Page 66 of The Assassin's Bride

“His word can be written because it's knowledge the One has given to us. If the name is part of that, then—why are we discussing this now?” The prince made a sour face and returned his attention to the scene below.

Thea was already counting. “I don't know how to categorize the people down there. There are so many people working construction, but there are soldiers, too. Hundreds.” It was hard to make out more than the minuscule shapes of people, but many carried large poleaxes or halberds that made them easy to spot. “Where did they all come from?”

From the way Gaius scanned the fortress from end to end, he was counting, too. “Settlements like the one we passed.”

There were children, too. Thea didn't see them often, but now and then, a tiny person ran from one side of an open space to another. She shifted her attention outward, to the slopes. If there were fences, she couldn't see, and the pale bodies of livestock would have blended into the snow-dusted mountainside if not for their shadows. “What could convince people to come so far? Is there a shortage of work in Ranor?”

“No,” Rilion said, “but if you offer enough money, just about anyone will move. Why here, though?”

“The southwestern region of Angroth is the best place someone who wants to go unnoticed could choose to settle. It's not as if there's anything down here. Not here, and not in Lyrangroth on the other side of the range.” Gaius glanced west, toward the higher peaks. Looking for trails through the mountains? Thea saw none, but she'd already learned he was better at finding anything out of the ordinary.

“They aren't all Ranorsh people, though. We would have noticed this sort of exodus.” Rilion studied the mountains, too, then turned to make sure the horses hadn't left.

Thea worried her lower lip between her teeth. “I can't be sure, but I think at least half of them are Kentorian.”

Both men looked at her in surprise.

“Their clothing,” she explained before they could ask. “It's too far for me to see clearly, but the shapes—the outline of their silhouettes is consistent with Kentorian fashion.”

Gaius squinted at the workers near the top of the fortress. They were working on some sort of wall, transporting stones and mortaring them in place. “How would so many Kentorians get this far into Angroth's mountains without being noticed?” That was a question for Rilion; as a prince, even a Third Prince, he should know.

All Rilion offered was a shrug. “I certainly haven't seen that many migrants.”

For a time, they were all quiet.

Thea stifled a sigh. “So what does all this tell us?”

Again, Rilion looked sour. “My information may have been somewhat incorrect. This is how the outpost was described to me, but they definitely indicated it was north of Passgate.”

“Maybe it was,” Gaius said. “Maybe they moved.”

The prince waved a hand at the construction. “Considering how many people have moved without notice, I'm willing to consider the possibility.”

“So this is it?” Thea asked. “This is where we're supposed to be?”

“Maybe.” Gaius didn't sound convinced.

“You know there's only one way to find out.” Again, Rilion looked toward the horses. He made a small sound of exasperation and hurried that way. The gray dapple, Nib, was headed down the slope.

Thea thought he might return to finish that conversation, but instead, he climbed onto his wandering horse. She glanced to Gaius. His eyes were intense, focused. Did he envision his target there, hiding in that fortress? Leading it? Her nerves prickled with anxiety. “How do we find out? Sneak in?” she whispered.

“No,” he said, a wry twist to his mouth. “We walk in the front door.”

* * *

The descent back the way they'd come ate up the rest of the day.

“They'll close the gates at nightfall, I'm sure,” Rilion said as the sun dipped below the ridge of mountains to the west. “Do we make camp again, or press on?”

“We'll venture as far as we can. Even with the fastest horses the world has to offer, we wouldn't make it to their settlement tonight.” Gaius sounded frustrated.

Thea sympathized. It was hard to be sure what they were doing was even the correct choice. They'd turned to follow that trail on a whim. The fortress being there was promising for their cause, but if they reached its walls and discovered it wasn't the destination they were after, they'd be several days behind. Would that much time affect the likelihood of finding whoever pulled the strings of power in Kentoria? She hoped not, but Gaius had already spent years searching without finding what he sought. Delays now were not promising.

The sky remained bright for some time after the sun dipped out of sight. When the first hint of gold appeared, they halted for the night and set up their meager camp.

Rilion scrounged enough sticks from the nearby hills for a fire. Gaius did not object when he cleared a patch of dirt and piled them to light. Instead, he paced restless circles around the campsite.

After his third lap, Thea left her things behind and touched a hand to the dagger on her thigh. “We should practice.”

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