19. Kasten
Lord Hans had received the same message from the king, and his regiment was waiting for us at Redcliff—the central point in his rather barren lands—just as we had planned. The sun was starting to set, making the orange rock deepen to red around us. We rode three abreast down the canyon, the deathbed of some ancient river, and every now and again I flicked my eyes up to the scouts who were navigating the treacherous paths above our heads to warn of any ambushes. It was preposterous to think the enemy could have advanced this far already, but if Whitehill could fall, I was past making any assumptions.
I nodded to Lord Hans as he approached us at the rust-colored pool that even the horses wouldn’t drink from. He gave me a wry grin in return as he scratched his grey beard. The man had become more unkempt with age, and he had more than twice my years.
“Can’t say I’m happy to see you today, General.” Neither of us bothered to dismount.
I grunted.
Lord Hans looked back down the canyon as if wishing he could escape. “I fear that not even you will get out of this one, even with your legendary luck. None of us have a chance.”
I shifted in the saddle, becoming emotionless. “Whitehill is a fundamental part of our defense. It is only right that we take it back.”
Lord Hans leaned forward, his saddle creaking, and studied me for a moment. “I don’t understand. You still defend him after the way he has treated you. After all his attempts to get you killed. After he left the men of Whitehill as soulless fodder.”
I suppressed my building anger. The responding surge of hopelessness. “He’s the king.”
Hans pushed his horse closer to mine and lowered his voice. “Kasten, you realize you don’t have to go into this battle. We can’t win. He’s tried to kill you before—you don’t owe him your loyalty. If you went to the capital right now, my men would follow you as well as yours. Thousands more would join. And the way you’ve trained your troops, well, the king’s guards wouldn’t stand a chance. You could take the crown. You could more than live. You could rule.”
I shot him a hard stare. “You shouldn’t talk about treason so openly. I’ve chosen my path. You should choose yours.”
Hans spread out his hands. “Sadly, I am not nearly as influential or as equipped as you. In my current situation, my only chance of survival, however slim, is sticking with you. The king wants me dead too. I have nowhere to hide.”
I sighed, tired of this discussion. “I can’t challenge the king. If I did, Fenland would fall into chaos. The last thing we need right now is civil war with the way Kollenstar is pushing at our border. And I have no desire to be king. I won’t cause the deaths of hundreds more by creating a power vacuum. The people of Fenland deserve better.”
Hans chewed on some tobacco and spat it over the side of his horse. “It’s not right, you know. You showing him loyalty as you ride off to get killed at his orders. But…you’re right. I hate it, but you are. You can’t just kill the king. Fenland would fall.” He looked ahead. “If it doesn’t fall anyway.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Shall we get this over and done with?”
He grinned. “Well, let’s make a jolly good show of it then.”
Behind us, our two regiments merged and trudged on toward the border. It wasn’t the first time we’d fought together.
I clenched the reins of my horse, my leather gloves creaking and crusted in sweat. Even if I died, we had to at least weaken the enemy enough for the next troops sent by the king to take back Whitehill. I imagined he would send most his army after he’d used the situation to get rid of us.
Kasomere was surrounded by high walls that were well maintained. Sophie should be safe there after my death. But I didn’t want to take any chances. The thought of my city surrounded by Kollenstar soldiers filled me with dread.
The king would never let that happen, surely? Once I was dead, his disapproval against Kasomere would end.
And more importantly, if Kollenstar troops advanced so far into Fenland, the king would risk losing the whole country. The roads between Kasomere and Adenburg were wide and straight, perfect for marching an army down.
Yes, Sophie and my people would be safe. Maybe even safer without me.
Still, I would rather eliminate the threat of Kollenstar myself.
We would arrive tomorrow.
Sophie
Four days.It had been four days since the soldiers left.
I hadn’t expected to miss Kasten, but I did. It was ridiculous. He had frequently been away before, and we had only interacted four times since I’d arrived in Kasomere. But there was always the chance I would bump into him. Now I feared I might never see him again. Had my second marriage passed me by without me realizing it? Something about that made me feel sadder than I’d expected.
But no, I shouldn’t think like that. I had to be positive and assume he was coming home. Callum too. As much as my husband’s friend annoyed me, the castle felt very empty without him. No smoke rose from his workshop anymore. Besides, he was the only one willing to tell me anything.
Now it was just me and the servants.
I stirred my tea next to my untouched breakfast in the conservatory, my head propped up on one elbow, when Tom approached the table. He caught me by surprise, and I dropped my spoon. It clattered from the saucer onto the floor.
“Tom! What are you doing here?” My cheeks heated from being caught in such an informal state. Miss Claris had always said I should remain ladylike at all times.
He bowed, his cap clutched in his hands. Then he met my eyes with a large grin. “My lady, I have a surprise for you.”
I stood up at once. “Don’t tell me you sourced pinkbell seedlings?”
He chuckled. “No, no. This surprise is far better. It’s about something General Kasten asked us to make for you.”
I stepped forward intrigued and touched. He had arranged a surprise for me to receive in his absence? The thoughtfulness was so different from his cold, brusque exterior and his complete inability to hold a conversation. I really didn’t know what to make of him.
“What is it?”
Tom’s grin spread even wider. “If you would follow me.”
I beckoned Lucy and Beatrice and followed the gardener out through the glass doors, my footsteps quick with impatience and excitement. Meena was my shadow as always. What had Kasten asked the gardeners to make for me? Maybe a rose garden. That was a common gift for wives. Or maybe he had planted a new tree to be as old as our marriage or one that was as old as me. Surely it wouldn’t be something as grand and ostentatious as a statue? That didn’t seem Kasten’s style.
And between all his worries and crushing responsibility, how had he managed to arrange this?
Tom spoke over his shoulder as he led the way. “You might have noticed that the western rock garden has been fenced off the last few weeks. It was because we didn’t want you to see what we were doing.”
“It’s in the rock garden?” Maybe it was a giant cactus. The thought made me smile.
He chuckled. I guess I seemed like an excited child. “No, it’s beyond. We didn’t want you to see.”
We rounded the corner next to the hazel trees and found the fences around the more arid section of the garden had been removed. I smelled something new in the air. Peaty. Damp. It was at complete odds with the succulents of the rock garden and the heavy heat of the sun. I picked up my pace as we hurried down the curving gravel path, winding around the rocks and benches, until we came in view of the abandoned quarry, an overgrown pit in a grassland grazed by sheep.
Except it had been completely transformed. I skidded to a halt and stared. It was now bogland. Yellow and purple flag irises surrounded the rim before the ground became completely waterlogged. A myriad of wooden walkways crossed over the site, with platforms and benches scattered around, one of which was occupied by a heron. Between the walkways, patchworks of tiny plants and flowers were growing, some with netting to protect them. And from the sides of the quarry, small waterfalls tumbled from streams that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago.
I could only stare as I tried to process it all.
Tom was still grinning as he watched my expression. “It took us a while to get enough sphagnum mosses to make the soil and water acidic enough, but we got them and you’ll not believe the plants we’ve managed to keep alive all week. Yellowmoss, bigsweed, honey orchids just to name a few. I even imported felixleaf seeds but thought I would leave you the honor of planting those yourself! We’re attempting pigsmoss, but our first batch died, so we’re trying again. This time…”
His words faded out as I continued to stare at the swamp; my chest became tight, and tears pricked my eyes. Kasten had given me this. I’d expected something pretty and grand. Something generic that would impress any wife. But he had given me something meaningful instead. Something I loved so desperately the moment I saw it. Something nobody else would have given me. I’d never received a gift like this before. It was like he really knew me—I just hadn’t realized it. And not just known me but accepted this part of me I’d always felt the need to keep hidden.
We had barely spoken, and he always seemed so distant. Yet this gift communicated more than words could. How had he known that this would be perfect for me?
I couldn’t help the tears streaming from my eyes and Tom’s grin dropped. “My lady?”
I quickly wiped my eyes with my handkerchief. “Oh Tom. It’s wonderful, thank you. I’m so grateful.”
His smile returned. “Well, it’s all yours, so we’ll follow your directions with whatever you wish to grow. Just give us some time to perfect the irrigation and acidity.”
I drew in a shaking breath, still reeling from Kasten’s thoughtfulness. “You’ve really managed to grow bigsweed? And honey orchids? I’ve only read about them in books.”
He nodded. “We can harvest one of the bigsweed now if you’d like, just to see, or we could wait for them to get bigger. I only planted the seeds five days ago, so they’re pretty tiny. Might be nice for them to spread a bit undisturbed. I can’t image you would get much powder from them yet.”
A jolt of sadness mingled with my excitement. If I’d had bigsweed root before the general and Callum had left, I could have made a much stronger tincture. Hopefully, there would be a next time. I would make sure I had some harvested, powdered, and prepared before their return. Who knew how many of the soldiers might arrive injured. Bigsweed root was a rare antiseptic, not to mention felixleaf. I’d heard of nothing better for killing infections, but nobody had invented a preservative for it yet.
I reached the first platform and stepped on it, raising my skirts so I could see where I trod. There were plants everywhere, many I didn’t recognize. Beatrice was studying me intently from behind. I expected her to comment on the oddness of my enthusiasm, but instead she said, “I will need to design you some better clothes, my lady. Ones with shorter divided skirts that you can wear with boots.”
I looked back at her and smiled. “That would be fantastic. Maybe I could wear some waterproof waders like the gardeners?”
Tom leaned back and laughed. “Wouldn’t that be a fine sight for the general to come back to!”
I joined in his laughter, feeling lighter and more hopeful than I had in weeks. It felt good to imagine the general’s return rather than dwell on his absence.
A faint new voice called from behind. “My lady? Lady Sophie?”
I turned to see a servant I didn’t recognize hurrying through the rock garden toward us. I stepped off the walkway to meet him partway, surprised since there had never been anything urgent in Kasomere for me to address previously. “My lady, we have an unexpected visitor.”
I smiled, still heady from my morning surprise. “Who?” It would be nice to meet somebody new in Kasten and Callum’s absence. I’d not yet had the chance to host.
“It’s your brother, Master George Halfield.”
My lightheartedness vanished in an instant.