Several knights and men at arms stood in front of the drawbridge to check incoming carriages. An elegant one ahead of us was being inspected. It was painted yellow and trimmed in brass, with carved coats of arms on the doors. The carriage made ours, still smelling of cut wood, look shabby and provincial in comparison.
I should probably get used to that feeling.
While the soldiers examined the inside of the yellow carriage, a middle-aged woman and her daughter waited outside, chatting. Their traveling gowns had voluminous sleeves and I’d never seen headdresses so wide. They must have to take care when they turned their heads not to knock things over.
The party had an escort of half a dozen men who’d dismounted from their horses already. The lord of the group, dressed in fine clothing, sat atop one of the horses. He wore an expression of tired patience, as though this inspection was an insult to his pride, but one he would endure with equanimity befitting his station.
A gray-haired man in black robes prowled around the carriage, tapping it with his wand to check for weapons. One of the king’s wizards. I’d been told only sparse details about theking’s wizards beyond their names and didn’t know which one this was: Redboot, Zephyr, Telarian, Sciatheric, or Warison.
Lady Edith pushed the curtain away from her window and leaned out for a better view. “Lord Somerton and his family are ahead of us. By the look of that carriage, his lands must be prospering.” She let the curtain fall back, and her voice dropped to a gossipy murmur. “His wife, Lady Somerton, is one of the most conceited people you’re likely to meet. If her daughter is anything like her, she’ll have a hard time finding a husband. Only royalty will be worthy of her notice.”
I peeked out the window to get another glimpse at the young woman in question. She was near my age, blonde and pretty, with large blue eyes and the sort of pale skin that looked as though it had never endured a moment of sun.
The search of Lord Somerton’s carriage continued, and with every minute of thoroughness, bits of foreboding bloomed in my chest. Wearing a dagger across my forehead had been a mistake. It marked me as an assassin. The king’s men would guess my plan.
I fidgeted with the knitting needle in my pocket, trying to calm my nerves with the reassurance that I had a wand.
By the time the Somertons’ carriage and entourage disappeared over the drawbridge, I was forcing myself not to ball my hands into fists. Gwenyth showed no anxiety whatsoever. The whole time we waited, she peered out the window and murmured things about the castle. “I hadn’t expected it to be so very large. How many rooms do you think it has? An entire village could fit on one floor.”
Lady Edith nodded. “Running a castle as grand as Valistowe requires an entire village of servants.”
And they could easily fit in the massive structure. It was four stories high, with small windows on the second floor andbeautiful arched ones on the third and fourth. Above them all, turrets with black spires pierced the sky.
Gwenyth craned her head farther out the window. “I can’t even imagine how many fireplaces they need to warm such a place. It must burn a forest of trees every year. Or do you think the wizards enchant the castle’s temperature? With five of them, they’ve got to do something to earn their keep.” She brightened. “Perhaps they heat the bathwater as well.”
Joanne grunted at the idea, letting us know it was a ridiculous notion.
“I suppose you’re right about that,” Gwenyth said. “I doubt you could find a wizard who’d lift a finger to help the servants with their work. It’ll be the scullery maids heating water and hauling it to our baths.”
Gwenyth probably didn’t mean her words to be an indictment of me, but I still felt their sting.
Footsteps approached our carriage and the door opened. One of the soldiers—a mountain of a man—greeted us holding a list of guests. He wore a red tunic, black chausses, and his helmet sported a single red feather. The black-robed wizard stood next to him, smiling genially. My eyes automatically slid to his neck and the crescent-shaped moon there.
When I’d seen the wizard circling the Somerton’s carriage, I’d assumed he was middle-aged. Now that he was closer, I noted the wrinkles that lined his face and deepened the corners of his mouth. His hairline had receded so completely that it was of indeterminant location underneath his hat. He must be quite old, and yet he moved with the vigor of a younger man.
“Welcome to the castle, Lady…” The wizard waited for someone to supply him with a name.
That was the disadvantage of not having the time or money to carve your heraldry on your carriage doors. One had to stoop to introductions.
“Lady Edith of Paxworth,” she said with an air of importance.
The soldier scanned his list, nodded to the wizard, and wrote something on the parchment.
“Welcome, Lady Edith,” the wizard said. “I’m Mage Redboot, head of the wizard council. We’re happy for your safe arrival. Have you any weapons on you?”
“Only the ones our men carried to protect us.” Lady Edith believed what she said to be the truth.
The wizard gestured to a knight standing not far off. “Instruct your men to give them to Sir Lawrence. They’ll be returned upon your departure.” He offered his hand to Lady Edith to help her out. “Your party may wait outside while we inspect your carriage.”
I couldn’t fault Mage Redboot for his decorum. He issued orders as though they were privileged invitations.
After Lady Edith descended from the carriage, Mage Redboot held out his hand to me. His skin was a pale yellow, mottled with age spots, but his grip was firm. I took his hand and stepped from the carriage. His eyes lingered on mine. A moment passed, then another. His gaze didn’t leave my face.
Had the sun glinted off the dagger blade, drawing attention to it?
Mage Redboot turned from me without comment to help Joanne and Gwenyth out.
So perhaps not. I took several deep breaths.