The Fourth Horseman (20 page)

“
As would any man, guilty
or not,” Gareth said.

“
But we believed him—at
least enough to keep digging deeper,” Gwen said.

Amaury looked at Gareth warily. “Is that why
you let him go?”

“
I wasn’t in a position to
gainsay him when he wanted to leave,” Gareth said.

With a nod, Amaury bowed. “If you’ll excuse
me, I must report to Philippe and instruct my men. We should
continue the search for Prior Rhys and Mari outside the castle.”
Amaury departed.

“
I’ve looked everywhere
inside Newcastle,” Hywel’s brow remain furrowed, “even to the point
of inspecting the barrels in the cellar for bodies instead of
drink.”

“
Why didn’t you tell Amaury
about the farmhouse, Gareth?” Gwen said.

“
Because he has superiors,”
Gareth said. “I didn’t feel it was my place to reveal that
particular secret if Alard and the other horsemen had kept it for
so long: not to Amaury, not to Philippe, not to anyone.” He looked
at Prince Hywel. “I’m surprised you told him that Prior Rhys was a
horseman.”

“
I needed something to
reveal,” Hywel said, “to encourage his confidence in us. It was
either that or speak of the emerald.”

“
This investigation would
be less complicated if everybody would just tell the truth,” Gwen
said.

“
Heaven forfend!” Hywel
said. “How unusual that would be!”

“
Whatever has happened to
Prior Rhys and Mari,” Gwen said, “at least we know that Rhys never
intended to disappear without telling someone where he was
going.”

“
How so?” Prince Rhun
said.

“
After he was unable to
find you or your brother, Gruffydd, or Evan, he sent Tomos to the
camp to find me,” Gareth said. “We weren’t there, and your man,
Ieuan, never passed on the message.”

“
What?” Prince Rhun said.
“Could you be mistaken?”

Gareth shook his head. “Now it seems we have
a traitor among us too.”

Chapter
Sixteen

Hywel

H
ywel was concerned about Mari’s absence. Of course he was. But
he was also concerned by the fact that he
was
concerned
.
It had been a long time since he’d paid attention to any woman for
more than one night. The trouble with Mari was that he hadn’t paid
attention to her for any night—and every one of his friends,
companions, brothers, and the rest—would have his head if he
had.

To add to his difficulties, he had to be
courteous and diplomatic to a castle full of Normans, any one of
whom he would gladly have faced on a battlefield for the sheer
pleasure of spilling Norman blood.

Just this morning, Rhun had lectured him
about respecting the opinions of others, even when their beliefs
differed from his own. Hywel had nodded politely, but rare was the
time when Hywel’s internal thoughts coincided with his outward
expression. If he spoke what he thought, he would jeopardize
everything his father had built in Gwynedd.

So he didn’t.

Hywel eyed Gareth and Amaury, who had
finally returned from seeing to his men so they could begin the
search for Mari and Prior Rhys. Gareth was one of the few men with
whom Hywel felt he could share his opinions to any degree. But
knowing that Amaury had lied about the empress’s presence, even if
ordered to by Philippe, made Hywel distrust every word coming from
Amaury’s mouth.

“
My lord.” Gareth turned to
Hywel. “Amaury suggests that we begin the search along the
river.”

“
In case they drowned?”
Hywel said. “Rhys is a wounded man and Mari couldn’t have gone ten
paces with him outside the castle without someone
noticing.”

Amaury coughed. “The castle is very busy.
There’s the postern gate, though we checked with the guard and he
saw nothing.”

“
I assume he wasn’t drunk?”
Gareth said.

“
Or bribed?” Hywel
said.

Amaury ran a hand through his hair. “You
don’t think much of the discipline of my men, do you?”

“
Most men can be bought if
the price is right,” Hywel said.

“
Perhaps the wall walk—”
Amaury stopped, his face flushing.

“
Do you suggest she
descended by rope like Alard? Don’t be absurd.” Hywel knew he was
being rude, but he had no patience for this. Mari had been gone
most of the day, and Hywel felt like it was his fault. He had
deliberately not gone to check on her because of his conflicting
emotions, busying himself with meeting and greeting the dozens of
Norman noblemen here at Newcastle. And now she’d disappeared to God
knew where.

“
Mari would go down that
rope if she had to, but I can’t see her doing it in broad
daylight,” Gwen said. “Someone would have noticed. Certainly, Prior
Rhys would have been in no condition to do so.”

“
Is there another way out
of the castle besides the two gates?” Hywel said.

Gwen peered at Amaury. “You’ve just had an
idea. What is it?”

“
There is another way, but
I can’t imagine...”

Hywel glared at him. To his credit, Amaury
didn’t wilt under his gaze, and Hywel’s estimation of the man went
up a notch.

“
The tunnel,” Amaury
said.

“
What tunnel?” Rhun
said.

“
You’re not supposed to
know about it,” Amaury said, “and Philippe will surely have my head
for telling you. It runs north from underneath the old motte. Earl
Robert started his work on the expansion of Newcastle before he
knew of it and decided to continue despite the hole it created in
his defenses. It isn’t so different from a postern gate except that
access to it is more hidden.”

“
Would Prior Rhys have
known of it?” Hywel said.

“
Rhys has lived a quiet
life since he joined the monastery, or so I understand,” Rhun said,
“but from what I’ve seen of the man, he always has his eyes open,
watching, even if he’s too much of a man of God to pass judgment. I
would be surprised if he didn’t know of it.”

With Rhun’s observation, Hywel reminded
himself—and not for the first time—that just because his brother
thought the best of everyone didn’t mean that he was simple. He had
a strategic intellect that observed everything, even if he, like
Prior Rhys, kept his judgments to himself.

Amaury looked nonplussed. “I don’t know
about that, but I can tell you that while the initial entrance to
the tunnel was in the old keep, built by the original owner of the
castle, another entrance was added after the tunnel was explored
and enlarged.”

“
Where’s the entrance?”
Gareth said.

“
I can show you,” Amaury
said. “It leads away from the river.”

“
As you would expect,”
Hywel said, “else it would be full of water year round.”

Amaury shrugged. “Earl Robert has great
plans for the defenses of the castle, including the construction of
a moat, but in order to do that, the tunnel will be drowned.”

“
I can see how the earl
would have to weigh the cost of one versus the benefit of the
other,” Hywel said. “Will you lead us to it now?”

Amaury didn’t answer. He seemed to be
warring with himself as to what to do.

“
You’ve told us about it,”
Gwen said, “and it’s too late to take the knowledge
back.”

Amaury clenched his jaw and then jerked his
head in a nod. “I am tasked with discovering the truth about
David’s death. Earl Robert will forgive me for following where that
investigation leads.”

“
Thank you. Not every man
would have your courage to do what was right, even if it means
countering a direct order.” Hywel bent his neck. “We appreciate
your candor.”

“
I suggest you stay here,
my lords,” Gareth said to Hywel and Rhun. “It would be better if
neither of you involved yourself further in this, for your own
safety and in pursuit of amicable relations between Gwynedd and
England.”

Hywel scoffed. “How could those words have
possibly come from your mouth?”

Gareth had the grace to
look abashed. “I apologize for suggesting it, my lord, but
it
would
be better
if you stayed here. Evening is coming on. What if Earl Robert
invites you to his table?”

“
Then he’ll just have to
eat with Rhun.” Hywel turned to his brother. “You can tell him I’m
indisposed.”

Rhun nodded. He enjoyed an adventure as much
as Hywel, but he was the elder son and took his responsibilities
seriously. He knew Hywel would tell him all about it when he got
back.

“
He doesn’t have to know
that it won’t mean what it usually means,” Rhun said in
Welsh.

Hywel’s eyes narrowed at his brother,
suppressing a sudden anger that what Rhun had said was all too
true. His reputation among the ladies was well known. While he
hadn’t always been as circumspect with his women as he might have,
he was growing wiser in his old age. Hywel took in a breath and let
his shoulders relax. Rhun was right. It was likely that Hywel’s
reputation had preceded him and would serve him in this
instance.

All things being equal, Hywel didn’t care
one bit about what any Norman might think of him, but he hated to
feel at a disadvantage or to be looked down upon. It was bad enough
that among Normans, Rhun and he possessed a lesser status because
they were born illegitimate. At Newcastle, however, the
circumstances of their birth were never mentioned because Earl
Robert was a bastard too, and that put them all on equal footing,
at least in this.

Hywel gestured to Amaury. “Lead on.”

Amaury did, taking them into the basement of
the northwest tower of the curtain wall. As they approached the
entrance to the tunnel, the two soldiers who guarded it rose to
their feet and stood at attention. They’d been sitting at a table.
At the sight of Amaury, one of them said, “Sir.”

“
Has anyone passed this way
on your watch?” Amaury said.

“
No, sir,” the man
said.

Hywel looked closer at the man. He’d been
looking down, which wasn’t unusual for a subordinate. “How long
have you been on duty?”

“
Since
none
, my lord,” the man said, again
with downcast eyes.

“
We would like to pass this
way,” Amaury said. “No one is to follow us, is that
clear?”

“
Yes, my lord,” the man
said.

The second man had remained silent, his chin
up, staring at the wall behind Amaury. He was inordinately tall,
which meant that Hywel, who wasn’t a short man, had to look up to
see into his face as he passed him. The man kept his face
impassive. Hywel walked by them and entered the tunnel.

“
These English lie too
well,” he said to Gwen in Welsh.

“
It’s because they’re used
to it,” Gwen said.

They’d both been speaking in a low voice,
but even so, their voices had echoed down the passage. If someone
else was down here, he and Gwen had given away their position.

“
The time the guard gave us
tells us nothing,” Gareth said, overhearing, “since we don’t know
what time Mari and Prior Rhys left his room.”

“
We know it was after he
sent Tomos to Gareth,” Gwen said. “I wish he could have spoken to
any of you who remained at the castle. Where did you spend the day
such that he couldn’t find you?”

Hywel let out a sharp burst of air, cursing
under his breath for the hundredth time since he’d discovered
Mari’s absence. “Evan watched my back as I wooed different Norman
lords. Rhun and Gruffydd rode to the Earl of Chester’s camp and
returned to the castle only moments before you arrived. With
everyone coming and going so often, I can see why Tomos gave up and
rode to find Gareth, but I wish he’d tried harder to find me.”

“
He’s just a boy,” Gwen
said. “My hope is that Mari and Prior Rhys simply gave up on his
return and left the castle of their own volition.”

“
That is my hope too,”
Hywel said.

The tunnel looked nothing like the tunnels
underneath Aber Castle. Although Hywel’s father maintained them and
kept them clear of debris, he couldn’t keep back the damp, and the
ceiling ran only a few inches above Hywel’s head. Here, the tunnel
was natural, not dug out of the dirt, made by God and of solid
stone. The ceiling arched above Hywel’s head, curving this way and
that as the tunnel meandered downwards from the entrance.

“
You said there was more
than one passage?” Gwen said.

“
I did.” Amaury plucked a
lantern from where it hung on the wall and handed it to Gareth
while he lit a second one. “But only one comes out the other
side.”

“
I assume you know the
right one?” Gareth said.

“
I do,” Amaury
said.

“
Before we begin, allow me
to walk a little ahead and check for footprints,” Gareth
said.

He held his lantern and cat-walked forward
twenty paces, holding the light close to the ground. He went a
little further and then came back. “I can’t be sure what I’m seeing
because I want to see footprints. I’ll walk ahead with Amaury
because once we pass by, our feet will obscure the prints of those
who went before us.”

Clear water dripped from the ceiling,
reflecting the light of the lanterns off the golden stones that
surrounded them. The companions followed Amaury for a quarter of an
hour, twisting through this tunnel and that before finally heading
upwards again. Hywel could hear Gareth counting his paces in front
of him. For Hywel’s part, he’d already built a mental map of their
journey and could have returned on his own, even in the dark. His
senses told him that the tunnel had skirted the village of
Newcastle to the west and come out the other side.