“Very well,” said Antonia. “I believe you, Lady Elene. You will remain here in the custody of Queen Adelheid. Do not forget the galla.”

She left them, but it was difficult to concentrate on the discrete rungs of the ladder with her thoughts in a tumult. What power did Wolfhere have? He seemed the least powerful of Anne’s cabal, the one who wandered in the world to give reports back to the others because it was the only thing he could do. Yet he and Antonia were apparently the only ones who had survived out of Anne’s cabal. There might be others of Anne’s schola who had received some training in the arts of sorcery, but it was likely they had perished in Darre or cowered in fear in some hiding place. Without a strong leader, they were no more than boats set adrift without oars or rudder.

On the lower floor, Heribert still stood by the window. By all appearances he hadn’t moved at all since she had gone upstairs. His glance touched her, then flicked away.

His disinterest infuriated her. She struck with the only weapon she had. “If Prince Sanglant loved you, he would not have abandoned you.”

That caught his attention. He regarded her first with puzzlement, then with faint comprehension. “That’s what the other one said. If he loved me, he would not have abandoned me.” He tried out the words, considering the concept. It was not like Heribert to be so slow. “Where did he go? I look and look, but I cannot find him.”

“North, so it is said! Back to Wendar in search of the one he loves more than you. He never loved you.”

He shook his head as might a child, trying to shake off a hurt that would never go away. “That can’t be. He loved me. But he abandoned me to follow the other one. It’s the other one who stole him.”

His ponderous maundering annoyed her. She had done so much for him, and this was how she was repaid. She continued down to the guardroom, eager to depart the North Tower now that she had so much to think about. How far did Elene’s sorcerous abilities extend? Impossible to know.

“Be sure that none of those here leave the tower until I give further orders,” she said to the sergeant. “Not even Lord Berthold. I know he is a favorite among you for his amiability, but he must remain confined to the tower for the time being.”

“Yes, Holy Mother. But there are certain chores and tasks that my men don’t wish to be involved in. Who is to do those?”

“The servant girl can continue to run errands for you in such matters. She will not attempt to escape. Where has the old man been placed?”

“In the dungeon, Holy Mother.”

“Make sure he is chained, so he has no chance of escape. He is dangerous, although he may appear inoffensive and weak.”

“Yes, Holy Mother.”