Кэтрин Фишер - Sapphique

‘Yes I have Caspar sounded terrified and furious all at once. ‘You, Medlicote, and you, Grahame, and you, Hal Keane. All of you are traitors and once the Queen knows...’

‘Exactly.’ Medlicote’s voice was heavy. ‘Best if you stand aside, Master. You need have no part of this.’ Jared didn’t move. He eyed Medlicote through the dusk.

‘You would really kill an unarmed boy?’

‘They killed Prince Giles.’

‘Finn is Giles.’ Medlicote sighed. ‘Master, the Wolves know that Giles is truly dead. The Warden of Incarceron was our leader. He would have told us if the Prince was placed in the Prison: The shock rocked Jared. He tried to recover. ‘The Warden is a man of great depth. He has his own plans. He may have misled you.’ The secretary nodded. ‘I know him better than you, Master.

But that doesn’t concern us now. Please stand aside.’

‘Don’t, Jared!’ Caspar’s voice was a sharp cry. ‘Don’t leave me! Do something! I would never have killed you, Master! I swear!’ Jared rubbed his face. He was tired and sore and cold. He was worried sick about Claudia. But he said, ‘Listen to me, Medlicote. The boy is no use to anyone dead. But as a hostage he is immensely valuable. As soon as the moon sets and the night is dark enough I intend to use a secret way I know to get into the Wardenry ...’

‘What way?’ Jared jerked his head at the listening gentlemen. ‘I can’t say. You may have spies even in your Clan. But there is a way. Let me take Caspar with me. If the Queen sees her precious son paraded on the battlements she’ll stop the bombardment instantly. You must see that this will work.’ Medlicote gazed at him through the glasses. Then he said, ‘I will talk to my brothers.’ They walked aside and made a small group under he beeches.

Blindfolded and tied, Caspar whispered, ‘Where are you, Master Sapient?’

‘Still here.’

‘Save me. Untie me. My mother will load treasure on you.

Anything you want. Don’t leave me to these monsters, Jared.’ Jared sat wearily in the beech leaves and watched the monsters. He saw grave, bitter men. Some he recognized — a gentleman of the King’s Chamber, a member of the Privy Council. Was his life any safer than Caspar’s now that he knew who they were? And why was he so tangled in this web of murder and intrigue when all he had ever wanted was to study the ancient writings and the stars?

‘They’re coming back. Untie me, Jared. Don’t let them shoot me like Fax.’ He stood. ‘Sire, I’m doing my best.’ The men approached in the twilight. The sun had gone, and from the Queen’s camp a trumpet rang out. Laughter and the ripple of viols came from the royal tent. Caspar groaned.

‘We’ve made up our minds: Medlicote put the firelock down and gazed at Jared through the mothy evening. ‘We agree to your plan.’ Caspar gasped, and slumped a little. Jared nodded.

‘But. There are conditions. We know what you were researching in the Academy. We know you decoded files, and we assume you learnt secrets there, about the Prison.

Can you find a way Out for the Warden?’

‘I believe it’s possible,’ Jared said cautiously.

‘Then you must swear to us, Master, that you will do everything you can to restore him to us. He must be held against his will, if the Prison is not the Paradise we thought, he would never have abandoned us. The Warden is faithful to the Clan.’ They really were deluded,Jared thought. But he nodded.

‘I’ll do my best.’

‘To make certain, I will enter the Wardenry with you.’

‘No!’ Caspar turned his head, blindly. ‘He’ll kill me, even in there!’ Jared gazed at Medlicote. ‘Don’t fear, sire. Claudia would never let that happen.’

‘Claudia.’ Caspar nodded in relief. ‘Yes you’re right.

Claudia and I were always friends. My fiancée once. Could be again.’ The Steel Wolves looked down at him in bitter silence. One of them muttered, ‘The heir of the Havaarnas. What a future we face.’

‘We will overthrow all of them, and Protocol too.’ Medlicote turned. ‘The moon sets in a few hours. We’ll wait till then.’

‘Good.’ Jared sat, pushing damp hair from his face. ‘In that case, my lords, if you have anything a poor Sapient could eat, he would be grateful. And then I’ll sleep, and you can wake me.’ He glanced up, through the branches of the trees.

‘Here. Under the stars.’ Claudia and Finn sat opposite each other at the table.

Servants poured wine; Ralph ushered in three footmen carrying tureens and then supervised the dishes, removing covers and placing utensils next to Claudia.

She sat, brooding over the melon on her plate. Beyond the candles and piled centrepiece of fruit Finn drank silently.

‘Will there be anything else, madam?’ She looked up. ‘No, Ralph, thank you. It looks wonderful.

Please thank the staff.’ He bowed, but she caught his surprised glance and almost smiled. Maybe she had changed. Maybe she was not quite the same haughty little girl any more.

When he had gone and they were alone neither of them spoke. Finn piled some food on his plate and then poked at it listlessly. Claudia couldn’t face anything.

‘It’s strange. For months I’ve wanted to be here, at home, with Ralph fussing.’ She looked round at the familiar dark-panelled room. ‘But it’s not the same

‘Maybe that’s because of the army outside.’ She glared at him. Then she said, ‘It got to you. What he said.’

‘About hiding behind a girl?’ He snorted. ‘I’ve heard worse. In the Prison Jormanric hurled insults that would freeze that idiot’s blood.’ She picked at a grape. ‘He did get to you.’ Finn threw down his spoon with a clatter and jumped up.

He strode angrily around the room.

‘All right, Claudia, yes, he did. I should have killed him when I had the chance. No Pretender, no problem. And he’s right in one thing. If we haven’t cracked the Portal by seven then I will walk out, alone, because there’s no way I’m having any of your people die for me. A women died once before because I could only think about my own Escape. I saw her fall screaming down a black abyss and it was my fault. It won’t happen again.’ Claudia pushed a pip round her plate. ’Finn, that’s exactly what he wants you to do. Be noble, give yourself up. Be killed.’ She turned. ‘Think! The Queen doesn’t know about the Portal here — if she did this place would be rubble by now. And now that you remember who you are . . . that you’re really Giles, you can’t just sacrifice yourself. You’re the King.’ He stopped and looked at her. ‘I don’t like the way you said that.’

‘Said what?’

‘Remembered. Remembered. You don’t believe me, Claudia.’

‘Of course I do …’

‘You think I’m lying. Maybe to myself.’

‘Finn . . .‘ She stood but he waved her away.

‘And the fit. . . it didn’t happen, but it was coming. And it shouldn’t be. Not any more.’

‘They’ll take time to go. Jared told you that.’ Exasperated, she stared at him. ‘Stop thinking about yourself for a minute, Finn! Jared is missing — god knows where he is. Keiro …’

‘Don’t talk to me about Keiro!’ He had turned and his face was so white it scared her. She was silent, knowing she had touched a raw nerve, letting her anger simmer.

Finn stared at her. Then, quieter, he said, ‘I never stop thinking about Keiro. I never stop wishing I’d never come here.’ She laughed, acid. ‘You prefer the Prison?’

‘I betrayed him. And Attia. If I could go back...’ She turned, snatched up her glass and drank, her fingers trembling on the delicate stem. Behind her the fire crackled over its logs and plasticoals.

‘Be careful what you wish for, Finn. You might get it.’ He leant on the fireplace, looking down. Beside him the carved figures watched; the black swan’s eye glittered like a diamond.