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  “She’s right,” they said. “It happened just last night!”

  “And last week,” another cried. “An entire family, gone!”

  In an instant the cries that had celebrated Theodore’s knighthood had turned to anger and fear. An apple disappeared into the royal box behind the King’s head, hurled from the bailey and striking the makeshift wooden structure with a loud thump.

  Emboldened, Ellamaria shouted over the din, and those nearby stopped to listen.

  “They are held at Draul Leptoc’s estate,” she said. “I have been there. I have seen it!”

  “Saradomin forgive me,” Father Lawrence muttered, his head in his hands.

  The crowd booed and yelled as other things were thrown. A tomato struck Theodore on his chest, leaving a red stain upon his white tunic, and a rock narrowly missed his head.

  “The woman is right!” someone in the crowd yelled. “There is a plague upon this city!”

  “The curse of Morytania is upon us. Our sins have doomed us all.”

  “The true king is coming.”

  Captain Rovin leaned down toward the King and spoke into his ear.

  “Never!” the King replied angrily. “I will not order my archers to shoot on my own people.”

  “Then confront them, my King” Kara said calmly. “Confront them and promise to hear their concerns. You must buy time.”

  King Roald pursed his lips as he stood. He advanced to the wall’s edge and held his hand up. An apple core struck his golden crown.

  But still he remained until no more missiles were thrown. Finally the crowd fell silent, and all eyes were upon him.

  “I will hold a council,” he announced. “A parliament, as is the right of the covenant between the lords of Varrock and her peoples. Tomorrow morning we shall debate and decide what to do. Until then, this Midsummer Festival is ended.”

  The crowd remained silent as the King spun and stalked along the northern wall back to the palace, many of the courtiers following in his wake.

  They have tasted the barest power of the mob, Theodore realised. And they are afraid.

  Lord Despaard remained behind, and he turned toward the source of the confrontation.

  “Arrest her,” he instructed the guards nearest Ellamaria.

  “On what charge?” she countered, but much of her confidence had fled.

  “Treason,” he gritted. “Disrupting the public peace. Witchcraft. Any charge will do.” Two of the guards stepped up beside her and grasped her arms roughly. A little too roughly, Theodore thought.

  As she was led away she cast a look back at him.

  “I go to my prison knowing I have done right,” she said. “I will sleep well this night, Sir Theodore. But I wonder if you will do the same?”

  And suddenly, his knighthood tasted slightly bitter.

  8

  “We haven’t time to send for Thessalia, with the dance only hours away, so we shall go to her. It really is most unladylike, but there is no time for an alternative.”

  Surrounded by an escort of mounted guardsmen, Lady Anne led Kara through the palace at a swift walk to where a carriage was waiting.

  “I have sent a messenger to tell her we are coming.” Suddenly, as she lifted her foot onto the step, she turned and looked at Kara with a frown. “Do you really need to bring your sword?”

  Perhaps you are afraid? Kara wondered. That suits me well enough.

  “I haven’t even had time to change from my travelling clothes, Lady Anne. Nor have I had time to bathe or rest since my arrival in Varrock this morning. I haven’t even had a chance to speak to my friends since you whisked me away from the festival.”

  “There will be time for that later,” Anne said. Kara thought she detected a note of anger in her voice. “And I am doing you a favour Kara-Meir. If you want to attend the dance tonight looking like a… a woodcutter’s daughter, then that will be to your disadvantage.”

  Woodcutter’s daughter? An interesting phrase.

  Kara stepped up and sat opposite her on the plush cushions. She saw how Anne’s face ran coldly over her mud-stained leggings.

  I wonder if I have left a mark?

  I do hope so.

  A second young woman climbed inside and sat at a respectful distance. She still wore the same happy smile that she had when Anne had commanded her to come with them. Kara noted a prominent gap between the dark-haired girl’s front teeth, which made her smile far more pleasing.

  “What do you think Thessalia will be able to do with her, Lady Caroline?” Anne asked their companion.

  “I’m sure I don’t know,” Caroline replied, then she turned to Kara. “You have fine skin, Lady Kara. It is too tanned to be of fashionable tastes, but everyone knows you have been travelling in The Wilderness-”

  “She is no lady!” Anne scolded sharply. Caroline bowed her head, and Anne turned to their companion, a practiced look of contrition on her face. “I mean no offence Kara, but here in Varrock tradition is what keeps our city in order. Everyone knows their place. You do understand?”

  Yes I do. I most certainly do you spiteful-

  The carriage shuddered violently as it jerked into motion, interrupting her thoughts.

  Something in Kara’s eyes must have told Anne to calm her tongue, and instead she turned to Caroline, who sat nervously, looking out of the window as the carriage drove onto the square and through the crowds.

  “Did I tell you that Lord de Adlard wishes to dance with you this evening, Caroline?” Anne asked lightly.

  The younger woman-probably no more than seventeen- blushed and smiled involuntarily.

  “No, you hadn’t mentioned it.” Suddenly she frowned slightly, and her voice wavered when she spoke. “What do you think people will say?”

  “William de Adlard is not the most prestigious name in court, Caroline, that is true. But his is an old name, and although he may be a godless man, with no belief in Saradomin, and a man with no martial ambitions, you must remember that his grandfather was chancellor for a time, and an able one too, I believe.”

  Kara saw Caroline’s dark eyes dip doubtfully.

  “But is he not a little… dull?”

  “That is to be commended, my dear sweet lamb,” Anne laughed.

  Kara grimaced, hiding her eyes under her hand.

  I am tired. I killed fourteen men today, and yet only now is it that I feel… unclean. It wasn’t like this before. Not in battle.

  “How is that commendable?” Caroline asked.

  “It means he’s a safe man. It means he would make an excellent husband.”

  Kara dropped her hand in time to see Anne’s blue eyes widen in emphasis.

  “Oh. Oh!” Caroline covered her mouth with embarrassment. “Oh…”

  No one spoke again and the carriage continued its slow journey. Eventually it came to a stop at a two-storey grey-stone building at the south of the square. Green-tinted stained-glass windows gave the building an expensive look. Outside, guarding the door, stood a wide-shouldered man with a heavy wooden cudgel. On the lookout for thieves, Kara guessed.

  Perhaps he will mistake me for Pia? That could be interesting.

  “Come along, Kara. And stop grinning like that.” Anne looked at her with visible distress. “It’s… unnerving. The carriage and escort will wait for us.”

  “It would have been quicker to walk,” Kara commented.

  Caroline tittered behind her. Anne just stared for a moment, then spoke.

  “That would not do,” she said icily. “You have much to learn if you wish to be a lady in court, Kara-Meir, very much.”

  The door to Thessalia’s Fine Clothes led into a small passageway where a second door, stouter than the first, stood ajar. Inside stood a thin old woman with greying hair, and behind her waited a second woman-younger, with obvious similarities. Her hair was straight and blonde, her body thin and tall, her straight back and demeanour the sign of rigorous training.

  Mother and daughter, Kara realised.


  “Ah, the kind Thessalias,” Anne remarked as she led the way into the room. Kara stepped after her, her hand resting naturally upon her sword hilt. The chamber was large and square, with a multitude of dressed mannequins off to one side, and drawers filled with fabrics stacked all the way to the ceiling on the other.

  “I hope you will be pleased with your gown for tonight, my lady,” the older Thessalia said, bowing quickly to Anne. Behind her, the daughter offered a curtsey which Anne acknowledged with a smile.

  “I know it will be perfect, Madame Thessalia,” she said to the older woman. “Now, I need you both to turn your talents to this young woman. The King requires that she be well-presented at tonight’s dance.”

  Madame Thessalia examined Kara with her piercing grey eyes, making her feel uneasy. She hummed to herself as she did so, taking her time. Every so often she would glance to one of the mannequins, and then back again. Sometimes she would shake her head and make a disappointed clucking sound with her tongue. Once she even wrinkled her face up, as if she had witnessed a dreadful accident.

  “No, that won’t do,” she mused to herself. Kara caught sight of Anne’s face in one of the many full-length mirrors. She couldn’t be certain, but she believed the noblewoman was smirking. Then the older woman spoke.

  “With such a short notice it will be a rather rushed job I am afraid, my lady,” Madame Thessalia warned. “Many of my best gowns have been sold already for tonight, of course.”

  “Perhaps she should bathe first, mother?” the younger Thessalia said innocently. “I can ask Rupert to prepare the tub upstairs.”

  Anything to get me away from those eyes, Kara thought. “I think that is an excellent idea,” she said aloud. “I haven’t had a chance to bathe, and I would like to do so. Now.”

  The mother nodded and the daughter led Kara upstairs. The rest of the group followed.

  Surely they are not going to watch me bathe, as well?

  “I am sorry to have to inform you of some bad news, Lady Anne,” Kara heard Madame Thessalia say behind her.

  Hopefully you’ll have left a pin in her gown.

  Kara found herself smiling again. She turned to deliver the most unnerving grin she could summon. Her efforts were rewarded as Anne looked quickly away.

  “Yes,” the dressmaker continued, “I am afraid that one of my suppliers-a tailor-passed away very suddenly.” She hummed uncomfortably. “It seems as if he and his family fell to the plague. I believe his wife has been isolated. It means that the mink gloves you ordered won’t be ready on time.”

  Kara didn’t hear Anne’s response as she turned the corner in the stairs and emerged into the bathing room. Green light, filtered through the stained-glass windows, gave the room a natural ambience. Comfortable chairs were arrayed in the manner of a private lounge, and an unfamiliar yet attractive fragrance caused her to breathe in deeply. Upon each side of her, the room was broken up by two wooden screens. Behind the one to her left she heard the splash of water being emptied from a bucket into a bath.

  “Rupert?” the younger Thessalia called. A young man appeared from behind the bathing screen. “The lady will take her bath now. Go and fuel the stove.”

  Rupert bowed nervously and disappeared down the stairs as the daughter took Kara’s satchel from her shoulder and placed it carefully on a three-legged stool beneath the window.

  “Remove your clothing and take your bath,” she instructed. “Go behind the screen if you wish to be modest.”

  Anne settled upon the nearest chair, inspecting the cushion before she did so. She shot Kara a look of impatience. To her right sat Caroline, who occupied herself by looking over an open drawer of dyed fabrics.

  Am I boring you ladies?

  Caroline looked up, and she gasped.

  “Oh!”

  For Kara was swiftly undressing. She had thrown her cloak down onto the stool, quite deliberately draping it over her satchel. Her shirt followed, and then she reached for her leggings.

  “Oh,” Lady Caroline said again, covering her mouth. “Oh, gosh…”

  Anne’s eyes met Kara’s coldly as she dropped her leggings onto her shirt. There was nothing left for her to remove. She held only her sword, still in its scabbard.

  “Modesty is only a fool’s pride, Lady Anne,” she said lightly. “It is the first casualty when you hunt murderers in The Wilderness for weeks on end,” she added with relish. “I have bathed in lakes and rivers under the sun and stars while my friends kept an eye out for enemies. Now I will take my bath, and I will take my sword with me, for I don’t like leaving it out of reach. It’s a habit of mine.”

  The tub was enormous, and Kara sank into the hot water gratefully. She rested her hands on the copper rim. Steam rose from the surface and condensation dripped from a fogged mirror that hung on the wall to her immediate right, above a slate shelf. Next to the tub sat a small stool. She could feel the heat rising from below, for Rupert, downstairs, would be piling wood into a stove that would keep the water warm.

  I just hope he knows how much wood to put in, or else I will boil. Despite that, the water felt wonderful on her skin.

  The older Thessalia was saying something beyond the screen, but Kara didn’t catch it. Her daughter made a remark, and then Anne replied with a sharp tone. As ever, Caroline giggled. Kara could imagine the dark-eyed pretty girl with her hand over her mouth again.

  The conversation ended as one or both of the Thessalias opened drawers and lifted cloth from cupboards. Basking now in the warmth, Kara was content to let them get on with it. Her muscles needed a soak, and she had looked forward to a bath for some days now.

  She peered at the slate shelf below the mirror. A dozen bottles with granules of varying colours were lined up, ready for use. Kara didn’t know whether to eat them or pour them into the water. She picked up one with a red colour and a cherry scent, and suddenly she had a vision of running out into the room after smearing it around her mouth and face, grinning insanely and holding her sword aloft, waving it at Anne.

  How she would scream.

  Suddenly and quite uncontrollably, she laughed. Then she ducked her head below the water to silence herself. But when she resurfaced she found Caroline standing over her.

  “Is everything well?”

  Kara pushed her wet hair back from her face.

  “Quite well, thank you,” she said. “Although… could you tell me which of these you would… recommend?” Kara pointed to the shelf lined with the confusing lotions. Caroline smiled knowingly.

  “Any and all,” she advised, smiling meekly. She pointed to the bottle Kara still clutched in her hand. “I like that one, the cherry scent.” She lowered her voice and leaned forward. “Although Lady Anne thinks it’s too strong. She thinks a lady should be subtle in her fashions.”

  “Well, then,” Kara replied with sudden glee, her voice also low, “something about Lady Anne reminds me of the wrong end of a horse. I agree with you. Cherry it is.”

  Caroline gaped in shock at Kara.

  Then she covered her mouth-with both hands this time, as if just one wasn’t enough to still the laughter that threatened to overwhelm her. After a moment, she regained control.

  “You… you mustn’t talk like that,” she gasped.

  Kara didn’t reply. Instead, she poured the red lotion into the water and mixed the bath with her hand. A strong scent was carried upwards in the steam. Kara gave a sigh of contentment.

  “That is a good choice, Lady Caroline,” she said, resting her head on a soft cushion-like sponge that had been provided for her comfort.

  “Can I stay for a moment?” Caroline asked.

  It would be useful to have a friend tonight. I have a feeling that Anne might try some mischief at the dance.

  “Yes, I would be glad of the company,” Kara said genuinely. “Tell me of events that have been taking place here in Varrock. I have been in The Wilderness and away from civilization for so long that there is much I don’t know.”

  “W
here should I start?” Caroline said as she pulled up the stool.

  “About these murders and disappearances,” Kara suggested. “That sounds interesting.” She sniffed at several new lotions as Caroline told her about the prophecy of the High Priest of Entrana, given a century earlier, and of the rumours that were spreading through the streets of the city. She told Kara about the secret society whose symbol was an owl, and how more and more of the symbols were appearing in the oddest places. Much of her information was gossip, Kara deduced, though she knew Caroline’s account of Ellamaria’s accusation was accurate, since she had been there to witness it herself.

  Still, if there have been as many deaths as she indicates, it is a wonder the city isn’t tearing itself apart. And Morytania is believed responsible. We must be careful, my friends and I.

  Gar’rth most of all.

  She was brought from her reverie by a question.

  “Did you really kill all those men?” Caroline asked, her voice almost a whisper. “All fourteen of them, on your own?”

  “I did,” Kara replied. “It was dark in the barn, though. They couldn’t see.”

  Caroline hesitated. Kara saw her confusion, and continued.

  “I grew up with the dwarfs under Ice Mountain, after my family were butchered by Sulla and his Kinshra,” she explained. “You learn to see in the dark there. Your eyes grow used to it.”

  Although since leaving the mines I find it harder to see so well. Perhaps I am losing that gift, after spending so much time on the surface.

  “I wish I could do that,” Caroline said. “But why did you never kill Sulla? In all the songs you bested him in single combat after destroying his army, after you killed a hundred men in battle. Are the tales true?”

  You are filled with questions, Lady Caroline, Kara realised. I would be foolish to think you simple. She laughed to hide her suspicion, yet it was not entirely forced, for Caroline was open to the point of naivety and Kara found it delightfully easy to talk to her.

  “I am not sure I ever killed a hundred men,” she replied. “Doric said later that he counted thirty or so of my enemies, but I don’t remember.” She looked Caroline in the eyes. “And I am glad I don’t.”