Kassrylon kept to the deepest part of the shadows in the glade with Blade hovering next to him, hiding in his own shadow. He could smell her faint, clean scent and feel the warmth of her body next to him. It was comforting and gave him something to balance against. The ales were still working on him, making the ground tilt treacherously and causing the world to spin much too swiftly for his liking. With a soft groan, he leaned against a solid tree trunk and closed his eyes. The ranger knew that he was going to regret that particular part of the plan come the morning.
“Here,” Blade whispered as she pressed a waterskin into his hands. “It’ll help.”
“Food would help more,” he grunted. “Got any waybread?”
“Waybread would make it worse, actually. You’d want something heavy and greasy.” He blanched, his stomach turning at the thought. “Oh, don’t be such a baby. Trust me, it would soak up the alcohol quicker than anything else.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
“Any sign of your brother?”
“He’ll be here,” Kass muttered. “Give ‘im time. We got here early, ya know. The first moon still hasn’t set.”
“Then why don’t you sit down and take a nap?” Blade suggested. “I’ll keep you from snoring.”
“Because if I sleep while I’m this drunk, you ain’ gonna be able to wake me up. Ssht,” he hissed, hearing footsteps coming. A couple of minutes later the sound of leaves rustling drew up alongside where Kass and Blade were hidden. Kass inhaled deeply — he could smell his brother.
“Kass?” Sokan asked softly. “Who are you talking to?”
“Don’t worry ‘bout it,” the ranger growled. “You wanna tell me just what in the name of the Thunderer is going on with you?”
“What do you mean?” Sokan asked quickly. He tried to assume an air of innocence and nonchalance but Kass knew his brother far too well for that to work. “I just got here a few days ago. I’m here to take the Oath and join the Search for the Seven Scepters. It will be a fitting work for me, don’t you think? A bard joining with other brave adventurers as they search for the holiest relic. Perhaps my epics will be part of the next Great Saga!”
“You are as full of shit as sack of manure, Sokan,” Kass growled. “You were captured by the Patogan army. You escaped at the same time that their youngest princess went missing. Now, I’m going to ask you once if you know anything about that. Right now, they’re trying to pin the whole thing on me and gods alone know why. I’m not even sure how my name got dragged into this or why they were coming for me or you in the first damned place!” He ignored the snort from Blade next to him.
Sokan took a deep breath. “I was captured soon after I crossed the border. They didn’t believe I was a bard at first. Or that’s what they claimed. Once they were certain I was who they thought I was, I was given freedom of the camp but was not allowed to leave. It was the princess herself who wanted me captured.”
“Why?”
“Because of my connection to you. She’s the one who sent her guards to find you. She wanted to hire you to track down her older sister — the one who isn’t with the army. I stayed with her and got to know her. She’s a sweet kid who deserves better than what’s happened to her in life and she misses the only sister she really has. The woman who was taking care of her died and I think that many of her other supporters were poisoned or had a sickness cast on them using magic. There are spies in that camp. So, I smuggled her out of there and to a place where she’ll be safe.”
Kass put a hand on Blade’s leg — he hoped it was her leg — and squeezed it to remind her to stay calm. “Where’s that?” he asked his brother.
“I’m not going to tell you that until I know for certain who it is that is hiding out with you,” the bard said sharply. Kass swore and he heard Blade snarl softly. “It must be someone you trust because they’re too close to you for you not to know they’re there. So, either they have a weapon on you and you have no choice or you trust them. Which is it?”
“I trust ‘er,” Kass muttered. “For what it’s worth. How’d you spot her?”
“I can hear her breathing,” Sokan shrugged. “Who is it? How is she hiding?”
“End the spell,” Kass ordered. Blade muttered something but Kass kept his eyes on his brother’s face. When Sokan’s eyes widened, he knew that the druid had dropped her spell. The ranger cut his eyes over to her and sighed at the way she was glaring at his brother. “Sokan, this is Blade.”
“Kelsa, you mean. You found her. Lady, your sister will be overjoyed to see you again.”
“Where is Gesthina?” Blade demanded. Sokan blinked and looked confused. “My sister, Bassina,” she clarified. “Where is she?”
“She’s safe.”
“Where, Sokan?” Kass pressed.
“I’ll tell you, but not here. Too much of a chance of someone overhearing,” he added, glancing around at the trees. “Redo your spell, Blade — I assume that’s the name you’re using so others don’t know who you are?” she nodded. “Follow me — but not too close. You’ll want to be able to say you aren’t with me just in case I do get caught.”
Kass was impressed. Apparently Sokan had been listening and paying attention when he’d taken the boy out with him. True, his little brother was no ranger or druid but he could move fairly quietly and he’d chosen a location that he could control access to. He led them into a cave that was two hours away from the city. The cave itself wound deep enough into the hillside that they couldn’t be seen from the mouth but not so far that they couldn’t get out quickly. Sokan had strung up a windbreak to block light and sound. Once they were behind it, he pulled out his flint and quickly lit a torch that he set in a makeshift brazier. Sitting down, he motioned for Kass and Blade to make themselves comfortable. Blade reversed the spell and settled down gracefully. Kass remained standing.
“Basa is in the Temple of Ali’ama. The priests of Sancria recognized her and have sworn her sanctuary against all who would harm her. They gave their oaths the old way, sworn in blood over fire. I go by there several times a day to check on her. One of the priestesses has taken her in charge and Basa says that she thinks the woman is related to Hessa. I’ve also spoken with the druids at the grove and they’ve granted her sanctuary as well because of you, Lady.”
“Don’t call me ‘Lady’ or ‘Kelsa,’” Blade snarled. “Call me Blade. That’s the name I give most people.”
“Why not the name you took when you became a druid?” Sokan asked curiously.
“Because that name was given in a special ceremony and has power,” she explained. “I’ll only reveal it to those I trust completely.”
“I see. Regardless, your sister is safe. She wants to see you. I can take you to see her if you’d like. But there is still the problem of my brother and I both being hunted by her army and Qoth’s. I’m still planning to Swear to the Pact but I do not plan to spend the rest of my life held prisoner by one of the armies or living as an outlaw. I imagine Kass won’t much care for that kind of life either.”
“I know that he would not,” she said dryly. “The problem is that I have little influence with my sister’s army and none at all with Qoth’s.”
“I had hoped that your presence here was because you did have some ability to sway your sister’s guards,” Sokan sighed. “I understand that you have no desire to rule but if you took the Seat, you could…”
“No,” Blade said firmly.
“May I ask why you refuse? Is it more than just hatred for your father and a desire for freedom?”
“What do you think you know of me, Sokan Llhersian?” she asked quietly. Kass looked over at her. He recognized that tone and prayed that his brother did as well. He’d heard it right before a knife came out. “I don’t doubt you’ve heard the rumors about me. Yes, I hate my father. He was a bastard. He ran this country into the ground. He’s the one who made it possible for Qoth to nearly take out our entire family in one fell swoop. All because he was so determined that I would follow him onto the Seat. I love my country, Sokan Llhersian, but I would be an even worse ruler than my father. I do not have the gift of dealing with people. I have no patience with them. I care little for the laws of men or their ways. I’m no diplomat or politician. My father knew all of these things about me by the time I was seven. He knew that I was a skilled fighter and more at home in the forests than in the city. But all he could think of was that I was his favorite so of course I should take the seat after him.”
“Do you think that one of your brothers or sisters was better suited to rule?” Kass asked gently. It was something that had been bothering him ever since he’d woken up in her hide-out.
“Before the Reaper’s Supper, I would have said that my brother Zolinas would have been a good choice. My father disliked him because he was quiet and slow to act. Zolinas also believed that a man should take only one wife. The only exception he would allow in that was for a ruler who had a wife who was infertile, unable to have children, or beyond her childbearing years and who lacked an heir. My bastard father believed that showed that Zolinas was weak and would be ruled by his wife,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He couldn’t have been more wrong.”
“Any others?” Kass wondered.
“Jamiala might have been a passable ruler but she was a bit impetuous. The rest were too much like our father or unsuited in other ways. Gesthina, though, is the best choice out of all of us. She has always had the soundest judgment, the most impartiality, a great talent for dealing with people of all types, and a mind that is both a sponge and a steel trap. With her on the Seat, Patoga would return to a golden age.”
“I see,” Sokan whispered. “I don’t disagree with you, La…Blade. Basa is a sweet girl. I’ve grown very fond of her in the short time I’ve known her. I just fear that the Seat would crush her, young as she is.”
“She would need a Regent,” Blade agreed. “Hessa would have been a fine one but if she’s dead, then the next best Regent is Arlinia.”
“Who is she and where would we find her?” Kass asked.
“She is Hessa’s sister. Their family has been in service to my family for generations. They’re bound to us by ties of blood, oaths, and magic,” Blade explained. “It’s complicated. She serves because she really has no choice but to serve. As for where she is…she’s acting as an adviser to my bitch of a sister, Pagalia. Oh, don’t look at me like that,” she growled. “She was assigned to her; she doesn’t like her.”
“And who was assigned to you, Blade?”
“Rasia. She was killed at the Reaper’s Supper.”
“So, will Arlinia act as Regent for Basa?” Sokan asked.
“She will. But getting to her will be tricky. However, I think we can get both of you out of the fix you’re currently in.”
“Oh? How?” Kass asked with interest.
“Yeah. I just thought of it. If Gesthina is under the protection of the Order of Sancria and the Druids of Nyria and Menesla, they’ll let her stay at the Temple of Ali’ama. The Order of Sancria has its own army. They can protect her. They’ll allow some of her own guards in as well. In time, I may be able to convince them to recognize her as the rightful ruler of Patoga.”
“That would take something truly extraordinary,” Sokan whistled. Kass nodded in agreement. “A sign from the Gods Above.”
“We’d practically have to find one of the damned Scepters,” Kass muttered. Blade and Sokan both stared at him before their faces brightened as if they had the same idea. Their sapphire eyes sparkled and their long, thin noses made them look as if they were mirror images of each other, giving Kass the stomach-turning sensation that he was seeing double. “No,” he growled as Blade opened her mouth. “Not for all the diamonds in Cessarisia.”
“C’mon, Kass,” Sokan chuckled. “It’s almost like it was fated to happen. Why are you two here anyway?”
“To take the Oath,” Blade laughed. “It was the only definitive way to ensure I’d be permanently removed from the line of succession. It would also keep him out of trouble.”
“Then it’s settled,” Sokan grinned. “Tomorrow, we all three join the Search. We find a Scepter, bring it back to Basa, and she’ll be able to take the Seat of the Prime. Wait, Kass,” he said when he saw that his brother had turned and begun to walk out of the cave. “Where are you going?”
“If we’re actually going to be looking for a damned Scepter,” Kass swore, “I’m gonna be getting a whole lot drunker.”