“It’s all so damned frustrating!” Eryk complained to Branden. “They are afraid of him, afraid that he’ll kill them if they tell me who he is.”
“Well, try to figure out who has the most to gain from your death, and you’ll likely be on the right track.”
The two men were riding through the forest, following the hunting pack. Neither of them had seen anything worth sending the dogs after, so they just rode along, enjoying the day. Branden may not be his chief advisor any longer, but he was still good to talk to.
“Well we know that you have nothing to gain,” Eryk joked. “King Jackob says that the guild that was hired is very expensive, so it has to be someone with a significant amount of money.”
Together the two men went through the various members of the court, cross-referencing those with money with those who had something to gain from the death of the current monarch. Finally, they realized that the only person who would gain from his death was Davin, so only those with ties to the boy needed consideration. That led to Durham.
“Not to scare you or anything, but we’re here and he’s back at the castle. And so is your assassin, who is currently recovering from the wounds she received last time he had someone try to kill her…”
Eryk reined his horse in, staring at Branden with a horrified look on his face. “We have to get back there, right now. She has her guards, but what if he brings friends, like last time?” He pulled his stallion around back the way they had come, and spurred him on.
Branden pulled his horse around too, kicking him straight into a gallop in an effort to catch up to Eryk.
“Wait!” he called. “You can’t just rush in there! Remember what happened last time? We don’t even know if she’s in any danger.”
Eryk didn’t slow, but he did call back to Branden. “I can’t take that chance. We’ll just have to get Byron first!”