“You could have said no!” she shot at him.
Ransom held up his hands. “If I had, I’d be in a dungeon at the palace right now. As it stands, we are together, and we can make this decision together. If we’re going to rebel, we should do it on our terms, not his.” He slowed his breathing, trying not to let his emotions rule him. Despite his righteous anger, his protectiveness of his family, he knew down to the marrow of his being that he could not forsake the king without dire consequences. He hoped, through patience, that he could lead Jon-Landon back on a better path, that he might become more like his father and his brothers. But if not, he still had to obey his duty to the Fountain. Ransom himself could not see the larger picture, but he had been shown one piece of it: Jon-Landon’s son had to become king. And in order for that to happen, his father must at least temporarily retain that role. If the Argentine dynasty were allowed to fail, Jon-Landon wasn’t the only one who would pay the price.
Claire covered her mouth and shook her head. “I was not expecting this, Ransom.”
“We won’t be the only ones treated thusly. I warned Kiskaddon that whatever happened to us could happen to him next. Hal was Bennett’s favorite. Jon-Landon would replace him in a trice.”
“Oh, Ransom, what do we do? My mother’s heart wants to defy the king, to force him to come here and take my sons away from my stiff corpse. I’m so angry, I could eat his heart like my pagan ancestors used to do.” She shook her head again. “But that would just give him what he wants—rebellion and an opportunity to crush it. He’d take everything from us, including our lives. I don’t want to see you in a boat heading over the falls, Husband.”
“And I don’t want to be in one,” Ransom said, closing the distance between them. He gripped her shoulders. “The only way we can see this through is to give him what he demands. We refuse him at our peril. I do not trust Jon-Landon with our sons. But I have to. We have to. Let him think we’re beaten. Wait for the giddiness of his victory to dim. A day will come when he needs us. If we are patient, we can have our boys returned to us.”
Tears trickled down Claire’s cheeks, but the hot anger had not left her eyes. “We might be able to beat him, Ransom. If he came here.”
“Perhaps. It would be costly. But I cannot bring myself to rebel. Every part of who I am would be compromised. I’m afraid . . . I’m afraid of who I would become.” He stared at her pleadingly, feeling the darkness inside him clamoring to escape.
Claire put her hands on his cheeks. “If anything were to happen to our sons, I would never forgive myself.”
“There is more at stake here than just our sons,” Ransom said emphatically, with all the sincerity he could muster. “The Fountain has whispered to me that Jon-Landon’s son will be our king. I don’t know how long it will be before that happens, but I’ve been told to ensure that it does happen.”
She studied him for a moment, her eyes widening with surprise and then a hint of skepticism. Although he’d told her before that the Fountain had spoken to him, he’d never told her what had been said. She didn’t believe in the Fountain, and he knew his words were unlikely to sway her. And yet holding the truth back would have felt wrong. She needed to understand the stakes.
Finally, she said, “I believe that you heard a message, Ransom. But how do you know it was truly from the Fountain? Could not the Aos Sí have given you this message? Might they not want all the kingdoms destroyed?” She paused. “Are you quite certain you didn’t see Gervase in a dream?”
He sighed. “I don’t believe in the Aos Sí, Claire. What I’ve seen . . . felt . . . witnessed with my own eyes tells me the Fountain is the source of these communications. I’ve seen the shade of King Gervase, and he spoke to me of the Deep Fathoms. I was awake when I saw him, Claire, as awake as I am now. I cannot deny what happened, or the truths that were shared with me. I don’t expect you to believe as I do. But at least I want you to understand why I feel we must endure this.”
Claire closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them again. He couldn’t tell if she believed in his words or not, but she didn’t argue with him.
“It isn’t fair of him to take our sons.”
He leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. “No, it isn’t fair, it isn’t right. But he is the king, and he’s testing our loyalty. Relenting is the only way we can avoid immediate war.” Grief and anger welled up in him. “I don’t want to give them up.”
“I know you don’t, Ransom,” she said. She lowered her hands and wrapped her arms around him, laying her cheek against his chest. “His success has blinded him to the possibility of failure. You’re right. He will offend others next. Hal should be very wary. And if his son will be king, the boy needs someone he can trust. He needs you.”
“Oh, Hal is wary already.” He stroked her hair. “Thank you for your faith in me.”
“This is not how a king is supposed to act,” she said, sighing. “But I agree. We must send them. For the reasons you shared with me, and also because he would surely attack us if we refused. Although I doubt even half of Legault would rise up to defend against him, I don’t want to see my home destroyed. I hate to say this, but the twins will probably be thrilled with the news. Maybe they will do so much damage at the castle that Jon-Landon will have to send them home?” She had a smile in her voice, but there were tears in her eyes when she looked up at him. “Oh, Ransom. Why? Why would he be so cruel? What kind of man threatens a child for power?”
Many did. Even Gervase had done so, and the old king had been a good man. Her words put him in mind of Drew Argentine, who would likely be a hostage until he came of age, if not longer. “The practice is far more common than it should be. I saw Drew Argentine after the battle,” he said. “Constance hasn’t seen him for years. Estian took him away from her.”
“I’m sorry for that,” Claire said softly, and from the way she said it, he could tell she no longer feared his connection with Constance. Perhaps she sensed, without knowing why, that the magical link between them had been severed with the passing of the ring to Montfort.
“At least Drew will be safe in Dundrennan,” Ransom said. Something felt wrong about the words, however, like the prick of a bur against his skin. He felt a little thump in his heart, and then the feeling was gone.
“Do you still know that Espion girl? The one who helped you get Benedict back from Lord Gotz.”
“Cecily still works for Jon-Landon.”
“Maybe, when you bring the boys to Kingfountain, you can ask her to watch over them. Do you think she would?”
He felt a spark of hope. “I do. For a time. Once Jon-Landon collects all those ransoms, he might be able to afford to send her to Pisan to train as a poisoner. It would be the prudent thing to do. We need our own poisoner to fight Alix.”
Claire nodded. “You said Alix’s husband was also taken?”
“Yes. I wonder who will be given custody of him? Whoever it is will be in danger. She’s not someone you’d want to cross.”
“Neither is our king,” Claire said. “You have a fortnight to bring the boys to the palace?”