"I would agree in past days. However, there are many signs that Edward is up to something. He has many men in the city, much more than usual-Cane too. Three times the soldiers that accompanied you. They are heavily armed."

"Have you told my father?" asked Hal.

"Of course I have! But he is stubborn and trusts to his sword and his men. He does not want to acknowledge that he is not the fighter he once was. He will not change his ways. He will not order more guards on the walls; he gives Plucker no instructions to prepare for a possible move from Edward. Plucker is doing what he can without orders and has increased the guards are much as he can without the King noticing. That is why I speak to you. I know your ambition will not cost needless lives, but Edward wants to urge death to a swifter course. I have seen catastrophe in the flames. Edward will destroy Eslenda."

"What can we do?"

Lockwell watched the Prince's face closely. He bent forward so they were but inches apart. Hal saw movement in the reflection of Lockwell's copper eyes but he could not read the images and did not recognize the forces gathering against Eslenda. Lockwell pulled away, stretching to his full height.

"You are the hope of Eslenda. Not Edward, and not your poor father. His pride will fall before him and his failure will be swift! Perhaps sooner than I guess. When this visit with your father ends, leave quickly! Ride hard to Far Greening and prepare to defend your castle. Edward has moved soldiers north from Southworth into the area around Riverdowns. Your men are outnumbered. If Edward moves soldiers across the river he will cut you off from returning north. King Henry does not see Edward's men as a threat. He calls their presence a salute to his reign. You must plan for the inevitable, Prince Hal. This kingdom will crumble into factions if you do not act decisively. I will send messages to you at Far Greening to keep you abreast of the happenings."

Lockwell rose suddenly, and departed without another word. His staff tapped loudly in the corridor. They listened without speaking until it faded away.

"Doesn't seem like anyone cares about your father," said Elizabeth.

"I noticed. It seems like everyone has accepted his death, and that it will be soon. There are so many covetous hands reaching for power. A king must constantly be prepared for betrayal. This is why I am not eager for the throne. Oh, dear Elizabeth, how did I ever get you into this?"

"You asked me to marry you."

"So I did." Hal kissed her.

"How ready is Far Greening for a siege?" asked Elizabeth.

"The castle is well prepared as you know. The town is another thing. It is overcrowded and we don't have enough men to man the city walls. We may have to pull everyone inside the castle."

"There is no room!"

"Either that or let them perish."

"We will all perish if you try to save them all."

"What can I do? Command people to their death?"

"You must think like a king, Hal. Eslenda comes before all other considerations; Far Greening, friends and family."

Hal looked at his wife, tears in both of their eyes.

"I don't know if I am hard enough to be king."

"There is not a choice for you. You alone can save Eslenda. If you are not strong, Eslenda dies."

Hal closed his eyes and pulled Elizabeth close.

Queen Mary Islen tapped her fingers nervously on the armrest. She had heard that Edward and Hal were fighting again. It angered Henry of course, but there was a dark shadow behind the threats and fights. Edward seemed to be getting more reckless with each passing day. She never should have agreed for him to stay with her brother, Charles Oswald, during his 15th year. Charles would rail about King Henry stealing the throne from their uncle, although Charles had not the stomach for claiming the throne himself and swore fealty to Henry. Still, Edward received an additional earful in the years since and came to believe his father stole the crown from the Oswalds. Charles could be so prideful discussing family history and so narrow-minded. Could he not comprehend the ramifications of what he was doing? Their family had everything - wealth, property, respect and now Oswald blood again in the royal line, but that would not matter in the ascension order because Hal would be the next king, not Edward, and Hal had a son. Still, Charles's opinions had tainted Edward, now there would be blood, and Charles behaved as if he had no idea what he was doing. Perhaps he did not.

Queen Mary was a popular second wife for Henry and was still shy of her fiftieth birthday. She kept to herself her pleasure that Henry had not been king during his first marriage and she was his only Queen. An attractive woman with power and she loved it. She did not abuse her power but she wielded it. Very little gray had tinted her dark hair and she often rode her horse for long invigorating sojourns around the local countryside.

Henry had been a good husband in the early years but now running the kingdom occupied his time. When they were together, his thoughts were usually elsewhere. She kept up on the news of the kingdom and ran the household strictly. Henry accepted her counsels in private, but the Queen did not speak of politics in public.

She knew the summer would be bloody and prayed she would survive it. It was difficult to think of her Edward as the villain, but what choice did she have? Wait, she did have a choice. Was Edward really a villain? No, he was merely ambitious. He was her son and she would stand behind him. In a few days, Hal will head north and it will be peaceful again. Hal made it no easier for her by always being respectful to her and deferring to her status as Queen. Hal behaved toward her the way Edward should have. Hal did not sow discord in the family. Did Edward go out of his way to be a nuisance?

The door opened but she did not move. The heavy tread of the King approached her. He stood next to her without speaking. She did not turn toward him.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "The feast is soon."

"I know it. Your son is putting me in a difficult position."

"My son? You say that as if you had nothing to do with his conception."

"I'm sorry. I am frustrated by rumors and whispers. I must nip this in the bud before it divides loyalty. I must have loyalty from my subjects. I have just spoken with a messenger from Masina. The Turucks are on the move again."

"Henry!"

"I don't think they dare come this far north, but they have sacked several more free cities and are not many miles from the Anavar coast. If they cross to Amloth King Kennis of Masina is worried he is next. He asked for a token force sent to him to show strength against the Turucks. I think it is useless yet many nobles may disagree with me and push me to send troops. The Turucks have rolled over all their opponents with ease and Kennis is no fighter. This is a serious threat to Eslenda if they cross the sea. I need every sword to fight with me, not wait in their castles until the matter is decided. I must have Charles' support, Howard Cane's support and my sons. Only together do we have enough swords to defeat the Turucks."

"Do the Turucks have spies here?"

"I would be surprised if they did not, yet I don't know who would betray Eslenda in my court. I will have to take a closer look but I can't get wrapped up in it. I must focus preparation on defending Eslenda. Traitors will be dealt with as the situation warrants. Anything that takes our concentration from the Turucks threat will expose our weaknesses. Edward's animosity towards Hal weakens Eslenda in the eyes of the world. Would the kingdom be divided if Hal becomes king? I think not, however, Edward could pull enough support from Hal to weaken Eslenda's defense. I need them both willing and able to lead soldiers against the Turucks if it comes to that. Ah, Mary, this is not the life I imagined for you. I hoped we would be living our autumn years in peace with grandchildren running underfoot."