Niet shook his head and continued slowly. “He told me that Marl would be heading back to Thornten. I figured my best bet was to meet him in the forest. I told Serena I felt unwell with the news she had given us of Kelkor’s fall and I went to the Hall of Records. I went through maps all day then left that night. I scaled the wall to leave the castle.”
“When was that?” Ross asked in his growling voice. “And did you see anything?”
Niet shook his head, turning to Ross. “Not long after sunset. I’d hoped to go between the change of the guards, so I didn’t think much of the silence. Someone was on the wall when I started to go down the rope, but I was worried I’d be stopped. I went faster and didn’t see who it was.”
Laster swore under his breath and Rockwood groaned, running a hand over his face. “You got lucky there, squire. That person was probably the same one who killed the guards. He would probably have come to kill you,” said Rockwood, dropping his hand back to his lap. “Real lucky on that.”
Niet nodded. “I realize that now, Sir.”
The King’s gaze shifted to Will and something in his face softened slightly. “So that’s when you went to find Niet?”
“Yes, King.” Will nodded. Haru gave him an elbow in the ribs and the slightest jerk of his head, gesturing Will to stand. He did so, his knees feeling unsteady under his weight. Swallowing, Will continued. “Eldin came and woke me. She knew I was training with Niet that morning and said she’d gone to check on him and he was gone. She found the maps and got worried, so we went searching for him. We ran into Rowan in the entry hall-”
“And I volunteered to protect them,” Rowan piped in, despite Rockwood stepping very obviously and intentionally on his foot.
Will nodded. “He came with us. We got in the courtyard and realized it was quiet. No one had lit the evening torches. We went to the wall and found the rope that Niet had used to drop down the wall. It was us, King, who opened the drawbridge. I realized what Niet had done, why he had left, and we knew we needed to find him.”
“And it didn’t occur to you to get a knight?” Laster asked, smirking.
“Well, you see, there’s a murderous Cutthroat Prince outside these walls and we thought we should probably find him first,” Rowan growled, glowering at Laster. “You know? Like fast? Rather than take time to explain everything happening.”
Will ignored Laster and Rowan, who were shooting daggers at one another, and continued. “We rode out and found Niet in the forest. We were getting set to return when we were surrounded by The Cutthroat Prince.” Will paused, racking his memory. The night had been a blur, but hadn’t The Cutthroat Prince said something about them making it easier for him? “And here I was, imagining I would have to ride all the way to the walls myself.” “I think,” Will said slowly, “I think they’d intended to come to the castle to…to come after me.” He choked on the last few words, hating himself for them.
A silence fell across the room. Will noticed Bane’s brow furrow, Henry throw a fleeting look to Ross, and Richard’s face soften with pity. That was perhaps the worst. Worse even then the sharp look from Serena, the flames in her green eyes.
“If they intended to come to the castle, they knew the guards were dead,” Rockwood finally said. Will had the sense the knight was speaking more to break the quiet than anything else. “Which means, honestly, you lot getting out was luck for us. Who knows what damage they might have done if they got in.”
“True.” The King nodded and gave Will the ghost of a smile. “You can sit, Will. Thank you for your honesty.”
Will nodded, sinking back into his seat. Haru patted him on the shoulder and, at last, Will chanced a glance at his knight. Haru raised his brow and gave a heart-hearted grin.
“But this isn’t without damages,” Richard rasped, turning his gaze away from Will at last and facing the King. “We haven’t found anything of the Ranger apart from his horse.” Serena snorted and Richard shot her a cool look before continuing. “Which means that either they killed him and brought him along–which seems a waste of energy–or they captured him alive. But, this is the Ranger. He might very well be tracking them afoot.”
“Or he’s going with them of his own free will,” Serena muttered, as though unable to resist.
“Did you not hear that your squire say that the Ranger is the reason they all made it back alive last night?” Laster shot. “Or were you too busy hating him to listen.”
Will caught Rowan’s indignant look out of the corner of his eye and suppressed a mad urge to laugh. Laster lecturing another knight on hating the Ranger? It seemed too much an irony. He could see even Ross looked taken aback.
“Again, that could be a ploy,” Serena snapped. “We have no reason to trust-”
“You have no reason to trust him, perhaps,” the King said, cutting across Serena. “But I do. Your suspicions have been heard, Serena, but I have no reason to think the Ranger has been the spy.”
“He’s the reason I even got to Alamore,” Kalia said in a low voice. She straightened in her seat, seeming only now to notice that the attention had shifted to her. Clearing her throat, she continued. “The Ranger was nearly killed getting us here. Actor or not, he wouldn’t have done that. That would be too much to risk. Serena, I understand your mistrust of the Ranger, but he did his best to protect me, and I am in his debt for that. We are also in his debt for the safe return of Niet and Eldin.”
Serena huffed, shaking her head. “Perhaps but, that brings us to a new worry. If the Ranger isn’t the spy, we can’t keep risking our lives for the Thornten heirs.” Her eyes flitted toward Will, and he tensed, already sure he knew what she was about to say. “You’re risking lives, you’re spending lives, protecting an heir whose father killed your brother, Revlan.”
The King didn’t have a chance to speak before Haru had shot to his feet, closely followed by Ross, Rockwood and Niet. All four of them moved to stand between Serena and Will. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” Haru snarled. His hands had curled into fists at his sides.
“It means his being here is a danger for us, for the King, and for Princess Kalia. It’s my duty to protect the Princess, Haru, and his being here is a threat!” Serena retorted, springing to her own feet. “He doesn’t belong here. He’s like the Ranger, he’s Thornten.”
“And you’re Kelkor,” Ross growled. “You want to get rid of him, you’ll have to go through us.”
“Yeah.” Rockwood nodded. “All of us.”
Robin and Miller rose as one, both reaching to grip their sword hilts. Then Richard, Henry, Bane… last to rise was Laster, fixing Serena with a spiteful sneer.
“You’re walking thin ice,” Ross growled. “I don’t know what you do in Kelkor but in Alamore we don’t throw a boy to the wolves for what his blood makes him.”
“Nor do we in Kelkor,” Kalia said sharply, standing as well. Spinning on Serena, Kalia shook her head. “I’m not a Princess anymore. Don’t use my prior title as your excuse.”
“What?” Serena turned to Kalia, face falling. “My lady…”
“I’m not your anything,” Kalia snapped. “I’m not Princess, or Lady. My father was the King. He isn’t any longer, which means I’m not a Princess.”
“We don’t know for sure,” Serena said, sounding suddenly desperate. “We might-”
“Sit, all of you,” the King ordered, running a hand through his hair. “I won’t have my council at one another’s throats. I don’t believe the Ranger is a spy, nor more do I believe that making Will leave would change anything. It would be a sign of weakness, not a parlay and his blood doesn’t make him any less worthy to be a knight than any other Alamore squire. I’ve had enough of this fighting.” The King waved a hand. “Sit down. That’s an order.”
The knights sank into their seats, though Haru’s gaze never left Serena, his hands shaking in his lap.
“For now, we must focus on the guard,” the King continued. “I don’t believe our spy is in this chamber. I do belie
ve, however, that he knows too much. If The Cutthroat Prince had intended the murder of the guards to be his chance to strike, he’ll be disappointed and he’ll know that we’re more attentive inside of Alamore now. I want knights in every guard around the clock. Any soldiers acting out of line are to be reported. Any strange behavior, anything out of the normal, I will hear about. Is that understood?”
Will watched the others nod and waited, heart slamming. This didn’t matter to him. There was only one thing that mattered.
“Then, in that case, this council is dismissed.” The King clapped his hands.
Will shot to his feet, feeling Haru grab at the back of his tunic. “What about the Ranger? We’re still looking for him, aren’t we?”
The King’s face fell, the lines in the corners of his eyes deepening. For the first time since the council had begun, the anger faded from his black eyes. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair. “We can’t exhaust the guard on finding the Ranger, Will. We will keep those willing to search from the town looking but I won’t send any more guards or knights. We need every armed man here, protecting Alamore. I’m sorry, it’s the best I can offer you.”
Will looked from the King to the knights. None of them met his gaze. Even Ross turned his face away, bowing his head as if in defeat. There wasn’t anything else to say then. The King had spoken and the knights of Alamore would obey. Will turned to his friends, and saw his same shock etched in their faces.
Then chairs were scraping over the floor, people rising to leave. Rockwood patted Will on the back as he passed, and Laster averted his eyes. Serena swept from the room in silence. Will didn’t move, letting people move past him. His feet were stone, planted in the earth. He couldn’t move. Moving now would be taking the order of the King as truth. Admitting that they had lost the Ranger.
“Come on, Will, we have to go.” Rowan was pulling his sleeve, his face drained of color. Colin stood beside him, still openmouthed, shaking his head, apparently not sure what he could say to help.
“Hold on a minute.”
They turned. Haru was standing behind them, running a hand through his hair. “Will, you alright? The healer said you didn’t seem hurt, but I know there’s a lot going on, a lot happened…”
“I’m fine,” Will managed to force the words through his numb lips. “Just some scratches.”
“Right.” Haru nodded, glancing toward the retreating knights. “Look, I need to get some sleep but then I’m taking you three for training. Ross and Rockwood will be taking one of the patrols after they get rest, so we’ll be on the walls. I’d recommend you three get any sleep you can, as we’ll be up there all afternoon.”
Will nodded, waiting. He could tell Haru wanted to say more but was struggling to find the words. After a pause Will raised his eyebrows in a silent question.
With a sigh, Haru grabbed Will with one arm in a side hug. “You about scared me to death last night. Don’t do that again or I’ll murder you. Deal?”
“That’s my threat,” Rowan complained.
Haru raised his eyebrows. “I’ll murder you too, twit. Blazes, when Laster said you were gone.” Haru shook his head as words failed him again. “Never mind that. Look, you get rest but then it’s onto the walls for training and guarding. We’ll work on battle tactics for defense as well as some archery from the wall. Just promise me you’ll stay out of trouble.”
“We will,” said Will, nodding and stepping aside as Haru released him.
“One more thing.” Haru fixed Will with a stern look. “You’re working with Rowan in the kitchens for the rest of this week.”
Will nodded and turned, letting Rowan and Colin lead him from the room. He barely noticed the route they took, the twists of corridors, the stairs they climbed. It wasn’t until they were stepping into the grey light cast by heavy clouds above that Will blinked in his surroundings. They were on the wall he’d scaled down with Eldin two nights earlier. Two nights…it might have been a lifetime.
Rowan flopped onto the ground running both hands over his face with a groan. “I can’t believe it.”
“Nor I,” Colin said, somewhat shakily. He lowered himself next to Rowan, closing his eyes.
“Might be that this is all a bad dream,” Rowan offered, raising his brows. “Maybe we’ll wake up and find we’ve imagined this stupid Cutthroat Prince and that the Ranger is fine and-” He stopped, catching sight of Will, still standing, staring out over the courtyard. “Will, it’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. I was the idiot who said we shouldn’t go for knights.”
Will shook his head, not turning from the drop. His eyes were being pulled toward the innocent stand of trees that marked the edge of the forest. “I should have known better. I should have realized something was wrong.”
“Who the blazes would have thought they were going to kill twelve guards inside the walls?” Rowan demanded. “Will, you heard them. There’s a chance that he’s still out there. They didn’t find a body. Richard’s right, it’d be just like the Ranger to try tracking them.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Will muttered without conviction. He turned from the drop to see both his friends watching him. They looked like the knights–worn from the night’s events, exhausted by more than just lack of sleep. It was as though the events of the past few weeks had aged them years. Maybe they had. “Look, I need to tell you two something. When I talked to the Ranger, when I found out about Marl, he told me something else too. He told me…he admitted more like…” How were the words so hard to find, to tangled, when the anger and reality had been so real? Straightening, Will inhaled slowly. “The Ranger wants me to fight Tollien someday. He thinks I should battle him for Right of Blood.”
He realized the reason the words had been so difficult the moment he spoke them. It was painful to see the dawning looks on both his friends’ faces, Rowan’s shock, Colin’s terror. “You? Fight Tollien?” Colin asked slowly. “For the crown of Thornten?”
“Yeah.” Will nodded, sinking to sit in front of them, his back pressing against the battlements. “He wasn’t going to tell me, but Serena made me curious. She kept talking about him always having a reason of his own, a way for personal gain. I guess this time, it was me.”
“I don’t believe that,” Colin said stoutly. “I don’t think he brought you to Alamore just for his own gain.”
“Then why did he?” Will demanded. He stared at Colin, hoping his friend would have an answer.
Colin shook his head. “I don’t know but the Ranger isn’t that way. Serena sees him that way because of…well because of something that happened but that doesn’t mean…” It was Colin’s turn to struggle with words.
“If the Ranger was doing this for his own gain, why wouldn’t he just go fight Tollien himself? He’s royal blood, right?” Rowan asked, frowning. “Surely he can go murder him, make our lives easier.”
“He said it wasn’t his right,” Will huffed, running his fingers over the stone floor beside him. “He keeps acting like he can’t tell me the truth. And I got mad.” He squeezed his eyes shut, shame and the empty panic twisting in his throat. “I got mad and stormed off. And now he’s missing. He might even be dead because he was trying to save us.”
“Wait a minute!” Rowan said excitedly. Will looked up to see Rowan bouncing, rubbing his hands together, a broad grin stretching his face. “Maybe the Ranger decided you’re right! Maybe he’s gone to challenge Tollien to Right of Blood.”
“On foot?” Colin asked skeptically.
“He might have? It’d be harder for The Cutthroat Prince to track him,” Rowan pointed out. “He could be even now almost to Thornten on foot and then challenging Tollien at dawn!”
Will glanced between his friends, his spirits lifting despite his mind insisting the thought was absurd. “You know, maybe…”
“He’d have to have a following in Thornten,” Colin said flatly, shaking his head. “And I don’t think he’d do that without talking to the King.”
“You’r
e really being a downer right now,” Rowan complained. “Look, let’s just say that the Ranger did go there, and challenges Tollien. It’s his right and, I mean, Marl got a following pretty fast in Kelkor…”
Will was barely listening. He had leaned his head back against the wall to stare up at the churning grey clouds, heavy with the promise of storms. His friends were putting on a brave face, he knew it. The prospect of being expected to fight Tollien, of taking his crown, was enough to make Will sick.
It was some time later that Colin, finally resigning and agreeing there was a small chance that Rowan had a point but that they needed to get to the lower floors to help out, that they all stood. Rowan gave Will a one-armed hug, grinning.
“Maybe by this time tomorrow, the Ranger will be a King. King Ranger of Thornten,” Rowan pronounced it as though introducing a royal to court.
“King Ranger?” Colin snorted. “He’s got a name, Rowan.”
“Yeah well, I don’t know it so he’s King Ranger of Kings, which is a long and somewhat confusing name.” Rowan rolled his eyes and bounded toward the door.
Will hesitated, hanging back with Colin a moment. “I’m sorry, Colin. Sorry we left. It was just…”
“Don’t apologize.” Colin waved a hand. “You were doing the right thing. Niet needed to be saved. Sometimes the right decisions don’t have easy answers. Come on now, or Rowan will eat all the breakfast and we’ll train on empty stomachs.”
“You think the Ranger is in Thornten?” Will asked him, following Colin toward the door.
“I think I have no idea where the Ranger is,” Colin replied, shrugging. “If he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be. But I don’t feel that The Cutthroat Prince would keep it a secret either if they’d killed him. Honestly, Will, all we can do is wait.”
Will nodded and followed them through the door, onto the twisting stairwell.
The Cutthroat Prince (William of Alamore Series Book 2) Page 30