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The vigils saw me coming from some distance and a dozen or more of them rode out to meet me. Terrowic, the man who had been so cruel when I was a prisoner before, reached me first. I was unarmed and told him so before they arrived, but they still surrounded me as if I were packed with gunpowder. Even though I was offering no threat, when Commander Kippenger arrived, he yanked me off the horse and threw me to the ground. His men carefully checked me for any weapons, then at last he pulled me to my feet and demanded to know why I had come.
“Take me to King Vargan,” I said. “If he can hear you calling him above the sound of his snores.”
“The king and Lord Conner have left for elsewhere in Carthya. There are other battles besides this one, you know.”
“But this is the only one that matters.” I studied Kippenger’s eyes. He looked as tired as I felt, and certainly as battle weary. “We both lost a lot of men here today. There’s one in particular, a very good friend of mine, who will die if I don’t get your help.”
Kippenger folded his arms, but didn’t display any of the cold arrogance I would have expected. He only said, “Why should I help you?”
“Because it benefits you too. If you wish to gain favor with your king, then help me. If you will, then I’ll give you what he wants most.”
“What’s that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, me.” Obviously.
“You dare to set terms? I have you right now.”
“You have the cooperative me right now. Try to take me by force and I promise that one of us will not make it to Vargan alive. My terms are simple, Kippenger.”
His patience with me was already wearing thin. “What is it you want, then?” he asked.
“An end to the fighting. Take your men and leave this place. And I want the immediate delivery of all medical supplies in this camp to my soldiers who are in the forest.”
“Ah. And for that, I get to take you to my king?”
For the first time that evening, my breath relaxed. “Better than that. In exchange for my demands, I will surrender Carthya.”
Despite his suspicions that I was attempting some sort of trick, Commander Kippenger quickly agreed to my terms. He demanded I remove my brigandine, since it was filthy from the day’s battle. I agreed, on the terms that he find me something suitable to replace it with and nothing in Avenia’s colors. Then Kippenger ordered the medical supplies be taken immediately to the forest. Once that was under way, he announced to his men that all of Avenia would leave camp as soon as possible, with me in their company.
“King Vargan left specific orders if you were captured,” he said.
“But you didn’t capture me. I gave myself up. So unless the orders were to provide me with a supper of roasted goose, you shouldn’t feel any need to obey them.”
“His orders were to deliver you for execution.” Kippenger paused, and then added, “At Farthenwood.”
I breathed out a curse that likely caused my mother to curl in her grave. “No, that’s unacceptable. My kingdom begins in Drylliad and that is the only place this war must end.”
I made a move to back away, but was blocked by Terrowic, immediately behind me. He said, “Conner thought you’d resist a return to his estate. Why is that?” I tried to ignore him, but he poked at the center of my back. “Don’t you have scars that came from Farthenwood? Wasn’t it there you also found out your entire family had been killed? And whatever happened to that servant girl you made friends with there? She was a pretty thing, I thought.”
My jaw tightened, and I considered the risks of taking just one swing at him. Fortunately for us both, Kippenger came between us. To me, he said, “Farthenwood is our destination, and there’s no one to blame for that but yourself. You sent a message with an Avenian thief several days ago. It was intended to reach your commanders in Drylliad, but the thief brought it to our king instead.”
I had suspected as much, but only muttered, “I should’ve paid him better.”
“You needn’t worry about that. King Vargan rewarded him very well. In that message, you ordered every spare man to gather in Drylliad. Why do you think we let Mendenwal fight that battle? If you had so many men, it wouldn’t be Avenia who suffered there. You also ordered your gold to be taken to Farthenwood. There’s obviously a trap waiting for us if we go to your castle. But the spoils are at Farthenwood.”
“The message was a lie.” The waver in my voice sounded worried and uncertain. “Do you think I gave it to an Avenian thief truly expecting it would reach my castle? My armies in Drylliad are few and weak, and there is no gold at Farthenwood.”
Kippenger laughed. “Oh, but that message did reach your castle. King Vargan was kind enough to send it on to your regents, after he read it. Whether you intended the order or not, your men are obeying it. Lord Conner verified that your men are collecting in Drylliad and the wealth of your country was moved to his estate, all as your message instructed. I believe you’ve been sunk by your own cleverness.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time for that.”
“You’re reasonably intelligent, and braver than most people I’ve known,” Kippenger said. “But you’re still just a boy. You never did have a chance against us.”
Now wasn’t the best time to argue, but I felt like it. Instead, I kept my mind fixed on what I had to do and glared up at him. “You must allow me some terms in exchange for my surrender. I demand to end this war at my castle and nowhere else.”
“We’ve already met enough of your demands!” Then Kippenger’s voice softened. “Don’t despair, Jaron. There is good news too. My king orders that you not be harmed — not yet anyway. He intends a large audience for your hanging and doesn’t want you to appear injured — he doesn’t want to make you into a martyr.”
That was a great relief, although considering Vargan’s orders ended with my execution, the news could have been better. Still, I promised Kippenger if he gave me a bed to sleep in that night, he would find me there in the morning. The commander agreed to the deal, but insisted I wear a chain at my ankle and have vigils in my tent. It wasn’t a great show of trust, but then again, I wasn’t the most trustworthy prisoner. Once I was given the bed, I almost immediately fell asleep.
