The Forsaken Throne (Kingfountain #6)

There was movement at the balcony window. Staeli reached for his sword when a man stepped away from the curtains, tall and lanky and dressed in black leather with the symbol of the white boar as a badge.

Fallon. Her eyes fell on a cylinder—a Tay al-Ard—as he stuffed it into his belt. His expression was dark and brooding and there was a wry look about him, as if he knew full well he’d startled them both.

“No, Staeli, you don’t have Owen’s ring,” he said, tapping his lips gently with two fingers and then running his hand through his dark hair. “I have it.”





CHAPTER TEN


Hetaera


Morwenna must have sent him to stop Trynne, to arrest her for treason and bring her back to Kingfountain. Panic shot through her, for she knew she’d be forced to flee, perhaps even harm him to do so.

“Well, lad,” Captain Staeli said in a warning tone, positioning himself in front of Trynne. “I suppose we’ll see if you’re as good with a blade as everyone boasts.”

“I’m not here to fight you,” Fallon said, shaking his head as he stepped closer. Trynne summoned her magic, preparing herself for conflict. “In fact,” he continued, “I’m relieved you’re already here, Captain. It saves me from having to seek both of you out, and time is something we have in scant supply.” He looked into Trynne’s eyes.

“Don’t run. Hear me out.”

“I think it’s a trick,” Staeli said. “Go, my lady. I’ll stop him.”

Fallon shook his head. “No tricks. Put your sword down, man.

I’m not fighting either of you. Trynne, I know I must earn your trust quickly. Take the Tay al-Ard.” He pulled it from his belt and held it out. “Both of us know what it can do. I took it from Morwenna. It’s hers.”

“Take it, Captain,” Trynne said guardedly, still looking into Fallon’s eyes, trying to understand what was happening. Her instincts said she shouldn’t trust him. But part of her was desperate to. She needed help—and that could be exactly what Morwenna was counting on. She stared at him with suspicion.

“I’m on your side,” Fallon said, handing the device to Captain Staeli. “I’ve always been on your side. I need to explain quickly what is going on. We don’t have much time to save your father and stop Morwenna. I know where he is and how to get there. If we don’t go immediately, he is going to die in a war that is consuming another world. It’s the world Myrddin is from. Trynne, all the stories we heard growing up are true and frighteningly real.”

“How can I trust you?” Trynne demanded. He’d given the captain the Tay al-Ard, but she was still unconvinced. Was he trying to play on her emotions? Was he being driven by Morwenna’s magic even now?

He held up his hand. “I know you don’t trust me. Will you at least listen to me? I wanted Captain Staeli to be here because he won’t let you do anything he feels is foolish.”

“You’re right on that, lad.” The captain nearly growled the words.

“Then we understand each other,” Fallon said. “I drugged Morwenna and then took your father’s ring and the Tay al-Ard from her. I tried to take off that black beetle-like ring she wears, but it won’t come off. It might need to be cut off her finger. When she revives and realizes I’m gone, she’ll come looking for me. She will try to kill me, I’m pretty sure of that. We don’t have a moment to waste, so I need you to trust me. Can we sit? I promise I’m not trying to waylay you.”

Trynne motioned for the couch and the chairs and they all took seats near one another. She watched Fallon closely for any sign of deception, but while he looked haggard and weary, he did not look guilty. There was a determination in his countenance she’d never seen before. A settled aura, one that spoke of his strong will.

He rested his elbows on his knees. “I’ve known for some time now that Morwenna deliberately betrayed the king. I’ve kept that knowledge secret from everyone except my sister. Morwenna has abducted her and hidden her in Marshaw, disguised as herself so that she won’t be believed. I’ve put in motion orders to set her free and bring her to Dundrennan. They say you took Kate, Trynne. Is that true?”

She nodded. “She’s here, but she’s very sick.”

Fallon’s look darkened. “I hope I’m not too late to save her. Let this part of the story be quick. I’ve been training with the Espion for several years. You knew this. But I’ve also trained in secret to be a poisoner. Morwenna has been teaching me.” He tapped his fingers together. “I think I can help Kate. I hope I can help her.”

As if seeing the question in her eyes, he explained, “The main reason I wanted to study those dark arts was because of my interest in the properties of nightshade. Under a certain dosage, it can make the victim reveal what they know without leaving them the memory of unburdening themselves. Too much, and it’s fatal. I’ve used it on Morwenna to learn about the scale of her plot to take over Kingfountain. Actually, her ambition doesn’t end with this land.” He pressed his palms together. “Morwenna is a hetaera.”

Trynne looked at him in confusion. “What is that?”

“They are like poisoners, but they are from another world. They have powerful magic. You have no idea how powerful, Trynne. They have these medallions that can be used to manipulate a person’s emotions. They can cause fear. Jealousy. Just about any emotion you can imagine, but more strongly, more powerfully than what is normal. They can even make a man fall in love.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Or hate. The king doesn’t realize that his sister is pretending to be his wife. Until now, she was maneuvering in the background, but she has begun to execute her plan. She poisoned Kevan Amrein so she could offer me the position she knows I’ve always wanted. But in order to claim the full powers of the hetaera, she needed to betray the one she loves.” His eyes were dark. “Me. She didn’t think I was aware of what she was doing.

She won’t remember telling me because of the nightshade. She gave me this—her medallion. It’s called a kystrel.”

He reached into his pocket and withdrew the medallion. It was round with a whorl-shaped pattern on the tarnished silver face. The chain attached to it dangled from his hand.

“I haven’t worn it. I will never wear it. If I did, she would be able to control my actions. All part of the great betrayal, you see. She got it from that other world. She’s gone there many times with your father’s ring. I would not have been able to take the kystrel off on my own. Someone else would have had to break the chain and tug it off me. I’m telling you all of this because the place where we’re going is overrun by the hetaera. Civilization is collapsing, and they are about to annihilate themselves in war and plague.”

As Fallon spoke, Trynne had felt a few buds of hope bloom inside her, but his last comment caught her completely off guard.

“What do you mean, where we are going?”

He stuffed the medallion back into his pocket. “The passage to this other world is here in Brythonica. In the grove. For some reason, Trynne, you are immune to the hetaera’s magic. You and those who are near you. Your father was also immune, which is why I think he’s still alive. I can’t do this alone, Trynne. I need your help.”

Fallon’s gaze was intense and serious. “I’ve been trying to solve this puzzle for a long time. I had all the clues, and the nightshade finally enticed Morwenna to put the final pieces in place. Morwenna stole your father’s ring. She learned about it from a story in an ancient book called The Hidden Vulgate. It is a book of magic she found in the poisoner school in Pisan. It tells the story of Owain, the man who married the Lady of the Fountain. That story spoke of a pathway to another world—the world the original King Andrew was taken to when he was mortally wounded by his bastard son.” He rubbed his chin. “If we don’t stop Morwenna, that story will repeat itself, Trynne. The king will die. But we can stop her together.