Page 49
The group falls silent until my squire speaks up.
“What will we do if he doesn’t come with us?”
The others look at Christopher and then back at me.
“The king refused to name another heir, but if Aldwine refuses us—” my teeth grind at the possibility, “—the king will have to name another.”
“Who?” Thomas asks.
I have my suspicions, but none are fact, so I will keep such thoughts to myself.
“It matters not. If the church backs Hinton, along with those who support him already, ’twill ensure a long and bloody path forward for Meria.”
Our uneasy silence is broken by the sound of the inn door swinging open.
“The Artemis has returned,” someone calls excitedly.
My hand drops back to the table, my mug hitting it with a thud.
Thomas and I exchange a glance before we both shift our attention back to the door. More watching and waiting. After more than one of the Sailor’s Inn patrons leaves, we have our answer.
Voyagers are known to put into port, even at night, rather than anchoring.
Without saying a word, I nod, and the four of us stand at once. Because of Aedre, I am not worried about gaining an audience with him immediately. Even so, I would glimpse the man that may yet be king of Meria.
A crowd has already gathered along the wharf.
“There’s hardly any moonlight,” Salvi says, lifting the lantern he’d taken with him. “Do you know any ship captains who would put in on a night such as this?”
“Madness,” Thomas mutters.
I tend to agree. But Voyagers are also known for their skill in the water. The tragedy that cost Meria so dearly would likely not have happened in Murwood End.
“Can you see the ship?” Christopher asks as we approach.
“Nay.” The crowd has grown, presumably for first pick of the furs Aldwine’s men have traded for oil. A curious custom, the makeshift port-side fair, but one that has become familiar. Despite the dark, townsfolk have descended on the Artemis, and we can see nothing of note for some time.
Eventually establishing a position with a vantage point that allows us to see the Voyagers as they make their way ashore, we blend into the crowd. Nothing marks us as king’s men, for we’ve learned dressing the part makes the townspeople hosts uneasy.
“Look there,” Thomas says, but I’ve already noticed him. Something about Master Aldwine draws the eye toward him, and it is not just his height. I step closer for a better look at the man.
Goods are tossed ashore, Aldwine pointing and shouting, though I can’t hear his words. It is just as well. I can see the men look to him for their orders. I can see that he holds his head high. Though I hear nothing, I see everything. The rumors are all true.
The king insists Kipp Aldwine has grown to be a man who can be trusted with his crown and the ruling of Meria. And though it is not for me to question Galfrid’s judgment, I am most curious about his bastard son.
“They say he can swing a sword while carrying ten men on his back, and now that I see him, I can understand how such a thing is possible,” Christopher says.
I shake my head. “If I told you he pushed the ship into port, swimming behind it in the water, you’d believe that too?”
The others laugh.
“He believed me when I told him you drank the blood of your enemies for strength,” Thomas adds. “So aye, he would . . . ow.” Thomas rubs his arm, looking at Christopher as if he’d dearly love to strike him back. But I gesture for them to quiet their talk.
“He disembarks.”
Leaving the others behind with a shouted order that I cannot hear, Aldwine makes his way through the crowd. Slaps on the back and words of welcome tell me that he is well-liked.
By Aedre too.
