The Hollow Crown (Kingfountain #4)

“You are rambling,” Trynne said, shaking her head. “Just say it, Fallon. What do you know?”

“The Espion has said that the old king has some new acquaintances. Men, or so it’s believed, who wear black robes and silver masks. The masks hide their identities. Several of them have arrived at Glosstyr within the last year. No one knows where they come from or who they are.”

Trynne’s brow wrinkled. “What does Morwenna say about them?”

He held up his hand abruptly. “I haven’t asked her that. And I’m not sure she would know. They started coming after she left for poisoner school, and she’s not been back very often. These men in silver masks do not stay long. The Espion struggle to stay informed in Glosstyr, as you well know, so by the time we hear about them, they are long gone. Men in masks, Trynne? Does that not sound like a conspiracy to you?”

“It does,” she answered, her insides roiling even more. “My father knows, doesn’t he?”

Fallon shook his head. “I’ve not said anything yet, as I have no solid proof. Only suspicions. Why do you think I’ve been acting so interested in Morwenna? To rankle Elwis, naturally, but also to create the idea that I would be interested in becoming part of the conspiracy.”

Trynne stared at him in shock.

“You should see the look on your face!” he said, laughing. “I suppose I have enough guile for both of us.” Her hand was also resting on the stone, and suddenly he put his hand on top of it. “I wanted you to hear this from my own mouth, Tryneowy Kiskaddon. I am loyal to the king. I am loyal to my sister. And I am loyal to both of your parents. If I seem a bit angry and petulant, especially in public, please understand that I’m trying to be useful to the crown in another way. A spy is only as good as his deception. I’ll not ask to go to poisoner school or anywhere like that. But I have been training secretly with the Espion in Dundrennan. Clark has been a mentor of mine for many years.” He squeezed her fingers. “And you have been my dearest friend since childhood. You deserve to know the truth, especially if you hear rumors or nonsense about Morwenna and me. Rest assured; I do not love her. My affections have been elsewhere for some time.” He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “Just so we understand each other.”

Her mouth had gone totally dry at his words and she felt a flush creeping into her cheeks. Her mother had once warned her that she would not marry Fallon Llewellyn. That thought had disappointed her, since they were such dear friends and companions. Should she tell him this at such a tender moment? How would he react if she did?

“You’re speechless,” he said. “That’s a first. I blurt out my feelings for you and you gape at me like a codfish.” There was a gleam in his eye as he heaved a theatrical sigh. “Well, I’ve probably startled you. Think on what I’ve said.” He squeezed her fingers again, then released her hand and brushed his thumb against the corner of her mouth, the part that could smile. “Why do you think I’ve teased you with the name Cousin for so many years? I often say the opposite of what I feel. I’m an inconsiderate jack.”

“Stronger words than that come to mind,” Trynne said at last, finally able to unloose her tongue. She’d been wrestling with her feelings, at the surprise—nay, glee—that his words had unleashed inside of her.

“Let’s have them, then!” he said with a delighted smirk.

“First off, you are cruel,” she said with a smile of her own. “You’ve taunted me for years. You’re saying that all this time you were declaring yourself?”

“Some men woo with honeyed words. I woo with vinegar.” He shrugged.

“You are impossible.”

“Impossible, incorrigible, incomprehensible, infallible, impassible, and incontrovertible as well.”

“You forgot unintelligible,” Trynne muttered darkly, enjoying the banter and the shared memory.

“Only because I ran out of breath!” he added with laughter. Then he looked over her shoulder. “What a sunset,” he breathed. “Look at it.” He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face it. The sun was making the ocean molten silver. A few wispy clouds hung on the horizon, flaming orange and purple. The surf crashed against the cliff walls. She felt him behind her, standing close, his fingers still resting on her shoulders.

“And here I am, flirting with the Lady of Averanche. Well, tomorrow I will flirt with you in Pree.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. “My, but you are short. Sometimes I think you’re still only twelve.”

She butted him in the ribs with her elbow, hard enough to make him gasp.

“Guff! I deserved that.”

“You did.” The breeze smelled of sea and salt and wildness. She leaned back against him, knowing she should break the spell he was casting around her heart, as his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her mother had seen a vision of her marrying someone else. She wondered, obliquely, if that future lover would be a stranger who didn’t know her past, her deformity. She blinked rapidly, feeling pain strike her heart in a way that nearly made her flinch. No, she wanted to savor this moment with Fallon. She wanted to watch the sunset with him before going down to the solar and entertaining him as an honored guest.

Love was such a fragile thing.




The next morning, before dawn, Trynne was in her room, fastening on a leather arm bracer, when a knock sounded on the door. Her maid, Adalie, was a sprightly girl of fourteen. She rushed to the door and stopped there.

“Who is it?” she asked in a whisper.

Trynne didn’t hear the muffled response, but Adalie quickly unlocked the door and opened it. Captain Staeli strode in, already wearing his training gear. She gave him a concerned look. “What’s wrong, Captain?”

He scratched his beard. “I thought it best if you knew before coming down. The lord of Dundrennan is in the training yard. Should I send him away?”

Trynne blinked in surprise. “I didn’t think he rose this early.”

Staeli shrugged, unruffled as always. “It’s your castle, my lady. Do you think he suspects you?”

“Suspects me of what?” she asked.

“That you were the one he saw at the Gauntlet.”

Trynne frowned. “He hasn’t said a word about it. But I don’t think it would be wise if he caught us in the training yard this morning. I support canceling our regular training for the day. I should go entertain our guest.”

“Wearing that?” the captain asked archly.

Trynne shook her head. “No, I’ll change first. Thanks for the warning, Captain.”

He bowed and then turned away.

Adalie gave her a mischievous grin after Staeli was gone. “He’s rather handsome, my lady,” she said slyly.

“You think so? Captain Staeli has never struck me that way.”

Adalie’s smile grew even wider. “You know that’s not who I meant. Which gown would you like me to fetch?”