“Yes… well. You know a great deal, it seems. Have you become friendly with your aunt since she’s come to Comigor? Gotten to know her well?”

“No. She is wicked and condemned. She doesn’t belong here. Papa wouldn’t wish it. I don’t speak with her.”

Darzid smiled at me in that way I hated, like he was my friend and no one else was. “Of course, very wise. Well, there was a time during all of that unpleasantness about her husband, when it was necessary that your aunt be confined to the palace in Montevial. She was very well treated. Your father saw to that, for he hoped she would come to see the terrible evils she had done-allowing sorcery to exist in this world where it had no place-mortal men taking the power that belongs to the gods alone. During those months your aunt was given a serving sister to wait on her-”

“Lucy!”

“Yes. This very same woman. I saw her there several times.”

“No wonder Lucy said-”

“Said? Was not the woman a mute?” The captain drew his forehead up so tight he looked like he had only one eyebrow.

“She could talk with signs and pictures. She couldn’t read or write, but she could draw really fine. I could always understand her.”

“I’m sure you could. And what did she tell you about your aunt?”

“She didn’t want to talk about Seri, and she wouldn’t leave her room any more after Seri came, so I just thought she must be afraid of her.”

“Your aunt holds a great hatred for those who called her to account for her crimes, including everyone who was involved in her captivity. Ask her about me and you’ll see it. I don’t think she distinguishes between those like your father and me who were in authority, carrying out our responsibilities to the king and the law, and those, like Lucy here, who were caught up in the situation unwittingly.”

“Lucy was the best person in the world.”

“No doubt. You must watch yourself carefully when your aunt is about. In fact… seeing this, I’m inclined to stay with you through this night. After tomorrow she’ll have no way to harm you. I’ve brought exciting news that will ensure your future and place you under King Evard’s special protection.”

“Can you take Seri away now? Can you have the king punish her for killing Lucy?”

“Unfortunately not. She’s managed to cloud the eyes of the king in some way, and I don’t think he’ll deal with her unless we can prove her crime. He won’t believe she’s done murder.”

“What if she had someone else do it?”

Captain Darzid raised his black eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“I saw her with two strangers yesterday, sneaking about the garden. I wondered if they could have helped her.”

“What were they like, these two?”

“One was short and wild-looking and had a strong voice. He wore a robe like a priest, only it was white. The other one was taller and younger, and-”

Darzid gripped my arm really hard, and said, “This is very important, boy. The names. Did you hear any names?”

Names. That had been very odd. Seri and the old man had called the younger man several names. “I didn’t hear the old one’s name. But the other one… They called him Dinatheel or something like that, and-”

“D’Natheil? Is that what it was?”

“Yes, but I’m not exactly sure that was his name, because they called him something else, too.”

“Which was?”

“Karon.”

“Karon!”

It isn’t often that you can tell a grown-up something he never expected to hear, but that’s what I had done with Captain Darzid. He jumped up like he had a wasp in his shirt.

“You’re sure of that?”

“They called the man both names, so I didn’t know which one was right. The old man said he was the one who killed Papa.”

“Oh, yes. That’s most certainly true, but the names… if true… Dassine, the wily bastard, kept D’Natheil hidden for so long. What could he have done?” The captain was only halfway talking to me. “What else was said? Did they know you were listening?”

“I was hiding. They said a lot of things I didn’t understand.”

“I’ve no doubt of that. The possibilities are intriguing… most intriguing… and very dangerous. Everything could be changed.” He looked at me in a very different way than before. “I believe you are in grave circumstance here, Your Grace. I think perhaps we should get you away immediately.”

“What about Mama and the baby?”

“D’Natheil will not care about them. It’s you he’ll want.”

“For revenge? For Seri’s revenge?”

“Yes, certainly… for Seri’s revenge. It’s very complicated. Those two are not ordinary men, even for sorcerers.” He pulled me over beside him and put his arm around my shoulders. “You must come with me. I can take you somewhere where you’ll be safe. Then you can tell me everything they said, and I can explain a few things to you. We wouldn’t want these murderers to get away with such foul deeds as this, would we?”

I didn’t like Darzid. I didn’t want to be around him when he was thinking about sorcery. He knew about Seri’s friends and what they were. But the night was about gone, and I had to get away. He could take me farther than I could get on my own. I would just have to leave him before he found out about me. I looked at Lucy, lying there all bloody, and decided that I would rather go with Papa’s friend who carried a sword than stay with the ones who did such a thing to her.

So the two of us slipped out of the house in the quietest hour. Darzid put me behind him on his great black horse, and we rode into the clear, freezing night. It seemed like forever that we galloped, and I thought my hands would freeze from holding onto Captain Darzid’s waist, but eventually I fell asleep. In my dreams a wolf howled to the full moon that shone pale and cold over the snowy hills.