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failed to show any sign of decorum or decency. Would you rather entertain me from my dungeon?”
    Royce sneered. “Would you rather I—”
    Sherwood didn’t know why he did it. If anything, it was because he couldn’t abide the words that were likely to finish that sentence. He grabbed the nearest bottle of pigment and hurled it at the man. The artist was to the side and slightly behind the visitors when the bottle flew. With his hood up, Sherwood couldn’t see the man’s eyes, and he knew Melborn couldn’t have seen him. The bottle was small but heavy due to its thick glass—as ideal for throwing as a polished river stone. His aim was perfect. The container should have cracked against the hooded man’s head, but it didn’t. Instead, a slender hand darted from the dark cloak and snatched the bottle from the air. Then the hood turned, and Sherwood felt like a mouse who’d caught the attention of a hawk.
    The taller man stepped in again. “Perhaps we should attempt this meeting at another time?”
    Wells’s face was so red it neared purple. “I think you are right. I shouldn’t have allowed this intrusion in the first place. Gentlemen, if you will?” He shooed at them, his large sleeves flapping with the effort.
    Lady Dulgath said nothing, but she continued to stare at the hooded man as he and the others left.
    Only then did Sherwood look down at his tray. He was sickened to realize he’d thrown the bottle of Beyond the Sea.

Chapter Five
Castle Dulgath
    Castle Dulgath consisted of three unadorned square towers perched on a precipice of stone. A small rock wall bordered the front, while the backside was a sheer and mortal drop to the sea. Inaccessibleexcept to seagulls, the promontory offered limited space for luxury. The castle’s foundation took up most of the narrow point, leaving little room for the courtyard, which had been foolishly given over to uncontrolled azalea bushes. They grew to a surprising size along the stone wall. And there, among the pink and purple blooms, Royce, Hadrian, and Knox found Pastor Payne, waiting.
    “How did it go?” he asked.
    “Not well,” Hadrian said.
    “You should have expected as much,” Royce added, shaking his fist that still held the bottle of pigment. He hadn’t meant it as a rebuke, but he was irritated.
    The pastor took a step back into the blossoms, his eyes big as goose eggs.
    “Perhaps you should have come in with us,” Sheriff Knox said. “Why didn’t you?”
    “Lady Dulgath isn’t what I would call a supporter of the Church of Nyphron. Since my arrival, I’ve tried to keep a safe distance between us. Is there a problem?”
    “It’s all right,” Sheriff Knox said. He was calm, but wore a sour look. Then he turned to Royce, and asked, “You don’t need her cooperation to do this, right?”
    Royce nearly laughed but wasn’t in the mood, even in the face of such absurdity. “You might be surprised to learn, Sheriff, that I never obtain the cooperation of those I plot to murder.”
    Everyone stared at him in a palpable silence. Even Hadrian had his brows up.
    Royce rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean—oh, never mind.” He turned to Payne. “Look, are you planning to pay me extra to actually kill her?”
    The pastor took another step into the bushes, the blossoms starting to swallow him. “No—of course not!”
    Royce looked back at the others. “There—see?” Remembering the young woman’s glare as she threatened to imprison him, he glanced back at Payne. “Are you sure?”
    “You’re here to protect Countess Dulgath!” Knox admonished, spraying Royce with saliva as he spat out the word protect.
    “Might have told her that.” Royce leaned toward Hadrian and said, “What did I tell you about spoiled nobles—spoiled noble women ? Maybe we should forget this whole thing.”
    “If you do,” Payne put in, “I’m sure the church will insist on withholding payment, including the funds for travel expenses. Since you don’t need to