A cheer rose up from the crowd. Idiots!
“But I’m a—tailor!” I shouted.
The cheers rose louder.
“Oh, the sweet boy! He’ll be a good husband to her, that one!”
“Not grasping like some of those knights.”
Lord Verras looked as if he wanted to strike the herald. Instead, he plucked a wide-brimmed hat off the head of a field-worker and jammed the hat on my head, tugging the brim low over my brow. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, as if congratulating me, and muscled me toward a horse.
I twisted away. “Will!”
Verras tugged me back toward the horse. “You need to leave. Now,” he whispered. “And, for pity’s sake, don’t let anyone see your face.”
I scowled up at him, but his expression stopped me flat. He knew. Somehow he knew.
“He’s wearing my hat!” the field-worker shouted. “The giant killer’s wearing my hat!”
The crowd around him pounded his back as if he had won a great prize. I looked back at Will. Two of the guards plucked him up as if he were a great pile of homespun. No one would carry a silk so carelessly.
Will shrieked.
I pulled away from Lord Verras, darting toward the men. “Careful of his foot!”
The guards thought I was a giant killer as well. One of them nervously half saluted me. I almost laughed, until I saw Will, his head lolling to one side. He’d passed out again.
And then Lord Verras was tugging me back, pushing me toward the horse. I looked over my shoulder. The guards were carrying Will’s limp form toward another horse.
“Get … up!” Lord Verras commanded.
I didn’t know how to mount a horse. I’d never ridden before. Verras bent down and put my left foot in the stirrup. “Up!”
He gave me a rough prod, and I lunged up onto the saddle. Lord Verras mounted another horse nearby and began pushing through the crowd.
“Follow me!” he shouted.
That was the last thing I wanted, but my horse was more compliant, carrying me forward whether I wanted it to or not. I looked behind me once more. One of the guards held Will before him on his steed.
“Verras!” Pergam’s shout rang out over the crowd.
Lord Verras looked back but didn’t stop. “I’m taking the champion to the king.”
Chapter 11
Our horses broke into a canter when we reached the edge of the crowd. I clutched the saddle, convinced my horse was trying to pitch me off.
I almost wished it would. I’d fall, then disappear down a narrow street, and escape this horrible trip to the castle—and Lord Verras, who knew far too much.
I kicked my feet free from the stirrups and loosened my grip on the saddle.…
What would happen to Will if I ran?
I slipped my feet back into the stirrups. I couldn’t leave him—but that didn’t keep me from imagining what would happen if I were discovered.
We had almost reached the castle. The cliffs behind it loomed above us, with the Guardians carved into them, their faces turned toward any who approached the city. Time had blurred their outlines and chipped their faces, but their eyes, with the long, slashed pupils, remained untouched.
I’d looked into eyes like those as I’d shouted up at the giants. Whoever had carved the Guardians had seen giants. Perhaps giants had done the carving.
A cool shadow brushed my face as we rode under an iron gate. Castle guards clustered there. I thought they’d gather around us and demand to see the champion. Yet only one watched as we rode past, making no effort to hide his suspicion. “Verras! I should have known you’d miss the excitement! Where are Pergam and the champion?”
Lord Verras kept riding but called over his shoulder, “Pergam’s close behind.”
We entered a smaller courtyard where a man with close-cropped hair, armor, and a cape waited for us. Lord Verras circled his horse around to speak to him.
“I need twenty minutes.”
“You have ten, if that.”
Why did Lord Verras need time? I twisted in the saddle to better hear.
“King Eldin is impatient to meet the champion. He’s to be brought to the throne room immediately.” The man pointed at me on my horse, its tail flicking at the flies that billowed around us. “Is that—?”
“Yes,” said Lord Verras. “That is the champion.”
The guard gaped.
“Close the gate,” commanded Verras. “It’ll buy us a minute or two.”
He urged his horse toward the far side of the courtyard, and, once again, my horse followed. Impatient to meet the champion rang like a bell inside my head. Soon King Eldin would discover that his champion was a girl, that there was no young man to claim the princess’s hand. No one to tell the duke and his giants to leave.
I swallowed down my panic. I needed an ally.
Before us were two men dressed in gray, their clothing beaten by sun and rain until the fabric was the color of willow bark. Rangers—and friends of Lord Verras by the look of it. They watched us trot toward them, shifting their weight as if the cobblestones pained their feet.
Lord Verras dismounted quickly. “Two giants,” he announced. He looked back at me and asked, “Which way did they go when they left?”
The encounter with the giants seemed years ago. I closed my eyes to better remember. “Down the north road through the smaller villages. The one that … travelers to Reggen take.”
I’d almost told him it was the road we had taken.
“How tall were they?” asked the older ranger.
Verras shook his head. “I’m not sure. I’d say as tall as the oaks near the Kriva.”
Lord Verras wasn’t even looking at me. It was my last chance to escape—or find an ally. Perhaps I could slip away.
My legs shook as I slid off the far side of my horse, shielded from the rangers’ view. A quick glance over my shoulder showed that the guard at the gate had disappeared. Maybe I could find the doorway he had used. I could find … Lord Cinnan, the king’s advisor. He’d never liked the Tailor’s apprentice, but he was wise. He’d know what to do.
“Shouldn’t be hard to follow them.” That was one of the rangers.
Lord Verras didn’t answer immediately. I peered around my horse, wondering if he’d noticed I was gone. He was too occupied by his conversation with the rangers. “You don’t have to go. I can’t order you, and I doubt Lord Leymonn will require it.”
Leymonn again. The rangers’ faces hardened at his name. Who was he?
Finally, a ranger spoke. “But you think it would be good to follow the giants.”
Verras nodded. “I do, Restan. Right now we have only the … champion’s information.” He stumbled over the word as he gestured to me. I quickly stepped into view and prayed I didn’t look guilty. Lord Verras didn’t seem to notice.
“We need to know how many giants there are,” continued Verras, “and where they are. The king should know his enemy.”
The older ranger—Restan—raised his eyebrows as if he doubted the king. Then he clapped Lord Verras on the shoulder. “Can’t be left blind at a time like this. We’ll bring news tomorrow night.”
I saw Lord Verras’s relief in the way his shoulders relaxed, in the breath he released. “Thank you.”
The rangers bowed and left without another word. The young one looked back at me before he disappeared, his incredulity clear. I glowered at him, hoping I looked fierce enough that he’d reconsider his opinion of me.
Lord Verras turned. “We need to go.”
I glanced over my shoulder, as if the strength of my wanting could make Lord Cinnan appear.
Lord Verras reached for my arm. “We need to go now.”
I stepped back again. “But Will … They’re not here yet.”
“That’s why we must leave. I need to talk with you alone.”
Hoofbeats. Pergam and Will must be close.
I crossed my arms. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
Verras
looked toward the gate and scowled. “I wasn’t asking permission.”
Once more, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and marched me toward a doorway tucked between a kennel and stables. I could barely keep my feet under me.
“Let me go!” I tried to stop, scrabbling for a toehold. “What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to save the city.”
I finally planted my feet and twisted away. His arm tightened, pinning me against him so that I couldn’t move. I glared at him, expecting to meet his stony gaze.
“Please,” he whispered.
I stopped, too surprised to struggle.
A second later, we were in the dark of a narrow corridor. I couldn’t see after the day’s brightness—only felt us turn left and then right and then right again. Lord Verras didn’t slow, and he didn’t release me, though his hold loosened as he threaded the damp and silent corridors. He must have decided I couldn’t escape in the dark tangle of hallways.
That frightened me more than the giants. I’m trapped, I thought. I’m trapped under the castle. Finally, I saw light ahead. I looked for torches but couldn’t find any. It wasn’t until we stopped in a pale pool of light that I saw it shone from underneath a door. Lord Verras unlocked it and pushed it open.
“After you.”
He couldn’t be serious.
Then again, there might be something I could throw at him inside the room. I marched inside.
The room was cool and damp, despite a fire, and filled with dingy, mismatched furniture. Lord Verras locked the door behind us, and I rushed to a desk heaped with books. I snatched up a sturdy pewter candlestick and turned to face him.
He stood in the middle of the room, unperturbed.
I lifted the candlestick, just in case he hadn’t noticed it. “Why did you bring me here?”
Lord Verras rolled his eyes. “I have a sword. If I wanted to hurt you, I would already have done so. A candlestick won’t help you much.”
I’d just faced two giants. I’d show him what a candlestick could do.
“Why did you bring me here?” I asked again.
Lord Verras simply eyed me from my boots to the top of my head. “Am I right? You’re a girl?”
I’d expected him to attack, to accuse. His question shattered my confidence. I could feel the bravado stream out of me.
“Are you?” he pressed.
It would be silly to argue. He’d known since the fountain. I’d seen it in his face.
“Yes.”
I half expected the fire to leap up or the ground to shake at my revelation. Instead, Lord Verras groaned and buried his face in his hands.
“How did you know?” I demanded.
He didn’t answer.
“Why? Why would you—?” He paused, then continued in a calmer tone. “This is important: does anyone else know?”
I gripped the candlestick tighter. I doubted I’d leave the castle that day, but who would take care of the Tailor? I could see him in his bed, listening for Will and me to return. I closed my eyes against the image.
“It’s a simple question,” repeated Lord Verras. “Does anyone else know?”
“Two people,” I said, pleased that my voice had not trembled.
“Who?”
I shook my head. “Not yet.”
Irritation crossed his face, but he mastered it immediately. “You will stand before King Eldin soon—you cannot avoid it. I may be your only ally. And believe me, you will need one. This”—he waved a hand toward me—“makes him look very foolish.”
“He does a fine job of that all by himself! Who declares a champion without even seeing him first? Is he that incapable of protecting Reggen?”
I knew the answer before the question was out of my mouth.
“This is not a game.” Lord Verras’s even voice was more unnerving than a shout. “You have thrown yourself into the center of a possible war with this duke and his giant army. Whether you like it or not, King Eldin’s proclamation set you up as the duke’s adversary, and when you defeated the giants, you became the defender of Reggen.”
I stared at him, openmouthed, but he didn’t stop.
“If the city—if the duke—learns that the champion is a girl and that the princess will not be wed, they’ll think there’s no one to challenge the duke’s claims. Reggen will tear itself apart, and this duke will think he goes unopposed.” Lord Verras shook his head. “It would have been better if you’d never gone out.”
“They had Will by the foot,” I whispered. “They shook him like a doll!”
Lord Verras winced, but he wouldn’t be distracted. “My duty now is to protect this city. I ask you again: who knows your secret? And why do I know you? I’ve seen you before, I’m sure of it.”
I blinked, afraid, but the fear made it easier to fight back. “Why should I tell you? You practically ran from Pergam and now you’re hiding here under the castle.”
He flinched. Whoever he was, he must not have much authority.
I drew myself up. “I want to talk to Lord Cinnan.”
Verras didn’t answer. Perhaps he was too busy trying to figure out who I was: a girl he had seen who also knew the name of the king’s advisor. Finally, he said, “Lord Cinnan is under house arrest.”
I nearly dropped the candlestick. “Why?”
“The king found his counsel tiresome.”
Tiresome. I’d heard the king use that word so many times. How would King Eldin react without a sensible advisor when he found out he’d been tricked by his own tailor and that there was no champion?
Lord Verras held my gaze. “I brought you here because I wanted to know the truth about you and the giants before you’re taken to the king. Before you are peppered with questions until the truth comes out in front of every nobleman and soldier in attendance. There is no Lord Cinnan to speak …” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “… wisdom to the king. And we have minutes before I must bring you to the throne room. So tell me: who are you, and who else knows about you? I’ll do my best to keep them safe.”
I’d hung all hope of safety on Lord Cinnan. What was I supposed to do with this young noble?
“Who are you?” I sank down into a chair with patchwork upholstery, still gripping the candlestick. “You say you’ll keep them safe, but can you?”
Anger tightened his voice, clipping the words. “I am Galen Verras, cousin to the king. I assisted Lord Cinnan.”
I looked up in surprise.
“My job was—is—to gather information for the king and his advisor. I have cultivated friendships with many in the castle: lords, servants, guards, rangers. Now that Lord Cinnan is gone, I work under the new advisor, Lord Leymonn.
“He does not like me, and he does not listen to me. Still, I’ve used what little influence I have to learn what is happening with the duke and giants. Even if Eldin does not wish to know.” He spoke the last words quietly, more to himself than to me.
Lord Verras pointed to the door. “I’ll unlock it, and you can leave. Eventually, soldiers will discover you and take you to the king. But you’ll have no protection. The two who share your secret will have no protection. And Reggen?” He shrugged. “Reggen will be defenseless. Is that what you would choose?”
Lord Verras studied me as if he could find the answer in my face—and he kept looking. A tickle of unease ran up my spine. It was the first time someone had seen me, and not the Tailor’s apprentice, since Will discovered me weeks ago.
His gaze was nothing like Will’s.
I forced myself to return Lord Verras’s gaze with the same intensity. With all he asked of me, it was only fair. Dark, almost black hair. A nose with a small bump in the middle, maybe broken once. It kept him from looking too noble. He was determined—I saw that in the set of his jaw. But he was also worried, his gray eyes solemn, and I remembered how serious he’d been on that walk to Reggen. He’d guessed this threat was coming, and he hadn’t been able to stop it—or even prepare.
“You faced two
giants for that boy,” said Verras. “I don’t believe you’ll walk away now.”
He was absolutely right, and he knew it. Sky above, I disliked him! But I needed him, and if I had to choose between Lord Verras and Pergam …
I set the candlestick down on the table beside my chair.
“These two people who know about me. You must bring them into the castle and promise that they will be cared for.”
Lord Verras closed his eyes a moment and sighed in relief. “I will. Though the castle may not be safe soon.”
“It’s the safest place in Reggen.”
He nodded. “I give you my word. I’ll keep them safe.”
No mention of me. Couldn’t he guarantee my safety? I thought of the king with his new advisor, this Leymonn, and suppressed a shiver. “Thank you.”
Verras nodded again, but didn’t answer. Then I realized: he was waiting for me to tell him. Just like that, I was supposed to reveal everything.
It was harder than running toward the giants.
I closed my eyes. I had chosen this, even if it felt like no choice at all. When I opened them, my voice was steady. “One is the boy who was hurt. Will.”
Verras mouthed a silent ah.
“You’ll make sure he’s taken care of?” I pressed. “His foot …”
“Physicians should be seeing to him now. I’ll make sure they are the court’s best as soon as we leave this room. And the other?”
“Willem Gramton.” Why was it so hard to tell him? I had to force myself to say each word. “You walked with him on the road to Reggen earlier this year. You pulled him away when the wagon wheel broke.”
“The tailor, the one with the fabric …” He looked more closely at me then. “You’re his daughter. The one who talked with Lynden about the Guardians.” He smiled as if seeing something else. “That’s all.…”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“That’s all. It’s what you said when I asked you about the giants at the fountain. You said it when I asked you about the man on the road to Reggen—with the same glare. I knew I’d seen you before.”
“You remember that from all those months ago?”
Valiant Page 7
