We left the castle right after breakfast. King Linus wasn't a member of the KRB, but he had a cruel streak beneath his carefully polished surface, and he wasn't a man I wanted to be around for any length of time.
We were on horseback, traveling on the horses supplied to us by Romeus. I said goodbye to Shu that morning. She would head back to Genese with her father and begin her reign as the Steward of Genese.
"I will come to your coronation," she said, as we hugged goodbye.
"Assuming there is one," I replied.
We ran into no more trouble in Holt, and by the end of the day, crossed the border into Enid, Holt's western neighbor, Vassa's eastern neighbor. The countryside looked pretty much the same, a green river valley bordered by roads on both sides of the river and littered with small fishing villages.
"What can you tell me about the King of Enid?" I asked Edgerton. We were riding in two columns. The Lady Tabitha and Bokham rode just behind us. Captain Hubbard and Evan Tanner rode just behind them. The rest of Captain Hubbard's men followed.
"He's a man of about forty, short, fat, quite jovial. Can I ask why we left Holt in such a hurry?"
"King Linus wanted to hurt me. Punish me for killing his brother."
"And you know this because?"
"I had a vision." I looked at Edgerton, whose expression seemed to question what I was saying. "You don't believe me?"
"I've known King Linus a long time. He's not a violent man."
"Perhaps you don't know him as well as you think. He has a sadistic streak. One which he keeps carefully hidden."
Edgerton snorted, still not believing me. I responded by slowing my horse down, until I was riding between Bokham and the Lady Tabitha.
"Is something wrong, Your Highness?" Bokham asked me.
"Edgerton asked me why I was in a hurry to leave Holt. I told him, but he doesn't believe me. I don't feel like riding beside a man that thinks I'm a liar."
Bokham rode ahead and started talking to Edgerton. Captain Hubbard pulled up next to me, having overheard what I said to Bokham. "If it's any consolation, Your Highness. My men and I will never question your visions. If it wasn't for that vision you had, warning us about the pirates, we'd all be dead right now."
"Edgerton has always been a big admirer of King Linus," the Lady Tabitha said. "He believes that Linus is what all kings should aspire to be. Queen Catlett told him that one day his admiration for King Linus would get him into trouble."