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“I’ve seen him,” I said carefully. “I just didn’t know how he was relevant?”

“And how is he relevant?”

I glanced Bruce’s way, the message clear.

“You’re dismissed,” William snapped.

Bruce left without another word. Annoyance sharpened William’s features as he turned to me. “A man has been releasing my children, messing with what I’m trying to achieve here, and you didn’t think it worth mentioning. Whose side are you on, Gray?”

I didn’t like that question. It cut too close to the truth. “Your side,” I said without hesitation. “Unequivocally.”

William studied me, searching for the lie. I didn’t fidget, and I didn’t blink. He looked away first. “Tell me what you know.”

“He has a vendetta against you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. The Lord has not shown me that.” How did I use this to get him alone? That had always been the hardest part. William had followers eager to do his bidding, so why would he risk himself, rather than remaining safe in his ivory tower?

“That’s why he’s freeing the women,” I said. “He doesn’t believe in your work. He thinks you’re a crackpot.” Just like everyone else outside this castle, until you worm your way into their heads.

“A crackpot.” Amusement flickered across William’s face.

“His words. Not mine.”

“For someone you never mentioned, you seem to know a lot about him.”

“Most of my visions of him came before I arrived at the castle. I thought the Lord simply wanted me to know what you were up against, the challenges you face from non-believers. But…” I paused deliberately. “I see now I was naïve, that I should have looked deeper. And I feel him close.”

William thought for a moment, tiny frown lines appearing. Then he shrugged. “He is of no consequence.”

I rose casually and walked to the window, looking out at the abandoned houses of Dover below. “I’m sure you’re right.”

“We’ll leave guards there next time,” William said scornfully. “Out of sight. If he interferes again, we’ll deal with him. Problem solved.”

As convenient as it might seem to have a vision now, I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t act now, my plan would fall apart. Gripping the windowsill, I let my knees buckle. William rushed to my side as I sagged. “What do you see?” he demanded.

I didn’t answer, keeping to the previous pattern of being so overwhelmed by the images I couldn’t speak. When I swayed, William steered me back across the room and into the chair. I blinked a few times, feigning blurred vision.

“Well?” William asked when I focused on him. He leaned forward in his chair, his rapt attention making me want to smile. Yeah, I still had him.

“It’s a test,” I rasped. “The Lord wants you to prove yourself again.”

“How?”

“You must meet this man. And you must go alone. That is the test.”

Something flickered across William’s face. Something that convinced me he was about to call bullshit.

“The girl is with him,” I added softly.

“What girl?”

“The girl?”

“The blessed one?”

It was hard not to roll my eyes every time he used that title. My immunity was genetic—an aberration from my grandmother’s bloodline. No deity had bestowed it on me. If they had, I’d hardly be conning people for a living. “The blessed one,” I agreed. “I saw her in my vision, and she was with him.”