Chapter 26 Grace

Father’s Reback blood made it easier for us to spend more time outside the barn and corrals, exploring the open fields and sniffing around in the woods. The magi reasoned that he was too peaceful to either run away or cause trouble and the rest of us would stay with him. In nice weather we would catch wild animals and enjoy a picnic. – Prince Eater #34

When the youth noticed Jon watching from the lawn, Jon waved him over. The youth dug into one of his pockets, retrieved two more, larger pieces of chalk that he handed to Grace, and then strolled to where Jon played with Fia.

“Those are nice weapons,” Jon complimented. “Have you learned to use them?”

“Not yet. I try to copy what the Armed Watch do when they train, but I can’t seem to get it right. Have you fought with a quarterstaff?”

“I have, yes,” Jon answered. “In competitions and, like you say, training.”

“Are you part of the Armed Watch? You don’t look like it.”

“No, I just had the opportunity growing up,” Jon answered with a smile. “I could show you some of the movements if you want.”

“You can? I mean, would you?”

“Absolutely,” Jon agreed, and then laughed. “It will give me something to do while my brother plays tutor.”

“That’s my little sister,” the boy explained. “She has so much trouble with math and our mother is so hard on her. She makes her cry all the time and won’t allow me to help. I’m glad your brother offered. She seems to be learning from him.”

“Let me see if they can watch Fia for us,” Jon said and strolled over to hand Fia’s leash to Seán who accepted it without turning his attention away from his pupil.

Jon hobbled back to where the youth waited, accepted one of the weapons, and turned to his own pupil with a smile. “Now, be easy on me. As you can see, I can’t move as well as you do, so don’t beat me up.”

The boy laughed. “I won’t. I promise.”

“My name is Jon Holdingfree.”

“You’re the prince staying at the inn,” the boy exclaimed. Almost immediately he corrected himself. “No, I’m sorry. You’re not. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Jon smiled without comment, so the boy continued. “I’m Liam. Liam McCreesh. My sister’s name is Grace.”

Jon smiled again, and asked, “Are you right or left-handed?”

“Right.”

Jon held up a quarterstaff to demonstrate. “Hold the base of the quarterstaff with your left hand. Put the right one here. Your feet should be set just a bit wider than your shoulders and your right foot should be in front, and the other behind you to give you support.”

From there the fighting lesson expanded and continued long after the arithmetic lesson wound up. When he tired, Jon surrendered the quarterstaff to Seán. Grace set the slate board safely aside and then plopped next to Fia to pet and fuss over the dog.

Although Liam had the advantage of height and weight, Seán’s skills were more advanced because he had already received considerable training. They fell into an immediate rapport and Liam eagerly challenged his new sparring partner at any opportunity, displaying a vigor he withheld earlier because he didn’t want to risk injuring Jon. Sitting on the bench near Grace, Jon started out giving verbal guidance to the sparring partners but the length of time between instructions increased as he grew more exhausted, and before long Jon dropped his chin against his chest and slept.

As she hurried to her rendezvous at the bake shop, Erienne glanced nervously over her shoulder several times to be certain that Jon and Seán were not paying any attention to where she was headed. Both were completely absorbed in enjoying the business and bustle of the world around them. She was surprised that Seán acted as if being surrounded by ordinary life was new to him, however, she had banked on Jon enjoying this rare treat after having been trapped in that horrid little attic room. She imagined that even the feeling of the suns on his face would seem enchanting and counted on him wanting to stay a while. She was glad on Jon’s behalf. He was always kind and caring toward her and deserved at least a smidgen of good fortune after all that he’d suffered. She felt that way even though the last time she had tried to be intimate with him he had physically pushed her away and insisted, begged, and then angrily demanded that she leave him alone.

“I love Alec,” he had said.

“Alec doesn’t have to know,” she said, trying to talk him into it. “Besides it didn’t both you the other times. Why worry about it now.”

He had pushed her away more firmly. Even so, if she waited until he was asleep like she had the first time, Erienne was confident that he would willingly go along. The difficulty was to find a time like that when Seán wasn’t around either.

It was getting harder and harder for her to do the things Annie paid her to do. Her entire purpose for being with the Holdingfrees was to help persuade Jon to go along with the plan by The Contingent and Annie’s Rebels to put Jon on the throne instead of Holy King Harrison. His love for Alec was an obstacle and she didn’t know how she would manage this morning’s meeting with Annie. She wanted to ask her for additional money, but without a positive enough report, she doubted that Annie would be agreeable. In fact, there was no telling what would happen. Volatile in the best of circumstances, Annie could be truly merciless when inconvenienced. Erienne couldn’t afford to fail. It was of life and death importance for her daughter that she succeeded. The woman from her old neighborhood would not wait much longer for childcare payments.

When she turned onto the lane where the bake shop stood, Erienne was relieved to see Annie just arriving from the opposite direction. Erienne waved a greeting to her, and once the two women had settled comfortably with coffee imported from New East Anglia and pastries, she asked, “How are you doing, Annie? You’re always so busy I don’t see how you ever have time for yourself.”

“Oh, you know how it is,” Annie sidestepped with a smile. “How are things progressing with Jon?”

“I have to admit that they’re going more slowly than I had hoped,” Erienne said strategically. When Annie paused mid-sip and raised her eyebrows, Erienne added, “Physically.”

Annie nodded and finished her sip so Erienne continued, “Jon doesn’t want to upset Alec that way. Otherwise, he’s listening to me more and asking my opinions. For instance, Alec was against us coming to the park today. He said it was too dangerous. He insisted Seán carry the knife Docherty gave him.”

“Many children have weapons in SnakeIn, so I see his point there,” Annie commented. “And the sex is really just a means to an end. As long as you’re influencing his decisions to match what we want him to do, that’s what matters. Since he came today, you must be.”

“I suppose,” Erienne agreed, feigning hesitation. “I don’t always know what to do about Alec, though. Jon listens to him without question.”

Annie surprised her by laughing and changing the subject. She pushed her cup away and leaned forward. Looking directly into Erienne’s eyes she warned, “One thing: You are to target only Jon. Seán is out-of-bounds. If something happens to Jon, that may change, but it hasn’t yet. In the meantime, don’t try to influence him, and don’t upset him. We can’t risk alienating him.”

“He’s still a child.”

“It’s important that you remember that,” Annie said crisply. “I can’t emphasize this enough. Leave Seán alone.”

“I will.”

Annie relaxed, leaned back, and searched in her sturdy bag. Taking out a small purse, she smiled and set it on the table beside Erienne’s plate, and said, “This is for you. I want you to know that I do see how hard you’ve been working.”

“Thank you,” Erienne muttered.

“Don’t worry about Alec,” Annie added and stood to leave. “As I told you when I hired you, he’s a brute. Tom disagrees. He respects Alec, but I doubt we can put Jon on the throne with Alec around. If he gets in the way, I’ll take care of him.” She paused, looked up toward the sky, and then leaned over the table and said mockingly, “He’ll have an accident.”

Laughing heartily at her own joke, she straightened and left the bake shop. Erienne smiled at how smoothly the interaction had gone, bounced the purse in her palm to calculate its weight, and with her face beaming, headed toward the shops.

Annie walked two or three shops away, turned, and studied Erienne to see where she went. An elderly couple strolled by and greeted her. She smiled at them widely. They had been the first people to welcome her to SnakeIn, in fact, the old woman had saved her from the magi and introduced her to the Contingent.

SEVERAL YEARS EARLIER — AN ALLEY IN HILLTOWN

Princess Tatiana ducked sideways behind a pile of rubbish in the alley. She bent down to peer out between a broken chair and the splintered wood of a dry sink and watched in shock as her father’s personal Grays grappled with Tom. She hadn’t understood why Tom would arrange a rendezvous knowing how dangerous it would be. Now she realized that it hadn’t been Tom at all. She didn’t recognize any of the three individuals by name, but the largest Gray had shadowed her father on every occasion that she had ever seen him.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Shit,” she mouthed soundlessly. She had spent half an hour evading Magi Soldiers searching for the two of them, but it never occurred to her that the king hunted them, too. What do they care, she asked herself. We’re just two people. He isn’t a prince so would never be the Chosen, she thought, and I wouldn’t be a mage for any reason. Tom was her love and her only purpose, Tom who right now was bound, gagged, and being lugged off to face King Harrison who thought love was treason.

“I need to save him,” she muttered.

“First you need to save yourself,” someone answered.

Princess Tatiana jerked upright, banging her head on one leg of the broken chair, and spun to face whoever was talking. A stooped, poorly dressed, old woman, stood behind her with a sleepy donkey hitched to a cart overflowing with willow branches, chunks of wood salvaged from the alley, and who knew what else. An artisan, the princess surmised.

“I’m with the Rebels, Princess Mackenzie,” the old woman explained. “I’ve come to get you to safety. Hide in my cart, under the willow branches. There’s a false bottom, so you’ll have plenty of room. I’m on my way to SnakeIn. I’ll take you with me.”

“SnakeIn is dangerous.”

“Yes, but not for members of the Contingent, and you are a prime candidate for First Contingent.”

“What is that?”

“The ruling class of SnakeIn, and in fact, all of Midhe Thiar. A collection of folks such as yourself – royalty who’ve escaped the tyranny of the magi. It isn’t the king who is evil; it’s the magi.”

Princess Tatiana looked back longingly toward Tom, but he and the Grays were no longer there. “They’ll kill him. There’s already a decree of execution in place.”

The woman shrugged, and answered complacently, “Chances are good that Gil will bring him to SnakeIn. He’s the one who usually brings royalty to us.” Before the old woman could explain further, footsteps echoed at the far end of the alley. “Someone’s coming. Climb in before they get here. Wiggle under the willow branches. I’ll make sure you can’t be seen.”

Forty-five minutes later the old woman was talking with the sentries at the Hilltown main gate, greeting each of them by name and asking about their families. Annie held her breath when one of the sentries stepped to the cart wall and lifted one of the willow branches. The other sentry on duty called out loudly, “Don’t bother. She’s good. She comes in and out all the time. Don’t worry about her.”

Annie heard the old woman thank them and felt the cart rattle forward. In the dim light filtering between the willow branches, she reached to her throat and threaded out the narrow silk ribbon around her neck to reveal a small gold ring that Tom had given to her. She lay in the bumping, jostling cart with the token of Tom’s love locked tightly in her hand. She wondered if she’d see him again but knew that there was no turning back. She was a Rebel.

The old woman delivered Annie safely to the inn belonging to Craig and Kenzie Docherty in SnakeIn. As an example of bad behavior, the magi had taught all the young princesses that Princess Mackenzie had been brutally raped and murdered by the soldier who had promised to marry her. They warned all of the young princesses to be aware of who they are and not befriend criminals. Yet Princess Mackenzie was the happy wife of an innkeeper.

Annie had slept in the small attic room where her nephew, Jon, lived now. She remembered lying awake at night, sad and alone, holding Tom’s ring in her hands and wondering if he were even alive.

Two dimmings later the old woman came by with her donkey and cart. When Annie came downstairs to greet her, the old woman waved at the cart, “Climb in. There’s something you need to see.”

Annie glanced at Kenzie and Craig who smiled and gestured to her to go along. The sleepy donkey walked slowly along the main street of SnakeIn, passed narrow lanes and cheaply built tenements, and then back into an upscale neighborhood, and finally turned into the drive of a mansion. Confused, Annie asked, “Did you bring me here to work? Do they want a maid or something?”

“Or something,” the old woman replied enigmatically, as the donkey stopped at the wide front steps.

Captain Tom Jarek shoved open the large mansion doors so hard they banged against the walls of the house. He took the steps two at a time, lifted Annie from her seat in the cart, and spun her around and around in an embrace they both hoped would never end. With a quick nod at the old woman in the cart, he carried Annie up the steps and into their new home.

PRESENT TIME: SNAKEIN

Seán and Liam were so intent on their sparring that neither of them noticed two men approaching the bench where Jon napped. It took Grace’s screams and Fia’s barking growls to break into their skirmish. Grace was sprawled on the ground beside the bench with her hands propping herself up while her slate lay broken in pieces on the sidewalk. Jon’s cane was rolling and clattering along the walkway while Jon himself struggled to keep from being dragged off by the two attackers.

Fia gripped one of the attacker’s arms in her teeth and was shaking it viciously. Shouting curses, Seán raced across the wide field of green and blue with Liam on his heels. As they ran, Grace rose to her feet and hit the attacker Fia wasn’t subduing. The man released Jon, slapped Grace’s face, and pushed her to the ground.

“Fia, protect Grace,” Jon shouted with his damaged voice. “Protect Grace.”

Immediately the wolfhound released the man she held in her teeth, jumped across Grace, and menaced the girl’s attacker.

Unwilling to fight the dog over a girl who wasn’t their target, the two men turned from her to resume their attack on Jon. Seán and Liam reached his side and battered the abductors with their quarterstaffs. Across the park, Mrs. McCreesh heard the disturbance and barreled into the melee. When Mrs. McCreesh came close, Fia bared her teeth at the woman.

“That’s Mama,” Grace said through tears. She patted Fia and repeated, “That’s Mama.”

At the girl’s reassurance, Fia allowed Mrs. McCreesh to lift Grace into her arms. As she backed away holding Grace, Fia kept by their side, growling at anyone who came near the mother and child.

One of the kidnappers released Jon to attack Seán, but Seán smashed his staff into the man’s legs, sending the kidnapper to the ground. When Seán swung his staff a second time, the man knocked it aside sharply and brought Seán crashing to the ground. Yanking the quarterstaff from Seán’s hands, he tossed it aside and immediately began pummeling the youth.

The second man hauled Jon violently up intending to lob the weakened man over his shoulder. Liam landed a sound blow on the man’s back causing him to drop his victim. Jon started crawling toward the bench, so Mrs. McCreesh chided Grace and Fia to stay, and then hurried to Jon and helped him to his feet. Instead of obeying, Grace and Fia ran to retrieve Jon’s cane. When she gave it to Jon, he accepted it with one hand as he urged with concern, “Get back, Grace.”

Mrs. McCreesh and Grace again moved back several meters so that the bench was between them and the battle. When Fia left their side to run to Jon, he pointed at Grace and snapped, “Protect Grace. Protect.” The dog immediately retreated to Grace and her mother.

Assessing the fight quickly, Jon aimed a wallop with his cane at the back of the head of the attacker who had Liam pinned to the ground. One of the ornamental phoenix wings split open the man’s skull. Without hesitation, Liam pushed the dead man to one side, leaped to his feet, and rushed the man wrestling with Seán. As he approached, Seán pulled Craig’s knife from its sheath and buried it into the man’s shoulder. The man screamed and jerked back, allowing Liam to drag him off Seán.

As he did, Padraig and several members of the Armed Watch charged into the fray. The injured kidnapper was quickly arrested while Padraig inspected the one on the ground, bobbed his head in satisfaction, and said, “He’s gone.”

He strode over to where Grace and her mother cowered but stopped short when Fia bared her teeth and growled. He asked across the dog, “Are the two of you all right, ma’am?”

“Y-yes,” the mother replied, her eyes wide and her hold on Grace tightening.

“Fia, sit,” Jon demanded. He hobbled over to the wolfhound, rubbed her ears, and said, “Good dog. You did really well.”

Mrs. McCreesh sighed audibly when Fia relaxed, and she asked Padraig, “I don’t know what happened. Who are these men and why did they attack the pri…poor man?”

“We’ll find out,” Padraig reassured her. “In the meantime, some of the Watchers will escort you and your daughter home.”

As Mrs. McCreesh bent to pick up the pieces of the broken slate, Grace begged, “Don’t hit me, Mama. I finished all of them. You can’t see it anymore, but I did.”

Seán bent down to help Mrs. McCreesh collect the pieces of the broken slate and offered, “I worked with her for a long while and she eventually got all of them right.”

The mother looked at Liam for an explanation.

“She did,” Liam agreed. “Don’t punish her. Mr. Holdingfree taught me how to use a quarterstaff while Seán sat with Grace helping her with her arithmetic. In fact, you can still see some of their work written on the stone right there.”

Padraig MacGavin looked the mother in the eyes, and asked, “You beat your child over math problems, ma’am?”

“He just killed someone and you’re questioning me about how I discipline my child? That’s incredible,” the mother barked.

“She’s also refusing to let her have any meals,” Liam contributed with exasperation. “She hasn’t been allowed to eat since noon yesterday.”

The mother glared at her son, but before she could act, Padraig said, “That behavior isn’t legal here in SnakeIn. Children can’t be starved, beaten, bullied, or abused in any manner. Two adults get into a tiff, and one goes down, well, he knew what he was getting into. In Mr. Holdingfree’s case, of course, it was clearly self-defense.”

“It isn’t abuse. I want her to be able to get good employment when she’s grown,” the woman stammered. “To do more than scrub other people’s dirty floors like I have to do.”

“Be that as it may,” Padraig said. “I will have to send the Family Guard to investigate.”

“Oh, that’s ridiculous. The Family Guard is a waste of our tax money. They go after caring, upright citizens because they’re poor and can’t mount a defense. If the child abusers are wealthy it’s a different story completely. The rich always get a free ride.” The woman placed one hand roughly on Grace’s shoulder, shot an offended look at Jon, and snapped, “It’s your fault. If your kind would stay where they belong, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Don’t blame Mr. Holdingfree for your own behavior, ma’am,” Padraig insisted.

Jon limped over to the packages on the bench and began gathering them together and piling them in Liam’s arms. Watcher Logan retrieved the two quarterstaffs from the ground and stood beside the mother ready to escort her home. The mother sighed, bit her bottom lip, and then dropped her shoulders in acquiescence.

Padraig turned to Jon and said, “We’ll walk you and Seán back to the inn.”

As the Armed Watch organized around the brothers, Liam finally said contritely, “I hope this wasn’t my fault, Mr. Holdingfree. I didn’t mean to blurt out…what I did.”

Jon stared at the dead man on the ground, studied the backs of the Armed Watchers escorting the surviving kidnapper to the gaol, and then turned to Liam. He gripped the boy’s shoulder lightly and reassured him, “You didn’t do anything wrong, Liam. In fact, you and Seán saved my life. I’ve seen those men before. Someone must have paid them to follow me and attack.”

Mrs. McCreesh pointed out quietly, “They weren’t simply attacking you, Mr. Holdingfree. They were trying to abduct you.”

Jon nodded in agreement and replied, “Jon. Please call me Jon. I’m grateful to you, also, Mrs. McCreesh. Thank you for coming to my aid when you did. Liam, we can practice again anytime. Just let me know. I’m at the inn and generally have a great deal of free time.” He waved at his injuries in general, and then added, “I’d appreciate having something useful to do.”

“The same goes for you, Grace,” Seán added, beaming a smile at her. “I’m happy to meet up with you as many times as you wish to go over your arithmetic. Your mother is right that math is a good skill to have, and I don’t mind working with you at all.”

“Thank you,” Grace said shyly.

“Well, that’s wrapped up nicely,” Padraig concluded. “Lynch, you stay here until the morgue collects the body, and then join us at the inn. Those of you with the family can swing by there when you’re done, too.” He pressed one hand into his jacket pocket, brought out some coins, and added as he held them out to Mrs. McCreesh, “Here, buy the girl a new slate and get food for your children, ma’am.”

“Thank you, I will,” the mother said, accepting the money with embarrassment. Taking Grace’s hand, she headed home. Ned Logan and two more watchers trailed after her, deep in a conversation explaining single combat techniques to Liam.

The two brothers, Fia, Padraig, and the rest of the Armed Watch were at the steps of The Exiled Soldier before Erienne came sprinting up, her arms full of packages. She asked breathlessly, “Why didn’t you wait for me? What happened?”

“That’s a long story,” Jon answered curtly. “I’ll tell you about the whole thing after I rest. Right now, I hurt too much to collect my thoughts.”

©2022 Vera S. Scott