A chill passed down his spine. Seeing her there was not unexpected, he had already guessed at the purpose of her mission before she had left. What unnerved him was her expression, or rather her lack of expression. Her eyes passed over him with no hint of recognition. That along with the strangeness of her voice a moment ago told him more than enough. She was no longer the woman he had known.
“Chain them to the post there,” said Edward calmly. “I want you gone before the others arrive.”
“We have kept our part of the bargain. Do not forget your part, King of Lothion,” answered the creature that had once been Ruth.
Edward’s eyes narrowed in the darkness. “Do not presume to lecture me. I have not forgotten. Begone lest I lose my temper!”
The shiggreth made no reply and within minutes they were gone, leaving behind their shackled prisoners. Cyhan stood guard silently beside his king while they waited for the priests to arrive. His eyes never left Penny and Dorian’s faces but his mind was far away.
My king has made an alliance with the undead, he thought quietly, and Ruth is now one of them. Those two facts chased each other in circles within his head and he could find no way to escape the horror they presented. He had gone numb, physically and mentally. Try as he might he could find no meaning or reason in what he had just witnessed. I have only my oath.
Chapter 39
Our arrival in Lancaster was greeted with some surprise but I didn’t have much patience for formalities. I headed for the keep as soon as we arrived, stopping only to ask one question of the guard on duty, “Where is Genevieve now?”
“She’s in the study sir,” the man answered quickly.
I turned to Walter and Harold, “I will be meeting with the duchess, go ahead and find something to eat but don’t go too far. I plan to travel again momentarily.”
I ran into Benchley right after entering the main hall. “Your Excellency, it is good to see you again,” he said to me in a tone that was genuinely respectful. Since I had been granted the title of count I found I missed his sarcastic tones. He just isn’t the same anymore, I lamented inwardly.
“Benchley!” I exclaimed. “I’m going to see her Grace but she will need your assistance immediately thereafter. She will want to send several messages. I would appreciate it if you would call for the messengers and tell the head groom to get a fast horse ready.”
He gave me a tight lipped smile and walked with me to the study door. “Certainly sir,” he replied.
I stopped, “I mean now Benchley. I can let myself in. I don’t need you to open the door for me.”
He coughed. “Begging your pardon sir but I’ve already taken care of those things. Do you still wish to open the door for yourself or is there something else you would like me to do?” His hand was already gripping the door handle.
I almost laughed, instead I grinned at him. “You smug bastard, I’ve missed you.”
He gave me a quizzical look, “I never left sir.” His tone and expression gave nothing away, but my magesight showed me a distinct flicker of amusement as he answered. I could study for a hundred years and never attain this man’s level of sarcastic excellence, I reminded myself.
I waved my hand at the door and let him open it for me. I found Genevieve sitting at a desk leaning over a heavy ledger book. She glanced up at me in surprise, “I hadn’t expected to see you back so soon. Is James alright?” Her eyes had already taken in the fact that I was alone.
I walked around the desk and held out my hands. She tentatively accepted them and I pulled her gently to her feet before embracing her. “Penny and Dorian are alive,” I said softly. It was something I had only learned myself an hour past and the emotion that swept over me as I allowed myself to say the words was overwhelming.
“What?!” she said thrusting me out to arm’s length. “Where are they? How did you learn this?”
“They’re in Albamarl. The King has them…,” I began. It took almost a quarter of an hour to explain the situation and how I had come by the information. The matter was only made more difficult by the fact that I could barely speak due to the storm of emotions that was running through me.
The duchess was patient as I told my story, waiting till I had run down before she spoke. “What do you intend to do now?” she asked bluntly when I had finished.
“I need you to send a message to James. He still thinks we’re trapped in that cave. He should come back and I will probably need his help soon,” I told her.
“And then?”
Frustration boiled up causing me to clench my fists, “I don’t know! I want to go to the capital and separate Edward from his entrails!”
Genevieve shook her head, “You know you cannot do that.”
“Why not?” I asked. “If he can’t speak he can’t order their deaths. I simply have to kill him quickly.” I knew better but I wasn’t in the mood for being rational.
“He has been at this game for much longer than you have been alive. If you kill him they will die, you can count on that Mordecai,” she replied sternly.
Helpless anger put tears in my eyes as I looked up at her. “Then what would you advise me to do?”
“You might consider negotiating first. Obviously he will use them as hostages to ensure your cooperation. Depending on his plans for you it may be better to cooperate than risk him harming the two of them,” she said slowly.
“No,” I said immediately, “Walter took that course and he hasn’t seen his family in over four years. Besides, the king doesn’t dare kill them. We are at an impasse. If he kills them I will not hesitate to avenge them. Their lives are the only things that shield him.”
Genevieve’s voice was bitter. “Who said anything about killing? He can do far worse than that, and send you the evidence of their torture to prove his point. This isn’t a fairy tale Mordecai. Edward is capable of many fine gradations of cruelty to ensure your compliance.”
She was right of course, and her words only gave voice to my deepest fears. Still I couldn’t accept things as they were. “He hasn’t made his ‘acquisition’ known to me yet so I at least have some time to think before I have to respond to any demands. How long do you think I have before he reveals his hand to me?”
The duchess had her head down, for she was focusing on writing a letter. “Not long. He will want to solidify his hold upon you as quickly as possible. Most particularly if he already has something in mind he desires to gain from you,” she speculated as she wrote.
I straightened up, “I’m going to Albamarl. I don’t want to waste what time I have.”
She glanced up, “Anything specific you want me to tell James?”
“Stay here and stay ready, if I need him I’ll arrive suddenly and probably need to depart again just as quickly,” I replied, striding purposefully for the door. I paused with my hand on the knob, “Thank you Genevieve. I’ll never be able to say that enough.”
Ignoring my words she replied instead, “Don’t do anything rash Mordecai. As long as Edward is unaware of your knowledge you are still free to act on your own. Once he communicates with you your every action will be viewed and evaluated carefully, and any consequences will fall upon Dorian and your wife.”
I interrupted Walter and Harold’s brief lunch and within a few minutes I had taken us on to my house in Albamarl. I began searching for Marc and Rose as soon as we arrived. I held out little hope of finding either of my two friends in residence but luck was on my side for a change. Marcus was lounging in the downstairs parlor, one leg thrown over the arm of a well cushioned chair. He had a wine bottle in one hand, and another now empty bottle, lay on the floor.
I took one look at him and asked Walter and Harold to give us some privacy. They excused themselves and went looking for the kitchen, most likely to finish the meal I had interrupted in Lancaster. Once they were gone I closed the parlor door.
“You’re drunk,” I started with a vindictive tone. Marc stared up at me bleary eyed but gave no sign of
