Page 55 of Shadowborne: Reckoning

I prayed she wouldn’t wake while I was gone, but just in case, I scratched a note and left it in the sitting room, before easing out into the corridor and out of the castle in the dead of night.

When I reached the Southbridge Inn an hour later, a different boy was nodding off on his stool in the corner, but the tavern was utterly empty. And would remain so for another couple of hours, until the kitchen staff arrived.

Hood up to shadow my face, I whispered my instructions so my voice wouldn’t be recognized, then waited for the boy to retrieve Horace—who kindly brought me a cup of wine—and we settled at the table in the corner.

I sat facing the door in case anyone else appeared. Horace hugged a cup of ale, but knew better than to prod me. We’d worked together since I wasn’t much older than Bren.

“Thank you for understanding why we had to leave,” I whispered.

He nodded once. “Your abrupt departure concerned me. But for matters of safety, not coin.”

I nodded. “It’s why I’ve come to you tonight. You’ve always been more loyal than mercenary.”

The man huffed. “If I were in this game for coin, I’ve made a poor investment,” he chuckled.

I smiled, but kept the hood up, so I doubted he saw it. Then I let my tone tell him how serious this was. “Horace, I find myself in a position in which I must trust you more than I trust a man I would have called brother not many months ago.”

Horace’s brows rose and he looked over his shoulder. “You have a… two-faced friend?”

“I don’t know. That’s the problem. And I would ask for your help to determine the truth. In a manner I never believed I would ask of you.” Then I took a sip of the wine.

The innkeeper rubbed his balding head and frowned. “Your request… is it in protection of the king?”

“Absolutely.”

He met my eyes. “You suspect that brother of—”

“I only wish to be certain.”

“And how would I assist you?”

I took another sip of my wine. I’d known this man nearly two decades. He wasn’t going to like this. “I must… intercept his reports.”

Horace wasn’t surprised, but he sat back in his chair, staring at me grimly. “I told you when we started this, I am an aid to loyal fellows, not a—”

“I know. And if there were any other way, I would ask it, I assure you. But… if it’s any consolation, while the messages will be intercepted, no matter the content, they will not be destroyed. Your network will remain intact, and unhindered.”

“But the boys—their reputations if they’re discovered to have—”

“I propose adding a step. A boy, who will undertake the… extra duties, then return the message to the correct runner immediately. Your chain will be unbroken and untouched.”

“Unless I am found out.”

I nodded. Horace was a good man. A man of integrity, who held himself to standards, and took pride in being trustworthy. It was why I’d chosen him for my network so many years ago. We were of one mind about the importance of a man’s integrity, and the vault of his word.

“Horace, you know I wouldn’t ask this of you unless it were truly necessary.”

He took another sip of his ale, still sitting back in his chair. “Does the target… has he done anything you know, or is he only a suspect?”

“I know of personal offenses—from the horse’s mouth,” I ground out. “As you know, I have always believed a man who is immoral in one area of his life should not be trusted elsewhere. But… I need proof. He is a favorite of our family. And, in truth, if he is revealed as honest, he will remain in our ranks—at least for this mission.”

“You believe he will be unmasked.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yes. But as I said… I cannot make baseless claims and expect them to be listened to.”

“Your word should be given weight.”

“It is. But this is a particularly valuable asset. It won’t be discarded easily.”