———
Katsa burst into Raffin’s workrooms. Raffin and Bann sat at a table, huddled together over a book.
“Are you alone?” Katsa asked.
They looked up, surprised. “Yes – ”
“Is Giddon in love with me?”
Raffin blinked, and Bann’s eyes widened.
“He’s never spoken to me about it,” Raffin said. “But yes, I think anyone who knows him would say he’s in love with you.”
Katsa slapped her hand to her forehead. “Of all the fool – how can he – ” She paced to the table. She turned and paced back to the door.
“Has he said something to you?” Raffin asked.
“No. Po told me.” She spun toward Raffin. “And why did you never tell me?”
“Kat.” He sat back from his book. “I thought you knew. I don’t see how you could not. He makes himself your escort every time the king’s business takes you away from the city. He always sits beside you at dinner.”
“Randa decides where we sit at dinner.”
“Well, and Randa probably knows Giddon hopes to marry you,” Raffin said.
Katsa paced to the table again, clutching her hair. “Oh, this is dreadful. Whatever shall I do?”
“If he asks you to marry him, you’ll say no. You’ll tell him it’s nothing to do with him. You’ll tell him you’re determined not to marry, that you don’t wish children; whatever you need to say so he understands it’s nothing to do with him.”
“I wouldn’t marry Giddon to save my life,” Katsa said. “Not even to save yours.”
“Well.” Raffin’s eyes were full of laughter. “I’d leave that part out.”
Katsa sighed and walked again to the door.
“You’re not the most perceptive person I’ve ever known, Kat,” Raffin said, “if you don’t mind my saying so. Your capacity for missing the obvious is astonishing.”
She threw her arms into the air. She turned to go. She turned back to him suddenly, at a shocking thought. “You’re not in love with me, are you?”
He stared at her for a moment, speechless. Then he burst into laughter. Bann laughed, too, though he tried valiantly to hide it behind his hand. Katsa was too relieved to be offended.
“All right, all right,” she said, “I suppose I deserve that.”
“My dear Katsa,” Raffin said, “Giddon is so very handsome, are you sure you won’t reconsider?”
Raffin and Bann clutched their stomachs and guffawed. Katsa waved their nonsense away. They were hopeless. She turned to go.
“Council meeting tonight,” Raffin said to her back.
She raised her hand to show she’d heard. She closed the door on their laughter.
———
“There’s very little happening in the seven kingdoms,” Oll said. “We’ve called this meeting only because we have some information about Prince Tealiff we can’t make any sense of. We’re hoping you’ll have some ideas.”
Bann had joined them for this meeting, because the grandfather was well enough now to be left alone on occasion.
Katsa had taken advantage of Bann’s broad chest and shoulders, and seated him between herself and Giddon. Giddon could not possibly see her; but just in case, she’d positioned Raffin between them as well. Oll and Po were across from her. Po sat back in his chair, his eyes glimmering in the corner of her vision no matter which way she looked.
“Lord Davit gave us true information,” Oll said. “Neither Nander nor Estill knows anything of the kidnapping.
Neither was involved. But now we’re almost certain that King Birn of Wester is also innocent.”
“Could it be Murgon, then?” Giddon asked.
“But with what motive?” Katsa asked.
“He has no motive,” Raffin said. “But then, he has no less motive than anyone else. It’s what we keep coming up against. There is no motive for anyone to have done this. Even Po – Prince Greening – has been able to come up with none.”
Po nodded. “My grandfather’s only importance is to his family.”
“And if someone had it in mind to provoke the Lienid royal family,” Oll said, “wouldn’t they reveal themselves eventually? Otherwise, the power play becomes pointless.”
“Has Tealiff said anything more?” Giddon asked.
“He’s said they blindfolded him,” Po said, “and drugged him. He’s said he was on a boat for a long time, and their land travel was shorter in comparison, which suggests his captors took him east by boat from Lienid, possibly to one of the southern Sunderan ports. And then up through the forests to Murgon City. He’s said that when he heard them speak, he believed their accents to be southern.”
“It does suggest Sunder, and Murgon,” Giddon said.
But it didn’t make sense. None of the kings had reason, but Murgon even less. Murgon worked for others, and his sole motivation was money. Everyone at the table, everyone in the Council, knew that.
“Po,” Katsa said. “Your grandfather had no argument with your father, or any of your brothers? Your mother?”
“None,” Po said. “I’m sure of it.”
“I don’t see how you can be so sure,” Giddon said.
Po’s eyes flashed to him. “You’ll have to take my word, Lord Giddon. Neither my father nor my brothers nor my mother nor anyone else at the Lienid court was involved in the kidnapping.”
“Po’s word is good enough for the Council,” Raffin said. “And if it wasn’t Birn, Drowden, Thigpen, Randa, or Ror, that leaves Murgon.”
Po raised his eyebrows. “Have none of you considered the King of Monsea?”
“A king with a reputation for kindness to injured animals and lost children,” Giddon said, “come out of his isolation to kidnap his wife’s aging father? A bit unlikely, don’t you think?”
“We’ve made inquiries and uncovered nothing,” Oll said. “King Leck is a peace-loving man. Either it’s Murgon, or one of the kings is keeping a secret even from his own spies.”
“It may have been Murgon,” Katsa said, “or it may not. Either way, Murgon knows who’s responsible. If Murgon knows, then the people closest to him know. Couldn’t we find one of Murgon’s people? I could make him talk.”
“Not without revealing your identity, My Lady,” Oll said.
“But she could kill him,” Giddon said, “after she questioned him.”
“Now, hold on.” Katsa held up her hand. “I said nothing of killing.”
“But it’s not worth the information, Katsa,” Raffin said, “for you to interrogate someone who’ll recognize you and speak of it to Murgon afterward.”
“Greening should be the one to do it, anyway,” Giddon said, and Po’s cool eyes flicked to him again. “Murgon wouldn’t question the motivation of a Lienid prince. Murgon would expect it of him. In fact, I don’t see why you haven’t done it already,” Giddon said to Po, “if you wish so much to know who’s responsible.”
Katsa was too irritated to care about her strategic seating plan. She leaned around Raffin and Bann to address Giddon. “It’s because Murgon can’t know that Po knows Murgon is involved,” she said. “How would Po explain that knowledge, without incriminating us?”
“But that’s just why you can’t question Murgon’s people, Katsa, unless you’re willing to kill afterwards.” Giddon thumped his hand on the table and glared at her.
“All right,” Raffin said, “all right. We’re going in circles.”
Katsa sat back, seething.
“Katsa,” Raffin said, “the information isn’t worth the risk to you or to the Council. Nor, I think, is it worth the violence.”
She sighed, inwardly. He was right, of course.
“Perhaps it’ll be worth it someday in the future,” Raffin said. “But for now, Grandfather Tealiff is safe, and we’ve seen no sign from Murgon or from anyone else that he’s being targeted again. Po, if there are steps you wish to take, that’s your affair, though I’d ask you to discuss it with us first.”
“I must think on it,” Po said.
“Then the matter is closed for now,” Raffin said, “until we learn something new, or until Po comes to a decision.