The Shadow Roads

Thirty-two

Samul woke to armed men entering his chamber, swords drawn.He was allowed to dress, his hands were bound, and in a moment he was hustleddown the stairs to the front entry, where Prince Michael waited. The men worethe evening-blue surcoats of the Wills family, and were not, by the look ofthem, men to be trifled with. The Prince had his hands bound behind his back,as Samul did, and a look of sadness and rage on his face.

There was a disturbance on the landing above, and Franny appearedin her nightclothes, her husband catching her at the top of the stairs. Theystruggled there a moment.

“No, Henri! He is my cousin!”

Henri had an arm around her waist and held one hand by thewrist. “The Prince of Innes is dead,” he said. “Michael cannot help us now. Wehave different allies. There is no going back.” He pulled her away, sobbing andcursing her husband, trying to scratch at his eyes.

And then Samul and Michael were pushed outside and hoistedinto a cart.

It was still dark, but Samul could see his companion by thelight of torches. He thought there might have been a tear on his cheek, butthen he hung his head and was silent. The driver shook the reins, and the cartrolled forward, a mounted troop of Wills men-at-arms falling in around them.