Shifters by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Anthology
ISBN: 9781586084011
Google: TRkVPwAACAAJ
Amazon: 1586084011
Publisher: New Concepts Pub
Published: 2002-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

"Yes, my lord." Cheval returned to where the steward waited in the doorway and repeated Bayard's orders. The two disappeared into the spiral stairwell. A moment later, Bayard heard the door to the battlements open and close, then the heavy tread of boots upon the stonework outside.

He turned to Eduard. "You may speak freely now. Is that the truth of what happened?"

"Yes, my lord. The Kittern servants have been extremely kind and helpful."

"You are healing as fast as you should? You do not suspect them of adding sleeping herbs to your food, or other tricks to keep you from watching them as closely as you normally would?"

"No, my lord. Although..."

"Go on."

"When I first told them that you were to be their new baron, they did not seem as concerned as I had expected."

So Severin's attitude was not all Eduard's doing. Interesting. "How so?"

"Even if they are the finest of servants, and have no fear of you finding their service lacking, they should have wondered if you would be bringing your own retainers who might displace them. I had expected them to worry about changes you might require to the running of the castle. I had planned reassurances for all these fears and more before I arrived. Yet they expressed no concerns, reasonable or otherwise. It was almost as if they did not care who held the position of Baron."

Bayard frowned as he considered Eduard's words. "You think they do not expect me to hold the title for long?"

"Perhaps. But I have seen nothing to indicate that they plan a revolt."

"The King warned me that there were rebels in the area still loyal to King Jaeger. If the castle staff knows of a planned attack, that would explain their behavior. Whichever side wins, they win, too. If the rebels succeed, the staff claims they were assuaging my suspicions. If the rebels fail, the staff claims their loyalty is proved by their fine service."

"Poor service would make you suspicious after the fact, even if the servants were not involved," Eduard agreed. "But wouldn't they be concerned with whether you were an unfair or suspicious man?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Who knows what goes through a Suddalyk mind? When you are well, you can mingle more freely with the servants and try to learn their secrets. In the meantime, I will keep my guard up and not let them take me unaware."

"Yes, my lord."

Bayard smiled and patted Eduard on the shoulder. "Now, rest. I will see that a plate from tonight's feast is brought up to you."

The door from Eduard's room led onto the landing of the spiral staircase. Ignoring the opposite door that accessed the larger wing of the keep, Bayard turned and stepped through the small, iron-banded door leading to the battlements. He breathed deeply of the crisp air. Kittern castle was clean and well-maintained, but like most keeps, it smelled of old smoke and too many people. He assumed he'd get used to the smell eventually. The Heavenly Pair knew, he'd accustomed himself to worse stenches on campaigns.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.