Igniting Darkness (Courting Darkness Duology #2) - Robin LaFevers Page 0,145

Aeva with me.”

Sybella directs a heated glare at the other woman, who simply shrugs. “He is about as easy to dissuade as you are.”

Beast reaches up to scratch his chin. “And I may have held a knife to his balls. Explained that if he left peacefully, he could keep one of them, but if he did not leave immediately, he would lose both.”

Sybella looks torn between humor, horror, and disbelief. “I wish I thought you were jesting, but I am fairly sure you aren’t.”

“So how many balls did he end up with?” By the grin on Maraud’s face, I can tell this escapade is not the first of its sort.

“Both,” Beast says morosely. “His lightskirt returned from the garderobe just then, and I didn’t want to frighten her.”

“What about frightening me, you lackwit?” Sybella places her hand firmly around Beast’s collar. “You and I must have a talk.”

“But we haven’t heard the rest of Maraud’s story yet.” She sighs and lets go of him.

“My time with d’Albret wasn’t by choice,” Maraud continues. “He said he was holding someone I would want to see.” His gaze darts briefly my way, and I realize he feared Pierre had taken me. “It was my father.” His voice is utterly flat, dead. “My father is working with them.”

“But you are not,” Beast reminds him.

“No.” Maraud does not so much smile as grimace. “I’m not.”

Beast steps in to the brittle silence. “Well, this answers one question. Where Rohan’s reinforcements were coming from. How many?”

“Over three thousand. When I realized I was stuck there, I learned everything I could, then as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I left, intending to get the information to where it would do the most good. Little did I realize that meant delivering it directly into your hands.”

His eyes grow grim. “Rohan had caught wind of the resistance and ordered a contingent of Pierre’s troops to go after them. Tried to anticipate your next move.”

“He almost did. We were only two days ahead of you.”

“When the commander heard of the cannon train, he assumed that would be a likely target.”

“And so he turned it into a trap.”

“That very nearly worked.”

Everyone’s glance flits over to me again. I close my eyes and gently nudge Maraud to keep talking. “When I heard of their plans to try to take out the resistance, I arranged to go with them and give warning. The resistance is the one thing that is giving Brittany hope. The one weapon that is successfully gnawing away at Rohan’s carefully laid plans. But they have no idea it is you,” he adds. “They think it is just a couple of hotheaded local barons. Or a small group of loyalists.”

“Does he not realize everyone is loyal to the queen?” Sybella asks. “For having averted yet another war. Does he not remember the hundred long years of war our people have already endured? They want peace. They want their lives back.”

Maraud shifts. “I wish that were the only news I carry.”

Some of the light fades from Beast’s eyes. “There’s more?”

“They have allied with England. Four thousand English troops will be landing in two weeks.”

 Chapter 81

“Has Rohan lost his mind? Why bring England into this?” Beast rubs his hands over his head, as if in pain. “Doesn’t he realize that with one foot in the door, the English will likely not leave? The duchess tried to walk that fine line when accepting their aid last year, but this . . . ?” He shakes his head.

Jaspar, Valine, Andry, and Tassin have joined the others in the center of the cave, while I listen from my spot against the wall.

Maraud stretches his long legs out in front of him. “It appears they really didn’t want Brittany in the hands of the French.”

“Then they could have damned well sent more troops the first time we asked,” Beast says.

“Why didn’t they?” Poulet asks. “Why would the English give Rohan that many troops when they could only spare the duchess half as many?”

Sybella cuts him a glance. “Do I really need to answer that question for you?”

“If you would, yes.”

Sybella’s irritation has her leaning forward. “Because he is a man. A commander in his own right, a leader of armies. Whereas the duchess was merely a young girl trying to defend what was hers.”

“More the fool Rohan if he thinks he can control them,” Beast grumbles.

“We already know he is a fool,” Sybella says. “But now we have learned he is a traitor, too.”

“I suspect Rohan