Page 107 of Peregrine's Call
“Yes, my lord.” Octavian told Drugo about her? She dared to look over at Tav. He was in the opposite corner of the room, but she swore she almost felt the heat of his gaze from that distance. Lord, he was so handsome. She could stay with him forever. If he’d let her.
“Let’s not waste more time,” Drugo said shortly. “Rumors of a rebellion increase every day, and yet all we have are rumors. You have promised facts, Lord Pierce. You have promised more than that. I trust you will not disappoint me.”
“What I know is more than enough to guarantee the king will be able to counter Ranulf’s plans. But I require a guarantee of my own before I share all I know.” Pierce was polite, but his eyes were gleaming. He was in his element, playing his favorite game—politics. And now he was making his final moves, using all the pieces he’d gathered and held close for just this moment.
With his typical flare for the dramatic, Pierce laid out what was already known about the impending rebellion. Ranulf’s rage, the northern barons’ discontent, the Welsh alliance for their own ends. Then he added precious gems of knowledge at Drugo’s feet—the name of a key ally, the existence of a supply route, the revelation of a spy in the king’s own castle.
By the end, Drugo was nodding, and Robin understood in a flash how Pierce built up his whole story in a sort of intellectual seduction. Lord,everythingwas a game to him. A game where he had to control everything to feel that he’d won.
“This is valuable intelligence, my lord,” Drugo said. “But you have not yet shared the name of the city Ranulf plans to attack. And without that, we cannot confidently plan a counterattack.”
Pierce smiled. “I will reveal that when I hold Malvern again.”
Drugo’s eyes narrowed. “Absolutely not. We don’t have time to besiege a castle, particularly not a castle such as Malvern!”
“My lord, would I dare propose an impossible task? No, there is another way.” Pierce gave a slight bow. “If I might make a suggestion?”
At Drugo’s nod, he went on. “We can march to Malvern and retake the castle, using it as a staging point for the next phase in marching to the city Ranulf has set his sights on. I know a secret way to get inside the walls. I can raise the gate, and then even a small but prepared force will take it with a minimum of casualties.”
“A bold proposition, Lord Pierce.” Drugo gave him a cold, doubting smile.
“I have confidence we will triumph. At which point, I shall be reinstalled as the true lord of Malvern. The king must understand I will not compromise on that.”
“The king will understand what I tell him,” Drugo returned. “But I am intrigued by your proposal.”
Robin listened to the negotiations, furious at the way Pierce once again seemed to get all he wanted. Must he manipulate everyone, from kings down to peasants?
She wasn’t the only one annoyed by the situation. Luc, who’d been silent until now, said, “Once Lord Pierce is back in Malvern, he has no incentive to reveal the rest of Ranulf’s plans.”
“A risk you’ll need to take,” Pierce responded, his tone lazy as he looked at the people in the room. His eyes lingered on Robin for a moment.
“It’s Coventry,” she said suddenly.
Robin spoke before she fully realized what she knew.
All eyes turned to her.
“How do you know?” Drugo asked. “Pierce might have told you that as a diversion.”
Robin kept her attention on Pierce, who’d gone quite still, his face pinched and white. “He didn’t tell me anything. He doesn’t think I’m important enough to play politics with, and he’s right. But there’s a young man in training at Martenkeep who is from Coventry, and Pierce spoke to him, asking him about the city and land around it. River crossings. Hills. Hunting. He was seeking strategic information that someone would need to know if he expected to lay siege to a city. And he thought because Torin was little more than a boy, no one would ever think to monitor such a conversion. But Acer overheard it and mentioned it to me.”
“A wild guess based on a child’s word,” Pierce said.
But Robin wouldn’t let Pierce steer her mind any more. “It’s Coventry. Send your spies there, Lord Drugo. Verify it, but I think you’ll find someone already preparing to build a counter-castle, just as Lord Pierce says.”
Pierce’s chest rose and fell as he tried to restrain his emotions. “Lady Robin,” he said, very quietly, “what I wouldn’t give for a moment alone with you.”
At his words, four knights all took a step toward Pierce. He saw it and froze, aware at last that he’d lost his game.
“That will do,” Drugo said, once again taking command.
Robin saw Tav slowly relax his hand on the hilt of his blade, and a wild hope took wing inside her. The other knights looked to Alric.
“What now?” Luc asked him.
“Pierce has told us what we need to know,” Alric said, signaling two men-at-arms who’d been standing on either side of the door. “Take him back to his room.”
Rafe rose to his feet. “I think I’ll go along, just in case.” The black-haired knight gave Robin a wink as he passed her. “Well done,” he mouthed.
