The Silent Shield (Kingfountain #5)(21)

He straightened and gestured for her to precede him. As she started to walk, she saw him slip another letter from the desk into his pocket. After opening the door, Fallon turned to Stroud, who was standing outside it like a sentinel.

“Stroud, be a good man and clean up my mess, will you?” Fallon said, gesturing to the disheveled state of the room. “Lady Trynne and I are going to Kingfountain.”

They reached the chapel shortly thereafter, the air still ripe with the fragrance of pine. She stepped into the fountain water and Fallon joined her. They needed to be touching for the magic to work, and she was reaching for his arm when he took her hand instead.

Her confusion must have shown on her face because he immediately said, “I’m sorry, that was presumptuous of me. It’s just that I’ve always held Morwenna’s hand when we traveled together. I thought that’s how it was done.”

They both stood there awkwardly for a moment. Trynne felt a searing flash of jealousy at the realization that Fallon had traveled the ley lines with Morwenna many times before.

“It’s all right,” she said dismissively, trying to keep her voice calm. She kept his warm hand in hers, feeling her heart give a lurching jolt that wasn’t entirely due to the magic she invoked.





CHAPTER EIGHT


The Ring Table




Trynne rubbed her palm across the smooth grooves of the massive table in the great hall of Kingfountain. The round of trunk had been cut from an enormous tree, and she could see the individual rings marking the generations that had passed. Only great power could have summoned something of that enormous size into the hall. But it was more than just a slab of wood. The Ring Table was a conduit for the Fountain’s magic, and it possessed powers none of them truly understood. But Trynne sensed that its chief function was to bring together disparate people from different backgrounds and customs, unifying them in one purpose. It was the symbol of ancient King Andrew’s fallen realm, a kingdom that had been riven by infidelity, and it had disappeared after his fatal injury over a thousand years earlier.

The new ruler of the court of Kingfountain sat at the table beside Genny, their hands interlocked. Drew looked careworn and burdened. He was a young father, a young king, and the trusted advisors who had supported him over the years were falling away. As Trynne cast her gaze around the table, her eyes found the conspicuously empty seat her father had occupied.

The room was silent, save for the hiss of the torches. The king had just revealed that Sinia would be embarking on a journey to a distant shore. The council was still reeling from the news.

Drew rubbed his bottom lip, staring across the table at each of them in turn. “Our enemy is coming,” he said, his voice serious and wary. “I have no doubt that Gahalatine will make good on his promise to invade us. Whether or not we are prepared, he will come. Where will he strike first? Advise me on how best to defend our borders.”

Duke Elwis was the first to speak. He leaned forward in his chair and said, “He started his attack at Guilme. He has a foothold that he can use to land ships and his forces. We have dug a series of trenches throughout Brugia. We’ve spent the last year training new archers to defend against attacks from the sky. Brugia will be the chief battleground, my lord. Let us defend your kingdom there.”

Lady Evie, Queen of Atabyrion and Fallon and Genny’s mother, spoke next. “I’ve read the accounts of many wars and battles. The one thing they have in common is that they have nothing in common. Lord Owen was successful as a battle commander because he was always unpredictable. I do not think Gahalatine will strike us twice in the same place. I mean no offense, Grand Duke Elwis, nor do I minimize the preparations we’ve all made in defending our borders.”

Trynne watched Elwis’s cheeks flush. But despite his natural inclination to bristle whenever contradicted, he controlled his expression and, even better, his tongue. He did not speak up against her.

“Say on, my lady,” Drew said to Lady Evie. “If he does not attack Brugia, where do you think he will strike?”

Lady Evie looked at her husband, Iago, who gave a quick laugh. “Go on, love. Everyone here already knows you are wiser than I am.” He chuckled again. “I’m not cheapened by that.”

Trynne smiled at the honest remark and cast a quick look at Fallon, whom she caught smirking.

“I believe, my lord, that he will strike at the heart of your realm. He will attack Kingfountain first. One of his Wizrs has already revealed that they can access the palace through the fountains. There is no doubt in my mind that they have seen our defenses and feel confident they can overcome them. The river has always been a protection to us.” She shook her head. “Rucrius proved it cannot shield us.”

There were murmurs of agreement and disagreement from others at the table. The king looked as if his mother-in-law had clubbed him. He cast a furtive look at his wife, and Trynne saw their fingers tighten. The rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

“I cannot abandon Kingfountain,” Drew said, shaking his head. “It is the seat of my power. This castle has never been vanquished by a foreign enemy. Why would he start by striking the heart of our realm?”

Lord Amrein spoke up. “We have prepared the docks to be burned and have gathered enough supplies for the city to withstand an extended siege. The cistern is full and we have barrels of water to provide for our needs.”