Carpenter eyed Will murderously, still dabbing at his nose and mouth. Launceston's ghostly face remained a frozen mask, but Mayhew held his head as if the world was spinning out from under his feet.
'The Spanish are preparing to invade?' he said. 'We have heard that so many times. It is now true?'
'Their Armada will sail upon England shortly.' As Walsingham clutched his hands behind his back, Will thought he could see a faint tremor in them.
Steadying himself, Will said, 'Philip has attempted an invasion with his Armada before, and failed. Badly.'
'We all know what happened,' Walsingham said dismissively. 'Two hundred ships amassed at Santander in 1575. After disease and incompetence, only thirty-eight finally sailed for Dunkirk. Five ran aground on shoals, three were driven back by storms, and the remainder were forced to shelter in the Solent before fleeing home.'
'After such a folly, then, why should we give his current plans any credence?' Will asked.
'And what of our ambassador in Paris,' Mayhew continued, 'Staffordhis dispatches state very firmly that Spain is in no position to invade, and this Armada is a flight of Philip's fancy.'
'Stafford is wrong-or worse,' Walsingham replied.
'You suspect him?' Launceston enquired.
'Sir Edward likes his money a great deal and he never has enough of it, by his accounts.'
'What other information do you have?' Will asked.
'The Dutch captured and interrogated the nephew of one of the cardinals who has had close dealings with Philip,' Walsingham said. 'He revealed that a year ago, the Vatican transferred a million ducats to a Spanish bank where it is held in trust until the pope receives notification that the invasion of England has begun.'
'So Philip has the funds he needs,' Will mused.
'The nephew also spoke of the Armada's destination and timetable.' Walsingham paused as he considered his choice of words. 'Unfortunately, the queen has chosen to believe Sir Edward's missives-he has always been one of her favourites-and so the necessary preparation work to ensure our defences are robust is not yet under way.'
'And the Armada will sail soon?' Will asked.
'Soon.' Walsingham was clearly not prepared to reveal all that he knew.
'We cannot conjure defences overnight,' Carpenter said. 'If Philip truly has a great fleet, we would be stretched too thinly once he reaches our coast.'
Walsingham slowly paced the Great Hall, looking like a raven searching for carrion. 'Your analysis is correct. Time is fast running out.'
'And the Silver Skull must be part of this invasion plot,' Will said. 'The Enemy and the Spanish walk hand-in- hand. Each feels they use the other to gain their stated aim-the destruction of England, and the conquest of England.'
'There will be little left for the Spanish empire if the Enemy gets its way,' Carpenter noted bitterly. 'Can Philip not see that?'
'Philip sees what he wants to see,' Walsingham replied. 'He believes God is on his side, and so all things will turn out well.'
'When God is clearly on our side,' Will said acidly.
Walsingham eyed him coldly, but did not respond to the barb.
'In Edinburgh, Don Alanzo de las Posadas said he was transporting the Silver Skull back to Cadiz,' Will continued, 'to keep the weapon safe until they are ready to use it, one would think. The Skull's powers could be unleashed anywhere from Norfolk to the south coast to Wales, and disease would spread across the land in no time. When the Armada has defeated our feeble fleet, and the disease has run its course, the Spanish will march into London with no opposition. They do not need the subtleties of the Shield for that. Let the Skull kill all.'
'And rule a land of the dead?' Carpenter said.
'They have no need of Englishmen,' Will said. 'They know that for the rest of their days, they would be attempting to stifle revolt after revolt. Best to be rid of us for good.'
'Philip is not an evil man,' Walsingham said. 'Merely misguided. He does what he does for his country and his religion, as do we. He would not want to see innocents suffer on a grand scale, Englishmen or not. No, I feel the Spanish will direct their attack along narrower lines.'
Will considered this for a moment. 'In London. If the Silver Skull is smuggled in, the queen, the government, the entire court could be wiped out. Our resistance would crumble.'
Launceston nodded. 'That makes sense. But other things do not: why travel from Edinburgh to Spain, when the Skull could have been brought directly to London and hidden away in the depths of the city until it is needed?'
'Because they know what we would do,' Carpenter said firmly. 'Trawl every part of London until we found it. No, Spain is the safest place for the Skull until the time comes to unleash it.'
Will understood that a Spanish invasion weighed heavily on Walsingham's mind, but his own thoughts turned towards the Unseelie Court. Their aims were elusive, constantly shifting. Their manipulations often appeared to point in one direction, while the results lay in another, and they continually circled the great events that were unfolding so it was hard to mark their place in them. They clearly needed the Silver Skull to strike a blow that would bypass Dee's defences that kept them from crushing England in their fist. But why did they require the Shield to protect them so they could move through the disease-ravaged land?
'The Shield is well protected in the Lantern Tower,' Walsingham replied to his query. 'It is now beyond the Enemy's reach. Whatever they planned is no more.'
Will was not convinced, but he did not pursue the matter. His immediate concern was where the Unseelie Court was holding Grace, and he thought he knew.
'You want us to go to Spain, to kill or capture the Silver Skull,' Will said, 'and to do whatever we can to undermine the plans for the invasion.'
A faint smile flickered across Walsingham's lips, quickly stifled, acknowledging that Will had clearly predicted his intentions.
'You want us to travel into the heart of our enemy's land?' Mayhew said incredulously. 'The Skull will be the most closely guarded object in the whole of Spain, as closely guarded as Philip himself. How can we be expected to survive such an assault?'
'We aren't,' Will responded, 'but if we can destroy the Silver Skull in the process, our work will be done.'
Though he blanched a little, Mayhew nodded; he understood their responsibilities.
'You have only returned from Edinburgh this morn,' Walsingham said. 'The report I received from your assistant suggested the injuries inflicted on you by the Enemy were extreme.'
'Nat is prone to exaggeration,' Will replied. 'I am in good health, and fit to lead the mission into Spain.'
Walsingham studied Will for a moment, not wholly convinced. He had every right to be doubtful; Will's wounds were still knitting, but the sea journey would give him plenty of time for recovery, Will anticipated. Walsingham clearly agreed, for he nodded and said, 'Then these fine men will accompany you. Arrangements have already been made-your ship leaves today. But first you must visit Dee in Whitehall, for he has some new surprises for you. May God go with you.'
Walsingham gave a curt bow and strode out of the room to the carriage waiting to take him back to the Palace of Whitehall. Will admired the spymaster's cold focus upon his business; he had essentially sent them all to their deaths, and dismissed them with nothing more than a nod.
'Well, then,' Will said. 'There is time for drink and a visit to the doxie of your choice. Make the most of this time, men, for there will be few comforts in the days ahead.'
As his eyes briefly met Carpenter's baleful gaze as he walked from the room, he wondered how much he could trust the man. Carpenter's grudge had festered for a year, and he was not someone who easily let go of his desire for revenge. The Enemy was expert at driving a wedge into men's hearts through the flaws in their character. Had Carpenter betrayed Grace to them? Would he betray them all further? Will decided he needed to keep a close eye on his rival.
As he strode through the sunlit rooms of the palace, his thoughts turned back to Grace. In Edinburgh, Cavillex had stated clearly his intention to torture and kill Will in front of Grace. He knew Will would travel to Spain in search of the Skull, and so logic dictated Grace would also be held there ready for Will's capture. The Enemy would be waiting for him; Grace too would be waiting. Nat would say he was ready for a trip to Bedlam to so knowingly walk into the Unseelie Court's machinations, but Will hoped that knowledge would be enough to protect him.
