“—and then they werebothtaken captive by Pyrenee.”
“Pyrenee has the poisons,” Urtzi added, gulping air. “The ones Ferdinand was delivering.”
Luca’s brows touched and his hand stilled on the nose of Urtzi’s horse. “Wait—they got what they wantedandtook both Ferdinand and Geneva prisoner anyway?”
Ula and Urtzi nodded while taking long pulls from the offered water. Someone else was removing their saddlebags and relieved Luca of the reins.
Amarande’s nostrils flared, her jaw set. “Renard will be sorry. That was a diplomatic mission—there was no need to capture what we werewillinglybringing him.”
General Xixi chewed the inside of her cheek and shifted her weight. “Your Highness, perhaps there was need if Geneva was present?”
“No,” Urtzi bit out, bending over to place his hands upon his knees, nearly empty waterskin hanging from his hand. He glanced up at them, rivulets of sweat running from his damp curls, down his temples and cheekbones to the swell of his throat. “We were trailing Geneva and saw the whole thing.…”
His words failed him then, and Ula placed a hand upon his upper arm and continued for him, her breathing slower and thirst quenched. “Geneva intended to trap the Ardenian caravan to Pyrenee and just happened to be in position early, which meant she was ready when Ferdinand came through. She couldn’t resist entrapping him for obvious reasons. And when she realized he had the vials—”
The sound of hooves swallowed her words as they all turned once again to the gate and another surprise.
Another messenger. This one, escorted by the castle guard manning the gate, mounted upon a horse as white as snow save for his undercarriage, which was a rusty, muddy brown. The soldier was in full aubergine and panting loudly, his face drawn with lack of sleep, blond whiskers climbing his cheeks.
“A message for the queen from the Kingdom of Pyrenee.” The soldier held out a roll of parchment like a spear.
Amarande accepted it but didn’t open it in front of the messenger. “Pualo, please allow this man and his horse proper accommodations.”
The second captain nodded and immediately drew the man away. When the messenger was gone, Amarande gestured to Luca, Ula, Urtzi, and General Xixi. They formed a tight circle as she slit the purple wax and unfurled the parchment.
As one, they read the deep, swirling scrawl of Renard’s handwriting. By the swish of the final letter in the king’s name, Amarande’s gut clattered to her boots, her heart hammered against her ribs as if it were trying to escape, and her mind buzzed with one of her father’s favorite tenets.
Make the first mark.
“KNOWeverything in that letter is a lie.”
An hour later, Amarande opened a meeting in the council room by tossing Renard’s letter at Joseba with that appropriate summation.
The councilor drew the weathered parchment up to his face, so close his nose nearly touched despite the blinding light from the windows beyond. Frustrated with his care, Amarande sat upon her hands so she wouldn’t rip the parchment away and read it to him, line by line. Finally, when he was blessedly finished, Joseba looked up to the waiting eyes of everyone around the table.
“Are we sure Ferdinand is not in league with Geneva? Renard’s letter makes quite the case. His men came upon Ferdinandgivingthe vials to Geneva, his own men tied up. And then he attacked Pyrenee when they tried to rescue him and the cart’s contents?”
“I amsurehe’s not in league with her. Have you met the boy, Joseba?”
It was meant to be sarcastic yet still the councilor answered Amarande’s barb like a legitimate question.
“I met himwithGeneva.” The councilor tented his fingers much like Satordi often did at the same table. “And may I point out that Ferdinand volunteered for this mission. And was seen sending a caracara before leaving with the vials.”
Amarande narrowed her eyes at Joseba. “Fine—but are you telling me you haven’t gotten to know him over the past few weeks? There’s no way Ferdinand did this. There’s no way he’s withher—you know I wouldn’t have let him stay within the Itspi, let alone elevate him tosuch a position asmyknight, if I didn’t trust him and his devotion to Ardenia.”
She waved a hand at Ula and Urtzi. “And though you won’t believe what youshouldknow in your heart, Councilor, please hear it from Ula and Urtzi, who—luckily for Ferdinand—witnessed the whole exchange and can contradict Renard’s account.”
And then they did. Moment by moment, recounting both battles.
When they were finished, Joseba leaned forward in his seat and asked carefully, “The Warlord truly has no men left?”
“With her? No,” Ula confirmed. “She was getting information from watchers or other supporters—that much was clear from her knowledge about the conclave in Pyrenee—but as far as men to fightalongsideher in Pyrenee, the only choice at the moment is Ferdinand.”
“And he would not,”Amarande added specifically for Joseba’s benefit.
Positioning the map atop the table so all could see, Urtzi drew a finger along the main through-way from Ardenia to Pyrenee and the Bellringe upon King’s Crest. “A hundred or more dead lie in those mountains.”
Ula looked to General Xixi. “The soldiers with Ferdinand perished, too. I’m sorry.”
