Arc 1: Chapter 16: The Lord of House Falconer
I followed the Baron, accompanied by his green-cloaked servant, deeper into Castle Cael. Braziers clutched in iron hands along the walls burst alive as the lord passed them, the castle responding to his presence.
Not a bad trick.
He brought me to a small, comfortably furnished room with the air of a study. The door shut behind us and Orson Falconer turned to face me.
“You upstaged me,” he said. The words held no heat, no petulance. The lord seemed, if anything, curious.
I tilted my head to one side. “When I interrupted your speech to talk about the troll, you mean.”
The Baron shrugged. “That, and your entrance. I dare say you were the focal point of that entire discussion. I do not criticize you…” He pursed his lips. “Are you a knight? Shall I call you Sir Alken?”
I hesitated, then shook my head. “No, lord. Just Alken will do.”
The Baron’s expression hardened. “You will tell me why you are here, and whether it is on another’s behalf. You will speak truth.”
The fingers of my right hand flexed. The motion was hidden by my cloak, and I clenched that hand into a fist before I gave away my tension.
The Baron wasn’t aware that outright lies weren’t something I could easily conjure, not without cost. It wasn’t like I could tell him that, however, so I had to try and convince him. I took a moment to gather my thoughts before speaking.
“I spent much of my life fighting for the realms of Urn,” I said. “For lords, for the priests. I was loyal.” I folded my arms, as though it could quell my steadily rising heartbeat. “I fought and fought, and it didn’t earn me gratitude, or peace.”