“Was it another one of Dieyre’s lies that Demont’s army was defeated up north? We all thought he was dead.”
“It was not a lie. He truly believed Demont was dead. You will find the story interesting, I think. Remember that everyone in Demont’s service is a maston or a knight-maston. They were marching north to deal with a rebellion of the Earl of Caspur. He had control of all the approaches. His men were waiting to trap Demont and prevent escape. Demont knew he was outnumbered and his men were weary and Caspur’s fresh. There was an Abbey in that Hundred where Demont’s men sheltered. He knew that Caspur would not recognize the rights of the Abbey to safeguard them as he was burning the Abbeys within his lands. The Medium told him to cross the Apse Veil to Muirwood. They left their horses. They left the young king behind with a small guard to sneak away. Anyone who was not a maston was told to depart in the night. When the morning came, there was a great fog like the kind that happen here. Caspur stretched his line so that Demont would not slip away in the mist. There was confusion and his men started attacking each other, thinking they had stumbled across the mastons. By the time the fog lifted, Caspur learned that his army had nearly destroyed itself. Demont’s men, meanwhile, crossed the Apse Veil to Muirwood.” He paused, looking her keenly in the eye. “They crossed two days ago. But they did not arrive at Muirwood until this morning, when you summoned the defenses. Not only did they cross a bridge of distance, they crossed a bridge of time, arriving when they were needed. The men are a little confused at having lost two days unexpectedly as well as hearing the reports of their death. But they defended Muirwood and have taken the remnant of Queen Dowager’s soldiers into custody.”
Lia shook her head in amazement. “I believe it. When I crossed the Apse Veil, Maderos hinted that he could take me other places and other times as well. So what have you done to Dieyre? You just mentioned having spoken to him.”
Colvin folded his arms, his face growing severe. There was the anger again, just beneath the surface, implacable and intense. Not fear – only anger. “He is alive though will not reveal where he had my sister taken. He knows that is his only coin to bargain with, and he is being greedy with it. I think she was taken or is being taken to one of his manor houses in his lands with orders to kill her if anyone tries to free her. She is his hostage.”
Lia sat forward suddenly and winced with pain at her side. He gripped her shoulders and pressed her back against the cushions. “That is a secret he cannot hide for long. When you are feeling better, then I would like you to take some knight-mastons and save her. With the orb, you can find her.”
“Yes,” she replied reluctantly. “I wish you had killed him. When there is a poisonous serpent about, it is not wise to let it slither. But for her sake, I am glad you did not. I heard what you told him, that you could perceive his thoughts and knew the trap he had set for you. What a cruel man, plotting her death as a consequence for his. What is being done with him? Please assure me that he is not roaming free.”
“Indeed he is not. His mood is surprisingly buoyant for a man whose plot had just met with unmistakable disaster. He is not as glib as he was, nor is he repentant. He demands a trial in Comoros. Demont is willing to oblige him and he will be taken to Pent Tower after Demont has secured the city. It is a prison for nobles. And as you may guess, he will be under guard constantly, as he is very rich and will likely try to bribe his way out of punishment. I am sure you will want to know about the Queen Dowager as well? I thought so. She is under guard and being kept in a room here in the manor house. When Demont arrested her, he took away her heirloom necklace. There was a kystrel embedded in the jewelry.”
Lia was not surprised. “She did wear a lot of jewelry. But I thought kystrels leave a mark on those who use them? Scarseth…his skin was ravaged by tattooes. Does she disguise it somehow?”
“You are right about the effect, but strangely, her skin was not marked. She does not hide it. She said, rather haughtily, that in Dahomey, her family’s line does not suffer the marks for using kystrels. They claim that it is the only true way to use the Medium and that we are corrupted in our use. After her failure, she railed against Demont, the Aldermaston, against us all and promised she would see every last maston killed. She ordered us to return her to her brother, the king of Dahomey, which we will not do until our mission to Dochte Abbey is finished. She did not take defeat…gracefully.”
Lia grabbed his arm, heart surging with hope. She had not brought herself to ask the question fearing what the answer would be. “What? The Aldermaston…he lives?”