The Gray Wolf Throne Read Free Page B

“in fact, Corporal Byrne was the one who suggested this scheme to Markus after Montaigne laid siege to the city.”

    “But why would he do that?” raisa asked, lost.

    “Corporal Byrne guessed you hadn’t yet crossed the border.
    He’d rather that those hunting you believe you’re in Tamron Court, and not here in the borderlands. So he and his triple have made themselves visible in the city so that any spies working for Montaigne or Lord Bayar see that members of the Queen’s Guard are still there and assume that you are also.”

    “no,” raisa whispered, pacing back and forth. “oh, no.
    when Montaigne finds out he’s been tricked, he’ll be furious.
    There’s no telling what he’ll do.” She stopped and looked up at Byrne. “what about the queen? will she send help?”

    “Given the situation at home right now, we cannot send an army into Tamron,” Byrne said flatly. “it would destabilize a fragile situation. war may break out at home at any moment, depending on what happens with the succession.”

    “But . . . if my mother believes that i’m trapped in Tamron Court,” raisa whispered, “wouldn’t she send an army anyway?” in truth, raisa wasn’t sure of the answer to that question.
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    “i told her not to risk it, that you were not there,” Byrne said, his gray eyes steady on hers.

    “But—but—but—that means that Amon—and all the Gray wolves—will die there,” raisa cried. “in horrible ways.”

    “There is that possibility,” Byrne said quietly.

    “possibility? Possibility ?” She stood in front of Byrne, hands fisted. “Amon is your son! How could you do that? How could you?”

    “Amon made this decision for the good of the line, as is his duty,” Byrne said. “i won’t second-guess him.” raisa went up on her toes, leaning toward Byrne, her fury ringing in her ears and freeing her tongue. “Did he even have a choice ?” she demanded. “He told me what you did to him—that magical linkage you forced on him.”

    Byrne frowned, rubbing the corner of his eye with his thumb.
    “really? He said that?”

    raisa didn’t slow down. “Does he even have free will anymore, or is he compelled to sacrifice himself to save the bloody line?”

    “Hmmm,” Byrne said, still damnably calm. “well, i would say he has some free will or he’d not have told you about the bond between queens and captains,” he said.

    “what about the Gray wolves?” raisa said. “Did they have a choice?” She thought of her friends among Amon’s cadets: Hallie, whose two-year-old daughter waited for her in Fellsmarch. Talia, who would have left her beloved pearlie behind in oden’s Ford.
    And poor Mick, who had offered raisa his clan-made saddlebag as consolation for losing Amon Byrne.

    Tamron Court is standing in for me, she thought. it was arro-gant, she knew—the notion that the invasion of Tamron was all 16

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    about her. Gerard Montaigne wanted Tamron’s wealth, a bigger army, and a throne to sit upon. She was just the filling in the nougat—a chance to claim the Fells as well.

    “we have to go after them,” raisa said. “There has to be a way to get them out of there. what if—if i showed myself and drew Montaigne off. or if i offered to negotiate. or maybe there’s a way to slip between their lines, and . . .” raisa didn’t really believe any of these things would work as she spoke them. And Byrne knew it, because he just looked at her impassively until she trailed off.

    “we don’t even know if he’s still in the city, or if he’s still alive, your Highness,” Byrne said softly.

    “He’s still alive,” raisa said. “The linkage goes both ways. i would know if he were dead.”

    “The city may have fallen by now,” Byrne continued. “How do you think he would feel if you went to the capital and were captured by Montaigne, and all of his efforts were wasted?” Unable to contain