The Usurper (10 page)

Piro rolled over, thumping the duck-down pillow. Well, if Isolt did not believe Palatyne was equally treacherous, there was nothing Piro could do. She had troubles enough of her own. One word as to her true identity and she would be executed. Fear sat like a coiled snake in the pit of her belly, waiting to strike.

She would never sleep.

Freezing Sylion take Palatyne!

Byren tried not to watch Florin's bottom as she climbed the trail ahead of him. Her shoulders were broad and her legs long, with a stride that almost matched his. But her narrow waist, the curve of her behind and the sway of her hips proclaimed her femininity. And wouldn't she hate it if he told her so?

Ostensibly, he'd suggested they scout the trail to the secret pass over the mountain, in case they had to make a hasty retreat. This was true as far as it went, but he also wanted to make things right between them.

Since Waterford Florin had been avoiding him, quite an achievement in a camp that consisted of four caves covering a space not much bigger than a ploughed field. When she did speak to him, it was all 'Yes, my king, no, my king.'

It was driving him crazy.

She came to a stop on a patch of snow barely big enough for the two of them to stand side by side, in the gap between two rocks large as houses. He opted to stand with his back to one of the rocks.

Dusk had fallen while they climbed and now only starlight illuminated the night.

'These.' Florin reached past him to pat the rock by his shoulder. 'I recognise these, my king. I haven't forgotten the trail to the secret pass.'

'Just like you don't forget to hold a grudge?'

She blinked and frowned at him. In daylight he suspected he would have seen colour in her winter-pale cheeks.

'Have I offended you, my king?'

'No. I've offended you.'

The silence stretched. He'd been wrong about Winterfall. The noble youth had not had the strength of character to admit his fault. For some reason, Byren did not want to be wrong about Florin.

His voice dropped. 'I called you a mountain girl. Was that the last straw?'

She looked away, jaw clenched. 'No. You were right. If I want to be treated like one of your honour guard, I have to accept orders like they do.'

He hadn't actually said that, but he wasn't surprised that she'd made the leap.

'But you're not one of them. They're a bunch of untried youths, eager to win honour on the battlefield. You're more like Orrade. You see through things.' He hesitated as she cast him a swift, inscrutable look. Should he explain that there was nothing between him and Orrade? Nothing on his side, at least. He was on the verge of telling her, but he could not bring himself to reveal his best friend's vulnerability.

In that moment, he saw he had been right about Florin. She was like Orrade. She was clever and pragmatic, but she was also vulnerable. It was her pride, her insistence on being as good as any man that left her open to ridicule.

'You don't have to prove anything to any one, Florrie.'

'Don't call me that,' she snapped.

A grin tugged at his lips. 'Mountain-girl?'

Her eyes widened as she stared at him like she was trying to work something out.

His heart picked up a notch and he felt his body tighten unexpectedly. Hold on. He did not fancy boyish women who could just about look him in the eye, no more than he fancied Orrade.

He blew his breath out, at the same time as Florin blew hers out in a huff of annoyance.

'Mountain-girl it is then.' She thrust past him, heading back the way they'd come. 'I'll answer to that, my king.' The last was thrown over her shoulder, a challenge if he ever heard one.

Damn, he did find her fascinating. Now that was inconvenient. Luckily, Florin didn't have a clue.

Chapter Ten

Possibly because she was thinking about him, Piro found herself dreaming of him. Palatyne and the Utlander crept through the palace courtyards, keeping to the shadows cast by the brilliant stars. Palatyne was in such a hurry, the short Power-worker had to take running steps to keep up.

'You've seen to the guards?' Palatyne was saying.

'Yes, my duke. There is only the slave, Seela.'

'And she won't object, if she knows what's good for her.' Palatyne gave a bark of angry laughter. 'How dare that little bitch ask for time? She means to refuse me, I know it. I could break her neck with my bare hands. One snap, like a chicken!'

'But that is not why you are going to her,' the Utlander warned.

Palatyne came to a stop and looked up. Piro recognised the private veranda that all Isolt's chambers opened onto.

'Do not fear, Utlander. I won't let my temper get the better of me. I will woo her with sweet words, tell her I cannot wait for our wedding day, that her beauty has enflamed my passion. And if that does not work, I will force myself on her. After one night in my arms she will wed me to avoid disgrace.' He gave a nasty grin. 'Who knows. She might even enjoy it!'

He took several steps back and the Utlander handed him a grappling hook and rope. Palatyne swung it expertly, letting it fly. It hooked over the balcony rail and held. He clambered effortlessly up two storeys and over the balustrades.

Piro woke, her heart pounding. Starlight cast long oblongs of light through the balcony doors.

With a certainty that went core-deep, she knew this was not a dream. Her Affinity was trying to warn her. Palatyne was about to break into Isolt's chamber.

Barefoot and terrified, Piro ran to open the door to Isolt's bedchamber. The shadow of a broad-shouldered man appeared on one of the balcony doors.

Piro scrambled onto the bed to shake the kingsdaughter, whispering fiercely, 'Isolt. Wake up. Palatyne's trying to force the balcony doors.'

'What?' Isolt was instantly alert. 'What trickery is this?'

'No trickery.' Piro pointed to the balcony, where Palatyne's form was silhouetted against the starlight. The catch rattled. Her breath caught in her throat.

Isolt gasped, rolled out of bed and ran through to the next room, with Piro at her heels. Isolt tugged on the door to the corridor. When it refused to open, she gave a little moan of fear and frustration.

'Locked!' She thumped the door. 'Guards!'

The guards did not respond.

Piro was not surprised. 'The Utlander said he'd dealt with them.'

The foenix raised his head to give a querying call, feathers ruffled, foreleg lifted to strike. But he was only a juvenile and his spurs hadn't grown yet.

'Oh, good boy.' Piro ran back and scooped him up. Under her hand his heart raced with fear.

A soft tinkle of broken glass told them Palatyne had given up trying to force the door and had broken the pane instead. The hinge on the balcony door squeaked.

Isolt cursed and glanced to Piro.

'Where can we hide?' Piro searched the room, illuminated by the faint glow of the banked fire. Behind the couch? Too obvious. Under the bed? Again too obvious.

'I know.' Isolt tugged her arm, dragging her over to the writing-table nook which was walled on three sides by bookshelves and illustrations.

Isolt swung a large framed map of the known world aside. Behind it was a waist-high dark gap. She shoved Piro forwards. With the foenix in her arms Piro was off balance and hit her toe on the bottom lip of the opening. Biting back a yelp of pain, she crawled on her knees into the darkness until her forehead hit the back wall. A bolt hole. Her mother had described such things in stories.

Piro turned around, pressing her back to the wall, hugging the foenix to her chest. He seemed to understand that they must be quiet. Isolt had climbed in after her and now pulled the map down, hiding them. It was dark, but for a faint glow which came through the map's fine vellum. Piro could see Isolt only as an outline as she sat hugging her knees.

Neither of them made a sound. They hardly dared to breathe. Piro's toe throbbed in time to her heart beat. If a stubbed toe was the worst she got out of this night, she'd count herself lucky.

There was no noise for such a long time, the temptation was to venture out.

After a while, they heard a muffled exclamation and a golden glow appeared on the other side of the map. Palatyne must have lit a branch of candles to search for Isolt. He strode around the room, slowly at first, his boots hardly making a sound, then more loudly as he realised the kingsdaughter wasn't present.

He left the room, returning to Isolt's bedchamber.

In the dimness, Piro felt for Isolt, her hand coming to rest on the kingsdaughter's knee. She squeezed. 'Don't move. It might be a trick.'

Isolt's hand covered hers to return the pressure.

They waited. Piro counted to twenty-five, then the glow came back. This time there were two sets of footsteps.

Isolt's eyes were dark pools of fear as she stared across as Piro.
Who?
she mouthed. But Piro had no time to reply. She tensed as she felt the foenix shiver with fear and hunch down even further in her arms.

'See? Empty. I told you I searched all Isolt's chambers. Where else could she be?' Palatyne demanded.

'The kingsdaughter must be here. My spies did not see her leave,' the Utlander insisted. 'She's hiding.'

Isolt's hand closed tightly over Piro's.

'I've looked,' Palatyne snarled. 'By the fires of Mulcibar, why couldn't the little bitch agree to marry me!'

'She'll agree quick enough once you've had her. Now hold your tongue and give me the candles,' the Utlander snapped. 'I'll soon find her.'

Mouth dry, Piro met Isolt's eyes. She felt sick to her stomach. The Utlander was sure to find them using his Affinity. And then Palatyne would rape Isolt, claiming her for his own. It was the way of the Utlands, and the spars weren't much better.

Silence stretched. The air grew heavy and oppressive with Affinity. Piro's teeth ached.

'Well?' Palatyne demanded.

'She's here somewhere, all right. Her essence is still on the air.' The Utlander was hatefully pleased with himself.

Piro caught her breath, then remembered to let it out silently. The glow grew stronger as the renegade Power-worker walked slowly across the room, drawing nearer.

The Utlander must not find us
Piro prayed.
He must not.
It became a litany in her head. She remembered hiding in the loft over the stables while Byren and Fyn looked for her last midsummer. They never found her, not even when they glanced into the loft. She'd willed herself unremarkable.

The glow grew brighter and, for a heartbeat, she saw the Utlander's thin arm silhouetted against the vellum. In her mind's eye she saw him triumphantly pull the map aside, saw Palatyne drag Isolt out by her hair.

No. It would not happen.

It would be just like in the stable. They would pass over her. Piro concentrated all her will, harnessing her Affinity as she stroked the foenix. She and Isolt weren't even here. They were hiding in the stable back home.

'Well?' Palatyne repeated.

The Utlander sniffed. 'Strange, I smell horses.'

'Horses in a royal bedroom? Your Affinity's playing up.'

'More like someone else's Affinity is playing tricks on mine,' the Utlander muttered. 'A curse on Dunstany. I cannot sense her at all now. He's put some sort of protective ward over the kingsdaughter.'

'Dunstany is on the other side of Merofynia at his estates. He could not know I planned to seduce Isolt tonight. No one but you and I know.'

'Someone with Affinity has warned her. The bird has flown the coop.'

'I thought you said you sensed her essence,' Palatyne countered.

'Well now all I sense is horse shit!' The Utlander snapped. 'We've been out-manoeuvred. Someone knows about us. They could be on their way right now, or... worse. I don't recognise the style of this Power-worker. They may have left a trap.' His voice rose. 'We've got to get out of here, now!'

'A trap?' Palatyne echoed. Piro could hear the fear rising in his voice. 'I won't be tainted by Affinity. Come on.'

The glow faded as they returned to Isolt's bedroom, presumably to climb over the balcony.

But Piro and Isolt sat in the dark, knees wedged together for a long time. Every now and then a shiver ran through Isolt. Gradually, the foenix's body relaxed and Piro felt him vibrate with the cat-like purr that meant he was happy.

She cleared her throat. 'I think they've gone.'

Isolt nodded. Shuffling onto her knees, she moved one side of the map a little and peered through.

Meanwhile, Piro quested with her Affinity-enhanced senses. The room felt empty and, now that the crisis was over, she trembled with exhaustion.

'I think you're right,' Isolt whispered. She lifted the map aside and slid her legs out, dropping to the floor.

Piro followed her, the sleeping foenix in her arms. He seemed as exhausted as she was. Limping a little due to her sore toe, she put the foenix in his basket then crept across to the entrance of Isolt's bedchamber. The balcony doors were closed. Only the broken glass panel was evidence of Palatyne's treacherous plan.

Isolt stood in the doorway.

'They've gone, but I can't sleep in here.' Isolt closed the door to her bedchamber and wedged a chair under the knob.

'I don't think they're coming back,' Piro whispered. She felt dizzy, and flecks of light danced in her vision. 'I have to sit down. I think I might be sick.'

Isolt drew her over to the daybed, propping a pillow behind her back and wrapping the silk-covered eiderdown around her. The kingsdaughter lit a branch of candles and made up a tray of sweet wine, fresh fruits and nuts from the side-board.

Piro watched, her tired brain struggling to grasp the significance of this. But, when Isolt brought the tray over, her stomach revolted.

'At least have a sip of sweet wine,' Isolt insisted.

Piro took one mouthful, then another, nibbled some salted cashews and discovered she was ravenous.

Isolt sat at the other end of the daybed, resting against the carved footboard, and watched her eat with satisfaction. 'You could have left me to my fate but you saved me, Piro.'

'Of course.'

'I misjudged you.'

Piro shrugged as she peeled a honeydew melon, sucking the sweet pulp.

'What? Aren't you going to make me sorry?' Isolt prodded.

'No point,' Piro mumbled, mouth full.

Isolt eyed her for a moment. 'The Rolencian court must be very strange -'

'Strange?' Piro laughed. 'The Merofynian court is strange. Everyone holding their breath, too scared to say what they really think.'

'So you understand why I doubted you? And you won't hold it against me?'

Piro picked up another honeydew melon. 'These are very good. Want one?'

'Yes.' Isolt gave the first genuine smile Piro had seen from her.

As they ate, she studied Isolt surreptitiously. The Merofynian kingsdaughter licked her fingers and stared into the fire. She was still the same girl, beautiful as a porcelain doll, but the muscles around her mouth had relaxed. She looked somehow different.

Her face was no longer a mask.

Piro must have made some small sound because Isolt looked over to her. 'What?'

'I'm glad I grew up with a mother who adored my father and three brothers, even if they loved to tease me,' Piro said.

Isolt's eyes widened. 'You read my mind?'

'No. I don't -'

'You do have Affinity. Don't deny it.'

Piro nodded. 'But not much. If I could, I would have saved my father.'

'You are Affinity-born, just like Lord Dunstany. That's why he chose you for his slave.'

'I suppose so.' Piro hadn't thought of it that way. She licked her fingers and took another sip of wine, her thoughts returning to what was worrying her. 'I don't think this setback will stop Palatyne. Marrying you will make him the legitimate king-in-waiting.'

'After tonight nothing will convince me to wed him.' Anger sharpened Isolt's features, making her beauty more interesting. 'I'll tell Father how he broke in here and what he intended.'

'Your father is afraid of Palatyne, for good reason. I fear you'll get no help from him. When was your betrothal to be announced?'

'Spring cusp festival. He wanted to wed me on midsummer's day or sooner. But I can't marry him. I'd rather die!'

'Better that he dies.'

Isolt went very quiet. 'Palatyne is surrounded by loyal followers, plus there's the Utlander. Can you -'

Piro shook her head swiftly. 'Lord Dunstany said my Affinity visions are triggered by nexus points, moments when events hang in the balance. Most of the time I can do no more than guess a card.'

'Then I must run away. But they'll be watching me.' Isolt's frown cleared. 'I know. Every spring cusp I go to Cyena Abbey to receive the offering for the festival. I'd planned to leave in a few days anyway. I'll leave tomorrow. The abbess will give me sanctuary. She's very powerful. Palatyne will not dare invade the abbey to take me by force!'