He whistled out a
“yes.”
“Don’t you think he could do that to you?”
Henry peered around my room, ensuring no one else was there. He whistled two notes, high-low. I hadn’t heard this before.
“Maybe?” I guessed.
Two high notes again—
“yes.”
So he wasn’t completely oblivious to the threat his master posed. “Is this the first time you’ve thought he’s capable of killing you?”
“Yes.”
“What will happen to Swenn?”
He handed me a note.
“Trial.”
“He’ll claim self-defense.”
“Yes.”
“Will I have a chance to speak?”
“Maybe.”
“Is it the king who decides the verdict?”
“Yes.”
With a trial pending, Swenn must be feeling sheer desperation. I needed to rest while he was unconscious because who knew what he would do when he wasn’t.
“I’m going to sleep for a while.” I started removing my clothes. Big Henry took off his shoes. “No, please don’t.”
He pointed at himself and feigned a yawn.
“So go sleep in your own bed.”
“No.”
“Why continue to watch over me? You might never see Swenn again by the end of tomorrow. You don’t have to follow his orders anymore.”
He took the scroll from a hidden pocket on the inside of his shirt, this one at least three times the size of others he’d used previously.
“Swenn isn’t the same man as he was eight years ago. He means well. He’s protective to a fault, of himself and those loyal to him, but he won’t kill unless it’s to save a life.”
I took the top of the scroll with both hands with the intention to shred it and toss the remains in Henry’s face, but he snatched it out of my grasp.
“You can’t possibly think that!” I snapped.
He put his fingers over his lips. I lowered my voice, though my rage only burned hotter.
“He kills frivolously. He was going to have Kayren killed,” I argued.
“No.”
“No? What do you mean no!”
He looked into my eyes and shook his head.
“No.”
“Horse piss. He would’ve had her killed.”
Henry let out his breath, easing up.
“Maybe.”
I collapsed onto my bed, my mind running in circles. I couldn’t figure out Henry’s thoughts. First he was certain Swenn wouldn’t kill Kayren. Seconds later he wasn’t sure.
Then I had a thought. “Are you confused about Swenn?” I asked as both of us crawled under the sheets.
“Yes.”
“There’s nothing to be confused about. He’s a murderer.”
Henry gave no response, and soon I fell asleep.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I dreamed that Swenn escaped from the castle, causing Henry to cry. Shara hugged him, telling me it hurts to be abandoned. I promised I wouldn’t abandon her. “Not just me,” she said. “Laney, Charlotte, and Terren.” My dream ended with Charlotte gripping the bars of her cell with such force that her hands bled. I told her to let go but she wouldn’t.
I awoke with Henry’s hand firmly pressing on my shoulder. He looked concerned. I must’ve been mumbling in my nightmare.
“I’m fine.” I hurried to dress, glancing out the window for an idea of the time.
The bright sunlight that had filtered into the room when I’d gone to sleep was replaced by a thick blanket of gray clouds. “My gods, is it evening?”
Charlotte…no I couldn’t see her; Jaymes was waiting for me. No, what about Shara! I cursed as I frantically dressed. Henry came in front of me holding up a timepiece. I paused to read it. I had an hour before noon.
My relief faded as distant thunder boomed. Then there was a flash. Thunder came again, this time with such power it shook me to my core.
“Going to be some storm tonight.”
“Yes.”
I hurried to the great library, encountering none of the usual shoulder nudges or mutterings. Henry would probably follow me all the way to Charlotte’s cell, but there was nothing he could overhear that Swenn didn’t already know.
With my hands clasped, I shuffled over to Storell Ampart. The old man seemed tired, struggling to push himself out of his chair at my approach.
“I’m deeply sorry,” I said. “I didn’t wish for any damage to come to your library. It’s marvelous, and I’d like to see it stay that way.”
My words made his lips purse in skepticism. “I hear Shara’s going to live. Is that so?”
“She is, thanks to Mayla. But she couldn’t have done it without the book.”
“And where is this book?”
Gods, I’d been too distracted to think about bringing it back. “I’ll fetch it immediately.”
“I’ll be here.” He set himself back into his chair.
I hurried to the medical room, thankful he hadn’t forbidden me from returning to the library. There were so many books yet not enough time, a feeling that made the world seem ripe, like discovering a hundred delicious foods all at once.
I immediately forgot about the book the moment Shara sat up.
“Hello,” she said with a smile.
“Hello,” I returned, barely able to keep myself from running to her. I walked around Swenn’s bed, thankful to see he slept soundly.
“You look tired,” Shara said, starting into a rhyme. “Were you up worrying about me? I’m fine. Well, to a certain degree. Some movements cause terrible pain. So be gentle, and I won’t complain.” She shifted her legs until her feet were flat on the ground. Gingerly, she stood and held out her arms.
We embraced, a blissful feeling of comfort. Luckily my arms didn’t seem to hurt her, so I held on, squeezing tighter.
“Ouch,” she said.
I lightened. “Sorry.”
“It feels good and hurts at the same time. We have a lot to talk about,” she whispered into my ear.
The murder attempt, it happening in my room, Swenn killing his squire, the upcoming trial, Henry’s doubts, the king’s order disallowing intimacy, Charlotte and Terren…yes there was a lot to talk about, and none of it could be said in this room full of people tending to Swenn.
“There is. I’ll meet you as soon as I can, though it might be late.” It pained me to lean out of her embrace.
“You’re leaving?”
“I have to.”
I helped Shara back into bed. Laney winked at me, not that I knew what it meant. When she did it again with the other eye, I figured she didn’t know, either. I winked back as I walked toward Mayla and a man in white who were conversing.
I waited for my chance, then spoke. “May I return the book of poisons to the library?”
Mayla handed it to me as she thanked me for my help. “And I’ve never been fond of Gram,” she whispered. “Though now I have to put up with him until his broken finger mends. So I suppose I can’t say I’m particularly glad for what you did.”
I didn’t know what to say.
She shooed me. “Run off, now. You didn’t hear any of that.”
Henry was waiting outside. “You don’t want to see Swenn?” I asked.
“No.”
Storell didn’t particularly smile at my return, but he didn’t scowl, either. I took it as a victory and tested my luck.
“Could you please let me through the back door?”
“No.” He offered no explanation.
“Please, sir. It’s important.”
“Do you want to be allowed in this library?”
“More than any man.”
“Then don’t pester me about going through the back. Consider yourself lucky that you’re not dead after forcing your way in here at night and fighting against the king’s guards. I’ve met young men like you before. You think the gods made the world just for you. Pyforial energy being illegal doesn’t matter. Locked doors don’t matter. Guards’ orders don’t matter.”
The fierceness in his eyes faded as his gaze shifted to Henry. The big man stepped forward and held out a scroll. Storell took it, but not without reluctance. His head tilted as he finished reading the short message in an instant.
Handing it back, he asked, “Is this request to use the back door related to Swenn and his squire?”
“Yes.”
“So you won’t be taking any books?” he asked me.
“No books.”
“Fine then.” Storell started toward the back. “When’s the trial?”
“Most likely tomorrow,” I said. “Thank you.”
“You’re lucky. You remember that.”
Was I? It certainly didn’t feel that way after everything that had happened to me. “I will, and I won’t forget your help.”
He grumbled.
When he closed the door behind us, I thought I heard more than just the sound of the latch. I tried the handle. Sure enough, it was locked.
“Do you know another way out of here?” I asked Henry.
“Yes.”
I retraced the path down to the prison. As the walls grew bare and the air stale, I admitted to Henry, “I’m confused why Storell thinks this is related to Swenn. Can I see the scroll you gave him?”
I stopped by a burning torch, the sconce holding it just over my shoulder. Henry handed me a scroll.
“I take responsibility for him.”
“Does he think we’re helping Swenn with something before the trial?”
“Yes.”
“So that’s why he doesn’t want us coming back out through the library,” I realized. “He thinks we’re doing something dishonorable.”
“Yes.”
“He must really be scared of Swenn. The man’s ill and about to be hung, and Storell still—”
Henry interrupted with two low whistles.
“No.”
“No to what?”
He made the motion of a noose around his neck.
“Yes, he will be hung. I’ll make sure of it, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” I halted. “Though I suppose you deserve thanks for getting me here.” I patted his shoulder with derision. “It’s the first useful thing you’ve done since I’ve met you.”
He made the sound of flatulence with his mouth.
We had a quiet walk the rest of the way to the prison. It was eerie to think about Storell believing I intended to help Swenn. He must not know anything close to the truth about the poisoning or why Gram had really confronted me.
When we came to the grille, I tapped the bars and called loudly for a jailer. Eventually one came.
“I’m here to visit someone,” I told him.
“On whose orders?”
I was about to lie when Henry grabbed my shoulder and slipped a scroll through the bars. It must’ve been the same one as before.
“Fine,” said the jailer.
Soon it was just Henry and me again as we passed empty cells, a person here and there creeping to the bars for a look, none speaking.
“Do you know who I’m here to see?” I asked him.
He whistled three times, more shrill than usual.
It took a moment of thought before I had a guess as to what it meant. “Is that supposed to mean ‘of course’?”
“Yes.”
“So three low notes would be ‘of course not’?”
“Yes.”
I heard voices bouncing down the hall. Taking a turn, I saw the source. Someone stood outside Charlotte’s cell.
“Practice on him,” Charlotte said, though I couldn’t see her from where I stood.
The woman visiting her cell turned to me. Blonde and with a firm expression, she reminded me of Callyn, the soldier who’d requested hospitality at my house in Lanhine before killing my father in self-defense. She spun back to Charlotte and whispered. I was certain I heard the word “pyforial.”
“He won’t hurt you,” Charlotte replied in a motherly tone, as if I were the family dog.
“I don’t have much time,” I told them both, now standing beside the young woman in front of Charlotte’s cell.
“I think he’s being honest,” the young blonde guessed.
“Yes, good.”
I looked at her pointedly. “Could I speak to Charlotte alone?”
She took a step back and looked to Charlotte for guidance.
“Ask him a question.”
“Um, is your name Neeko?” She seemed reserved, as if scared I would bite.
“Yes. Please, it’s important I speak to Charlotte.”
“Is it very important?”
“Yes.”
She looked back at Charlotte, pride thick in her voice. “He’s telling the truth. I can tell.”
“Good. Neeko, say something that could be a lie.”
I felt like I was talking with children. They were too involved in their game of psyche to understand I was in a hurry.
“I don’t have time for this!”
“Truth again!” the young woman said, even more excited for herself. “Oh.” She seemed to have just understood, her mouth open in shame. “I’m sorry, Neeko.” She gave the most cursory bow to me, then to Charlotte. “Thank you.”
Charlotte, possibly sensing my curiosity, explained what I’d witnessed the moment the other woman left.
“That’s my best student, Cedri. I was giving her a lesson. I know you’re feeling rushed, so thank you for coming down here. I need to know if I’m still in danger.”
“You won’t be if you can help me.” I kept my voice soft and looked over each shoulder. Henry had his arms folded as he leaned against the wall, but I saw no one else.
“I can sense if someone’s near enough to hear us,” Charlotte said. “Explain.”
“Swenn is the man to worry about.”
“The king’s master of coin?”
“Yes. The rest of your party from Ovira helped me save someone he means to kill—one of a few people he means to kill, actually. And now your party knows he’s a murderer.” I spoke without elaboration, relieved that Charlotte could decipher lies from the truth. “I came back to the castle at the same time the news of your party’s interference reached Swenn. I didn’t know what he would do to you, but leaving you alone couldn’t possibly have been one of his choices.”
“Why hasn’t Terren come to the castle to tell the king what happened?”
“Swenn has many loyal to him. It would’ve been safer for everyone if you’d made it out of the castle to meet Terren. But because you didn’t, I’m sure Terren will come soon. He might already be on his way. Did you hear what happened with Swenn and his squire?”
“Yes. Will there be a trial?”
“It seems that way. That’s where I’ll need your help. Swenn will claim he confronted his squire about stabbing Shara and a fight ensued.”