The Apprentice Read online

  Eliza giggled. “Perhaps our imaginary discoverer would assume that you kidnapped me. I would be free from any punishment at all.”

  “With calluses on your royal hands? I am quite sure that Baird and the king would not be fooled.”

  “I suppose. Baird is observant and my father can be quite strict when it is necessary.”

  They both laughed. It was plain that Rowan was the one who took the real risk by teaching Eliza how to use a sword. They both knew and yet it was something that had never been spoken aloud.

  They remained quiet for a while, enjoying the night air and the atmosphere of the forest. The solitude of the woods and the silence of the night created a world that was shared between the two of them. Rowan alternated between looking at the dark shapes around him and glancing towards the princess. An exposed piece of the night sky above allowed barely enough dim light to see by, and in the darkness her blonde curls stood out to his eyes. The princess looked in his direction once, but she did not catch his gaze.

  “It has been fun keeping company with you. Practicing together and learning. I enjoy our time together.”

  “I as well,” Rowan agreed.

  Neither looked at the other, though their eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness.

  “I like this. I like what we have together, Rowan. I do not feel like a princess around you, I just feel like a person. Like a friend.”

  “Yes. Like a friend.” There was so much more that Rowan wanted to say, but the moment was fragile and the wrong words now would shatter it, changing things forever.

  “I suppose I cannot pretend to hate you anymore. I never truly did. It was mean, but I was jealous that you were going to have Baird to yourself, that you were free to do all of the things that I never could, yet always wanted to.”

  Silence.

  “I cannot meet with you anymore.”

  Eliza’s words were little more than a whisper, as though if Rowan failed to hear them then they wouldn’t have to be true. But Rowan heard her as clearly as if she had screamed them at him.

  “I know.”

  Silence crept in, but it was no longer the same. This was not the comfortable silence they were used to sharing. This was awkward and intrusive. Rowan felt the need to say more, to fill the silence, but words failed him.

  “I think someone found out that I was sneaking away from Gizelle while she was watching over me. They don’t know that I have been meeting with you. It is assumed that I was just up to my usual mischief. I have a new caretaker now, and I have been assigned a royal guard as well. Baird told my father that he will not be able to watch over me as often because his time has been filled with things that he would not speak of while I could hear. He suggested that since I am old enough to be coming into my inheritance and will be of an age for marriage soon, I am old enough to have a royal guard.” Rowan could hear her voice beginning to choke, but Eliza held back her sobs.

  “I think that may be for the best,” Rowan said. It was an obvious lie. Neither of them wanted to end their time together. Rowan felt as though their whole friendship was ending. How could their relationship ever be the same if they could not meet in private? “I, too, will not be able to continue our meetings. Baird has decided to resume our lessons. He is making an effort to keep me busy, to keep me occupied. I could try to skip my training, but if you cannot come then I will have no reason to do so.” He paused and forced himself to look the princess in the eyes. “If there were any other way,” he whispered, “I would take it.”

  “As would I,” Eliza said. “I will miss this. I never would have expected things with you to end up like this. Not when I first met you.”

  Rowan nodded, then voiced his agreement when he realized that Eliza was not looking at him. He remembered when he had first met her. She had seemed little more than a spoiled princess who went out of her way to make his life difficult.

  “I suppose we have Baird to thank for our companionship. He was the object of our opposition, but ultimately he brought us together.”

  Rowan also pictured the moment that she had helped him that night during the Revel. That had been the moment that he had been willing to trust her, and that act had ultimately led him here.

  They talked for a while, choosing to spend the time enjoying the company of each other. When the conversation turned to silence, they were content. It was likely the last chance they would have to share a private moment together, and it was stretched as long as possible. They kept company until long past the time when Rowan should have returned to the barracks.

  “What will I do with the sword that you made me?” Eliza asked when at last it was time to leave. Rowan smiled at that, happy that she valued his gift enough to worry.

  “I think it would be best for you to leave that where it is. It would be bad if someone were to discover it, and it can withstand the elements well enough. This way it will always be here for you if you ever have need of it.”

  “I suppose. It just seems such a waste to hide something so…precious.” Rowan thought he saw the princess blush, but in the darkness her fair skin held little color.

  “Do not worry, Princess, I will always be here for you.”

  Eliza turned towards him and held his gaze. “I will hold you to that oath, Rowan. No matter what the future holds, I expect you to rise and take Baird’s place one day. If I am to be a queen, then you…” There was a moment’s pause. “You will be there to serve me as you are needed.”

  He gave her his word, though not entirely sure what obligations he was now bound to. But he spoke the words regardless, knowing Eliza needed to hear them.

  The moment over, Rowan urged Eliza to practice the forms that he drew for her in the book. She could do that alone. She should try practicing with sticks or heavy objects to know the weight of a real sword, he told her.

  “I suppose.”

  For a moment, Rowan thought that Eliza was going to say something more, but she remained silent.

  As the silence dragged on, Rowan knew that it was time for him to leave. Every fiber of his being rejected the knowledge, urging him to stay regardless of the consequences. But he knew that he had risked too much already.

  “I have to go,” he said. He stood and turned around to help the princess up as well. She squeezed his hand tightly and he pulled her to her feet and did not let go when she stood.

  “Farewell,” she whispered. Before he could react, Eliza stood on her toes, pulled Rowan into a tight embrace, and kissed him.

  It was quick, merely a fleeting moment, but it seemed to last a lifetime. Before Rowan could speak, she hurried off into the darkness and disappeared.

  Rowan stood stunned, listening to the fading sounds of Eliza’s retreat. She had grown much better at moving quietly throughout the woods, and Rowan quickly lost all sense of her presence. She was gone and he stood alone in the darkness.

  It was a while before he could bring himself to leave. His thoughts were confused and he did not know what to feel anymore. His sadness and sense of loss was mixed with an overwhelming pleasure. But it was a pleasure he doubted that he could ever experience again, reminding him of what could not be.

  Chapter 40

  Life went on much as it had before. Rowan attended his practice alongside the other boys and continued his training with Baird. But he could not find the will to focus or apply himself as he once had. He felt disconnected from everything. His time was constantly occupied, yet he found the hours, the days, passing by in a blur, unfulfilled and empty. He was not entirely bereft of enjoyment. He was often able to spar with Baird, and he had extra time to spend with his friends. He could once again eat a meal without rushing. But he no longer had something to look forward to that would disrupt everything else and offer him a reprieve, a chance to be himself and to be in the company of someone different.

  The change in his attitude must have shown because other boys asked if he was alright. Darius pulled him aside after a sloppy match with one of the younger boys. The hea
d trainer seemed to look at him strangely, yet Darius gave him no punishment and asked for no explanation, he only told Rowan that much was expected of him.

  Rowan did not speak other than to assure people that he was fine, if only a bit tired. After a good night’s rest he would be better, he said. It was only a half lie. Rowan was indeed tired and was not sleeping well. But rest would not help.

  Even Baird knew that something was wrong with Rowan. Almost as soon as Rowan met with his master the evening after he spoke with Princess Eliza, Baird seemed to notice his mood. Rowan could see it in the way that his master looked at him. It was a look akin to pity, perhaps empathy. He could not tell for certain. It was difficult to read Baird’s emotions. There was a sense of understanding, though. Rowan was a half an hour late for their training session, but Baird said nothing, which was an unusual gesture for him. He gave no reprimand and asked for no explanation, he only requested that it not happen again.

  Baird knew him well enough that he did not have to ask what was wrong, and Rowan did not have to lie.

  Baird didn’t press for details, instead he pressed Rowan to work harder and allowed him to lose himself in the lesson. They quit almost an hour earlier than usual.

  “Why are we ending so early?” Rowan asked. He wondered if Baird had other things to attend to. Eliza had her royal guard, so he knew it wasn’t that.

  Baird simply gave Rowan a look and told him to cool down and go eat some dinner. To enjoy the night.

  Rowan couldn’t complain, but he didn’t want to be left with nothing to do and he didn’t feel like going back to the barracks.

  “Can I just shadow you instead?”

  Baird shrugged.

  “I suppose so. For the first night in quite a while I am actually free, so I don’t see the harm in having some company. I would have preferred some feminine companionship, but you’ll have to do.”

  Rowan laughed. He hadn’t heard Baird speak like this since they had been travelling together on the road. That seemed like a different time, and they had been different people then.

  Rowan accompanied Baird to the open air baths that were connected to the castle. The water came from a natural hot springs and felt great in the cold autumn air.

  Not much was said between the two. They made some small talk but did not force the conversation. Rowan took a moment to look at his master and he realized that Baird looked strained. It was a wonder he hadn’t noticed before. But then again, Rowan had been wrapped in the problems of his own life. He had been blind to the possibility that Baird faced problems, and he felt guilty.

  His master’s face was relaxed in the warmth of the steaming baths, but there were bags under his eyes and his posture sagged.

  Rowan turned his gaze away and focused inwards. He willed himself to relax, trying to purge all thoughts from his mind. He calmed himself and enjoyed the bath for a short while before he accompanied Baird to the kitchens for a small dinner.

  When the time came, they parted ways and Rowan headed back to the barracks. He was glad for the opportunity to have been with Baird for a short while. His master’s presence had been welcome.

  Back at the barracks, Rowan slept. He was surrounded by people and yet he felt more alone than he had since Baird exiled him here after arriving in the capitol.

  Chapter 41

  The night was deep, but the darkness suited Gannon. He was a dark man, a man of the shadows, and tonight would bring him one step closer to power.

  “Step quickly,” he hissed at the two soldiers shadowing him. Gannon was a cautious man by nature and preferred to keep a guard at all times. They had their uses, even if they were all incompetent. The whole damned lot of them. Perhaps he should punish them. Fear would do the men some good. It would remind them of his authority. Of his power.

  The two soldiers wordlessly quickened their pace to match his own. They knew that speaking would bring a punishment upon them.

  Gannon turned his attention away from the two who accompanied him and focused instead on the issues that had presented themselves and needed to be resolved. The knight Baird was still suspicious of him and would have to be dealt with, though the fool had perhaps saved his apprentice by keeping the boy from meeting with the young princess. She was crucial and could be subject to no influence but his own, for she would be the means by which Gannon could seize power. But only after Baird was dealt with. Perhaps Evans would have news for him regarding that problem.

  Gannon made his way through the darkened halls of the castle. He was in one of the oldest sections of the building, deep underground and long since abandoned to the rats and vermin that infested such places. It rankled him to come here, but this was a place that would escape the notice of the many spies and watchers throughout the castle. Gannon could not have his words overheard.

  It was damp and dusty and though the walls were lined with sconces, the torches that had once lit these halls had been burned away many years ago. The only light came from the torch borne by the young soldier to his left. A new addition to his troop, one that was eager to please.

  He continued to walk the corridors in a winding path that would have confused any who were not familiar with the layout of these halls. He was going to be late. He quickened his stride, the soldiers once again hurrying to keep up.

  He knew that Evans would be waiting for him. The lord was a man of punctuality, and a man of secrets. His ambition had led him to work with Gannon, and he was perhaps the only man who knew the entirety of Gannon’s plans for the future of Atlea. Gannon did not trust him. Greed and ambition were powerful motivators, but Gannon knew that ultimately the only man who could be relied on was himself. Which is why he planned on taking control.

  Gannon turned a corner and strode through a pair of double doors that had a hint of light shining through. The younger of the two guards thought to follow Gannon inside but his elder companion held him back. What was said and done in this room was not for the ears of soldiers.

  “You are late. I find your lack of punctuality quite insulting.”

  Lord Evans stood across the room, staring at Gannon with a look of annoyance. The man was dressed in robes of velvet and fine silks that displayed his wealth and marked him as a lord. The smell of perfume hung heavy in the air, but Gannon ignored it. He had long since learned to accept the frivolities of the wealthy.

  “You need not concern yourself with my comings and goings. Now tell me, what news have you? Last I spoke with one of your spies, I was informed that Baird has increased the guard on the princess and the king. That was not what I wanted to hear.”

  “Ah, straight to business. Very well. Though you ought to try and observe simple pleasantries every once in a while. You will find that they make you more socially approachable, and one can never have too many friends.”

  Gannon made a sound resembling a growl deep in his throat. Lord Evans was a valued ally, but Gannon would only tolerate so much. No one was indispensable. No one.

  “It is true, unfortunately, that Baird has increased the royal guard,” Lord Evans continued. “The princess is watched at all times, though the knight rarely sees to her protection personally anymore. Ultimately, however, the princess’ guard is not relevant. When the time comes, it serves our purposes better if she is well protected.”

  “That is true,” Gannon agreed. The princess was valuable to him alive. He had use for her and her status as the future queen. She was a petulant child and too young to ascend the throne, but she could make a perfect puppet through which to act.

  “The true matter that we shall concern ourselves with is the king’s guard. They are well trained and they shadow him at all times, and Baird still keeps company with the king often enough to be troublesome. They meet secretly now and again, and I suspect that Baird has been struggling to convince the king of his suspicions.”

  “You suspect that is what they talk about?” Gannon asked, an edge to his voice.

  “Yes. I suspect, I do not know. This castle is filled wit
h my eyes and ears, but even I am not all knowing. Baird is a very careful man, very cautious, especially given the nature of his suspicions. And Baird is suspicious. He teeters on the edge of knowledge, aware that something serious is amiss but lacking the proof to substantiate his claims. His attention has been waning recently, but his existence is a threat. He will not be kept in the dark forever. Something must be done.”

  “And you think that I do not know this!” Gannon spat. “Or perhaps you think that I am simply afraid to act. Speak!”

  Rage coursed through him, making his blood burn hot. His anger consumed him and for a moment he became a different person entirely, changing from the cold, calculating man that he was. His blood boiled and his vision went red as the fury took him.

  “I meant no such thing, Grace.” Lord Evans’ voice was silky and layered with flattery. The man spoke calmly, but the beads of sweat gathering at the nape of his neck betrayed him. That small detail snapped Gannon from his maddened state and brought him back in control. He was feared, and rightfully so. It was good to be feared.

  “We will act soon,” Gannon said.

  Chapter 42

  Before knowing her, Rowan never would have thought that he would miss Eliza’s presence. He had tolerated her presence when she came with Baird to visit him because it was expected. She had been grudging and intrusive and antagonistic, he had been stubborn. But then they had become friends. Now Rowan felt something missing.

  Weeks passed as he waited, hoping to see Eliza again. The princess had always had free reign of the castle before, and Rowan hoped that she might come to see him or visit the training fields. Even with an escort, even if they couldn’t be alone, it would be welcome. She did not. Not once did Eliza see Rowan. He didn’t know whether it was because she could not come or she would not come.

  At first, he tried to convince himself that she was just avoiding him. It was safer that way anyway. But he knew her too well.