Chapter 6

The sun was shining directly overhead, and Kambry searched the grounds for something to engage her interest. Some guards were practicing with their swords while others cleaned their gear. Older boys and girls exited and entered the horse shed. She looked at the walls that rose well overhead and followed the curve they made around the inner bailey. In the distance, she saw treetops, but not the white oaks of the Kavin Wood. Instead, these were ornamental trees. The

gardens!

Excited, she headed for the inner bailey gate and continued to the merchant shops that lined the yard on the right. There was a narrow alley between the castle wall and the last shop in the row of stores that huddled under the inner bailey wall. That must lead to the gardens.

Kambry hurried past customers, filling their sacks with vegetables and other staples, until she reached the cobbled alley. There was a secondary, low stone wall that ran from the tall fortification surrounding the castle to the castle, but it had a simple gate and no guard stood there to stop anyone from entering. Kambry peeked through the iron bars. There was the garden. The gate swung open easily, and she entered a lush, well-kept landscape.

Pathways of white stone, smooth sand and round pebbles led in various directions. She took one of swept river rock and gazed serenely, smelling flowers and touching the velvety petals. Every breath filled her lungs with a fragrant mix of sweetness and spice. A light breeze cooled by the shade trees ruffled her hair and whispered through the leaves.

A long head-high hedge caught her attention, and she wound past a fountain and its concrete seats placed cozily around it in her effort to get a closer look. Could it be a labyrinth? She’d heard that large royal gardens often had them.

She stepped around the sharply trimmed corner of the nearest hedge, pleased to see it ran quite a distance back. She hurried along it, hoping to find its entrance. Working her way through a maze would keep her out of trouble, and there was plenty of daylight for her to find her way out. At the next corner, she came upon a man bent over a table, an enormous sheet of parchment laid out on it along with a notebook, pens and a metal square, smaller but similar to her father’s carpentry square.

“Hello,” she said.

He looked up sharply. “Hello.” His response wasn’t unfriendly, but it wasn’t quite a greeting either.

“I’m enjoying the garden. Is this a maze?”

He looked at the hedge in front of him, then back at her and smiled. “It is. Do you like mazes?” His clothes hung loosely fitted, his elbows and knees padded with extra layers of neatly stitched cloth, and were blessed with a multiplicity of pockets. A small trowel was crammed in a thigh pocket so snugly she could see its outline.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen one up close. But I think I would like them.” She gazed up at the top of the hedge. “Are you the head gardener?”

“Assistant, but I’m working on a project that I think could help me rise to master gardener.”

“Oh, what kind of project?”

His face lit up. “A maze project.” “Really? May I see?”

His lips twisted, uncertain, as if he didn’t want to show her his plans.

“You don’t have to,” she said. “If it’s something you don’t feel ready to show anyone, I understand. When I’m just starting on something, I don’t want to share it.”

“I’ve been working on it for six months now.” He rubbed his chin. “In two weeks, I plan to submit it for consideration.”

“Is it a maze for this garden?” “It’s replacing the old maze.” They both looked to the hedge. “Are they tearing it down?”

A grin rose on his face. “You see, that’s one of the fundamental points of my plan. I will use the original specimens for the new maze. It will make it possible to enjoy the new and not have to wait five, maybe even ten years, for it to be worth entering.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She examined the hedge. It was verdant with growth and a lovely deep green. “What’s wrong with the old one?”

“The key word is old.”

“Well, old isn’t bad. It often means reliable, tried and true.”

“With plants, which don’t have a long lifespan, it means the current maze will die in places, and then there will be no maze at all.”

“But your plan includes using these aged hedges, right?”

“That’s the beauty of it. They have a good five to ten years left in them.” He waved his hand. “Come see.”

She hurried up and stood beside him. It was a beautiful drawing of a complicated maze. “My goodness.”

He grinned at her and pointed out the front half of his design. “See this. I will build it using the existing plants. The back part will be all new. It will take about a year to shift these into the design I have planned. It’s a two-part maze.” He pointed close to the centerline where the two parts met. “This will be closed off while the new portion grows; although I will use nearly mature plants, they just won’t be quite at the desired height.”

“It looks amazing, but is half a maze enough? Won’t that ruin the effect?”

“No, see here.” He followed the line of his design, pointing out the ideal pathway. “It’s complete. Later, when I remove these specimens, the entire maze changes. Observe, I’ve used different penciling to show the phases and how they integrate. Do you follow it?”

Kambry tipped her head and stepped around the table as she worked her way through the transitions in the maze’s development. “I get it now. You’re designing two mazes. The first one uses the original plants. When the second half is ready, you’ll remove the plants that block access to the second phase and with a few adjustments, it becomes an entirely different maze.”

“You think it’s good?”

“If there are others offering ideas for the new maze, they don’t stand a chance.” She giggled at his pleased grin.

“That’s what I hoped. The head gardener and other assistants are also preparing plans.”

“Who decides?”

“The prince.” He sighed. “I’ve been trying to come up with something special, just for him in the design. I haven’t come up with anything.” He shrugged. “That’s not true. I have an idea. I’m just not sure if it’s a good one.”

“You know, when I’m working on something and I’ve reached a point where I’m uncertain that I’ve done all I can, I go to someone and tell them my idea and listen to what they have to say. Sometimes just having them listen is all I need. I figure it out in the telling.”

“Everyone I could talk to is working on the same project.

I don’t want to reveal my ideas.”

“Surely there are others who could just listen. They don’t have to be gardeners. The prince isn’t a gardener, is he?”

“Are you suggesting I talk to the prince about my idea?” He scratched his neck. “I don’t think that’s good since he’s the one making the eventual decision. Others might find that suspicious.”

“Oh, no. Don’t talk to the prince about it. What I mean is if he’s not a gardener, yet he will make the final decision, then maybe someone else also not a gardener could see it in the same manner he would. Such a person who knows the prince could help you decide if your idea would appeal to him.”

“I see.” He stared down at his plans for a moment. “I could tell you.”

“I’ve only just met the prince. I don’t have any idea what things he likes or doesn’t.”

“My idea is more about function and use, not really prince specific.”

“Well, I can listen. Go ahead.” There were two white wrought-iron chairs in a half circle of rose bushes a few feet away. Kambry sat down, folding her hands in her lap. “I’m ready.”

He sat down next to her. “The prince needs to know the trick of the maze, right?”

Kambry nodded. “I can see the need for that. As the host, it’s important he knows how to work his way through it better than anyone. He will see the plans, so won’t he know?”

“Yes, but he won’t have them when he’s in the maze. He needs to know it well enough to get around in it.”

Kambry thought a moment. “How well does he know the current maze?”

“He ran it as a child. It has no mysteries left for him.”

“But this one will be different, and he shouldn’t have to study a map to understand it.”

The gardener looked unhappy.

“I’m sorry. Were you expecting him to study it?”

“Prince Russal can see the maze from his chambers. His tower looks down on it but at a slight angle, so that won’t be enough to give the trick away.” He looked at his plans a moment, then pointed at the corner of the hedge that Kambry had come around. “See that corner.”

She looked and nodded, returning her attention to him.

“Each variety of hedge has its own distinct color and shape. We shape the hedges so that makes them alike, but the color, I thought I’d use the color. If I place a slightly lighter or darker hued specimen where the correct turns are, he could see them from his chamber.”

“And recognize them from within the maze,” Kambry said.

“Exactly.”

“But couldn’t someone else figure that out? A guest with him on his balcony or even within the maze if they are keenly observant.”

“Yes,” he sighed. “I considered cutting a shape into the top of the hedge that he would see from his vantage point. But he would have to study and memorize it as those hints would not be present while one is inside the maze.”

“Then you’re back to him studying the maze and anyone else with the same view would have the same advantage.” She gazed at the rocky path that ran along the hedge. “A shape, like a triangle?”

He nodded.

“You could put that shape inside the maze.” “Then anyone could see it,” he said.

“Not if you made it tiny and placed it among other similar shapes. It wouldn’t be on the hedge. It could be on the path. Only the prince would know the difference.”

“So instead of using a triangle on the top of the hedge, I could place a triangle in the pathway, only on the left, embedded in the design. It would point the direction, but because it was among other triangles, no one would find it among the camouflage of like pieces.” He wandered back to his design and began adding notations. “It would have to be easy to locate, so the prince could walk confidently without having to stop and check for the hint.”

Kambry joined him at the table. “He wouldn’t want anyone to figure out what he was doing or where he was looking.”

The gardener waved his pencil at her and nodded before turning back to his plan.

“I think that’s a special feature the prince would like very much,” Kambry said.

“You’ve been very helpful. Miss… ?”

“Kambry do Brode. You can call me Kambry.”

“Konnelby, Clive Konnelby. A pleasure, Miss do Brode.”

She stopped herself from correcting him. There were rules of association, and her village was too small to bother with them, but Kavin was larger and more formal. “It’s been very pleasant to meet you, too, Mr. Konnelby.”

“Konnelby, please.”

She sighed. “Then you must call me Kambry.” “Miss—.”

“Kambry.”

He nodded and swung his arm out toward the hedge. “Would you like to walk the maze?”

“I would!”

“The entrance is around this way.”

~~~~~~~

For an old maze, it had been a complicated one, and Kambry was ready to return to her room to read until dinnertime. There were only two books to choose from. The first was a book of Kavin history. Every time she would read a page, she wanted to put her head down and sleep. The second wasn’t much better. It was a primer on social etiquette and polite behavior. Delightful. She snapped the book shut. There was nothing about going barefoot to make a marriage proposal, at least not in the first portion of the book.

Standing at the window, looking out at the garden, held greater interest. She could see quite a few people enjoying various sections. Funny, she had only seen the assistant gardener when she was down there earlier.

Looking down at the layout of the garden, she imagined what the prince might see from his balcony. Because of the location of her chambers in the castle, she could only see the edge of the maze. The prince’s quarters took up one corner of the castle, two floors and a tower, giving him a more direct view of the maze and the rest of the garden. Had he seen her talking with Clive Konnelby about his plans for the garden? She studied the view. If he were in the tower and looking out she supposed he could.

A knock at her door drew her away from the view. A page stood in the hall, his hands clasped behind his back. “Miss do Brode, your presence is requested immediately at the sybil’s office. I will guide you.”

Kambry had changed her clothes from those she had worn earlier, as they were dusty with her time at the archery range. Still, she patted at her skirt and smoothed her hair, checking the security of her comb.

She closed the door behind her and followed the page, this time keeping her attention on their progress through the castle.

Sybil sent two of her assistants off on break and the third to complete a task. She had Kambry sit once they were alone.

“How has your day been?” she asked.

“Well, thank you.” Kambry gave Sybil an encouraging look. She knew she had called Kambry to her office to do more than chat about her day wandering the castle grounds.

Sybil leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest. The chair gave its familiar creak. “Don’t get comfortable. There are individuals in this castle who expect your failure.”

“Someone hopes I’ll betray the prince?” she scoffed. “That’s seems absurd.”

“Less absurd than you think. I’m warning you. There is trouble ahead.”

“Trouble different from being considered a traitor the moment I set my foot on the path?”

Sybil slid a report to the center of the desk. She didn’t look at it. “Yesterday, a display dropped a pike in your path.”

Kambry had not forgotten the event. It was startling to have the pike swing down directly between Lessa and her. But it hurt no one, and there was no one beside her and Lessa in the hall. “It was an accident.”

“It was purposeful,” Sybil said, her tone brooking no argument.

“There was no one in the hallway but the two of us.” “I am a sybil; there was an intention to its fall.”

“I can’t very well betray the prince if I’m dead or incapacitated.”

“Lessa was the target, not you.” Kambry sat forward. “Lessa?”

“If you cause the injury of a guard, you are attacking the prince.”

“But I didn’t. It just fell.” “For no reason.”

“I hardly had time to reach out, grab that pike, and yank it down,” Kambry said. “Besides, wouldn’t it have been well- secured? I doubt my efforts would have sent it crashing to the floor. And I couldn’t run around and sabotage displays in the castle hoping to split Lessa in two. I didn’t even know the way we were going, never mind how to traverse the castle without a guide.”

“If it had killed Lessa, no one would have been able to say what happened in that corridor.”

Kambry could say nothing in response. Lessa had explained exactly what they had been doing, supplying

Kambry with an alibi. If the pike had killed Lessa, she couldn’t have explained anything, and the guards would have thought Kambry responsible. “Are all traitors so stupid? That seems a ridiculous way to gain trust. Why would I be so blatant? It would only make my situation worse and not accomplish anything other than an innocent person’s death.”

“The theory lacks logic, but the prince already views you as potentially dangerous. The guards would act immediately, so you would then be out of the way.”

“You’re telling me this because you’ve seen something more than just sabotage to a display.” A second thought came to mind. She must be important, capable of changing events to ruin someone else’s plans. Someone who could not count on her betraying the prince because she was trustworthy.

Sybil nodded as if following her thoughts. “You’re in danger, and not necessarily physical danger. Someone wants you immediately out of the picture.”

“Why? The prince doesn’t trust me. I’m one among many visitors who failed to be honorable. According to events already in the past, anyone who wants me to fail need only wait for it.” Kambry chewed her lip. “The prince does not accept my denial.”

“You’re assuming those previous to your arrival were traitors by choice.” She gave Kambry a telling stare. “Regardless, you are a target. Someone wants you to be a traitor to the prince and will make you one if you’re not cooperative.”

Kambry reached for the report and tapped it. “How am I going to avoid sabotage? I won’t know where to look or who not to trust.”

“Stay alert and don’t give into thinking someone else will save you.” As Kambry withdrew her hand, Sybil wrapped hers around her wrist. “What ring is this?”

Kambry was still fathoming Sybil’s last statement, and it took a moment to concentrate on the change in topic. She creased her brow and shifted her attention. The silver ring on

her thumb caught the light. “The prince gave it to me last night to wear while we had dinner. I think I was supposed to take it off afterwards.”

Sybil released her hand, and Kambry pulled her arm back and scrutinized the ring. It remained just as it was last night.

“The prince required you wear this?” Her tone seemed speculative.

“Yes. I forgot about it.” Kambry creased her brow. “I’ve worn rings before; it always takes me a few days to get comfortable wearing them. But this one, I stopped noticing almost at once.”

“It’s spelled to bond with its wearer. It becomes part of you, though Prince Russal can remove it. What color reveals you are speaking the truth?”

“Purple. That’s what Prince Russal said. It started out purple when I put it on.”

“Hmm. And what color indicates betrayal?” “Green. You’ve not seen this ring before?” “Oh, I have, just not this closely before.”

Something about how Sybil replied made Kambry think she was choosing her wording carefully. “Are you surprised the prince had me wear it? Or are you surprised I’m still wearing it or is there some other reason you question its appearance on my hand?”

Sybil shook her head gently from side to side. Her brows creased, and she looked at Kambry as if she were deciding what to share. “Miss do Brode, don’t forget you have this ring on. When you are interacting with others, be aware of any changes.”

“It turned green when I was with the prince, just a moment.”

Sybil nodded, showing she wanted to hear more.

“I said I wasn’t hungry, but I was. It flashed; however, he didn’t seem concerned.”

“The ring calibrates to you. A flash shows recognition that you have leaned away from the ring of truth. It will cease to do that as it adjusts to your temperament and view of the world.”

“So it’s not looking for lies.” Kambry twisted the ring around her thumb. “It’s looking for something else.”

“It looks for intent to betray.” Her tongue ran the circuit along her teeth. “I imagine you have told white lies to protect someone’s feelings or hide the plans for a surprise party, for example.”

Kambry nodded.

“You were not intending to betray your friend. It tethers your actions and words to your intent to protect or keep the surprise.”

“I see. That seems like an excellent reason to have me wear it, doesn’t it? The prince can see if I have the intention to commit treason against him.”

“True.”

“I feel as if there’s something you’re not telling me.”

“You are correct, but my reasons for holding back are not to betray you. I cannot decide what to tell you about the ring. I think you should ask the prince about it the next time you dine with him.”

“But that’s not for several days. I’m to see him just once a week. Besides, I think he just forgot to ask for it back.”

“I am certain he did not forget.” Sybil stood. “Be watchful, Miss do Brode. Of the ring and of those around you. I will be watching.”

Sybil walked Kambry to the door. “Do you remember how to get to your room?”

She nodded.

“There are guards at most turns. Watch your surroundings and ask for an escort for any reason,” Sybil said. “I thank you for coming so quickly. You are free to go.”

Kambry stepped into the corridor. According to the page, Kambry had had no choice but to come at once. It probably said in the book on etiquette that one should pretend an order was a request to build a friendly relationship with questionable characters. She smiled at Sybil and walked away at the click of the door shutting.

A guard stood at the corner and nodded at her. Returning to her room by herself would be a test of her efforts to get around the castle. The page had brought her down to the first floor, along a length of hallway that led around a corner, then back up to the second floor where they had come upon Sybil’s office almost immediately. If she had her directions straight, they had been close to the prince’s apartment, and it was a simple path to return.

As Sybil had said, there was a guard at most corners, but some halls were long. She’d taken several turns before she remembered she should stay vigilant.

It made the return take longer as she walked slower and looked ahead and around every corner before proceeding. By the time she reached her room, she was feeling jumpy. She’d made a few guards jump when she popped around corners to peek before entering a new corridor. She kept wanting to giggle, and did once or twice, at their surprised expressions though the raised batons stole away the laughter quickly.

Lessa calling her name brought her to a stop that found her semi-crouched by her own bedroom door.

“You okay?” Lessa asked, striding down the hall toward

her.

“Just thought I was alone.”

“It’s close to dinnertime. I thought I’d walk you to the

mess or did you have other plans?”

“I just got back from Sybil’s office. I didn’t realize it was that late. I’ve no plans.”

“Then come on. It’s probably stew again. We usually run a stew, stew, stew, mutton, beef and stew pattern with the lunch and dinner meals. Guards live on stew.”

“It’s fine stew.”

Lessa grinned. “I’ve lost count. It might be mutton tonight.”

When they came to the display of the mail and pike, Lessa steered clear of it. “Did Sybil tell you someone had tampered with it?” she asked.

“It appears I’m lucky you were uninjured. Your marshal of the guards would have blamed me.”

“What? How would you have known which direction we were going? I was the one who took you to the mess hall for breakfast.”

Kambry shrugged her shoulders.

“You ever handled a pike before?” “Not a pike. I’ve used a club.”

“Every farmer’s son and daughter has. I bet you know how to swing a pitchfork, too.”

“I’m not a farmer’s daughter. I’m a carpenter’s daughter and a weaver’s. I can carve you curlicues and weave your hair into a tapestry.”

Lessa feigned fright, holding her hands to her short blonde hair. “You’re very dangerous. Chisels and looms. I’ll have you leave my hair alone, please. As for curlicues, I can’t think of anything you could add them to for my benefit.”

“Do you think Burty will refuse to teach me how to shoot a bow if he considers that the prince and others mistrust my intentions?”

“Likely he’ll decide you’re in danger and want to add sword fighting to your training schedule.” She winked, and Kambry grinned.

They entered the wide door of the mess and earned greetings from several guards. Comfortable with serving herself, Kambry followed Lessa to the trestle table and filled her plate at the trays. When they turned to look for a place to

sit, Lessa chuckled and peered over her shoulder at Kambry. “Looks like you have an admirer.”

Kambry followed her nod and snorted. On the two-person table against the wall, where they had sat already twice today, was a glass bottle with proilis blossoms stuck in it.

Lessa examined the guards as she pivoted in place, gazing down at the full tables. “Hmm. Who could it be?”

Kambry walked on past her and took her spot at the table. She smelled the blossoms and couldn’t help but smile. A shout, just barely heard above the chatter of the guards, drew her attention. Neal was staring down at his plate, and Teddy was choking on his beverage and pointing at his younger friend, a grin plastered on his face.

Kambry waited for Neal to look up. When his eyes met hers, she mouthed the words, “Thank you,” and pointed at the bouquet. Neal sat up straighter and dug into his food.

“Oh, it’s the quiet ones that are the bravest,” said Lessa as she sat down and tore at her roll. “He will make a fine knight one day.” She pushed the piece of bread through the juices of the mutton on her plate and waved it at Kambry. “The midday meal will be beef tomorrow, stew for dinner.”