The Royals

Chapter 24

With her last shred of strength, Ginni conjured her mental box. Quickly and carefully, she laid in all that she had learned in the past frenzied hours. Finally without a slice of hesitation, she put her very soul in the box. She could not protect her body from the Hags, as Grosik called them. But she could guard her essence from their misuse. Ginni smiled in her sleep. Indeed, Roslin had taught her well.

Prince Henry flipped through the ledgers for the third time and rolled up the scroll. No matter how many times he reviewed the numbers, they still didn't balance. So much food; so much drink; so many refugees.

People were going to start starving soon. He'd have revolution on his hands then, but not the one he'd stumbled into leading. Henry affixed a seal to the parchment and gave it back to Sir Maarcus. 'Any other good news in that bag of yours?'

Beside him, the physician stood at attention, mercifully clear-eyed and even-voiced. 'No, sire, I think that's all I have.'

'So what are my choices?' He ticked them off on his fingers. 'One, let the army starve. Two, let the refugees starve. Three, let everyone starve albeit more slowly?'

'I wouldn't word it so harshly

'No, you wouldn't and I appreciate it.' He sighed.

'Who else knows how low we are on supplies?'

'Only Abadan. I've divided the duties so that no one sergeant fully realizes our desperation.'

So much for putting the best face on the situation, Henry thought.

Maarcus shifted his weight and continued. 'However, three or four of my best are beginning to reach obvious conclusions. Another dozen will know as soon as these few begin to speculate aloud.'

'At which point, pandemonium won't be far behind." The prince didn't need to see the physician's sour expression for confirmation. I'm inclined to cut all rations from two-thirds down to half. We've got to have an army, but there's no point to it if the people we're trying to save are dead.'

'I agree. It's the only way.'

'How long will we have on half-rations?'

'Six to ten weeks at the current population.' He paused to put the ledgers back in their leather casing. 'But we might not need more than that. The spring thaws…

'Will undoubtedly be late in coming this year if the elfwitch has any say in it. And the exiles still arrive almost daily.' The prince drummed his fingers on the desk. 'This is as effective as resetting a soldier's broken arm while he bleeds to death from a gut wound. We must win this battle against the trolls and reverse Alvaria's death-tide. Once men see it can be done, we'll be able to gather an army strong enough to defeat the elfwitch herself.' Rather than think about the shabby state of his diminishing troops or the starving citizens, he switched to an equally dismal topic. 'I don't suppose we've received word of Kate and Maarcus within the last few hours?"

A look of confusion crossed the physician's face. 'Are they ill? No one's mentioned it to me.'

Sisters preserve me, Henry thought. Do I remind him again or simply assure him all is well? No, he needs to I have a grasp of the facts, however painful. of course that we sent them on reconnaissance duty,' he said casually, and we haven't heard from them in some days now.'

Oh, yes, that,' Maarcus said, seemingly relieved. 'Don't worry, sire. My grandson has been in tough spots before, but he always pulls through.'

'No doubt. Kate too. The prince didn't have the heart to push the t*****e of the specifics on the man, but he couldn't refrain from brooding himself. 'I don't know, though. There's something about the two of them together that I should have considered before I suggested this mission.'

'What's that?"

He shook his head, part in awe, part in dread. 'When they're pleased with one another, they're too wrapped in joy to note potential threats. When they're squabbling, they're too angry to see any dangers outside their own petty insults. This strong bond might well make for a lifelong union, but only if Kate and Maarcus live long enough to make the wedding.'.

The senior Maarcus kept his eyes downcast and didn't comment.

'Tell Abadan to try harder. Tell him to enlist more magicians if he needs. Anything he wants, give it to him.'

'Yes, sire. I will, sire. Anything else, sire?'

'No, that's all.'

The physician never once raised his view from the scuffed oak floor as he crossed to the door and closed it behind him.

Wondering how much longer he could risk depending on the man's failing judgment, Henry pulled his sister's knife from the desk drawer. 'It won't do any good,' he whispered to the empty room. 'None of us have the have the power to defeat her.' Angry beyond words, he stood and threw the knife. It spun tip over pommel and buried itself in the door inches from where Maarcus had just passed.

Kate quietly inspected every c***k and crevice of her cell. She found a loose brick here and there and plenty of spiders. She logged it all out of habit, though there was nothing unexpected and nothing likely to aid her escape. Through it all, Maarcus remained unnaturally silent. Was he well?

When she heard the guard descending with their food, she paused in her scrutiny so that she appeared to have nothing more on her mind than calmly awaiting her meal.

'All that deep thinkin' won't get you out of here,' snapped the guard, who like most jailors enjoyed har rassing his prisoners.

'All that fine talk won't save you from the trolls,' Kate retorted.

He laughed. 'You believe that nonsense? than the usual half-breed.' You're dumber

'Seen 'em with my own eyes.' She sized him up. I'd say they could take on three or four of you.'

He snorted. 'You think you can talk your way out of here, you keep right on tryin'. Don't matter to me.' He slid her tray under the barred door. 'Oughta know, though, the prince isn't much for hearing anybody but himself.'

She listened to his footsteps as he delivered Maarcus' tray and went back to the guard station at the entrance to the prison. Once he'd settled down next to his partner, she attempted to focus on her food. But her mind was on trolls and her brother and …

Transformations.

Zera had told her the trolls were like her brother.

So they must have been transformed - from humans. Probably dwarves and the odd defiant elf as well.

All of them reshaped by the elfwitch's will. All of them controlled by that same hand. All of them doomed to fight their own.