“Warn me of what?”
“The high king is, well, there are those who say he’s been ensorcelled by Radre. I’ll not call him your brother because I don’t believe the man strutting about the palace is related to you and Queen Saris.” The edges of Sir Broderick’s mouth twitched, his regard warming. “Both of you have bratty moments, but you’ve never been malicious.”
Ice formed in Wycke’s gut. So, more people realized the change in Radre. “He’s calling the shots?” Doomed! They were all doomed!
“Shots? What shots?”
Oh. Not everyone had forayed into the human realm to understand human terms. “The words coming out of the high king’s mouth were put there by Radre.”
Broderick stared for one long moment, then nodded. “I believe that is true. But, unfortunately, I don’t know how to help without becoming guilty of treason myself. What good would I do any of you if I joined you in a cell?”
Fair point. “Have you spoken to Saris?”
“I cannot bring myself to. I have let her down. From the day she trusted me to guard her, she’s become a daughter to me. She never looked down her nose at a lowly guard.” Sir Broderick met and held Wycke’s gaze, words deliberate. “She never saw a difference in where we were born or commented on the troll blood in my veins.”
“Troll blood? She never told me.” Wycke pulled back for a better look. Yes, Broderick was uncommonly tall and stockily built, though relatively small for a troll. Those brow ridges…
Broderick flashed a bashful half-smile. “More to admire. She didn’t share my secret, even with you, her trusted confidant. The lady is worth so much more than the life she’s been given.
“Poor girl. Taken from her home and made a prisoner, her father executed, then commanded to join with someone not of her choosing. Through it all, she maintained her dignity. I took insults from my fellow guards when she requested me, and I refused promotions to remain by her side. Whatever she needs from me, I’ll do.”
Okay. Sir Broderick might be only a single ally, yet powerful in his own right. Devotion also made him valuable. “Is there any way you can get us out of here?” Wycke could only hope the man’s loyalty ran so deep.
“At the moment, you’re in the safest place I can think of. You can’t easily be taken or harmed while under the watchful eye of the guards.”
“That’s what you think. They have no love for Saris or me.”
“You are mistaken.” Broderick wrapped the fingers of one large hand around a bar separating him from Wycke. “Many, myself included, have come to admire your sister. She’s smart, wise, and compassionate. She’s also not afraid to drink and swear when necessary, and otherwise make herself relatable.”
“Saris? Drink and swear?” Wycke shot his gaze to the left, though he’d never see his sister through rock walls.
Broderick’s face reddened to his ears. “And now I’ve betrayed a confidence. She learns much from courtiers and guards by pouring wine while playing cards.”
The crafty little schemer. “Will the high king have her executed?”
“High King Broen would never harm her. The puppet under your brother’s sway? I have no answer. Those loyal to your sister have banded together. Her mate is so busy seeing to endless trivial petitions that whatever plans Radre has for him will have to wait. The more time he waits, the more time Sorcerer Aberfrer has to discover what kind of hold Radre placed on our king.”
Very telling that Broderick didn’t refer to Radre as “King Radre.” What exactly did the omission mean? That he didn’t see Radre as king or didn’t see Myrgren as a kingdom?
Was Piers’ secret still a secret? Radre, a known enemy, knew. Only a matter of time before others did unless Radre killed Piers first.
No. Wycke would rather die himself than think of an outcome in which Piers didn’t survive. Jeez. Poor guy. Dropped into the ultimate nightmare.
Then again, if Piers died, from what Chynne said, Wycke would follow close behind.
It wasn’t only Piers’ and Wycke’s lives in the balance, or their nearest and dearest, but possibly all the citizens of this realm. “During the war, great harm came to the other races of this realm at the hands of my own. And now it’s rare to see them in Dhugach. I’ve also encountered those who’ve abandoned this realm totally, living in the human realm.”
“Very true,” Sir Broderick agreed.
“Then why help us?”
“Because we who aren’t fully human, or human at all, see something in you and Saris we don’t see in others of your kind. Fairness. A willingness to believe we’re your equals, worth listening to.”
Wow! Someone looked at Wycke and Saris and saw “fair”? “Don’t you feel that way about High King Broen?”
“Yes. But he lacks the boldness to sacrifice what’s comfortable for what’s right.”
And now the high king answered to Radre. Only a matter of time before Radre carried out whatever sinister plan he’d hatched. Wycke had to get out of this cell. For that, he needed someone powerful. Someone who shared his suspicions about Radre. Whatever. Revealing himself to a royal sorcerer might be a good way to get killed.
