Page 42 of The Warrior Priest
She didn’t understand me at all.
She was right about one thing, though. Rhys would never leave the order. I’d thought we could be friends, but watching him today as he trained, and the fact he’d avoided me this morning…perhaps friendship wasn’t enough.
Without his friendship, what was left for me in Tilting?
Winter wasmy least favorite season. I’d never liked the cold and always tried to spend as much time as possible indoors. This winter, I avoided going outside more than ever. When I did, it was only to see if the candle burned in the window of Rhys’s secret room. It did, twice. Both times, he gave me brief instructions for the task he wanted me to do before leaving. The tasks were simple, mere errands rather than spying. I knew he was simply giving them to me to keep me busy and have a reason to pay me. I appreciated his thoughtfulness, but I felt a little guilty for taking money for such easy tasks.
Mistress Lowey’s kitchen was my favorite place in winter, with its delicious smells and warmth. It became a hub, of sorts, as our neighbors had the same idea as me. I enjoyed the company. Ineededthe company. They also brought news.
King Alain’s heir arrived in the city. Prince Leon made some public appearances, but otherwise kept to the castle. He probably felt overwhelmed at being thrust onto the stage with no prior education in the art of royal performance. The cynical side of me thought it served him right for forging paperwork, but Rhys informed me it was impossible to forge the required documents since they were unearthed here in Tilting and Leon was miles away at the time. It would seem he was legitimate. The house of Lockhart would survive.
He’d been found just in time. An heir for King Alain kept the Vytill king on his side of the border, and stopped the dukes and minor lords of Glancia from trying to maneuver their way onto the throne.
The machinations of the kingdom weren’t as important to me as the city’s. The lives and livelihoods of Tilting’s residents depended on the governor’s whims. He already controlled the magistrate and sheriff, and with the document signed by King Alain in his possession, he could overrule his council, too, giving him full power. The threat of that document hung over me like an axe poised to strike. If my uncle had control of every council decision, large and small, he could assign more constables to find me.
But Uncle Roderic’s council wouldn’t agree to such a wasteful allocation of resources. While he kept that document out of play, I was safe. He must be biding his time, waiting to see what the new prince was like before showing his hand.
The rest of the winter wore on with only two events breaking up the monotony. Firstly, the whores were released. Minnow came to tell me the news in person. She invited me to join the party they had planned to celebrate, but I thought it best to decline. Some of the clients might mistake me for fresh meat.
The second event was even more monumental. King Alain died. The kingdom plunged into mourning. He’d been admired, but more importantly, he’d been a constant presence, sitting on his throne in his castle for over fifty years. Even I, who barely spared a thought for royalty, felt somewhat bereft in the days after his death. He was Glancia’s father, in a way, and his grandson was so young in comparison. How would Leon live up to the towering reputation of Alain?
It would seem the folk of Tilting wouldn’t find out up close. King Leon decided to move his court to a new palace in the east of the kingdom, not far from the harbor town of Mull. I’d never heard of it. Mull. Even the name sounded inconsequential.
Mull quickly became a place of consequence, however. Soon after he made it his home, King Leon invited all the lords and ladies to join him there, with particular emphasis on those with eligible daughters. He was looking for a bride. The noble families soon moved into the glamorous new palace, leaving entire streets of Tilting empty. The castle was also empty, except for a skeleton staff, the rest being let go since King Leon had his own staff at the new palace.
Tilting’s wealthy streets weren’t the only part of the city to change. The river’s docks swelled with workers looking for employment after a violent earthquake severed the eastern-most headland of the Fist Peninsula from the mainland. Even they soon left Tilting, however, after realizing Mull’s harbor was growing in importance and work could be found there.
After a few months, Tilting became a different city. Its most powerful leaders were gone, taking their influence with them and leaving a void behind. Although the heart and soul of Tilting lived on in its people, that void was ripe to be filled.
And Uncle Roderic filled it. He finally produced the document.
With the former king’s seal on it giving the governor the power to overrule his council, my uncle was able to do as he pleased. And what pleased him was to find me.
Rhys came to warn me on a bright summer morning. It was an unexpected sight to see him standing on my doorstep during the day, away from our secret meeting room. It was a worrying change to the pattern that had come to dominate my life.
I invited him into my room, but he declined. “I don’t intend to stay. I just came to warn you.” He removed a flyer from his pocket and unfolded it. “The governor has offered a substantial reward to anyone with information that leads to the arrest of this youth.”
The face in the sketch was mine.
I took the flyer and stared at the eyes that were my own yet devoid of color and life. “No one I know will think this is me.”
“It states that you’re a girl disguising yourself as a male youth. Many people who know you have already guessed what you truly are. That reward will tempt them to betray you.”
“They won’t do that to me.”
Mistress Milkwood waved at me as she crossed the courtyard. She would be heading to the market where these flyers circulated. The one in my hand stated I was a criminal and needed to be brought to justice. Would Mistress Milkwood believe it? Even if she didn’t, would she act to collect the reward?
“Why does my uncle still have that document?” I asked. “Didn’t King Leon revoke it before he moved to Mull?”
“Apparently not. The Tilting council have appealed to his majesty, but there has been no response from the palace. The new king is too busy finding himself a wife,” Rhys bit off. “Gather your things, Jac. I’ll take you to our secret room. You’ll be safe there.”
“For how long?”
“As long as necessary.”
I squeezed the bridge of my nose. I’d known I’d have to give up my disguise one day, but I thought it would be when I was ready, after my uncle died or became too old to be a threat anymore. My hand was being forced too soon.
Rhys grasped my shoulders and dipped his head to peer at me. “Get your things now, Jac, and come with me.”
