“But what about the king? Won’t he be angry?”
Ransom sighed. “Perhaps. I can only hope I’ll earn his approval. In the end, Lady Claire is the one who chooses her fate. She cannot be forced to marry, as per the custom of her people.”
Elodie looked at him seriously. “I’ve heard Lady Claire serves Queen Emiloh now. I feel sorrow for both of them. That tower must be a lonely place.”
“It is,” he agreed. “Do you like staying at Josselin?”
“I do,” she said brightly. “It’s a beautiful castle. I will make it a place that you will want to bring Lady Claire to someday. I could look for some tapestries from Legault, perhaps?”
“That would be splendid. Thank you.”
Elodie smiled at him. “I’m grateful you shared what you did. I wasn’t opposed to the match. I didn’t expect you to be so . . . kind.”
Her praise embarrassed him, so he said nothing. She left, and he walked across the room to the other window, the one overlooking the castle gardens. A few moments later, he spotted Elodie and Dearley walking side by side down the gravel path, talking animatedly to each other.
The sight made him smile, but there was a heaviness in his heart as he imagined doing the same with Claire. Would it ever happen?
Within three days, Ransom reached Lord Ashel’s camp on the border between the Vexin and Bayree. The men had been provided for, and there were provisions to spare for Ransom’s men when they arrived. He walked with Dearley to Lord Ashel’s pavilion, which was soot-stained and dirty. The men had not been given any respite since the battle, and they looked tired and ill humored.
Lord Ashel was eating a bit of roasted chicken when Ransom entered, his fingers wet with grease. His gray-streaked beard had specks of food in it.
“Took you long enough to get here, Barton,” growled Lord Ashel after licking his dirty fingers and rising.
“We came as quickly as we could,” Ransom answered.
“Pardon my grousing, but I’d like to get back to my own duchy. Let me tell you where things stand.”
“I’m eager to hear it.”
“Good, although I’m not a man of many words. I delivered the news to her ladyship, Lady Alix, at Kerjean. The duchy had six hundred knights who fought with the duke in the battle, and they’ve lost over half. They are ill prepared to resist. The injured have returned and are being cared for at the manor. She hardly had time to speak to me, and I didn’t want to linger because the whole place stinks of blood. Enjoy your new duchy, Barton. You’re welcome to it.”
Although Ransom had assumed Lady Alix wouldn’t be happy to meet the man who’d slain her uncle, he hadn’t considered how the casualties of war might impact the duchy. He was coming as a conqueror.
“Thank you, Lord Ashel. I’ll see you again at Kingfountain, I’m sure.”
“Indeed. We’ll meet again when the king gets the urge to grab something else. Hopefully he’ll want to rest his old bones as I do. If I were you, I’d leave most of your men here in camp. Kerjean is full at the moment.”
“It is good advice. Thank you.”
Ashel started eating the chicken again. “Oh,” he said around a mouthful. “Duke Bennett came by on his way back to Auxaunce. He said he wanted to see you when you arrived. You are neighbors with him now.” A caustic smile came to Lord Ashel’s face. “Good luck with that.”
Ransom left the tent, and Dearley looked at him with raised eyebrows. “A pleasant enough fellow.”
“He’s weary. I don’t blame him. I hadn’t thought enough about the wounded of Bayree. Send a knight back to Josselin. Perhaps candles may be of use while they tend to the wounded. Tell the knight to gather several cartloads and bring them to Kerjean. And to send word for barbers. I will pay them well if they hurry.”
Dearley looked pleased by the order. “I will see to it. Perhaps some food as well?”
“Yes. Some sheep from Josselin, and we can arrange for supplies to be brought from my other castles. They cannot turn to Pree for help right now. We’ll do what we can.”
“I will see it done. Are we riding to Kerjean, then?”
“Immediately,” said Ransom.
As Dearley went to fulfill the command, Ransom walked through the camp, surveying the weary men and their filthy armor. There was a feeling of malice in the camp, of tempered anger that showed these men were at their limit. It was good that they’d be leaving. Their dissatisfaction could easily turn violent. He ordered twenty of his knights to ride on to Kerjean while the rest stayed behind and reclaimed the camp from those who were moving on.
He made sure Dappled was fed and had water to drink before mounting him again and preparing to ride the rest of the way. A messenger was sent ahead to warn Lady Alix that Ransom was coming with a group of knights. The road to Kerjean was narrow and flanked with trees. The trees reminded him of the terrain in the Vexin, and they passed a hill that sparked memories of his wearying voyage with Lord DeVaux and his men after he was captured. The recollection brought with it a dull ache in his leg and the feeling of being permanently cold after sleeping in the wilderness for months.
“You look pensive,” said Dearley, coming alongside him. “I imagine you’ll be received with coldness.”
“That’s not it. It feels like I’ve been here before,” Ransom said. He felt solemn, and his concern began to increase.
Another piece of scenery sparked recognition, and then another. He had been here, or very near it. His Fountain magic began to thrum inside him. Was it responding to his mood, his memories, or revealing danger ahead? As the sunlight began to fade, he wondered if they’d be caught in the dark before reaching the castle.
The woods finally opened up, revealing a quaint little town, windows glowing with light and smoke drifting lazily from stubby chimneys. There were lilies growing everywhere. Ransom saw them in planter boxes beneath the windows of the houses, growing in rows in open fields, clustered around trees, and being bundled and loaded onto carts to sell. The townsfolk were out and about, and as Ransom and his men rode down the main street, still following the road, they were met with spiteful looks.
The road eventually led to a gate, at which point it turned into a long paved path leading to Kerjean castle, a small building of Occitanian design. Only a few of the windows were illuminated against the growing dusk, giving the darkened ones a feeling of gloom.
As soon as he saw the castle, Ransom felt sure his instincts had not betrayed him. He had been there before. The slope of the roof, the steep pitch of it, reminded him of a fever dream he’d had during his injury and imprisonment. Of the place where he’d nearly died.
The gate was open. He felt sweat begin to trickle down his back as he rode Dappled down the paved path, hearing the echo of the hooves as they struck stone. There were two great fields of sod on each side of the road and distant hedges lined them, creating a border before the tree line, which now looked ominous and dark.
About halfway down the path, Ransom began to sense her presence in the castle ahead. It struck him like a bell, a sound that only he could hear. The toll of another Fountain-blessed. Yes, this was the poisoner who had killed the Younger King. The one who had also shot Ransom in the leg with a crossbow in the dungeon of Beestone castle. The one who appeared to be Queen Emiloh’s natural daughter.