by Jeff Wheeler
His eyes widened with disbelief, and she took some small satisfaction in having shocked him. She took advantage of his stunned silence to continue. “She saw this in a vision. Drew and Genny are just as surprised as you are. As we all are. The king has summoned his council to the Ring Table to tell them. Morwenna is fetching your parents. She . . . suggested that I come for you.”
“Trynne,” he breathed, a look of pain and anguish on his face. “How can this be? How can the Fountain even . . . ?” He stopped short of speaking blasphemy. “You must be devastated. Both your parents?”
She bit her lip, not letting herself take too much comfort in his sympathy. “It is not what my mother wishes. Her visions show what will happen. Not why.”
“And she has not seen Gahalatine’s invasion yet? It means we’ll have no forewarning of where he will strike.” He shook his head in wonderment, gazing away from her, hands on his hips. “This is grave news indeed. I am sorry for you, Trynne.” When he returned his gaze to her, his eyes were full of compassion.
She took another step closer to the desk.
“I believe in the Fountain,” Trynne said softly. “Even when I don’t understand its will.”
“You have more faith in it at the present than I.” He chuffed, shaking his head. She reached the edge of the table, adjacent to where he stood. So many papers. So many secrets. It was like Lord Amrein’s desk in the Espions’ Star Chamber in Kingfountain. It would be easy for her to return and rifle through them, using her magic to make herself invisible. Where did his true loyalty lie? Would she find evidence here to incriminate him in a conspiracy? Or was he truly seeking to unmask the king’s enemies by pretending to be one of them?
“So Morwenna sent you,” Fallon said coolly after the silence became uncomfortable. He pursed his lips. “I had hoped you’d come of your own accord. But it matters little. I understand you have been very busy of late.” He gave her an arch look. It reminded her of his frustration that the king didn’t use him for important assignments.
“Fallon, let’s not argue,” she said.
“It’s not my intention to argue,” he said, folding his arms again. “I have no wish for another drubbing. When Stroud told me you had come, I had thought your news might be . . . well, that’s not really important now. I was wrong.”
“What were you wrong about?” Trynne asked, more confused than ever.
“It’s of no consequence. Shall we go to the chapel, then?”
“Fallon,” she said as the familiar pain rose. “Will we ever start trusting each other again? I told you the truth about why I came here.”
“I know; I understand,” he said curtly. He was growing more agitated. “I had thought you were here to deliver other news.”
She blinked at him, trying to discern his meaning.
“As I said, it’s of no matter. But I see I’m in the wrong again. I’ve failed you before by not saying what’s on my mind. Let me say now, and you can call me a fool.” He leaned forward and planted his palms on the table, gazing at the heap of papers. “One of the questions that has been plaguing the Espion for months is the true identity of the Painted Knight. This person fought near the king at the Battle of Guilme. This person entered my tent the eve before the battle and took something from me.” He looked at her with knowing, accusatory eyes.
Trynne felt her heart flutter in a sudden panic.
“I think I’ve known for some time who it is,” Fallon said in a low, confident tone. “The woad is a clever disguise, but I believe I’ve solved the riddle. I think my sister knows too, but the king certainly does not. I had hoped, Trynne, that I would not have to unmask the fellow myself. I’m the only person who even knows his name. Sir Ellis. Fidelis. A nickname you once teased me with, and a virtue you claim that I lack.”
He sighed and looked away from her. “I’d hoped you would tell me yourself, Trynne. But I figured it out eventually. That is something else that I am good at.” He gazed across the heap of scrolls. “That’s all these really are. Clues. Pieces of paper.” He lifted one and flung it aside. Then he gave her a sidelong look and she caught another glimpse of the old Fallon. “I won’t ask you to deny it. Or to affirm it. You’ve probably bound yourself to an oath you cannot break or some such foolishness.”
His astute statement twisted a smile from her. She stood silently, gazing at him, grappling with the news that he had finally discovered her. He had suspected her before, of course, but she’d thrown him off.
“You’ve always been clever, Fallon,” Trynne said, her voice husky.
He shrugged off the compliment. “I’m also incorrigible, incomprehensible, infallible, impassible, and incontrovertible as well.” He gave her a sidelong smile, then he turned away and sighed. “I had hoped you were here to tell me your secret. Of course, I can think of many reasons why you wouldn’t, including the most obvious one. We’ll be competing against each other at the Gauntlet of Kingfountain. I admire your courage and skill. You’ve bested me before. You also bested Elwis. He doesn’t know, does he?”
Trynne shook her head no.
“I didn’t think so,” he added. There it was again, the twinkle in his eye that reminded her of the way they used to be together. “Well, I don’t intend to reveal your secret, Trynne. As I said, I’m quite confident my sister already knows, and if she hasn’t told the king, there must be a good reason for it. I’m still loyal to him. I always have been. Well, I guess we should be on our way?”
He straightened and gestured for her to precede him. As she started to walk, she saw him slip another letter from the desk into his pocket. After opening the door, Fallon turned to Stroud, who was standing outside it like a sentinel.
“Stroud, be a good man and clean up my mess, will you?” Fallon said, gesturing to the disheveled state of the room. “Lady Trynne and I are going to Kingfountain.”
They reached the chapel shortly thereafter, the air still ripe with the fragrance of pine. She stepped into the fountain water and Fallon joined her. They needed to be touching for the magic to work, and she was reaching for his arm when he took her hand instead.
Her confusion must have shown on her face because he immediately said, “I’m sorry, that was presumptuous of me. It’s just that I’ve always held Morwenna’s hand when we traveled together. I thought that’s how it was done.”
They both stood there awkwardly for a moment. Trynne felt a searing flash of jealousy at the realization that Fallon had traveled the ley lines with Morwenna many times before.
“It’s all right,” she said dismissively, trying to keep her voice calm. She kept his warm hand in hers, feeling her heart give a lurching jolt that wasn’t entirely due to the magic she invoked.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Ring Table
Trynne rubbed her palm across the smooth grooves of the massive table in the great hall of Kingfountain. The round of trunk had been cut from an enormous tree, and she could see the individual rings marking the generations that had passed. Only great power could have summoned something of that enormous size into the hall. But it was more than just a slab of wood. The Ring Table was a conduit for the Fountain’s magic, and it possessed powers none of them truly understood. But Trynne sensed that its chief function was to bring together disparate people from different backgrounds and customs, unifying them in one purpose. It was the symbol of ancient King Andrew’s fallen realm, a kingdom that had been riven by infidelity, and it had disappeared after his fatal injury over a thousand years earlier.
The new ruler of the court of Kingfountain sat at the table beside Genny, their hands interlocked. Drew looked careworn and burdened. He was a young father, a young king, and the trusted advisors who had supported him over the years were falling away. As Trynne cast her gaze around the table, her eyes found the conspicuously empty seat her father had occupied.
The room was silent, save for the hiss of the torches. The king had just revealed that Sinia would be embarking on a journey to a distant shore. The council was still reeling from
the news.
Drew rubbed his bottom lip, staring across the table at each of them in turn. “Our enemy is coming,” he said, his voice serious and wary. “I have no doubt that Gahalatine will make good on his promise to invade us. Whether or not we are prepared, he will come. Where will he strike first? Advise me on how best to defend our borders.”
Duke Elwis was the first to speak. He leaned forward in his chair and said, “He started his attack at Guilme. He has a foothold that he can use to land ships and his forces. We have dug a series of trenches throughout Brugia. We’ve spent the last year training new archers to defend against attacks from the sky. Brugia will be the chief battleground, my lord. Let us defend your kingdom there.”
Lady Evie, Queen of Atabyrion and Fallon and Genny’s mother, spoke next. “I’ve read the accounts of many wars and battles. The one thing they have in common is that they have nothing in common. Lord Owen was successful as a battle commander because he was always unpredictable. I do not think Gahalatine will strike us twice in the same place. I mean no offense, Grand Duke Elwis, nor do I minimize the preparations we’ve all made in defending our borders.”
Trynne watched Elwis’s cheeks flush. But despite his natural inclination to bristle whenever contradicted, he controlled his expression and, even better, his tongue. He did not speak up against her.
“Say on, my lady,” Drew said to Lady Evie. “If he does not attack Brugia, where do you think he will strike?”
Lady Evie looked at her husband, Iago, who gave a quick laugh. “Go on, love. Everyone here already knows you are wiser than I am.” He chuckled again. “I’m not cheapened by that.”
Trynne smiled at the honest remark and cast a quick look at Fallon, whom she caught smirking.
“I believe, my lord, that he will strike at the heart of your realm. He will attack Kingfountain first. One of his Wizrs has already revealed that they can access the palace through the fountains. There is no doubt in my mind that they have seen our defenses and feel confident they can overcome them. The river has always been a protection to us.” She shook her head. “Rucrius proved it cannot shield us.”
There were murmurs of agreement and disagreement from others at the table. The king looked as if his mother-in-law had clubbed him. He cast a furtive look at his wife, and Trynne saw their fingers tighten. The rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.
“I cannot abandon Kingfountain,” Drew said, shaking his head. “It is the seat of my power. This castle has never been vanquished by a foreign enemy. Why would he start by striking the heart of our realm?”
Lord Amrein spoke up. “We have prepared the docks to be burned and have gathered enough supplies for the city to withstand an extended siege. The cistern is full and we have barrels of water to provide for our needs.”
Lady Evie sighed. “My lord, you asked me what I think Gahalatine will do, not whether I think it wise. If he does start by attacking Kingfountain, we could close in and surround him on all sides. The court historian told me a story of an enemy ruler who plunged into the heart of a kingdom and murdered the king, only to find himself fenced in and destroyed. Yet Gahalatine is ambitious. He is crafty. Like any leader, he will strike where we least expect him to.”
“Who is to say he will only attack one location?” Fallon said in a low, serious tone during the lull that followed.
That comment caused even more dissension. Duke Severn was the first to address the suggestion. “You’re a raw youth,” the old king snapped. “Gahalatine knows that we are defending our homeland. Coordinating multiple attack points would be too perilous for him, especially since the populace is likely to rise up against him. You carve up your army in the face of your foe to outwit and outflank him, not before you have even attacked. No, he’s more likely to concentrate his force on the position where our army is the strongest.” His voice was full of ire, and Trynne shuddered as he spoke, for she imagined what it must have been like for her father to serve under such a disagreeable man. “I have always been struck by Lady Elysabeth’s wisdom.” He tapped his gloved finger on the table forcefully. “Defend Kingfountain, or lose it all.”
Fallon scowled at the rebuke, his eyes narrowing coldly as he stared at Morwenna’s father. But he made no attempt to save face; he only stroked his bottom lip and remained quiet. Trynne’s heart went out to him, but she respected that he didn’t argue his point.
“And how would you advise defending the palace?” Drew asked in a deferential tone.
Severn sneered. “The palace will not be difficult to defend. I would move half of your army to Beestone castle. You don’t want everyone to be trapped inside the city during a siege. You’ll need a solid force outside to coordinate attacks. If it were me,” he added in an aggrieved tone, “I would stay at Beestone myself. Let him throw away lives trying to attack a landlocked castle. Then hit him hard from the sides. Remember, lad. You are the kingdom. Taking the capital won’t make Gahalatine king. Only you can give him what he seeks.”
As much as Trynne hated to admit it, she saw wisdom in Severn’s words. He had spent his entire reign clutching the hollow crown, defying those who sought to wrest it from him. Drew didn’t have that kind of experience. How much was he willing to wrestle to preserve what the Fountain had given him?
“Lady Trynne,” Drew said, shifting his gaze to her. “How would you advise me?”
She was startled by the sudden attention to her and her ideas. Her stomach began to fill with butterflies, but Genny smiled at her husband’s question and patted his arm approvingly.
“Well, I know for a fact that Gahalatine is not with his fleet,” Trynne answered, feeling her voice tremble a little. She had received Genny’s permission to share her story with the council. “The queen recently sent me on a mission to Chandleer Oasis, which lies in the desert along the trade routes to Gahalatine’s domain. He attacked it while I was there, striking from the mountains to the east of the oasis. No one expected it, least of all the king. I agree with Duke Severn,” she said, giving him a respectful nod. “The kingdom is where you are, my lord. And that means you should not be where Gahalatine can easily reach you.”
A few murmurs of assent followed her words.
The king breathed heavily. “I do not relish the idea of leaving my wife and child unprotected.”
Genny leaned forward. “Your grandfather once sent his wife and children to the sanctuary of Our Lady during an invasion. I don’t think Gahalatine would harm a woman deliberately. It’s you he wants.”
Drew’s eyes narrowed. Trynne could see he was wrestling with the decision. “Lady Sinia?”
Her bearing was very solemn. “Morwenna knows how to invoke the protections that will defend the sanctuary from a flood. My visions have all been about the journey I must shortly make. I’m sorry to be of no use here.”
“Maybe your use,” the king replied with great respect, “will come from assistance in other quarters. May the Fountain guide your sails, my lady of Brythonica.”
Sinia bowed her head to the king.
Drew rose from his chair and planted his hands on the table. “You think I should go to Beestone, then?” he said to Trynne.
She narrowed her gaze. Something didn’t feel quite right. She trusted each person in the chamber, for all had proven their loyalty to the king. But what if Gahalatine had a way of listening in on their conversation? What if he could know of their plans?
“I think, my lord,” Trynne said, “that you must choose with care where you will go. Choose—and tell no one.”
Genny nodded. “That is good advice, Trynne. My lord husband, I will begin preparations to set up my household in the sanctuary. I will defend the city if we are attacked.”
Drew nodded, his mouth turned down in a frown. “So be it. The Gauntlet of Kingfountain will be held following the Feast of St. Benedick, less than a fortnight away. That is when I will name my new champion.”
Grand Duke Elwis sat up straight, his gaze on the duke of the North.
; Fallon met his look unflinchingly.
Trynne was only too grateful to be back in Averanche. There was no need to bring Fallon back to Dundrennan. He had decided to stay at Kingfountain to train until the Gauntlet. Sinia had departed to Tatton Hall to bring young Gannon to Ploemeur, where he would reside during their mother’s long absence. Sinia wanted her children to be together while she was away, and the presence of both heirs would be a salve to the people of Brythonica—a reassurance that there would always be a Montfort in Brythonica.
Trynne knew she only had a short time to spend in her city, and she wanted to make the most of it.
At noonday, she was in the training yard of the castle. Captain Staeli stood back-to-back with her, wearing his armor and holding a sword defensively. The two of them were hemmed in on every side, completely surrounded by the Oath Maidens. Each held weapons of various sorts.
“This is what I am asking you,” Trynne said, wearing her hauberk and tunic, feeling the gauntlets and greaves groan as she moved. “Do not hold anything back. Do not let up until we are both knocked down. Our enemies will not hold back. Our foes will not hesitate. You must fight until you fall. Then get up and fight again. And again. You are Oath Maidens. Captain Staeli stands proxy for your king. You stand proxy for our foes. Fight with all you have in you. So will I.”
Staeli rocked on his feet, preparing for the attack. Trynne’s heart beat faster as she registered the looks of determination on the faces of the girls and women surrounding them. She had both her swords out, one in each hand.
It was no surprise that Mariette led the charge. Trynne’s mouth went dry as she and Captain Staeli were rushed from all sides. Her magic flooded over, rising in response to the threat she faced. During the last months, she had trained with multiple foes, increasing the number by one every week. At the Battle of Guilme and before, she had felt limited by her supply of Fountain magic. The only way she had found to increase it was by self-discipline and practicing against more and more foes. In the months since the battle, she had increased her store of magic considerably and could fight without stopping for nearly an hour. Sometimes, she was so at one with her magic that it felt as if time itself slowed to a crawl and she alone could move while her enemies labored to attack her.