Page 22 of Keeper of the Word

“I am well.” She offered a close-lipped smile in hopes it seemed convincing. “I am afraid that being a StarSeer comes with the detriment of…inattention at times.”

“All the more reason we must return you to Ashwin,” Tolvar said, sheathing his sword.

Joss crossed her arms, but her shoulders trembled. “M’lord, if I may, Gus, Barrett, and I are your true knights. You need seek no further than we three to find loyalty to you. Tell us who this newman-at-arms is.” She inclined her head in Hux’s direction. “You have brought him amongst us, and yet ’tis clear you mistrust him. How are we to guard you, not to mention Lady Elanna, if you’ve brought a fox into our midst?”

“Fox, you say?” Hux’s grin returned as he, too, sheathed his sword. “Nay.Idispatched a fox. Tell them, Tolvar. So they might hear it from your own lips.”

Tolvar’s fingers grazed his hilt. “Hux.” His voice was little more than a growl.

“You need not vex them with a melancholy tune, but mayhap you’re in need of a reminder yourself that I’ve earned your trust.”

Tolvar focused on the scabbard at his side. “This man saved my life in Deogol.” He hesitated. “From Crevan.”

Joss gasped. Barrett dropped the spoon he held.

“Crevan? He is alive?” Gus managed to get out.

“Was alive,” Hux supplied.

Tolvar’s face screwed up in what Elanna couldn’t tell—agony, rage, desolation?

“We know not for certain that he’s dead,” Tolvar finally said. “His body was not recovered after the Befallen was destroyed.”

Tolvar and Hux shared an expression of understanding between them before Tolvar averted his gaze.

Elanna searched her mind. Crevan. Could she See the fortune of a man called Crevan? Her thoughts remained blank. So she asked, “Who is Crevan?”

’Twas clear that everyone else knew, but no one offered any words. Tolvar’s eyes were trained downward.

“My brother. Four years ago, he…betrayed our family. My father was killed. Many were killed.” Tolvar paused. Every word obviously pained him.

“Countess Pamella. She was killed.” Elanna said the words without realizing she did.

Tolvar fixed his eyes on her.

“I remember.” ’Twas Elanna’s turn to gaze upon the ground. “Your bride-to-be. She was King Rian’s cousin. Of course. Thesovereign sent angry messages to Ashwin. He wished to know why we did not stop it. Why we did not See it.”

Tolvar snorted. “That counts two of us.”

“We grieved for Askella. For the sovereign. We do not choose what we See.”

A palpable pause followed.

“Nevertheless, in the Battle for Sloane,” Hux resumed his explanation. “’Twas discovered that the leader of the Brones, the band of villains who attempted to wield the Befallen’s powers by unburying the Curse of Adri?—”

Elanna’s eyes widened. To speak the word “Adrienne” was forbidden.

“Well, the Curse, you know. The Curse,” Hux finished before clearing his throat. “We learned the leader was Tolvar’s brother.”

Again, the three knights did not hide their surprise.

“Siria’s skirt,” Gus whispered.

“That is enough about Crevan.” Tolvar’s gaze on Hux was not hostile. “Joss, Gus, Barrett, as much as you may trust me”—he thrust his hands into his pockets and sighed—“you may trust in Hux. Finish preparations and do not wait for me to eat. I’m in need of solitude.”

Chapter

Eleven