now.
Alix was also the lady who had snuck him bandages when DeVaux had forbidden anyone to heal him, and this was the castle where it had happened. His hands gripped the reins, and he felt Dappled’s mood alter along with his. The horse snorted distrustfully.
The poisoner was the lady of the castle now, and the Elder King wanted Ransom to marry her.
Was this why Estian the Black had laughed?
Still no word from Ransom.
The king has returned, and the whole palace is consumed with tales of the fighting. Many knights were lost on the battlefield. A knight cannot be replaced easily. It takes years of training for one to be ready, which is why war is of such consequence. The wounded are being cared for, but some bear wounds that will mark them for a lifetime.
Prayers have been said and coins plopped into fountains. What a waste of good money. Tomorrow has been established as a day of solemnity, but the Elder King is anything but solemn. He brought with him the first payment of the truce terms, which he’s added to his hoarded treasure.
Sir Dalian said that Prince Jon-Landon made a commotion in front of the king’s council. He demands his own lands, his own rights, more than just a single castle. He was angry to have been left behind, to have been “robbed” (his word) of his share of the honor. In all likelihood, the barmy codsockle would have ended up dead had he gone there.
He didn’t ask for Glosstyr. He’s asking for the Vexin. No, he’s demanding it. And from what Sir Dalian implied, the king may consider giving it to him if Ransom takes Bayree.
Who will I get, then?
—Claire de Murrow, Rightful Queen of Legault
CHAPTER TEN
The Fisher Kings
Kerjean castle was a structure with four walls joined in a square around a stone courtyard. The front gate was stone, decorated with sculpted effigies of knights and ladies, with flourishes of waves and fish carved into the design. The courtyard beyond it was thronged with horses and empty wagons, and the smell of manure hung thick in the air. At the far end of the space, a grand entrance stood between two shelves of steps, revealing a stone manor built into the far end of the castle, with enough windows to show that it was four stories tall, including the dormers in the slanted rooftop at the pinnacle. The walls on the eastern and western sides of the courtyard boasted guest quarters with doors leading into them. It was a noisy yard, and Ransom continued to tense as they rode toward the doors, feeling the presence of his nemesis grow stronger.
“What a foul stench,” Dearley said, grimacing. “The duke wasn’t jesting.”
But it wasn’t the smell that made Ransom so uneasy. As they reached the bottom of the platform at the edge of the stairs, he dismounted, then looked at the knights he had chosen to come. Many were gazing up at the decorative manor. As a castle, it was not formidable. Ransom had seen no one guarding the ramparts leading into it.
“Be ready for trouble,” he said to the knights. “Do not let your guard down. We are enemies in this land. Never wander off alone. Keep your heads up and your eyes open. We are not here to cause offense.”
He looked from man to man, letting them see that he was serious about his order. Then he marched ahead and mounted the steps as Dearley fell in beside him.
“Are you very uneasy?” his ward asked him.
“More than you know,” he replied. “I do not trust this place. Keep the knights together as much as possible.”
“What concerns you?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Ransom replied. When they reached the top of the steps, they were greeted by a young man in a servant’s livery. The tunic was blue with the emblem of a fish on the front.
“Greetings, my lord,” said the boy. “Lady Alix is in the hall.”
“Thank you,” Ransom answered. “Take us there, please.”
As they entered, they needed to walk around the men sleeping on the floor of the corridor. The marble floor was filthy with mud. Broken pieces of armor were strewn about. Some of the injured warriors glanced up as Ransom passed. He sensed their pain, their fevers, their sickness. Coughing echoed down the length of the corridor, and the stench of stale vomit hung in the air.
As they walked toward the set of doors at the end of the corridor, he could sense the presence of the