He turned back to Bonner. “Just think of it. Your revolver let Kate kill three drakes in a matter of moments. If we make enough of them, put them in enough hands, imagine how many drakes we could slay. Maybe even enough to rid the world of them. That would be a feat to make any father proud—and yours will live to see it.”
Kate closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, accepting defeat. There were a million things she wanted to say to Bonner, reminding him of the risk of the Inquisition, the reality of his magic when it came to his invention. The gold robes were based out of Norgard, for Shades’ sake. But she couldn’t. Even worse, she didn’t think it would matter. Saving the kingdom? Getting his father the help he needed? Those were risks Bonner would be willing to take.
She opened her eyes and touched Bonner’s arm, needing the reassurance of him for as long as it would last. “It’s too good an offer to refuse.”
Bonner turned his head and looked down at her, a muscle working in his jaw. He covered her hand with his before turning his gaze back to Corwin. “Very well. I will accept, but only if Kate may come with me.”
Kate’s fingers tightened around Bonner’s forearm automatically, her fingernails digging into flesh. What are you doing? she tried to shout with her eyes, but Bonner ignored her completely, not even flinching at the assault on his skin.
“I didn’t spend so much time and energy keeping her safe to just leave her behind unprotected,” Bonner continued.
Scowling, Kate pulled her hand free. “I’ve no need of your protection, Tom Bonner. Or anyone else’s.” She shot a glare at both Corwin and Dal for good measure. “I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, that’s not in any doubt,” Dal said, grinning. “Not after your performance yesterday. Or considering you single-handedly slew all those daydrakes.”
“Yeah, thanks to me,” Bonner pointed out, his grin as broad as Dal’s.
The only person not smiling now, aside from Kate, was Corwin. She could guess why—he didn’t want her in Norgard any more than she wished to come.
Dal must’ve sensed Corwin’s reluctance, too, for with a wicked glint in his eyes, he said, “I’m sorry for not mentioning this earlier, Kate, but I’m afraid you really have no choice about coming to Norgard, at least for a little while.”
“Why is that?” Kate said while Corwin shot his friend a dark look.
“Because of your heroics in saving our high prince, of course,” Dal said with an exaggerated frown. “The high king insists on rewarding you for such. How could he not?” Now it was Dal shooting the dark look—at Corwin.
Corwin drew an audible breath, then addressed Kate. “Dal is right. You are to be honored for your deeds. The . . . high king commands it.”
Kate knew he was lying, but she didn’t know why. She considered calling him on it, but Bonner spoke before she could. “You’ve got to offer her more than some reward or you can count me out. The number of guns you want is going to take a long time, and I’ll need Kate’s help.”
“With what?” Dal asked, sounding genuinely curious.
“She’s our weapons tester,” Signe said with a fox-like grin.
Dal clapped his hands. “Oh, that sounds like a job I might sign up for as well.” He waved at Corwin. “I’m sure we can devise something for Kate. Yes, your highness?”
Corwin was silent several seconds before slowly nodding. “I might be able to arrange a place for you in the royal stables. You’ve certainly the skill for it.”
It was a cruel jab, even if he didn’t mean for it to be. He surely remembered that had been her wish once—to follow in her father’s footsteps, training Norgard horses day in and day out, year after fulfilling year.
She couldn’t keep the bite out of her voice as she replied, “You forget, your highness. I’m a traitor’s daughter. They won’t welcome me there.”
“They will if I make it so,” Corwin said with a hint of anger in his voice. Then he abruptly calmed. “You saved my life, Kate. That makes you welcome anywhere in Rime. I give you my word that you will be well treated if you decide to return.”
Your power is not so great, Kate thought. People would obey the decree, but only when there was someone around to enforce it. When there wasn’t . . .
Still, she had saved him. The high king was in her debt and that had to count for something. Go to Fenmore, she remembered once again. She had no idea what her father had meant by it. If she returned to Norgard, there was a chance she might discover his intention. Maybe someone he’d been close to would know what he’d meant.
Kate turned her gaze to Signe, “Are you going to go?”
Signe bared her teeth in a smile. “I never walk away from a new adventure.”
Then I would be here alone, Kate thought. For a moment she let herself picture Norgard, with its outer wall of white stone rising up over rolling fields of grass, green as emeralds. On any given day, more than a thousand horses roamed those fields. And beyond that white wall stood the castle itself, home to the finest horseflesh in all the world. My father’s horses.
But it was also home to the executioner’s block, the place where her father had died.
Why? Why did he do it?
Go to Fenmore.
Kate stood up straight, feigning courage she didn’t feel. “All right, I’ll go.”
Part Two
The Errant Prince
12
Corwin
THEY LEFT FARHOLD A WEEK later, heading for Andreas. Half a dozen people met them at the gate to bid farewell to Bonner and Signe. For Kate, only the Relay foreman came out. Corwin was grateful to the man, but also sad to see it. He wondered what kind of life she must’ve been living here.
Riding at the head of the caravan, Corwin couldn’t keep himself from looking back at his new companions with a sense of wonderment and dismay. They made for a strange party—the Eshian, the blacksmith, and the traitor. It sounded like the start of some mythic journey. Or a bad tavern joke. To make things even more unusual, Master Raith was riding at the back of the pack, having volunteered for the travel duty.
“My order has a deep interest in rooting out the source of these daydrakes,” Raith confessed. “I have volunteered to take lead.”
Corwin had been pleased by the appointment even though he wasn’t sure he entirely trusted the man. Still, the magist’s resourcefulness when it came to defending against the daydrakes dispelled any reservations he had. Raith provided the entire party with his flash stones in the event of another attack. Corwin also commissioned some hundred enchanted arrows, a fortune that would have Edwin pulling out his hair when the bill came due. Corwin didn’t envy the page who delivered it. But ensuring Bonner and his revolver arrived safely in Norgard would be worth the expense. Even Edwin, with his excessive concern about maintaining the wealth of the crown, would have to agree.
At least the caravan was smaller this time, a single wagon and just a dozen riders. The group followed the main road leading east from Farhold toward Marared until they were out of sight of the city watchtowers. Then while the wagon and the remaining Norgard soldiers continued on, Corwin and the rest turned south toward Andreas.
The ruse was an attempt to allow Corwin to enter the city without being recognized. They would rejoin the wagon and soldiers in Thace, the central city equidistant from the others. Keeping his identity secret was the best chance he had of learning anything about the Andrean miner involved in the attack on the Gregors. People would talk more openly with a group of common travelers than they would with the prince of Rime. Corwin also wished to avoid meeting with the Andrean ruler, Lord Nevan, as he would surely be expected to do if his presence were known.