Byren's spirits lightened. He'd missed Orrade, who'd seemed withdrawn since Cobalt asked him to spy.
'You'll have to camp on the edge of the estate and send Piro on with Garzik. That'll make her wonder… I guess there's only one thing for it.' Orrade was serious now. 'You'll have to tell Piro the truth about me.'
'You don't mind?'
'A kingsdaughter, who can do what she did on Unistag Spar, is not going to worry about my preference for men.' Orrade hesitated. 'Do you want me to come too?'
'Of course,' Byren replied. 'If I'm to camp in a chilly snow-cave, while Garzik and Piro sleep in warm beds and eat hot dinners, I want you to suffer with me!'
Orrade laughed. 'You know I'd suffer far worse for you.'
Byren dropped his friend's arm. If he truly had Orrade's loyalty, why hadn't he warned him about Cobalt?
Orrade went to say something, but Byren turned and left him there on the stair. Alone.
Orrade would misinterpret his reaction, thinking Byren was uncomfortable with him. Which he was, whenever he stopped and thought about it.
Byren tried to put himself in Orrade's position. How would he feel, spending every day with Elina, unable to show that he cared? Was it even right for him to presume on Orrade's friendship? His head spun. He wished Orrade had kept his mouth shut.
Byren let his horse stand. They had ridden rather than skating so they could bring enough stores to make a comfortable camp. This camp had to be near enough to Dovecote's keep for Byren to slip over and meet up with Elina, but far enough to avoid detection.
He shaded his eyes to look across the valley. The setting sun's silvery rays picked out Dovecote's warning tower. Each great estate had warning beacons, just as they had a force of trained warriors… once. Thirty years of peace had made everyone grow fat and prosperous. But not the Old Dove. He still drilled his honour guard himself. Mind you, he'd outlived the veterans of Byren the Fourth's War of 246 and nearly all the veterans of the Merofynian War of 269 that put King Rolen on the throne.
Byren blinked. The Dove was nearly eighty. How strange it must be to live so long, to see others who were born when you were an adult grow old and die before you.
The grey stone of the warning tower gleamed like polished pewter. It was close to spring cusp but the thaw had not yet begun. Soon the land would be madly sprouting, dormant seeds battling each other to accept Halcyon's blessing. Strange to think that this snow-shrouded valley would be a steaming jungle by summer's cusp.
'Not far.' Piro spurred her horse on.
'We'll camp here,' Byren announced. Now that it was time to reveal his banishment from Dovecote estate and the reason for it, he was worried about Piro's reaction.
His sister twisted in the saddle to stare at him. 'But we're nearly there.'
He nodded to the setting sun. 'Nearly night.'
'There's no cloud cover. We could ride by starlight,' she protested.
'We're camping here.' Byren swung his leg over the horse's back, dropping to the snowy ground.
'I don't — '
'For once, will you do as I say? There's something I have to tell you, Piro. Something important.'
This piqued her curiosity and she swung her leg over the saddle, landing lightly on the snow. 'All right. I'm listening.'
He nodded to Garzik who collected her mount's reins, then moved off to unsaddle the horses and rub them down. Without a word to Orrade, Byren began to dig the snow out of a gully to make a snow-cave. A big one, since he planned on being here for more than a day or two.
He hoped that while they were alone Orrade would confide in him and together they could think of a way to outwit Cobalt.
Piro watched him for a few moments then asked, 'Why bother with such a big snow-cave, when we'll be in beds tomorrow night? Why camp at all, when we could ride on?'
'Orrade and I are not going to Dovecote,' Byren told her.
'I must confess, I wondered why Orrade was coming with us. But you… why aren't you coming to Dovecote?' A teasing sparkle lit her dark eyes and it struck Byren that his sister was a remarkably pretty girl… when she wasn't being irritating. 'Elina will miss you, Byren.'
That stung. 'No, she won't. She said she never wanted to see me again and Lord Dovecote's banned me from his estate.'
Piro's mouth dropped open. 'But why? That's ridiculous!'
Byren smiled because she bristled so beautifully on his behalf. He forced himself to go on. 'The Old Dove thinks I'm like Palos, a lover of men.'
Piro's laughter rang like a bell. Seeing his expression, she sobered abruptly. 'What made him think that?'
'I told him.'
She gaped.
'He was trying to protect me,' Orrade revealed with painful honesty. 'But I've been disinherited anyway.'
Piro sat down in the snow, stunned. 'So that's why your father disinherited you, Orrie. No wonder you didn't want to tell anyone.'
'Yes. And that's why neither of us can set foot on the estate. Elina thinks I prefer Orrade to her.' Byren heard the resentment in his voice and turned away to resume digging, using his anger to fuel the work. Sometimes he wished he had sent Orrade away instead of keeping him close by, a constant reminder of what he had lost. 'Orrie and I will camp here and wait for you. We've enough food to last seven days, more if we get lucky with our snares.'
Byren concentrated on working, waiting for her reaction. He didn't know which would be worse, pity or sympathy. Then he wondered if she would ask if it was true and that would be worst of all.
Garzik came back, having overheard everything, and began to help with the snow-cave.
'You knew all along, Garza?' Piro asked.
He nodded. More silence.
'Oh, Orrie,' Piro whispered. 'Here I was, feeling sorry for myself because I have to join Sylion Abbey when you've lost everything.'
Orrade looked up, startled. 'You have to join the abbey? But that would mean… you have Affinity?'
Garzik stopped work, his heart in his face. He loved Piro. Byren had not guessed and he doubted if the boy even realised it himself.
He was equally sure that Piro hadn't noticed, as she nodded to Orrade. 'I do. How do you think I controlled the unistag?'
The brothers exchanged looks, then turned to Byren.
'We only just found out,' he explained. 'It seems everyone has secrets.'
'Some more deadly than others,' Orrade muttered. Byren felt sure he was referring to Cobalt and his threats.
'What do you mean?' Piro asked, then wrinkled her nose. 'Oh, being a lover of men.' She paused as a thought struck her. 'But I've often heard Lence boast of the times you three have gone wenching. He claimed Orrie could — '
'Piro!' Byren cut her off, shocked.
'What?' Seeing his expression she flushed, then looked frustrated. 'I have ears, Byren. I know what you males get up to.'
'Maybe, but you don't hear mother talking about it,' Byren snapped.
'Oh really?' She rolled her eyes. 'You haven't heard the women when they are alone.'
Made uncomfortable by the idea that gossip of their exploits had reached his mother, Byren fell silent.
Orrade straightened up, dusting snow off his gloves. 'Several of the lords executed for being Servants of Palos were married, Piro.'
'So they were.' She stood up and brushed snow off her riding breeches. 'Well, you learn something new every day. What's for dinner?'
A surprised laugh escaped Byren. Orrade caught his eye, sharing his amusement in a moment of perfect understanding. No, he didn't regret their friendship and he didn't want to give it up.
So they cooked dinner and, afterwards, he beckoned Piro, leading her to the lookout where he turned to face
