Alrec paused, though he still looked coiled and ready to strike. He jerked his head toward Khane.
Like a cat stalking a mouse, Khane seized Roel by the arm. “Speak, old man. You’d best have a good reason for interfering.”
Roel licked his lips and swallowed hard. “I do, Milord.” He looked to Reeve and waited.
Reeve had no doubt that whatever Roel said would be at the very least half a lie. Not having a strong relationship with the truth himself, he nodded for the man to continue. With any luck, Roel was about to ensure that only one more need die today. He had no real affinity for his uncle or his cousin; at least, no more than what he had for the stable master. But, he reasoned, losing one ally in a day was more than enough, even if those allies were fair-weather friends.
“Pay no heed to the women.”
Reeve frowned, losing interest. “I generally don’t.”
“Their soft hearts, while kind and nurturing, are bound to get them in trouble. They had nothing to do with it. I found your father in that rotten sty of a dungeon you threw him in, and I set him free. I put him on a horse, and watched him ride away. And I can only hope that he’s far away by now. Soon he will be to the fjord, telling your sister what you did. I’ll smile as they come for you.”
“You really expect us to believe you acted alone?” Reeve kept his eyes pointed straight at Roel, not letting his gaze meet Khane’s or Alrec’s.
“I doesn’t matter what you believe.”
An icy smile made its way onto his face. “On the contrary. It
only
matters what
I
believe.”
“Do it,” Alrec commanded as his son shoved Roel toward Reeve.
The quiet acceptance in the stable master’s last, tired smile would be long imprinted on Reeve’s mind. “Hang him from the rafters.” Reeve looked at Terin, who’d huddled against Mairi. “I don’t want anyone to forget what happens when someone betrays me.”
Once Roel swung from the beam, displayed for all of the tenants to see, Khane and Alrec walked away, muttering between themselves.
Reeve’s jaw hardened. Roel had served him well in life, and now in death. He didn’t doubt Roel had been involved, though he could be reasonably certain the man hadn’t acted alone. With the critical gaze of the tenants now gone, Reeve said a brief prayer to The Three, thanking Roel for his sacrifice.
Because of it, Reeve had managed to shelter Terin from Alrec, at least for now. He offered a shaken Terin his arm, wondering if she realized how close she’d come to sharing his own mother’s fate.
Reeve offered Mairi his other arm.
Mairi shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes as tears forked their way down the old woman’s wrinkled cheeks.
Anger at her ungrateful behavior coursed through him. He stepped close, using his height to crowd against her, giving her two choices: either look down in subservience, or look up and meet his disapproval. At last their gaze connected. “Save your judgment. You saved my life the day my mother died, I saved yours today. Do not cross me again or you will find my protection absent.”
For perhaps the millionth time, Emariya found herself wondering how her brother could have fallen so far. As Mairi’s story drew to a close, Emariya couldn’t remember the affectionate yet solemn child he’d been. While he often held his sadness in, he’d never been this hateful, power-hungry dictator that Mairi now described.
“Why didn’t any of the tenants try to stop him? How could they just let him kill Roel?”
“Roel died protecting me, don’t blame the villagers. My child, you must understand, they didn’t have a choice. The tension here had been high for a while, but that night it was clear to all. Warren’s Rest had become a place where we either did as Lord Reeve commanded, or we feared the price.”
“As much as I don’t want to make excuses for him, it doesn’t sound like he was really the one in control,” Garith said.
“Where did he go?” Torian asked. “You haven’t yet said how he came to leave.”
Mairi took a sip of her tea. “I suspect you’re right. I think the older of the two that came with Her Highness from Thalmas was really in command. Or at least, he and your brother are both vying for it.”
The old woman’s tired eyes focused sharply on Emariya. “After they executed Roel, they gathered a few things into packs quickly and then they rode out. I was only able to catch snatches, but I believe they were headed away from the fjord, not to it.”
“They would have been foolish to head there,” Garith said. “Reeve knows that if Oren got a moment to tell his story, all his men would turn against him. How many did he have with him?”
Mairi was quiet for a moment, her brow furrowed in concentration. “Just three, I believe. I can’t see any of the tenants going with him. So Khane, Alrec, and Princess Terin.”
“Is it truly my Uncle Alrec with him?” Emariya asked, although she wasn’t sure which answer she was hoping for.
“I heard your brother refer to him as Alrec, but that is all I can tell you. Lady Terin said he was once one of your guards at Castle Ahlen.”
Beside her, Torian stiffened. “One of our own guards? Will the betrayals never cease? I can’t think of any of them that were named Alrec, but in truth, I don’t know all their names.”
While he was talking, the memories from the fire wafted back, burning through her mind as the acrid smoke had that day. “The guard outside my door, the day Khane set the fire. The one you had to reprimand for being disrespectful.”
“I don’t know...He was a fool, sure. But Alrec Roth?”
Emariya nodded, sure of it. “Blond hair, like mine and Reeve’s. And Khane’s. Blue eyes.
Roth-blue
eyes. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.” How had she not seen it?
Across the table Garith groaned. “Now that you mention it, I can picture other similarities between him and Khane. I hadn’t noticed it either, before.”
Mairi rose and began to clear the dishes.
“Mairi, you don’t need to do that. You should rest, you’ve had quite the ordeal.”
Mairi shared a brief, wistful smile before shaking her head. “So have you, child, though I suppose you are a child no longer. You’re a woman grown and wed.”
Butterflies fluttered in Emariya’s stomach at the reminder, but she didn’t have much time to dwell on it. Heavy boots sounded in the corridor, accompanied by clanking armor.
A pair of guards appeared in the doorway. “Your Highness, there are two people here to see you and Princess Ahlen. They refuse to identify themselves.”
Torian stood, pushing his plate aside. “Stay here.”
Emariya shook her head. “No, we’ll see who it is together.”
Torian sighed, and he and Garith formed a protective wall in front of Emariya. Filled with apprehension, they followed the guards to the front steps.
Her fear was soon forgotten and she rushed down the steps to greet her grandparents. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you,” she added.
“Fidwen sent us a letter by pigeon, saying it was time to move on Warren’s Rest, to confront your brother,” Alara said, with a heavy look at her husband.
“Who?” Torian asked, as he stood behind Emariya, his hand lingering at the small of her back.
“I believe you met him at Sheas Harbor. He’s been a good friend and adviser to the Roth family for many, many years,” Kahl answered.
“Oh, the man who helped us send the pigeons,” Emariya said, trying not to think about the heat radiating from Torian’s touch.
A gust of wind left Emariya shivering, despite her heated internal thoughts. “Come, you must be tired from your journey.” Emariya looked to Jessa, who’d gathered with the others. “Can you prepare chambers for my grandparents?”
“Of course, Riya.” Jessa scurried inside and Emariya turned back to Kahl and Alara. “Did you see Rees at the fjord?”
“No, we didn’t travel that far south,” Kahl said.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what Fidwen thought you’d be able to do?”
“Your gifts will be magnified because of my being nearby, and if what Fidwen tells of us of your brother’s activities is true, you’ll need all the help you can get. I also thought it might be best that I remain close in case your mother tries to interfere again.” Kahl clenched his hands into fists when speaking of his daughter.
“I’m afraid my brother’s deeds are worse than we’d known.” Emariya gave her grandparents an overview of how Reeve had instigated the tensions between Sheas and Eltar for much longer than she’d realized. “And he’s also taken Princess Terin with him, and we have no idea where he is.”
Another gust of spring wind sent the small group back inside. Torian instructed his guards to remain at the front entrance.
Mairi bustled into the corridor. “There’s food in the hall, if you’re hungry.”
Alara stepped forward and clasped her hands. “You must be Mairi. My daughter mentioned you in her letters, many years ago. Thank you for making her feel at home here. She would be proud of how you’ve raised her daughter.”
“Seems I didn’t do so well with her son,” Mairi said, “but thank you just the same.”
“A meal would be wonderful,” Alara said. “Riya, your grandfather wasn’t entirely forthcoming with you.”
Emariya paused. Could her heart bear one more lie or half-truth?
“Fidwen hoped for us to lend more than just a concentration of the gifts of the Stones. When he had you help fool your brother into sending almost everyone available to the fjord, we were hoping that we could get here while you saw to matters at the fjord. It was our hope that we could stop your brother so that you wouldn’t have to. You’ve been so brave, and faced so much. We didn’t want you to have to confront your brother as well,” Kahl said.
“That and your grandfather wouldn’t quit grumbling about ‘being tired of feeling out of date and useless, holed up on this mountain while our brood fights over the world.’ Or something like that.”
Alara winked at her husband.
“I appreciate the sentiment, I do. But please, no secrets between us. If the people of The Three Corners are going to see me as worthy of their respect and capable of leading them, I cannot appear to be someone who needs shielding.” Emariya eyed her grandfather as she spoke.
Alara sighed. “So wise. You are everything I’d hoped your mother would one day be.”
Putting aside sad thoughts of her mother, Emariya asked, “So who exactly is Fidwen? I got the impression there was more to him than meets the eye.” Walking into the hall, the larger one with the paintings of grand battles on the walls, Emariya hoped none of them depicted battles with her two sets of grandparents. For a moment, she started to worry the Rest would pale in comparison to the lavish life her family would have lived at Sheas Harbor. Then she recalled the tiny shack they’d inhabited in the mountains.
Alara smiled as she took a seat at the table. “It’s so nice to be surrounded by people again.”
“And to have others do the cooking.” Kahl winked.
Smacking her husband’s arm, Alara laughed. “You like my cooking.”
With a smirk that reminded Emariya so much of her brother, Kahl said, “True enough, but it’s always nice to sample what other women have to offer.”
Seeing her grandfather so much more lighthearted than the last time she’d seen him, when he’d just learned of his daughter’s misdeeds, Emariya wondered if perhaps he too hadn’t been looking forward to confronting her brother. She had no misconception that they’d be able to avoid it for long.
If things were to improve, it had to happen.
But not today,
she told herself.
“So, about Fidwen?” Torian prompted.
Kahl’s blue eyes darkened. “His story is not ours to tell. Suffice to say, he has a vested interest in seeing the hostilities between the three lands end.”
“Is he the one that gave my mother the idea to try and bind the lines?”
“I don’t think so...but I don’t know for sure. If he did, he never foresaw that she’d resort to such methods,” Kahl said between bites of potato.
The hall had gradually emptied as the soldiers finished their meals. Looking around at the near-empty room, Emariya tried to imagine this was just another evening at Warren’s Rest, but she couldn’t. Yes, she still had Mairi and Jessa running around tending to the household chores, and Garith was roaming the halls somewhere nearby, perhaps conferring with his father or helping Blaine set up the soldier’s camp. But her brother was gone, and Roel still lay dead out in the stable, waiting to be laid to rest. She’d come home, but far too much had changed for it ever to feel normal again.
“What should our next step be?” Emariya asked. Perhaps she’d feel more at ease once they’d planned their course of action. As it was, she felt like a lost leaf floating on the wind after being expelled from the tree.
“Sleep. We all need rest.” Torian yawned.
“We still need to bury Roel, too.” Emariya bit her lip. “Perhaps you’re right. But we need to send pigeons to the other Councilors. At the very least, they need to be notified of my father’s passing and his proclamations. We can put them on notice that we will meet soon, and they should begin preparations to journey to whatever location we specify once we’ve decided our next move.”
“Why don’t we wait, and tomorrow we can meet with Garith and Blaine and develop a plan? I am as anxious as you to make progress, but right now I’d like to retire for the evening,” Torian said.
“Will you not be staying and meeting with them here?” Mairi asked, coming back into the hall.
“And can I get anyone tea, or anything else to eat? The Roth’s chambers are ready as well.”
Emariya stifled a yawn. “I don’t know, but I doubt it. There’s not much left for me here. I need to find and stop my brother.” Tomorrow, she’d worry about Reeve. Tonight, she just wanted to take comfort in her husband’s embrace.
Emariya chose the horse pasture for Roel’s final rest. After he’d been buried, Emariya and Torian retreated to her chamber.
The moment her door clicked shut behind her, Emariya’s heart thudded to her feet, sending the butterflies from before into a renewed frenzy.