‘The merchants seem to think the sun will magically shine from her arse when that crown lands on her head,’ the king continued.
Astin shifted his weight. ‘War has arrived at your door. They’re ready to take everything your father built. I think you have bigger things to worry about right now, don’t you?’
A crashing noise in the distance made them both look to the small window. Shouting ensued.
‘Sounds like the merchants have returned to the gate,’ Astin said. ‘And they’re not coming for me.’
Borin’s face fell.
‘Perhaps they figured out that you’ve sent your army to the wall,’ Astin continued. ‘Smart time to act. If I were you, I’d get back to the castle as quickly as you can.’
The king’s face hardened as he turned away. Walking to the top of the stairwell, he paused, eyes going to the keys hanging by the torch on the wall.
‘You are right,’ Borin said, looking back at Astin. ‘We are going to need every capable soldier on the wall. I think it best I send the prison guards to join the effort, so I am afraid it will just be you and the rest of the criminals here for a while.’ He reached for the keys and tucked them into a pocket. Then, taking the torch off the wall, he stood observing the flame for a moment. ‘I liked you a lot,’ Borin said. ‘I trusted you. So the betrayal stings all the more.’
‘I did the job expected of me. I kept you alive.’
Borin nodded slowly. ‘And now I am forced to find someone else to keep me alive.’ With that, he bent and laid the torch beneath a small wooden stool that sat by the wall.
Astin took hold of the bars, watching the flames rise to meet the wood.
‘I’ll be sure to comfort her for you,’ Borin said before disappearing down the stairwell.
Chapter 36
Lyndal paced back and forth past the window of her bedchamber, praying she had done the right thing.
‘Tell the merchants it’s their fight now,’she had told Eda. ‘The king’s army is on the wall, all eyes looking outwards.’
She had called up an army of merchants, knowing they were hungry for this fight. Now she listened as the gate was ripped apart, as weapons clashed, as pent-up rage flooded into the royal borough. She was done playing these games. This was their fight, and she was handing them the best chance to win.
Lyndal knew when they had reached the castle gate because the shouting grew louder. Stepping up to the window, she saw a handful of archers atop the castle wall, but only a handful. She had been right. The majority of the king’s army had been sent to the outer-wall, and the king would be hiding somewhere in the castle.
Smoke drifted in through the open window, tasting of animal fat and ash. There was only one reason the merchants had arrived with torches in broad daylight. She pressed her head against the bars of the window, trying to get a glimpse of the tower, but it was the wrong angle for it. She took comfort in the fact that the tower was filled with merchants, which made it the safest place in the royal borough at that moment. They would not attack their own.
A horn sounded, long and deep. In the distance, she saw defenders racing along the south wall.
The door rattled, and Lyndal whipped her head around. She stilled, listening, watching the handle move. A moment later, the door swung open.
Eda stood in the doorway, pressing pins back into her hair.A little trick Harlan showed me.
Lyndal stared at her. ‘What are you doing here? You were supposed to return home after delivering the message.’
And leave you locked in here?
‘How did you even get inside the castle?’
Eda tapped her nose.That one was a little trick Roul showed me.She threw a dress at Lyndal.Put this on. If there was ever a time you wanted to blend in with the merchants, that time is now. They’re tearing down the gate.
Lyndal stepped out of her dress and into the faded cotton one, stilling when she heard banging below. The merchants had arrived.
God help anyone who stands between the merchants and the king they hunt.
‘I need to get to the tower,’ Lyndal said, rushing out into the corridor and heading for the stairs. She removed the pearl comb securing her hair and dropped it on the ground as she walked. Her hair fell down her shoulders. She glanced sideways at her sister, whose skirts were muddied all the way up to the knee. Her dark hair was pulled back in a single practical plait. No chance of anyone mistaking her for nobility.
The girls broke into a run when they reached the fountain court. The doors at the far end had a drawbar across them but did not require a key. They were almost there when a voice stopped them.
‘If you are planning a visit to the tower, I am afraid you are too late,’ Borin said.
