Traitor's Blade

THE WAR SONG

I wish I could say that my King met his death fearlessly, with a smile on his face and a joke on his lips. But when the guard let me into the tower chamber I found Paelis huddled in the corner, shivering and weeping and coughing.

‘I didn’t think it would be here,’ he said at last. ‘I thought … a trial or a public execution, some chance to speak – but it’s to be in here, tonight, in the dark.’

He looked as small and weak as he had the day ten years ago when I’d come to Castle Aramor with a blade in hand ready to murder a King. I couldn’t find any words to reply.

‘No,’ he said, composing himself. ‘No, I’ll be all right. I didn’t think I’d get to speak to you again, but their general is a reasonable man and he said he’d grant a request if it wasn’t unreasonable. It hadn’t even occurred to me that he might offer and so I couldn’t think of anything except that it would be good to talk to you again, Falcio.’

He looked around the room for a moment. ‘Gods. I had finally convinced myself that I wouldn’t end up back in this room. Can you imagine that? A decade of freedom and just as soon as you take it for granted—’

‘We would have rather died, you know. You took that away from us,’ I said at last. He was my King and my friend, but I couldn’t help saying it. His last act had been to strip us of everything that mattered.

He took my hand and kissed it. An odd gesture for a King. ‘I know you would have,’ he said, ‘but I couldn’t allow that. My time is over, Falcio, but the Greatcoats are my gift to the world. The one truly important accomplishment of my lifetime.’

‘But it’s over now,’ I said. ‘We are disbanded for all time.’

‘No,’ he said. ‘Remember King Ugrid? He tried to disband the Greatcoats, and for a hundred years his order stood. But we brought them back, Falcio, you and I: we brought them back to the world. And you can do it again.’

‘How?’ I asked.

‘I haven’t been idle, Falcio, and I haven’t told you everything I’ve been doing. Years ago I began hiding my Charoites throughout the realm. You have to find them now. You and Kest and Brasti.’

‘My King, you told me this before, and I’ll do my best to look for them, but can you not tell me anything more?’

‘Only that they are priceless beyond measure, and even just one of them can bring down the Dukes.’

‘But how will we even know if we’ve found one?’ I asked.

‘If we’re both very lucky, you won’t know – that’s the only way the jewels will be safe until the time is right. Look for them, but do not expect to find them. Do you understand?’

‘No,’ I said, irritation overcoming sadness, ‘of course I don’t understand. No one could, because it doesn’t make any sense.’

‘Hush then, for a moment, and listen,’ he said. ‘There is one more thing you’re going to do for me.’

He told me what he wanted me to do and I agreed and then we sat and he talked and I listened but I don’t remember what he said. After an hour or so we heard the guard coming up the staircase and I drew the four-inch blade concealed in one of the pockets of my greatcoat and I jammed it straight into the King’s heart.

And so I kept my vow to the general that he would not kill my King.

It didn’t take long for the Duke of Jillard’s army to overtake us. There wasn’t any point in trying to run any further.

‘You’ve led us on a merry chase, Valiana,’ the Duke said.

Shiballe, by his side, grinned.

‘That’s not her name, actually,’ Brasti said.

The Duke ignored him. ‘But imagine my surprise to learn from Shiballe that you are not, in fact, Duchess Patriana’s and my daughter at all but the progeny of some peasant woman. Ah, well, perhaps you’re still my daughter. I bedded many a maid in Hervor during my bachelor days.’

‘You don’t need her,’ I said. ‘You can let her go.’

The Duke frowned at me. ‘Now why would I want to do that? I have her, and soon I’ll have the scrolls back and, since they bear Duchess Patriana’s seal as well as mine, I may as well take the girl and make her a Queen after all. I’m sure that she will be pliable to my wishes after the proper training for a year or two.’

He looked down at Aline. ‘The little one has to die, though. She has unfortunate qualities I wish to see extinguished from the world.’

‘Why?’ I asked. ‘Why is it so important to kill off the Tiarren line?’

The Duke smiled. ‘Tatter-cloak, I couldn’t care less for the Tiarren line. Lord Tiarren was a buffoon and his Lady was only interesting to me insofar as her previous entanglements were concerned.’

‘You can’t do this,’ I said, though I had nothing whatsoever to back up my statement.

‘Why not? I seem to have an army behind me.’

‘We have a Saint,’ Brasti said, pointing at Kest.

‘Your Saint seems to be unconscious,’ the Duke replied.

‘My Lord, there’s someone coming up the path,’ Shiballe said.

The Duke looked around, and so did we. A stooped figure was making its way gradually up the hill.

‘Oh, hells, not her again,’ Brasti said.

‘Who?’ I asked.

‘You know who,’ she bellowed from halfway up the slope.

Several of the Duke’s men ran down and grabbed her. They dragged her to the Duke and dropped her at his feet.

‘Bless you, boys,’ the Tailor said to the soldiers. ‘I honestly didn’t think I’d make it up that hill.’

‘What are you doing here, old woman? Do you not value your life?’ Shiballe demanded.

‘Not especially,’ she said, ‘since no one else appears to. But to answer yer Lordship’s question, I came to deliver you a message and these here a gift.’

‘You have time for the message but not the gift, I’m afraid,’ the Duke said. He motioned to one of the soldiers and he brought his lance into line with the Tailor’s belly.

‘My Lord,’ Shiballe said, ‘I know who this woman is now. I’ve heard rumours about her, about her influence on the Greatcoats. She may have information as to their whereabouts. Give me leave to break the information from her.’

‘No need fer that, tubby,’ the Tailor said. ‘I’ll tell yer exactly what y’want to know – what you’ve wanted to know for a long time.’

‘And what’s that?’ the Duke asked, almost amused.

‘Where the Greatcoats are,’ she said casually, brushing more dirt from her sleeve.

‘Well then? Where are they?’

‘Ah,’ she said wagging a finger at him. ‘That’ll cost ye. Not much, mind; a very reasonable fee and one I’m sure ye’ll be willing to pay.’

‘My Lord, give the woman to me. I’ll—’

‘What do you want?’ the Duke asked.

‘It’s just a wee small thing,’ the Tailor said. ‘It’s jest that the Covenant you fine Dukes and the King agreed to, it’s always irked me. You can’t kill me; I can’t kill you … so if ye could just break it fer me, I’d be much appreciative.’

The Duke threw his head back and laughed. ‘The “Covenant”? Woman, don’t you think the Covenant’s been broken for some time now? What do you think I plan to do once you reveal the locations of the Greatcoats to me? Oh, old woman, have no fear. The Covenant is well and truly broken.’

‘Grand,’ she said; then, ‘See?’ She turned to Shiballe. ‘Now, was that so hard?’

Shiballe’s eyes were shifting furiously as he tried to understand what was happening. ‘Tell us then, you stupid old cow. Tell us where the Greatcoats are, if you truly know.’

The Tailor looked up at the Duke and then smiled. ‘They’re here,’ she said.

Then she screamed a single word at the sky, so loud and so clear that I swear the trees themselves would carry the sound imprinted in their bark for all time.

The word was, ‘Paelis.’