“That’s not forty thousand men over there,” Lord Boudin said, snorting as he pointed behind us.
Fitz smiled. “Of course it’s not. You are very perceptive.” He glanced over his shoulder, then waved a hand dismissively. “That is only half of my force. The rest will be coming through those hills to the east at any moment.”
Lord Boudin opened his mouth to reply, and then he spat out a low curse as faint horns sounded to the east. We waited and watched in silence as hundreds of colorful banners appeared on the plateau leading down into the valley. Jebido had made it in time.
“Ah,” Fitz said with a satisfied smile. “Right on time.” He focused on Lord Boudin, his eyes hard now. “Here are my terms. They are not negotiable. Lay down your sword and consent to being a guest of mine in Gandertown until every last man in your army leaves Gander soil. Do this, and you have my word as a king, and as a gentleman, that not a hair on your head will be harmed. Once your army has left my shores, then you will be returned safely to Cardia. Try to fight me and you have my solemn oath that not one Cardian, including you, will be drawing breath by midday.”
Lord Boudin sat his horse for long minutes, his expression unreadable. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision and he nodded. “I will withdraw my forces to Calban, Your Highness,” the young lord said. “But no farther than that. If you can assure me that I have safe passage to return to my castle, then we have a bargain.”
Fitz started to laugh. “Your castle?” he said. He looked at the young lord in mock surprise. “Have you not heard, Lord Boudin? My forces retook Calban weeks ago. You have no fortress to fall back to.”
Lord Boudin stared at the king for a moment, then he shifted his gaze to me, neither one of us hiding our hatred for the other. Finally, the young lord drew his sword in a smooth motion and threw it at the feet of Fitz’s horse. “I accept your terms as stated, Your Highness.”
27: Malo
One of the most enjoyable moments in my life occurred when Fitz, Lord Boudin and I, finally rode back to our camp after the young lord had made arrangements for his forces to withdraw. The fury on Lord Boudin’s face when he saw our silent army of straw and muck—not to mention the explosive curses flying from his lips that would have shamed even Nedo—gladdened my heart to no end. I sent Wiflem with two thousand men on horseback to follow after the defeated Cardian army as they marched weaponless to the west. They still had no idea that we had deceived them, and I expected little trouble from them despite their numbers. Even the most ferocious of beasts cannot function without a head to give it direction.
Ships would be waiting along the coast to take the Cardians home, though the problem of Calban still remained an issue. Despite Fitz’s claim that we had retaken the castle weeks ago, we had not, in fact, done so. That problem, I hoped, would be quickly rectified once the Cardian army and the threat they posed were safely gone from our shores. Lord Boudin would be angered once again when he learned he’d been deceived about Calban, but in the end, he would have little choice but to order his men behind the walls to surrender.
I sent a rider to Gandertown with the news of our victory, and he returned days later to say that the king was alive and well and that he wished me to travel to the city so that he could thank me personally. I had no wish to be paraded around the king’s court while fussy men and women in perfumed clothing offered me false praise and admiration, all the while secretly looking down their noses at me. I was tired, riddled with injuries, and sick of war. But more than any of that, the simple truth was that I missed my wife. So, whether Tyden liked it or not, my time in the north was over.
I sent Fitz and Fignam back to Gandertown with Lord Boudin and the bulk of the Gander army while my men and I headed south. Fitz still hadn’t told the young lord that he really wasn’t the king yet—mainly, I think, because he was thoroughly enjoying the role. I chuckled every time I imagined the moment when Lord Boudin learned the truth.
It took us more than three weeks to return to Corwick, which I mostly spent laid up in a wagon. My side had healed fairly well, but unfortunately, my leg was another matter. Mind-numbing pain wracked the limb constantly, and even walking with the new, padded clutches Quill had fashioned for me was nothing short of agony.
It was almost dusk when we finally reached the castle, and I insisted that Jebido stop the wagon as we entered the barbican. “Help me down,” I growled.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Baine asked doubtfully.
I glared at him. “This is my castle,” I said. “And I’m walking into it on my own. Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, of course not, Hadrack,” Baine replied, though I didn’t fail to see him roll his eyes at Jebido.
My two friends helped me from the wagon, and then Jebido hurried to get the crutches under my arms. I made my way slowly through the barbican into the outer bailey lit by torches as men on the walls looked down at me and cheered. I paused just inside the gate, my crutches braced on the cobblestones as I was suddenly surrounded by Ubeth, Parcival and his three sons, as well as many others who had gathered to welcome us home.
“My lord!” Shana cried, running toward me down an alley as panicked chickens and geese scattered out of her way. My wife pushed her way through the crowd, failing to notice the crutches beneath my arms in her haste to embrace me. I couldn’t help but let out a moan as her leg brushed against my bent knee. Shana recoiled backward in alarm, finally becoming aware of the crutches. “What happened?”
I tried to grin, though I think it came out as more of a grimace than anything else. “I broke my leg,” I said. I shrugged it off. “It bothers me now and then. Nothing to worry about, my love.”
“How long ago was that?” Shana asked, her brows furrowed as she dropped to her knees to examine me. “Straighten your leg for me, but don’t put weight on it,” she commanded. I did so as Shana gently pushed aside the cloth to look at my exposed toes, wrinkling her nose at the smell.
“Three weeks,” Jebido answered for me.
“And you didn’t do anything other than wrap this filthy rag and a few sticks around it?” Shana snapped, looking up at him.
Jebido flushed. “We did the best we could for him, lady. A broken leg is painful. It needs time to heal.”
“Not like this, it won’t,” Shana muttered. She nodded decisively as she stood. “Get my husband back in that wagon right now. We’re taking him to see Haverty.”
“Hold on, there,” I protested as Jebido turned to obey. “I just arrived home. I didn’t travel all this way to have Haverty fussing over me for no reason. The pain will pass and my leg will be fine.”
“No, it won’t, Hadrack,” Shana said, her face filled with concern. “Your toes are blue and I can smell infection. Something is wrong. So, you either get in that wagon right now, or I’ll have someone carry you like a sack of barley over to the Academy.” Shana’s eyes flashed in challenge. “Which would you prefer?”
I shared a look with Jebido, then sighed and motioned for him and Baine to bring the wagon up. There was no arguing with Shana when she was like this.
The Academy was situated in a wing of the Holy House that sat in the inner bailey. The school had begun modestly enough—with Shana the only student—in a small room near the nave. But it had expanded to encompass three rooms as more and more students came to study in Corwick. Soon, I knew I would have to give Haverty a building of his own if it continued to grow like it was. The aged apothecary was not pleased to see me when we arrived—or, to be more precise, he was not pleased to see my leg once he had gingerly removed the splints.
“Who is responsible for this abomination?” Haverty demanded in outrage as he stared down at the swollen, mottled skin covering my lower leg. “Was it that bumbling fool, Jevar?”
I just shook my head. I had no idea who Jevar was. I could see a shiny bump pushing outward where the break had occurred, as well as yellow, purple, and black bruising from my knee to my ankle. That ankle was almost black as we
ll, with all my toes turned a fine hue of blue, just as Shana had said.
“Then, if not that imbecile, it must have been a blind half-wit with only one hand,” Haverty grumbled, still fuming as he shook his head in disbelief. He had Jebido and Baine help me to lie on my back on a table, then he started going around and around me, muttering to himself and pulling at his shaggy white hair.
“You’re making me dizzy,” I finally muttered, tired of trying to keep my eyes on him. Baine and Jebido moved back near the doorway, both looking uncomfortable and out of place. “You two,” I grunted at them. “Go help get everyone settled. I’ll be fine once Haverty gets over his little fit.”
Both Baine and Jebido nodded together, looking relieved as they hurried out the door.
“How bad is it?” Shana asked Haverty.
The apothecary stopped, staring down at my leg before he eventually sighed and looked at Shana. “Bad enough, my lady. Bad enough.”
“Can you fix it?”
Haverty snapped his head sideways back and forth, his eyes bulging from his sockets. I would have thought he was having an attack of some kind had I not seen it many times before. The apothecary was thinking. Finally, he slammed his hand down on the table, startling both me and Shana. He turned to my wife. “I can fix it, my lady,” he said before shifting his gaze to me. “But it will not be an enjoyable experience for you, my lord.”
I wet my lips, looking down at my leg. “What’s wrong with it?”
“The bones have knitted incorrectly,” Haverty said, squatting down until he was eye level with the break. He clenched his fists and put them together. “The two ends of the broken bone have fused in the wrong place, my lord. That is why we have this bump here and why you are in so much pain.” He offset his fists and ground them together. “Every time you move, those bones grate together. Because they are misaligned like this, the tissues around them swell and tear with every motion. That is what has allowed an infection to take hold. We will need to get that infection under control first before we do anything else.”
“And then what?” I asked.
Haverty sighed a second time and stood, looking down at me. “We start over from the very beginning, my lord.”
Shana gasped. “You mean break his leg again?” she asked.
Haverty nodded sadly. “Much as I wish it were not so, that is the only way.”
“What happens if we just get rid of the infection and leave the leg as it is?” I asked, not relishing the apothecary’s solution.
Haverty shrugged. “Then it will heal this way, my lord, and your left leg will be shorter than the other. You will spend the rest of your life as a cripple, limping and in pain. There will be great pain if I rebreak the bone as well, of course, but that will go away eventually. In time, with a strict regimen of exercise, you should be able to walk normally again.” He raised his bushy eyebrows. “So, do you have a preference for treatment, my lord?”
I shifted my eyes to Shana, and she nodded, her face deathly pale. “Break it,” I grunted.
One week later, Malo came to see me. I wondered what had taken him so long. I met the House Agent alone in my solar, sending all the servants away so we could talk freely. My leg was feeling much better, with only a steady throb to remind me of the horrors Haverty had put me through. The apothecary had promised me that the bones were set properly this time and that my leg would be as good as new. I dearly hoped he was right about that, because I would rather limp the rest of my life than have to go through what he had done to me a second time.
“I heard you were grievously injured,” Malo said as he entered the solar. “But you don’t look that bad.” The House Agent appeared tired, I thought—tired and haunted by what he hoped to learn today.
I glanced down at my leg. Gone now were the crude splints and rough cloth, replaced by a tight leather sleeve with metal rods along the sides and laces drawn tight. It looked very much like a woman’s corset, I thought. I was to wear the contraption for at least six weeks, Haverty had insisted, and not put any weight on my leg. A task easier said than done, I quickly found out.
“I’ll heal,” I grunted. I had been waiting for Malo near the table, standing for long minutes with the help of my crutches. It was silly, I know, but I didn’t want Malo to see me sitting down when he arrived. Logic and male pride do not always go hand in hand. Now that Malo was here, I hopped over to a bench and sat down awkwardly, relieved to take the weight off as I leaned my crutches against the bench. “Close the door,” I ordered with a wave of my hand.
The House Agent did as I asked, then moved to stand over me. “You know why I’ve come, Hadrack,” he said, his eyes burning with intensity.
“I do,” I agreed with a nod, meeting his steely gaze with one of my own. “I’m just surprised you didn’t come sooner.”
“I was occupied with other matters,” Malo said.
I took a deep breath and let it out. I had been expecting this conversation for weeks and not looking forward to it. “I’m not giving you the codex, Malo,” I said firmly. “The time still isn’t right.”
Malo just stared down at me, his face hardening. “The Piths have returned to their lands, and the Cardians are defeated,” he finally said. “The king is healthy and secure. So, what better time could there be?”
I couldn’t tell Malo that the Piths might be coming back soon, for if I did that, then I would have to explain why they had left in the first place. “I gave you my word you would have the codex when the kingdom is safe,” I said. I folded my arms over my chest. “I do not believe that is the case yet.”
The House Agent started to tremble with anger, and I didn’t fail to notice that his hand had drifted down to his sword hilt. “You lied to me, Hadrack,” Malo growled.
“I did no such thing,” I said calmly. “You will have the codex when I am ready to give it to you, and not before. Nothing has changed.” I gestured to his sword. “Unless you plan on murdering me for it.”
Malo looked down at his hand in surprise; then, he slowly let it slide off the hilt of his sword. He looked back at me and I could see resolve burning in his eyes. “I had a feeling you were going to go back on your word,” he said. I waited, not bothering to respond. Malo was up to something, I could tell. His features slowly smoothed and his body relaxed. “Would you please come with me, Lord Hadrack?” he said, gesturing to the door.
I blinked in surprise. Lord? Malo never called me that. “Why?” I asked suspiciously.
“Let’s just say it’s a surprise,” the House Agent said. He even grinned—a rare sight. Something was definitely wrong.
I gestured to my leg. “I’m not exactly mobile here, Malo.”
“Then call for some servants,” Malo snapped impatiently, his voice rising. I looked up sharply at that and Malo smoothed his features again. “Forgive me, lord,” he said in a lower tone. “The past few weeks have been taxing.” He raised an eyebrow. “Should I go find someone to help carry you? I imagine all those stairs must be exhausting for a man in your weakened condition.”
I knew what Malo was doing, of course, but knowing it and being able to resist it didn’t necessarily go together. I snatched up my crutches with a snort and forced myself to my feet. “Let’s go,” I grunted.
Malo led me out into the hallway and down the stairs to Corwick Hall, never once offering a helping hand. I think he sensed I would likely bite it off if he tried. He was right. More than one servant, not to mention Finol and Hanley, wanted to help me navigate the stairs down to the main floor, but I waved each of them off with a growl. We finally made it outside, where a wagon pulled by a pair of fine-looking horses awaited. Six House Agents on horseback surrounded the wagon, which I thought looked suspiciously like Carspen Tuft’s wagon, though this one was much newer. Curious onlookers were milling about, muttering to themselves in expectation as they tried to guess who might be inside. I noticed Baine and Jebido making their way forward through the crowd. “What is all this?” I grunted at Malo in irritatio
n.
“If you will please come with me, Lord Hadrack,” Malo said, ignoring my question as he urged me forward.
I frowned at his politeness, but hobbled along anyway, intrigued despite myself.
“What’s going on?” Baine asked as he and Jebido met us at the base of the ramp. My friend glared at Malo with little love. “What are you doing here?”
“All will be revealed momentarily,” Malo said, his features giving nothing away. He moved to the back of the wagon, where a single door stood just as it had on Tuft’s wagon. There was even a small window with bars. The House Agent waited patiently for me to make my way to him, then he put his hand on the handle. He paused to look at me while Baine and Jebido peered over my shoulders curiously. “You have something I want, Lord Hadrack,” he said as he twisted the handle. The House Agent pulled open the door, which squeaked loudly on rusted hinges. “And I have something that you want.”
I stared into the wagon, anger exploding inside me as two men peered back at me sullenly. One was Grindin, dressed in dirt-covered apprentice robes. The other was a big man, with a bull-like neck, bald, gleaming head, and eyes the color of coal. The big man glowered at me in defiance while Grindin shrank away from the light pouring into the wagon, stopping when the chains around his wrists snapped taut. I barely glanced at Grindin, focusing on the bigger man as my mind traveled backward in time. I had never been able to remember what Luper Nash had looked like that day in Corwick, no matter how hard I tried, but as our eyes met, I knew without a doubt that it was him. There was no fear in the big man’s eyes, just acceptance, maybe even a trace of contempt as he stared at me. I was just that scared peasant from years ago to him, and I could tell by his expression that others calling me lord would never change his opinion of me. I heard a growl of hatred coming from deep in my chest, and I started to push my way into the wagon without even realizing it.
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