The Thief's Daughter (Kingfountain #2)

Owen didn’t like his tone of voice. “Where are you going, Mancini?”

The spymaster gave him an enigmatic look. “Never you mind. You keep your secrets too, my boy. I’ll meet you in the throne room. Tell Severn I have news about the poisoner Tyrell. Etayne is closing in on his trail. He came aboard a ship from Brugia five days ago, it seems. I’ll have more news later. It’s best not to get his hopes up.”

Mancini stared down at the empty scabbard and sniffed. “Pity it wasn’t the sword itself. The king could use a legend in his favor right now. He could certainly use a miracle.”





CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO


Fall of the Espion




Before going to the throne room, Owen changed into dry clothes. He belted the new scabbard to his waist and slid his sword into it. He wondered if there would be some manifestation from the Fountain when he did so, but there was not. Still, it should have been impossible for the leatherwork to be in such perfect condition after being submerged for so long.

Though his hair was still damp and mussed, Owen made his way to the throne room. Jack Paulen was still there, and the king was pacing with great agitation.

One of the things Owen did not like about the Duke of East Stowe was that the man was significantly taller than him. He was slightly taller even than the king, and had a handsome face and dark brown hair that was long and wavy. Jack was twice Owen’s age, with a younger wife and two small children. The badge of his duchy was the Bear and Ragged Staff, an emblem he had inherited from his ancestors. The bear was muzzled, and a chain connected it to a long tree trunk covered in stubs where once there had been branches. The bear was facing the trunk and its two front paws were extended, holding the beam upright. It was a symbol denoting power and strength, the ability of man to subdue a fierce and primal creature such as the bear. Although Jack had every reason to be agreeable—he was a handsome man and one of the few dukes of the realm—he had adopted the sardonic temperament of Severn.

The king stopped his pacing when he caught sight of Owen, but he was still full of brooding energy. “There you are, lad. You took your time coming.”

Owen let the comment pass. He bowed his head formally. “Mancini said there was news.”

“There is. But, curse this storm, it was delayed because of the roads. Jack rode in from East Stowe and I’ll let him tell you.”

“Hello, Jack,” Owen greeted, nodding.

The Duke of East Stowe gave Owen an angry scowl. They had never been close, for Owen’s loyalty was bound to the North and Duke Horwath, but nothing in their past would explain such open animosity. “The roads were pitiful, my lord,” he said, addressing the king rather than Owen. “It was hard going and cold. But I knew you would want to hear the news immediately.”

“Cut to the quick, man,” Severn snapped angrily. “I want to get Owen’s opinion.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed at the slight. “If it pleases Your Grace.” He looked at Owen again, seething. “News from Atabyrion. Seems you and the Mortimer lass rankled feelings during your visit. The king just told me that you went with her. I hadn’t known that.” Again, Owen sensed his resentment. “One of our trading ships arrived with news that Iago Llewellyn has summoned his nobles to court and they are stuffing provisions onto ships. The call has gone out to the warriors to come down from the hills and gather at Edonburick. The Earl of Huntley is the foremost among them. I heard you ruined one of his manors.”

Owen snorted. “Only a window. What else?”

The duke smirked. “News from abroad is always exaggerated. I’ll try not to repeat the sin. They tried to stop our ships in the harbor, but this one fought its way through. They were fired at from harbor defenses and took serious damage, but they escaped. Clearly Iago didn’t want them to warn us, which implies, as I told the king, that Atabyrion intends to invade immediately.”

Owen shifted his gaze to Severn, who was nodding in concurrence. “That’s what I think as well, Owen. Is that also your interpretation?”

Owen folded his arms, letting out a sigh. “I agree with you both,” he said tightly. “We warned him not to.”

“You did? Or Lady Elysabeth?” Jack asked, the challenge clear.

“She did, of course. But I spoke to Eyric myself. The King of Atabyrion invested too much into the alliance. Eyric married the Earl of Huntley’s daughter. He is the noble with the most treasure in the kingdom. I don’t think we can avoid a war with them.”

Jack sniffed. “My thoughts exactly. My lord, I have ships patrolling the coast of East Stowe. We have strong captains and can cast a wide net. I say we don’t even let the Atabyrions touch our sand. Let’s fight them at sea.”

Severn listened to him, but then he turned to Owen, which made Jack glower.

“Did you warn Stiev Horwath?” Owen asked the other duke. “They could just as easily strike the North as East Stowe.”

Jack blinked with surprise. “But the Duchy of East Stowe is the closest to Atabyrion. I . . . I thought—”

“In other words, no. You didn’t,” Severn scoffed. “You came running here straightaway to get the glory of telling me the news, but you thought about your own duchy instead of the kingdom.”

Jack’s face went pale with rage and humiliation. He was flummoxed.

Owen intervened. “No, he did the right thing by coming here straightaway. In such a moment, I would have overlooked it as well.”

“Not likely,” Severn snorted, and Owen wished the king would keep his barbed tongue behind his teeth.

“Regardless,” Owen said with a cough, trying to change the tenor of the conversation. “Duke Horwath needs to be told immediately.”

“Agreed. I’ll send his granddaughter. A little snow won’t stop her. You should hear the common folk complaining about this storm. It disgusts me. I’ve enjoyed seeing the palace shrouded in white.”

Owen noticed that Jack was still fuming, his eyes flashing angrily at the king.

“I agree. It makes sense to send Evie to the North immediately to warn her grandfather.”

“I’m not going to wait here and do nothing,” Severn said, starting to pace again. “If Eyric wants my crown, he’ll have to wrench it from my head while I’m lying in a pool of my own blood. I’m not afraid of Iago or my brother’s son. He would have fared far better had he listened to you and come to my side. I think I should go to the North. They are the most loyal to me, and the people would come in droves to protect the kingdom if we’re attacked.”

Owen shook his head.

“You disagree?”

“We don’t know where the Atabyrions will strike. And I’ve had no dreams to offer guidance. My advice, my lord, if you’ll heed it, calls for a different strategy.”

The king beamed. “That’s why I summoned you, lad. I wanted you to plan our defenses.”

“But my ships are already defending us!” Jack said petulantly.