CHAPTER 818: A LOST STEWARD (PART TWO)

Hugo’s question hung in the air for several moments as everyone’s eyes fell on the powerful witch who presided over this gathering. Neither Carwyn nor Liam had seen Ashlynn execute the traitor, Darragh, but Hugo had told them about it. Lady Ashlynn’s reaction to treachery was extreme, but given what they had heard about the events that led her here, neither man found it unreasonable.

Now, Hugo was attempting to follow in Sir Carwyn’s footsteps. Carwyn had been given a chance to move his allegiance from one Hanrahan lord to another after clarifying that the man he currently owed his allegiance to was the son of a murdering usurper. While scholars of law and ethics might debate for years about whether or not Sir Carwyn’s choice was the right one, it was certainly understandable and even justifiable under the laws of men.

But Sir Carwyn had been offered an opportunity to do this. Sir Hugo was making the request on his own initiative, and his claim was different. He’d pledged himself to Owain Lothian and, by extension, he was bound to serve Owain’s entire household, including Lady Ashlynn as Owain’s legal wife. It was just that, while Lady Ashlynn and Lord Owain were still technically married, no one would think that their marriage should still stand, given everything that had happened.

So for Hugo to use it as grounds to transfer his loyalty from the husband to the wife... History surely wouldn’t look kindly on him. But whether Lady Ashlynn cared about that or not was a different matter entirely.

"My father once told me," Ashlynn said after considering Hugo’s offer for a minute or so. "A man who offers you his loyalty when he has nothing left isn’t choosing you. He’s no different than a drowning man clutching at a floating board in a storm. Such a man hasn’t chosen you, he’s simply chosen the only hope he can see."

"I, I understand," Hugo said as Ashlynn’s words crushed the last hope that he had managed to construct in the time he’d been held captive in the Vale of Mists.

"I don’t think that you do," Ashlynn said, reaching out and placing a finger under his chin to lift his gaze until her emerald eyes met his dark, murky gaze directly. "On account of the service you rendered to Samira when you believed that she was me, I’m willing to grant you a choice, Sir Hugo, assuming that Dame Sybyll doesn’t slay you out of hand."

"First, you may retire here in the Vale of Mists," she said simply. "You will be provided with five acres of land and fifty gold sovereigns to build your home and develop your lands as you see fit. You will be free to live out the rest of your life in the Vale of Mists, safe from the judgment of human lords or churches for what you have done. Should you find love one day, you would be free to marry as you wish and raise a family of your own."

"Or, if you would prefer, I can offer you the life of a scholar," Ashlynn added as she leaned back in her chair. "There will come a time, not long from now, when we will establish an academy of our own in the Vale. Children need a chance to learn if the Vale is to grow into a prosperous place, and you are skilled at writing, arithmetic, administration, and more. When the time comes, I can promise you a position as a teacher or administrator, with a salary befitting your contributions and a home within the city to call your own."

"My, my lady?" Hugo said, blinking in confusion. "You, you would offer all that, just for what I did for Samira?"

"She always knew that those gifts came from you, Sir Hugo," Ashlynn said gently. "She knew that Owain wouldn’t show her that much care. But because you cared for her, she was able to care for Noomi and her child, Saku. You may not have known it, but the care you extended saved many lives. I think that’s worth offering you a plot of land or a job in the days to come, don’t you?"

"If, if you say so, my Lady," he said uncertainly.

"Now that you understand, I want you to spend some time thinking," Ashlynn said as she stood from her chair. "Now, you have a real choice to make. If you still wish to serve me after you’ve considered the alternatives, then I promise to at least discuss it with you."

"Now, I’m afraid that we’re running out of time," she said as she reached for the door. "Master Georg will be here soon to present dessert. After you’ve finished, the men of Tausau’s Mongrel Horde will carry Liam and Hugo through the night to join Dame Sybyll’s forces. Before you go, I thought you might want some privacy to discuss tonight’s matters among yourselves."

"Thank you, Lady Ashlynn," Hugo said as he stood before bowing deeply with a fist over his heart. "In your place, I don’t think that I could be so kind to someone who served Owain Lothian. Truly, the kindness you’ve shown all of us, it’s more than we deserve."

"Whether you deserve it or not," Ashlynn said from the doorway. "It represents my hope for the future. There are some people who must die for what they’ve done," she said firmly. "But for everyone else, I still have some hope," she said before the door closed behind her.

In the hallway, Ashlynn slumped briefly against the cool stone walls of the ancient fortress and drew a deep, shuddering breath.

It was just dinner with a handful of young lords, but it had touched on so many painful things that she felt as though she’d just sailed through a storm with one white knuckled hand on the rudder and another torn raw from clutching the ropes of a sail.

After all of that, she wanted nothing more than to return to Nryielle’s welcoming embrace and fall into the comfort of her lover’s arms. But there was still one more conversation she needed to have before she could relax for the evening, and it was even more important than the last one.

"Master Isabell," Ashlynn said softly as she rested her fingers gently on her chest, just above the place where a new seed of witchcraft pulsed with power. If Ashlynn had still had any doubts about offering the older woman a place in her coven, those doubts had blown away in the winds of the storm she raised on the night that Isabell had confronted her with the truth of Jocelynn’s betrayal and her sister’s current circumstances.

Now, she only hoped that she hadn’t ruined her chances of convincing Isabell to join her with the way she’d lashed out that night. Because if Isabell rejected her offer tonight, she had only herself to blame...