Mako grimaced. “You warned me that your cloak pocket was not secure, Princess. That was unfortunate… However, King Tobin spent his gold freely, in other lands as well as Gryor. Woliff is curious how he acquired so much gold... and how much of it remains. He has also suggested that he will take charge of the priests’ books—as he is sure we have no interest in them. He knew already that we seized the priests and their house after their treachery. No one here told them of that.”
“How many books are there?” Scylla asked.
“A dozen or so. I told Woliff we burned them.”
“How disappointing. I would have liked to see those books.”
“We plan to burn them. I am told a few of them may not burn at all. I have them in a locked trunk deep in the vault.”
“I want to see them.”
Mako gave her a wary glance. “Are you sure, Princess? I do not know what harm they may cause.”
“Well, not tonight, but sometime soon. And what did you say about my so-called madness?”
“I said the late queen spread rumors of your instability—but you are more sane than she was.”
Scylla’s eyes widened impishly. “Good Goddess, Chancellor! I believe that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me!”
He ignored the interjection. “I could not tell how convinced he was—about you, about the books, or about King Tobin’s hoard of riches.”
“What did you tell him about the gold?”
“I was vague. For good reason… there is no need for any guest to enquire about gold.”
“Unless, regarding the marriage proposal, they are making enquiries about your wealth and what Gryor can expect to gain when… or if... it takes over the Kingdom of Rellant,” Coltic warned.
The room was silent.
“I shall not consider any marriage proposal for the next six months,” Scylla snapped. “Do not refuse them outright, however.”
Mako eyed her. “Woliff has already insinuated rewards of power and privilege, Princess. I have not refused either the proposal or the rewards as yet.”
“To you, for your assistance in a smooth transition, Chancellor?” Scylla wondered for a moment what reward, if any, could entice Mako away from his avowed duty. She pushed the thought away. She could only trust him and the other War Council members. Without trust, the bond among them would break and there would be no more hope.
“Yes, but I serve the Kingdom of Rellant. As I have said, I carry the guilt of your father’s death to my grave. I seek to avenge it, although I may seem to cooperate with vermin such as our guests!” He drew a long breath.
“Do not speak of graves,” said Minda, breaking the ensuing silence. “Use this evening to gather information and impressions, and come here in the morning for a War Council meeting. There will be plenty to eat… I have not yet convinced the kitchen that one queen, three ladies-in-waiting and a three-year-old prince do not require such excessive amounts of food.”
“Do you not think, Minda, that I should stab Woliff to death if I can?”
Minda winced. “Perhaps not, Princess, as we are doing our best to crush the rumors of your madness.”
“You may be right. However, with our enemy at our dinner table—I am very tempted! Would it not be an excellent surprise strike?”
“Hmmm,” said Mako.
“Hmmm,” Minda echoed, an expression of alarm crossing her face.
“Good Goddess!” Sorrell exclaimed, turning away in exasperation.
“Recall, Princess… you said you felt a sorcerer’s power from Woliff’s secretary. And his four thugs are on full alert.”
“True, Captain. I am not interested in a suicide strike. Also, as we are all exhausted, I suggest none of us—you, Chancellor, or you, Captain… or Captain Renold if he…” She hesitated. “Where is Captain Renold, and the rest of our army?”
“He will not be back in time for the dinner tonight, Princess. He has been gathering information and inspecting soldiers and weapons at some of the outlying Keeps.”
“I see. As I began to say, none of us will drink much wine tonight. Let us give them the king’s best wines while we keep our wits about us,” Scylla suggested.
“We should appear to consume as much wine as they do. I will tell the servants to remove our bottles even if they are barely breached.”
“At the same time…” Coltic lowered his voice to the barest whisper. “If it becomes possible to overpower all our guests, I suggest we have a signal ready for the soldiers. I regret so many of us had so little sleep last night.”
“If it is possible,” Mako agreed as quietly. “Morally, I have no issue. As for the wisdom of it… if we can overpower every one of them, their deaths can be transmuted to… perhaps… an accident at sea. With our enemy’s leader at our very table, it would be foolish to ignore an opportunity if it arises. And yet, our six guests all ooze menace, like sap from a tree.”
Minda added, “Take care not to create an atmosphere of tension. Your guests may feel it. Also, I recall there are sailors still on their boat. How many?”
“Herron, the steward, has had a fisherman’s lad watching Woliff’s boat since it arrived. I have a report…” Mako fished inside his tunic and pulled out a ragged piece of paper. Scrawled drawings covered both sides.
“What is this?” asked Scylla, frowning.
“Portraits… He said only three sailors have been on deck, all wearing similar sailors’ woolens…” He squinted at the paper. “However, it is not always the same three sailors. Two he has shown with large noses—one has missing teeth and the other a jutting jaw. One with a broken nose and longer dark hair, two that are tall and thin—a round-headed lad and an older man with a gold earring. And one is larger than the others. So… six that he has identified. He warns that most look more like soldiers than sailors.”
“Six sailors on the boat and four soldiers within the castle, even if one is said to be Woliff’s manservant. Twelve with Woliff himself and the secretary who may be a sorcerer.” Coltic’s gaze turned inward for a moment.
“Indeed. A third of our home army—which is not large—is a day’s ride away with Renold. How many soldiers are in the castle at this moment?” Minda asked.
Into the silence, a knock sounded. Coltic crossed to the door. “Who is it?”
“Orwen’s farm lad… the chancellor ordered him to report, he says,” came the guard’s response.
Coltic opened the door. “Come in, Jay.”
The boy entered, his eyes widening at his first sight of the grandeur of the reception area. Scylla, glancing across, saw the foyer suddenly through the boy’s eyes. She herself hardly considered it while passing through to the main chamber, with so much else demanding attention since her coronation a mere five days ago.
Queen Maris had held audience there, entertaining the priests and other visitors. Scylla made a split-second decision. She resolved to direct the removal of the mirror-matched paneling, gold candelabra, and velvet ceiling drapery from the foyer as soon as possible. The carved walnut chairs with silk upholstery could go to the guest chambers, she decided… or put into storage under dust covers. None of it suited her vow of temperance—admittedly a sudden whim but one to which she felt committed. Besides, the extravagant decor reminded her of Queen Maris.
Jay followed Coltic through the foyer and into the larger chamber. Scylla was unsurprised to see the dogs at Jay’s heels. After all, when Queen Maris occupied the rooms, it had been their home.
“Welcome to our War Council, Jay,” she said. “You are well known to Lady Minda, of course. Lady Sorrell, this is another of my loyal protectors… without whom I might not be sitting here today. He has also rescued Queen Maris’s dreadful dogs from the forest, as you see.”
Jay gave her a disapproving glance. “I tried to make them stay in the stable, but they howled. Chancellor Mako told me to report here.”
Mako nodded. “Ah yes, your coins. I have not had time to collect them from the treasury. Meanwhile, I want you t
o stay out of sight in these chambers and return home in the morning. Is there an unoccupied chamber here, Minda?”
“Yes, next to Prince Leon’s room. He and Axit are napping at the moment and will not attend the dinner.”
“How many soldiers do we have?” asked Scylla, returning to the previous subject. “Two are guarding this door… Oh! Something else has just come to mind. There is a secret stair somewhere leading below, is there not?”
They all stared at her. “Not that I know of,” Mako answered. “Captain?”
He too shook his head.
“I believe there is,” said Minda unexpectedly. “I had forgotten. If these chambers are attacked, we may need it. I will look for it.”
“Two guards here,” repeated Scylla, going back to the number of soldiers available. “Then the three who accompanied Captain Coltic—and the… how many did you have, Mako?”
“I had six with me. Six others were off duty, and three village men are on call. Our steward Herron is still hearty despite his age, while our secretary-treasurer was a soldier prior to his injury. Twenty-two men plus Captain Coltic and I. And we can muster more from the king’s stables and the village.”
“How many does Captain Renold have with him?” Minda asked.
“Ten, I believe. They went with him to direct the training of the new district soldiers. Every Keep has its own Guard and many excellent horsemen, because of King Tobin’s competitions and all the prizes.”
“Our home Guard is small,” Coltic pointed out. “Rellant is a peaceful place, mostly. King Tobin loved the horse games and hard rides and hunting—but violence is rare.”
“We now have first-hand experience. And our queen herself has dispatched attackers twice with the sword she has in hand,” Mako said.
“Your queen is exhausted. I hope I will not have to dispatch another this evening, but I will if I must...” Scylla sighed.
Jay regarded her with horror. “Not again!”
There was another knock on the door. “Sergeant Brit—with a message!”
Coltic opened the door again. “Come in, Sergeant.”
“Chancellor… an urgent message from the docks!” Both Mako and Coltic stiffened.
“Keep your voice down,” Mako commanded.
“A fisherman says he has seen a strange boat anchored out in the delta—hidden… but not well enough. A boat like the one from Gryor,” the young sergeant told them. “He stayed well away from it and sent a message as soon as he docked.”
“Excellent…” Mako muttered, taking a few agitated strides. “A moment, Captain… Sergeant.”
They put their heads together in whispered intensity. Some minutes later, Coltic and Brit had gone and Mako returned to Scylla’s side. He beckoned Minda and Sorrell closer, his eyes gleaming with a new fervor.
“Woliff did not mention another boat… We are suspicious and will take defensive measures—in case they plan to strike after dark. The fishermen all know there are more than three sailors on Woliff’s boat and have come up with a plan for it and the one out in the delta. Ruthless plans…” he said with a grimace. “Coltic and Brit are on their way to consult with the villagers—they will lie in wait secretly behind the houses with what weapons they have. If any of Woliff’s sailors leave the dock, they will not make it to the castle... we hope. Meanwhile, they will intercept anyone approaching the boat, in case there are spies within the village. Also, we must chain the castle gates… the lock no longer works. The kitchen gate will be locked as well—if the hinges are not too rusted. And anyone who enters via the laundry spillway will face a welcome committee!”
“And our guests?” Scylla enquired.
“The dinner will go on as planned. If we are correct, our guests will expect a strike by their men. We will not voice our suspicions, but our soldiers will be ready inside and out. If they quell an attack and it never reaches the castle, we will eat, drink and appear oblivious.”
“And slightly stupid, like sheep,” said Scylla. “I like it. We’re playing a game.”
“We will not alert them to it. The game, if your trellet is correct, is larger than whatever takes place this evening. A win for us tonight means only that we advance to the next battle. A failure tonight means…”
“We will not fail,” Scylla interrupted him. “Not with an army of fishermen and villagers, and the soldiers of the Guard.”
“I will see you at dinner at sundown. Do not forget your sword stick! I must go put our strategy into play… and ask the entertainers to perform loudly enough to drown out sounds from the village.”
“I hope luck is on our side, Chancellor. I expect a full report when it is all over.”
But she was speaking to the air. Mako was on his way out the door, his mind already racing ahead.
“What do I do?” Jay’s indignant expression suggested he would rather have high-tailed it for home in his carriage.
“You may help me look for the hidden stair,” Minda informed him. “Bring those dogs. Have you have fed them?”
“Only small meals. They were starving, likely eating grubs and roots in the forest. See how thin they are!” He and the dogs followed Minda to one of the other chambers. Scylla leaned back in her chair with a sigh. She ached all over and would have crawled into bed if she could.
But Mako’s excitement had ignited some within herself, quickening her pulse and making her stomach churn.
“Curses!” she muttered. “I mean… dear Goddess!… who, I hope, will be with us!”
“I suppose I must be with you too, as Minda remains here with Prince Leon and Jay,” Sorrell said, from the chaise where she had lain down to rest. “Recall that my ribs and my arm are still mending!” She held up her bandaged forearm.
“Minda says she has sent the two new girls to her farm until our guests leave… I have forgotten their names.”
“Sara and Linya… she preferred not to risk their safety with Woliff and his men within the castle. She has given me a sharp knife to carry, and we have your sword stick at hand. I hope Mako warns the other servants.”
“We will retire as early as we can. My ankle is paining horribly. I hope I have not done permanent damage… Be sure to tell me when you have endured enough.” She peered out the window to the roof garden. Dusk was falling. “I wonder if Mako’s spy in the cubbyhole has heard anything interesting—and what exactly the fishermen are planning.”
Although it was not yet dark, several men readied a trio of small, flat-bottomed boats. Normally used for hunting waterfowl and turtles, fishing for catfish, or cutting reeds, they would serve a different purpose tonight. The men planning to paddle out under cover of darkness squatted together, scratching a rough layout of the delta in the dirt. Another lad ambled along the shore checking wind direction and the clouds moving across the sky. Near the docks, two old fishermen sat mending nets. And no one seemed to watch the Gryor boat tied up at the dock, even though two of its sailors lounged idly on deck, sharpening knives.
In a crowded house nowhere near the docks, a number of villagers conferred with Brit and Coltic, laying plans for the trap they were setting.
“But only…” Coltic stressed… “only if the Gryor sailors come off the dock. And the paddlers will lurk near the hidden boat, but will not act until they see or hear a signal from one to the other… or if anyone on board either boat makes a move.”
“They will be sorry if they do,” someone growled. There were nods all around and the gleam of excitement in every eye.
4
The feral children came creeping toward the castle gardens, their eyes riveted to the open kitchen doorway. High in the ancient willow, River watched from her nest of woven sticks. Two soldiers wrenched at the gate. It had hung beside the kitchen door for so long the hinges had rusted solid.
“What are they doing to the kitchen gate?” a boy’s voice called out fearfully.
“Are they closing the gate?” another hissed from behind a tree trunk.
“What about the food? T
hey said food,” someone else whined.
“I think it’s a trap—a trap!” The boys stared apprehensively at the soldiers, ready to flee.
“Who’s that now?”
“It’s Mako what used to be the king’s captain, he’s chancellor now,” Tag said. He was the older boy who had told River about the food. He stared fixedly as Mako came through the door and spoke with the soldiers. The chancellor took hold of the gate, now hanging askew from the top hinge, and gave it an experimental shake.
As the soldiers pried at the remaining hinge, Mako turned away. He waved at the small group of feral boys staring at him from a distance, the girl near the riverbank letting a pair of brown rats run from one arm to the other, and another skinny, ragged lad who dared to inch closer. He pointed vigorously at the garden courtyard near the door.
“Food! Coming soon!”
The soldiers were still hammering at the gate. The hinge finally broke with a clang, and they took it down. Mako followed them as they carried it inside.
“What are they doing now?” a hungry boy snarled, and someone else elbowed him. “Shhh!”
Two kitchen lads brought out a wooden table and set it down near the garden.
After what seemed like a long time they returned to the table, setting out ten reed baskets.
“One basket each,” one of the kitchen lads shouted. “Come get a basket of food! One each… and bring the baskets back!”
They went back into the kitchen. No one stirred. Long moments passed. Suddenly the nearest boy raced in, snatched a basket and took to his heels across the sloping field toward the king’s horse pastures. Then a pair of boys ran in—Tag and one of his cronies, Nard, who limped slightly from a previously broken leg. They went off along the riverbank, their eager hands already in the baskets.
The men reappeared, hauling the gate back outside. They chained it in place and locked it with a large key. Then they began struggling with a heavy wooden door behind it.
“They’ve locked the gate!” called out the rat-girl in surprise, but she still hesitated.
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