Well of Tears (Empath Book 3) (7 page)

“I understand, Quinn. I’m not saying I like
it, but I understand why you did it. I could feel it, you know?
There was a surge of emotion. I liked it. I didn’t resist it, and I
think I could have tried. And I’m glad you were honest.”

“You were seeing if I’d tell you the
truth?”

“
I was.
”

“And if I’
d
lied?
”

“I’d have probably asked you to leave,
now.”

Quinn took a deep breath. She was glad for
once she’d followed her instincts. “We should probably go to sleep,
my love. It’s going to be another long ride tomorrow.”

“
I don
’t mind
riding tired. There isn’t going to be a battle at the end of it.
Are you tired?”

“No.”

She could feel Eden grin at her response.
“Then why do you want to go to sleep?”

Quinn shrugged within the confines of his
single-armed hug. “I thought it was the right thing to say. What’s
Sevenspells like?”

Quinn yawned as she said this, and Eden’s
stroking resumed. She snuggled in closer to him. “You want me to
send you to sleep talking about my home?”

Quinn nodded.

“Okay then. It’s beautiful, Quinn. Everyone
hates Sevenspells. They think that, because we’re all brought up to
be stubborn, or fighters, that it’s a brutal place. They couldn’t
be more wrong. The city itself is on the side of a cliff. It
overlooks a valley, a small holding which is owned by my uncle,
Lord Owain. It takes six hours to walk from the valley floor to the
gates of Sevenspells. The route is steep and harsh, and when you
get to the top most people, in their exhaustion, are expecting a
dusty desolate plateau. The walls protect it all; Sevenspells
proper is all within walls, a bit like Everfell. We farm in there.
Not much—the ground can’t really take it. But it means we could see
through some sort of siege, if anyone was insane enough to tackle
the city itself…” Quinn snored gently. Eden smiled to himself. He
hadn’t thought of his home much, since he had been appointed to
find the Satori in Everfell. That felt like so long ago now. He’d
been ready and willing to plunge his blade through a Sha’sekian
traitor. Instead, she was sitting in his arms. He didn’t want to
let her go, but he knew that one day soon, he’d have to.

Sammah
crumpled the parchment in his fist, resisting the urge to throw it
at the messenger boy. He clenched his jaw so tightly that his teeth
began to ache, but he couldn’t shout out. He had to prevent himself
from looking flustered, especially in front of Obrenn and
Erran.

“What news from Farn, Sammah?”

Sammah fixed a false smile on his lips and
turned. “It is good news. My pleas to them have worked, and they
will not be sending troops in aggression against Everfell. They
realise that this has been a misunderstanding, and that I have the
best interests of both our people at heart. Our king is no longer
in danger from Sha’sek, just from the traitors within.”

Erran and Obrenn showed a brief look, before
Erran ventured, “You don’t look like it’s good news. Is there any
other news?”

“No, my lords. I was so fraught that war
might break out on all three sides, that it’s just a relief to get
this message. If you’ll forgive me, I will take some wine. Will you
join me?”

“Of course, have some sent straight away.
This calls for celebration, surely! We should let the king know
immediately, he should come and join us.”

“
I don
’t think now
is the time for the King to be stretched. This is good news indeed,
and I can dispatch a messenger to him. I don’t think we should
bother him, though, I certainly don’t think that he should be
drinking at a time like this. He still very weak, and we have to be
careful for him. This at least will take a lot of the pressure off
your shoulders.”

“
Indeed
, well, if
you say so, Sammah."

“I’ll call one of my maids. Wait here.”

Sammah yanked open the door to the
antechamber to find Neyv setting sitting right where he left her.
If it had been Quinn, Elias would have needed to be there too to
keep her in one spot. “Girl, we need wine. Bring a carafe, and
three glasses.”

Neyv nodded once and trotted away. Sammah
turned back to Erran and Obrenn, who looked frustratingly pleased
with themselves. “How does it go with your gatherings my lords?
What news from Achteren and Mossvale?"

“The banner gatherings are well, but hearing
talk from the other provinces, many of my men are reluctant to
bring up arms. They don’t think we should be fighting each
other—Sha’sek are the enemy. There are rumours that you are driving
this conflict forward, not Shiver."

“And not so long ago there were rampant
rumours making Shiver and I allies. Why on earth, then, would I be
raising a sword against him?”

“I’m only repeating what I hear, Sammah, I
mean no harm.”

“Indeed Lord Obrenn, I wouldn’t accuse you of
such things. I’m very glad of your honesty in fact, as that’s the
only way we can be sure to defeat the traitors in our midst. You
can tell your men, that
this is
the will of King Vance. If
it would help you, I can see if we can take some rest from the
king, get out of his bed and writes on official notes. With the
Royal Seal attached to the gathering orders, they surely can’t
dispute its legitimacy?”

“I wouldn’t dream of disturbing the King.
Please, don’t."

“I’m sure if it means the difference between
us victory and defeat, Vance will not mind. I’ll make sure we have
healer standing by, just in case he stretches himself.”

“No; please Sammah no. I’ll bring my men
around, we can’t put Vance in any more danger than he is already
in. It’s bad enough that he’s already lost his wife."

“I know, the lady Eleska—so beautiful, and so
young. It was tragic. This is why Shiver needs to be brought to
heel. Him, his sons, and all of his filthy allies."

The door creaked open, and Neyv crept in the
room. She was carrying everything as instructed. Such a charming
little girl.

“Is this a new serving girl? I don’t think
I’ve seen her before.”

“No my lords, she’s been a part of my retinue
for quite some time. She is just obedient, and therefore difficult
to notice."

“Not a bad thing to have!”

“Indeed my lords, I’d gotten so used to my
children being out of line I’d quite forgotten what it’s like to
have obedient ones.”

Erran laughed
nervously.
“You must have been horrified at the way that
empath behaved.”

“That’s one way to put it, when one of your
children tries to instigate a war. Still, when your father caused
the last wars between our kingdoms... I tried not to blame the girl
for the crimes of her father. I desperately tried to heal her, but
she couldn’t be helped. There was no stopping her becoming corrupt,
just like Nerren had been. The final straw was with the death of
Alec. I’m sure she didn’t do it on her own, she was just a slight
girl. Here, she was well in with Eden of Sevenspells, and now the
name of that province is mentioned again. We can’t seem to turn
anywhere without Shiver’s intrigues turning up. The man’s beginning
to infuriate me."

“And all of us. Here, let’
s raise a drink to our victory.
”

“That is most certainly something I can drink
to.”

Neyv filled the glasses. She handed them out,
not uttering a single word.

“Can you talk, lass?"

Instead of responding to Erran, Neyv dropped
her eyes and gave him a small curtsey. Sammah answered for her.
“She’s a shy thing. She just likes to do what I tell her, and
complete her studies. She will make an excellent wife for someone
one day”

“Indeed. Rather dull though, don’t you
think?”

“I’d rather dull and obedient, than pretty
and reckless.”

Neyv just bobbed her head again and left the
room. She didn’t like the way the lords were talking, but it was
the way of men. She had it all the time, and she didn’t speak
against them. There was no point. She could get them to change
their minds, but that wouldn’t mean they would really believe what
they were saying. Neyv had always found that people told her what
she wanted them to hear, but when she was out of earshot and people
forgot they had seen her, their old ways of thinking came back
again. The longer she studied people, the more she wanted to find a
way to make them permanently change their minds.

She wanted to be friends with Quinn for that.
Sammah had been so intent that the girl could control emotions, and
Neyv had thought that, with her and Quinn together, they could have
made the world a better place. But Quinn wasn’t here, and she had
betrayed their father. So Neyv would have to do things on her own,
and it seemed her father had the best way of doing that. She took a
seat in the antechamber, her knees together sitting on a plain
wooden chair. She placed a hand on each knee, and stared straight
ahead at the plain wall. Her back was straight, her chin high. Neyv
stayed there for the next four hours until Sammah staggered out.
She barely moved; it was like a child had placed a doll there, and
left it behind. Here was Sammah, to pick her back up again.

“I need you Neyv.”

“Of course,"

Neyv trotted back into the room, and could
see that the lords were blind drunk. She didn’t understand why
these men liked wine. The more that they drank, the less they could
think. They could barely talk, let alone walk. What a horrible way
to be.

“I was just repeating to the lords here, how
the king pardoned me when Shiver’s treachery was exposed.”

“I remember! See Obrenn, I told you. Our
apologies. Must’ve been the wine.”

“Thank you Neyv, that will be all.”

Quinn’s
neck ached from looking up. Eden definitely hadn’t lied about the
scale of Sevenspells. Lancing had been very quaint. They’d spent
two nights in the small holding at the base of the cliff, and the
lord Owain had been more than accommodating. When Harn had swept
in, their innkeeper almost fell the floor with the depth of his
bow. Harn had ignored the poor man. When Eden and River followed
Harn, he had tripped, falling to his knees. Harn had bawled about
the inn not being prepared, and the innkeeper had stammered a
response about not being aware of the royal visit. River had
approached the man, his self-effacing congenial manner calming the
man down within moments. River had reassured him that it
was
an unexpected visit, that they neither needed nor desired nothing
more than the common man would get. That, of course, was a
pointless statement—they got more attentive service and better food
than everyone else ever got in that place. River and Eden were
housed in the best rooms, with Eden insistent that Quinn stopped
with him.

Quinn hadn’t protested, and under the shadow
of the castle of Sevenspells, its ominous turrets threatening to
collapse and crush her, Quinn could see the painful end of her time
with Eden bearing down on her. They hadn’t spoken much, deciding to
just enjoy each other’s company. Quinn had met River to for the
first time, and she couldn’t imagine a man more opposed to his
father in personality. She thought Eden had been a man, but Eden
had some personality and power. River was a wet fish, and would
never be fit to rule.
Just as well that Rowan was the
firstborn
, not that Quinn ever thought she’d hear herself say
that.

“We’ll start the ascent today. How do you
feel?”

“I’m not looking forward to it, and not just
because what we’ll find at the top."

“I know what you mean. At least the journey
has been fun. And I mean that, Quinn, all of it. I wouldn’t change
a single moment of this.”

“I wouldn’t either Eden. I’m glad to have met
you, and I know that will remain friends. I made myself a promise
you know."

“Oh? What’s that?”

“To never use my ability on you again."

“Why is that?” Eden cocked his head, a mug of
ale halfway to his lips. Quinn thought he was playing with her, but
she had to bite her lip to stop herself instinctively checking his
raw emotion, rather than just talking to him to find out, like a
normal girl would.

“It’s not fair on you. I have this advantage
and you have none. I thought that… When I thought that if we’re
going to have a relationship, that I couldn’t keep using the
abilities. I always have an unfair advantage on you, and it would
skew the entire way I viewed our lives together. If I don’t use the
ability, then it’s just me reacting to you, not the empath. You
didn’t fall in love with the empath, you fell in love with
Quinn.”

“Sometimes I wish that I haven’t found out
about your ability you know. Then, I remind myself that without the
ability, you might been just like everyone else. Don’t regret what
you have Quinn. It made you who you are today, and
that’s
the woman fell in love with.”

“Would we have a chance together if I wasn’t
an empath?”

“
I don
’t think we
would. As the adopted daughter of the baron maybe, but only if
there was no conflict between the two lands. No, I don’t wish any
part of you changed. Because it wouldn’t have changed the outcome,
not really. Things happen for a reason, and I won’t forget
you.”

“I should hope not!”

They grinned at each other, trying to keep
the mood light. The ascent up the cliff to the Castle of
Sevenspells would be when the mood dropped, Quinn knew it. This was
still their time, and she was determined to see it all out. They
had perhaps only a few hours left together. They would go to bed,
and go to sleep. Then they’d be woken in the morning by Harn, and
he would drag her before Shiver for judgement. If there was one
person in their retinue that Quinn did want to use her ability on,
it was Harn. Even worse than Shiver, who could perhaps blame
lineage and fame gained in the Empath Wars for his egotistical
posturing, Harn was just a disgusting human being. Quinn had
daydreamed about making him walk off the path to a gruesome
plummeting death, though she knew that would be the same as signing
her own death writ. She did her best to try and avoid him, although
sometimes the man was just too in everyone’s face. He kept on
baiting Eden, pointing out that he was still a lord where his
brothers were princes, reminding him constantly of how fragile his
standing was with his father. Eden responded to this in the only
way he knew how—he’d ignored him. Eden confided in her that Harn
was a troublemaker, and always stirred up dissent between the
brothers and their father. Eden had learned how to handle him long
ago, and Harn hated that. It had become an escalating game between
them, and it was one that Eden was tired of playing. For her part,
Quinn hated it. She wished he didn’t have to play such games with
such people, but she’d lived her whole life in and around court,
and knew that he had no alternative.