“Cousin Trynne seems to be in good health,” he said blandly, giving her a mocking smile.

But the pleasure of seeing a glimpse of his old self passed her like a shallow wave. She felt and sensed the presence of another Fountain-blessed, one with enormous power, and a feeling of deep foreboding made her hand reach for her sword pommel.

Morwenna strode into the bailey from the castle. She was no longer wearing the same gown that Trynne had last seen her in. This one was an eye-catching silk brocade with a low neckline. Morwenna’s face was flushed as she pushed through the crowd, her eyes wide with panic until she saw him.

“Father!” she called worriedly, rushing up to Duke Severn as he led his horse by the reins. She clung to him, burying her face against his chest, her shoulders heaving with emotion. Severn murmured gently to her, stroking her black hair in a tender gesture that made Trynne feel helplessly conflicted.

Trynne felt Morwenna’s magic ebb as she calmed herself. Trynne shouldn’t have been surprised to find the poisoner there, yet she had been. How else had Fallon gotten to Dundrennan so quickly? Once again, she thought of the little chest of clothes beneath Morwenna’s bed in the tower.

But the painful thoughts were pushed away when she sensed the presence of another Fountain-blessed, one within the castle itself. Was it the hunter Carrick? she wondered.

Or was there someone else waiting for them?

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Prisoner

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Prisoner

The fortress of Dundrennan felt more familiar to Trynne than it should given the few visits she’d made there. But so many of her father’s stories had taken place there. It made her feel connected to him, and despite her discomfort, she couldn’t resist the urge to run her hand along the wall as she walked down a torch-lit corridor. The air held the aroma of baking bread and pine sap, and her boots crunched on the green needles as she crossed the threshold into the royal residence, the room where the king and queen always stayed. Fallon was a considerate host, and food was arranged before them, invoking the pangs of hunger she’d suppressed on the journey. But she could not forget the other Fountain-blessed she’d sensed in the castle, and when she reached out with her magic to make sure the food was safe to eat, she felt the person’s power again. It was like hearing the distant chord of harp strings. It unsettled her. It made her want to investigate.

Fallon spoke while the king ate, although he cast a quick glance at Trynne and her plate. She had not started eating yet.