Chapter 26
Eryk was fuming when he showed up to meet with Byron the next morning. He hadn’t slept well, having spent a lot of time the previous afternoon and evening trying to get answers from the Madelian emissaries, alone and together, and then he had spent most of the night agonizing over his lack of progress. He was getting absolutely nowhere, and due to their diplomatic status, he was unable to do anything more than question them.
He knew that there was a traitor in his court, and he knew that they knew who it was. It was so incredibly frustrating not to be able to do anything to pry the information from them. He was currently leaning toward thumbscrews and breaking bones.
Byron noticed Eryk’s mood right away. Even if he hadn’t heard Eryk coming from a mile away, what with his grumbling and muttering, just one look at the scowl on the king’s face would have clued him in. Byron had the perfect exercise for Eryk’s mood.
“Chopping wood?” Eryk asked, flabbergasted, a short while later. “It’s the middle of summer! Why would I want to chop wood?”
“I didn’t ask you if you wanted to chop wood,” Byron stated sternly, “I told you to do it. It’s good for building up those muscles in your shoulders and arms. Besides, the kitchen needs wood year round. How do you think your food gets cooked?
So Eryk did as he was told, picking up the axe and starting to chop the wood that Byron laid out for him. He found that the exercise was good for working out some of his frustration too, and he soon fell into a rhythm. Time slipped away as he worked, and it seemed like no time at all until there was no more wood in front of him to chop.
As soon as he straightened though, Eryk realized that quite some time had passed. His back was stiff and sore, and his hands were blistered from gripping the axe for so long. He let out a groan, and dropped the axe to the ground.
“That is no way to treat a weapon,” scolded Byron. “If you don’t take care of it, how is it supposed to take care of you?”
“It’s an axe, Byron, and it belongs here at the wood pile. When is it ever going to be taking care of me?”
“You never know, your Majesty. And if you’re going to be like that, I won’t give you any of this salve for your blisters,” Byron chided, tossing a small jar into the air and catching it.
While Eryk sat and rubbed the salve gently onto his blisters, wondering if Byron hated him for some reason, Byron sat down next to him. The captain had spent his evening going through his conversation with Aislynn, and he knew that despite what it would cost him, he didn’t hate Eryk. Envy him, certainly, but not hate.
“Feeling better now?” Byron asked.
Eryk thought about that for a moment, and then nodded. He did feel better, less frustrated and distracted, but still nothing had been resolved. He sighed.
“I should be going,” Eryk said. “There is still so much to do, and the funeral is the day after tomorrow.”
Byron nodded, and remained seated there as Eryk rose and left. Tomorrow, he thought, back to the sword.
While Eryk made his way back to his room, he made a mental list of everything that needed to be done in the next two days. He had a council meeting tomorrow, which would be the first since banishing Alexius and removing Branden from his position as chief advisor. He’d have to deal with the council regarding his choice of Aislynn for Branden’s position, but he wasn’t too worried about it. He was also still waiting for an answer from Madelia’s queen, and he hoped that it would arrive soon. The two capital cities were not too far away from each other, so it was possible that he could get his answer as early as sometime today. That would at least solve his problem with the Madelian emissaries, one way or the other. Finally, he had to figure out who the traitor was and deal with him.
Well, he thought to himself, if the council meeting is already scheduled for tomorrow, and I’m still waiting for a message from Madelia, I guess I might as well take Branden up on his offer and get some time out of the castle. It may be the last time for a little while, regardless of what Aislynn thought. He detoured to Branden’s rooms to see if it would be possible, as far as the healers were concerned.
Branden, he was happy to see, looked like his old self again. He was up and out of bed, dressed for the day, and he greeted Eryk with a huge grin.
“Still feeling up to a trip out of the castle today?” Eryk asked him.
“Definitely!” Branden replied. “I’ve seen so much of this suite that I’m seriously thinking about redecorating in here.”
“Sounds like a plan then. I have a few things to do, but nothing that will take terribly long. I’ll meet you in the courtyard in about an hour, okay? We’ll take the pack out.”
The two parted ways for a time, and Eryk went about his final duty for the morning – one more try at the Madelian emissaries.
Eryk headed downstairs after sending one of his now ever-present guards to get the Madelians. He passed briefly through the dining hall to grab something to eat and noticed that the room was empty of everyone except for Jackob.
“You’re running a little late this morning,” Jackob said, answering Eryk’s puzzled glance around the room. “Everyone ate already.”
“Oh,” Eryk said, unconcerned. He was beginning to worry less and less about what others thought of what he did, at least when it was a minor thing, like eating breakfast on time. “I’m heading to the throne room, if you’d like to accompany me.”
“Another try for answers?” Jackob asked, rising from his seat to walk with Eryk.
“I have to try, even though I know I won’t get any farther than I have already.”
The guards escorted the two emissaries into the throne room shortly after Eryk and Jackob had settled themselves. The cowering the two had demonstrated the first day was gone, for they realized that Eryk’s hands were tied and he was essentially unable to do anything to get the answers he craved.
“You summoned us, your Majesty?” Kardon asked.
“I am giving you both one last chance to expose who you are working with. I expect a message from your queen today, and I doubt that she will be lenient. With luck, you’ll both be hanging by sundown, so if you want to save yourselves, now would be a good time to start talking.”
“We already told you everything we can, your Majesty. We are not able to provide you with the information you want.” Kardon bowed slightly at the waist as he finished his statement, polite as usual.
“I don’t understand who could be so worth protecting,” Eryk said, exasperated. “Your lives are literally at stake here. Why won’t you just give me the name?”
“Because,” answered Sookra, “the man whose name you want will not hesitate to do what you cannot. He is more powerful than you, your Majesty.”
This came as a revelation. The emissaries wouldn’t provide the name of the man because they were afraid of him. Since it was obvious that he would get no further information from these two, regardless of what he said, Eryk had the two men sent back to their suite.
“What now?” asked Jackob.
“Now, I go hunting,” Eryk replied. “I have no leverage until I get that message from Madelia, and I told Branden that we could get out for a little while. Would you like to come with us?”
“No, but thank you for the invitation. I think I will find something else to occupy my time,” Jackob answered with a smile. “Enjoy yourselves.”
Eryk resolved to do just that as he made his way to the courtyard to get the pack ready for a hunt. He stopped by the kitchen for some food, and warned them that there could be game coming in that afternoon. With luck, this hunt would be more successful than the one going on in the court.
The King's Assassin Page 39