Lady Gabriella. Both Hal and Ty thought they must have caught a glimpse of Gabriella at the gala; but each wondered how he might have missed her if so. She was easily six feet tall in her stockinged feet, and like the Princess was dressed in travel garb: tight trousers and tunic, high boots, and a hooded cape.
Ty glanced at his companion and tried not to grin. If Franciezka noticed the byplay she chose to ignore it. ‘We have a problem,’ she said plainly.
Without hesitation Hal said, ‘How can we help?’
‘Can you sail a boat?’
They both nodded. Hal said, ‘I grew up in a coastal town. I’ve sailed small craft since I was a child.’
‘Me too,’ chimed in Ty.
‘Good,’ said Franciezka. ‘We haven’t much time, so attend closely. While you two have been doing a fine job of staying out of sight, there have been events unfolding both in the palace and here in the city that were not visible to the populace. The short of it is that a coup d’état is underway.’
Both young men were stunned. At last Hal said, ‘The King?’
It was Stephané who replied. ‘Father and Mother are safe, for the time being.’ Obviously under stress, she still managed to remain admirably calm about the danger to those she loved. ‘Lord John Worthington wouldn’t harm either if he can convince them to sanction my marriage to his son. Once that happens, then he can do what he needs to do to make his son king.’
‘But your brothers—’ began Ty.
‘Safe, for the moment,’ said Franciezka. ‘None of them are where Worthington assumes them to be. For the time being, Lord John is content to think he has the three princes confined.’
The two young men glanced at one another, both instantly realizing that it would be futile to ask where they were.
Franciezka said, ‘What I need to do is take care of two problems at once.’ She looked at Hal. ‘Kesh has agents looking for you. I seem to have blunted their search, but there is another player, whom I do not know, and that has me concerned. Those agents are doubly dangerous because some of them used to be mine.’
Hal and Ty said nothing, but their expressions revealed surprise.
‘I was certain by now you had some sense of my role in the affairs of Roldem.’
Hal said, ‘I assumed your role was important, but I hadn’t thought about spies.’
Ty said, with some chagrin, ‘I did, but dismissed the idea. I thought you might be … a special friend to one of the princes?’
At that Stephané laughed. ‘My brothers? They are sweet, but none of them could keep up with our good lady here.’ Her tone revealed a mix of admiration and no little distrust. If Franciezka was the spy-mistress of Roldem, that distrust was likely well earned.
‘With former agents of mine in play, my identity is no longer a matter of state secret. Once this is over, and should we all survive, I will be of little use to the Crown in my current role.’
‘Are these turned agents working for Lord Worthington?’ asked Ty.
‘Almost certainly. I’m the only one who knows where the Princess is hiding. Otherwise Lord John would have sent squads of soldiers to my door to fetch the Princess back. The princes are currently surrounded by men of unquestioning loyalty, but those are few in number. The rest of the army and navy take their orders from the Crown, which at this point means they take orders from Lord John Worthington. But should he attempt to force them to return to the palace, it could start a civil war he’s not certain to win.’ She took a deep breath, crossing her arms. Her right index finger tapped idly against her left arm while she considered. ‘No, we’re dealing with a handful of my former men who know me well enough to pick their moment, once they discover exactly where I’ve hidden Her Highness. They don’t have enough swords to do otherwise, and even if they could overwhelm those loyal to me, they would expose themselves as traitors.’
Ty said, ‘What must we do?’
‘For about two hours, nothing; but then we must move and do so at great speed. Kesh’s flotilla is anchored less than a half-mile outside the harbour mouth. They are content to let ships bound for the Empire pass without trouble. Their position appears to be one of keeping a wedge between the two Kingdoms, and to keep Roldem’s war fleet from venturing out. We’ve managed to move a few smaller ships – refitted to look like trading vessels – out of the harbour, heading south, as if heading for Pointer’s Head. Any ship headed towards the Eastern Kingdoms is stopped at the Straits of Ilthros, boarded and searched, and if no contraband is found, it is given safe passage.’ She paused to see if the two young men were following. ‘Do you understand what you must do?’
Hal nodded. ‘I’m vague on the details, which I’m sure you’ve already anticipated, but we are to get the Princess and her companion off this island, to somewhere beyond Worthington’s reach.’
Ty said, ‘You want her in Rillanon.’
Franciezka smiled. ‘Aren’t you the bright one?’
‘Rillanon?’ said Hal. ‘I would have thought somewhere in the east, like Olasko.’
Ty shook his head. ‘Worthington might be able to pry her from the gentle protection of the Duke of Olasko, if he’s ignorant of what’s occurring here. But if Her Highness is safely visiting King Gregory’s court, with the Kingdom and Keshian fleets between Worthington and the Princess … ?’ He smiled and looked at the Princess. ‘It seemed a bit obvious to me.’
Hal’s brow furrowed. ‘Well enough, but exactly how are the two of us going to sail from here to there? That’s almost the entire length of the Sea of Kingdoms.’
‘That would be foolish. No, we’ll hide you in a ship bound for Watcher’s Point in Miskalon, but at the right time you’ll be put over the side in a specially provisioned boat, and with the gods’ grace, you’ll land in Ran.’ She turned and picked up some folded parchments. ‘With these documents, you’ll have safe passage should you encounter any Roldemish ships.’
Hal inspected them then handed them over to Ty. ‘The King agrees?’
‘The King wishes to be ignorant of the details. I’ve forged his signature enough times no one can tell the difference, not even the King.’
‘The seals look perfect,’ said Ty as he inspected the documents.
‘They should be,’ said Lady Franciezka. ‘I have the royal seals safely hidden away.’
Ty grinned as Hal’s mouth dropped open.
Lady Franciezka smiled. ‘The King might be persuaded to sign decrees against his better judgment by Worthington, but without the seals …’ She shrugged, then handed a purse heavy with coin to Ty. ‘Now, you should be able to arrange for a fast Kingdom ship from there to Rillanon. You’ll be behind the Keshian blockade. If that turns out not to be the safe choice, then hire a coach to Bas-Tyra.’
‘When do we leave?’ asked Hal.
‘In two hours. My cargo ship has already been inspected prior to departure. We’ll slip you aboard moments before she weighs anchor. My only concern will be getting you past the Keshians at the blockade line, but I think everything is ready.’
Hal and Ty exchanged a look that silently communicated they hoped all was ready as well.
The quarters were cramped aboard the ship, Meklin’s Lady: one small cabin for the four of them. Hal and Ty tried to ignore each other when they slept side by side on the narrow floor but in vain since each swell the ship breasted caused them to roll up against each other. The two young women, however, seemed able to abide sharing a narrow bunk designed for one person, despite Lady Gabriella’s height.
They had come aboard two mornings previously, an hour before dawn, while most of the crew still slept. Only the captain, first officer, and a few of the crew