Jemryn sat there in shock as the shadows lengthened. If anyone found out what he knew, he would be killed, like Sir Blevin was. ‘Are you there’ he thought at the voice in his mind but there was no answer. It was the girls’ turn to layout food for the evening meal and He saw Camryn, Adeline and Nia head down the corridor opposite the garden, going to the kitchens whilst Bria was left wiping tables and sweeping the floor from the morning’s gathering.
‘The garden is warded so maybe I can’t be seen here, but the refectory isn’t. Perhaps Bria could take the book into the Lady’s Hall and hide it. She can’t have been killing the knights. She’s not much older than me’
He went over and tapped on the pane of glass in the door, and when Bria looked up he waved at her to come out. Looking somewhat puzzled she leant her broom and went out into the garden, shutting the door behind her.
‘Bria, I’m in a lot of trouble!’ he wailed. ‘I found a secret book inside the shield and I might be killed because of what I read.’
Bria looked at him, more than a little startled. ‘You should go to the Preceptor. Now’
‘No! Something has been slowly killing the knights, It’s in this book.’ He waved the old diary. ‘What if it’s the Preceptor? Can you hide it in the Lady’s Hall where no-one else can get at it?’
Bria looked at him carefully. ‘I don’t know if the Lady’s Hall is proof against scrying but I suppose it’s as safe as anywhere. I can hide it under my bed for now. No men can get at it.’ She stopped and thought. ‘Camryn Adeline and Nia could get at it but probably wouldn’t find it or bother with it even if they did. Rosa on the other hand, might well be a risk if the book had information as dangerous as Jemryn thought, but that was unlikely. It will calm Jemryn if I take it in there and put it safe.
She held her hand out for the book. ‘I’ll hide it. No problem.’ she said.
Jemryn tentatively reached out the book. ‘Promise not to read it or give it to anyone else?’
Bria nodded. ‘I promise. But you have to sweep the floor while I go. The others will be back in a minute.’
Jemryn pushed the book into her outstretched hand and ran into the refectory and snatched up the broom. Bria followed him, slightly more slowly, and made her way across the Southern Hall into the gloom of the Lady’s Hall.
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When she got back, the floor was swept and she could hear the girls chatting as they came back down the corridor.
Over the meal, Jemryn only picked at his food and Bria could see that he was still churning inside about the book. She turned to Sir Henrik. ‘Do you know where the Preceptor is?’
‘He’s watching on the southern wall of the castle as the soldiers prepare the rowers to house those contraptions.’
‘Can I disturb him?’
‘If it’s important, or might be important.’ He looked at her expectantly but she shook her head. ‘Hmph. One of those things! Go and speak to him if It’s urgent’
Bria got up and went out to find the Preceptor.
* * * * * * *
As she got to the base of the tower, the sun was just setting and the Preceptor came out through the door at the base of the tower. ‘Ah, Bria. Looking for me?’
‘Yes Preceptor. Can we talk in the garden in private?’
He thought for a moment. ‘No. It’s a warm evening and the others will be sitting out. Go and suit up and we will stand the first duty. No-one will come into the Southern Hall.’
‘But Sir Bjarne and Sir Lars will be surprised if they get stood down won’t they?’
‘Surprised they might be but Lars and Bjarne won’t say anything. They’ll head out to a tavern for a quiet drink and come back and replace us when we’re ready. This isn’t our first pirate raid.’
* * * * * * *
The custom was that one of the duty knights would do a full slow circuit of the Southern Hall, and stop at the door into the Northern Hall while the other did his circuit.
When Bria got back to the Southern Hall after putting her plate on, she found that Sir Bjarne and Sir Lars had disappeared and the Preceptor, in full armour and carrying a halberd, was standing in the centre of the hall with his back to the northern door. She walked over to him and he put his finger to his lips. ‘Watch behind me and watch the Loremaster’s door. I’ll watch the refectory door and the Southern Hall door. If nothing else, you will have a lesson in subterfuge tonight. Any of the knights who see us standing like this will leave and block anyone else from entering.’ He whispered. ‘Now, what do you need to keep a secret this time’
‘Jemryn found a book inside one of the shields and he’s been badly scared by something in it. I took it into the Lady’s Hall and promised not to read it. He barely ate any food tonight and he looks terrified. I told him to talk to you but he seemed reluctant.’
The Preceptor nodded. ‘Blevin’s obsession with keeping the shields in good repair, even though they were mouldering in the vaults now makes sense as does Leif removing the shields. I think that Jemryn might have found whatever it was that got Blevin killed so he is right to be scared. I will talk to Jemryn in the morning and reassure him. I never did believe that Blevin was visiting a brothel for the normal reason, but with no other evidence, that was what we had. Very good Bria. I believe a ball has started rolling and it’s gathering pace. From now, the candidates will start to stand duty with one knight in here, and we can post a knight and a candidate to the gate tower. When Lars and Bjarne get back, you can stand duty here with Bjarne until midnight, Lars can go out to the gate for a while, and we will get the guards back into the habit of seeing us on the walls again’