The King's Bastard (55 page)

Seated, Cobalt was almost as tall as her. His handsome lips twitched. 'You must think I am a wondrous person, little Piro, if you think I could lead a pride of manticores anywhere. Why, it would take a renegade Power-worker...' his eyes widened. 'So that is why you thought I had Affinity!'

He turned an astounded face towards Byren. But Piro was close enough to see past his expression, into his heart and it was as hard as stone. She faltered. Her sight shifted to the Unseen and she recognised a predator in Cobalt's eyes, a predator in human form.

She gasped, backing up until she reached Byren, who steadied her. It seemed to take forever, but by the time her vision returned to normal Cobalt had only just drawn his next breath. Startled by her slip, she glanced quickly to Autumnwind. He was rubbing his face wearily. Then she glanced over her shoulder. Springdawn was whispering to her mother. No one had noticed her use of Affinity.

'Byren.' Cobalt shook his head sadly. 'Don't blame your misfortune on me. There is a perfectly simple explanation for my presence here at court. Lence sent me to tell the king and queen that he will be staying at Dovecote for a few days on the way home.' His face hardened. 'I am not the one who has been lying.'

Frustration welled up in Piro. Cobalt managed to turn everything to his advantage. She glanced to her father. Surely he did not believe Byren meant to depose his brother?

But King Rolen sagged as if from a blow. 'That my own son should turn out to be a -'

'He should be disinherited,' old Lord Steadfast muttered.

'Banished,' another insisted.

Byren undid the shoulder clasp of his cloak and flung it aside, lifting his hands palm up. 'I demand the right to a Trial of Truth to clear my name.'

'He has the right,' Captain Temor began. 'He -'

'How can he even suggest a Trial by Truth when no man of ordinary size can stand against him?' Cobalt demanded, astounded. 'None but his twin, the kingsheir, can match him for size and strength!'

The truth of it made everyone draw back.

'Freezing Sylion, I don't want to fight Lence. You would twist the very goddess's words, Cobalt!' Byren hissed with frustration. 'You were the one I wanted to stand against to prove my innocence. You have accused me of treason, I challenge you!'

'Me?' Cobalt repeated, pale and frightened, for once not quick enough to hide his honest reaction. Piro smiled.

'The Trial of Truth is a barbarous custom and proves nothing but that one man is a better killer than the other,' Queen Myrella snapped.

Cobalt cleared his throat. 'I'll meet you, Byren. But I must warn you, I have been tutored by the best swordmaster in Ostron Isle.' He went to rise, still shaky. 'Send for my sword.'

'No. This is ridiculous,' the king muttered. 'Illien can hardly stand. This will prove nothing!'

'Father!' Byren appealed, searching the king's grey face.

'I can show no favour,' he whispered as he took a step back from Byren.

Piro gasped. He couldn't mean it.

'Wait.' Captain Temor leant closer to the king. 'Little Piro had the right idea, Rolen. Send for the mystics, they -'

'Yes,' Byren insisted. He cast Cobalt a furious glance. 'I do not hide behind walls and half-truths. I will bare my soul to both the mystics. Let the master and the mistress look into my heart. They will see I bear my twin no malice!'

That impressed the old warriors, who had an instinctive fear of the great mystics. Piro waited for her father to agree.

'Rolen.' The queen took the king's arm. 'Byren deserves a chance to prove his honesty.'

'I have proof of his deceit,' Cobalt announced with a heavy sigh. 'I did not want to do this...' He felt inside his vest to pull out a small velvet bag with a drawstring top. Piro recognised it as the one Lence had given him, back at Dovecote.

Cobalt held it out to the queen. 'I'm sorry, Myrella.'

Piro sent a questioning look to Byren. Her brother gave a slight shake of his head. He had no idea.

The queen opened the bag, tipping two rings into her hand and a small roll of paper tied with ribbon.

'Matching lincurium rings,' King Rolen whispered. 'Worth a small fortune.'

'They are mine!' Byren bristled. 'I found the lincurium and had them set onto rings.'

Piro frowned. Then how did Lence get them and why had he given them to Cobalt?

'Read the note,' Cobalt suggested.

The queen unrolled the scrap, read it, blanched then handed it to King Rolen. 'Byren!'

'I don't know what that paper says, mother. But I had the rings made up for you and father, for your Jubilee.'

'What does the paper say?' Captain Temor asked.

The king shook his head, unable to bring himself to read it aloud.

'It is a love poem from Byren to Orrade, asking him to share his life,' Cobalt said. 'He calls Orrade his Dove.'

'That's not -' Byren began.

'It is your writing.' The king turned the paper over so that everyone could see it.

'It is,' the queen agreed.

'Show me.' Byren held out his hand.

Piro waited for him to deny it.

When Byren took the piece of paper, his expression cleared. He waved it for all to see. 'This is a poem I wrote to Elina, not Orrie. It was Elina that I...' He ran down, seeing they did not believe him. Furious he scrunched up the love poem casting it aside. Byren fixed on Cobalt, fury choking his voice. 'You twist everything. You've been into my room, into my private things!' Byren strode the two steps to Cobalt, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him upright. 'Where's the pendant? Did you steal that too?'

Cobalt made no attempt to defend himself, instead he plucked weakly at Byren's hands and trembled as if he was too exhausted to stand upright.

'Unhand him!' Old Steadfast protested. 'Can't you see he's -'

Disgusted, Byren shoved Cobalt away, so that he staggered several steps and collapsed, leaning on the table.

Piro looked around. In everyone's eyes, Cobalt was the victim of the encounter, not the perpetrator. In that instant she realised how very dangerous he was.

Lence had not been giving the velvet bag to Cobalt, he had been returning it. This was the trick Cobalt had used to convince Lence he could not trust his twin. She did not doubt that Cobalt or one of his spies had slipped into Byren's room to steal the rings. And Piro had no trouble believing Byren had written a poem to his Dove. Unfortunately for him, that poem could be interpreted two ways.

'Where is the lincurium pendant, Illien?' Byren asked. 'Did you steal that too?'

Cobalt shook his head. 'I don't know what you mean.'

Byren radiated fury.

'Here. Enough of that.' Captain Temor stepped in to prevent Byren from attacking Cobalt again. Piro was close enough to hear Temor whisper, 'You're only making it worse, lad.'

Her brother spun away from Temor, striding a couple of steps towards Orrade. She saw Orrade's anguish and winced. For a heartbeat, his feelings for Byren were written on his face, then he recollected himself. But others had seen his façade slip.

Byren pivoted on his heel to confront the king and queen. 'Father, Mother, I swear the rings are a Jubilee gift for you both. The poem was meant for Elina. I had a lincurium pendant made to give Lence for his bride. You can ask the jewel-smith. He'll vouch for the truth of my words. You can't -'

The ring of a sword being drawn silenced him. Piro spun around. No one carried a sword in King Rolen's court.

Cobalt approached, almost too weak to hold the sword tip steady. She recognised King Rolence the First's ceremonial sword, which had hung on display above the family's coat of arms.

'Let me defend you, Uncle,' Illien offered.

Byren swore softly. 'Get your hands off that. You dishonour King Rolence's memory.'

'Only the king should wield that sword,' Rolen said, and Cobalt handed it over, feeling for the table to support himself.

King Rolen faced Byren, lifting the sword between them.

Piro turned to the queen. 'Mother!'

She went white, closed her eyes and seemed to reach a decision. Stepping between Byren and the king she said, 'Rolen, you can't.'

'Out of the way, Myrella,' the king warned.

The queen caught his sword arm. 'Rolen, listen to me. You can't believe Illien over your own son -'

'Why not? I've seen the evidence. I should have listened to Illien back at midwinter. If I had, Lence wouldn't be betrothed to a cunning vixen whose father laughs at me behind my back!' He pushed the queen aside, not roughly, but without remorse. 'Instead I listened to you. I insisted Lence marry the girl and lost his love and respect. Well, now it's time to mend my mistakes.'

'Oh, Rolen. You haven't -'

'Enough!' he snapped. 'My second son is a traitor, but I will not kill him. Too many of my kinsmen have died on the altar of power.' The king lowered the sword point, his massive fist shaking. 'I cannot order my own son's execution, but I can banish a traitor. Before everyone here today, Byren formerly known as Rolen Kingson, I disinherit you, I disinherit you -'

The hall's great doors swung back on their hinges, reverberating as they hit the walls. A single pair of boots sounded on the polished wood.

'Where's Byren Kingson?' a rough contralto demanded.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Piro pivoted to see Florin stride through the forest of columns wearing her strained travelling clothes, a pair of skates slung over her shoulder. The image made no sense. For an instant Piro thought she had slipped into the Unseen sight, but Orrade gasped Florin's name so she knew the trader's daughter had really arrived.

Florin recognised Byren and made for him.

'Bad news, Byren Kingson,' she called even as she approached. 'Da sighted Merofynian soldiers -'

'Rubbish,' Cobalt snapped. 'Who is this rough female, dressed as a man?'

Florin cast him one swift glance then focused on Byren. She was close enough now not to have to shout. 'You know how Da was off visiting his sister? Well, he come back yesterday lunchtime, with the news. I've been skating ever since.'

'If there were Merofynians in Rolencia our warning beacons would be burning,' Captain Temor said. 'And our spies would have sent word of a build-up of soldiers at Port Merofyn even before they sailed, so -'

'I don't know anything about spies or why the beacons aren't alight,' Florin admitted. She turned back to Byren. 'But Da's awful worried.'

'No one makes war in winter,' old Lord Steadfast objected.

'It's almost spring cusp,' Piro pointed out

No one listened to her.

'Girl, I am your king,' her father said.

Florin made a deep bow. 'I beg your -'

The king waved this aside. 'Now, where are these soldiers?'

Florin's cheeks were bright pink when she straightened up, but she answered the question. 'Da said they were camped below the Cockatrice Pass.'

'Highly unlikely,' Captain Temor whispered to the king. 'Lence has just been to see warlord Rejulas.'

Rolen nodded, casting a sharp glance in Florin's direction. 'How many men, girl?'

'Florin. This is Florin Narrowsdaughter,' Byren said. 'She helped us kill the manticore pride. I can vouch for her.'

'You have been disinherited,' Cobalt interjected. 'You can't vouch for anyone.'

'What?' Florin muttered, looking to Byren for an explanation.

'How many warriors, girl?' the king repeated, raising his voice.

She fixed on him. 'Da guessed around five hundred.'

'An advance party?' Temor suggested.

'A trader's imagination,' Cobalt countered. 'Too much wine, a lonely crossroads. He overhears some other travellers, panics and runs home.'

'Here,' Florin rounded on him. 'Don't you say that about my Da. He's no fool.'

'Quiet, girl!' King Rolen snapped then turned to consult with Temor.

Piro glanced to her mother for help, only to realise that everyone had stepped away from the queen. It seemed that even though her mother had been married to the Rolencian king for nearly twenty-one years and had produced four heirs, she was still a Merofynian kingsdaughter in their eyes.

Voices filled the great hall as the old honour guard argued. Some refused to believe the Merofynian king would prepare an invasion while signing a betrothal pact. Others thought it all too likely.

'Byren?' Orrade approached him, lowering his voice, but Piro was close enough to overhear. 'If Florin is right, Dovecote is in danger. I must warn Father and Elina.'

'I'm going, too,' Garzik insisted.

'We've sworn service to Byren's honour guard,' Orrade told his brother. 'We can't both ride off -'

'I send you,' Byren said. 'Elina, your father and Lence are all at Dovecote. If Florin's father is right, you must save them and light the warning beacon.'

Orrade and Garzik nodded.

'You're sending them to save Lence?' Piro whispered. 'When he -'