The Born Queen - J. Gregory Keyes [73]
“Aradal had no right to make such assurances,” the prince said. “Your country has been declared a heretic nation by the holy Church. The old covenants no longer apply.”
“Do you really believe that?”
For an instant the uncomfortable boy showed again in his eyes, but then his lips pressed into a thin line.
“I won’t argue about this, lady.” He nodded at Neil. “And I don’t expect an argument from your man, either.”
“You’re taking me prisoner and you don’t expect an argument?”
“You wanted to talk to my father, didn’t you?”
“Yes. To try to talk him out of this war.”
“Well, the war is begun, and your daughter began it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She slaughtered five hundred holy warriors of the Church, sent by the Fratrex Prismo to keep the peace. The Church is our staunch ally. If it is attacked, so are we. Furthermore, we have news that she is preparing to assault our peacemakers in Copenwis. So we find ourselves in a state of war. You, Your Majesty, represent an invading force, and I would be fully justified in removing all of your men-in-arms from the fray. Instead, I’m doing the honorable thing and allowing them to return to Crotheny.”
“And if I wish to return with them?”
Berimund opened his mouth, closed it, and seemed to think for a moment.
“My father told me to intercept your embassy and bring you to him on his terms. If there is no longer an embassy—if you no longer wish to meet with him—then I will take you to the border. He did not expressly tell me to take you prisoner.”
“But you imagine that was his intent? That if I do go, I will be hostage?”
Berimund sighed and looked away. “One might imagine that, yes.”
Muriele took a long breath, remembering the endless days in the Wolfcoat Tower, where Robert had kept her.
“You have some honor, Prince Berimund,” she allowed. “If I go with you, I would ask for your protection.”
He paused at that, seemed to study something in his head, then nodded.” You have it, lady, if that’s really what you want.”
“It is.”
“Very well. Your knight may keep his harness, for now, if I have his word he will not attack unprovoked.”
He eyed Neil, who looked to her. She nodded.
“I so swear by the saints my people swear by,” the knight said.
“Thank you,” Berimund said. He turned to Aradal. “Take the rest of these men back to the border. They are not to be harmed or disarmed.”
He nodded at Muriele. “When you are ready, lady, we will ride on to Kaithbaurg.”
Muriele felt her hair stir. The wind from the storm had reached them.
CHAPTER SIX
A HEART FOUND CHANGED
CAZIO DID NOT have pleasant memories of Castle Dunmrogh. A stone’s throw from it he had watched helplessly as men and women were nailed to posts and disemboweled, and those doing it had meant to hang him. If it hadn’t been for Anne and her strange powers, he probably would have died there. He very nearly had, anyway.
Even without that recollection to color things, he still wouldn’t have been happy. What was Anne up to? Was she being honest with him—did she really need him here—or was this punishment for opposing her?
He remembered Anne stepping into the clearing that night, regal and powerful.
Terrifying, actually. And since then he had many times felt that power and terror. It was hard to think of her as the nymph he had met swimming in a pool back in Vitellio.
Maybe she wasn’t. Maybe that Anne was gone.
And maybe he didn’t care to serve the new Anne anymore.
He sighed, gazing up the hill at the gray walls and three-towered keep.
“What do I know about running a castle, anyway?” he murmured in his native tongue.
“We’re here to help you with that, sir,” Captain Esley replied in the same language.
Cazio turned to the fellow, the leader of the men Anne had put under his charge. He was short, with a steel-streaked black beard and hairy caterpillar eyebrows shadowing dark eyes.
“A nineday on the road and you don’t bother to tell me you speak my language?”
“I don’t speak it so well,” Esley said. “But I fought for the Meddisso of Curhavia