Antoninus frowned. “I can take care of myself, Brother.”
Tatius smiled faintly as he lifted his full cup. “I know,” he said. “But I want you to do something for me.”
“What?”
“I want you to ride south to Lioncross Abbey,” he said. “Christopher de Lohr is the Warden of the Marches. I want you to tell him what is happening.”
Antoninus’ frown grew. “You want me out of the way so I will not have to be involved in what Atilius and Fabius are planning.”
Tatius sighed heavily. “I want you to be safe,” he said quietly. “And I want de Lohr to know what those two jackals are planning. Will you do this?”
“Nay.”
“Please, Antoninus.”
“I cannot.”
“Why?”
“Who will protectyou?”
That brought tears to Tatius’ eyes. He went to his brother again, pulling the man’s forehead to his lips and kissing him gently. “They will not touch me, not now,” he said. “They needme for this marriage. But they do not need you for anything. Please, Antoninus– please go to de Lohr and tell him what is happening. The man must know and I cannot tell him myself.”
Antoninus was weakening with his brother’s logic. “But what will you tell those two about my absence?”
Tatius waved him off. “That is simple,” he said. “I will tell them that I have sent you into Wrexham to select a wedding present for my new bride. A new horse, mayhap. There is a broker in Wrexham who deals in exotic horses. They will have no reason to disbelieve that.”
He was right. Antoninus knew that. Still, he didn’t want to leave Tatius alone. “Are you certain?”
“I am. Hurry, now. There is no time to waste if my betrothed is on her way.”
Antoninus nodded reluctantly. “Very well,” he said. “I will go, but I will hurry back.”
“I know you will.”
Antoninus turned away from his brother, hesitantly, glancing back at the man as he made his way to the hall entry. More people were filtering in now as the evening meal was approaching, and Tatius lifted a hand to his brother, waving at him encouragingly, hoping Antoninus would obey him and do what he was told. He loved his younger brother dearly, but he was stubborn sometimes. Tatius hoped this wasn’t one of those times.
All of northern Wales was about to go up in a voracious blaze of fire and rebellion, and no one would know anything about it until it was too late.
Ride, Antoninus, ride!
CHAPTER SEVEN
They’d picked upa tail.
About an hour out of Castle Rising on a cool, misty morning, Kress could see the tail they’d picked up as they headed north. It was like a phantom, moving through the mist, and Bric and Achilles were keeping an eye on it as Alexander led the fifty-man escort and Kress kept his focus on the lady in the fortified carriage that was painted with the Summerlin colors of white and blue. Susanna rode on one side of it while Kress rode on the other, and as the mist began to lift, Bric and Achilles were finished playing cat and mouse with their tail.
The thunder of the war horses caught Kress’ attention as he turned to see Bric and Achilles charging back through the lines, going to confront whoever was following them. Given the conversation Kress had heard in Lynn two days before when he’d followed Cadelyn into town and overheard her discussion with the priest, he had a fairly good idea of who it was, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted to see if he was correct.
As it turned out, he was.
Bric and Achilles returned to the escort with a terrified man on a small, shaggy palfrey between them. Since Kress had neverreally gotten a good look at the priest Cadelyn had been talking to, he didn’t recognize the man on sight, but he noted the rough, woolen robes and was fairly convinced of who he was.
Alexander, as the mission commander, began to question the man harshly towards the rear of the escort and Kress left his post by the carriage and charged back along the lines until he reached the knights and the frightened priest.
“He is not here to rob us,” he said, interrupting Alexander’s questioning. Then, he looked to the priest who was, in reality, a young man, pale and flabby, with an uneven haircut. “Are you the priest the lady spoke of?”
The young man looked positively terrified. “I… I am her personal priest, my lord,” he stammered. “She told me that she would be heading north today, to her betrothed, and she told me to meet her upon the road.”
