Fate's Ransom(The First Argentines #4)

There were some Espion still afoot, and Ransom put Simon in charge of them once again, to spy out the road ahead and discern information about the enemy. They would approach Thorngate from the west, whereas Estian’s legions had come from the south.

Ransom had never been to Thorngate himself. He knew from Lady Deborah that she had gone there as a lass of sixteen, her husband twice her age. She had become mistress of the castle upon his death and, despite many offers, chose never to remarry. She’d won her place on the Elder King’s council through her own shrewd wisdom. Lady Deborah had been a staunch ally of Ransom and a friend for years. His worry for her, the queen, and the others trapped in the castle lent him the courage and determination to get there before the castle fell.

Dearley rode next to him. Faulkes was farther back, leading the foot-bound troops who were cursing the rain and mud. Ransom had sent Dawson up ahead with some valiant knights to secure the way. And James—well, he had abandoned Glosstyr for Brythonica the previous evening. The defection saddened Ransom, but it did not surprise him. In the end, James Wigant had done what was in his own best interest, the same way he always did. Ransom thought on his sister, Maeg, his nephew, and his mother, wishing he could embrace them one last time.

“Did you hear me, Ransom?” Dearley asked, rousing him from his reverie.

“Forgive me, I didn’t. Say on.”

“I said the boy’s fallen asleep against your back.”

They’d brought young Devon, the king’s heir, with them, for Ransom hadn’t felt safe leaving him behind at Glosstyr. The lad’s arms were wrapped around his armor, so he hadn’t noticed the change in pressure. Glancing back, he saw the boy’s head was bouncing in cadence with his destrier’s pace.

“He’ll be all right,” Ransom said. “He’ll be with you.” He’d assigned Dearley as the boy’s protector. If things went bad at Thorngate, he was to rush the prince back to Glosstyr and seek refuge in Legault. That might not stop Estian from winning the Wizr game. But at least the boy’s life would be spared.

Dearley shook his head. “I wish I could be sure. I’d rather fight in the battle, you know. You could leave him with other knights to protect him.”

Ransom reached and wiped the wetness from his face and beard. “I don’t trust anyone else more.”

A look of gratitude lit Dearley’s eyes, and he knew he’d chosen well. Like him, Dearley would protect the boy to the end, however it came.

They rode at the head of the column, so they were the first to see riders returning. Simon and Dawson were both mud-splattered when they arrived and reined in. Ransom looked from one to the other, but he could not judge the news from their wearied expressions.

“How bad is it?” he asked gravely.

“There are thousands encamped south of Thorngate,” Dawson reported, although he did not seem the least bit daunted by the news. He was ready for a fight, eager for one.

“They’re not in the town?”

“Yes, they are. But the town isn’t big enough for the whole army. I’ve never seen so many tents and pavilions. There was a massive one with the flag of the Fleur-de-Lis. The king is there; I’m sure of it.”

“At least it seems he’s there,” Simon corrected. “I couldn’t get any of my men close enough to be sure.”

The knights were already beginning to cluster around them, each man eager to hear information about what lay ahead. The foot soldiers under Faulkes’s command would not catch up for a while yet.

“What about the castle? Could you get an Espion inside?” Ransom asked Simon.

His old friend shook his head. “The western gate to the city was blocked with rubble. I think Deborah did that herself to limit possible entrances. But they have the keep surrounded. Hans Dragan had his crossbow, and we fixed a message to it. I think he got the bolt in through a window. There’s no way to get a message out.”

“That was clever,” Dearley said with an approving nod.

Simon shrugged. “We do what we can in war. But I’m certain, Lord Ransom, that Estian knows you’re coming.” He didn’t want to reveal his knowledge of the Wizr board with so many listening in, but his meaningful look said it plainly enough. Yes, Estian knew Ransom was coming. Did that knowledge fill him with fear or eagerness? They’d long been enemies.

“Oh, and there’s a river going through the road about a league from here,” Dawson said. “I think the Holbrook overswelled its banks. We shouldn’t stop for the night until after we’ve crossed it.”

“We’re not stopping to rest,” Ransom said. “There isn’t time.”

Simon gave him a worried look. “Estian’s men are fresh. He has enough to switch out the siege every day.”

“How many trebuchets did he bring?” Ransom asked.

Simon leaned forward in the saddle. “He’s using three against Thorngate. I think the rest he’s sending on to Kingfountain. He hasn’t done much damage to the castle so far, but all it takes is one lucky hit . . .” He shrugged and left the rest unsaid.

“Tell me the lay of the land,” Ransom said. “I’ve not been to Thorngate before.”

“There’s no way to disguise our approach. There’s a small hunting woods to the north, but it’s not near the town,” Dawson said. “There weren’t many of us, and we still encountered a few scouting parties. They rode off, though, and didn’t engage us.”

“How did you get close enough to shoot a crossbow?” Ransom asked Simon.

“The keep is on the western side of town,” Simon said. “By the rubble blocking the gate. We shot it from outside the town and them scampered off before reinforcements came.”

“Did they chase you?” Ransom asked.

Dawson grinned. “Aye. We let them for a little while, then turned back, attacked, and drove them off.”

Simon smiled at the younger knight’s bravado. “There was another hundred not far behind them. They stopped coming for us after we crossed the river blocking the road.”

“Did you leave any men behind?” Ransom asked.

“A few Espion. We wanted them to think they’d driven us all away, but Dragan is still back there, along with a few others who will try to find a way for us to get into the city. I’m presuming you don’t want to attack the bulk of Estian’s army in the plains when we’re outnumbered ten to one.”

“I had considered it,” Ransom said with a wry smile.

Simon took it as a joke. “Fighting from the town itself would be better, of course. It would limit how many men they could send against us. The town is on higher ground than the plains to the south. If we could lay claim to it, they’d be attacking uphill.”

“But they control all the gates now,” Ransom said.

“Yes,” Simon agreed. “My hope is that the Espion will find another way in. If not, we’ll be fighting in the plains while they lob boulders at the keep.”

“Good work,” Ransom said, giving them both encouraging nods. He turned and looked at the knights who had assembled. “No one said this would be easy,” he said. “But we fight for a worthy cause. We attack in order to defend our loved ones—our wives and our children. To defend our home.” He thought of Claire, Willem, Devon, Sibyl, and Keeva. He thought of Queen Léa and her daughter. He knew Dawson was thinking of Cecily. That Dearley was yearning for his little daughter, who had only just been born.

It made his throat thicken. “Remember who you are, men of Glosstyr. As one—Dex aie!” he shouted.

“Dex aie!” resounded the chorus of knights.



Ransom had, by his best estimation, four hundred and eighty-five knights. And thrice that number in foot soldiers and Gaultic archers. If Simon’s description of Estian’s host were true, then it was ten to one, and he needed every advantage to even the odds.

They rode through the night and into the next day and reached the field of Thorngate as the invisible sun sank in the sky. The mud was horrendous. Little Devon ate from a loaf of damp bread and drank from Ransom’s own flask.

“Would you like to walk around a little?” Ransom asked him. He’d dismounted the destrier to give the boy some space to eat his meager repast.