Rebel's Cage (Book 4) Read Online Free Page A

of how he was viewed by those around him, by the people of Lusara, or Mayenne.
    His council was corrupt, his advisors terrified and he relied far too heavily on a man whose name alone had the power to give Osbert nightmares.
    And Kenrick was negotiating a marriage to the twelve-year-old daughter of an honest and noble King in order to further the ambitions of that man.
    Osbert suppressed a shudder.
    Abruptly Kenrick slapped his hand on the table and got to his feet. He gathered together the documents before him and thrust them towards Osbert, who stepped forward and took them quickly, ignoring the glitter in Kenrick’s eyes, the heightened colour in his cheeks.
    ‘You have given us many things to think about,’ Kenrick began, addressing both Ogiers and the gathered courtiers. His voice was hard and clipped, giving away more than he probably desired. ‘I pray you take rest and refreshment, Ambassador, while I consider your … requests. My Lord Proctor will play host.’
    Osbert caught another flash in Kenrick’s eyes before the King turned and left them, heading for his pavilion, his bodyguard close behind.
    Osbert was not the only one in that gathering who sighed in relief.
    *
    Kenrick could only stand still a few moments once he gained the privacy of his pavilion. He could still hear voices from outside, his court relaxing their silence now that he had departed and, by the gods, the cooks and servants were ringing up a clatter in preparation for the feast he would have to preside over.
    He had to get out, get away from that look, that glint in Ogier’s eyes, that … that self-satisfied repulsion which had fringed everything the old man had said.
    He should never have met the man face to face. He should have handled it all with his own envoys, clerks, priests and perhaps a personal visit from Osbert himself. Dealt with it all at a distance so he wouldn’t have to see that … look.
    Thank the gods that the only scar visible was the one on his face.
    But what would he do if the marriage went ahead? How could he bed his new wife … with a body that … when she saw it …
    Assuming, of course, Ogiers, and by extension, Tirone, would ever allow the match. Judging by the demands laid out in the marriage contract, they saw the entire proposal as little more than a joke.
    A joke? He was a King! How dare they face him with such scorn?
    Yelling for his guard, he strode through the pavilion to the door on the other side. There his men stood, a horse already saddled for him. Without pausing he swung up, gathering the reins and kicking the stallion before he’d even settled properly.
    As he rode away from the gathering, he didn’t bother looking back. He didn’t need to see Ogiers’ contempt in order to feel it.
    *
    The land enveloped him. Ancient rock peeked through dried and tufted grasses, fought with blackened heather, creating a patchwork quilt that looked soft but was, in fact, harsh. Here and there stands of moss-covered rock rose like towers, or tumbled down a grassy hillside like toys abandoned mid-play.In the dips between, small lakes of brackish water collected, undrinkable, feeding what little life survived in this place.
    Ransem Castle broke up this untrammelled wasteland with walls of rigid stone the colour of a blood-red rose withered with age. More than once, Kenrick had fancied that the place had not been built, but had risen from the moor, whole and complete, and yet rotten at its core.
    He hated coming here. Hated having to.
    *
    Gates were opened for him, servants appearing from nowhere to attend his guard, take his horse. High walls surrounded him, square and fat; a tall round tower dominated each corner of this square. The moment the gates were shut behind him, the world outside ceased to exist and old, familiar fears once again rose up inside him, feeding him the energy he required to mount the steps to the hall, to stride through the door opened for him.
    Lofty beamed ceilings shut out the