Chapter 611: Owain’s Schemes
For the first time in months, perhaps for the first time since her family made the long journey to Lothian March for her sister’s wedding, Jocelynn unburdened herself completely. Her cheek still stung from Isabell’s slap, but Jocelynn rarely noticed as she poured out every secret she held deep in her heart. From Samira the imposter in the Summer Villa to Owain’s intentions to prevent the Guild Masters from gaining significant merits in the Holy War to come, she left no detail out.
For her part, Isabell did her best to listen as calmly as she could, mentally taking notes for all the things she dared not commit to paper. Many of the schemes Jocelynn seemed to be aware of were things that Isabell and Master Tiernan had noticed already, but some of them were especially cruel.
"He wants to press my Lassian into service as a squire?" Isabell said in shock when Jocelynn mentioned how Owain had decided to keep the powerful engineer under his control once she revealed her formidable capabilities for waging war.
The words came out in a strangled whisper as Isabell’s entire body went rigid. Her fingers curled into tight fists and her knuckles turned white as she fought to maintain her composure. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her vision went red in a way that it hadn’t since the days she fought beside the Emerald King when someone attempted to capture Casquas to force her to abandon the king’s side in that bloody civil war. When she finally spoke again, her voice had transformed into something hard and brittle, like ice about to crack.
"He’s only fourteen. He isn’t going to begin his apprenticeship for another two years and we’ve already made arrangements with the Undaunted Shipwrights for him." Her jaw clenched so tightly between sentences that Jocelynn could hear the faint grind of teeth. "Why does Lord Owain think he can just force my son into service like this?"
"Because this is the frontier," Jocelynn said, scooting back on her chair ever so slightly, as if to put additional room between herself and the cold fury radiating from the Guild Master. "If you become a knight, then your son becomes your heir," she added, as if it explained matters. "All knights in the frontier are expected to bear arms and serve in the March’s forces during times of war. And a young man can be appointed a squire at thirteen."
"So he wants my son as a hostage," Isabell said darkly. She had known that coming here and participating in this Holy War would be dangerous, but she hadn’t imagined that she’d need to defend her family against her ’allies’ as well as the demons arrayed against them. "And as soon as I summon my family to join me here, he intends to capture them."
"It’s good that Issandra is beginning her apprenticeship in Blackwell City instead of following us here. Otherwise, I’m sure Owain would attempt to wed her to one of the pigs that follow him like lapdogs," she said, not bothering to hide her disdain for Owain’s loyal retainers.
"He, he felt that your daughter, and, and Master Tiernan’s youngest daughter," Jocelynn said slowly, unable to meet the furious engineer’s gaze. "He felt that they should be offered as rewards to Lord Bastian Hanrahan or Sir Rian Aleese if they continued to support Owain’s cause."
"Rewards?!" Isabell said, all but shouting, before she bit back her words and continued in a quieter, but only slightly restrained tone. "But he can’t just decide who my children will marry," Isabell said incredulously. "It is a matter for each family to decide which traditions of marriage they will follow. That’s been the law since the founding of the Kingdom," she protested.
"That’s been the law for the common people of the kingdom," Jocelynn countered. "In the early days of the kingdom, there were too many settlers from too many different kingdoms across the sea. The founding laws are full of compromises to stop the dukes and counts from turning on each other after the First Crusade. But the law for nobles is different."