Hidden Knights (Knights of the Realm #3) - Jennifer Anne Davis Page 0,15
tell.”
Chapter Four
Ackley sat next to the fire. “You asked me how I became a Knight.”
“I did.” Reid positioned herself beside him. Since Anna hated the Winstons and blamed them for her family’s demise, Reid couldn’t understand why her mother would have wanted Ackley to be a Knight.
Duke Ellington, Gordon, and Dexter also sat around the fire, no one saying a word.
Ackley stared into the flames, not looking at anyone as he delved into the past. “When I was eight years old, I loved to sneak around the castle. I’d eavesdrop on my father and his men during important meetings. I knew all the hiding places. That was about the time I noticed a woman who also appeared to be hiding in the shadows, listening in on conversations. I knew she didn’t work at the castle, so I asked Mum about it. But Mum didn’t know who the woman was.” He twisted the stick the rabbits were hanging on, so they cooked evenly. “I decided to hide and wait for her. A few days later, I crouched behind a door. When she passed, I confronted her. I demanded to know who she was and what she was doing there. She smiled kindly, then said she could use someone with my unique skills. She told me she needed my help to protect the kingdom. Since I was only eight and didn’t know any better, I said yes.”
Reid swallowed, trying to process the information. Her mother, Anna, had been in northern Marsden, spying on the royal family? And she’d recruited Ackley to be a Knight when he was only eight?
“Over the next couple of years, I was Anna’s eyes and ears in the castle. Every three to four months, we’d meet in the city. I’d give her a full report, mostly focusing on who was visiting and why.” He turned the stick again. “One day, Anna asked about my father. She said something about my mother not being true to him, and she asked if Eldon was even my legitimate brother. It was all my twelve-year-old brain needed to start snooping into my family’s past, searching for things that may or may not have been there. I had no idea Anna was manipulating me. It wasn’t until I turned fifteen that I even thought to question her motives.”
“Why then?” Reid asked, wondering what had changed.
“That’s when I went to the Knights’ headquarters to train. While there, I snooped.” He smiled wryly. “I figured I should put the things Anna taught me into action. One night, I picked the lock to her desk. I found an old, worn letter addressed to my father. The writer expressed her love for him, along with her dissatisfaction with his upcoming wedding to a foreigner. It was signed by Anna. When I returned home, I discussed it with Idina. We both agreed Anna had to be using me for something—we just couldn’t figure out what. Then Anna kept telling me things about Eldon…things that made me question what he was doing and why.”
Ackley rubbed his face. “As the years went by, Anna managed to convince me that Eldon was a power-hungry, self-serving, conniving man. I even found evidence Eldon had killed our father. And I believed it all.”
“What are you saying?” Reid whispered.
“Something just didn’t add up.” Ackley stared directly at her. “Did you know Hudson was poisoned the same way as Broc?”
Reid shook her head.
“All these years, I thought my father had killed my grandfather. Then I believed my brother had killed my father. But that’s not the case. I think Anna killed them both.”
Reid wasn’t so sure about that. Henrick had explained how erratic Hudson was being before their father’s death. “Maybe you’re looking for something that isn’t there?” she suggested.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I need to talk to Idina. She always sees and understands things quicker than I do.”
Grease sizzled in the fire, and Ackley removed the cooked rabbits.
“Reid once said something about being a pawn,” Dexter mumbled, his deep voice echoing in the space. He glanced up, meeting her eyes. “I fear we have all been pawns.”
Gordon rubbed his face. “I think we should alter our plans. Instead of splitting up, we’ll all go to Ellington. Once we’ve fetched Mum and Idina, we’ll travel to the City of Buckley to get Ackley’s fellow Knights and my soldiers. Then, we’ll retake Marsden.”
“I think that’s a wise idea,” Duke Ellington said.
Reid didn’t think it would be that easy. Especially if Eldon wasn’t the