“The boy needed a push, that’s all.” He looked at the baby again. “She’s quite beautiful. Not that I’m surprised, mind you.”
“Thank you.”
“Where were you off to?” he asked. “I’ll walk with you.”
“Actually, we were on our way to the kitchen.”
“Better still!” he said brightly. “I’ve already eaten, but I’ve never been one to refuse a meal.” He patted his ample belly. “Particularly a free one.”
Again she laughed. Trin was just as she remembered, and though she had dreaded this encounter, she already found herself grateful for his companionship.
They walked to the kitchen and then sat eating a small breakfast. All the while, Trin regaled her with tales of the Revel, describing for her the public humiliations and private indiscretions of seemingly every Qirsi and Eandi in the festival. Some of the names she recognized from her days as a gleaner, others she didn’t, but she had to admit that she found all of it quite entertaining. Bryntelle appeared to as well, laughing every time Cresenne did, and smiling at this strange bald man who told such clever stories. It occurred to Cresenne that the child had never heard her mother laugh so often or so loudly. That, as much as anything, may have been what the babe found so amusing.
At last, Trin ran out of tales, or at least chose to make it seem so. He stared at her, his smile slowly fading, a kindly look in his eyes.
“So tell me, cousin, how is it you’ve come to live in Audun’s Castle?”
It was a polite question, but likely an unnecessary one. A man with Trin’s penchant for gathering information about others could hardly have spent so much time in the City of Kings without hearing talk of the Qirsi traitor living under Kearney’s protection.
“I think you know.”
He tipped his head, conceding the point. “Word travels the streets. But what’s Grinsa’s connection with all of this? The last I saw of him, he was searching for you. He accused me of aiding the conspiracy, and even struck me.”
Her eyes widened. “He didn’t! When was this?”
“Long ago, at Kearney’s investiture. I forgave him, of course. Had I been so in love with you, and so desperate to find you, I might have done the same. Still, for a man such as myself, who makes a point of knowing as much as possible about the affairs of others, it was rather confusing.”
“I can imagine.” She looked at Bryntelle, smoothing the wisps of white hair that covered her head. “There’s so much to explain, Trin, much of it too painful or too humiliating to tell. It’s enough to say that our love affair began as a seduction and deception.”
“You were acting on the conspiracy’s behalf.”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why you fled.”
She nodded.
“Where did Grinsa find you?”
Cresenne smiled. “I found him, just before Bryntelle was born.”
“I see. And how is it that our friend, the Revel gleaner, has become guardian to a disgraced lord and an advisor to kings?”
Once more, she shifted her gaze to the child. “He’s a wise man, Trin. And he’s somewhat more than he first appears.”
“That tells me nothing.”
“Still, it’s all I can say. I’m sorry.”
He laid a meaty hand over hers. “No need for apologies, my dear. I offer none for my prying-you should give none for telling me that it’s none of my concern.” He grinned, for just a moment, then grew serious again. “Tell me, though, what does the future hold for you?”
Cresenne shrugged, her stomach balling itself into a fist. “Who can say? If the W-” She looked up to find Trin eyeing her intently. “If the conspiracy wins this war, I’m probably a corpse. If it can be defeated…” She made a small gesture with her hands, unsure of what to say. “I suppose this is my future.”
“Do they treat you well, these Eandi who call you traitor behind your back?”
“How do you-?”
“I told you: word travels. Do they?”
“Well enough.”
“Do you trust them to keep you safe?”
“I trust…” She had intended to say that she trusted Grinsa to keep her safe, but that would have raised more questions than it answered. “I trust myself.”
Trin smiled. “Well, good for you. I wish I had your strength, cousin.” He leaned closer to her. “Just the same, take a word of caution from an old, fat Qirsi who trusts no one, himself least of all. Be watchful. I know that there have been attempts on your life, though some of what I’ve heard I don’t quite understand. And I expect, from what I’ve been told, that there may be others. Kearney’s guards have grown somewhat lax with the Revel in their city. I walked in here today with little trouble-the soldiers at the gate hardly gave me a second look.” A mischievous grin lit his face for just an instant. “Though I gave them several. I do love a man in armor.” Just as quickly as it had appeared, his smile vanished, leaving the old gleaner grim and earnest. “My point is this: if I can come and go as I please, so can other Qirsi with darker intentions. Be careful, cousin. Now that we’ve renewed our friendship, I’m loath to see it end prematurely.”
She just stared back at him. Notwithstanding her brave words a moment before, she felt frightened and terribly small. She wanted to rail at the guards for their laziness, but she knew that would do her no good. And already another thought had entered her mind. Some time ago she had spoken with the queen-a chance encounter in the gardens. Leilia told her that if she needed anything, she had only to ask for it. Cresenne had been reluctant to request anything of the woman, assuming that the queen had long since forgotten their conversation. But perhaps in this case she could best serve herself and her child by being a bit brash.
“I’ll see to it,” she said at last. “Thank you, Trin.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ll see to it? Now I am impressed. I wonder if Grinsa knows just what he’s gotten himself into.”
Funny that this strange man should find it so easy to make her laugh, even when it seemed that she was threatened from all sides.
“Right now, I’m sure that I’m the least of his worries,” she said.
“I don’t claim to know the man very well, cousin,” Trin told her, patting her hand. “But I expect you’re wrong about that.”
It was long past time for Bryntelle to sleep, so Cresenne walked Trin to the castle gate, bade him farewell, and asked, in all sincerity, that he come to see her again when he could find the time.
“Finding the time is a simple matter, my dear. The other gleaners know me too well to expect me to do much work, and I seldom disappoint them.”
Still smiling from this last quip, still intending to approach the queen later, after they had slept, Cresenne made her way back to her chamber, singing softly to Bryntelle, who was nearly asleep by the time they turned into their corridor.
So it was that Cresenne didn’t notice the Qirsi woman lurking by her door until she was almost upon her.
The stranger’s clothes were worn and travel-stained. She wore her white hair short, so that it framed her round, pretty face. From the lines around her mouth and eyes and her bent back and rounded shoulders, Cresenne guessed that she was in her late thirties, old for a Qirsi. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and her expression was solemn and wary. But it was the woman’s eyes that drew Cresenne’s attention. They were deep gold, like a merchant’s coins, and they reminded her strongly of the Weaver’s.
“Cresenne ja Terba?” the woman asked.
Cresenne halted, sensing that she was in danger. “Who are you?”
The woman opened her mouth to reply, but then lunged at her, brandishing a dagger that she had held hidden within her sleeve. Cresenne tried to jump away, but the stranger moved with speed and grace that belied her aged appearance. She tried to ward herself, but she would have had to drop Bryntelle to do so. In the end, she was helpless to do more than watch as her attacker hammered the blade into her heart. Pain blinded her, stole her breath, her strength. Somehow she was on her back, struggling to remain conscious. She heard Bryntelle crying, realized that she no longer held the baby in her arms. But she could do nothing. She felt the life gushing from her body, staining her clothes and the stone floor. Gods it was cold. Bryntelle. Grinsa. How could she have failed them both this way? How could she have let the Weaver win?