The situation appeared straightforward enough. There had been a report of bark beetles, which would damage the value of any lumber taken out, and Allemond wanted Jarrod and Rolf to check trees at random themselves.
I was nervous. In the past, I’d occasionally tried to do two readings in a day and had sometimes failed in the second attempt. Though I was still drained from my reading that morning, I had no choice but to try here. Focusing my mind, I reached out to connect with Allemond’s, and as had happened with Lavonia, a wall of emotion hit me. It was so strong I nearly lost my composure. Hatred and fear seethed through him. Bracing myself, I reached deeper until snippets of his thoughts grew clear.
No such men on the Council of Nobles . . .
Cannot be allowed to happen . . .
Nearly lost inside his mind, I felt the things he felt. He feared the Volodanes rising to greater power, and the events of tonight had driven his fear into panic. He saw Jarrod and Rolf as a threat, as brutish, uneducated men who could never be allowed to push themselves into the realm of civilized men or decisions that affected the nation.
His thoughts rolled forward to the suggested meeting, and I saw a clear image of a lodge surrounded by oak trees. He envisioned himself out front of the lodge, on his horse, with two other men, one on each side of him, and a few guards behind. Inside his mind, I took note of the two men at his sides.
One was enormous, with a dark beard and black leather armor, on a bay warhorse. The other was wiry with a scar on his forehead. He rode a great roan stallion.
Jarrod and Rolf soon entered his vision of what would play out, and they rode up with perhaps ten guards.
As they approached the lodge, dozens of men suddenly charged from the trees on horseback, swinging swords and surrounding them. Allemond envisioned himself just watching, but the two men with him rode into the fray.
The large, bearded man charged straight at Rolf, coming at him from behind as he fought two attackers on his right. This man took Rolf’s head off in the first swing. Several other men were rushing Jarrod . . .
I stumbled backward and pulled out of Allemond’s mind. I couldn’t look anymore. He dreamed of murdering Jarrod and Rolf. He was planning their deaths.
Rolf stepped toward me and reached out with one hand. “Are you all right?”
Faint from overtaxing myself, I tried to smile. “It’s nothing. Perhaps the fire is too warm?”
Neither of the other two men had even noticed.
“You’ll ride to meet me?” Allemond pressed. “The day after tomorrow?”
Though it was deftly done, Jarrod glanced at me. I shook my head once at him.
“I’ll have to check and see what needs our attention that day,” Jarrod answered. Then he yawned. “Let’s talk over breakfast.”
As the Monvílle border was a half day’s ride, they would need to spend the night here and ride out in the morning. This was one area where I could not do much to make Jarrod appear as a proper host. The old keep didn’t boast many guest rooms, but I had managed to have several rooms prepared on the third floor of the tower. At least the bedding was clean.
However, Allemond seemed taken aback by Jarrod’s response. He’d expected a quick assent to his sensible suggestion.
“I don’t see why we cannot decide this now . . .” He trailed off as Jarrod walked away from him.
“It grows late,” Jarrod announced. “Time to retire.”
This was clearly an order, but Lady Rosamund and Phillipe took the time to say proper good nights before joining with Lord Allemond and leaving with Betty to be shown to their rooms. Allemond’s face was dark. I doubted anything about this evening had gone as he’d planned.
Once our guests were out of the hall, Jarrod looked to Sebastian and Kai. “Out. Both of you.”
Sebastian glanced at me. “You did well.”
“So did you,” I managed to answer, but I felt so drained I had trouble staying on my feet.
A few moments later, Jarrod, Rolf, and I were alone in the hall, and Jarrod turned to me.
“Well?” he demanded.
Too weary to even attempt to soften the blow, I answered. “He plans to have you and Rolf murdered the day you go to meet him at the hunting lodge.”
It was difficult to shock Jarrod, but his eyes widened.
“What?” Rolf asked.
“He has men waiting in the trees,” I went on, “and two men at his sides who he envisions joining the attack. You would be outnumbered.”
Regaining his composure, Jarrod leaned close. “What did the two men at his sides look like?”
“One was large, with a dark beard and black leather armor. The other was smaller . . . with a scar on his forehead.”
My description produced an immediate effect.
Rolf drew in a harsh breath. “Father, there’s no way she could ever have met Magnus and Berrick.”
Both men were silent for a few seconds, but I could see they believed me. They believed I had seen Allemond’s plans in his mind.
“What do we do?” Rolf asked his father. “Kill them first?”
Jarrod shook his head. “No, murdering the Monvílles won’t progress our cause. We let them go in the morning. I’ll put off the meeting at the lodge, but I’ll find a way to buy that land.” He sounded so determined I did not doubt him.
Reaching up, I touched my temple.
“She’s tired,” Rolf said. “Let her go to bed.”
“What?” Jarrod asked, coming from his thoughts. “Oh, yes.” He waved one hand. “Off with you, girl.”
Grateful to Rolf, I left the hall.
Once upstairs, I was equally grateful to get undressed and have Miriam help me into a nightgown. Just being alone with her in my room eased the throbbing in my head.
“Did the evening go well, my lady?” she asked.
How could I possibly answer that? From Jarrod’s perspective, it had been a grand success. From the Monvílles’ perspective, it had been an unmitigated disaster.
So, I supposed the answer to Miriam’s question would be yes.
Before I could speak, the door opened and Rolf walked in. I gave Miriam a quick nod. She hurried from the room, closing the door behind herself.
“Megan,” Rolf breathed.
I looked over at him, as he’d never spoken to me in such a soft tone. He stood there watching me in a kind of wonder.
“I almost couldn’t believe what was happening tonight,” he said. “The greenish tinge on Allemond’s arrogant face . . . the dinner . . . you at that harp.” He shook his head. “I’ve gone along with Father these past years to humor him. There was nothing else I could do. But I never thought we had any chance to reach the heights he’s imagined, not until now.”
I listened, frozen, as he stepped closer.
“You are everything I have lacked, and I had no idea until tonight,” he went on. “You and I could go so far together. I could gain a seat on the Council of Nobles. We could shape the nation’s policies.”
My breaths were shallow. No one had ever spoken to me like this before. I’d had no idea Rolf was capable of speaking so many words. Looking into his face, I didn’t see love or desire, but I did see respect, admiration, and value.
Reaching out, he touched my face and then leaned down to kiss me. This time, it felt different. He was not performing a duty, and when I kissed him back, neither was I.