Author: Lady Katharine Heartspark
Title: Search for the Six
Disclaimer: The only thing I own is the plot, and of course, the characters you don't recognize. Everything else (obviously) belongs to Tamora Pierce, the great goddess who invents everything worth inventing. (except those automatic marshmallow roasters – those are great!)
Okay, ladies and somewhat less numerous gentlemen, here we go!
I may have some of the descriptions of TP's characters wrong, because someone has my copy of Squire. (You know who you are. I will get you in your sleep.)
PS. All future author's notes will be in bold.
An Unpleasant Surprise
Lady Keladry of Mindelan, sole Lady Knight of the Realm of Tortall, sat at her desk and sighed. An open window let in a fresh breeze of late spring air, ruffling the pages of a book in front of her. Keladry, called Kel by her friends, looked out the window and sighed again. It had been over three months since her knighting, and she had done absolutely nothing.
The code of chivalry says I should be helping those weaker than me, but no one at the Palace needs my help! she thought, frustrated.
A clicking sound brought her attention to the door of her chamber, hastily pushed closed so that it wasn't shut all the way. As she watched, a black nose nudged the door open, followed by a barrel-chested, squat body. A dog trotted into the room, frantically wagging a tail that had plainly been broken at least twice.
"Hey, Jump," Kel said glumly. Jump whimpered and nudged at her hand. "What do you want?" she asked him as his nudging grew more insistent. "Oh, right," she answered herself. Reaching up onto a high shelf, she pulled down a length of rabbit fur that had been sewn into the shape of a four-legged animal. Kel tossed the toy on the floor. Jump pounced on the toy and began gnawing, tail thumping a sharp tattoo against the wooden floor.
"I hope something interesting happens soon," Kel told the dog. "I don't think I can stand doing nothing much longer."
She was about to get her wish.
Suddenly, Jump lifted his head from the toy and froze, nose in the air. Kel frowned.
"What's wrong, Jump? You smell something?"
Jump barked once, a sharp staccato. As if on cue, agitated voices could be heard in the hall, yelling unclearly. Kel stood up from her desk and walked swiftly to the door. It opened it on the silhouetted form of a man with a fist raised in the air, in position to attack.
Kel reacted before she really thought about what she was doing. Her own hand shot out from its position at her waist to rap the man sharply in the gut. Kel stepped back into a fighting stance as the man doubled over and wheezed.
She warily watched him regain his breath, then raised her arms in position to strike as he bent his face up so she could see him.
"What is the matter with you?!" the man shouted.
Kel grimaced. She recognized him now. Sir Nealan of Queenscove, Duke Baird's son and five years her senior, continued shouting at her.
"Why do you think everything is an attack? I didn't even do anything to provoke you this time!"
"You had your fist raised in the air," Kel said sheepishly.
"I was about to knock!" yelled Neal.
"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Kel apologized, her hands in the air.
"Good." Neal straightened and brushed himself off. Now in his early twenties, he was only an inch or two taller than she was. His dark brown hair often flopped into his eyes, and his green eyes usually sparked with mischief. But as Kel looked at him now, his eyes were serious, enough of a sign that something wasn't right.
"What's wrong?" Kel asked quickly. The shouting voices had faded away, but echoes still resounded down the hall. Looking around, she saw knights tumbling, half-dressed, out of their chambers.
"It's serious. Carthak, Scanra, Tusaine, and the Copper Isles have banded together. The king just got word from Pirate's Swoop about the Copper Island fleet. Carthaki raiders and Copper Island barges have attacked them in force. The Islanders have been launching battlefire at the walls."
"You're kidding," she scoffed. When he didn't answer, she paused. "Right? Please? You're kidding?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not." She looked at him and knew he was telling the truth.
"What about Alanna? And George? And their little ones?" Kel's voice was strained as she asked such a critical question.
"George took an arrow in the side in the primary attack, but he's had a healing and he's doing fine. Alanna's fine, too. The children are safe inside the fort. You know they've done this before." He paused as she breathed a sigh of relief, then held up a hand when he saw she was about to ask another question.
"You want to know why the four countries have banded together?" Kel nodded. Neal continued. "They want the Dominion Jewel."
Kel was incredulous. "You've got to be kidding me!" Neal shook his head. "Four countries band together to get the Dominion Jewel? What are they thinking? They can't attack the Palace! We can hold them off for years! And even if they succeed, only one country would have possession!"
"You think that matters to them? The majority opinion in the Palace is that they're fronting. You know they've wanted to attack us for a long time. Well, they finally came up with a reason, albeit a false one, as to why." Neal said grimly.
"What about Emperor Kaddar, in Carthak? I thought we were friendly with him!"
"We've had word from spies in the Imperial Court that he was overthrown three days ago. It's obvious we've had the wool pulled over our eyes. They must have been planning this for years. But come on, let's walk and talk." Neal gestured to the hall. "The King wants to see all knights in the banquet hall."
Kel ran back inside to put on her boots, then walked briskly along the corridor with Neal.
"Where else have we been attacked?" she asked him.
He rattled off a list. "Port Legann. Lord Imrah's eldest son was killed in the initial surprise passing. They were caught completely off guard."
"Black God ease his passing," murmured Kel.
Neal nodded agreement and continued talking. "The Scanrans have created a stronghold in the Grimhold Mountains. They've been raining arrows on Fief Trebond and Barony Olau. There were many casualties, but no one we know."
"Poor Alanna," whispered Kel. Sir Alanna, the other woman knight in Tortall, had three homes, and they had all been attacked.
"It also looks like the Tusaines are massing an attack on Naxen and possibly Tirragen. And Father said something about Meron being hit by the Scanrans." Neal shot a look at Kel's stricken face.
"This is big. And bad."
"Yes," he agreed grimly. "Very much of both."