Anais and the Broken War (The Blood Mage Chronicles Book 5) Read online

  “I don’t know,” Cedric stammered. “Gorman?”

  “Borwin,” Gorman said. “He supplies the horses to the city guard when they’re needed.”

  Jacarda shook her head. “Borwin is gone. He left three days ago.”

  Gorman looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

  “He took my seat on a caravan going west across the mountains,” she answered the unasked question.

  “Your seat?” I asked.

  Jacarda shrugged. “Colin’s death unnerved everyone. Recently I was offered the opportunity to buy a seat. However, when Cedric came to me and said he needed my help…” She tilted her head and pursed her lips. “Well, I offered my seat to Borwin.”

  “But why? What can we offer you? There is no council now.” Mediera asked.

  “My dear, we’re the council,” she said. “And we have work to do.”

  Mediera inhaled sharply and then nodded. “What should we do about the horses?”

  “We’ll have to talk with Hastings. He has a stable on Fenn Street. He can at least tell us how many steeds are available in the city,” Fynn suggested.

  “I believe Hastings’ wife would appreciate a dinner invitation,” Jacarda said. “If he’s the new Guild Master of horses, he’ll expect that honor.”

  “Is it really necessary?” Mediera asked. “The last thing I feel like doing is throwing a dinner party.”

  “It’s essential. You can’t ignore your people. And it won’t just be him. There are a few others that will expect some of your time, now that Colin is gone.”

  “It’s a good idea,” Gorman agreed. “The dinner. We need him on our side. There are a lot of people that we are going to have to win over.”

  “I’ll talk with him,” Fynn offered.

  Gorman frowned. “We need some runners. We can’t go dashing off every time we need to get something done. Colin used guards, but I’d rather not pull them off duty to run errands for us.”

  “We could get some boys from the market,” I suggested. “There are always kids in need of work.”

  Gorman opened his mouth as if he was going to issue a command, but instead he looked to Mediera, waiting for her to say something. She twisted at a stray lock of hair but didn’t comment.

  “Lady Mediera, perhaps you should decide if Fynn and Anais should talk with Borwin and find us some runners. Do you think the plan is reasonable?” Gorman finally asked. His choice to pay deference to her was unusual. He was a natural leader, able to make quick decisions and implement plans. Mediera, on the other hand, well, she seemed to be struggling.

  “Sister Anais you mean,” Mediera corrected Gorman.

  “Of course,” Gorman concurred. He looked at me without a trace of humor. “My apologies, sister, for being overly familiar.”

  “Cedric, do you think they should go?” She looked at Cedric, her eyes seeming to beg him to contradict Gorman.

  “I think so,” he stuttered. “We need the horses.”

  “But, shouldn’t Anais stay at the Great House? Why should she need to go at all? Fynn, do you think you could find some boys to act as runners and talk with Borwin?”

  “I’ll do my best,” Fynn said, his eyes darting toward the door as if he was in a great hurry to depart.

  “Than that’s that,” Mediera said. “Sister Anais stays.”

  “Are you sure I shouldn’t go with Fynn? I could help him…” I wanted to do something. I wanted to get out of this room. I wasn’t accomplishing anything here.

  “Sister Anais, perhaps you should go and talk with Sister Zilla,” Jacarda suggested. “Sister Zilla is well informed on the requirements for entertaining, and I believe she’s on friendly terms with the kitchen staff,” Jacarda said. “Find her and the two of you can arrange dinner for tonight, for perhaps a dozen people, while Lady Mediera and I work out the invitation list.”

  “Tonight?” Mediera asked. “Do you think it’s necessary to have a dinner so soon.”

  We all looked at Gorman, waiting for him to answer–or for him to provide a direction.

  “It’s your decision,” Gorman said to Mediera. Again it was interesting that he was stepping back.

  “Yes, it’s her decision,” Jacarda agreed, her jaw set in a hard line. “But, we are here to advise her. And my advice is to bring together what social leaders remain in Barriershire and to give them some confidence that we have things in hand.”

  “Cedric, what do you think?” Mediera asked.

  Cedric took a deep breath. “Jacarda’s suggestion sounds reasonable. It can’t hurt to have a dinner party.”

  “Okay,” Mediera said, shaking her head. “If you all insist upon it, I suppose it must be done.”

  Fynn stood. “I’ll go now. Hopefully, I’ll manage to rustle up a few runners. And I’ll speak with Borwin.”

  “And I’ll find Zilla,” I offered, grateful for the opportunity to escape.

  As Fynn and I left, Gorman said to the others, “There’s another letter we need to discuss. It’s from one of the captains. He may cause us trouble. We need to be wary of him.”

  As I entered our bedchamber, Dahlia was installing Uthur into a carriage. His face was red, and dried tears stained his cheek. Tatiana sat on her bed, her nose in a book, and Zilla was nowhere to be seen.

  “I’m going to take him for a walk. He’s miserable,” Dahlia murmured. “Is that okay?”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself to me, you know.” Her plan seemed reasonable. Uthur liked motion. Or at least, he cried less when he was being walked. I wished Dahlia could be a little less meek. But I imagined she had her own ghosts and didn’t need advice from me on how to behave.

  Dahlia shrugged as if she didn’t believe me. While I watched her push Uthur out of the room, my eyes stayed fixed on him. Every time he left my presence, I felt my heart ripping apart. Why did my bond to him have to be so strong? I forced myself to stay rooted in place and reminded myself that it would not be reasonable to rip Uthur away from the girl, even if that was what I wanted.

  “I’ve meant to talk with you about this, but you and I are so rarely alone,” Tatiana said, setting her book on a small table.

  “About what?”

  “Your tie to Uthur.”

  “You know?”

  “It’s obvious.” Tatiana paused, slipping a stray silver hair beneath her white headdress. “And Mother Agnasia told me.”

  “I see.”

  “I wanted you to understand that being a part of the protectorate is more than just a connection to one person. The protectorate were warriors during the early days of the sisterhood. Mother Agnasia and her set of mages bastardized it when they joined our order. They focused all of the power into the protection of a single person. But, it was never meant to be that way.”

  “Were they supposed to protect the sisters?”

  “Yes. But more than that. They were expected to protect the community as a whole. More to the point, they protected humanity.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’ve read the histories. If you had more time at your disposal, I would have directed you to the stories of the protectorate. But, you always seem to be rushing about. Not your fault of course, putting a wrench in any scheme I might have to provide you with a more thorough education. We are in sore need of the old sort of protectors.”

  “It’s too late for me, though. I’m already tied to Uthur.”

  “Do you still have the candle?” she asked.

  I nodded and pulled the candle out from the recess between my bed and the wall. It looked unchanged. The droplets of wax from the first time I had lit it had hardened into glossy beads.

  “I always wondered what would happen if you lit the candle and said the original words.” She handed me a sheet of parchment. “It might alter your course.” She snorted. “Of course, it might do nothing. I really wouldn’t know.”

  Before I left Tatiana, she had relayed to me that Zilla had gone to the chapel to conduct her morning prayers. Out of the
three of us, Zilla was the only one who did this, though she never complained nor made Tatiana and I feel guilty for our neglectfulness. I tended to forget it was even something I was supposed to do. In the chapel, I saw Zilla kneeling on the floor, her hands folded atop a bench in silent prayer. I didn’t wish to interrupt her, so I sat quietly on a nearby bench and waited. For a moment, I considered praying, but instead just closed my eyes and tried to empty my mind. I was so tired of thinking.

  “How was the meeting with the council?”

  My eyes flicked open at the sound of the question. Had I drifted off? Zilla had joined me on my bench and was looking at me with wide, trusting eyes.

  “The council is gone.”

  “Oh. That can’t be good.”

  “It is distressing, but Cedric found Jacarda. She says we’re the council now. She wants you to arrange a dinner tonight for twelve people. I think she’s going to try to rally together the remaining influential socialites in the city.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Zilla said. “Leave it to me. In the Courtshire Abbey, we specialized in organizing parties. I can’t imagine I would be any help in managing a war. How is Mediera faring?”

  “I don’t know if Mediera can do it,” I admitted. “How is she supposed to lead the war effort? She has no experience in dealing with captains and negotiating with the lords in the West. She’s been sheltered. I thought it would be good for her to have some power, but now I’m not so sure… She’s alone.”

  “She has Cedric and Gorman and Jacarda. And she has you. She’s not alone. She will find her way.”

  “I wish I could believe that. I wish I had your optimism–your faith.”

  She took my hand. “Dear mother in her garden, help Lady Mediera see the true path of light. Show her your infinite kindness, show her your infinite grace. See her through this time of darkness.”

  “Do you believe that prayer will accomplish anything?” I asked after Zilla opened her eyes.

  Zilla put her dark hand on mine. “There is power in faith, Ani. You might not know it yet. But it’s there. You just have to know how to take it. And it’s stronger than you realize. You might need it someday, so don’t mock it.” As she spoke, she looked at me as if she feared I would never understand.

  “I’ll try to remember that.”

  “Would you like to come with me to the kitchens?”

  I shook my head. “I think I might stay and say a prayer.”

  Zilla raised an eyebrow in surprise. I grimaced. Clearly I wasn’t doing a credible job at keeping up the appearance of being a devoted sister of mercy.

  “Good,” she murmured.

  As soon as she was out of view, I pulled the parchment and the candle and Gorman’s ring with the black rock stone from out of my pocket. I wasn’t sure if I should recite the words. I knew virtually nothing about the original order of the protectorate, beyond Tatiana’s vague description. But I did know that my ties to Uthur were inconvenient. When had I ever been cautious? I didn’t even need to let my blood or to touch the ring. While merely glancing at the braided wick of the candle, it sparked into flame as if it had been waiting for me to return.

  This day I offer myself as a protector to those who are in need. I offer myself as a savior to the many. I offer my guardianship and my blood.

  The candle’s flame flickered and died. I tried to relight it, but it wouldn’t budge. Even after I let a trickle of my blood seep into the ring, I could not rekindle the flame. There was nothing left in it. No magic. Just emptiness.

  CHAPTER 3

  AFTER MEDIERA HAD left the family dining room to escort the last guest away from the luncheon, I let my head drop onto the tabletop. My mind felt numb. I could not imagine having to do this again for dinner in less than an hour.

  “Don’t worry, dear. You’re doing a wonderful job,” Jacarda said.

  I had forgotten she was still in the room. I lifted my head and looked into her confident eyes. “Shouldn’t we be doing something useful instead of throwing one party after another?” I asked.

  Jacarda smiled. “Our work is valuable. We’re maintaining an appearance of courtly normalcy. It comforts the people to see us dance. We’re preventing panic. This is what women in power do.”

  “But you don’t have to stay. You have family in Courtshire. You could leave anytime. You don’t need to do this.”

  “You’re right. I could give up and run. It wouldn’t be hard. But, if I go, so will the rest of Barrierishire’s wealthy and influential, so will the successful merchants and tradesmen. Without us, the lords in the West will certainly stop sending supplies and let Barriershire fall. We’re the mortar that holds this city together. The walls will crumble if we flee. I do not want to lose my home to an infestation of evil. I’m too old to be concerned only with my personal wellbeing. I want to matter.”

  “Do you really believe our actions can change anything?”

  “Yes. You may not think me a leader, but I am. My son is doing everything he can to convince the lords to send more men across the mountains. I want the letters being sent to the West to speak of a functioning city, not of chaos, not of a lost cause. The people we have been inviting to these luncheons and dinners are the ones who write letters to their families and friends. These people need assurances that there is hope. I will keep this city afloat with all of the power I possess. Which means we keep throwing parties. It may seem like a minor thing. But, it’s not.”

  I closed my eyes. She was likely right. My understanding of politics was lacking. Her words had the ring of truth to them.

  The door to the family dining chamber clanged open, and Uthur’s wet nurse walked in, cradling the squalling babe in her arms.

  My body jerked at the sight of him. I wanted to grab the babe from her arms and hide him from the world. But I stopped myself. I had no right to the child. He wasn’t mine. The words I had uttered while holding the candle had done little to break my attachment.

  “May we help you, dear?” Jacarda asked.

  “I’m sorry. I’m looking for Lady Mediera. The baby won’t stop crying. I don’t know how to settle him. I’ve tried everything.”

  “Give him to me,” I said, stepping forward, unable to hold myself in check any longer.

  She handed the child to me, and he curled up into my chest and quieted as I rocked back and forth on my heels. I sniffed his head. Little and helpless, he smelled of talcum and milk. How could I possibly save him from the war to come?

  “I’ll take him.”

  I looked up into Mediera’s eyes. I hadn’t even noticed her enter the room. How much time had passed?

  “Of course,” I murmured as I handed Uthur to her.

  “You should go to the council chambers, Ani. Gorman wants to speak with you. It’s something to do with the Abbey, I think.”

  I nodded, hoping this would mean I would escape the evening’s entertainment.

  “Thank you for joining us,” Gorman said as I entered the room. I looked about and noticed the tapestries had been changed. They now showed fauns playing pipes and nymphs dancing round and round in a green forest. I wondered who had requested the change, but I didn’t ask.

  Cedric, Gorman, and Fynn sat around the polished oak table. Two runners were standing by the door, presumably waiting to be assigned jobs.

  Cedric looked up from the paper he was reading, his eyes bleary. “I don’t think we’re going to be through before dinner,” he groaned. “You should tell Mediera and Jacarda to start without us.”

  “I asked Sister Anais to join us to help out with another matter,” Gorman said. “I need her to speak with the mothers at the Abbey.” He handed me a small sheet of folded paper. “Fynn can escort you.”

  “Can’t you send one of the runners instead? Mediera will be displeased if Ani disappears. And we need Fynn. He can read and write. None of the guards or the runners can read, and we have all of these communications from the captains in the field. I don’t know how Colin managed to keep everythin
g organized.”

  “No. It has to be Fynn and Anais.”

  “Why?” Cedric asked.

  Gorman sighed. “It just does. We’ll cope without them.”

  Cedric groaned. “Fine. Just as long as you explain it to Mediera.”

  Fynn and Gorman eyed each other as Fynn handed Gorman the letter he had been reading. “This is another one from Captain Carrenhail. He’s not happy.” I remembered Captain Carrenhail from my time in the field. His grudge against the skins ran so deep that he had sent Mal, Justin, Fallon, Azriel, and I to our deaths with no potential gain. I didn’t want to think about what lay in his letter. I wished never to see him again.

  Fynn took my arm, and we left the room. As we walked down the winding stairs, I flicked open the sheet of paper. It was blank.

  “What’s going on, Fynn?” I asked once we were in the privacy of the gardens. “There’s nothing written on this paper, and it would make more sense to send Sister Tatiana. She’s on better terms with the mothers.”

  “We aren’t going to the Abbey.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “One of the captains reported that a band of furies broke through their lines and are moving in the direction of the city. There isn’t much time. The city gates are closed, and the city guard can probably take the band, but it will cause a panic. And we are walking a very fine line as it is. We need the people to think they are at least safe within the city walls. Gorman wants you to try the trick you pulled with Colin’s body. He thinks you can bury the lot of them.”

  I inhaled sharply, envisioning Fynn and I standing alone against a band of marauding furies hell-bent on reaching the lives throbbing inside the walls of Barriershire. I wanted to stop them. I just didn’t trust that I had enough power.

  “I don’t know if I can do that. I’ve only buried bodies on a few occasions, and never more than one at a time.”

  “I told him it was a long shot. But he argued that we had no other choice. Since word of Lord Colin’s death reached the lords in the West, we’ve had no new troops, and some of the captains have rounded up their men and crossed the mountains back to the West’s safe embrace.”