by Jane Glatt
any undue attention. Brenna would have smiled if she hadn’t been so relieved to have Stobert and his men gone for the afternoon. She was a good thief in part because she was good at not being noticed.
She was too stiff to try to ride but she took Blaze out for a walk in a nearby meadow. With the horse tied to a tree Brenna dropped a hand to her knife hilt, closed her eyes and reached out through the old steel.
She felt Kane almost immediately. He was safe. Had she really thought Lord Stobert might harm him? She looked for Lord Stobert’s sword and knife. Today there was none of the unease she’d felt previously. Had she imagined it? She dropped her hand from her knife. The connection was still there, but fainter. Was she uncomfortable with Westley Stobert only because of what she’d felt through old steel? No. He’d made some assumptions and decisions for her and when she’d challenged him he’d been unhappy. He’d covered up his displeasure quickly. Maybe too quickly. Was he hiding something?
It was late afternoon and although Brenna had the beginnings of a headache, she was still no closer to understanding what she’d felt through the old steel. She’d tracked Kane and Lord Stobert back to the inn so she untied Blaze and headed back to the stable. She’d meet up with them there.
The common room was busy when Brenna and Kane entered. She’d been able to persuade him to eat downstairs, rather than with Lord Stobert. She wanted to talk to him without Stobert present.
“We’ll talk to Lord Stobert after we eat,” Kane said. “About meeting with Duke Ewart. I thought it best to wait until we were both there.”
“Good,” Brenna said. They found a couple of seats at a table close to the door. It wasn’t very private, but it would have to do. Once they’d ordered lamb stew and some ale from a passing serving girl, Brenna leaned in towards Kane.
“Did Lord Stobert say anything about me today?” she asked.
“We did talk some,” Kane replied. “I think he’ll come around. Remember, some of the Brotherhood in Kingsreach had trouble accepting that the heir was a woman.”
“I know,” she said. “There’s just something about him that I don’t trust.”
“You said that before, but you didn’t give me anything specific,” Kane said. “And I have every reason to believe he can be trusted.”
“So you’ve said,” Brenna replied. Was Kane right? She hadn’t felt anything negative through the old steel today, and she’d tried. Maybe she was uneasy because she was far from everything and everyone she knew? In Thieves’ Quarter she would have been able to find information on Westley Stobert, would have had more to judge him by. Here she had to rely on Kane. Was that what this was about? Kane wanted her to trust him. Now she had to whether she liked it or not.
After their meal she and Kane headed upstairs to Lord Stobert’s rooms. Jesson let them in.
“Come, sit,” Stobert said. Brenna and Kane joined him at the table. “Are you feeling better Brenna?”
“Yes,” she replied. “A day of rest has helped.”
“Good,” Stobert said. “We need to be on the road early tomorrow.”
“We’ll be ready to leave at dawn,” Kane said. He opened his mouth to continue but Brenna put her hand on his arm. She wanted to make the request.
“Lord Stobert,” Brenna said. “Kane and I need to talk to Duke Ewart. Can you arrange it?” She dropped her hand to her knife hilt. There was a brief flicker of … annoyance? from Lord Stobert, but his face remained impassive.
“And what would be the purpose?” Stobert asked.
“There are events in motion that we cannot affect from Fallad,” Kane said. “Thorold has more power than ever before. He already has the church as an ally and soon will have a man of his choice as Captain of the Kingsguard. Ewart, by right as a Duke of Soule, is on the king’s council and the council needs a voice of reason. I believe that as long as the king is able, he will listen to that reason.”
“What do you mean ‘as long as the king is able’?” Westley asked.
“The king has been ill for a very long time, but in the past year or so his health has deteriorated quickly,” Kane said. “Ever since Thorold’s son Beldyn was named as the king’s heir.”
“And you don’t believe it to be a coincidence.”
“No,” Brenna spoke up. “It’s not. The king is being poisoned.”
“Have you proof? This is treason of the worst sort,” Westley said.
“The king’s symptoms point to a specific poison,” Brenna said. “There’s no proof that ties this poison to the Duke, but who else benefits? Now the king may have outlived his usefulness.”
“Or will as soon as he appoints Thorold’s choice to the Kingsguard Captaincy,” Kane added.
“Duke Ewart must know this at once,” Westley said. “How much time do you think the king has left?”
“It’s difficult to say,” Kane said. “Before we left, we gave a Brother an antidote. If he’s successful in getting the correct dose to the king, the progression of his illness will stop. It’s not a cure, though.”
Brenna nodded. “Without an antidote, the king will last no more than a year, perhaps two. It’s possible that even a small amount of antidote could counteract the poisons in his body enough to extend that time by months or years. But the best we could hope for, even with the best treatment, is three or four years.”
“How do you know this?” Stobert asked.
“I’m a healer,” Brenna said. “I was taught by my mother.
“And you’re sure?”
She nodded and Stobert seemed to shrink down into his chair.
“Duke Ewart is needed on the king’s council,” Stobert said after a moment.
“Yes, I’ll arrange a meeting for Kane. He’ll be happy to meet with the former Captain of the Kingsguard. Brenna, I’m not sure I can include you. He’s not Brotherhood.”
Brenna looked at him solemnly. “My mother was a healer - Duke Thorold’s healer. That’s how I know about this poison. My father was Thorold’s oldest son, Alastair. My father was Duke Ewart’s cousin.”
“The prophecy,” Westley said. He looked at her in surprise. “You have two of the four bloodlines. I will try to get you included in the meeting.”
“Do your best,” Kane said.
Brenna leaned back in her chair. Why did she feel that Lord Stobert had no intention of allowing her meet with Duke Ewart?
eighteen
Thorold studied his captain. The man had clearly been through much; his uniform was dirty and torn and there was blood on his right sleeve.
“Captain,” Thorold said. “You didn’t recognize any of them, but you believe they are of this Brotherhood?”
“Yes sir. Rowse very clearly greeted one of them as Brother.”
“And their swords were alight?”
“Yes, my Lord,” Barton replied. “The girl, the witch, she seemed to be the one controlling it. Her knife and Rowse’s sword lit up first. It was a surprise that, but it didn’t seem to do anything other than give off some light.”
“A surprise,” Thorold said. “Yes, I’m sure it was.” There must be more to it than just the light.
“Then the other men arrived with swords blazing,” Barton continued. “At one point all their weapons went dark, then the older man said it would be nice if they had some light and two swords lit up again. The witch asked if that was enough. When they left us in the woods I could still see the glow from one of those bloody swords.” Barton swayed slightly.
“Thank you, Captain, you may go get some rest,” Thorold said. “But not too much. You need to take more men and go after them. You must be discreet since you’ll be in Fallad. You have twenty four hours.”
Barton nodded and turned and left.
“Boy,” he said to the page who stood by the door. “Get me Master Fridrick.” The page scurried off to find the scholar.
Fridrick hadn’t found out nearly enough information about the Brotherhood and Thorold had very little patience left. He needed to know w
hat the Brotherhood was and how Feiren and Kane Rowse, and this girl, fit into it. At least now he knew how the old priest had been able to see the thief. But why was this witch, his own flesh and blood, able to make the weapons light up?
Kane sat up and stretched his stiff muscles. He was getting used to sleeping on the floor. It wasn’t actually much harder than his cot at the barracks had been. What he hadn’t gotten used to was sharing a room with Brenna. He hoped he could manage his feelings better once they were camping out in the open. In the small room, the rustle of her mattress and her soft snores constantly reminded him that she was not meant for him. But the more time he spent with her, the more he was drawn to her. She was smart and funny and challenging and annoying. And so brave.
Since the night of the healer’s death Brenna’s whole life had changed. She’d faced that head on without letting them take away all of her independence. Going out into the city at night when the church wanted you dead had not been the safest thing to do, but she hadn’t let fear cripple her. It was that spirit that had found a way into his heart.
Brenna had some feelings for him. He’d seen it in her eyes. But he was afraid that if he let himself, he would fall so hard and fast and deep that he would never be able to give her up. She was the heir to the prophecy. She was destined to sit on the throne of Soule. Any marriage would need to be a political alliance. And he’d sworn an oath, the oath he’d left the king’s service to fulfill. He needed to guide and protect Brenna as the