It was Cole or Gaia.
She’d chosen Gaia.
“Cori, go after him,” she sobbed. “Do not let him leave.”
Corisande held up a hand to her sister to silence her. “Not a word,” she said, her voice tight with emotion. “You will not say another word about this, ever.”
Fearful of her sister’s reaction if she did not obey, Gaia did as she was told. She returned to stirring the soiled linen as Corisande went to the smaller tent that she and Gaia shared and collapsed.
She could hear her sister’s sobs all across the encampment.
When she saw Ares moving for the tent, hearing the sobs also, Gaia left the linen boiling and ran to him. If the truth was to be known, then it needed to come from her and she needed to tell someone who had a reputation for being fair and just.
Big brother had just become Father Confessor.
Gaia didn’t want her sacrifice with Alexander MacDuff to be in vain.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“What happened tohim?”
It was Jax asking the question. It was nearing sunset on the seventh day and the fog was beginning to form along the coast, preparing to roll in, but from the battlements of Berwick, he could see Cole down by the river’s edge where the burned shells of longships were still lingering in the shallows.
Cole was standing in the water to his knees. Simply standing there as the frigid water rushed over his lower legs as Julian and Addax stood about a dozen feet behind him on the shore, simply watching. They were all just standing there, looking out onto the river.
Atreus was on the battlements with Jax, as was Essien. In fact, it was Essien who had found Jax on the parapet to tell him that Cole was in distress.
Now, Jax wanted to know what that distress was.
Essien had the unhappy duty of telling him.
“My lord, I was running missives for William Marshal this morning and I began to hear some disturbing rumors,” he said. “I told Cole about them because they had to do with Lady Corisande.”
Jax turned to look at him. “What rumors?”
Essien hesitated before continuing. “There are rumors amongst the armies, my lord,” he said. “The men who were captured with Lady Corisande and Lady Gaia say that Lady Corisande went to the tent of a Scots commander, unchaperoned, and the next morning, all of the captives were released. The rumors are that she traded favors for the release of the captives. Cole has only just heard the rumors and when he confronted the lady with them, it was… ugly. Very ugly. Julian and my brother are standing there in case Cole tries to drown himself in the river.”
Jax stared at Essien in shock before returning his attention to his son, standing amongst the ravages of battle on the edge of the river.
“God,” Jax finally muttered. “I’d not heard those rumors. But, then again, we’ve all been locked up in this castle. I haven’t heard anything. The men are really saying that?”
“Aye, my lord.”
“Whichmen?”
“I heard it from Teviot’s men, but I’m sure it’s all over. You know how men talk.”
Jax just shook his head, appalled to hear such a thing. But not surprised. “They gossip like fishwives,” he muttered, looking at Atreus. “Did you hear any of this?”
Atreus shook his head. “Nay,” he said. “But I have been with you the entire time. We’ve lived isolated, like hermits for the past week.”
Jax sighed heavily and looked out at his son again. “And you say he asked Lady Corisande about the rumors?”
He was addressing Essien. “Aye, my lord.”
“What did she say?”
Essien was willing to tell Jax about the rumors, but revealing a conversation between Cole and Corisande felt invasive. Like hewas gossiping himself. But if Jax knew what was said, perhaps he’d understand the seriousness of the situation.
