glorious behind her. The carvings all faced the center of the circle, presumably looking down on the proceedings.
At the far end, opposite where Liam was standing, three large oak trees reached up over the wall. They leaned over the middle of the circle, and their branches grew into each other, woven together like crisscrossed fingers. As a farmer, Liam had spent much of his life attending to the needs of growing plants, but never had he seen anything like this. It was as if the trees had at some point come to life, twisting their trunks toward each other to engage their branches and leaves in one giant embrace, creating a natural canopy over the circle.
Underneath the trees' outstretched arms stood six of the seven members of the Council-the official decision making body of the Crimson Awl. Though most of the decisions were made in the Awl through a vote of all the attending members, when there were disputes, the Council was the final authority.
The members now stood in a line, three on each side- an obvious absence in the center. Up until the ambush, Ryder had been the seventh and most senior member of the group. The open space between the other Council members was there for him. Despite the circumstances, it made Liam feel a small amount of warmth for these men that they would honor his brother in such a way. He began to relax. Surely they would realize that he was no traitor. They would show to him the same honor they showed now to Ryder.
Arrayed around the wall, standing two and sometimes three deep, were many of the other members of the Crimson Awl. Liam recognized all of them. He'd seen them at meetings, even fought with them side by side against Purdun and his men. He had come to think of them as his extended family. They looked out for him, and he did the same for them.
Behind the Awl, standing in the shadows several steps off but still within earshot, was a group of odd-looking people. All but one wore heavy cloaks of dark gray wool that were hard to see in the shadow-laden forest. At first, Liam couldn't tell how many of them there were. They seemed to fade in and out, blending in with the darkness. Two in the group stood out. One because he was the sole person among them with his hood pulled down and his face exposed. The other, like those behind, wore a hood over its face, but unlike its companions, the fabric was a deep red, like the color of blood.
Liam looked at them for a long moment and decided that there were six of them in all. He didn't recognize the man without a hood, and the others showed no distinguishing features. They were intently focused on the proceedings, looking on with obvious interest.
The cuffs of his shackles bit into Liam's wrists, and he twisted them to see if he could make himself more comfortable. If the Council wanted to talk about betrayal, he'd talk about betrayal-namely the way they were treating him after he'd lost his brother in the raid.
Montauk left Liam's side, stepping over the low stone wall and into the circle. He passed by the other members and took the empty place among the line of Council members.
Liam's heart sank. 'You've given Montauk Ryder's seat on the Council?' He glared at them.
All of the Council members except Montauk averted their eyes.
'How long did you wait in respect for his passing?' said Liam, sadness slowly filling his chest. 'A day? Perhaps a full tenday?'
'It's not like that, Liam,' said a portly man standing beside Montauk.
'Then what is it like, Meirdan?'
The portly man grabbed his long, graying beard, seeming to use it to steady himself and collect his thoughts. 'We mean… Well, it's…' Meirdan took a deep breath. 'Your brother would have wanted it this way.'
'How do you know what Ryder would have-' started Liam.
'Enough,' interrupted Montauk. 'It is not the Council that has to justify its actions. It is you.'
'Yes, yes,' said Meirdan, obviously glad to have the spotlight moved onto Liam. 'You have some explaining to do.'
'And what would you like me to explain?' spat Liam. 'How we got ambushed? How Ryder was killed when the elite guard-?'
'Why don't you start with your visit to Zerith Hold and your little chat with Lord Purdun?' interrupted Montauk.
The collected members of the Crimson Awl stirred angrily.
'He took me prisoner,' defended Liam. 'I had no choice.'
'You didn't resist?' probed Meirdan.
Liam nodded. 'I did,' he replied. 'But they threatened to burn down my home. Samira and my mother were inside. Surely any of you would have given yourselves up to save your family.'
'Then why didn't you do the same for Ryder?' jabbed Montauk.
Suddenly, Liam hated this man. 'Why don't you unlock my hands and ask me that question again?'
'Now, now, Liam. I am only trying to get to the bottom of what happened and what was said.'
'We were ambushed, Montauk,' shouted Liam. 'Somehow they knew we were coming, and they were ready. They had us outnumbered. When things got tough, Ryder pushed me out of the way of a guardsman's blade.' Liam bit his lip. He could see Ryder in his mind. He watched again as the soldier's blade pierced his gut. 'He saved my life, then begged me to run.' Liam looked out into the crowd of Awl. He spotted Kharl. He shoved his chin toward the young man. 'Ask Kharl, he'll tell you. He was there.'
The Awl mumbled to themselves. Behind them, the newcomers stood stock still, unmoved by Liam's words.
Montauk took a step forward and put his arms up. Instantly the circle fell silent. 'You are avoiding the issue. Get to the point. What did you tell Lord Purdun? What does he know about the Awl?'
Liam held his chin up defiantly in the face of this thinly veiled accusation. 'I told him nothing.'
'Surely the baron wanted something from you,' goaded Montauk.
Liam took a breath, looking out at the other Awl. He didn't know how this next part was going to sound. He looked to the ground. 'Yes, he did.'
'And? Out with it, man. What did he want?' demanded Montauk.
'He offered me a job.'
'A job?' Montauk's voice rose to an incredulous pitch.
Liam nodded. 'He wanted me to join his elite guard.'
This brought another burst of mumbles from the rank and file.
Montauk laughed. 'You expect us to believe that you were taken by force to see the Baron of Ahlarkham after you ambushed one of his carriages so that he could offer you work?'
Liam nodded again. 'That's what happened.'
'And what was your answer?'
Liam stood up straight, puffing out his chest. 'I told him I'd rather die than do his dirty work.'
This brought a few hoots from the crowd, and a 'That a boy!'
Montauk glared at the Awl, and they fell silent again. 'And after you told him this, he just let you go, no punishment, no exchange of information, no nothing?' He spun a slow circle, making a big deal out of making eye contact with everyone present. When he had completed his turn, he faced Liam again. 'Well, I don't know about your other brothers and sisters of the Awl, but I for one do not believe you.'
Liam looked around at the men and women he had thought were his friends. They stared at him with accusation in their eyes. Even Kharl, who would have been lying dead next to Ryder if it hadn't been for Liam, seemed to condemn him.
There was a loud noise behind Liam, and a whole lot of rustling.
Then someone shouted, 'It's Purdun's men. Run!'
There were a few choice swear words, then commotion broke out. Dowmore Glen became a frenzy of activity. The veterans in the group organized quickly, forming a line, trying to give the others time to flee. They grabbed the younger ones, forcing them behind the line. The Council members and those on the fringes of the circle ran for cover.
As Liam spun around, he caught one last glimpse of the strange robed group on the fringe of the Glen. Only two of them remained. The hoodless man and the red-cloaked person looked on with the same stoic gaze they had worn while watching Liam fight accusations of treason. Then they turned and walked calmly from the clearing. As they left, four gray wolves padded out from behind the trees, following them deeper into the forest.
Liam wondered about them for a quick moment, then the hum of bowstrings brought him back to the soldiers
