The knight drew his arm back, and I pushed Prince John aside, leaping over him to grab the knight’s arm and prevent it from moving forward. I buried my knife in his side.
Another knight pulled me off. He slammed his fist into my stomach, and I lost my breath at the burst of pain.
A hand closed on my wrist with the knife, and someone else hit me across the face. Then I were in the grass, on my back, and people held my wrists and feet; someone even had a boot on my stomach.
“Get her up,” Prince John said.
They dragged me to my knees. Rob and David were on their knees too now, and they pushed us into a line.
Our revolt had lasted roughly a minute.
With three against thirty, two knives between us, we’d never had much hope. Except for delaying long enough to let Kate get away.
“Do you men even know what you do?” David shouted. “You strike the daughter of the King of England! A princess!”
“A bastard,” Prince John dismissed. “Jacques?” he asked.
I looked at Rob. His mouth were drooling blood, and a cut on his eye were bleeding too.
“My-my lord,” he stammered. “Mon seigneur, il est vide.”
I didn’t speak French, but I knew what that room contained well enough.
Prince John picked up one of my knives from the ground. He came close to us and looked at Rob for a long while. Then he looked at me. “So. I need to know where my money has gone, and I need one of you two to tell me.”
We didn’t say anything.
“These things—information, and the ways we request it—they’re very simple. It’s a transaction, you see. For a fine woolen coat I would pay a certain sum. For boots, a different sum. So the question is, what sum will you pay to conceal the information I need? And what sum is too high a price to ask?”
I were trembling.
“Marian, my dear niece, you know very well how I play this game, don’t you? You see, I understand that there must be certain negotiations, and well, I like to start the game off right.”
He took two long steps from me, past Rob, and he plunged the knife into David’s throat.
Chapter 32
I screamed. Blood bubbled fast up David’s throat, and his eyes were wide like he didn’t know what had happened. Like he were frozen and couldn’t move or stop his death from flying swift in. Just like John.
And then Prince John pulled the knife out, and David’s body collapsed like someone pulled out whatever made him upright.
Prince John stepped in front of Rob, and I weren’t sure if I were screaming or crying or all at once. Men had their hands on me to keep me still, and Rob’s hand grabbed for mine, the only thing that calmed me. Rob were very still, looking at Prince John, not breaking his gaze.
“Tell me where the money is,” Prince John said. “Tell me how you got it out and where it’s gone.”
“We won’t tell you that,” Rob said. “Because you’ll use it to kill Richard.”
“Yes, I will,” Prince John said. “This is my country, and whether it’s today or sometime in the next year, when you have fat little children, when you think you’re safe, I’ll see you dead. I’ll see you both dead.”
I drew a shaking breath, tears streaking down my face. “Not tonight. You need us to tell you where the money is. And if you harm one, the other won’t tell.”
“Hm,” he said. “Or maybe, like your little outlaw said, you won’t tell me anyway. Because your faith in my brother’s right is so strong, is that it?”
“I’ve never met my father,” I told him. “I only know that you should never be allowed to be king.”
“Well,” he said. “You may be right. But nobody cares what a stupid, bastard girl thinks. So let’s make this interesting, shall we? I’ll give you until dawn to tell me where the money is. And then I’ll kill him. I’ll hang him from that tree,” he said, pointing. “So you can watch. So you can remember every detail and take it to your grave. And then I’ll kill you too,” he promised.
I shivered.
“And do you know why I’ll hang him?” Prince John said, coming close to my ear. “Because you’re the weak one. You will break, like you sacrificed me for him moments ago. You will tell me rather than have his death on your soul, won’t you?”
My eyes flicked up to his. “If you kill him, I won’t say a word. And if you kill me, Richard will be safe, and he will return, and he will flay the skin from your bones.”
His eyes narrowed. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
They brought us up in the tower. It had once been a royal residence, but my father had long been rebuilding it to be the strongest prison in the land. The rooms bore the rich signs of their royal past, but also the locks of their future.
They didn’t touch me. They left me in a room all night long, alone, and listening to sounds that could have only been Rob. Grunts, short, clipped yells, and then silence. Every so often a man would come to my door and ask where the money were. I never answered, and then the sounds from Rob would start over again.
Once, my eyelids slipped closed, and I saw David behind my eyes, lying dead on the grass. Then the grass changed to snow, and the body changed to John. My eyes snapped open, and for a moment, I gasped for breath, and the vision still burned in my eyes, but it were Rob’s body lying crumpled on the ground.
My hands shook, but I folded them in prayer, asking God to protect David like I couldn’t in life, to keep John out of trouble, and to protect Rob. It were damned little, but it were all I could do.
Another knight pulled me off. He slammed his fist into my stomach, and I lost my breath at the burst of pain.
A hand closed on my wrist with the knife, and someone else hit me across the face. Then I were in the grass, on my back, and people held my wrists and feet; someone even had a boot on my stomach.
“Get her up,” Prince John said.
They dragged me to my knees. Rob and David were on their knees too now, and they pushed us into a line.
Our revolt had lasted roughly a minute.
With three against thirty, two knives between us, we’d never had much hope. Except for delaying long enough to let Kate get away.
“Do you men even know what you do?” David shouted. “You strike the daughter of the King of England! A princess!”
“A bastard,” Prince John dismissed. “Jacques?” he asked.
I looked at Rob. His mouth were drooling blood, and a cut on his eye were bleeding too.
“My-my lord,” he stammered. “Mon seigneur, il est vide.”
I didn’t speak French, but I knew what that room contained well enough.
Prince John picked up one of my knives from the ground. He came close to us and looked at Rob for a long while. Then he looked at me. “So. I need to know where my money has gone, and I need one of you two to tell me.”
We didn’t say anything.
“These things—information, and the ways we request it—they’re very simple. It’s a transaction, you see. For a fine woolen coat I would pay a certain sum. For boots, a different sum. So the question is, what sum will you pay to conceal the information I need? And what sum is too high a price to ask?”
I were trembling.
“Marian, my dear niece, you know very well how I play this game, don’t you? You see, I understand that there must be certain negotiations, and well, I like to start the game off right.”
He took two long steps from me, past Rob, and he plunged the knife into David’s throat.
Chapter 32
I screamed. Blood bubbled fast up David’s throat, and his eyes were wide like he didn’t know what had happened. Like he were frozen and couldn’t move or stop his death from flying swift in. Just like John.
And then Prince John pulled the knife out, and David’s body collapsed like someone pulled out whatever made him upright.
Prince John stepped in front of Rob, and I weren’t sure if I were screaming or crying or all at once. Men had their hands on me to keep me still, and Rob’s hand grabbed for mine, the only thing that calmed me. Rob were very still, looking at Prince John, not breaking his gaze.
“Tell me where the money is,” Prince John said. “Tell me how you got it out and where it’s gone.”
“We won’t tell you that,” Rob said. “Because you’ll use it to kill Richard.”
“Yes, I will,” Prince John said. “This is my country, and whether it’s today or sometime in the next year, when you have fat little children, when you think you’re safe, I’ll see you dead. I’ll see you both dead.”
I drew a shaking breath, tears streaking down my face. “Not tonight. You need us to tell you where the money is. And if you harm one, the other won’t tell.”
“Hm,” he said. “Or maybe, like your little outlaw said, you won’t tell me anyway. Because your faith in my brother’s right is so strong, is that it?”
“I’ve never met my father,” I told him. “I only know that you should never be allowed to be king.”
“Well,” he said. “You may be right. But nobody cares what a stupid, bastard girl thinks. So let’s make this interesting, shall we? I’ll give you until dawn to tell me where the money is. And then I’ll kill him. I’ll hang him from that tree,” he said, pointing. “So you can watch. So you can remember every detail and take it to your grave. And then I’ll kill you too,” he promised.
I shivered.
“And do you know why I’ll hang him?” Prince John said, coming close to my ear. “Because you’re the weak one. You will break, like you sacrificed me for him moments ago. You will tell me rather than have his death on your soul, won’t you?”
My eyes flicked up to his. “If you kill him, I won’t say a word. And if you kill me, Richard will be safe, and he will return, and he will flay the skin from your bones.”
His eyes narrowed. “Let’s find out, shall we?”
They brought us up in the tower. It had once been a royal residence, but my father had long been rebuilding it to be the strongest prison in the land. The rooms bore the rich signs of their royal past, but also the locks of their future.
They didn’t touch me. They left me in a room all night long, alone, and listening to sounds that could have only been Rob. Grunts, short, clipped yells, and then silence. Every so often a man would come to my door and ask where the money were. I never answered, and then the sounds from Rob would start over again.
Once, my eyelids slipped closed, and I saw David behind my eyes, lying dead on the grass. Then the grass changed to snow, and the body changed to John. My eyes snapped open, and for a moment, I gasped for breath, and the vision still burned in my eyes, but it were Rob’s body lying crumpled on the ground.
My hands shook, but I folded them in prayer, asking God to protect David like I couldn’t in life, to keep John out of trouble, and to protect Rob. It were damned little, but it were all I could do.
