“There have been men visiting Glosstyr. Riders wearing black with silver masks. Fallon thinks it’s a conspiracy. You are going to be riding with Severn. I wanted to be absolutely sure that you knew this.”
Her father betrayed no look of surprise. He glanced at Kevan and then arched his eyebrows.
Lord Amrein chuckled. “Lord Fallon is better informed than I suspected,” he said in a lighthearted way. “If he wants this job, he’s welcome to it.”
Owen smiled. “Anyone who wants it deserves the curse. It is a position of great trust. I like Fallon very much, but I also worry about him. He wants too much to prove himself. And he’s a little rash. Like his father.”
“So you already knew?” Trynne said, judging the answer by the look on her father’s face.
He nodded.
“Then who are these men in silver masks?” she asked.
He glanced at Lord Amrein again and gestured for him to speak.
“We don’t know,” he answered simply, folding his arms. “They started coming rather recently. No pattern in their arrival or departure. As you know, we’ve always had trouble maintaining Espion in Glosstyr. We’ve asked Lady Kathryn, and she was completely ignorant. We’ve asked Morwenna, and she claims to be equally baffled. We’ve kept her rather busy these last months, so she’s rarely in Glosstyr for long. I concur with Fallon’s reasoning—it does feel like a rebellion is brewing.”
“And what are we doing about it?” Trynne demanded. She felt a bit presumptuous, but it would be unthinkable to walk away without asking.
“Lord Severn is riding with me,” Owen said. “I plan to ask him.”
Trynne’s eyes widened with surprise.
Owen shrugged. “It could be many things. It could be nothing. I’d rather have him away from his duchy, surrounded by the king’s army and mine. Has he made a secret alliance with Chandigarl? We don’t know. Does he intend to betray me as my father betrayed him at Ambion Hill? I hope not. If he doesn’t give a satisfactory answer to my questions, then he’ll be arrested prior to the battle.” He sighed. “I wish we still had that Wizr board,” he continued. “I especially miss how you could tell when someone changed sides because the pieces changed color.”
“Another reason Rucrius visited us, no doubt,” Lord Amrein said.
Owen nodded and then shrugged. “Does that ease your concerns, Trynne?”
She smiled and nodded. “I should have trusted Lord Amrein more. I’m sorry, my lord.”
“Your father likes to worry,” Lord Amrein teased. “We may be outnumbered by a sizable force. But we were outnumbered in Azinkeep as well. That turned out to be a rather crucial battle, did it not, between Occitania and Ceredigion? These foreigners haven’t tested our mettle yet.”
“True,” Owen said wryly. “That doesn’t mean we have to like it.”
“I worried needlessly. I’m sorry for interrupting you both,” Trynne said, coming forward and kissing her father’s prickly cheek. He caught her hand.
“There is something I would tell you.”
She paused, giving him her attention.
“When the battle is over, whatever happens, your mother will start training Morwenna as a Wizr.” He looked in her eyes. “She’s displayed an aptitude and interest for it, and we can use more Wizrs, especially if we need to retreat and fight a holding action against Gahalatine as he crosses to Kingfountain. This castle would be very difficult to siege. But with Wizrs who can control water . . . well, that changes things.”
Trynne felt the stab of regret in her heart, but she wasn’t disappointed. Being the Lady of Averanche was more to her liking. And she was determined to train other young women to defend the castle in different ways.
“I think she’s a good choice,” Trynne said resolutely.
Owen looked relieved. “There is something, however, that we are not going to teach her,” he continued, his voice very low. She felt his Fountain magic start to rise up and bubble. He cocked his head, as if he were listening. Then the magic subsided.
“No one is eavesdropping,” he said with a wink. “I wanted to be sure. Your mother and I have kept this secret. Lord Amrein knows, because he’s proven himself over many years.”
Her father held out his left hand, palm up. He took her hand and placed it on top of his. “You see the wedding ring. You can feel it, can’t you? But there is another ring on my finger. One that you cannot see.”