Chapter 18 Thorn
The office of the High Sherriff sat at the center of Fontaine’s trade district in a large stone building with few windows and even fewer doors.
The place looked more like a mausoleum than a functional government building.
City Guardsmen, Royal Guards, and National Patrol streamed through, reminiscent of an anthill angered by the rain.
The milling crowds of uniformed men and women offered shallow bows and parted as I passed, guided by some involuntary impulse to avoid contact with Mages in general, and me in particular.
I strolled the length of the lobby and climbed the stairs to the offices of senior officers and bureaucrats on the third floor.
Approaching the familiar desk of the High Sheriff’s clerk, I smiled.
“Kay, I’d like to see Sebastiano for a moment, please.”
A woman in her fifties with spectacles atop gray hair pinned in a tight bun glanced up. “Of course, High Chancellor. Please have a seat.”
When Kay reappeared, she was followed by a man wearing a crisp green coat lined with two rows of highly polished buttons.
“Danai? What an odd time for a visit from the King’s hand. Is everything all right?” Sebastiano asked with genuine concern.
“All is well. Would you mind if we spoke in your office . . . privately?”
Sebastiano paused, then turned and motioned for me to precede him into his office. At the far end of the room, next to one of the building’s precious few windows, sat an enormous desk littered with parchment. Either the High Sheriff was in high demand, or he was woefully behind on his paperwork.
We sat at a small table just inside the door. “So, I take it this isn’t a courtesy call. What’s going on that we needed to talk privately and outside of the Council?”
I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “Are you aware that your son has engaged in private rendezvous—sometimes very late at night—in the woods near the Palace grounds?”
Sebastiano’s eyes widened as his head shook. “No. I’ve been working all hours lately. He’s a good boy but has been a little lost since my wife died last year, and with those missing Gifted cases piling up, I haven’t been home much. What’s he gotten himself mixed up in?”
“Secret, unchaperoned evenings with Princess Jessia.”
The Sheriff’s eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets as he searched for any sign of humor.
“You’re serious?”
“I’m afraid so. In fact, they were seen having a picnic in the woods just last night, complete with wine, chocolates, and a large, comfortable blanket.” I peeked at Wilfred’s reaction while pretending to leaf through documents.
Sebastiano rose and began pacing, one hand scratching his stubbly head.
“The Queen will have his head for this,” he muttered.
“She isn’t thrilled with your son complicating her plans. She has her mind set on pairing the Princess with someone from the Council.”
“A member of the Council? Which old men are they desperate enough to try now?”
“Dask and Marks.”
He barked a laugh. “You’re kidding, right? Every rumor I’ve heard pegs Dask as favoring the Prince, not the Princess. And Marks . . . well . . . he’s not as old as the rest of us, but do we really want the leader of our military sitting on the throne? What is the Queen thinking?”
“They’re better than Parna.”
“Now I know you’re joking. Parna?” The Sheriff gaped. “One does love talking about oneself, doesn’t one?”
I let a rare smile slip.
Sebastiano was one of the few who surrounded the King whose company I genuinely enjoyed.
I had been the one to welcome him on the first day he strode through the golden doors.
Many on the King’s Council were new, with eager eyes and loud voices.
Sebastiano held his tongue. He observed.
He learned. There was a wisdom in his hazel eyes as he rose to address the Crown his first time.
The moment felt only days in the past, though decades had flown by.
We were so young then.
At least, he was. I’d lived several centuries by that time, though none in the Palace knew it.
Sebastiano and I were not friends—I could not honestly use that term with anyone—but there was a camaraderie we shared that I assumed to be akin to friendship others enjoyed.
I could never lower my guard with Bril or the others on the Council without whispers reaching the King’s ears.
But, as an enforcer of the King’s laws, Sebastiano understood the need for secrecy.
He knew when to keep his lips closed and when to speak.
He understood the value of information and the need to grasp it tightly in one’s fist. In that, we shared a common interest.
“I can’t imagine Jess accepting any of them.”
I spread my hands in noncommittal agreement.
“So, back to Danym.”
Sebastiano held up a palm. “I’ll handle him, but I might need your help keeping the Princess away for a while.”
There was a pause as the Sheriff leaned against his desk.
I decided to head down a different path. “While I’m here, do you have any update on the missing Gifted cases?”
Sebastiano’s head snapped up.
He stepped around his desk and rifled through one of the stacks, holding a page before a flickering lamp.
“A fourth was reported missing just yesterday. That’s four Gifted in the past nine weeks. The only common thread we’ve found is that all four have a Gift. The latest was taken from Crelt—son of a local Merchant, no one particularly important or famous.”
“What was the boy’s Gift this time?” I steepled my fingers.
“Looks like . . .” Sebastiano scanned the parchment. “Mental: Clairvoyance.”
“So, Strength, Fire, Animal Control, and now Clairvoyance. Doesn’t seem to follow any pattern, does it?” I asked.
“I was hoping you or one of your Mages might have more insight. Even the locations where the victims were taken are random, several days’ distant.”
“Have you discovered a trail to follow in any of the cases? Any sign of where they were taken?”
“No.” He dropped into the chair behind his desk and sorted through a different pile.
“We did receive some curious, unrelated reports. Our Patrol Captain near Cradle noted a recent increase in activity by the Children. He believes they are migrating further east, possibly over the mountains into Melucia.”
“The Children?” My brows furrowed. “I haven’t heard anyone mention them in years. They’re a cult obsessed with Irina, right?”
Sebastiano nodded. “Every one of them is touched, if you ask me. They run around in robes and the strangest masks you’ve ever seen. I think they even have their voices altered somehow. Just listening to one of them talk makes my skin crawl.”
“Interesting,” I said. “Are they still preaching the virtues of the Kingdom War and Queen Irina?”
“Oh, yes.” Sebastiano chuckled. “Complete with prophecies of her return and the overthrow of the heretics currently warming the throne.”
My eyes widened. “Are you concerned? Should we increase Palace security?”
“No, I don’t think so. There aren’t enough of them to do much harm.”
“All right.” I considered a moment. “From what I recall, they’ve always kept to themselves. Do you suspect their involvement?”
“No, nothing, other than the timing. I have two units in the area, one in Cradle and the other in Huntcliff. If there’s anything going on, we’ll hear about it.”
I stood and nodded. “Thank you, Sebastiano. Please keep me informed. The King is disturbed by these cases and is eager for their resolution.”
“We all are, Chancellor. We all are.”
Two hours later, I stood in the Queen’s study watching her stare into the fireplace.
Ancient, leather-bound tomes lined even older shelves, as though the past bore witness to every moment of our present.
Aside from the fire crackling in the hearth, the only light in the small chamber came from a lone candle mounted in silver sitting on a table by her leather chair.
“Yes, Your Majesty, the Sheriff understands completely.”
She responded in a low, measured tone that was more intimidating than if her voice were raised. “I’d better never see his boy anywhere near the Palace or my daughter again. Do you understand me, Danai? Never. Again.”
“I understand perfectly, Your Majesty.” I bowed before leaving the Queen to ponder her flames. I couldn’t decide which burned brighter in that moment, the ones in the hearth or in her eyes.