It was the powerful nature in him.
Addax understood because he had much that same nature, but he had more discipline than Essien did. He drained the last of the watered ale in his cup.
“Go to Celandine,” he said. “Get what you can from her, if anything, and we shall depart for Pelinom on the morrow.”
“Swear it?”
“Follow your orders, Es. Do as you are told.”
Essien grunted unhappily but when Celandine appeared again, carrying drink, he smiled brightly and got up from the table, heading in her direction. As Addax watched, Essien gave her his very best seductive expression, took the tray from her, and sat it on the nearest table. Then he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her off towards the rear of the tavern, which had a yard that contained a small livery. That was Essien’s destination.
Literally, a roll in the hay.
Addax waited for him.
And waited.
The tavern filled up as the night deepened. A cog from Copenhagen had moored along the dark river shore and the tavern was overrun with big, blond sailors who were loud and happy. Addax pretended to be mostly passed out, awakening only to pretend to drink more ale when what he was really doing was spitting it out in the corner. Still, he had managed to imbibe enough that he was fairly drunk and as he sat with his chair tipped against the wall, his head back as he struggled not to fall asleep, Essien reappeared from the rear of the tavern.
The expression on Essien’s face had Addax up and moving.
The Princes of Kitara didn’t wait until morning to depart.
By the light of a full moon, they headed back to Pelinom.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Edinburgh
One week later
“Damn the man,”William hissed. “And he started a battle because of it?”
MacDuff stood before William as the man warmed himself in front of a hearth that was taller than he was. The biggest hearth in Scotland, he liked to say. It warmed his old bones and brought him comfort in a world where there was little to be found.
At the moment, comfort had eluded him once again.
The comfort of an English ally.
“Aye, yer grace,” MacDuff said. He had a big gash on his neck and a bandaged arm, evidence of the nasty battle he’d been a part of. It all played into his role as a victim to Alastor de Bourne’s rage, which was his intention. He didn’t want his king to know that he had actually failed. “I was polite. I tried tae negotiate with the man. ’Tis no’ the first time I’ve dealt with a warlord and I know how tae handle such a man, but de Bourne is without reason. He sent his army out tae attack us. I lost many men.”
William sighed heavily and came away from the fire, rubbing his hands together because his joints pained him. He eyed his young justiciar, hearing defeat in the man’s voice. He certainly looked beaten and so did his men. There were several who had accompanied him to meet with the king and every one of them looked as if he’d been on the wrong side of a nasty row.
“Then the fact that he dinna reply tae Canmore’s missives meant he dinna want tae be part of it,” he said. “His silencewashis answer. And no sign of Canmore on yer travels? Ye heard nothing?”
MacDuff shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “We can only assume that Canmore is still with de Velt.”
William simply nodded, pondering a situation that had taken a bad turn. Not that he wasn’t prepared for it, because he always prepared himself for the worst. That was how he had been able to rule for so long. Expect the worst, hope for this best.
In this case, the worst had happened.
“Then we must move forward without Alastor de Bourne,” he said, looking to MacDuff and the other men in the hall. “Alpin Canmore is a prisoner of Ajax de Velt and we must assume he’s told him everything he knows. That means the English are going tae be casting their eyes on Berwick and we canna allow them tae control the town or the river. If they do, our allies from the north will have nowhere tae go when they arrive.”
“They can go tae Newcastle,” MacDuff said. “They can go tae Humberside. There are other rivers.”
William held up a finger. “True,” he said. “But there are no other rivers that are the border between England and Scotland. If they go tae another river further tae the south, the chances of our armies uniting wouldna be good. And it is imperative that we unite if this is tae succeed.”
He had a point. Every man in the hall knew it. William turned back to the hearth, wringing his hands, considering his optionswhen the truth was that he already knew what he was going to do.
