steal a horse. Nor was it easy to envision Sion - this earnest, greying, mild-mannered clerk - allied with an outlaw band. For certes, the man himself posed no threat; he wielded a pen, not a sword.
"You would accompany me, then?"
Sion nodded, oblivious to the sudden edge that suspicion had given to Justin's voice. "We would have to slip away separately, let none see us together. There is a ford just south of the castle; we could meet on the other side of the river."
"And why would you want to do that?"
The other man looked surprised. "How else could we do it? I must come with you, for you do not know the way to Aberconwy, and you'll need me to translate for you once we're there. Neither Guto nor Pedran speak your foreign tongue."
"No... I meant why would you be willing to take such a risk? We both know what Davydd would likely do to you if he found out. Why endanger yourself... for what?"
Sion smiled thinly. "You've had a chance to observe my lord Davydd. Think you that he is a joy to serve? Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be free of his demands and petty cruelties. This ransom matters greatly to your queen. So it seems to me that she would amply reward anyone who helped you recover it... would she not?"
"Yes," Justin conceded, "I daresay she would."
"So what say you, Master de Quincy? Shall we ride out on the morrow to find Guto?" When Justin did not respond at once, Sion looked searchingly into his face. "You still have misgivings? This will not work without mutual trust. You must trust me to take you safely to the abbey and I in turn must trust you to keep your word and make sure that I am rewarded for my help. Think about it if you wish, and let me know once you've made up your mind. I must insist upon one thing, though - that we go alone. I am willing to trust you. That does not hold true for Thomas de Caldecott."
That presented no problems for Justin, for he had no intention of involving Thomas, not wanting to put the other man at risk. Nor did he think Thomas would be keen to join this wild-goose chase. The knight seemed quite sure that Llewelyn ab Iorwerth was the culprit they sought.
"Very well," he said. "What do I have to lose?"
Chapter 6
August 1193
Aberconwy, Wales
AS JUSTIN AND SION RODE WEST, THE LAND BEGAN TO look like the Wales of legend: mountain peaks silhouetted against the sky, woods deep and dark and primeval, so impenetrable that trees had never felt the bite of an axe and only meager shafts of sun could filter through the wild, untamed tangle of undergrowth, brush, and bracken. The road hugged the coast and clouds hovered low on the horizon, as grey and foreboding as the choppy, windswept sea. Welsh weather was notoriously erratic, hostile to invaders and inhabitants alike, and by the time they reached the estuary of the River Conwy, rain was falling, a chill drizzle that threatened to become a downpour at any moment. Sion hailed the boatman and they were soon being ferried across the river. To their right, the castle of Deganwy stood sentinel over the bay, and ahead of them lay their destination, the Cistercian abbey at Aberconwy.
~*~
Justin was restless, edgy, and bored. He'd been stranded in the outer parlour for at least two hours by his reckoning. Sion had vanished within moments of their arrival, hurrying off to fetch Pedrani, the lay brother, promising to bring him back to the parlour straightaway. But as time dragged by, Justin's patience began to fray. What if Pedran did not know the whereabouts of his cousin? What if Guto could not be tracked down? And even if they did find him, what if he knew nothing about the ambush? If his loose talk had been no more than the maunderings of a man deep in his cups?
Rising again from his seat on an uncomfortable wooden bench, Justin paced the cramped confines of the parlour. He ought to have accepted the hospitaller's offer of milk and cheese. But he'd expected to be riding off in search of Guto once he'd interviewed
"You would accompany me, then?"
Sion nodded, oblivious to the sudden edge that suspicion had given to Justin's voice. "We would have to slip away separately, let none see us together. There is a ford just south of the castle; we could meet on the other side of the river."
"And why would you want to do that?"
The other man looked surprised. "How else could we do it? I must come with you, for you do not know the way to Aberconwy, and you'll need me to translate for you once we're there. Neither Guto nor Pedran speak your foreign tongue."
"No... I meant why would you be willing to take such a risk? We both know what Davydd would likely do to you if he found out. Why endanger yourself... for what?"
Sion smiled thinly. "You've had a chance to observe my lord Davydd. Think you that he is a joy to serve? Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be free of his demands and petty cruelties. This ransom matters greatly to your queen. So it seems to me that she would amply reward anyone who helped you recover it... would she not?"
"Yes," Justin conceded, "I daresay she would."
"So what say you, Master de Quincy? Shall we ride out on the morrow to find Guto?" When Justin did not respond at once, Sion looked searchingly into his face. "You still have misgivings? This will not work without mutual trust. You must trust me to take you safely to the abbey and I in turn must trust you to keep your word and make sure that I am rewarded for my help. Think about it if you wish, and let me know once you've made up your mind. I must insist upon one thing, though - that we go alone. I am willing to trust you. That does not hold true for Thomas de Caldecott."
That presented no problems for Justin, for he had no intention of involving Thomas, not wanting to put the other man at risk. Nor did he think Thomas would be keen to join this wild-goose chase. The knight seemed quite sure that Llewelyn ab Iorwerth was the culprit they sought.
"Very well," he said. "What do I have to lose?"
Chapter 6
August 1193
Aberconwy, Wales
AS JUSTIN AND SION RODE WEST, THE LAND BEGAN TO look like the Wales of legend: mountain peaks silhouetted against the sky, woods deep and dark and primeval, so impenetrable that trees had never felt the bite of an axe and only meager shafts of sun could filter through the wild, untamed tangle of undergrowth, brush, and bracken. The road hugged the coast and clouds hovered low on the horizon, as grey and foreboding as the choppy, windswept sea. Welsh weather was notoriously erratic, hostile to invaders and inhabitants alike, and by the time they reached the estuary of the River Conwy, rain was falling, a chill drizzle that threatened to become a downpour at any moment. Sion hailed the boatman and they were soon being ferried across the river. To their right, the castle of Deganwy stood sentinel over the bay, and ahead of them lay their destination, the Cistercian abbey at Aberconwy.
~*~
Justin was restless, edgy, and bored. He'd been stranded in the outer parlour for at least two hours by his reckoning. Sion had vanished within moments of their arrival, hurrying off to fetch Pedrani, the lay brother, promising to bring him back to the parlour straightaway. But as time dragged by, Justin's patience began to fray. What if Pedran did not know the whereabouts of his cousin? What if Guto could not be tracked down? And even if they did find him, what if he knew nothing about the ambush? If his loose talk had been no more than the maunderings of a man deep in his cups?
Rising again from his seat on an uncomfortable wooden bench, Justin paced the cramped confines of the parlour. He ought to have accepted the hospitaller's offer of milk and cheese. But he'd expected to be riding off in search of Guto once he'd interviewed
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