My mood had improved, which was a great relief to Penelope, though I did have to do quite a bit of apologizing. It was worth it however, the making up did even more to cheer me up. I still held a dark seed of anger and grief within though. I kept it down, dark and deep, where even I was largely unaware of it. I focused my conscious mind on more pleasant matters, few as there were.
Two weeks after spring had ‘officially’ begun the riders returned with word that scouts had been seen. The scouts were light cavalry men, riding in pairs to explore the valley and road. We left them alone; I had no plans to interfere with them unless they decided to go near where the dam was located. Fortunately they didn’t go that far, stopping ten miles into the valley before returning.
The river at the end of the valley they were entering through was small; we were only allowing a small flow to pass from the dam downstream. I worried they might be suspicious at the low level of the river. Not being native to our valley I was taking a chance they would be ignorant of how powerful it normally became in the spring.
I found Dorian the evening after the scouts had been spotted. “Are the men ready?” I asked him. It was a foolish question; we had done everything possible already. Still, I couldn’t help myself.
“As ready as I could make them,” he answered. With the addition of the men from Albamarl, and those from Arundel we have over six hundred men able to fight. We would have been hard pressed to arm them all, but some of the crates we had stolen from the capital were loaded with weapons and light armor. I was certain the king was missing them by now; he had to be hard by, trying to arm his own men.
“Six hundred,” I repeated. It seemed a pitifully small number to face an army that would almost certainly exceed ten or twenty thousand. “It’s time to move the women and children to Lancaster,” I added.
Dorian nodded, we had discussed all this before. Everyone not expected to fight would be moved there, furthest from the conflict. If things went badly here as many as could make it would fall back there as well, I had built a larger circle to allow me to transport twenty people at a time to Lancaster, more if they were friendly enough to squeeze together.
From Lancaster I had prepared a second escape, assuming I was alive to use it. It would take them to a location fifteen miles down the road leading to the capital. If I were dead Marc could use it to get them there, he had already demonstrated that with the help of his goddess he could activate it. I hoped it was far enough to keep them ahead of the invaders but I would probably not be there to know.
I went to talk to Penny. I had something important to tell her, before things got out of hand. I found her in the yard, exercising with Cyhan. “We need to talk,” I started simply.
“Can it wait? I’m almost finished here,” she inquired.
“No, I don’t think it can,” I replied somberly.
She caught the look in my eyes. This was a conversation I had been holding back for months. I feared the consequences if she read too deeply into my thoughts. “Alright,” she answered. “Here… or do we need to go somewhere private?”
“Private.”
We went up on the walls since they were close by. The view from there was breathtaking, overlooking the partially forested field leading from Cameron Castle to the valley road. A cool wind tossed the tops of the trees to and fro as we watched. “So what is it?” she asked.
“Have you felt any changes in yourself lately?” I asked. I thought she might be more accepting if I asked for her input first.
“No… Why? I’m getting better, according to Cyhan, but that’s to be expected.”
“I mean… other things,” I glanced downward, staring pointedly at her belly. Unfortunately her stomach was uncommonly flat and hard, a result of her extended exercise and training. For the first time ever I wished she might have gotten a little fatter.
“What are you saying?” she said.
“A few nights ago… while you were sleeping, I felt something. I wasn’t sure at first…,” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Are you trying to tell me I’m pregnant? Do I look pregnant to you?” her face registered disbelief.
“I think it’s very early, I’m not sure. I’ve never felt something like this before, but I could feel it in your womb last night,” I let the fear show on my face.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she said. “You honestly think I’m pregnant?”
“Yes,” I said plainly.
“You’re making it up,” she replied, but I could see uncertainty in her face.
“No… I wish I were. This is no time for having children.”
“What makes you so sure?” she asked suspiciously.
“I could feel the heartbeat… a second heartbeat Penny. I’m very sure,” I put as much sincerity in my voice as I could muster, everything rested on her response.
Her face was awash with warring emotions, till at last I could see a resolve forming. “You’re lying. You want me to agree to break the bond.”
“No! Penny! That’s true, but that’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m telling you the truth, you’re carrying our unborn child, this isn’t just about you and me anymore,” I told her. I stared at her with a certainty I didn’t feel. Then I drew on the image of my father dying, using his memory to bring tears to my eyes. “You have to believe me Penny, I wouldn’t lie about this,” I lied, letting the tears roll down my face. In one small part of my mind I couldn’t help but feel proud of my acting, but despite the deception, my emotions were real.
She began shaking her head in denial, “No, no! You’re lying! This can’t be true, I would have seen it. I always have visions about important things, why wouldn’t I have seen this?!”
“Think about it Penny. Have you had a single vision since we formed the bond? You haven’t, have you? The bond is the reason. It blocks your vision just as it blocks the voices I heard. If you don’t believe me, ask Marc. Surely his goddess will know the truth of it,” I said.
She looked me squarely in the eye, “He would lie for you.”
“He would, but he won’t lie about what his goddess tells him… he can’t. He’s told me so before. Ask him!” My lies were growing larger with every breath. I hadn’t spoken to him about helping me deceive her, but I had to trust he would know what to do. Some things were more important than the truth.
“Alright,” she said. “I will.” She started for the stairs leading down to the ground. As I followed her she turned, “You stay here. I don’t want you giving him hints. If what you say is true he’ll either confirm it or not on his own.”
Fear gripped my heart, but I hid it quickly. “Very well, I’ll wait here for you.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll find you later. Whatever he tells me I’ll need time to think,” and with that she left. I stared into the distance for some time after, wondering what he would say. Marc was the best liar I had ever met, bar none, but since his calling he had changed. Even though he had given me the idea I wasn’t sure he would help. The Lady of the Evening Star had strict rules regarding lying, and there was nothing false about his new devotion.
She said nothing to me at dinner that evening. The great hall was a good deal quieter now. Almost all of the women and children were already gone. I had spent the better part of the afternoon transporting them to Lancaster, one group after another. We had plenty of time still, so they could have traveled on foot, but I wanted them to get used to the idea. Some took quite a bit of convincing as it was. It was better to make sure they trusted it now than wait until we were pressed for time.
As a result of my efforts I was exhausted by the time I had my meal. Not only had I taken several hundred women and children to Lancaster, I had also returned with the majority of the fighting men that had been living there. Lancaster was now populated almost entirely by women and their dependents, plus the few elderly that had been in Washbrook. Genevieve and Rose were with them, keeping order, though Rose had raised some objections.
I sat at the head of the high table with Penny on my right hand. James Lancaster sat to my left, in the seat that had once been my father’s place. The sight of his empty chair had given me trouble for some time and I was grateful to have him filling it. Dorian and Marc each sat in the chairs beside Penny and James. I carefully avoided looking at Marc for fear of revealing my lie. I was sure she had already spoken to him, but she hadn’t told me his
