ASSOON AS WE WERE WELL AWAY FROM THE FARM,my brother guided his horse next to mine and said, “What was Tisala doing here?”

Oreg gave a snort of laughter. “Why do all strays end up at Ward’s door?”

“I don’t know,” I said. Had she been running to me? It would have seemed unlikely to me this morning—I hadn’t seen her in a long time and had only known her briefly. I wouldn’t even have thought I would have left much of an impression on her—I had been nineteen and full of myself, while she had been her father’s right hand for several years. Moreover, I was nothing out of the ordinary—well, except for my size—while she was the only female warrior I knew of other than my aunt Stala, who served as my arms master.

I looked down at her again. Undeniably she was here. She’d fled whoever had hurt her, and come to me. I remembered hearing that she’d been estranged from her father. It bothered me that the only one she’d had to turn to was someone she’d known a few days several years ago.

“I’d like to know how she got into this condition,” I said.

“The mercenaries?” hazarded Oreg, who’d ridden up to my left. But he shook his head almost instantly. “She’d have gutted them long before they could bring her up here.”

“Her father, Haverness, disowned her for taking up with a bunch of dissidents in Estian last year, didn’t he?” Tosten mused. “People who wanted his half brother Alizon on the throne rather than Jakoven?”

King Jakoven’s name made me pause. If it had been Jakoven, then Tisala did indeed have a reason for coming here. There weren’t many nobles still powerful enough to thwart the High King of the Five Kingdoms, but my family was. Hurog was an ancient keep and carried more power than its lack of wealth should lend. The Shavig were a long-memoried people, and Hurog had ruled Shavig in the days before the Tallvens had eliminated their competition.

“I wouldn’t rule it out,” I said. “That would explain why she fled here, rather than to her father or one of her coconspirators.”

“We’ll keep her safe,” said Tosten, his jaw set. My family would be a long time forgetting that the king had killed my cousin during one of his political games. Tisala had chosen wisely; no one would betray her here.

I couldn’t be certain it had been Jakoven, not until she woke; but I had to plan for it.

“Oreg, will you ride ahead and let my aunt know what’s happened here? Be discreet, but make sure she understands that we may have royal troops here soon.”

“Right,” he said.