The King

Byren radiated fury.

'Here. Enough of that.' Captain Temor stepped in to prevent Byren from attacking Cobalt again. Piro was close enough to hear Temor whisper, 'You're only making it worse, lad.'

Her brother spun away from Temor, striding a couple of steps towards Orrade. She saw Orrade's anguish and winced. For a heartbeat, his feelings for Byren were written on his face, then he recollected himself. But others had seen his façade slip.

Byren pivoted on his heel to confront the king and queen. 'Father, Mother, I swear the rings are a Jubilee gift for you both. The poem was meant for Elina. I had a lincurium pendant made to give Lence for his bride. You can ask the jewel-smith. He'll vouch for the truth of my words. You can't — '

The ring of a sword being drawn silenced him. Piro spun around. No one carried a sword in King Rolen's court.

Cobalt approached, almost too weak to hold the sword tip steady. She recognised King Rolence the First's ceremonial sword, which had hung on display above the family's coat of arms.

'Let me defend you, Uncle,' Illien offered.

Byren swore softly. 'Get your hands off that. You dishonour King Rolence's memory.'

'Only the king should wield that sword,' Rolen said, and Cobalt handed it over, feeling for the table to support himself.

King Rolen faced Byren, lifting the sword between them.

Piro turned to the queen. 'Mother!'

She went white, closed her eyes and seemed to reach a decision. Stepping between Byren and the king she said, 'Rolen, you can't.'

'Out of the way, Myrella,' the king warned.

The queen caught his sword arm. 'Rolen, listen to me. You can't believe Illien over your own son — '

'Why not? I've seen the evidence. I should have listened to Illien back at midwinter. If I had, Lence wouldn't be betrothed to a cunning vixen whose father laughs at me behind my back!' He pushed the queen aside, not roughly, but without remorse. 'Instead I listened to you. I insisted Lence marry the girl and lost his love and respect. Well, now it's time to mend my mistakes.'

'Oh, Rolen. You haven't — '

'Enough!' he snapped. 'My second son is a traitor, but I will not kill him. Too many of my kinsmen have died on the altar of power.' The king lowered the sword point, his massive fist shaking. 'I cannot order my own son's execution, but I can banish a traitor. Before everyone here today, Byren formerly known as Rolen Kingson, I disinherit you, I disinherit you — '

The hall's great doors swung back on their hinges, reverberating as they hit the walls. A single pair of boots sounded on the polished wood.

'Where's Byren Kingson?' a rough contralto demanded.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Piro pivoted to see Florin stride through the forest of columns wearing her strained travelling clothes, a pair of skates slung over her shoulder. The image made no sense. For an instant Piro thought she had slipped into the Unseen sight, but Orrade gasped Florin's name so she knew the trader's daughter had really arrived.

Florin recognised Byren and made for him.

'Bad news, Byren Kingson,' she called even as she approached. 'Da sighted Merofynian soldiers — '

'Rubbish,' Cobalt snapped. 'Who is this rough female, dressed as a man?'

Florin cast him one swift glance then focused on Byren. She was close enough now not to have to shout. 'You know how Da was off visiting his sister? Well, he come back yesterday lunchtime, with the news. I've been skating ever since.'

'If there were Merofynians in Rolencia our warning beacons would be burning,' Captain Temor said. 'And our spies would have sent word of a build-up of soldiers at Port Merofyn even before they sailed, so — '

'I don't know anything about spies or why the beacons aren't alight,' Florin admitted. She turned back to Byren. 'But Da's awful worried.'

'No one makes war in winter,' old Lord Steadfast objected.

'It's almost spring cusp,' Piro pointed out

No one listened to her.

'Girl, I am your king,' her father said.

Florin made a deep bow. 'I beg your — '

The king waved this aside. 'Now, where are these soldiers?'

Florin's cheeks were bright pink when she straightened up, but she answered the question. 'Da said they were camped below the Cockatrice Pass.'

'Highly unlikely,' Captain Temor whispered to the king. 'Lence has just been to see warlord Rejulas.'

Rolen nodded, casting a sharp glance in Florin's direction. 'How many men, girl?'

'Florin. This is Florin Narrowsdaughter,' Byren said. 'She helped us kill the manticore pride. I can vouch for her.'

'You have been disinherited,' Cobalt interjected. 'You can't vouch for anyone.'

'What?' Florin muttered, looking to Byren for an explanation.

'How many warriors, girl?' the king repeated, raising his voice.

She fixed on him. 'Da guessed around five hundred.'

'An advance party?' Temor suggested.

'A trader's imagination,' Cobalt countered. 'Too much wine, a lonely crossroads. He overhears some other travellers, panics and runs home.'

'Here,' Florin rounded on him. 'Don't you say that about my Da. He's no fool.'

'Quiet, girl!' King Rolen snapped then turned to consult with Temor.

Piro glanced to her mother for help, only to realise that everyone had stepped away from the queen. It seemed that even though her mother had been married to the Rolencian king for nearly twenty-one years and had produced four heirs, she was still a Merofynian kingsdaughter in their eyes.

Voices filled the great hall as the old honour guard argued. Some refused to believe the Merofynian king would prepare an invasion while signing a betrothal pact. Others thought it all too likely.

'Byren?' Orrade approached him, lowering his voice, but Piro was close enough to overhear. 'If Florin is right, Dovecote is in danger. I must warn Father and Elina.'

'I'm going, too,' Garzik insisted.

'We've sworn service to Byren's honour guard,' Orrade told his brother. 'We can't both ride off — '

'I send you,' Byren said. 'Elina, your father and Lence are all at Dovecote. If Florin's father is right, you must save them and light the warning beacon.'

Orrade and Garzik nodded.

'You're sending them to save Lence?' Piro whispered. 'When he — '

Byren met her eyes, silencing her with a look. 'Don't you see what Cobalt did? He tricked Lence into distrusting me. I don't know how he led the manticores to us but — '

'King Rolen?' Their mother's high voice cut through the men's deep rumbling. She stood small, regal and alone. 'Husband, hear my counsel. If Old Man Narrows is right, the invaders could easily march between Rolenhold and the abbey, cutting us off from the warrior monks. We need to get word to the abbot — '

'Don't listen to her. She's Merofynian,' old Steadfast warned.

'Besides, for all we know there is no army,' Cobalt added.

'Myrella's right, Rolen.' Captain Temor turned to the king. 'If this is an advance attack, we can crush them between the abbey's fighting monks and our palace guard. We have to send someone to the abbey — '

'I'll go,' Byren offered.

'No, Byren. That would mean passing under the very noses of the Merofynians,' their mother protested. 'You could be captured and killed!'

Piro waited for her father to refuse to send Byren.

He hesitated, considering.

'Let me go, Father. Let this prove my loyalty to you, to Lence and to Rolencia,' Byren urged. 'Lence is at Dovecote. Orrade and Garzik will warn him — '

'Send Lence's honour guard with them,' Captain Temor suggested. 'We need the heir safe back here.'

Piro glanced to Byren. His mouth tightened. To them, he was disposable and it tore her apart.

'We'll go alone,' Orrade said. 'A small party can move quickly without attracting attention, and fifteen or twenty warriors cannot hope to stand against five hundred.'