Part 36 (1/2)

”Good lad,” Lord Mortensen said, pressing the ring into Henry's arm. Henry gritted his teeth against the pain.

Lord Mortensen held his ring to a candle once again.

”You're not coming near me with that thing,” Adam said, backing toward the door.

”It's not so bad,” Henry said.

”You're mental, Grim, you know that?” Adam said.

Lord Mortensen was suddenly seized by a coughing fit. Henry, remembering the schoolmaster's headache, wondered if the man was ill.

”I'm not mental,” Henry said. ”It's just a mark. It's meaningless back home. If anything, I think it might find me favor with the ladies.”

Adam grimaced at the joke, and then suddenly he brightened. ”Do you know, I bet they'd never take me back at the yes.h.i.+va with one of those,” he said, eagerly pus.h.i.+ng up his sleeve. ”Do it quickly.”

Lord Mortensen, who had regained his breath, pressed the mark into Adam's arm. Adam winced. ”Blimey, that stings,” he said philosophically, pus.h.i.+ng his sleeve down over the mark. Henry gaped at his friend. He'd been expecting a show of dramatics.

”Stop staring,” Adam muttered. ”I got run through the stomach with a sword last term. I can handle a burn.”

”Take yer seats, lads,” Lord Mortensen said.

Henry and Adam sat.

Lord Mortensen introduced everyone around the table using t.i.tles that were forbidden in the Nordlands. Nearly everyone was ”lord,” but Lord Mortensen stopped when he got to the handsome older boy, the one who had given orders the night before.

”An' this is Prince Mauritz.”

Henry gulped and inclined his head. But Adam snorted. ”Sorry,” he said. ”But wasn't the royal family, well, killed?”

”Aye, they were indeed,” Lord Mortensen said gravely. ”And the dukes and barons and counts, and their wives and heirs. Ye have hit upon why we are here, lad, and what we aim to do.”

Henry stared at Lord Mortensen in shock, suddenly understanding everything. ”But-,” he began.

”Yes, lad?” Lord Mortensen gave Henry an encouraging smile. ”Have ye guessed it as well?”

”I think so, my lord,” Henry said. ”You mean to overthrow Chancellor Mors and to reinstate the monarchy. And if you don't mind my saying, the round table is a nice touch.”

”Thank you, lad,” Lord Mortensen said. ”And that is it precisely. We have seen enough of Chancellor Mors and his absurd and ruthless policies. We have suffered, and we have endured, and we are ready to reclaim this country and return it to the old ways.

”The Draconian party was right to challenge the aristocracy, for we had grown ent.i.tled and lazy. But we have learned from our mistakes as well as seen the ill effect of heavy-handed rule.”

As Henry listened to Lord Mortensen speak of their plans to rebuild the Nordlands as a fair monarchy, he saw the grief and strain fall from the man's face, to be replaced by hope. And a small spark of hope was kindled within Henry as well, because what Lord Mortensen wanted was to overthrow Chancellor Mors-and perhaps a civil war would happen, but everyone in South Britain would be able to go on with their lives, no longer waking up in fear of an invasion.

What Lord Mortensen was proposing would mean that peace would prevail among the countries of the Brittonian Isles once again. Adam seemed to realize this as well; when Lord Mortensen was finished, he applauded.

”That's brilliant, sir,” Henry said. ”But what good can we do?”

”Oh, I'm certain ye'll find your place,” Lord Mortensen said. ”Have ye any questions?”

”Only about a million,” Henry admitted. ”What is this legend of the doctor? I can't seem to figure it out.”

”Ah, the mad doctor,” Lord Mortensen said. ”With his little blue book where he writes down your every scream. Is that the legend you mean?”

Henry and Adam nodded.

”He is one of the chancellor's men,” Lord Mortensen said. ”This is all we know. The law here is that if ye are claimed to be a criminal, whether that be for breaking curfew or killing a man in cold blood, your body belongs to the chancellor. And so his good doctor performs experiments on these prisoners. I dinnae what the purpose of these experiments may be, but it is a sinister practice, and a newer one. There is an old mental asylum by the town square that was cleared at the start of the year, and the rumor is that he runs the experiments there.”

Henry bit his lip, remembering the story he'd read in the Tattleteller about gruesome practices in a Nordlandic mental asylum. He just wished he knew why the doctor was performing these experiments, and what he was looking to find. Something to do with hypothermia, Henry supposed.

”Is there anythin' else?” Lord Mortensen asked.

”Well, sir,” Adam said, absently tracing a finger over the mark on his arm, ”we did come here because we were worried the students were being trained in combat ...”

”Not trained,” Garen said with a shake of his head. ”But they're learnin'. I hear 'em sneakin' around the corridors at night, and of course the muck on their boots gives it away. Some of the lads were wantin' to learn to fight, should the Brittonian aristocracy invade, an' so they've been practicin' with old weapons out in the carriage house, and punching one another black an' blue in the old stables.”

Henry felt as though the chair had fallen out from under him. ”They're teaching themselves?” he asked, trying not to panic.

”Aye,” Garen said.

Lord Mortensen nodded and leaned back in his chair. ”Some of the lads wish a war. They're enjoying the privileges of the Partisan School and the power it affords them. But they are young and full of big ideas. I say let them fight among themselves rather than take their bloodl.u.s.t to the streets.”

Henry put his head in his hands. There was no combat training. The room he'd seen, and the boys who'd whispered of it, were doing the same thing that he and Valmont had done-taking battle preparations into their own hands. It wasn't illegal, and it wasn't a violation of the Longsword Treaty.

They had come all this way for nothing.

No, not nothing, Henry corrected himself. There was still this conspiracy, this secret group of aristocrats in hiding. And if these men could overthrow the chancellor, that would change everything.

So there was hope yet.

Henry glanced at Mauritz, the future king, who lounged in his chair, absently playing with the gold ring he wore, which bore the mark of the rebellion, the same mark that Henry now carried.

27.

SIR FREDERICK'S REVENGE Rohan was asleep when a rock banged against his window. It was Sat.u.r.day morning, and he intended to sleep in. He rolled over and promptly ignored it.

And then another rock hit.

He sighed and threw on his dressing gown, opening the window. ”What?” he asked.

It was the first time he had seen Frankie since her return. She wore her hair plain, without a silk ribbon, and it made her look older. He bristled, pulling his dressing gown tighter as she stared at him solemnly.

”h.e.l.lo,” she said.

”May I help you with something, Miss Winter?” he asked.