Desiderata was one of the best defended entities that Ghause had ever worked against. She’d watched the Queen struggle directly with Thorn’s dark master. She knew the woman’s calibre now.

She knew a moment’s pity. If she knew how to kill the babe without killing the mother, she’d have done it. She honoured any woman as strong as Desiderata. And she knew Desiderata to be a true daughter of Tar.

As Ghause was herself.

Just for the space of a few heartbeats, Ghause considered relinquishing her revenge. Her brother was dead.

But when she killed the babe, her son by her brother would be King. She didn’t pause to consider the obstacles, because she herself had never let obstacles like bastardy and incest stop her from anything.

And besides—a small, ignoble portion of her just wanted to see if her great working was capable. Capable of breaching all that the dark master himself had failed to breach.

She stared into the crystal, reached through—

The moon had not risen a finger’s breadth before they rode into the yard of the great stone barn that towered like a cathedral of farming—wood and stone sixty feet high and a hundred feet long.

Lord Corcy dismounted. Two young men ran out of the barn with spears—and halted, as the whole casa drew weapons.

“They’re mine,” he said. “Haver—put that spear down and tell your brother to do the same before these gentlemen mistrust us all.” He turned to Gabriel. “My barn watch. Let me show you around.”

Blanche pressed up close on her horse—his horse, in fact. “We need linen and hot water,” she said. “Please,” she added.

Lord Corcy nodded. “There’s an office with a bed. And a fireplace.” He pointed. To the two young men, he said, “Torches and lights. These folk need to be put up inside.” He turned back to Gabriel. “Sometimes we have militia musters here—I’ve bedding for fifty.”

“No more servants,” Gabriel said. “I’m sorry, my lord, but I can’t let you send to your castle.”

“There won’t be much for linens here,” Corcy said.

Gabriel snapped his fingers and pointed and Toby appeared. “Clean linen. Get every clean shirt in the casa if you must.”

Toby bowed and vanished like a conjuror’s trick.

“You are well served, my lord,” Corcy said.

“We’ve been through a fair amount.” Gabriel bowed and followed Blanche. He got an arm under the Queen’s shoulder and together with the strong blonde woman they got the Queen up the ramp of the barn and onto the threshing floor, and then through a big door to the right. There was a small panelled room.

Lord Corcy displaced Blanche and helped carry the Queen, whose legs suddenly stopped working altogether.