“And he knows about the circles.”
“Not as stupid as I thought,” he said. “Are you speaking the truth though?”
She felt him trying to slide into her thoughts, to find the truths he wanted. He took her chin and held so that their gazes met as he pushed and probed. He thought her compliance was assured by whatever he put in her ale, so she thought of only what William had told her.
This priest can open the gateway.
This priest can open the gateway.
Over and over, she repeated it in her thoughts, and she began trying to push him out. Feeling more ability than she should have, she used only the barest bit of her power to resist.
“He can open the gateway?” he asked, staring at her. She tried to pull away from him. “This priest can open it? Tell me, Brienne. Now!”
The crushing pain in her head nearly blinded her. She collapsed on the deck next to the tortured man. “Aye, my lord.”
His laughter echoed across the ship and the sea, and every one of his minions was drawn to it. For a moment she imagined that every soul in Scotland and beyond cringed at the evil sound.
“See to him then, Brienne. Keep him alive.” Lord Hugh kicked the man, who roused and peered through a slit where one of his eyes should be. “She is your savior, Corann.”
He walked off, still laughing, calling out orders to get her what she needed. Brisbois stood over her, watching her every move and expression.
“Let me die,” Corann rasped out, grabbing her with his bloodied hand. “I beg you, let me die.”
She wanted to comfort him and tell him the truth, but he could confess it if they tortured him again. When Brisbois handed her a skin of fresh water and she held it to Corann’s mouth, he refused it. Brienne cleaned his wounds and bandaged his broken arm as best she could. A blanket appeared, as did some watered-down porridge from their last meal. He refused that as well, determined to die with his knowledge.
Brisbois stood silently by through the rest of the day, saying nothing but missing not a movement or word she spoke. Lord Hugh stood under the tent on the high platform at the front of the ship and watched everything. From time to time, he would walk over and stand beside her. She waited for him to invade her mind, but he did nothing but watch.
They traveled north along the coast, always north, and she spent some moments watching the smaller boats of fishermen and merchants glide by, though none came too close. The sky remained clear that day and the sea calm, and soon they passed by a huge castle sitting on a rock cliff at the sea’s edge. Lord Hugh’s attention was drawn to it as well.
There was a low humming tone within it, as though some power sat beneath the castle in the rock itself. Was this a place of power, a sacred place, as he’d called it? It took some time and distance before the sound disappeared. Is that what would happen at the circle? As it had in his demonic chamber belowground? Did evil have a sound?
“What will happen?” she asked, against her own decision not to speak to him. She needed to know.
“At the gateway?” She nodded. “You will enter the circle with the warblood. He”—he nodded at Corann— “he will perform the ritual and open it. The goddess will be freed.”
Remembering the sound and shape of the being behind the barrier made her shiver. She had no doubt that anyone in the circle would be dead once the goddess was free and had all of her powers back.
“You think to survive this, then? That she will let you live?” she asked.
A sense of peace filled her as she realized there was no question of her survival—she would not. She only hoped that she could get William and the others away before she died. Lord Hugh strode up to her, grabbing her face and bringing it to his.
“She has promised me great rewards for my loyal service,” he whispered harshly so only she could hear. “I will be at her side, Brienne, as you should be.” He released her. “You are almost out of time to choose the right side in this. Stand with me or be destroyed with the rest when she reigns.”
“But what of the king? You were his guardian and regent, one of his oldest friends and counselors. Will he not fight for his kingdom?”
“His death will make it that much easier to take over.”
She looked away and took a deep breath. So his plan included the king’s death. William’s father. She must warn him somehow, but she could not dare to anger Lord Hugh further.
“Now get back over there and see to that priest.”
He called Brisbois as he walked back to his place at the front. As he spoke to his torturer, the man gazed back at her. She tried to ignore it, but she wondered if he’d just been given his orders to kill her.
Brisbois came now and stood over her once more. She tended to Corann as best she could, squeezing drops of water into his mouth and waiting for him to swallow. Awake, he fought her. Asleep or unconscious, she could get a few precious drops down his throat.
“You frighten him.” Glancing up at the huge man, she was puzzled. “You scare him as no other has ever,” he repeated with something that resembled a smile.
“What makes you say that? His powers are so much stronger than mine. He has knowledge and abilities that I have no idea even exist. How can I frighten him?” she asked.
