“First, swear to me that you will go alone, without your mother, that you will not speak to your brother or let him see you, but meet with the abbot privately instead, and that you will do your best to heed his counsel.”
“I swear,” Berengur declared.
“Second, I need to know who referred you to me.”
“His name is Shod. He works in the Three Moons and sells information on the side.”
No hesitation. Dropped his contact’s name just like that. This visit was connected to the Shears after all. Good. One worry off my shoulders.
“You will find Pelegrin in the monastery of the Pious Planters, north of Praul Britin.”
If he hurried, he could make the ride in two days.
“You have done me a great favor.” Berengur jumped up. “I will not forget this, my lady. The crest is yours to keep. Should you need me for anything, show this crest to the guards at the Citadel and they will take you to me.”
He turned to leave. His bodyguard bowed to me. It was a deep slow bow. He straightened and followed his liege to the tunnel.
I took the crest off the table and studied it. I hadn’t factored it in, but a favor from one of the Defender officers could come in handy.
“You said some things that are thought but not spoken,” Reynald told me. His voice was quiet and solemn.
“Perhaps if they were spoken, fewer soldiers would hang from beams.”
Reynald pulled his lancer’s coif down. “Do you think he will follow your advice?”
“I don’t know. I’ve done my best to convince him. It’s up to him now.”
“Whatever he chooses, the earl owes us a favor,” Reynald said, his voice calm and measured. “Berengur isn’t the wealthiest of nobles or the most renowned of knights, but that tower on his crest is well earned. He remembers his debts and he doesn’t flinch.”
To have a tower on your crest meant your family was stalwart. Reliable and loyal. The kind of family that honored its commitments and knew the meaning of duty.
“Good to know.” I tapped my fingertips on the table, thinking.
“What is it?” Reynald asked.
“Berengur is allied with Arvel.”
Doran Arvel, the head of the Arvel household and current Lord Commander of the Defender Order. Of all the Eight Families, the Arvels had the best reputation. Doran, in particular, was viewed as the kind of knight all others should aspire to be. Brave, honorable, a gifted general dedicated to his duty and devastating in battle. The main character to put all main characters to shame. The Golden Knight.
“And?”
“Shod, Berengur’s informant, works at the Three Moons. That tavern serves as the Shears’ headquarters.”
Reynald’s eyebrows rose. “Solentine supports Everard, but a Shears agent is feeding information to Arvel’s faction?”
I nodded. “Probably not exclusively to them, or Berengur wouldn’t have given him up so easily. Shod is moonlighting, and he isn’t choosy about who pays him.”
Solentine would lose his shit. Now I just had to figure out the right time and price to sell this juicy tidbit to him.
This wasn’t in the books. I had just gotten my first piece of real intel all on my own. Ha!
“What happens to Arvel in the future?” Reynald asked.
“I told you that the crown prince is assassinated. It happens during the Winter Hunt. The security for the Hunt will be provided by the Defender Knights. After the assassination, suspicion falls on Arvel, and he shuts himself and his knights within the Defender Citadel. Hreban decides against trying to take it.”
“A wise choice,” Reynald said.
The name of the order was a clue. Defender Knights specialized in defense. Once fortified in their stronghold, they were immovable. Especially while wrapped in the magic of Arvel’s Enduring Flame.
