Chapter 21

“What’s the plan?” Jacob asked after they’d broken their fast.

Thomas had gathered all his key people together for a quick conference before he and Prince Fabian headed into Buncombe.

“The men and horses need to rest. I’ll send word before I enter the castle so that you’ll be ready to move when I return,” Thomas said.

“I’d like to send the Wildlings to scout the camp outside the walls to get an idea of the numbers and makeup of what we will be facing,” Roland suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” Thomas agreed and turned to Duncan, the Wildlings’ leader. “Look for ways we might cause them some pain before we leave.”

“This is really happening?” Jacob asked with a smile.

Everyone but Alek and Roland smiled back. Thomas fathomed it was because the two of them knew what was to come. He didn’t want to dampen Jacob’s enthusiasm, so he continued.

“I’ll be taking Leif, Ragnar, Eric, and Grim. Prince Fabian will get us into Buncombe as members of his guard. If there is nothing else, we should get going. I want to scout out the city before going into the castle,” Thomas said.

“Will that be tonight?” Jacob asked.

“Either tonight or tomorrow. I’ll send word when it is happening,” Thomas promised.

When the meeting broke up, Catherine came to say goodbye. They had a few quiet words before he had to leave. Thomas was glad that she hadn’t had any tears, but Catherine was clearly worried about him.

With Prince Fabian leading them, getting past the gates wasn’t a problem. Once through, Thomas was struck by the reek of lower Buncombe. While every city he’d ever been in had stunk, in Thomas’s opinion, Buncombe’s stench was in a class of its own.

“Our first order of business is to get you looking like proper Virdenese. We’ll stop at a bathhouse and get you cleaned up, and then I’ll take you to my tailor,” Prince Fabian said.

Thomas had never heard of a ‘bathhouse’ but followed Prince Fabian’s lead gamely. The building was a large structure that had actual glass windows. Thomas was glad when Eric asked how they were made. Prince Fabian explained that a glassmaker blew a round jar. While hot, the jar was flattened. As a result, circular lines appeared throughout the glass.

Thomas also marveled at the floors. They were made from small colorful tiles that formed an intricate design that Prince Fabian called a mosaic.

They were taken to a large room where they were handed baskets by a young girl. Thomas hesitated when Prince Fabian began to undress as if the girl wasn’t even there. The prince noticed his companion’s discomfort and laughed.

“Relax and get undressed for your bath.”

Thomas looked at Leif, who gave him a slight nod. Thomas couldn’t help blushing, but he followed Prince Fabian’s lead, not wanting to draw attention to their group. The mercenaries did as he did, and they were soon all standing naked. The girl came forward with white cloths that she tied around their waists for modesty.

“Why are the floors warm?” Grim asked.

Prince Fabian explained how the floors were on piers. There was a system of hollow chambers that fed hot air from a fire underneath.

They were taken to another room where women were waiting to scrub their bodies. That was followed by a soak in a large pool of hot water. By that point, Thomas was ready to move to Virden. He didn’t complain when he was then rubbed with oils that smelled of rosemary. A woman used a sharp blade to scrape the hair from his face. The final touch was having his hair oiled, cut, combed back, and put into a queue.

On their way to the tailor’s, Thomas noticed a thin young girl being fondled by a man old enough to be her grandfather. Thomas surmised him to be a noble or a wealthy merchant because the man was obese.

The noble laughed as the girl squirmed, obviously not liking the attention. Thomas noted the purple bruising around the girl’s eye. Thomas’s hand went to Fang, but Leif grabbed his wrist.

“What’s your plan? To kill that foul lout and set the girl free? Free to what? To have her father marry or sell her off to another man of equal wickedness, or perhaps even worse?”

“We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves,” Ragnar reminded Thomas.

Thomas frowned.

“Always smile at strangers, Thomas. My mother used to say that nothing puts someone at ease like a friendly smile,” Prince Fabian advised.

Thomas rolled his eyes.

“Let’s go,” he said as he strode off.

At the tailor, Prince Fabian was greeted warmly. He quickly had Thomas and the rest dressed in black tunics with the Virden eagle stitched onto the chest. Prince Fabian enjoyed billing their clothes to the crown’s account.

“Do you need something special for tonight?” the tailor asked.

“I just got back into town. Is there some kind of event planned?” Prince Fabian asked.

“It is Prince Doyle’s birthday.”

“Oh, I totally forgot. My father has me busy running all over the kingdom, so I won’t be attending. But I should send my man. He’ll need to be dressed to represent me,” Prince Fabian said as he indicated Thomas.

“I have just the thing.”

“While you fit him and kit him, we’ll go visit the royal smith so I can get a gift for my brother,” Prince Fabian said as he smirked at Thomas.

Thomas raised an eyebrow, but he could see the logic in splitting up. Leif would keep an eye on the prince while Thomas obtained clothes to blend in for Prince Doyle’s celebration. After a half-hour of playing dress-up, Thomas had his doubts about how beneficial it was.

When Thomas was finally free of the tailor, who promised to have his outfit ready before closing, he went to the smithy. He found Eric outside, looking nervous.

“What’s going on?” Thomas asked.

“Prince Fabian discovered that a shipment of arms was ready for the King’s army. It’s scheduled to be picked up tomorrow by Prince Doyle, but Prince Fabian told them we would take care of the delivery today.”

Thomas had to blink back his surprise.

“Well, all right then,” was all Thomas could think to say as he let Eric lead the way into the blacksmith’s shop.

“There you are,” Prince Fabian said when Thomas entered. “They almost have the wagons full. Please organize the men to take them to the camp.”

“By all means, my prince,” Thomas said formally.

“While my man does that, show me something special I can give my brother as a present,” Prince Fabian told the shop owner.

Thomas was led to the back, where he found four massive wagons being loaded. Leif was all smiles, so Thomas relaxed. The two men, plus Ragnar, found a quiet place to talk.

“What is Prince Fabian up to?” Thomas asked.

“All I can figure is that he hates his father. This is a big thumb in the eye to be pilfering their arms,” Leif said.

Thomas thought about what to do.

“All right. Take the wagons back to camp. Put Jacob in charge of looking through them to see if there is anything we need. Then have Catherine bring them north. Send a few men who can be spared to ensure she gets back safely,” Thomas decided.

“Will do,” Leif said and then turned to Ragnar. “Go get our horses, so we can string them to the last wagon.”

“Take Prince Fabian’s horse too,” Thomas ordered.

Leif gave him a measured look but didn’t say anything. Ragnar looked between the two of them and finally trotted off to retrieve their mounts. When they were alone, Thomas filled Leif in.

“I’m going in tonight, so have the men ready to move. Do not send anyone in to get me if it goes badly,” Thomas ordered.

Leif nodded.

“Prince Fabian is not coming back with us. I promised to help him catch a ship out of here,” Thomas said to answer Leif’s unanswered question.

“I wondered why he was being so helpful. Do you trust him to not double-cross us?”

“No, of course not. Once a traitor, always a traitor. But getting him out of Virden is best for everyone,” Thomas said.

“I wonder if King Edward would think that.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because if we somehow win this war, he won’t want a Virden heir in exile to stir up trouble,” Leif said.

Thomas honestly hadn’t thought that far ahead. He would have to deal with King Edward later because Thomas had given his word to Prince Fabian. The prince had also more than held up his end of the bargain.

It wasn’t long before the wagons were loaded, and Ragnar returned with their horses. Thomas saw his men off and went to find Prince Fabian. He wasn’t surprised to learn that the prince had gone.

Thomas took the rest of the day to walk around Buncombe. He marveled at the wealth that even the common folk had. He spent some time looking at the different shops. They even had establishments that only carried books and maps, while another sold jewelry. All the stores had a purpose back home that could be traced back to people’s survival.

At the appointed time, he made his way to the tailor to pick up his clothes. Then he went looking for Prince Fabian. He quickly found Fabian’s lodging, but the prince had already left. Thomas laid his clothes out for the night and then went hunting.

Thomas found an alley and squatted down. He dug his fingers into the dirt and thought about Prince Fabian. He let his magic reach out as it sorted through all the life around him. Finally, it locked onto the prince. Thomas stood up and trotted toward his quarry.

Prince Fabian was near the docks at an inn that catered to sailors. He was deep in conversation with a man who, Thomas guessed, was a ship’s captain. The two of them got up and went out the back door as Thomas went out the front and circled around.

“Right now, the tide is going out. By the time I get my crew back, the water will be slack. With the water at its lowest and calmest, we could be caught in the middle of the harbor if the wind dies. Plus, we could hit something. That’s why we have to wait for high tide to set sail.”

“But you said that’s six hours from now, and I need to go now,” Prince Fabian complained.

“That’s too bad. I’ll not risk my ship.”

“I guess it will have to do. And you’ll do as I’ve asked? Have someone deliver a note to the castle once I’m gone?” Prince Fabian asked.

Thomas didn’t need the Knowledge Stone to tell him what was in that note.

“Pay me half now, and I’ll make sure the note is delivered,” the captain promised.

“All right,” Prince Fabian said as he handed over a sack of coins. “I have to finish packing. I’ll be at the docks in a couple of hours.”

“I’ll go make ready,” the captain said as they parted.

Thomas saw the satisfied smile on the captain’s face as he hefted the coin bag. The man’s expression turned to confusion as Fang sank into his back. Once he collapsed, Thomas relieved the captain of the coins and found the note. He quickly read it and shook his head. It detailed much of what they’d planned to do to slow down the Virden army.

Thomas actually beat Prince Fabian back to his lodging. The prince had some packages that he must have picked up on the way. He went still in the doorway when he saw Thomas sitting at a table, waiting for him.

Thomas noted that Prince Fabian wore a fancy sword at his side. He guessed it was the ‘gift’ he had bought for his brother.

“I thought our business was done,” Prince Fabian said as he casually entered the room.

“You couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Thomas asked.

Prince Fabian stiffened. He reached for his sword, but Thomas was a blur as he came across the room. He had Fang’s tip under the prince’s chin before Fabian had gotten his blade halfway out of its scabbard. Prince Fabian became motionless when he felt the pointy end of the dagger.