lost two of our four children to Affinity.'
Piro felt this as if it was a personal failing.
'People will say the royal family's cursed,' Lence muttered. 'Very well. I'll go. I'll ride out this very day.'
Byren rose. 'Do you want me to come with you?'
'Why?' Lence rounded on him. 'Do you think I can't manage?'
Byren took a step back. Piro flinched with him.
'Lence!' King Rolen's voice cracked like a whip.
Lence glared at their father. 'We wouldn't be struggling to control our warlords if you'd just listen to me. If we'd declared war on Merofynia they'd be right behind us, eager for their share of the bounty. And I wouldn't have to marry Isolt. Illien says — '
'I know what Illien says, I've…' King Rolen ran down, looking tired. He grimaced as if something tasted bad. When had her father grown old? 'The cut and thrust of political manoeuvring is never a simple as the cut and thrust of real battle. I've given my word and I won't break it.'
Lence glowered. Without a word, he turned on his heel and strode out, slamming the door after him. The reverberation echoed through Piro like a physical blow.
'Should I follow him?' Captain Temor asked softly.
The king considered.
'Father, I don't trust Cobalt,' Byren said. 'I know he is our cousin by blood but what if he is feeding us a pack of lies?'
'What lies?' her father countered. 'Palatyne has been named overlord of the spars. King Merofyn's health is failing daily. Cobalt has the elector's trust. What Ostron Isle knows, Cobalt knows. No, Byren. It is too easy to destroy a man's good name. I won't stand by and see it done.' He shook his head grimly. 'My own father refused to acknowledge his bastard son. That left us vulnerable to the wiles of the Servants of Palos. They would have used Spurnan as their puppet king, but my half-brother refused to play their game. He went to father and proved his loyalty by revealing the plot. I owe Spurnan's son a debt. I won't hear a word against Illien!'
Byren compressed his lips, obviously holding back things he wanted to say. Piro was pleased. At least Byren could see through Cobalt. If only the others could.
'Do you want me to go to Cockatrice Spar with Lence?' Temor asked.
Her father debated.
'Yes,' her mother said.
'No,' the king said, hard on her heels. 'Let Lence handle this.'
'You sent Temor with Byren,' the queen pointed out.
'That was different. The warlord of Cockatrice Spar has already sworn fealty to the crown.'
'Temor could — '
'No, Myrella.' The king was firm.
Piro watched her mother's lips compress in the same thin line as Byren's. What was happening to her family? Worry sat like an indigestible lump in Piro's stomach.
As Byren made his way to the stables, his mind returned to his cousin. Maybe Cobalt's Merofynian reports were based on truth, but what of his conclusions? From what Lence was saying, he'd been urging war, which happened to suit his twin. What had possessed Lence to confront their father like that?
Byren went to his hunter's stall. Speaking softly, he checked the horse's foreleg to see if the poultices had healed its shin. Satisfied, he let the beast's hoof drop and straightened up. It paid to look after their mounts. There weren't many horses he and Lence could ride.
This time of year, the quickest path to Cockatrice Spar would be to skate via the canals and hire ponies to take them over the pass but, knowing his twin, Lence would choose to ride, it did not suit a kingsheir to travel on foot. So Byren was not surprised to see Lence stride in with his travelling kit and call for his horse to be saddled.
He cast a glance at his twin's companions. Cobalt, well that was no surprise… but Brookfield and Dellton? Both were seventeen and had only recently come into their titles. They would be out of their depth amidst spar politics.
Byren managed to nod casually to Cobalt, who returned the nod as though he had not threatened to reveal him as Orrade's lover. Byren found his hands curling into fists. Since they'd returned to Rolenhold, Byren had been wondering what Orrade had reported to Cobalt. Illien of Cobalt had stolen his place at his twin's side, his father's confidence in his decisions and now, it seemed, Byren's trust in his best friend.
'You're riding to Cockatrice Spar, Lence?' Byren made it a question.
'Yes.' His twin slung travelling gear over the rail and stepped back to let the stable boys saddle his mount. Lence folded his arms and eyed Byren. 'I suppose you'll be escorting Garzik back to Dovecote Estate? Knowing you, you won't pass up the chance to see Elina.'
Byren struggled with the complexities of this. He could hardly reveal that he had been banned from the estate. This would raise too many questions. Lence was right, he should escort Garzik back to his home to honour the lad's bravery facing down the amfina.
Had everything been right between them, it would have delighted old Lord Dovecote. Byren was very tempted to slip onto the estate and find Elina, but she'd be just as likely to order the stable lads to throw him out. Maybe he should send the poem first then approach her, but what if the poem was intercepted?
Lence shifted impatiently and Byren glanced at him. His twin was being a dog in the manger. If Lence couldn't have Elina then he didn't want Byren to have her either. He fixed on Lence. 'Elina can never be yours, so what is it to you?'
Lence glared. 'Nothing, and don't you dare pity me. My decisions are all made for me. Who I'll marry, whether I claim my birthright or not!'
'What birthright?'
'Merofynia!'
Byren blinked. The stable lads went about their tasks, pretending not to hear. Brookfield and Dellton kept their heads down as they checked their horses' saddle girths. Only Cobalt glanced their way. Byren ignored him.
'I'm mother's first born,' Lence said, 'and she is the rightful heir to Merofynia, not her cousin. That makes me kingsheir, not this brat that they've betrothed me to. I should be ruler of Merofynia in my own right, able to choose who I marry!'
'But — '
'Don't bother. I know all their arguments. But no one asked me. Mother and father just gave up the rights to my inheritance!'
Byren did not know what to say. They'd been not quite thirteen when King Sefon was killed. Too young to understand the significance of their parents' decisions. He'd never given it another thought. 'But — '
'Forget it.' Lence strode over to his horse. 'Come on, Illien.'
Byren stood aside, while Lence led his horse outside into the stable courtyard to mount up. Byren followed, watching as the rest of Lence's party took to their mounts.
His twin headed towards the archway first, with Brookfield and Dellton next, then Cobalt. Not by so much as a quirk of his lips did Illien betray his feelings as he urged his horse past Byren. But Byren could stand it no longer. He grabbed the saddle's pommel. The stable boys had retreated, they were alone. 'You've been putting ideas in Lence's head.'
Cobalt's lips pulled back from his teeth in a smile that did not reach his eyes. 'Nothing that isn't justified, kingson.' His clever black gaze fixed on Byren. 'Ask yourself this, if Lence claimed Merofynia, who would rule Rolencia?'
It took Byren a moment to grasp the implications. 'But I don't want to rule Rolencia!'
Cobalt snorted. 'Then why do you try to outshine Lence at every opportunity?'
He kicked the horse's ribs and the beast plunged past Byren, through the archway into the next courtyard. Byren watched them go, stunned by what he had learnt, but also oddly relieved, for he had begun to understand what had driven him and Lence apart. It wasn't anything he had done but, conversely, it wasn't anything he could fix. Lence had finally found a grievance he felt was justified.
As for Byren, he could avoid Elina — had no choice but to avoid her — but that would hardly satisfy Lence.
