“It was a bright, clear day and the Grenadynes could probably see the two crosses and their victims through an eyeglass. The brother died first but she lingered throughout the day and night, punishing us all.
She called to Romen. Begged him to save her. Poor, tragic Lily. She fought death all the way to her last gasp and he would have heard every groan, would have watched every moment of her suffering.” Elspyth was rigid with tension now, both sickened and despairing of this sad story. “What happened?”
“The next morning their stiff bodies were cut down and burned, their ashes scattered on the waters that brought them to us. Romen watched it all and when it was over, his fighting spirit, it seemed, made a return.”
“What do you mean?”
“He tried to kill Cailech.”
“What?”
“It’s true. He’s a dead-eye marksman with knives, did you know that?” She shook her head. “Cailech was at the burning, or so people thought. Knives hit him clean in the chest and killed him outright…or would have if the man had been Cailech.”
“I’m not following you now,” Elspyth admitted.
“Cailech had his Stones read the night before by Rashlyn, the King’s practitioner, and they told of an attempt on his life that next day. He is very mindful of any advice given through the Stones and took precaution. From a distance, any big man with long hair of similar color could fool an intruder such as Romen. He threw true, killed his man, and when captured was obviously stunned to learn the truth.”
“How has he survived to this day, then?”
“A miracle, I would suggest. Perhaps Cailech had had enough of the killing. He can be ruthless, don’t be fooled, but he is a deep thinker. My feeling is he admired the fact that the brother had finally found the courage to do what was right. They were of an age and he spared Romen, allowed him to live and work among us for a while and tried to help him come to terms with his loss. He never did, I might add. When he was ready to leave, he was given back his weapons and escorted to the southern border. He promised never to return to Grenadyn. Cailech told him that if he ever set foot near the Razors again, he would die.”
Elspyth ran her hands through her hair. “How long has it been?”
“Has to be ten summers or so.”
“And still you recognized him?”
“A man as distinctive as Romen is not easily forgettable.” She nodded; he was right, of course. “And will Cailech kill him?”
“That I can’t answer but now come, we must return. He will wish to see you.”
“You expect me to believe that, although you were working for the Morgravian King, you have no loyalties to him?”
“I do,” Wyl answered carefully. “If I told you I could unite Briavel and your people against Morgravia, would you believe me?” he challenged.
“No,” the King answered. “I would not trust them anyway. And I don’t trust you. Your tale is too farfetched.”
“What can you not believe?”
Cailech sat back in his chair, twirling his wine glass, highly amused. “You were hired by Celimus to assassinate Wyl Thirsk, which you claim you have done. Then you took his body back to Pearlis to ensure the General’s name was cleared of wrongdoing because you suspected Celimus would spread lies about Thirsk’s involvement with the Briavellians… can you hear how unbelievable this all sounds, Romen?” Cailech scratched his head theatrically before continuing. “You witness the funeral… ah, no wait, another intrigue. First you rescue Wyl Thirsk’s sister from the dungeon where Celimus is keeping her. You spin him some story about wanting to shame the Thirsk name further by lying with her.” Wyl nodded grimly. It did sound farfetched when spoken aloud like this—how sad then that it was the truth.
“But here comes the good bit. Then you escape from Stoneheart because you know Celimus will never keep his word—will most likely make another attempt at your life. And, of course, you’re right, but you escape death even though trained assassins follow you.”
Wyl had mentioned nothing of Knave’s involvement. That really would be pushing Cailech’s indulgence.
The King sipped his wine and smiled. “You kill them and then dispatch the head of one to Celimus…why? Why would you let him know anything of your escape? But let’s move on to the most intriguing part of all.” Cailech was enjoying himself. Wyl realized. “Your actual intention is to track down a seer who did this ‘speak’ on you because you want more information.”
“Correct.” Wyl said, terrified by all the holes in the story he had related.
Cailech exploded into laughter, getting up from his seat to return to the mantelpiece. “Priceless! But I’m afraid it’s too thin. Romen. You’re going to have to come up with something more plausible if you want your life spared.”
A servant stepped up quietly and at the King’s permission whispered something.
“Bring her.” he said and the servant departed.
Moments later Lothryn appeared with Elspyth, who went down on one knee to the sovereign.
“My lord Cailech,” she whispered in no little awe.
The King glanced toward Lothryn and Wyl was quick enough to catch the surreptitious nod from the man. What it meant he could not guess.
“You are the seer’s daughter, is this right?” Cailech asked.
Elspyth remained bowed. “No. my lord. I am her niece. Elspyth.”
“Ah, that’s right. Now tell me, Elspyth, what did your aunt say to Romen here the first time she met him?
Please stand.”
She did so. looking up at the mountain of a man before her. He was taller than Lothryn. A fierce intelligence lurked behind those shrouded eyes and they saw the puzzlement on her face.
“My lord?”
“Would you like me to repeat the question?”
Wyl felt the hairs on his arms lift. This was dangerous. Think fast! He opened his mouth to say something but the King was quick. He held up his finger to his mouth to stop Wyl.
Elspyth glanced nervously between both. “No, sire. I…I just don’t understand it. My aunt has only met Romen once.”
Cailech glanced at Wyl slyly but he spoke to Elspyth. “Ah! And I presume this occurred at your cottage…in the foothills?”
“Yes, my lord. A few days ago.”
“And to your knowledge your aunt has met this man only once.”
“I speak the truth. She told me she didn’t know him, did not know his name.” Wyl knew Cailech would turn that hard gaze of his toward him now and whatever Romen said next would have to be convincing.
He had no choice and adopted a tone of soft offense. “Well, she has lied to you, Elspyth. I’m sorry.” Elspyth turned on Wyl and glared. “How dare you! Why would she?” He shrugged, palms turned upward in a show of helplessness. “How can I possibly know her reasonings?
She and I met briefly at Pearlis. It was early afternoon on the day of the royal tournament—the main break had just been called for the midday meal and there were plenty of people milling through the side stalls. You were definitely not around, though, or I would have recalled you.” Wyl watched her anger stoke as he pressed on. “If my memory serves me correctly. I did see Thirsk with a companion, a man about his own age I knew to be Captain Alyd Donal. I don’t think they went into your aunt’s tent because I overheard them saying something about coming later, if all went well or something.” Fury turned to slow understanding on Elspyth’s face. She suddenly looked down, embarrassed. Lothryn felt sorry for her when he noticed her blush.
“Sire, perhaps this is my mistake. Romen speaks true. My aunt mentioned that Thirsk came with a companion called Captain Donal and she also told me they had been at her tent earlier that day—she mentioned it only because she was surprised they did not visit her then and that she knew they would return.”
“Where were you?” Cailech asked.
“I was at the tournament.”
Trying to be helpful. Elspyth recounted for Cailech the Prince reintroducing the old rite of Virgin Blood.
“And they call us barbarians.” Lothryn muttered under his breath.
Cailech’s wry smile was evident too. “Please go on,” he encouraged, fascinated.
“I was close enough to hear what followed the Prince’s victory,” she continued, looking at Romen while Wyl inwardly flinched at having to hear the torrid account again. “The General, I gather, thwarted the Prince’s plans by marrying off his sister the previous day. It was obvious the Prince wanted to bed her—not because he loved her, I don’t think, sire. She is a beautiful woman, of course. But he loves only himself, my aunt says.”
The King nodded. “So Celimus had good reason for hating Thirsk. Humiliation is a wonderful weapon, isn’t it, Lothryn?”
The big man returned the nod.
Wyl grasped the shift in thought and pushed the point harder. “Their hate for each other went back to childhood, I hear. It festered for a decade or more and was complicated—the fathers were blood brothers and old King Magnus was fond of Wyl while never enjoying much of a relationship with his son.
There’s more to it but Celimus did not enlighten me.”
“All right, let’s say I do accept most of what you’ve told me today. I still don’t understand your trip north.”
“Cailech, you’re reading more into it than there is,” Wyl said, reaching for the familiarity he sensed Romen once had with the King. “The seer told me my life would become entwined with a Queen. And that I must pledge my life to her cause. It meant nothing at the time—there was no Queen in any of the realms I knew. And then I went to Briavel for Celimus and met Valentyna,” he lied. “All the events I spoke to you about then unfolded and I knew, at her father’s death, this was the Queen the seer spoke of.”
“So you came here to learn more about the vision she saw for you?”
“It’s as simple as that. I didn’t get a chance to learn much because Widow Ilyk kept calling out that the barbarian was coming. If only I’d paid attention.”
Both the men before him smirked.
“Plus he was unwell from the potion he was taking for his pain and I served wine and we thought he might pass out and that’s why we were outside,” Elspyth concluded in a rush of words.
All eyes turned to Cailech. He swallowed what was left in his goblet, not at all perturbed by the audience’s held breath or the awkward pause, which he further pressed by turning to Lothryn. “How is your woman?”
“I might check on her if we’re finished here, my lord,” Lothryn replied, not at all disturbed by the sudden twist in conversation.
Cailech nodded and his man left.
The King switched his topic back, once again surprising Wyl with his quick mind. “Why do you care about Thirsk, Briavel… any of it?” Cailech sounded exasperated now.
“Because Wyl Thirsk, as I discovered, was honest. I’m an outsider and I’m telling you Thirsk was true to Morgravia—as true to his King Magnus as Lothryn is to you. Now you admire loyalty, and so if you had known him you would have admired Wyl Thirsk for that quality alone. Furthermore, he abhorred torture of any kind,” Wyl said, warming now to his own pet subjects. “If he had had the chance to go to battle, he would have spared death wherever he could. He was not a warmonger. He was not so dissimilar to you, in fact. Your vision was to parley, to settle squabbles with talk, not bloodshed.”
“You seem to know a great deal about him—you must have gotten close swiftly?” Cailech watched Romen blink as though taken aback momentarily, then he saw him shake his head wearily.
Cailech watched Romen blink as though taken aback momentarily, then he saw him shake his head wearily.
“We spent a few days tied together, then we fought alongside each other to save a monarch under attack, then we fought each other because even he understood that only one of us could escape from Briavel alive. He died valiantly and he won my oath, as I’ve explained, to protect Valentyna.”
“I ask again, why do you care?”
Wyl had no more answers. He cared because he was in love with her and that love was as ferocious as his hatred for Celimus.
Cailech sighed as though admonishing a child. “This is that nobility thing again with you, isn’t it. Koreldy?”
“It runs in my veins,” Wyl answered with sincerity, glad for the excuse. “And I made a pact with him. We mixed our bloods. It is binding, Cailech, and I must admit my loyalties are far easier given to Briavel than Morgravia,” Wyl said, lying now. He felt suddenly tired and confused. He hated to think that he was no longer loyal to his homeland.
Cailech missed very little and could see the spirit, the fight that had been there previously had suddenly evaporated from the man he rather liked in spite of himself.
“We shall talk later. I need to think upon what you have told me. You two are free to enjoy our hospitality. Please don’t try and leave the fortress grounds or our archers will use you for target practice.
My guards are on orders to kill either or both of you on sight if you are anywhere you shouldn’t be.
Understand?”
They both nodded.
“Tonight I am holding a feast. There may be a special dish on the menu that I’m sure will amuse you, Romen…not so you. my dear,” he said to Elspyth. “I will ask you both to join us for some interesting festivities.”
Chapter 26
Wyl took advantage of the afternoon to sleep. His dreams were filled with nightmares of a young woman hanging from a timber crossbeam begging him to save her. It became even more disturbing when the young woman’s face dissolved from one he vaguely recognized from borrowed memories to one that was achingly familiar.
Ylena hung now, beseeching Wyl. wondering how he could have failed to protect her.
He woke with a start, his bed linen drenched.
I have to escape these mountains
! The widow had warned him of the danger to his sister and now his dreams echoed that warning. To calm his anguish he lingered over his toilet, pleased to note that some kind soul had left him a fresh shirt. Washed and refreshed he was able to put aside his fears for the time being and concentrate on getting through this celebration of Cailech’s. Perhaps if the King was in a good mood tonight, he might negotiate his own release.
Unable to sleep. Elspyth wandered the fortress aimlessly but felt her presence was unwelcome and all eyes watchful. The sense of alienation prompted her pleasure at seeing a familiar, albeit hostile, face as Myrt lumbered past her.