I huffed with indignation. “What she doesn’t tell you was that she lost my knife climbing up a tree to see if the eagle in the nest had any hatchlings. Stupid bird almost knocked me out of the tree when I went up to get her—I still have scars from the talons on my back. If she’d bothered to ask, I’d have told her that eagles don’t have hatchlings in the winter.”

I’d done the right thing by giving her Tychis. He had a place here—and someone to take care of.

“Tychis, go tell Beckram that we found Ward and he’ll be up shortly.” Ciarra pulled off the wrap she was wearing and tugged my cloak off of him. “Here, take this. It’s not as warm, but it won’t make you fall down the stairs, either. After you’ve found Beckram, go sit by a fire until you’re toasty.”

Tychis bowed correctly and then barreled up the stairs, clutching Ciarra’s wrap so it didn’t fall on the floor.

“I have to watch him,” she said when he was gone. “He’s so anxious to please, he won’t tell me when he’s had enough.”

I kissed her forehead. “Thank you. I knew you’d handle him if anyone could.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’ll be happy when I convince him that we have every intention of keeping him fed, and all that the hoard of food he’s hidden does is attract rats. Oh, that poor boy, Ward. He doesn’t talk much, but you can see the life he led ’til now.”

Ciarra turned to Axiel and stretched out her hands and caught his. “How lovely to see you again, Axiel.”

After the greetings were done, Ciarra turned to me. “Alizon arrived last night on a boat from Oranstone with a small cadre of Oranstonians.” She laughed when I groaned. “Serves you right, you old hermit.”

OREGTOOK HIMSELF OFF TO SLEEP.AXIEL ACCOMPANIEDCiarra to check in on the new baby, while I trudged up the stairs toward one of the newly finished rooms next to the library where Alizon was holding court. When I got there, the door was shut and my cousin Beckram was leaning casually against the wall facing Tychis.

I stopped and stood quietly where I was, recognizing the relaxed pose Beckram used to defuse tense situations. One glance at Tychis’s defensive stance told me who the tension was coming from.

Beckram saw me, but gave no outward sign; instead he explained obliquely what the trouble was. “So you think I should have let that Oranstonian lord in there yell at you for doing as you were told?”

“I’m a bastard,” Tychis said.

“You aren’t the only bastard here,” replied my cousin. “That’s no reason to let a man cut down a boy.”