Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence you have not already tested. - Elizabeth I
Kensie woke the next morning to the throbbing pain of his leg. The hall servant taking Geoffrey's place – Kensie recognized him as James Melnick –was already up and awake. "James, could you please help me to the privy?" Kensie asked.
After James had done so and helped Kensie back to his bed, Kensie asked how Spod was doing.
"He woke a candlemark ago. We gave him some bread and broth like the healer said, then gave him another dose of poppy to help him sleep again." James said. "Would you like a bit of breakfast, Milord?"
Kensie's stomach growled loudly at that moment. He laughed. "As you can hear, James. My belly wants to be filled. I would like some breakfast, please."
James went to the door and spoke to someone outside. He returned to Kensie "Your breakfast will be here directly, Milord."
"Thank you, James." Kensie rubbed his face, feeling the stubble there. "Have I time to shave?"
"I have hot water, shaving soap and a razor here, Milord." James fetched a pitcher, bowl and a bed tray with the shaving soap and razor on it. "Would you like me to shave you, sir?"
"You are most efficient, James, but I can shave myself." He smiled at James and picked up the shaving brush.
Kensie had just rinsed his face when the breakfast arrived. He looked sourly at the single poached egg, toast and preserved fruit before him. "I prefer my eggs – three at least – fried. No bacon?" He looked plaintively at James.
"Healer's orders, Milord. Sorry." James looked cautiously at Kensie, unsure how his master would react.
Kensie sighed exaggeratedly, then winked at James. "We do have to obey healers, don't we? Thank you, James."
Kensie quickly ate the breakfast and returned the tray to James. "Has Clyde Jensen left yet?" Kensie asked.
"Piran Couch asked him to wait until we were sure how you were doing." James said.
"Good. Please have him come to see me immediately."
James looked alarmed. "We were instructed to see that you rest, Milord. Is this wise?"
Kensie thought of giving James a direct order to fetch the courier, then decided on a different approach. "I will rest better knowing that Clyde can report to my father that he has seen with his own eyes I am awake and recovering. It will ease my father's mind to know that and help my sleep to know that my father knows I am getting better. Please bring Clyde to me."
James nodded. "Aye, that makes good sense, sir. I will send for Clyde." He went to the door once more to deliver Kensie's instructions. When he returned, Kensie asked him to fetch his satchel from the night before and a pen and paper.
While he waited, Kensie wrote a quick note to his father giving the bare story of what had happened. He had a twinge of conscience over what to say about Alberich's help, but decided to say only that a gentleman on the street had helped defend him. He added that Geoffrey had started to run before the attack began, knowing that his father would come to the same conclusion as Kensie had.
In a quarter candlemark, Clyde appeared with Piran Couch at his side. It took a few moments to convince Piran and James that Kensie wanted to talk to Clyde alone and that they were not to listen at the door.
Once they were alone, Kensie said "Tell my father that I am sure Geoffrey helped the ambushers. He was just too stupid to realize that they would kill him as well." Kensie opened his satchel. The packet from Odelle Deschner was still there, apparently unopened; he handed it to Clyde. "Tell my father this was out of my possession from the time of the attack until now. It was still in my satchel, but I cannot guarantee that it has not been opened."
"I will do both, Milord. Is there anything else?" Clyde said.
"No thank you, Clyde. Just assure my father that you saw me awake and recovering." Kensie said. As Clyde turned to go, a last thought occurred to Kensie. "Actually, there is one other thing. Tell my father that Spod will be my new manservant. I will have no other."
The courier raised an eyebrow. He flicked a glance at the sleeping Spod before looking back at Kensie.
"I mean it, Clyde. The boy has proved his loyalty, almost at the cost of his life. That will more than make up for his inexperience."
Clyde looked pensive, then nodded. "With Geoffrey betraying you, I can see why you would value loyalty. I think you are wise, young man." He said before leaving the room.
Piran Couch and James entered the room moments after Clyde left. They urged Kensie to take another dose of poppy, but he refused. "The watch will be here to question me soon. I must be clear-headed to answer them. I will take willowbark tea to ease the pain, but that is all."
Kensie grimaced as he drank the tea, then lay back to doze.
As Kensie predicted, someone came to question him a candlemark later. It was not the watch, however, but a Herald. Only Kensie's training in Courtly Graces kept him from showing surprise when he saw the Herald hobble in on a crutch. One leg ended in a wooden foot that began at the knee. The middle-aged Herald had sandy hair peppered with grey and an open, expressive face.
"I am Herald Jadus." He introduced himself.
Kensie introduced himself. "Forgive me if I do not rise, Herald. Please have a seat." Kensie gestured to a chair beside the bed. "I assume you are here to question me about the attempt to murder me last night."
Jadus smiled. "Ah, good. You are aware it was not a robbery."
Kensie suppressed a dismissive reply. Carefully, he said "I do not see how it could be a robbery. The attackers did not attempt confront me; they shot their crossbows immediately. Why kill when they could have just taken my purse? Robberies happen regularly; a murder of a noble would spark a manhunt."
Jadus nodded. "You have thought about it, I see."
"After the attempt on my life at Leuven last fall, my father saw to it that I learned something about conspiracies and plots." Kensie said.
"Very well," Jadus said. "Let's go over the events of last night."
Kensie told the story of the attack from the time he left Lace House to the time the Watch arrived. Herald Jadus questioned him closely to get all the details. From the Herald's reaction, Kensie saw that Jadus knew exactly who 'Goodman De Smet' was.
When Jadus asked about Geoffrey Toews, Kensie told him how Geoffrey was implicated in the attack at Leuven. He told Jadus that Geoffrey had met his contact before Kensie had left for Lace House. Kensie also mentioned Geoffrey's supposed visit to a pub while Kensie was at the brothel. "That is probably when he got his instructions about the attack." Kensie surmised.
"It would explain the twenty gold crowns we found in a pouch on the body." Jadus said.
Kensie laughed harshly. "That wasn't for him. That was for the ambushers. The bloody fool didn't realize they would kill him too."
Jadus' face betrayed his distaste for Kensie's gloating over Geoffrey's death.
Kensie saw the look. "Geoffrey was paid by me, fed by me, clothed by me and sheltered by me. And he betrayed me. He helped people try to kill me. He knew what was intended for me, which is why he started running before the attack happened. I am glad he is dead, caught in his own treachery."
Jadus was puzzled. "How do you know the money was for the attackers and not Geoffrey?"
Kensie looked pensive. Analytically, he explained. "Geoffrey thought it was for him. With me dead he would be out of a job, so he would need money. However, he was no more use to them if I was dead and he had information that could lead back to whoever paid him, so his handler wanted Geoffrey dead too. It was a convenient way to pay the attackers: Pay them half up front and tell them they could get the other half from Geoffrey's body. No reason to make further contact with the paymaster and risk he would betray them or vice versa."
Jadus stared at Kensie in shock. Jadus was aware of the ruthlessness of noble infighting; he simply did not expect someone as young as Kensie be so hard.
Kensie flashed a smile of sympathy at the Herald. "I am sorry to have shocked you, Herald Jadus. It was a shock to me when my father explained it over the last winter. Speaking of the attackers, do you have any idea who they were?" Kensie asked.
Jadus nodded. "Rase Stern and his gang of thugs were well known to the Watch. They were mostly robbers and house-breakers and they were suspected in a couple of murders. None of them will be missed."
"What of the one who got away?" Kensie asked.
"The Watch found Kas Beck's body in an alley at dawn with a garrotte still around his neck. The healers said he had been dead since midnight." Jadus said.
Kensie grimaced. "The penalty for failure, I guess."
"Why not just kill them all anyways?" Jadus asked.
"You keep your successful agents. If they had killed me and gotten away, no one except the man who hired them would have known who killed me. Killing successful agents makes it hard to hire next time you need one." Kensie said.
Jadus was again dumbfounded at Kensie's cold assessment. Kensie just stared at him until the Herald recovered.
"Um. Do you have any idea who hired them?" Jadus asked.
Kensie sighed and shook his head. "No, I don't." At Jadus' skeptical look, Kensie went on. "Herald Jadus, this is important. It is important enough that you have to be sure that I mean it.
"You will have to put your Truth Spell on me."
Jadus looked askance at Kensie. "Are you sure? Most people do not like the Truth Spell. You would be open to any question I chose to ask."
"This is important enough that I have to risk that." Kensie said. "Herald Alberich trusted me and believed in me; I owe him for that. Besides, I have watched you Heralds for the last three moons. I have seen nothing that is less than honorable. You need to know if I have any idea who is trying to kill me, even if it is only to protect the peace. Please do this."
"Very well." Jadus said. He closed his eyes and focused inwards. A moment later, Kensie was surrounded by a blue glow. "Tell me what you have to say."
"Are you sure? I don't feel anything." Kensie held up his hand to see if he could see the aura, but it was invisible to him.
After Jadus assured him that the Truth Spell was in place, Kensie said. "I do not know who is trying to kill me or why they might. My father tells me the same thing. We have discussed many possibilities between us, but none of them makes sense to us. We have no true grounds to suspect anyone.
"Is that sufficient to convince you?" Kensie finished.
"Just one thing more," Jadus said, "what are the possibilities you discussed with your father?"
Jadus had set only the lighter version of the Truth Spell, not the version that compelled the target to tell the truth, so Kensie replied "Herald, I would prefer not to go over those. Some of our notions would cause a great deal of outrage if they became known. It could cause trouble in the Court. However discreet you Heralds might be, such things have ways of getting out."
Jadus nodded. "Very well. If that is all…"
Kensie grinned and held up a hand. "One thing more: In the final battle against the Tedrels, I did break initially. But I recovered, and I did join the general attack after King Sendar died. I can't remember anything but swinging wildly at anything that looked like a Tedrel, but I was there."
Jadus laughed. "You do want to be absolved, don't you? Alberich told me about your request last fall. I will pass that along, but you know that some will never change their minds, don't you?"
"I have to try, Herald. I have to try." Kensie said.
Finished, Jadus rose and left. As he went out, Kensie begged his pardon for not escorting him to the door as a proper host should.