Chapter 7

When Thomas, his companions, and Cullen arose in the morning, the farmer insisted they join the family in breaking their fast. As they walked from the barn to the house, they saw a low fog had developed overnight, seeming to muffle the sounds of nature around the farm.

After a meal of porridge, the rangers and Cullen packed up their equipment and bid the farmer and his family farewell, then departed. As they rode away, the mist cleared, and Thomas set a hard pace for Rutland. Soon, the clouds broke. Along the way, he noted that the people he passed looked wary. There had been reports of other farms being burnt out.

They rode through the day. As the sun began to set, it flooded the hills with light and shadow. Thomas watched the shadows, expecting each to hold a hidden enemy, but none appeared. He was certain that word of his return to Montrose hadn’t reached Rutland yet, but the attempt on his life that had come as he’d left for the capital weighed heavily on him. When night fell, Thomas called for a stop. Better to rest and delay a night than to have a horse break a leg in the darkness.

After they’d eaten, Cullen pulled him aside.

“I’m going to head out. When you’ve delivered the message to Duke Charles and before you head north, stop at the inn by the gate. I’ll want to hear what the duke had to say.”

“What are your thoughts on the bandits? I expect my father will want my opinion,” Thomas said.

“You’re sure about that?” Cullen asked.

“Well, he might not want it, but I plan to tell him what I think.”

“What do you think?”

Thomas bit his tongue because the spymaster had evaded his question and turned it around on him.

“I think someone is trying to raise tensions. The only reason I can think of is they want to shake the people’s faith in the duke’s rule.”

“Who would do such a thing?” Cullen asked.

Thomas remembered some of Nana Millicent’s lessons about court politics.

“The one who benefits the most would be my oldest brother, Henry. It could also be Duchess Ann. She could be positioning her unborn child to eventually take over with her as regent. There were whispers she was sent by King Hector of Virden to serve their interests,” Thomas said.

“Anyone else?”

“The dark horse would be King Edward,” Thomas said and held his breath.

Announcing that he suspected the King to his spymaster was a risk. But Thomas’s inner sense told him that Cullen had the kingdom’s best interest at heart and would encourage Thomas to give his honest thoughts.

“I would keep that suspicion between us. Your father already has reason enough to be upset with the King and will have even more after reading the letter. There is no reason to incite him,” Cullen advised.

Thomas was relieved to hear that Cullen hadn’t chastised him for what he’d said. He also noted that Cullen hadn’t said one way or another what he thought about the suspicion.

“Who do you think is behind it?” Thomas finally asked directly.

“The same person that sent mercenaries after you. I don’t think the province of Montrose suddenly has a band of bandits running loose in the countryside. I also suspect that there are more than we’ve found.”

“What’s their end game? I mean, I see that the bandits could stir up trouble. But what do they hope to achieve?” Thomas asked.

“What will happen if Duke Charles is unable to protect his people?” Cullen asked.

Thomas thought for a moment and then paled.

“King Edward would have to step in. He would send troops to chase down the bandits, effectively invading Montrose,” Thomas guessed.

“What better way to hold the heir presumptive in check until King Edward can name his heir?” Cullen asked.

“Or to goad Duke Charles into doing something rash and getting removed. But wouldn’t that risk the chance that the King might name someone else as duke? Someone he wants to reward and, in the same stroke, remove Henry from succession?” Thomas asked.

“Then who would be the heir presumptive? Until Princess Catherine marries one of the dukes’ sons, the throne would be up for grabs,” Cullen said.

That could potentially fracture the kingdom and lead to civil war. Before all was said and done, both Virden and Manito could be drawn into the fray. Abingdon’s lands would be covered in blood.

This was why King Edward’s childless state and failure to name an heir were so dangerous. The transition of power had to be smooth, or the events Cullen was describing were likely. Thomas was actually surprised that the spymaster was so open with him.

“Do you think that’ll happen?” Thomas asked.

Cullen chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m paid to look for the worst case and work to prevent it from happening. There’s a lot that would have to happen for that scenario to play out. The scary part is that it’s even possible. My hope is that Princess Catherine marries, and the whole mess gets settled. We just have to be on guard until that happens,” Cullen shared.

“I’ll urge Duke Charles to take this bandit issue seriously. If he can nip it in the bud, it might resolve all this.”

Cullen shrugged.

“I hope so. That would make my life easier. But if that gambit fails, what will be the next? I need to find out who is behind this, not just treat the symptoms.”

They said their goodbyes, and Thomas went for a walk to clear his head. Frost joined him as she play-chased some rabbits. When he’d left his father’s castle, he honestly didn’t think he would be back so soon. In the pit of his stomach, he felt tension at the prospect of seeing his father again.

A little smile came when he imagined Frost biting Henry.

When they arrived in Rutland, Thomas told his fellow rangers to be ready. If this meeting went poorly, his father might order him from the town. That last thing he would want was to have to find them in some inn, half drunk.

He was summoned to the hall and found his father, Duchess Ann, Henry, and his father’s council, waiting for him.

“My lord,” Thomas said as he gave his father a head bow.

“I am told you have a message from the King.”

“And word of what occurred on my travels through Montrose,” Thomas said as he handed him the sealed letter.

“I’ll handle the King’s business first,” Duke Charles said as he took the letter.

He quickly read it, and Thomas saw his father was displeased.

“What does it say?” Henry asked.

“That I am to be put aside as heir to the throne. The King has made an agreement with King Gabriel of Manito to marry Princess Catherine to one of the ducal heirs when she reaches her majority. When that happens, the King will name that young man the heir apparent,” Duke Charles related.

“How old is she?” Duchess Ann asked.

“Sixteen, my lady,” Thomas answered.

Myriad expressions fluttered across Duchess Ann’s face: rage, pride, hate, and deep and profound misery. When it finally landed on cunning, Thomas almost felt sorry for his father. This woman was dangerous. He vowed to marry for love. Not that he would ever rule anything, but a political marriage could find you with a knife in your back.

“You said you had something else?” Duke Charles asked.

Thomas related what had happened to the farmer and his family. He shared his suspicions that the attackers weren’t ordinary bandits and why. He recounted the rumors of other farms being attacked and told how people looked fearful when he and his rangers rode by.

“It sounds as though your killing the bandits has the problem sorted,” Henry said.

“I don’t think so,” Thomas said.

“Are you to wait for a response to this letter?” Duke Charles asked.

“No, my lord.”

“Then you have my leave. The council needs to discuss everything you brought us today,” Duke Charles said to dismiss Thomas.

“Could you possibly buy the horses we gathered from the bandits?” Thomas asked quickly before he was kicked out.

“They are all in good condition,” Carl, the stable master, said.

“Fine. Victor, pay him,” Duke Charles said. After the marshal had counted out the coins, Duke Charles had one more thing to say. “It’s good to see that you are in charge of the Royal Rangers. You have set a good example for us.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Thomas said formally and left.

From outside, he heard the room erupt. He overheard that they were upset about Duke Charles being set aside.

On the way out of town, Thomas made a stop at the inn by the gate to meet with Cullen. Jason suggested that they eat lunch at the inn because he was sick of the cooking they’d been doing themselves. The boys traded off that chore, and none of them was proficient at making a good meal. Thomas made a mental note to have Jemma teach them some basics so they didn’t actually poison themselves.

As they walked in, the innkeeper didn’t even blink when Frost appeared. Thomas chuckled when she walked up to Cullen and nudged him. He was in disguise, and Thomas would have been hard-pressed to pick the spymaster out of the crowd.

“Buy you some food and a drink?” Thomas asked while Cullen scowled at Frost for outing him.

“Why not?”

While they ate, Thomas told them what had happened when he met with the duke and his council. Cullen asked a few questions. When the spymaster was satisfied, he left them on one of his errands.

“Let’s go find Roger and begin our training exercise,” Thomas said.

Roger met them on the road. Thomas made the introductions, and they were soon traveling to the first outpost. Roger shared stories of Thomas’s youth, to the delight of his fellow rangers. He didn’t mind because it kept them busy while leaving him time to think.

His father had never been hard on him, just absent. Nana Millicent had assured him that his father did love him, and the reasons he was moved all made sense. In essence, it was to protect him. His father had also seen to his education.

He felt terrible for his father. Thomas’s grandfather should have been King, not his great-uncle. In the end, he wasn’t sure if everything hadn’t worked out for the best. Thomas had no real complaints about how King Edward ran the kingdom. He doubted his father would have allowed Saxby’s inhabitants the freedom to essentially govern themselves.

But then again, he’d never heard any real complaints about Duke Charles’s rule. Of course, no one wanted to pay taxes or provide sons for the protection of the land. Those complaints would be present regardless of who ruled.

In Thomas’s mind, having his father and great-uncle where they were was just fine. What came next worried him. Thomas honestly didn’t know his older brother, Henry. But from their confrontation when Thomas was summoned to the castle, and Henry’s treatment of Jemma, the heir had not made a good impression.

Thomas knew that having empathy was an essential ingredient for ruling well. He was afraid that his older brother was a self-entitled shit who would turn into a tyrant if he was ever put in charge.

Thomas was brought back from his thoughts when they spotted the first outpost and found it empty.

“What are those trees?” Griffin asked.

Ten oak saplings were planted in a neat line atop small mounds.

“Graves,” Roger said. “Wildlings believe that when you pass, your body returns to the earth. They plant the tree so that their ancestors can look out for them. When the wind blows, you are supposed to be able to hear them whispering wisdom.”

“I always thought that the rustling of leaves when there was a storm sounded like someone screaming,” Randel said.

They all chuckled at the seriousness with which Randel had said it.

“Shut up,” Randel fired back.

“Before we start jumping at shadows, let’s get settled in. Tomorrow begins your training,” Roger said.

Thomas got them organized, and soon Roger had a pot cooking. At least they wouldn’t starve.

Over the following week, they traveled to two other outposts. At each one, there were new trees planted. The coughing sickness had taken its toll on the Wildlings over the winter. As yet, they hadn’t seen any other trace of them.

“Tomorrow, we will venture into the Wastelands, and we shall explore the blighted fields of the White Woods. There was a battle there many years ago. It is said that the magic unleashed petrified the woods, turning them to stone. It’s oddly beautiful, but I always feel on edge when I am near it. I’ll be interested to see how you all react,” Roger said.

“That was where my namesake disappeared,” Thomas shared.

“The man that Thomas is talking about was a legendary ranger. He was said to have wood sense, much like our younger Thomas has. The story goes that he took a group of new rangers on a training exercise, much like the one you’re on.

“No one knows what happened to them. Some say that some of the residual magic in the White Woods devoured them. Others say direwolves happened upon them. Either way, it was presumed they were all killed,” Roger shared.

Thomas had to bite the inside of his lip as Griffin, Randel, and Jason hung on Roger’s every word, eyes and mouths wide open.