Passion Play (River of Souls 1)

The guard captain and his squad arrived within moments. Ilse spoke at once. “Captain, Lord Dedrick is not feeling well. He needs to return home at once.”

“You cannot do that to me,” Dedrick hissed.

“I can and I must. Captain, you have my word that these are Lord Kosenmark’s wishes. He left explicit instructions—”

“And I say you are lying,” Dedrick shouted, his face dark and furious. “Listen to me, Captain. You must send two squads after Lord Kosenmark. He’s in danger. And I have news that he must hear.”

“Mistress Ilse?” The captain turned to her.

“Send an escort with Lord Dedrick back to his father’s household,” Ilse said. She turned to Lord Dedrick. “You must go home. Lord Kosenmark wishes it. So does your father.”

Dedrick shuddered at the mention of his father. Yet with an obvious effort, he seemed to bring himself under control. He glanced from Ilse to the captain. “Very well. But I do not need an escort. My own groom can do well enough.”

“You should have a few men accompany you,” Ilse said firmly. “To ensure that you reach home safely.”

Dedrick jerked up his chin. All the guards went alert, but then Dedrick released a long breath. “So,” he said. “Yes. I see that you are right, Mistress Ilse. Thank you for your consideration.”

He gave Ilse a stiff nod. At the captain’s signal, three of the guards detached themselves from the group. Dedrick regarded them with distaste, but he made no further protests and allowed the guards to usher him from the house.

Ilse waited until she was alone with the guard captain, then relayed Lord Kosenmark’s instructions about Hansenau Square. “That’s on the other side of the harbor,” he said. “We’d need an hour if we go on foot. Maybe longer.”

“What about horses?”

“We don’t have enough for two squads.”

“Send one squad mounted, then, and the second on foot.”

He nodded. “Well enough, Mistress.”

Only when he had gone did her body react to the news. A shudder went through her. She nearly did not make it to the nearest bench before her legs turned watery and she sat with a thump that jarred her teeth.

Murder. Betrayal. Simkov’s memoirs. The feint turned against Lord Kosenmark. It didn’t matter if Lord Khandarr acted from panic or cold deliberation, if his agents reached Lord Kosenmark before the guards did, they would murder him and blame Tiralien’s street thugs. One squad of guards was not enough to protect him. Even if these two reached Hansenau Square in time, there would be an outright battle.

She turned from the gallery and threaded her way toward her rooms. Her stomach growled. Dinner, she thought faintly. Then a bath. Or perhaps she could eat while she bathed. No, evening was coming on, and Maester Ault expected her soon.

Worn out with anxiety and the long drill, she fell into a doze while eating in her room.

“Mistress Ilse …”

Someone was shaking her by the shoulder. Ilse started up, forgetting where she was for a moment. In the background, the quarter bells were ringing. Her vision came into focus. It was the guard captain’s second hovering over her, his face taut and worried. “What’s wrong?” she said.

“Lord Dedrick. We sent an escort with him just as you ordered …”

A sick feeling came over her. “I can guess. Lord Dedrick lost his escort, didn’t he?”

The man nodded. “The guard squad came into the stables just as we were leaving with Lord Dedrick. He must have overheard something, because he had a strange look on his face. I didn’t think much about it at the time. But half a mile from here, we had stopped because a mule train was blocking the streets. Lord Dedrick started cursing, saying that his horse had gone lame. He pretended to look at its off back hoof. Before we knew it, he’d disappeared into an alleyway and was gone.”

“You sent the guards after him?”

“Yes, but they could not find any trace of him. Should we send out another squad?”

Ilse thought fast. Kosenmark had hired extra guards, but with three squads already dispatched, they had barely enough to patrol the grounds, and she wondered if Khandarr’s agents would also attack here. She could alert the city watch, or report the business to Lord Vieth in his palace.

No. We cannot start to confess our secrets now.

Besides, none of them could reach Lord Dedrick quickly enough. Meanwhile, Markus Khandarr’s secret army was hunting down Raul Kosenmark. She had to warn them both.

The thought made her go weak. This was no practice drill.