Page 78 of A Crown of Lies

Ieduin kicked some glass away and sighed. They were right about one thing. This wouldn’t be an easy fight, and it was irritating him that Rowan didn’t seem to take it seriously. Even with his plan, they could lose. Trinta’s soldiers were better trained, better supplied, and motivated to make this quick, especially with the approaching cold weather. The Wytchwood battle could easily turn into a massacre that none of them came back from.

He sat through the rest of dinner, barely listening to the conversation. They talked mostly about breeding sheep, of all things. Apparently, it was the season for that. Wool was an important Greymark export.

He supposed that the people still had to be focused on the minutia of their lives, even with the war going on. One day, that war would end. Whether Greymark remained independent, or fell back under Trintan rule, there would still be trade. Farmers would still farm. Herders would still herd, and carpenters would still cut wood.

Only the people up on that dais stood to lose everything. If they lost, Rowan would be executed. Ewan and his family, too. For allying with them, they’d kill Leo, and chances were good they’d capture and torture him and Rixxis. This fight was nothing like the previous work he had done for the Crows. There would be no moving on after this, no licking their wounds while waiting for the next job.

This was it.

The last one.

The war that would decide everything.

Gods above and below, Ieduin hoped he was ready for that.

By the end of dinner, his pants were mostly dry, and he’d scrubbed away the worst of the evidence of Rowan’s meddling. He wanted to go straight to the baths, but not until the hall was empty, and Rowan was still busy talking to Ewan. Maybe, if he was careful and quiet, he could sneak out.

He scooted his chair back and winced.

Rowan’s hand clamped down on his leg. “And just where do you think you’re going?”

Ieduin glared daggers at him. The hall was mostly empty, so at least he could be honest. “To take a bath.” He glanced over at Ewan and added.

“Not alone, you’re not.” The way Rowan said it sent an expectant shiver through Ieduin.

Martha put a hand on her husband’s arm. “I think that’s our cue to retire for the night.”

Ewan glanced between them and frowned. “I thought we were having a meeting tonight, lad?”

Meeting? What meeting? No one had told Ieduin about anymeeting.

“The meeting is being rescheduled,” Rowan said, standing. “I have another appointment this evening. If you need me, I’ll be downstairs.”

Ewan snorted, his disapproval clear, but he said nothing as he went to his feet. He and his wife exited the Great Hall, leaving Rowan, Rixxis, and Ieduin alone.

Rowan picked up his cup of water and finished it before offering Ieduin a hand. “Well, shall we go down to the bath?”

Ieduin looked at Rowan’s outstretched hand. There was a part of him that was still wary about being seen with Rowan. Rowan was a king. If people saw them holding hands, there would be talk.

But why should he care about anybody’s opinion but theirs?

He put his hand in Rowan’s and stood.

They made it a few paces toward the door before Rowan pulled back and looked over his shoulder to where Rixxis remained at the table, unsure. “Well?” he asked. “Are you coming?”

Her forehead wrinkled. “To the bath? With you?”

Rowan shrugged. “Yes, if you still want to observe. Unless you’ve lost interest?”

Rixxis glanced between the two men before wadding up her cloth napkin, tossing it on the plate and coming to join them.

Twenty-Four

“It’sbeautiful,”Rixxismurmured,taking in the outdoor bath and the scenery beyond. She hadn’t even known it was there. She’d clearly been missing out.

Rowan finished lighting the last of the braziers situated around the large bath and blew out the flame on the stick he’d been using to light them. “Isn’t it? When my father took possession of the castle, all this was still buried. It took over a year to excavate and another six to restore. It’s heated by a natural hot spring that runs down from the mountains.”

Ieduin yanked off his last boot and set it aside. “Best kept secret in Greymark. I never figured out why this place wasn’t always crawling with people.”

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