arched bridge in your late cousinâs famous gardens. E. R.
âWindham . . . he wants to meet in Martinâs gardens at Windham.â I wadded the notepaper and threw it to the floor. âCheeky bastard! How dare he set foot there!â
Martin, Earl of Gault, had been my motherâs distant cousin and my dearest friend and mentor when I was a girl. On the same day the king and the Council of Lords had condemned Karon to burn, Evard had executed Martin, his beloved mistress, and Tenniceâs brother Tanager, accusing them of plotting with sorcerers to topple his throne. Only chance had allowed Tennice to escape death. No matter who claimed Martinâs land and titles now, the thought of Evard walking in Martinâs gardens was vile. Vile.
âOne more thing,â said Rowan. âThe messenger said, âTell her that a search for one missing person may turn up others who should never be found.â â
Cold fear quickly doused my indignation. âStars of night! Could Evard know about Gerick?â
âThey said no more than Iâve told you. I thought maybe they knew of the three sorcerers living at your place. At least theyâre well away.â
On his first venture to save DâArnathâs Bridge, Karon had healed three Zhid, restoring the souls that had been stolen from them centuries before. The three had stayed at my old cottage for a while, but were now back in Gondai on a mission for Karon. Out of Evardâs reach, at least. But if the king had any idea about Gerick . . . that he was Karonâs son . . . a sorcerer, too . . .
I snatched up the letter from the floor and stared at it again. And then there was the matter of Tennice. . . . Rowan watched me, his thumb rubbing the brim of his hat.
âI canât let Evard start looking for me,â I said. âAny questioning of my old associations would lead him to Tenniceâs father, which could easily point them here. Not only would that endanger Gerick, but Tennice is still condemned.â That my old friend had escaped execution sixteen years ago was only a matter of luck.
âPerhaps itâs time for you to move on. Away from here.â
âWhere could we go? We canât hide forever.â Very much wished . . . Your counsel is needed . . . âBesides, Iâm curious. . . .â
Perhaps it was the weekâs tension that made me so certain I had to answer Evardâs summons, anything to get away from Verdillon and the teeth-on-edge days. For myself, I wasnât afraid of the king. Even his not-so-veiled threat could not shake my confidence; I believed it nothing but an indication of urgency, a clumsy effort at persuasion. Evard had always been a bully. But his friendship for my brother, proven over and over again, had prevented him from physically harming me. And somehow, on the day I had told him of Tomasâs death and the strange circumstances surrounding it, I had felt that youthful loyalty transferred to me, a gift of grief in a heart that knew little softness.
No, my only concern in such a meeting would be Gerickâs safety. I didnât want Evard getting curious about him, yet I couldnât leave him behind, either; the echoes of my sonâs night terrors still rang in my ears.
âI think Iâd best find out what he wants. Gerick will have to come with me. And Radele, too. Weâll travel in disguise, so if Evard is planning a trap, it wonât work, because we wonât arrive in the way he expects. The change will do us good.â
Â
I mustered my arguments carefully before approaching the others with my idea. But to my astonishment, Gerick threw himself into planning it right away. âPaulo will have to come, too, donât you think? Heâs the best of all of us at slipping in and out of places and getting people to say things they never meant to say. Weâll want to scout out the situation before you meet King Evard.â
The
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