Outside the walls of the city, lining the road on which Kearney and his men were traveling, stood the army of Domnall, a thousand men strong. Before them, in the center of the road, a man waited on horseback, his black and silver hair stirring in the wind. Keziah couldn’t be certain from this distance, but she assumed that this was Seamus, duke of Domnall, who long ago had cast his lot with Aindreas of Kentigern in defiance of the Crown.
“Do you think he intends to fight?” Keziah asked.
The king didn’t even look at her. “I don’t know. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that he intends to offer his sword and his men in defense of the realm.”
“Isn’t that possible?”
Kearney shook his head. “His men are lining the road. If he was offering his aid, they would be positioned in rows for my inspection. He has something else in mind.”
“He wouldn’t fight us, Your Majesty,” said the captain. “It would be folly even to make the attempt. We outnumber him by more than two to one, our men are better trained, and ours are the better arms. He’d be leading them to a slaughter.”
“I agree, Captain. But if he won’t fight us, and he won’t join us, why is he out here?”
Keziah shifted her gaze back to the lone flag, watching it rise and fall lazily in the wind. “You sent word to Seamus, didn’t you, Your Majesty?” She looked at Kearney again. “You ordered his army north, to Galdasten.”
“Yes. What of it?”
“The messenger would have arrived here days ago, and yet the duke and his army remain. And he’s not flying the colors of the realm.”
“You think he’s making a show of defying me.”
She could hear the pain in his voice. None of the others would have noticed-they didn’t know Kearney as she did-but it was there, unmistakable.
“There’s no Qirsi with them, Your Majesty,” the captain said after a brief silence. “There would be whether they were planning to fight us or join us. I think the archminister may be right.”
“I’ve never known Seamus to be so bold.” A sad smile touched the king’s lips, then vanished. “He must hate me a great deal.”
“They’re traitors,” the captain said. “Every one of them. We should kill them all.”
“We can’t.” Kearney gave a short, harsh laugh. “Seamus knows we can’t. We haven’t the time to fight them, and we can’t weaken ourselves by trying. It’s a coward’s gesture.”
But Keziah could see from the expression on Kearney’s face that it stung nevertheless.
The captain faced him. “So what do we do?”
“We ride past them,” the king said. “Captain, I want you to make certain that the men don’t respond in any way to Domnall’s soldiers. They’re going to be taunted, they may be spat upon. They’re not to retaliate. Not at all. I want them looking straight ahead, I want them silent, and I want their weapons to remain at their sides. Do you understand?”
The man nodded, though he didn’t look at all pleased.
“They’re testing us. They want to see if we’re disciplined enough to prevail, not only against the empire, not only against the conspiracy, but also against Aindreas and his allies. If we lash out at them, even if it’s justified, we weaken ourselves, we weaken the realm.” He looked down at Domnall’s army once more. “Seamus wants to show that he’s not afraid to defy me. Let’s show him that we don’t care one way or another. Give the order, Captain. Return here when the men are ready.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The captain rode off, calling to the other commanders.
“He’s playing a dangerous game,” Kearney said, his voice so low that Keziah had to lean forward just to hear him. “This could get out of hand very quickly.”
“Might we be better off leaving the road, putting some distance between our soldiers and his?”
“Probably, but I think you know I can’t do that. Seamus is looking for any sign of weakness on my part. I’d be giving him just what he wants.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
He looked at her. “You think I’m wrong.”
“No. I’m sure you’re right. But I fear for us all. You shouldn’t have to consider such things when marching to defend the realm.”
The captain returned a short while later to inform the king that the men had been given their orders.
“Then, let’s march,” the king said.
Keziah hesitated, wondering if she should return to the rear of the column. “Where do you want me, Your Majesty?”
“I think you’d better stay with me, just in case.”
They started down the gentle slope, Kearney, his youthful face grim, leading the way.
Seamus remained in the center of the road, a smirk on his thin lips. As they drew nearer to Domnall’s army, Keziah could see that the duke’s men stood at attention, but with their swords sheathed.
The king seemed to notice this as well. “At least he has sense enough to keep weapons out of their hands,” Kearney murmured. A moment later, he added, his voice still low, “Archminister, I want you to follow my lead. Do what I do, and stay close at hand.”
Keziah nodded, her heart hammering at her chest and her mouth dry.
As the road leveled out and the king’s army drew ever nearer to Domnal’s men, the duke steered his horse off the road, though he halted just beside it, and close to the first of his men.
“At ease!” he called in a clear voice.
Immediately, Domnall’s soldiers relaxed their stances and started shouting insults at Kearney’s men, calling them cowards and butchers. Keziah glanced back at the soldiers and saw that though they continued to face forward, already the nearest of them were reddening.
“Stop looking back,” Kearney said quietly.
She obeyed, but gave a small shake of her head. “This isn’t going to work.”
“I know. Just follow me.”
As he reached Seamus, Kearney steered his mount off the road as well, so that he was positioned just beside the duke. Keziah did the same, taking her place on the other side of Seamus.
“Lord Domnall,” the king said, as his men began to file past. “How kind of you to greet my men. You honor us.”
Seamus frowned. “That wasn’t my intention.”
Kearney’s sword was in his hand so swiftly that Keziah didn’t even see him reach for it. Apparently the duke didn’t either. He looked utterly shocked to find the tip of Kearney’s blade pressed against the side of his throat.
Immediately Kearney’s men halted and a hush fell over the duke’s army.
“Continue the march!” the king said, his voice pitched to carry. “Eyes straight ahead!”
After a moment, one of the captains barked a command and the king’s soldiers started forward again. Seamus’s men, however, kept their silence.
“What did you think to accomplish here, Seamus?” the king asked, speaking softly again. “Surely you didn’t think that I’d allow you to mock me and my men in this way.”
When the duke said nothing, Kearney pressed harder with his blade, until Keziah wondered how the skin on Seamus’s neck didn’t break.
“Well?”
“No matter what I’ll say, you’ll kill me as a traitor.”
“If I wanted you to hang, I’d already have cause enough to give the order. I ordered you to Galdasten. Under the laws of the land, your house is already in rebellion.”
Seamus said nothing, though the color fled his cheeks. It seemed he hadn’t considered this.
“I’m not going to have you executed.”
“Then you’ll imprison me in my own dungeon.”
“I won’t do anything to you, Seamus. I have more pressing matters to which to attend. To be honest, you’re not worth even this much trouble. But I want an answer. I want to understand this.”
The duke eyed him briefly, his mouth set in a thin line, his angular face ashen. “I can speak freely?” he finally said. “Without fear of punishment?”