A Kiss at Midnight by Shana Abé

Author:Shana Abé [Abé, Shana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-83394-5
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2013-04-03T00:00:00+00:00

They met in his hut that night, the best of his soldiers, Abram and Nils and seven others, all of them seated at his table, Rafael standing near the head of it. It was a council of war, and each of them knew their parts.

Food had been long finished; the jug of wine was empty. They had come to discuss the day, to plot and talk of the future, and the emotions in the room were running as dark as the rain outside.

“It was dishonorable,” Abram was saying, sending his deliberate gaze to each man. “Jozua Rune has proven himself capable of anything. He would salt his own fields to rid himself of us. I say we act now to rid ourselves of him.”

A few muttered “ayes” resounded around the table, heads nodded.

“Who can say what he might try next?” asked Gerold. “Archers hiding in the woods, mayhap. Ambush!”

“Aye!” Nils pounded one fist down on the table. “A secret attack!”

The men agreed again, with muttering and speaking looks.

Only Rafael remained silent amid them, his back against the wall, allowing the shadows of the room to take over his form. Eventually the men quieted, one by one looking over at him, until at last Abram asked, “What think you, my lord?”

Slowly Rafe straightened. “I think,” he said, making his words very clear, “that Jozua Rune is fully capable of any black deed.”

More nods came at this; unified agreement.

“That salting the fields was only the beginning,” Rafael continued. “That a man such as he would not hesitate to kill any one of us—all of us—to get what he wants.”

“Then you agree, my lord,” said Gerold. “We should act now! Gather our forces, bring over more men from Leonhart, and attack the castle—”

“No,” said Rafe, cutting him off, and his men fell into silence, staring at him. He met their looks evenly.

“I’m certain Jozua Rune anticipates such a thing,” he said. “And it would well displease the king, mayhap enough so that he would rethink the decree that gives us Alderich. Fionnlagh Castle is not yet ours, not even to seize, as tempting as it may be. Losing control of this situation before the new year is the last thing we should do.”

And now the silence had a new feel to it, alarm and dawning agreement.

Rafe leaned over and placed his palms on the table, intense. “We are very close to the end. We are only days away from achieving all we have wanted. Everything—I say everything—is falling to us. If we wait out Rune until the new year, we will still have the might of the law. And we maintain our strengths in this campaign: a valuable hostage; being here now, fortifying ourselves in this land.”

“Rafe.” It was Abram, the only man who ever dared to use his given name. “I won’t say you’re not right. But mayhap you overestimate our advantage. Rune doesn’t give a damn about the king’s decree, that much is obvious. And as for our hostage—it seems she is of no value at all.

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