“I will, Aldermaston.”
Prestwich looked hard at her. “Send someone with her,” he said.
The Aldermaston shook his head. “She is enough. Quickly, child. Before the sun sets.”
Lia hurried to the kitchen, her heart hammering in her chest. For a year she had trained with Martin on hunting, trapping, tracking, but more importantly - how to kill a man. She knew how to hunt men, how to trick them, how to elude them. But this time it was real. Her throat was parched, her hands sweaty. Her only comfort was the look the Aldermaston had given her. He was certain she would succeed. That degree of confidence gave her courage. After pulling open the kitchen door, she rushed inside, shocked to see Colvin and Edmon there. Edmon was in the middle of one of his stories and had Pasqua and the girls enthralled. He paused to smirk at her, then went on with his story while she fetched her bow sleeve, a full quiver, and shooting gloves from her chest beneath the loft.
“Lia, have you eaten anything yet?” Pasqua called. “The day is getting late. You must be hungry.”
“Later, Pasqua. The Aldermaston asked me to hurry.” She pulled the shooting gloves on snugly and went deeper behind the stores of barrels, candles, and tubs of fat. She crouched low, out of sight, and tugged loose a brick in the wall, and pulled it free. Behind it was the Cruciger orb in a leather pouch. She fastened it to her girdle and shoved the brick back in place.
“Do you want some bread?” Pasqua said, coming over. Sowe and Bryn giggled at something Edmon said. She offered Lia a stubby loaf, which she took gratefully. “Are you all right, child? I can get some cheese too, if you give me a moment.”
Lia smiled tersely. “More chores. I will be back soon.” She kissed Pasqua’s cheek and slung the quiver and sleeve around her shoulder as she walked back out and stuffed the loaf into her walking bag.
Colvin followed her out.
She glanced back at him as she started toward the gates. “I will not be gone long. I have not forgotten…” The look on his face made her stop. “What is it?”
“I will go with you.”
She shook her head. “Stay at the kitchen, Colvin.”
Anger brooded in his eyes. “I am not deaf to the Medium, Lia. Something is wrong. I see it in your eyes, and I feel it seething inside you. What happened during your errand?”
She clenched her teeth. “The Aldermaston said…”
“Hang what he said!” Colvin snapped. “You are frightened and pretend not to be. Can you not trust me with a secret, Lia? As if idling my time in the kitchen will benefit anyone?”
“You are stubborn,” she said impatiently. “I do not have time to argue with you. Walk with me. I will tell you on the way.”
He matched her stride easily.
“I was to deliver a message to the Pilgrim Inn through the tunnels below ground. There is a Leering…would you stop flinching every time I say that! It is just a Leering! It blocks the tunnel and only a password will open it. When I touched the stone, I felt Scarseth on the other side. Yes, our friend. He has the medallion I snatched from the sheriff, and he used it to try and force me to open the door.”
“Sweet Idumea,” Colvin muttered, his face glowing with anger. “I should have killed him.”
She gave him a sidelong look. “You may get your chance now. The Aldermaston told me to bring him inside the Abbey grounds. I do not understand why. But if Scarseth will not come willingly, then I must bring the medallion with me. I imagine he will not want to give it up, but there you have it.”
“And he is sending you?” Colvin said in disbelief. “By yourself?”
“I am his hunter, you idiot. Who else is he going to send? I am the only one with a sword.”
He looked at her as if she were the idiot. “There are two knight-mastons here by my count,” he said through clenched teeth, gesturing at his sword pommel. “I am sure you were given excellent training, Lia, but have you ever killed a man before?”
His words startled her. The answer was yes, but she had never told him that. When she thought about it, it made her squeamish and guilty, even though she knew that she had done the Medium’s will. Her victim was not just one of the many nameless corpses in the battlefield of Winterrowd – it was a king. She yearned to tell Colvin, but it was not the right moment for such an secret confession.
“As I said,” he went on, obviously interpreting her silence as proof of his argument. “He could have asked Edmon and I.”
Lia gave him a harsh look, remembering that the Aldermaston had charged her with their safety. “But I am strong with the Medium, Colvin. Stronger than you.”