They rode on ahead and then reined in again.

‘Sir?’

‘I don’t know what to do,’ Cryl confessed. ‘Lord Jaen commanded us to return to Enes House. He fears for his household. If that lone rider’s a scout, then the renegades must be somewhere ahead and that would mean that they’d already hit the estate – assuming they were planning on doing so. But I see no dust above the way ahead, and we’re not close enough to see smoke if they attacked the Lord’s house.’

She said nothing, watching him, her gloved hands folded on the saddle horn.

‘But they wouldn’t attack a wedding procession,’ Cryl said.

‘We need to keep an eye on the road, sir. Study the tracks ahead. Lone rider or lots of riders? Headed which way? Problem is, sir, there’s trails through the forest, some of ’em running parallel with this road.’

‘Is this your suggestion, sergeant?’

‘We can reach Enes House before dusk, sir.’

‘They wouldn’t attack a wedding procession,’ Cryl said again. ‘Deniers – well, you’ve seen the proof of that.’ Still he hesitated. Lord Jaen had promoted him, given him this command, and the orders were explicit. Return to Enes House. Muster the full garrison of Houseblades. Prepare for an attack. ‘Abyss below, one lone stranger on the road and suddenly nothing is clear!’

‘I told you he was wrong, sir. And he is. All wrong.’

‘That beating was days old—’

‘More like a week, sir, or even two. That wasn’t swelling, just dead nerves.’

Cryl fidgeted, hating himself, hating his indecision. Lord Jaen had but eight Houseblades in that train. ‘I don’t know what to do,’ he said again.

She frowned. ‘Sir, you got your orders. Lord Jaen rides to a gathering of highborn.’

‘And no one would dare attack a wedding procession.’

‘Unless they’ve lost their minds. Sir, it’s all down to that rider.’

‘Should we ride back and question him?’

‘If you give me leave, sir, me and two of my Houseblades will do just that. If I have to, I’ll ask my questions with the point of my knife. Why’s he riding south? That’s the key to it all. It don’t make sense.’

‘Take two with the strongest mounts, sergeant, and waste no time,’ Cryl commanded. ‘We will continue on and you ride to catch us up – or you send one rider and take yourself and the other to Lord Jaen, if – well, if it’s necessary. No, wait, take four, not two.’

‘Yes sir. We shouldn’t be long.’

‘If he’s an innocent, I feel for him,’ Cryl said.

‘If he’s an innocent,’ Agalas replied, ‘his run of bad luck ain’t ending soon.’

They rode back. Cryl watched the sergeant select four Houseblades and set off at a gallop. He eyed the eight who remained. She’d left him Corporal Rees, a round-faced veteran with a caustic sense of humour, but there was little amusement in the man’s visage today. ‘Corporal Rees, I’ll have you ride at my side.’