Trynne wondered if the sudden storm was a freak of nature. Or if the king’s brooding had invoked the secret power of the hollow crown.

CHAPTER SEVEN Dundrennan

CHAPTER SEVEN

Dundrennan

It was cold in the North. Even the hissing torches lining the walls could not ward off the chill. Even the air smelled different. There was an inescapable scent of crushed pine needles, of mountain air so clean and cold it made her chest burn.

Dundrennan was a spacious fortress, nestled in a mountain valley in the highlands with an incomparable view of an enormous waterfall. It was nearly the headspring of the river that ended at Kingfountain. Memories of the place flittered through Trynne’s mind. Her father had been raised in this place after spending his boyhood in Tatton Hall, and while she had not visited the North often as a girl, she’d always loved imagining her father playing with his tiles by the hearth, or chatting with Fallon’s mother and her grizzled grandfather, Duke Horwath. The standard of the Pierced Lion still dominated the tapestries. It made her heart flutter to realize she was now in Fallon’s domain.

As soon as she’d appeared in Dundrennan, a servant had seen her and hastened to fetch the master of the castle. It was not uncommon to receive strange visitors from the chapel, but Trynne could tell they were used to someone else. Morwenna. The servant’s eyes had widened with surprise, and she’d stammered her name as she hurried away.

Fallon’s herald, a man by the name of Stroud, arrived shortly thereafter. He was tall, nearly fifty years old, with thinning, graying dark hair and a serious set to his mouth.

“Lady Tryneowy, this is an unexpected pleasure,” he said in a deferential yet formal tone. “Lord Fallon will attend you at once. Please follow me.”

“Thank you, Master Stroud,” Trynne said. He was tall, and his stride was much longer than hers, but she followed him as best she could. They approached an open door leading to the solar, from which she saw and heard the crackling hearth fire, but to her surprise, they walked past it.

Stroud brought her through several twisting tunnels before stopping in front of Fallon’s personal chamber. If she had been nervous before, it was eclipsed by his decision to meet her in his private space. The great hall was for meeting strangers. The solar for more intimate friends. What could she make of this?

Stroud rapped on the door and opened it without awaiting a response. He bowed stiffly, gesturing for Trynne to enter first.

Trying to quell the wild feeling in her chest that made her want to flee, Trynne forced herself to step into the chamber.