The Sword of Azaray Read online

  In one corner a charcoal brazier glowed a welcome. He went across to it, holding his hands out to the small heap of glowing embers with a sigh of pleasure. As he moved, his shoes squelched and left damp marks on the floor.

  ‘I see you live in luxury here,’ he said, only half-joking because he had to sleep in a corner of the hall at Sendalands and keep his few spare clothes rolled in his blanket in the store cellar. A room of his own, however small, would have seemed like heaven. A chill night breeze blew in through the window slit and seemed to plaster his icy garments to his skin.

  When Shayla joined him at the brazier, he saw that her face was white and that she, too, was shivering.

  ‘The first thing to do,’ Ronan said firmly, ‘is to get you out of those wet clothes. I have some old things which will probably fit you, Kerril, but I haven’t any girl’s clothes.’ He frowned at his sister.

  ‘Good. Because I don’t want any.’ Shayla grimaced and held her wet skirts away from her legs. ‘It’ll be easier for me to wear boy’s clothes from now on. Skirts slow you down. They’re no good at all for an adventure.’

  Ronan’s face brightened and he went across to fling the lid of the chest open and fumble inside.

  ‘Here!’ He tossed some patched and faded hose and tunics towards them, followed by old leather jerkins.

  ‘Put those on. You can dry yourselves on the blanket. Lock the door behind me and don’t stick even the tips of your noses outside. I’ll knock twice, then twice again, when I come back. If anyone else knocks, don’t answer. Now I really have to go.’

  He was out of the room almost before he had finished speaking, his feet pattering quickly down the stairs.

  After which there was silence in the small tower.

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  ‘The way he orders people around, he’ll really enjoy being king,’ Kerril said sourly. He went to swing the wooden bar into its socket, feeling better to have the door locked. Then he looked shyly at his sister and the clothes they were both holding.

  ‘If we turn our backs, we can both change,’ Shayla said briskly, suiting the action to the words. She dragged off her wet things and dropped them into a soggy heap on the floor, then rubbed her body briskly with a rough blanket from the bed, feeling her skin start to tingle with warmth. Ronan’s old hose fitted her well and when she pulled the tunic down over them and slipped on the sleeveless jerkin, only her hair betrayed that she was a girl. ‘I’m ready now.’

  ‘Me, too.’ Kerril turned round and smiled at her. ‘You’ll make a good boy.’

  They both moved over to the brazier again.

  Shayla tried to twist her hair up, clicking her tongue in exasperation as the wet, heavy tresses kept falling down again. ‘I need to cut it off,’ she said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘My hair. It gives me away as a girl.’

  ‘Well, don’t ask me to do it. My dagger’s pretty blunt.’

  As they stood opposite one another near the brazier, hands outstretched, his stomach rumbled and he rolled his eyes at her. ‘It seems a long time since I had anything to eat.’

  ‘Me, too.’ As the silence stretched between them, she wondered how long it would take for them to feel really at ease with one another. It was difficult sometimes. The three of them might be closely related, but they were still strangers and knew very little of one another.

  ‘Aren’t you glad we found one another?’ she asked Kerril. ‘I am.’

  He nodded immediately. ‘Very glad. And I’m even happier that I’m not the eldest. I don’t think I’d make a good king. I’m not brave or clever.’

  Shayla sighed. ‘Girls don’t get the chance to rule countries, anyway. They just get married off to someone. Lady Alvyna boasted that she’d made one of her daughters marry an old man with money and land, even though the poor girl hated him.’ She frowned at that thought. ‘If we do succeed in putting THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 41

  Ronan on the throne, I’m warning you now—I’m not having anyone marry me off to some stranger I don’t like just because it’d make a useful alliance.’

  After a moment, she added, ‘And they might try to do the same to you, marry you to someone you don’t like.’

  He snorted. ‘No, thank you. I shall never get married. I just want to live peacefully as far away from Lord Bezroll as I can.’

  She looked at him shrewdly. ‘Life hasn’t been easy for you, has it?’

  He shrugged, avoiding her eyes. ‘I’ve survived. It can’t have been easy for you, either.’

  ‘No. I wonder what our parents were like.’

  ‘I’ve often wondered that.’

  His face was so sad she had to hug him.

  It seemed a long time till someone knocked twice on the door. Kerril slipped across the room, but waited for the second pair of knocks before swinging the wooden latch back.

  Ronan came in, smiling and holding something close to his chest. He went across to the bed and undid the belt of his tunic before pulling out something wrapped in a cloth. He opened it to show a jumble of broken bread and meat.

  Kerril let out a little crow of joy, but Shayla frowned at Ronan. ‘How did you manage to get all that?’

  she asked. ‘We don’t want to give ourselves away.’

  ‘I simply went to the kitchens and helped myself. The scullions were eating their own share by then and no one noticed me.’ Ronan saw she was still looking dubious and added, ‘I often do that. I get hungry because when he’s here I have to serve my fa—Lord Nezrim before I can eat.’

  Kerril spoke with his mouth full. ‘I get hungry, too, though I can’t remember when I last felt this empty.’

  Shayla laughed and went to pick among the food. When she realized Ronan was watching them with that solemn expression that seemed to be so much a part of him, she smiled at him. ‘Do you want anything else to eat?’

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  He shook his head. ‘No. Lord Nezrim is away, so I got plenty to eat in the hall today. I sat with Nella, my old nurse, and with Tevis, who taught me to fight. I wish you could meet them. You’d like them.’

  After they’d finished eating, Kerril swept up the remainder of the food and tied it in the cloth again, tucking it into the front of his jerkin.

  ‘Do you always carry bundles of food around with you?’ Shayla asked curiously.

  He pulled a face and patted his belly. ‘I do when I see a chance to snatch a bit extra. I’m like Ronan. I don’t get time to eat when I’m on duty. Lord Bezroll has me running to and fro serving him.’ His face fell suddenly. ‘By now, they’ll know I’m missing. When the lord comes back from Azaray, he’ll be furious.’

  Shayla patted his arm. ‘Maybe you’ll never have to see Lord Bezroll again.’

  ‘If we have to go to my world to find the blade, I’m bound to run into him.’ He shuddered. ‘Wait till you see him. He’s terrifying.’

  ‘Well, we can’t go anywhere till we’ve found the scabbard,’ Ronan said.

  They all fell silent at that thought.

  ‘Where do we begin to look?’ Kerril wondered.

  Ronan shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I’ve been thinking and thinking, ever since Hallie spoke to us, and I have no idea where it could be. I’ve lived here all my life, so you’d think I’d have noticed something like that, wouldn’t you?’

  As they sat in glum silence, they heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

  Kerril jumped off the bed. ‘We’ve got to hide!’

  But there was nowhere in the tiny tower room for one person to hide, let alone two. They could only stand and listen to the steps coming nearer and nearer.

  Then someone knocked on the door.

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  10 DISCOVERED

  Ronan gestured towards the door. Kerril and Shayla went to stand close together behind it as he opened it a little. He relaxed when he saw who it was. ‘Tevis!’

  A man’s deep voice spoke from outside. ‘Don’t
you invite me in now, young fellow?’

  Shayla’s hand flew up to cover her mouth and hold in an exclamation of dismay. Kerril closed his eyes and waited for disaster to strike.

  Ronan was still smiling. ‘Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Come in, Tevis.’ He held the door open.

  A tall, gaunt man with grey hair and a short, neatly trimmed beard stalked into the room and stopped dead at the sight of the other two youngsters behind the door. His voice became very soft and slow as he asked, ‘Who are these?’

  Ronan closed the door and dropped the latch into place again. ‘They’re my brother and sister.’ He went to stand between them, one arm round each of the others’ shoulders.

  There was a long minute of silence during which Kerril desperately tried to think of some way to disable this muscular looking man so that they could flee again. Shayla simply watched him, her eyes steady and unafraid.

  Tevis folded his arms. ‘How did you find out about them? We didn’t intend to tell you yet.’

  All three gaped at him.

  ‘You knew?’ Ronan asked, shock making his voice scrape out as if it were rusty. ‘You knew I had a brother and sister and you never told me?’

  ‘Aye, lad. I knew. So did Nella. We were sent here to keep an eye on you.’ He turned to study the other two again, especially Kerril. ‘You’re smaller than Ronan, my lad, and you don’t look as if you’ve ever done any fighting.’ He reached out and pinched Kerril’s upper arm, shaking his head in disapproval.

  ‘Was there no one to teach you a few fighting tricks?’

  Kerril shook his head. Looking at this man, with his steady eyes and his kindly smile, he wished suddenly there had been a Tevis for him. Then he felt Ronan’s arm lying warm on his shoulders and that THE MAGIC SWORD Shannah Jay 44

  made him square his shoulders and feel proud to be the brother of a king. ‘I’ll do my best, though,’ he volunteered.

  Tevis nodded and turned to study Shayla. ‘You’re a bonny lass, but you’ll have to do something about that hair if you’re to pass as a boy.’ He turned to Ronan. ‘Go and fetch Nella. She’ll be angry if we leave her out of this.’

  Ronan nodded, smiling encouragingly at his brother and sister. ‘I’d trust Tevis with my life. And you can, too.’

  When he’d gone, Tevis sat down on the bed. ‘So it’s come,’ he said heavily. ‘Eh, but I’d hoped for another year or two, so Ronan could grow into his man’s strength. How did you two get here?’

  Shayla explained and Tevis nodded thoughtfully, then said with quiet emphasis, ‘You know that he’s the most important person in this whole ring of worlds, don’t you?’

  They frowned, not understanding what he was getting at.

  ‘So if it’s a choice of Ronan’s life or yours, you must be prepared to die to save him,’ Tevis went on.

  Kerril gulped and Shayla swallowed hard.

  ‘If that lad doesn’t regain the throne, then life in Azaray will get steadily worse, and the evil one will grow stronger.’ He paused and stared at them again. ‘It is much better not to mention his name. The king’s bad enough, but the other one is far worse. He kills people as soon as look at them.’

  Kerril stared at him in dismay.

  Shayla nodded slowly, her face thoughtful.

  Someone began to climb the stairs. More than one person, by the sound of it.

  ‘Remember!’ Tevis said sharply and moved to stand by the door, hand on his dagger.

  There were two knocks followed by two more, and they all relaxed.

  ‘That’s Ronan’s signal,’ Kerril said unnecessarily.

  Tevis didn’t take his hand off the dagger, however, until he had checked that for himself.

  The woman who came in with Ronan was tiny, her hair quite white and her skin faded with age. As Tevis had done, she stared at the two newcomers without speaking, then nodded. ‘They’re very like you, Ronan lad. Let’s hope they’ve got your courage, too.’

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  ‘You’ll need to cut her hair,’ Tevis said abruptly, gesturing to Shayla. ‘That’ll make her look more like a lad. She’s too pretty, though.’

  ‘Aye, Ronan told me. We can’t stop her looking pretty,’ Nella pulled some shears from her pocket,

  ‘but we can make her look untidy. That’ll help, I think.’ She moved across to Shayla and held up one long tress. ‘‘Tis a pity to cut off such beautiful hair. Yours is just like your father’s was. In fact, all three of you are very like your father was at that age. I was there when you were born, you know.’

  She sighed at that sad memory, for with all her skill she hadn’t been able to save their mother and had often wondered if the queen’s death had been caused by sorcery. She began to snip at the girl’s hair, passing the chunks she cut off to Kerril with a quick command to ‘Burn them in the brazier, boy. We don’t want anyone finding them and using them to conjure up a vision of you.’

  Ronan said quietly, ‘Nella was my father’s nurse, Shayla. Only she looked a bit different in those days.’

  ‘The Halishi helped me change my body, so I look older than I really am.’ Nella continued to snip off chunks of hair, smiling wryly. ‘Though I’m not all that young now. They’re good folk, the Halishi, but sometimes they forget to keep an eye on us. There!’ She cut off the last big piece and began to saw at the fringe and sides, making them look ragged.

  Kerril whistled in amazement. ‘She’s made you look really different, Shayla.’

  ‘I wish I could see myself.’

  Nella shrugged. ‘Well, a mirror’s the last thing we need to worry about at the moment, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that you look quite a bit different. Now, where are your old clothes? I’ll take them and store them with the rest of the used linen. No one will notice them, because there aren’t any young girls at the castle needing them.’

  She moved away from Shayla and turned to Kerril, cupping his chin in her hand for a moment, then saying quietly, ‘You’ve not come into your own yet, lad, but you will. You’re of the royal line of Azaray.

  Good breeding will show and anyway, you have your own gifts, and good ones they are, too.’ Then she patted his cheek in a motherly gesture and said, ‘Eh, was there no one to love you when you were growing up?’

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  He blinked at her, then shook his head, ashamed of the sudden tears welling in his eyes.

  ‘You’ve done well to grow up at all. Even a plant does better for a little tender care.’ She turned back to Ronan. ‘What are you going to do now, lovie?’

  He shook his head in bewilderment. ‘I don’t know. I was hoping you and Tevis could advise us. The Halishi said we had to find the three parts of the sword and reunite them. The scabbard is here in our world—only I can’t think where it can be hidden.’

  There was silence for quite some time, then Nella pursed her lips and shook her head. ‘Nor can I.

  Tevis? Have you got any ideas where it might be?’

  ‘No. I’ve never had any truck with magic. I leave that to those who are born to it.’ He went over to stand in front of Ronan and bowed his head, saying, ‘Your Majesty, let me be the first to salute you as king.’

  Nella dipped a curtsey and added, ‘You’ll make a good ruler, Your Majesty.’

  Ronan stood there for a moment with his mouth open in shock, then squared his shoulders and nodded to them. ‘I shall do the best I can, I promise you. And I won’t be cruel or greedy.’

  Tevis tapped him on the shoulder. ‘No one can do more. Now, I’m afraid this next part of the quest is your responsibility, lad. I wish you luck.’ He saw the doubt in his pupil’s eyes and added gently, ‘You were born to be king. Always remember that. And later, if you need an extra sword or two to fight beside you in Azaray, send me word.’ He nodded kindly at Kerril and Shayla, then moved towards the door.

  There both he and Nella paused to bow and curtsey again, before turning to leave. Their footsteps echoed briefly in the
stairwell, then faded into the distance.

  The only sounds to be heard now were very faint, as if the castle itself was settling down for the night.

  The three youngsters stared at one another.

  ‘Well?’ Kerril asked, always the impatient one. ‘What are we going to do?’

  Ronan frowned. ‘Wait till they’re all asleep and start looking for the scabbard, I suppose.’

  ***

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  When Nella and Tevis reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and looked at her anxiously. ‘Are you sure this is the right thing to do?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘They’re very young to undertake such an important quest on their own.’

  Nella shook her head in bewilderment, her eyes as worried as his. ‘Hallie insisted on it. She said if the children weren’t strong enough to put the sword together without anyone’s help, they wouldn’t deserve the throne of Azaray—or be able to hold it afterwards. So we mustn’t try to help them. We must just leave them to it.’

  He sighed and shook his head sadly, then went to seek his bed.

  Nella went to the clothes store and dumped Shayla’s things in a corner, shaking dust over them from other garments and even nudging the end of a cobweb across to make it look as if the small pile of clothes had been lying there untouched for a long time.

  Then she went to seek her bed, a narrow pallet in a room full of other maids, none of them young.

  ‘Where have you been?’ one of the others asked sleepily.

  Nella began to grumble about thoughtless folk who asked you to do jobs when you should be in your bed. As a torrent of words trailed out of her, the other woman yawned and snuggled down to sleep.

  Nella smiled. Serve that fool right for asking.

  Soon the room was full of deep breathing and occasional snorts or snores. Nella didn’t notice them after the first few minutes because she was deep in thought. How could she sleep when her dear lad was being pushed into a man’s role before he’d had a chance to grow up? If only there was something she could do to help him!