“You think someone set it up so Mikel the Hort would tell you what he’d heard, to set you off course.” She nodded again. “Perhaps it was Thestian himself.”
“That is exactly what I think, that he used Mikel the Hort to make us believe exactly what he wanted us to believe. The same he does with Diato and what he did with Robusk.”
“But Robusk is missing now,” Fiona argued, clearly looking for any way to make Ronan’s conclusion wrong.
“That’s right and once he was, Thestian became the confused and fumbling wizard, which worked nicely with Diato.” Ronan rested a hand on the sword. “There is also the fact that we’ve not encountered any dark forces since we began this journey.”
“Because Sleagan was having us bring it to him. He had a plan.” Ula rose to her feet, eyes widening. “Because he’s had a spy with us all along letting him know what was happing every step of the way. No one would question him because wizards are known to have prophetic dreams.”
“And if Thestian were not Sleagan why would he tell Diato of mine and Fiona’s joining when he knew that the man would become mad with jealousy? Even Fiona knew that he would.”
“Oh no.” Fiona’s expression fell as the realization of Ronan’s reasoning hit her.
“Diato thinks he will kill me, capture Keegan, and take the sword back to Thestian like a good little captain should.” Ronan crossed his arms.
“And by doing so, the sword is placed right in Sleagan’s hands,” Fiona finished, and then shook her head. “But what do they want with Keegan?” Ronan looked at the horseman. Keegan bowed his head.
“Most of what I told you was truth,” Keegan said lowly. “Orin Yore’s request for my freedom was denied. But I escaped prison two years later and used the name he’d given me.”
“Keegan Yore,” Ula whispered and he nodded. “What name did you have before?”
Doane Vaughn. “It doesn’t matter.” Ronan’s answer caused Keegan to look up at him.
“It does matter,” Arien argued, eyes suddenly flashing. “It matters because it could be he that is working against us.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Ronan repeated, looking at Ula, “We all have secrets that name us a suspect. I’m not about to have them all aired and for no other reason but to rip apart those of us who are honest about our intentions.” Ula gave him a little nod of agreement.
“What will you do about Diato?” Fiona crossed her arms.
“I will attempt to talk sense to him and if he doesn’t listen I will have our dragon step on him and then serve him to his family for supper.” Ronan slanted a gaze at Monty when the dragon grinned, his pointed teeth glistening in the morning sun.
“It’s a doable plan,” Monty agreed.
“You should let me deal with Diato. He is a bit tougher than he may seem. I’ve bested him before,” Fiona said, causing Ronan’s head to snap around.
“I’m afraid not.” He crossed his arms. “You will keep out of the way. You don’t fight a fire by pouring more fuel into it.”
“I will not fail this mission.”
“And I will not fail at what I’ve set out to do.” Ronan’s tone was matter of fact. He ignored her frown, turning to Keegan. “You and the others go after the other guards if Diato will not listen to me. If they are as stupid as the one he spoke with last night, you will have no trouble. Between you, Bryan, Fiona’s snake arms, and Ula’s blue magic it would take you only minutes to leave Diato to face me alone.” Keegan nodded glancing at Arien when the boy made a sound of disbelief.
“And what am I and Bryan to do this whole time? Stand on our heads?” Arien kicked at the ground. “I can fight.”
“Yes, but you and Ahearn have an understanding…I did not forget that. If something goes wrong, someone will have to take the sword on to Merisgale. And fast.” Ronan pointed to the boy. “That someone will be you.” Arien’s frown only half lessened but Ronan did not want to chance the boy getting hurt.
“Monty will be our eyes. He can see them coming before any of us,” Ronan continued when Arien offered no more arguments.
“It’s a good plan.” Keegan nodded. “You do well with no sleep.”
“I do better with it. You all take today and prepare yourselves however you must. Rat foot or whatever.” Ronan saw the grin curl on Ula’s mouth before she and the others scattered.
“May I speak with you?” Fiona lingered and Ronan breathed out heavily.
“I do not want to argue with you today, Fiona. I have too much on my mind.” Ronan turned to step back into his hut but she followed.
“I am a warrior. It’s what I’ve spent my life training to do. And Diato did not make captain because he does not know how to kill.” Fiona placed her hands on her hips. “Listen to me, Ronan. I know what I am talking about.”
“I know you do and I hear the sense you are speaking but I must insist that you keep out of the way and assist Keegan with the others.” Ronan did not look back at her.
“Why?” she demanded, raising her voice.
“He thinks he owns you,” Ronan explained. “He still thinks of you as his woman. That makes you a very dangerous motivation for him to kill the rest of us.”
“No one owns me,” she argued. “I am a warrior, Ronan. I am trained to fight. Before I left Merisgale to come for you I bested him in a sword fight. I could have killed him. It would have been easy.”
“Have you so little faith in me?”
“You are a blacksmith, Ronan, not a swordsman.”
“I’m a wizard.”
“One that is inexperienced and uncertain of himself.”
Ronan blinked. “You’ve trusted me thus far and now when we are so close, you doubt me?”
“It’s not that I doubt you, Ronan. But you don’t know him like I do. He has been trained and very well…”
But Ronan was hurt. “You will do as I command.” He turned so he couldn’t see her expression. “I don’t care what kind of warrior you are. I am still one of the King’s Guards and a wizard. And my will shall be done.” Silence followed. He manifested a goblet of ale but it tasted sour in his mouth. He finally glanced back at her to find her glaring coldly at him.
“You would command me?” She had no emotion in her voice. No, that wasn’t true. He heard the edge, knew that she was fuming.
“If it meant I could keep you safe, yes. I would command you.” Ronan set the goblet aside and reached for her hand but she stepped away.
“Then you are no better than he.” She turned on her heel and marched from the hut without looking back.
“I’ve been waiting for you to visit me.” Robust sat smiling against the wall when Sleagan opened the door of his prison. “I’m eager to know what you think of our little blacksmith now.”
“I think he will be dead soon and so will you.” SleaganSleagan folded his arms, standing in the doorway.
“He knows who you are. He knows you are SleaganSleagan.”
Thestian scowled. “And what can he do about it? Nothing. Diato is on his way to kill him as he we speak. My plans will not be fouled. I do not care which man brings me the sword as long as I get it.”
“You will not succeed.”
“I already have. Merisgale is mine. With no king to guide them they are looking to the man you named to be next king. I control them all.”
“Power is like a tapestry, woven tightly with expensive threads. In the right hands it can last years. In the wrong hands it becomes frayed on the edges and soon begins to unravel.” But fear began to creep back into Robusk’s chest. What if Thestian did succeed? Merisgale would fall and who would step up to save Meris from Sleagan’s dark forces?
“Power is not the tapestry in this case, old man. Meris is.” SleaganSleagan smiled recklessly. “And unraveling is just what I had in mind.”
“Ronan Culley will stop you.”
“Ronan Culley can do nothing if he is dead.” Thestian turned and stepped through the door, then hesitated. “And I know that you’ve been speaking to him both in his dreams and through that horse. I’ve always known.” The door swung closed leaving Robusk in the darkness of the windowless cell.