The Silent Shield (Kingfountain #5)(22)

Lady Evie sighed. “My lord, you asked me what I think Gahalatine will do, not whether I think it wise. If he does start by attacking Kingfountain, we could close in and surround him on all sides. The court historian told me a story of an enemy ruler who plunged into the heart of a kingdom and murdered the king, only to find himself fenced in and destroyed. Yet Gahalatine is ambitious. He is crafty. Like any leader, he will strike where we least expect him to.”

“Who is to say he will only attack one location?” Fallon said in a low, serious tone during the lull that followed.

That comment caused even more dissension. Duke Severn was the first to address the suggestion. “You’re a raw youth,” the old king snapped. “Gahalatine knows that we are defending our homeland. Coordinating multiple attack points would be too perilous for him, especially since the populace is likely to rise up against him. You carve up your army in the face of your foe to outwit and outflank him, not before you have even attacked. No, he’s more likely to concentrate his force on the position where our army is the strongest.” His voice was full of ire, and Trynne shuddered as he spoke, for she imagined what it must have been like for her father to serve under such a disagreeable man. “I have always been struck by Lady Elysabeth’s wisdom.” He tapped his gloved finger on the table forcefully. “Defend Kingfountain, or lose it all.”

Fallon scowled at the rebuke, his eyes narrowing coldly as he stared at Morwenna’s father. But he made no attempt to save face; he only stroked his bottom lip and remained quiet. Trynne’s heart went out to him, but she respected that he didn’t argue his point.

“And how would you advise defending the palace?” Drew asked in a deferential tone.

Severn sneered. “The palace will not be difficult to defend. I would move half of your army to Beestone castle. You don’t want everyone to be trapped inside the city during a siege. You’ll need a solid force outside to coordinate attacks. If it were me,” he added in an aggrieved tone, “I would stay at Beestone myself. Let him throw away lives trying to attack a landlocked castle. Then hit him hard from the sides. Remember, lad. You are the kingdom. Taking the capital won’t make Gahalatine king. Only you can give him what he seeks.”

As much as Trynne hated to admit it, she saw wisdom in Severn’s words. He had spent his entire reign clutching the hollow crown, defying those who sought to wrest it from him. Drew didn’t have that kind of experience. How much was he willing to wrestle to preserve what the Fountain had given him?

“Lady Trynne,” Drew said, shifting his gaze to her. “How would you advise me?”

She was startled by the sudden attention to her and her ideas. Her stomach began to fill with butterflies, but Genny smiled at her husband’s question and patted his arm approvingly.

“Well, I know for a fact that Gahalatine is not with his fleet,” Trynne answered, feeling her voice tremble a little. She had received Genny’s permission to share her story with the council. “The queen recently sent me on a mission to Chandleer Oasis, which lies in the desert along the trade routes to Gahalatine’s domain. He attacked it while I was there, striking from the mountains to the east of the oasis. No one expected it, least of all the king. I agree with Duke Severn,” she said, giving him a respectful nod. “The kingdom is where you are, my lord. And that means you should not be where Gahalatine can easily reach you.”

A few murmurs of assent followed her words.

The king breathed heavily. “I do not relish the idea of leaving my wife and child unprotected.”

Genny leaned forward. “Your grandfather once sent his wife and children to the sanctuary of Our Lady during an invasion. I don’t think Gahalatine would harm a woman deliberately. It’s you he wants.”

Drew’s eyes narrowed. Trynne could see he was wrestling with the decision. “Lady Sinia?”

Her bearing was very solemn. “Morwenna knows how to invoke the protections that will defend the sanctuary from a flood. My visions have all been about the journey I must shortly make. I’m sorry to be of no use here.”

“Maybe your use,” the king replied with great respect, “will come from assistance in other quarters. May the Fountain guide your sails, my lady of Brythonica.”

Sinia bowed her head to the king.

Drew rose from his chair and planted his hands on the table. “You think I should go to Beestone, then?” he said to Trynne.

She narrowed her gaze. Something didn’t feel quite right. She trusted each person in the chamber, for all had proven their loyalty to the king. But what if Gahalatine had a way of listening in on their conversation? What if he could know of their plans?

“I think, my lord,” Trynne said, “that you must choose with care where you will go. Choose—and tell no one.”

Genny nodded. “That is good advice, Trynne. My lord husband, I will begin preparations to set up my household in the sanctuary. I will defend the city if we are attacked.”

Drew nodded, his mouth turned down in a frown. “So be it. The Gauntlet of Kingfountain will be held following the Feast of St. Benedick, less than a fortnight away. That is when I will name my new champion.”

Grand Duke Elwis sat up straight, his gaze on the duke of the North.

Fallon met his look unflinchingly.



Trynne was only too grateful to be back in Averanche. There was no need to bring Fallon back to Dundrennan. He had decided to stay at Kingfountain to train until the Gauntlet. Sinia had departed to Tatton Hall to bring young Gannon to Ploemeur, where he would reside during their mother’s long absence. Sinia wanted her children to be together while she was away, and the presence of both heirs would be a salve to the people of Brythonica—a reassurance that there would always be a Montfort in Brythonica.