‘He won’t come after you tonight. I promise. Besides, I won’t let anyone touch you.’
‘Does he suspect?’
‘I don’t know. He clearly wasn’t feeling entirely well but he also wasn’t registering the presence of your magic. If you could hurl fireballs, or possessed the strength of ten men, or even if you could run as fast as I you might be more tempting. Being Vested doesn’t mean that you are an aegis, Roddy. What’s more, if you were one, surely the king would have known it immediately.’
‘Don’t forget Greven lived alongside Piven all that time. And this Kilt Faris they speak about had been living with the king for many anni, hadn’t he?’
‘Yes.’
‘So obviously with real strength of will it can be overcome. It was awful. I thought I was being sucked into a dark hole. I wasfighting it from the moment we stepped within range of the king. Ravan … I think we have to accept I am an aegis. I wanted to be near him and yet I wanted to escape.’
He paused for a long time, and then said, ‘It’s like when I followed Piven even when I didn’t want to. I had no control.’
‘All right, even if I accept that, every aegis is marked. Greven by his leprosy for instance.’
Roddy sighed. ‘And me by my tremor.’
‘You said it was a palsy, that your father had it, that so did his brother.’
‘I lied, Ravan. I was frightened. I don’t even know my father. My mother refused to speak of him. The tremor belongs to me alone — it’s my mark.’
They lay in silence, staring up at the stars, neither daring to speak. Ravan was the first to break the silence, his voice barely above a murmur. ‘In light of that, Cyrena’s instructions make sense now.’
‘Yes. There is someone else who needs me.’
Ravan felt the sorrow bite deep. ‘You don’t have to do anything, Roddy.’
‘I’m afraid I do. Piven is too dangerous.’
‘Well, his brother isn’t exactly what I’d imagined. I rank them both almost equal in how much I don’t want to be near them.’
‘I know. I don’t like the hungry way he looks at me. At least it seems he’s unaware of it. Perhaps he has to come face to face with his true aegis — the one born for him — to really feel the magical connection.’
Ravan sighed. ‘I suppose we have to forgive Leonel. His life has been shaped by events out of his control. But that doesn’t mean we have to give in to him. Sergius is who I trust and he told me to trust Cyrena.’
‘And she told us to head for Lo’s Teeth. Piven knows about her, by the way. He is frightened of her. Why?’
‘I suspect he fears her magic.’
‘Now I understand why you told me not to say anything about Cyrena’s message to us. You chose a good moment to step away.’
‘I didn’t think he’d let us go if he knew we were heading in a different direction. Now I know he won’t let us go at all. He wants an aegis badly enough to eat me this very night.’
‘We should not stay here another moment,’ Ravan said. ‘Quietly now. We leave. They can’t possibly keep up.’
‘The Legate suspected something,’ Roddy warned.
‘That’s right, I did,’ hissed a new voice. ‘And now I know the truth.’
Ravan flinched as out of the dark, able to touch them if he wanted, melted Gavriel de Vis with his bow pulled taut and an arrow pointed directly at Ravan.
‘You’re good, Ravan, but I think I’m better. I’ve had years of training with the Davarigons, after all. Perhaps your bird senses are dulled now that you are a man?’
‘Are you going to kill us?’ Ravan demanded, his voice even.
‘No. Fool that I am, I’m protecting you. Get up and leave.’
‘Leave?’
‘That’s what I said. Hurry up, both of you.’
‘Why?’ Roddy whispered, silently leaping to his feet next to Raven, staring between the two men.
‘Because I don’t like where the king’s thoughts are heading. He may have none of its famed magic but the Valisar blood runs thick through his veins. He’s become as driven and ruthless as his father, his uncle, and even his brother, it seems. So go. Save yourself, Roddy.’
‘But what about —?’
‘Just go. I shall deal with the king’s wrath.’
‘How much did you hear?’ Ravan asked.
‘Enough.’
Ravan looked back at their conspirator in the soft moonlight. He raced back over his conversation with Roddy and realised they’d never mentioned the princess by name or title, and they’dnot said Corbel’s name either. Perhaps Gavriel thought the she they’d been talking about was Cyrena. It was better to keep him confused.
‘Where will you go?’ Gavriel asked.
‘We came here purely to warn Leo of his new enemy.’ Ravan shrugged again. ‘I am following my instincts, my lord, as instructed. We were told to head for the mountains so Lo’s Teeth is where we shall head.’
Gavriel nodded. ‘Look to the Davarigons, they will help. If you mention my name, or that of a woman called Elka, you will be treated as friends. In the meantime I promise the king will have no attempt at you, Roddy, certainly not under my guard. How you choose to use your magic is your business. I will not stand by and watch it stolen from you. My father would turn in his tomb … if he had one.’ His voice was so deeply tinged with sorrow that Ravan stepped forward, his hand held out.
‘Forgive us, my lord, for putting you in this position. We felt it was important that the king know about Piven but …’
‘You did the right thing. Now we are forewarned. So flee. He sleeps now but should he awake I will slow him down.’
Roddy grinned and hugged Gavriel, surprising the Legate. ‘Thank you, my lord. Thank you. And don’t worry about us. You couldn’t catch us even if you wanted to.’
Gavriel, still crookedly smiling from the youngster’s affection, gave a bemused frown. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Watch,’ Roddy whispered and clambered onto Ravan’s back.
Ravan nodded at Gavriel and some unspoken message travelled between them — a mixture of respect and thanks, with a promise to meet again.
‘I will look out for you, my lord. You have my loyalty, even if King Leonel does not.’ He took one quick step, then another, and then they were gone.
Elka had found a deep ditch, a hollow that an old stream had cut into over many anni, before Francham had redirected water as the town had grown.
‘Here?’ he had asked, unable to mask his surprise.
‘No one will see you.’
‘And you trust me?’
‘If I take you into Francham and you’re recognised, we’re in instant trouble.’
‘Oh I agree, and you’re so inconspicuous of course.’ It was not said unkindly — in fact, it sounded almost affectionate. He was charming her! What a rogue. Even so, he didn’t have to try hard. He was good company; she appreciated his sharp intelligence and had grown to understand that he had a grasp of fair play as well as a sense of nobility about him, which was attractive. She really couldn’t help liking the man, which surprised her; when she had argued to save his life she had definitely