Sawyer looked up, tears dripping off his chin. “No, Lord Knight, no. I was only able to escape because I am a woodcutter. When I went to my work in the forest, I ran away.”
“You weren’t pursued?” Barrow frowned.
“The abbot has many servants,” Sawyer said. “I think Eira had little care for a simple woodcutter.”
“She wouldn’t want any to learn of what’s happened at the abbot’s estate,” Mercer argued.
“Yes, Lord Knight.” Sawyer nodded. “But who would believe me other than someone of your order? I came here in the hopes that Lady Eira would think it impossible for any of the abbot’s servants to seek your aid. For the lady herself lives here, and if she were to discover me, I would surely be killed.”
Father Michael laid his hand on Sawyer’s forehead. “You are a brave man for bringing us this news. God bless you, my son.”
Sawyer began to cry again.
“What will we do?” Fitch shifted on his feet, uneasy. “Confront Eira? If her allegiance with this fiend is revealed, perhaps we can expel her from Conatus and then seek a way to defeat her new ally.”
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that,” Thomas said in a strained voice. “Eira has gathered followers. Many within Tearmunn have been swayed by her promises that colluding with this foul creature somehow befits our mission.”
“How has her mind become so twisted?” Kael asked suddenly. “How could we have been so deceived?”
“It is indeed troubling.” Father Michael bowed his head. “Perhaps even more troubling that she so easily gains the support of our fellows.”
Mercer’s gaze swept over their group, his eyes widening. “Are you saying everyone within the keep, save we few, have thrown their support behind Eira?”
“No,” Lora answered him. “The clerics and servants know nothing of this. Only when I’d found Sawyer and heard his tale did I learn what was happening.”
“Eira has laid her case before the Circle and the Guard, but not the whole of Tearmunn,” Thomas said. “For that is where she believes the power of Conatus exists. The clerics will be the next to gain her attention.”
“Even so.” Fitch coughed, trying to cover the trembling in his voice. “Of twenty-five knights, we alone would resist?”
“So it would seem,” Lukasz said wearily. “Eira was once the commander of the Guard. There are still many loyal to her. Before tonight I would have counted myself among that number.”
Ember closed her eyes. Alistair’s face haunted her. Unbidden, his words echoed in her mind once more. I want you to understand how much I trust her.
“B-but the Circle?” Fitch stammered. “All of them as well?”
“Not myself, obviously.” Thomas offered him a weak smile. “Cian and Ewan are with us too.”
“Then where are they?” Fitch asked.
“Cian stayed with her sister,” Lukasz told him. “To keep her occupied while we met and decided upon a course of action. Ewan keeps watch for us. If we were to be discovered, this would end before it begins.”
Mercer asked, “Before what begins?”
The commander and Thomas exchanged a troubled glance.
“Whoever this Lord Mar is, we must find a way to expel him from our world,” Lukasz said. “Even if it means searching the ends of the earth for the means by which he can be defeated.”
The gathering became very still as the implications of Lukasz’s words sank in.
Barrow spoke first. “When do we leave?”
“Immediately,” Lukasz answered. “As soon as the horses are saddled.”
“You want us to abandon Tearmunn now?” Fitch shook his head. “Where will we go?”
Thomas frowned at him. “There is no other choice. If you delay, you risk revealing yourselves to Eira or any of her allies.”
“As to where we’ll go,” Lukasz said, “we may have few allies within Tearmunn, but Conatus lives beyond these walls. We’ll seek passage to Krak des Chevaliers.”
“Syria? You would put us in the hands of the Mamluks?” Fitch gaped at the commander. “Their sultan, Faraj, is spoken of as a cruel man.”
Father Michael said, “The Mamluks have been allies of Conatus no matter who rules them, and we will be offered refuge at Krak des Chevaliers.”
“How can you be sure?” Fitch asked.
Lukasz’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t know you to be such a coward, Fitch.”
Fitch dropped his gaze, shamefaced.
“Peace, friends,” Father Michael said gently. “These desperate times weaken our faith and make our hearts quail. Let us lift each other up.”
“Father Michael is right,” Thomas told them. “We can’t afford to quarrel among ourselves. Fitch, the reason Krak des Chevaliers offers sanctuary is that it will take longer for Eira to affect such a keep that is within Conatus but outside Christendom. From what we’ve gathered, she’s relying on the channels available to Abbot Crichton. That means she’ll focus on the Holy Roman Empire and a few points east before broaching the lands of the Ottomans and Mamluks. At least we hope so.”
“And hope is all we have,” Lukasz finished.
“I am no coward,” Fitch said, his voice low. “But surely we needn’t take a ship. That voyage will cost us weeks. Have Hamish weave a door to Krak des Chevaliers that we might travel there with all the speed we command.”
Lora sighed. “You can’t risk bringing Hamish into this mess. We don’t know where his allegiance will fall. If he proves sympathetic to Eira, he’ll give away your hiding place.”
“You came here this night of your own free will,” Father Michael told them. “And you must now choose your path. Remain here to submit, or stay hidden, or else flee from these walls until we find a way to resist the rising dark.”
Mercer asked the priest, “What do you mean hidden?”
“Cian, Thomas, Ewan, and I will stay in Tearmunn,” Father Michael said. “You must have a way to know what happens here.”
“That’s a great risk.” Barrow frowned. “What if you’re discovered?”
“The cost would be greater if we left with you,” Thomas told him. “If Cian and I went missing, Eira would know her opposition extends beyond a handful of the Guard and she will become much more dangerous. The more confident she is, the more likely we’ll be able to exploit her pride.”