Tag: book release

Falling From Grace, Chapter Three

A few days later Grace woke alone in her bed with a feeling that she was late for something. There was a pressure, a certainty that she had a crucial, important thing to do, and that it must be done at once. She got out of bed in a flash, and pulled her clothes on. It took only moments to tug a tan dress over her shift and lace it up, but it seemed an eternity. Brushing out her hair and setting it in a bun to keep it out of her face took years. She brewed a cup of tea, and then sat down with a scrap of paper and a rough piece of charcoal to consider what she needed to do. What could weigh on her so desperately that she felt in such a rush?

She wrote down everything she could think of, everything that might need done. Clean the house, weed the garden, do the washing. It was a small enough list, but it seemed to press on her. With another quick sip of her tea, she headed to the river to collect a bucket of water and get started.

She was on her knees in the fireplace, scrubbing the soot away with a wire brush and heavy soap when she heard a gentle knock on her door. Grace winced as she got up, and opened the door to find Nikita standing there.

“Oh, you look a mess,” Nikita said. “What have you got soot all over you for?”

“I was scrubbing out the fireplace, what do you think?” Grace asked.

Nikita looked around the room, which had all been thoroughly scoured in the last few hours. “I was worried when I did not see you in the square. May and June said they had not seen you since supper last night.”

“I just needed to get some cleaning done before I came down,” Grace said. She ducked her wash rag into the water and started wiping away the soap. “It was such a mess, disgusting. What would Victor have thought if he had come home to that?”

Nikita shrugged. “Well, it looks fine now. Will you come back with me?”

“Suppose I should. The quiet cannot be good for me.”

“It is not good for me, either. I wonder, could I come and sleep here until the men get back? I would feel better if I was not alone at night.”

So she was not to have any peace, even in the evening.

“That would be fine,” Grace said. She used a dry cloth to wipe down her face and hands, then the front of her dress. “Come on, I guess.”

Nikita nodded, and all but pulled Grace to the square. June and May were there, busy with their needles. “There you are. What, were you sleeping in?” June asked.

“Oh, shut up,” Grace said. She had her own sewing to do, working over scraps from some old clothes for a blanket. She pulled her things out of her bag, taking a seat next to May. “Is Morgan off hunting again?”

“Yes,” June snorted. “For all the good it will do him.”

“He caught that nice pheasant the first day,” Grace said. “What happened to him?”

“Dunno, but Olga’s little boy has brought more game out of those woods than Morgan,” May sighed. “It is a shame, too. I would love to have some meat tonight.”

“He had better get himself together, in case Da-,” June began. She pursed her lips together and didn’t say anything more. Not as though she needed to.

May glance up from her work, as though to comfort her sister. But her face darkened. “What is she doing here?” she asked.

Grace followed her gaze and saw Yeva, creeping towards the collection of women. Traditionally, women and daughters of men who died didn’t come near the gathering in the square. It was a kindness, to keep away. To not remind women of the men lost before.

“She looks lost,” May said. “Should we invite her to sit with us?”

“I will leave if you do,” Grace said flatly.

“Be kind. She lost all of her family,” May said. “You know what that is like.”

Grace thought of Yulia, running from her house with Grace’s ma’s book. She thought of the silence, days later, when Grace had hammered on the door to beg for her book back. Yulia had forever acted as though the book had never belonged to Grace, as though her ma and grandma’s writing wasn’t on every page. “Aye, I do. And I earned a spot at someone else’s table, looking after you. She can find a way to be useful, or look after herself. A handout will just make her weak.”

“Grace, look,” Nikita said.

Outside of the circle of women and children stalked a thin man with thinner hair. He leered at the women, giving Grace a filthy smile when she looked his way.

“Yurick,” Grace muttered. “Can Timur not keep him under control?”

“He does this every mission, everyone knows he is too weak to be sent out himself,” June said.

“Worthless old fool,” Grace said.

“It is sick, what he is doing,” May hissed. “Sneaking about trying to get a woman alone while her man is gone. This is exactly why Morgan should have stayed here instead of going out to hunt.”

The day passed slowly. Once the sewing was done the girls weeded the garden and dug up some potatoes for supper. They went to the river and trapped a few fish, tiny things. Grace baked some bread, from her share of the flour that the men had gotten during their last raid. Nikita had some carrots. The food was cooking when Morgan returned, carrying a few dead squirrels by their tails.

“Well,” he grinned, holding up the animals. “Had better luck today.”

“Oh yes,” June crooned, looking over the animals. “That will be such a meal for five people.”

“You know what you are?” Morgan snapped, gesturing wildly with the dead squirrels still in his hand. “You are a thankless khu’i. I do not see you out there, trying to find anything to kill in those woods.”

“Um, excuse me, Grace?”

Yeva was standing near their cook fire. To Grace’s fury, she was holding her ma’s book in her hands.

“What do you want?” Grace asked.

“I, well I wondered if I could ask you a question. Lada gets these headaches, and she said my grandma used to make her a tea for them. Something stronger than willow bark, she said. But I cannot find the recipe anywhere. Do you have any idea what it might be, or where I might find it?”

“Why would you think I would tell you anything?” Grace asked. “You have the book, look it up yourself.”

“This book is too complicated for me. I mean, the medicine recipes are all intermixed with these strange symbols and I cannot make any sense of it. Besides, I am no healer. I only ever learned about midwifery,” Yeva said. “Grandma said you used to apprentice under her, I just thought-.”

“Your grandma was a dirty liar,” Grace said. “Now get away from here, you are not wanted. Go on, go home.”

“I need help. What is anyone going to do in this village if we have a healer who does not know what she is doing?” Yeva asked.

“I guess we will have to sort it out, since that is the situation we are in,” May replied.

Yeva turned away, her shoulders drooping. Grace felt her conscious pinch, but just for a moment. She wanted to snatch the book away from the girl, but what good would it do? She was no healer either.

***

Everyone dithered around the fires after supper. The women were hesitant to go home to empty beds. The children, unaccustomed to the mysteries and magic of the night, were just happy to be sitting around a fire and listening to stories from their mas and sisters. Thus it was late when the women started heading for their homes. Some carried little ones on their hips, others led sleepy ones too big to be carried anymore.

Grace, Nikita, Morgan and the girls left in a group. They were moving a little slow, acting a little silly. Morgan had a bottle of vodka, and they’d been passing the spirit around.

“Those wee little squirrels,” June laughed. “I suppose they were better than nothing with some potatoes, but they were so tiny!”

“A small animal is harder to catch than a bigger one,” Morgan said, shaking his finger at his sister.

“Then you should have spared yourself the trouble, and gotten bigger ones,” May chuckled.

“Oh, stop fussing at your brother,” Grace said. “He is trying, that is important. You keep right on hunting, Morgan, and you will get better someday.”

“The woods are half hunted out. That is what Boris says,” Nikita said.

“Da never fails to bring something home,” June responded, mulish.

“I am going to bed,” Morgan snapped and headed for the door. His hands were glowing blue. It wasn’t the shield magic of his uncle, or the destructive force his da had. It was just light. But on a dark night like that one, light was enough.

Morgan and the girls headed for their house, while Grace led Nikita to hers. “I will set a cot out in front of the fire for you,” Grace said. She shut the door, and secured it with the solid brace Victor had put in before he left. She tried not to think, before he left for good. It was just left, and he would be back. He had to come back.

Grace turned from the door, and nearly tripped over Nikita. She was frozen in place, staring at a shadow in the corner of the room.

Yurick emerged from the shadow, calmly. “It is about time you girls got home,” he said. He breathed deep, as though casting for their scents like a hunting hound. “I have been anxious, waiting for you.”

“You have no reason to be here, Yurick. Get gone,” Grace said, pushing Nikita behind her.

“Ah, but I do have a reason to be here,” Yurick said. He walked slowly towards them. “Nothing gets me harder than a woman with child.”

“Nikita, go,” Grace said, shoving the other woman toward the door. Nikita pulled the brace free, and ran. Yurick was at the door in a moment, slamming it shut behind her and trapping Grace in with him. He hit her, sending her sprawling on the ground next to the table.

“Are you so eager for a man?” he chortled, as Grace shook her head, trying to clear it. “Alright, then. I can have little Nikita later and you now.”

He fell on Grace, pulling up her skirts. Grace grabbed for the closest thing to her, a stool at the table. She hit Yurick hard in the side of the head, and shoved him off of her.

“You bitch!” he yelled, but Grace didn’t waste time. She brought the stool down on his head again, and again.

“Stop, stop it!” he cried. “I will leave, I will!”

“To do what, rape some other woman?” Grace snarled, and hit him again.

Just then the door slammed open. Morgan came in with a sword in his hand, June just behind him.

“Oh, Land and Sky,” Morgan snorted, looking at the puddle of Yurick on the floor. “You worthless old man, what did you think you were going to do?”

Grace stopped hitting him, allowing Morgan to grab the sobbing man by the back of his shirt. “Get out of here. I catch you sniffing around my aunt again and I will run your hide through.”

Morgan shoved him out of the house, laughing when Yurick stumbled and fell.

“Grace, are you alright?” June asked.

“He did not get what he wanted,” Grace said, setting the stool down with shaking hands. “I might have banged my head on the floor when he hit me, that is all.”

“Grace!” May called, running to the front door. “Grace, Nikita is going into labor!”

“What?” June gasped.

“She just collapsed on the floor as soon as Morgan and June ran out, and water started pouring out of her. What do we do?”

“There is no experienced midwife,” June said numbly. “What can we do for her?”

The three of them looked to Grace, as though she would have some sort of an answer. She had to have one.

“Damn it, someone go and fetch Yeva,” Grace said finally.

“She is a girl,” May said.

“She is an apprentice midwife, which is more than any of us,” Grace replied. “Go May. June, start boiling water. Let us get the new ma in a bed. Morgan come on.”

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Broken Patterns, Chapter Three

Broken Patterns is available everywhere today!

Lenore stood with the other ladies of court on the steps of the palace, trying desperately to suppress a sigh. Her cousins, Harper and Joan, stood next to her. Joan was Uncle Joseph’s daughter and a Mestonie. She stood closer than Harper, who was Uncle Lewis’s daughter and on the queen’s side of the family. Lenore thought that if Joan whispered one more comment about how they were the only Mestonie girls and therefore should set a shining example, she was going to go ahead and let Harper punch her out of her boots.

Lorna glanced back at Lenore, and said, “Wipe that nasty look off of your face. King Omar will arrive any minute. I’ll not have you looking like a spoiled toddler.”

She widened her eyes and planted a great smile on her mouth. “How lovely indeed, Mother. Perhaps King Omar could explain to me how it was vitally important I not be allowed to have even one of my dogs with me, seeing as how the last time we visited him in Calistar I had three, and he seemed to find this delightful.”

Harper giggled, but stopped after a look from the queen. “Sorry, Auntie,” she whispered.

Lorna glanced back at Victor, who stood just behind Lenore. “How ungrateful you are, Lenore. I did let you bring one of your dogs,” she snapped.

“Why is King Omar coming to visit now?” Hannah asked quickly.

“To talk to Ambassador Vitaly, and be a friend to Papa,” Lenore said. “He’s holding up really well after Uncle Issac’s death, but I can imagine he’d like to see his friend right about now.”

“It was such a crushing loss to the Mestonie family,” Joan said, batting her eyes. “Really, it’s been difficult for us all.”

“Especially those of us who actually liked Michael,” Harper muttered. “As opposed to those who lived in their country estate and only saw him once a year on his birthday.”

Lorna cleared her throat. The crowds at the front of the palace were cheering, as the royal gondola glided into view.

King Omar was the first person anyone would have noticed. Over six feet tall, he had the dark brown skin of Calistar, a completely bald head, and a neat goatee. He wore a white silk tunic and loose flowing breeches, with a long dagger tucked into his sash. He was standing up on the gondola with Samuel, both waiving to the cheering people.

“Princess, how should I feel about this man?” Victor asked.

“He’s my papa’s best friend, and he likes us well enough,” Lenore said. “But he won’t be in the same room as a girl unless her husband or father is there.”

“That’s not just the king,” Harper said, “It’s the law in Calistar. Don’t make it sound like he’s being strange, Lenore.”

“The girls wear veils over their faces, but leave their bellies exposed like prostitutes, you tell me how that’s not strange,” Joan replied.

“I really hope we just got that all out of our system before anyone important could hear you,” Lorna said.

“Yes, Aunt,” the other girls replied.

The gondola came to a halt in front of the steps. Samuel and Omar disembarked, and made their way up the stairs. “Ah, Queen Lorna,” Omar called in his booming voice. “You look more lovely every time I see you.”

“Thank you, King Omar,” Lorna said with a smile and a curtsy.

“And the little ladies,” Omar said. “Samuel, I don’t know how you let them walk around without veils. They are too precious to be seen by all these unworthy men. Princess Lenore, I hardly recognize you without your puppies.”

Lenore and the girls made neat curtsies to Omar. “I am honored to see you again, King Omar,” she said, in perfect Calistarian.

He laughed out loud, and said in the same tongue, “Clever girl, very clever. I’ve brought my two oldest daughters to visit with you. I am sure you will have a wonderful time with them.”

Lenore, who knew very well that Omar’s oldest daughter was two years younger, suppressed a wince. “I am sure that I will be as good of friends with them as you are with my papa,” she said.

A second gondola was pulling up to the docks. Two girls dressed all in white silk sat on the benches, their faces covered in veils. How am I to carry on a conversation with two girls whose faces I can’t even see? she thought.

As they disembarked, Lenore noticed that the taller of the two was indeed wearing a shirt that didn’t cover her stomach, and there was a diamond set in her navel. They walked serenely up to Lenore, and set their hands together before giving an inclination of their heads. Lenore did the same, having learned to do so while staying in Calistar. Joan tried to imitate her, but Harper simply curtsied.

“It is wonderful to meet you, Princess Lenore,” said the taller one. “My sister and I were too young to be properly introduced when you visited our home. My name is Sultiana, and this is Chrissie.” The shorter girl nodded.

“I’m very happy to meet you both,” Lenore said.

“Let’s head inside now,” Lorna said, gesturing towards the courtyard. “It is rather warm out in the sun today, and we have cold drinks waiting.”

As the Calistar Princesses fell into step beside Lenore, Chrissie whispered, “Warm? It’s freezing out here.”

“Chrissie, shut up,” Sultiana hissed. “You are a guest.”

“D’you really think it’s cold?” Hannah asked. She and Lady Larissa, the final young woman of court, had quickened their steps to join them.

“It is in comparison to home,” Sultiana explained.

“That’s right, Calistar is a desert,” Harper said. “I’ve always wanted to see it, but my papa doesn’t like it. He says it’s too far away from the water for mages like us.”

“How do you survive with all that sand?” Larissa asked. “Doesn’t it just ruin your things?”

“Not all of us wear cloth of gold gowns to Midweek supper,” Lenore replied.

The other girls laughed. Larissa, whose father was the royal treasurer, pointed her nose in the air.

They all settled in the large library just off of the dining hall. This was Lenore’s favorite room in the palace. Sofas were scattered around the room, and the walls were lined with bookshelves. The whole roomed smelled of paper and ink, though there was still a lingering scent from the tobacco her Uncle Issac had smoked.

Lenore sat down on one couch, and the girls sat around her, with Sultiana on her left and Hannah on her right.

“I do wish we might have visited somewhere away from the men, so that we could take our veils off,” Sultiana said. “At home, we have our own sitting rooms, so that we can rest in privacy.”

“Must you have your veils on all the time in front of men?” Joan asked. “How do you eat?”

“We do not eat in the company of men unless they are our family,” Chrissie said.

“Oh, that might make supper difficult here,” Victor said.

The Calistar Princesses gasped, and turned away from him quickly.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to talk to them, Victor,” Lenore said.

Victor blushed. “Forgive me, Princess Lenore, for insulting your new friends. Please tell them for me that I did not intend to violate their customs.”

“What can one expect from a savage, after all,” Joan muttered.

“Princess Lenore, you allow your noblewomen to speak in such a way?” Sultiana said, her voice suddenly very quiet. “Because, it seems to me that the warrior responsible for protecting the greatest jewel of Septa should be shown more respect.”

“The greatest jewel in Septa,” Harper laughed. “Lenore, can I call you the greatest jewel in Septa? We should embroider that on your night robe.”

“Apparently we’re not as particular about nobility here,” Lenore said, trying not to laugh at Harper. “But you’re right. Seems awfully stupid to talk about a loyal man like that. Seems like a girl might just take offense at that, and slap someone’s face, if she doesn’t stop running her fat mouth.”

Joan gasped. She and Larissa excused themselves quickly, and left without waiting for Lenore’s leave.

“That seemed cruel,” Chrissie said.

“I quite agree, those girls were very rude,” Sultiana added.

Across the room, the kings were getting to their feet. “My friends,” Samuel said, “King Omar and I must discuss a few things, matters of state and such. Rather than bore you all with that, I’d like to invite you into the garden, where food and drink are waiting. We’ll join you when our work is completed.”

Lorna rose, among her ladies, and started to lead everyone out into the garden. Sultiana glanced around, and said, “That is very peculiar. Kadar and Shilom are not going with my honored father.”

“Who are Kadar and Shilom?” Lenore asked.

Sultiana pointed to a very tall man dressed in red with his hair in thick braids, and an older man dressed in blue with a prominent forehead. “That is Kadar, of the smith tribe, and Shilom, of the Scholars. They are his chief advisers. If our honored fathers are to discuss work, these men should be with them.”

Lenore glanced around, and noticed that Lord David and Uncle Lewis, her father’s own chief advisers, were leaving with the rest.
“What are they talking about without them, I wonder?” Lenore whispered. They went out into the garden. The sun was shining, and tables of food had been set out with blue tablecloths. Lenore glanced towards the wall. It had been repaired, but the bricks were of a different shade. She shuddered, wondering if she was the only one who thought it morbid that they were playing in the garden where Uncle Issac and Michael died. She glanced over at Devon. From the look on his face, she wasn’t.

“So, you won’t be able to properly meet my brothers, or the other boys of the court?” Lenore asked, trying to distract herself. “Or can you speak to them with your father present?”

“We may not speak to them at all,” Sultiana said. “In fact, I am surprised that my honored father even allowed us to be in this garden with all of these men without him.”

“Whatever he is talking to King Samuel about must be of the gravest importance, to break such laws,” Chrissie said.

“I wonder,” Sultiana said, looking along the wall, “if someone wanted to hear their conversation, what would they do?”

“They would be smart to forget that idea,” Chrissie said, “After all, they are kings, and if they want a moment of private conversation that not even their advisers are privy to, then surely their daughters should respect that.”

“Of course,” Lenore said, “but if someone wanted to do it, they could manage it by sneaking into the servants’ hall, and listening at the door.”

“And I am off,” Hannah said, “If my mamma finds me spying, she’ll have me shut up in the kitchens for a week, scrubbing pots.”

“I shall come with you, as Malonie smiles upon little girls who obey their elders, not those who delight in disobedience,” Chrissie replied. They made their way towards the food table.

“Right, so the servants’ halls have got an entrance right over here,” Harper said, pointing her thumb towards the wall.

“I think I ought to wait here, Princess,” Victor said. “I do not think it will be healthy for me to be found sneaking about with the Calistar princess, even in the company of others.”

“Good thinking, you can keep watch,” Lenore said. “Tell my mamma we went to the necessary room if she notices us gone?”

Victor gave her a wicked smile. “The Queen is well occupied, showing off for the ladies of court. You will not be missed, I think.”

The three girls glided serenely across the grass. “Will Chrissie tell?” Lenore asked.

“No, will your friend, Hannah?” Sultiana replied.

“She won’t,” Lenore said. They looked around when they got to the door to make sure no one was watching. Then, Harper opened it, and all three of them disappeared into the hall.

The servants’ hall was well lit with torches and set with a cobblestone floor. Lenore led Sultiana and Harper along until they reached the door that would lead them to the library. They saw no one along the way.

Outside of the room, all three girls clustered around the door to listen.

“I wish I didn’t have to ask this of you,” Omar was saying. “I know this is not the best time.”

“Not the best time!” Samuel cried. “Issac and Michael were just killed, right in front of two of my children! I’ve got the whole damn country in my lap, which I am apparently handling terribly, according to every single person who’s got anything to say to me. We’re on the threshold of war with Montelair. Not the best time is an understatement!”

“I haven’t got a choice,” Omar said. “You know how sensitive these things are for my people. If I don’t have an heir, I’ll be looking at civil war.”

Lenore looked at Sultiana. “What’s that about?” she asked.

“My father does not have a son, brother or any male relatives,” Sultiana said. “My honored mother passed into The Goddesses’ hands a year ago. Our people grow restless, with no heir apparent.”

“And your people are a little fussy with each other, aren’t they?” Harper asked.

“If by that you mean the tribe leaders would sooner cut each other’s throats than decide together who our next heir should be, then yes,” Sultiana replied. “There has already been fighting between the Smiths and the Herdsmen.”

“Samuel, I won’t get another chance like this,” Omar said. “Don’t you see what this would mean to my people? I’ve spent my life trying to get these closed border fools on my council to listen to me. You are still the only Septa man who can enter our lands without getting shot on sight. And a man who leaves with his family is hunted like a traitor by his own family. Now, I’ve got the Traders on my side, the Scholars as well. The Farmers will side with me just to stop the war. I’ve got the Smiths and the Herdsmen outvoted. If I can’t do this now, I will never get another chance.”

“Omar, you are asking me to give up one of my children,” Samuel said. “You’re asking me to change his family name, as though he was never even mine.”

“Not until they are married,” Omar said. “He’ll stay here until then.”

“Octavian?” Lenore whispered.

“Who is that?” Sultiana asked.

“My little brother,” Lenore replied. “But he can’t go to Calistar. He’s our heir.”

“Omar, I think you ought to meet the boy first,” Samuel said. “He’s not really the sort of man who’d likely get on well in Calistar.”

“Well, now I know he’s not talking about Octavian,” Harper said.

“Oh damn,” Lenore whispered.

“Devon seems like a bright boy,” Omar said. “And he’s young. It’s still too early to tell what sort of man he’ll be. I am sure that he and Sultiana will get on very well.”

“Is Devon your other brother?” Sultiana asked. “The quiet one?”

“He is,” Lenore said.

Samuel sighed. “I wanted him to stay here, and be an adviser to Octavian, like I was to Issac.”

“But if he comes to Calistar, he will be a king,” Omar said.

“And why in the nine levels of hell would I want that?” Samuel asked. “Weren’t you the one who told me that the crown was a curse? That being a king would always come before being a father and husband? Why d’you think I’d want that for both of my sons?”

“I don’t,” Omar said. “But I know that you do want peace. I know that you know what will happen to Septa if Calistar falls to war. I know that you are already acting as a king first. And I know that Devon will do the same. I am sorry, my friend, but this is the best option for both of us, not just me. Unless you want Octavian to inherit a warring neighbor after my death.”

“You are right,” Samuel said. “Creator preserve us, I know it. I’ll speak to Lorna, she’ll be livid.”

Lenore got to her feet. “I’ve got to go find my little brother, excuse me,” she said.

“I do not think that you are very happy with this news,” Sultiana said.

“It’s nothing against you,” Lenore said. “It’s only that, well, my little brother’s not the sort to be very happy in Calistar.”

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Broken Patterns, Prologue and Chapter One

Broken Patterns will be available everywhere on Friday. For now, here’s chapter one.

Part One

Prologue

I have been so alone for so long. Since the other one cheated me, leaving me in the darkness and cold, I have been alone. I had tried to find another place to bear my egg, my child, but there are precious few warm places in the darkness of the universe. There was nothing I could do, but hold it close to me as it died.

The other one’s child has flourished. Upon it, thousands of species had grown, warm and safe in the light of the sun. The sun that should have been mine.

I can bear this no longer.

Calvin Olendae didn’t believe in me, but that was all right. Men who didn’t believe were just as likely to hear my voice. They are just as likely to call me by my name. I’d spoken to him since he was young, whispering of the sins of Septa, and what he should do to stop them. Now, tonight, it was time.

He led his men through the cold, black waters of the canals, right up to the side of the palace walls.

“Makes you sick, boys,” he whispered, “Those fine nobles snug and warm while our babies freeze to death in the night.”

“I still do not see how starting a war after five years of peace is going to fix that,” Victor muttered from beside him.

“Shut up, Vicky,” Calvin hissed. “Now I know you are not very bright, but I would think this plan was simple enough to understand. Do you think you can manage to take orders for once?”

“Yes, Calvin,” Victor muttered. There was one I would have to keep an eye out for. There was too much light within him.

Without another word, the men crawled from the canals, and took oiled cloth bags out from under their cloths. Even after nearly an hour of swimming through the dark waterways that served Septa as roads, they were still dry inside, thanks to a bit of magic from Calvin’s woman. It was a good thing too. The Septans were far more likely to believe they were actual Montelair soldiers if their red coats weren’t soaking wet.

The men stripped their wet coats, and pulled on the uniforms. Then, Calvin led them to the wall that surrounded the palace.

A guard on the wall saw them coming. “You there, stop!” he yelled, training a crossbow on them.

“Victor,” Calvin said.

Victor walked to the wall. When the guard fired, he held up one hand that glowed blue. The bolt hit it, and bounced off.

Calvin clenched his own hand, and a ball of the same blue light formed. More guards were running along the wall. Calvin waited until they got closer, then tossed the light at the wall.

Even his own men jumped when it burned away in a blast of blue light and dust. He ran through, with the others on his heels.

Inside of the wall, there was panic. I had made sure that Calvin would recognize King Issac Mestonie on sight. He stood in front of his wife and son, holding a sword. As Calvin watched, he swung the sword, and it lit with fire.

“That is a cute trick,” Calvin said, “but I have an even better one.”

He clenched his fist again, and threw another ball at Issac. The king and his family were dead, just like that.

Guards were yelling, and men were running out of the palace. “Calvin,” Victor gasped, “that was a boy you just killed. He could not have been more than fourteen years old.”

“And now he will not reach fifteen,” Calvin replied. “You need to steady yourself for this, boy. This is what war is.”

A nobleman was running from the palace. He drew a sword, and set it afire just as the king had done. “Look, see?” Calvin said. “The nobles are just like weeds. You pull one, and there is always another to take its place. That is why you have to rip them out by the damn roots, Victor. You take that one.”

Victor swallowed, and nodded. He walked towards the man, his hands glowing. Perhaps I could use him eventually. Calvin turned his attention to the guards. The other Brothers worked their way through them as well. Soon the pretty lawn was painted red with blood.

As Calvin stopped to take a breath, he noticed a flicker of light from behind one of the garden trees. He looked, and saw a young woman, no older than fifteen, and a boy of roughly thirteen. They were hugging each other, and obviously trying just to keep out of sight. That was never going to be possible, with her dress decked out in embroidery that light up like a lantern. The blessing of The One, the one they called The Creator was on her. They were nobles from the looks of them, with that same Mestonie curly black hair.

Calvin started towards them, already pulling together another ball. The girl saw him coming, and held the boy closer. “You get back!” she said.

“How like a noble,” Calvin laughed. “Never knowing when to stop giving orders.”

He started to pull his arm back to throw, but suddenly someone grabbed him from behind. He looked, and saw Victor.

“Let me go!” he yelled, wrenching his arm free. What was he doing?

“Calvin, you cannot keep doing this!” Victor yelled. “Think about what Da would say if he knew you were killing girls.”

“I do not give a damn what Da would have said,” Calvin said. “Any noble that is left over can start this whole mess again.”

Victor stepped in between him and the children. “This was not the plan! We were supposed to just attack, make them think we were soldiers, and leave. You already killed one child, will you kill two more? Look at them, Calvin, that girl is the same age as June!”

“And if I have to kill her to make sure June and my other children survive, I will do it!” Calvin cried. “Now move!”

Victor held up his hands. “No,” he said.

Calvin swelled with fury. “How dare you?” he hissed. “How dare you choose these noble hounds over your own family? Who raised you after Da died? Who put clothes on your ungrateful back?”

“That is why I have got to stop you. How much innocent blood do you want on your hands?”

“There is no innocent blood on my hands, little brother,” Calvin said. He threw the ball.

Victor caught it, and it knocked him back into the noble children. The girl tried to catch him, but all three of them went down. Victor cried out in pain as he landed, but he still didn’t move away from them. “You would really kill me, just to kill them?” he yelled.

Calvin looked down at him. “I do not even have to think about it that hard.” He raised his hand to form another ball. Before he could, though, he was hit from the side by an arrow. He gasped in pain, and another arrow struck his leg. He turned to run back toward the canal, and another arrow hit him in the back. Calvin stumbled, and fell into the black water. In too much agony to swim, he sank into the darkness.

Damn. And I had wasted so much time on him. Oh well, at least there was the other one. But, then, there was also that girl. There was light in her, yes. But perhaps there was room for darkness as well.

Chapter One

Lenore Mestonie pulled her little brother, Devon, close to her. She tried to catch her breath. The boy who’d saved them scrambled to his feet, and ran towards the canal. She wanted to scream for him to come back, that there were other soldiers who might still hurt them, and she still couldn’t even see her brother Octavian, but then she realized how foolish that was. She didn’t even know this boy, after all.

Devon was struggling out of her grasp. “Michael was hurt, Lenore,” he cried. “We’ve got to check on him.”

“What are we going to do, stupid?” Lenore snapped. “Just stay here with me until we see Papa.”

Septa soldiers were running through the garden, trying to round up the Montelarians. Lenore saw some of them get away, and she hoped that they all drowned in the canals like their leader.

Samuel, her father, was running out into the garden, followed by the other men of the court. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders and a head and beard of thick black hair. He was looking around, as though trying to figure out what was going on. Lenore had to admit that it was very difficult to guess, given the chaos.

A guard was kneeling over Uncle Issac. He looked up, his face pale, and announced to no one in particular, “The king is dead!”

“Prince Michael, too!” someone cried. Lenore looked toward them, to find that it was her younger brother Octavian, the middle of the children, holding their cousin Michael in his arms and sobbing.

Lenore looked back at her father. His strong face was ashen. He took a deep breath, and then another. Finally, he walked over to her. “Bug,” he said, kneeling in front of her, “tell me what happened here.”

“Uncle Issac brought Devon, Michael and me out to see the bats leave the tower,” Lenore said. “Then the wall, well, it just sort of exploded, and those Montelair soldiers came running through. The biggest one shot some sort of light ball at Uncle Issac, Aunt Grace, and Michael. I grabbed Devon, and we hid here, but the soldier saw us. He would have killed us, but that boy over there saved our lives.” She nodded her head towards the boy kneeling next to the canal.

“Papa, I thought we were at peace with Montelair,” Devon whispered.

“No tears, Devon,” Samuel said. “Look at your sister, she’s not crying.” Lenore thought that was a very near thing.

“I know that we were at peace with Montelair, and I’ve no idea why they’ve decided to attack us now,” Samuel said, getting to his feet, “but we will find out.”

“It was not Montelair,” said the boy.

Everyone looked towards him, as he rose to his feet, and turned. “It was not the king that sent us,” he repeated. “It was the Brothers of the Broken Chain. My older brother, Calvin, he was leading them. I was only along to try to stop him.”

Samuel pulled his sword, and swung it, lighting the blade on fire. “Not another step closer, not yet,” he said. “It was your brother who was leading, so it was him that killed my brother, the king?”

“And it is him that is now dead, at the bottom of your canal,” Victor said. His Montelarian accent was thick. Lenore had thought that he was a boy, but looking at his face, she realized that he had to be at least twenty-three. His roughly cut blond hair hung in wet strands around his face.

“Papa, don’t hurt him,” Lenore said. “He saved us.”

“Who are you?” Samuel asked.

“My name is Victor Olendae. I was a member of the Brotherhood of the Broken Chain.”

“And why did you save my children?” Samuel asked.

“Because I did not want to see more innocent lives taken because my brother could not tell an enemy from a bystander. Because it was the right thing to do.”

“So, what am I to do with you now?” Samuel asked.

Lenore was astonished at how calm her father sounded. She wondered if anyone else noticed how his hands were shaking on the handle of his sword.

Samuel walked up to Victor. “I’ll make you a deal, Victor Olendae. You swear your fealty to me, and I’ll spare your life. I’ll give you a job, and a place in my household. Otherwise, I’ll hold you accountable for your brothers’ crimes.”

“So, my choices are death or slavery?” Victor asked.

“Fealty isn’t slavery,” Lenore snapped. “It’s a promise of loyalty and service. A slave is a bought and paid for possession, and slavery is a filthy practice. There haven’t been any slaves in Septa since my family overthrew the old church.”

One of the noblemen, Lord David, cleared his throat. Lenore looked over at him. He was a taller man, with more nose than his face really needed. “Prince Samuel, we are awaiting your orders,” he said.

“Oh,” Samuel said. “I suppose you must be. Yes, Victor, please look after my children while I get this mess sorted, will you?”

He wandered towards David, calling for guards to collect Issac and Michael, to sweep the grounds in case any more rebels were hiding, and to rouse the ambassadors.

Victor walked up to Lenore, who was just getting to her feet, pulling Devon along with her. “Your dress shines,” he said.

“I am a thread mage, I spin light into yarn,” Lenore said. “Thank you for saving us. I am sorry that you lost your brother.”

“I am sorry that you lost family as well,” Victor said. “I tried to stop the whole thing several times on the way here. This is not how my people should gain their freedom from our king.”

Octavian stumbled up to them. “Lenore,” he asked, “is Papa the king now?”

Lenore looked at him. For a moment, she had a hard time remembering what the words he’d used meant. King wasn’t a title, king was her uncle.

Finally, though, she said, “I think so.”

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Starting Chains, Chapter Three

By the way, if you’re interested in starting at the beginning for free, Broken Patterns is free on Amazon today. Click here to check it out.

Chapter Three

Victor was hiding a yawn behind his fist when Talmadge came into his office. His eyes were burning from lack of sleep.

She was a short girl with a neat gown and the sloppiest braid in Septa. She looked around the room, terror written on her face.

“Sorry, Talmadge,” Victor said as he stood to greet her. “I haven’t gotten an hour sleep at a time in a few days now. Our nurse tells me that’s common with infants. Have a seat.”

She looked at the chair he’d indicated, a heavy wooden one with a cushioned seat, as though it must surely be a trick. Finally, though, she sat.

“Do you like the new office?” Victor asked as he took his seat behind the desk. It was a large desk, highly polished. The room had a set of double doors that led out to the garden. There was a thick blue rug on the floor. “I’ve been appointed the Queen’s Apprentice, learning how to keep a palace. Apparently that takes lots of time, and work; far too much book keeping and a whole office.”

“I’m sorry, why am I here?” Talmadge blurted finally.

Victor grinned at her. “Wait. We’re missing someone.”

There was a knock on the door. When he called a greeting, two guards escorted Thomas, the disgraced spymaster of Septa, into the room.

Prison obviously had not agreed with Tom. His fine clothes had been replaced by undyed, rough spun cloth. His usually well cared for hair looked greasy.

The guards dropped Tom in front of the desk. Talmadge shied away from her former employer, but Victor’s grin widened. “How’s prison?” he asked. “From what I remember, the food was a little uninspired.”

“Prince Victor,” Tom sputtered.

“Oh, I do love to hear you use my shiny new title. Especially since the last time we spoke you were calling me a traitor and advising the king to execute me,” he replied.

“Sire, I was misled. My informants-”

“No, shut your damn mouth,” Victor’s smile dropped away. “I was your informant, you sneaking coward. You think I’m stupid enough to fall for the same lie you tried to use against me?”

“Again, why am I here?” Talmadge asked.

“Because I want to offer you his old job, and I want him to know I’m offering it to you,” Victor said.

“Are you kidding? She’s an untrained maid, for Creator’s sake!” Tom cried.

“No, she’s a maid who can read all of your codes, and has been feeding you information for years,” Victor said. He leaned across his desk and glared down at Tom. “You’re a bad spy, but you’re really good at using talented people.”

“I think you’re vastly overstating my talents,” Talmadge added, wringing her fingers.

“This wasn’t my idea. It was King Samuel’s. He’s just delegating it to me. Though I happen to think he’s right.”

“The king really has lost his mind,” Tom muttered.

Victor stood. In his fury, his hands glowed blue with magic. “You will watch how you speak of that man in front of me,” he growled. “I owe him my world. Talmadge will be our spymaster, and we’re going to toss you into the same dark hole we threw former Elder Brother Marcus.”

“Wait,” Talmadge said, holding a hand up. “Don’t lock him up.”

“Why? He was a terrible master to you,” Victor asked.

“But we can use him,” she replied. “You and the king think I’m a good spy, but I’m not. It’s just that, well, people are more willing to talk around you if they think you’re a nobody. So, if you tell everyone I’m the spymaster, I won’t learn anything new.”

“Ah, but if people still think this fool is in charge they won’t pay attention to you,” Victor said. “See, I knew you’d be good at this. You can keep him, if you want. You’ll have to watch him carefully, though.”

“Of course,” Talmadge agreed.

“What makes you think I’d agree to this insulting situation?” Tom spat.

She took a deep breath and stood, looking Tom full in the face for what Victor was sure was the first time. “Well, you can do this, or I’ll pick a pretty face off the street and the king can toss you back in a cell. I can work just as well with any warm body in that seat.”

Tom looked sober at that. Finally, his voice dripping with sarcasm, he replied. “Fine. I am happy to serve the throne.”

“Thank you for your service,” Victor snapped. The guards escorted Tom from the room, and Victor turned his attention back to Talmadge.

“Are you really sure about this?” Talmadge asked. “If this is about me finding those letters, you don’t owe me anything. It didn’t even work. The king was still going to execute you.”

“Madge, if this was just about thanking you, I’d give you a title and some land. But I cannot afford to have someone I don’t trust as spymaster. I need you to tell me what’s going on in the city.”

“You’re right about that. People are angry, and they’re whispering,” she replied.

“How many of them are whispering about my wife?” he asked.

“More than we should be comfortable with,” she said.

Victor nodded. “I can’t imagine half of the noble families leaving the court in protest is helping.”

“You and Anthony must stay close to Lenore. She’s in more danger now than ever.”

“Yeah,” Victor said. He stood and went to the doors to look out at the garden. Lenore was there, with Ramona and the babies. They were napping on a blanket in the sunlight. “You know, she saved this damn city from Marcus. You’d think people would be grateful.”

“And there are hundreds who are,” Talmadge responded. “She spent her youth taking care of people behind the Elder Brother’s back. She spins light and darkness into thread. Lots of people are ready to fight for her. They even accept you because of her.”

“That’s the problem. It’s not just that people are angry, it’s the division. The whole city’s ready to tear each other apart.”

Talmadge smiled. “She’ll win them over. She’s good like that.”

Victor smiled too. “Who knows better than me how easy Lenore is to love?”

Want to read the whole thing? Starting Chains will be launching on Friday. You can pre-order it right now on Amazon.

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