Winter of Solace (The Executioner Knights Book 5)

by Kathryn Le Veque

  Kevin fixed him in the eyes with some difficulty. “I have wanted to say this to you since my brother and I reconciled a couple of years ago, but it never seemed to be the right time,” he said. “This isn’t the right time, either, but it must be said. When I first met you, I told you that I would never forgive you for dooming Sean to the service of the king. Do you recall that?”

  “I do.”

  “I have always regretted saying that,” Kevin said quietly. “I have come to admire you a great deal. I know we have not exactly been great friends, but I was hoping that could… change. I do not blame you if you do not want to be friendly, considering how I have treated you in the past, but I know now that it wasn’t your fault that Sean did what he did. I suppose I wanted to believe that because it was easier for me to hate you than my brother. I am truly sorry. You are a man of honor and I respect that. I thought you should know.”

  In the midst of their harried situation, Caius paused to acknowledge what must have been a difficult admission for Kevin. It was not exactly an opportune time to say such things, but Caius was glad he had. In fact, he realized that he was quite glad.

  Kevin wasn’t like the other Executioner Knights. He didn’t have years of cutthroat missions behind him, tasks that had conditioned the Executioner Knights to behave differently towards death. They had become hardened to things; Kevin had yet to harden. He still felt things, and saw situations as only noble or immoral. There was no gray area for him but, in that sense, he had become the conscience for the group. If there was ever any doubt in a situation being ethical or unethical, Kevin would tell them the truth.

  Caius respected the man for that ability.

  He was very glad their relationship had evolved.

  “Sean has always been like a brother to me,” he said after a moment. “You know I love the man dearly. And you… I never knew what to make of you, but I see that the little brother has grown up. The situation with Sean was no one’s fault, Kevin. We are knights and we do what we are told to do. But if I could have taken the position to spare Sean, I would have.”

  “I realize that.”

  Caius gave the man a lopsided smile. “I have known you for seven years,” he said. “I think I know you fairly well but, now, I look forward to coming to know you a little better. It took a man of honor to say what you have just said. I respect you for it.”

  Kevin smiled timidly, perhaps with some relief. Caius flashed him one of those toothy grins he was famous for and opened up the inn door, ushering them both inside.

  They had work to do.

  Within a half-hour, they were riding south along the road from Whitchurch, heading straight for Hawkstone, and Emelisse was riding with them because Caius, in a complete change of opinion, had permitted it.

  But it had been with a purpose in mind.

  It had occurred to him that this situation would never end so long as Marius was alive; that was the truth of the matter. As long as the man lived, Emelisse would be in danger and that was something Caius couldn’t stomach.

  As he had listened to his wife argue as to why she needed to accompany him back to Hawkstone, he started to agree with her. An idea occurred to him and he realized he needed her to be part of it. It was her home, after all, and this was her battle.

  But her battle had become his. The mission to aid The Marshal’s extended family had turned into something else because, now, The Marshal’s extended family had just become Caius’ enemy.

  And his enemies would die.

  They found The Marshal’s army several miles north of Winterhold, nearly at the halfway mark between Hawkstone and Winterhold.

  With the snow melting at a rapid rate, the roads were becoming swamped with the runoff. That made moving a one-thousand man army difficult because of the sloppy conditions. Men were up to their knees in mud in some places, and the provisions wagons were becoming stuck every few feet because of the clay-like mud that had developed. Therefore, travel had been extremely slow, and they hadn’t made good time on their trek to Hawkstone.

  Caius, Emelisse, and Kevin found the army as about half of its mass had already been moved off the road. The rest of it was struggling, moving men and material into a nearby field. William had arrived about two hours earlier and relayed Caius’ instructions to Maxton. Frustrated, he nonetheless obeyed and stopped the army immediately. But then came the attempts to move the army off the road, which had been difficult and laborious.

  The field that the army had moved to wasn’t much better than the road itself. The condition of the field, covered with dead grass and debris, had turned into a swamp. When Caius and Emelisse and Kevin arrived, Caius left the others at the side of the road while he proceeded to hunt down Maxton, who was standing up to his knees in dark mud, shouting at the wagons because four out of the six of them were almost permanently stuck in the muck. When Maxton saw Caius approaching, he turned to the man with some anger.

  “You wanted us to stop, so we have,” he said, irritated. “Why in the hell are we stopped, Caius? What is amiss?”

  Caius was almost amused at Maxton’s anger, but not quite. He had something very serious to talk over with the man and wouldn’t let frustration get in the way.

  “Nothing is amiss,” he said. “But you do not have permission to move the army to Hawkstone and you know it. The Marshal gave us explicit orders to that regard. We were not to fight for Hawkstone.”

  “Do not tell me you didn’t already think of this.”

  “Of course I thought of it. But if anyone is to disobey The Marshal, it will be me.”

  That took some of the fight out of Maxton, but not entirely. He was easily riled, especially when he knew he was right. In this case, he believed that strongly. He headed in Caius’ direction, taking the man by the arm and pulling him away from the men he’d been shouting at so they could have more privacy.

  “Marius is mobilizing his army,” Maxton said. “He will be marching on Hawkstone today, tomorrow at the latest. Did you marry Lady Emelisse?”

  “I did.”

  “Then he will be marching on your property. It is vulnerable. Did you think I would just stand by and watch him destroy it?”

  Caius sighed faintly. “Maxton, you cannot disobey The Marshal,” he said quietly. “I told you – if anyone will disobey him, it will be me. I will not allow you to put yourself in a position like that.”

  “And yet, I have.”

  Caius could see that he was determined. His bullheaded, stubborn friend. “God, I love you,” he muttered. “You know I do. But I have a better idea that will make this all go away and will not risk our loyalty to The Marshal.”

  Maxton frowned. “What? How?”

  “Just… come.”

  Together, the two of them trudged off towards the road where Emelisse and Kevin were waiting, joined by William, who by this time was looking positively exhausted. Being up all night and having a hard ride this morning, were taking their toll on the boy, but he was still upright and alert, still waiting for any orders Caius might give.

  But Caius wasn’t looking at his squire. He was focused on both Maxton and Emelisse. As he and Maxton drew near the group on the edge of the road, he reached out and took the reins of Emelisse’s palfrey. He led the little animal along, motioning to Kevin and William to follow. Together, the five of them moved down the road, away from the army that was settling in. When Caius was certain they were out of earshot, he came to a halt.

  “Now,” he said, glancing at the group. “What I am about to say will not leave this circle. Is that clear?”

  He mostly meant William. He had no worries about Maxton or Kevin or Emelisse. William nodded solemnly, as did Emelisse, but her expression held both confusion and trepidation; Caius could see it.

  He continued.

  “As of this morning, Covington de Wrenville is dead,” he said. “His son, however, is very much alive and…”

  Cries going up from the army interrupted him and they all turned to see a pair of rider
s coming up the road. The day happened to be somewhat sunny, and Caius lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he tried to make out who the riders were.

  He could see at least one man on a warhorse and he could see that the man wore a tunic and knightly garb, but the rider next to him was not wearing anything distinguishable other than a flowing cloak. It took him a moment to realize that he was looking at a woman.

  The closer they came, the more realization dawned.

  “It’s Hallam and Lady de Wrenville,” he said, shock in his voice. “De Wolfe, escort them over to us. Be quick about it.”

  William ran off on foot because he’d left his horse with a Pembroke soldier. He ran down the muddy road as much as he was able, leaping over puddles and avoiding pits. As Caius and the others watched, William came to a halt next to Hallam and a brief conversation took place. William, Hallam, and Alice were soon moving in their direction.

  “I wonder what they are doing here?” Emelisse asked what they were all thinking. Then, she looked at Caius in horror. “Do you think they were forced to flee?”

  Caius simply shook his head, coming to stand next to her palfrey and put a gentle yet protective hand on her leg as she sat there. His focus was on Hallam and Alice as they rode up under William’s proper escort.

  “Hallam,” Caius greeted. “Is something amiss? Why are you here?”

  Hallam looked at Alice, seeing her encouraging nod, before proceeding.

  “There is much so speak of that I do not know where to begin,” he said. “In answer to your question, nothing but the obvious is amiss, but I had to find you. I thought you might be at Hawkstone. That was our destination.”

  “Why?”

  Somehow, it was as if that question were a blow to Hallam. He exhaled slowly, looking at the group around him. There seemed to be a moment when he was summoning his courage.

  “Clearly, you were all in some manner of conference,” he said. “We did not mean to interrupt. Our business can wait.”

  Caius waved him off. “You did not interrupt,” he said. “And if you’ve come all the way here, then it is obvious that whatever you have to say is very important. Please, speak. You are among friends.”

  Hallam looked at the group, seeing men he’d known for only a short time, but men he’d come to trust as if he’d known them all his life. There was something quite honorable about this group.

  Caius had said what Hallam had been thinking – he was among friends.

  “Indeed, we are,” he said after a moment. “You are all trusted men and I know that Lady Emelisse would not repeat this. Therefore, there is something you should know.”

  “What?” Caius asked.

  “Covington’s death was not an accident.”

  Caius and Maxton exchanged glances. “Let me guess,” Caius said confidently. “Marius killed his father so he could inherit the empire. This does not surprise me.”

  Hallam shook his head. “It was not him,” he said. “I killed him.”

  That brought a distinct look of shock from Caius and Maxton. “You killed him?” Caius said, surprised. “But why?”

  “Because he was trying to kill me,” Alice spoke up. As all eyes turned to her, she was calm and steady. “He came to me last night, drunk and angry. He spoke of his reasons for marrying me, though I already knew them. He was cruel and dismissive. He wanted me to send a missive to my uncle and demand that he be allowed to use my uncle’s army, but when I refused to involve myself, he tried to kill me. Hallam saved my life. But in doing so, he killed Covington. Knowing that Hallam’s actions would not be justifiable to Marius, we chose to make it look like it was an accident.”

  Emelisse was sitting on her palfrey, hand over her mouth in shock, but no one else seemed shocked. In fact, there was no reaction whatsoever. They understood completely. Not only that, but they approved of it. If anyone had the right to do away with Covington, it was Hallam, and for attacking Alice, the man deserved to die.

  There was no doubt in their minds that justice was served.

  “Are you well, Alice?” Emelisse gasped before anyone else could say a word. “He did not hurt you, did he?”

  Alice looked at Emelisse, smiling at her young friend. “I am perfectly fine, thank you,” she said. “You needn’t worry. But we wanted to be honest with all of you because… because we consider you our trustworthy friends.”

  “And also because I wish to take you up on your offer, Caius,” Hallam said. “You offered to accept my fealty, once. I have come to accept that offer, if you will still have me. But I wanted you to know the truth behind Covington’s death. If you are to accept a man’s oath, then you need to know everything you can about it. I could not hide it from you.”

  Caius shook his head before Hallam had even finished speaking. “It does not change my mind,” he said. “If anything, it only confirms what I already know – that you are a man of honor and of character. I will gladly accept your fealty, Hallam. You are a fine knight.”

  “Would you also accept mine?” Alice said, smiling. “With Covington dead, there is no longer any reason for me to remain at Winterhold. I realize that I have become the dowager baroness, but that place holds nothing but bad memories for me. Where Hallam goes, I go. May I come, too?”

  “You may,” Emelisse said before Caius could respond. “Oh, Alice, you may! Caius and I were married last night and I want you to come with us. We can finally be friends, as we had once hoped. We can all live at Richmond Castle. You can even bring your army of maids. Caius says that it is a monstrous place, big enough for all of us.”

  Alice’s face was alight with happiness. “I have sent my maids home to Dudley Castle,” she said softly, sincerely. “But I will not return with them. I will go with you; with all of you. Thank you, Emelisse. You have made us so very happy.”

  Emelisse looked to Caius, beaming, only to see the look of amusement on his face. “I am certainly glad you have given your permission,” he said drolly. “I thought those two would never come to live with us.”

  Hallam and Alice started snickering as Emelisse looked properly contrite. “Forgive me,” she said, grinning sheepishly. “I suppose I was overly excited. Did I overstep myself?”

  Caius snorted, kissing her on the temple. “Not at all,” he said. “And even if you did, I do not mind. With you lovely ladies gracing Richmond Castle, I am a contented and fortunate man.”

  Alice had spent so many years being called ugly or plain that to think Caius meant her when he spoke of lovely ladies was something of a surprise. It touched her a great deal. Hallam looked at her, knowing that Caius’ words had meant something, and extended a hand to her, which she gratefully took.

  “Thank you, Caius,” Hallam said. “From both of us… you have our deepest thanks.”

  Caius nodded, but his warm expression was fading. “You are welcome,” he said. “But in order to achieve this wonderous place of peace, there is something we must accomplish first. I suspect Marius will not simply lay down and let us all run off, arm in arm. Hallam, you know better than the rest of us what a threat he may be.”

  Hallam sobered quickly. “Aye,” he said honestly. “He is dangerous, far more than Covington ever was. Covington was simply greedy, but Marius… he is ruthlessly ambitious. The marriage between his father and Alice is an example of that.”

  “Then it is safe to say that as long as he lives, Hawkstone and Emelisse, and even Alice, will always be in danger.”

  As Hallam nodded, Maxton spoke. “What are you thinking, Cai?” he asked. “I have known you too long. You do not ask questions like this without a purpose.”

  Caius’ gaze moved around the group, even to young William. The squire had heard things he should not have heard, but being a de Wolfe, Caius trusted him. The name de Wolfe was synonymous with integrity. Still, he made a point of focusing on the young man.

  “You will take this information to your grave, young William, or your grave will come sooner than you think,” he said. “Is thi
s in any way unclear?”

  William nodded seriously. “I will never speak of it, my lord, I swear it.”

  Caius nodded. “Good,” he said, “because what I am about to say will end this situation for us all, but we must be willing to be brave. Emelisse, I mean you in particular. You are a brave woman, but you must be willing to do the most frightening thing you have ever done and see it through.”

  Emelisse looked at him curiously. “What is that?”

  Caius reached out and took her hand. He looked at it a moment, at the dark gold ring shining on her finger, before turning his attention to the rest of them.

  “My plan is this,” he said. “We send immediate word to Marius that Caspian has agreed to surrender the keep. We tell him that Lady Emelisse has been found and she is waiting for him, to marry him, but the terms are that he must come to Hawkstone alone to collect her. No army, no escort. I suspect that Marius is arrogant enough to believe he does not need an armed escort and will proceed to Hawkstone with all due haste. Emelisse will be the bait, waiting for him in the great hall, and when he comes for her, the Executioner Knights will do what we do best. We will eliminate him.”

  Maxton and Kevin understood the plan completely and heartily approved. Even Hallam nodded his approval, something so simple yet so effective.

  “Excellent, Cai,” Maxton said. “The perfect plan, truly.”

  “As I see it, we have no choice,” Caius said. “My wife will never be safe with Marius running free, and I may even be in jeopardy as well. He will undoubtedly view my marriage to Emelisse as stealing something that belonged to him and I do not want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. My enemies do not live long, and Marius has become my enemy.”

  Maxton had a hint of a smile on his lips. “That sounds like The Britannia Viper I have known all these years,” he said. “We are with you, Cai. But we had better do this now, today, since Marius is on the move.”

  “Agreed,” Caius said. “Hallam, since there are still Winterhold troops at Hawkstone, it will be up to you to order them to retreat so Marius will not have any support when he arrives. In fact, you had better ride up ahead and do that. Lady de Wrenville can remain here, protected by The Marshal’s army, while you are away. Will you go?”