‘Rehearse?’ Per asked again.
‘Come with me,’ Amber insisted. ‘All will be made clear.’
When we had crowded into the cabin, the Fool shed his role as Amber as easily as he dropped the skirts that covered his trousered legs. He kicked them aside. ‘I will not be Amber when we disembark.’ He looked almost merry as he stooped to drag garments from under the lower bunk. His fingers danced over fabrics and lace, sorting them as he went. I clenched my teeth for a moment. I knew I would not win but I made a final effort.
‘I do not think you should disembark at all!’ I objected. ‘You are known in Clerres. And if they capture you or even if someone sees you and you stir their guard to wariness, you have only complicated my task. No.’
He simpered in my direction. ‘As if it were your decision. Be quiet for a time and hear my plan, for I have refined it!’ He was fairly quivering with excitement. ‘You, Tom Badgerlock, are come to Clerres to find out if your lovely daughter Sparkle should wed Holder Cavala. That’s you, Lant. Your serving lad Per has accompanied you. I will be the ageing granny of Holder Cavala, along to be sure that my grandson is not bilked of his promised bride.’
He waited. Per’s eyes were as big as plates. Spark was nodding and smiling. Lant was incredulous. We had discussed that the Fool must be heavily disguised if he went ashore, but this was a whole new level of theatre. A simple plan to present ourselves and pay to cross to the castle was suddenly a grand play. I shook my head in slow denial of the inevitable. ‘Are you sure this is necessary? That we all have roles and names and an errand?’
He smiled as if he had not heard me. ‘No objections? Excellent. I will be doddering along with you, well veiled against the sun. I will carry the butterfly cloak and a few other well-concealed items. We will follow the stream of pilgrims to the merchant square at the end of the gated crossing. There Fitz will pay to have his fortune told. No matter how you are advised, you will express displeasure at how general it is, and offer a substantial amount of coin to have a lingstra determine if the match is well made. I promise you that they will take your coin and give us crossing tokens. We will cross to the stronghold and go in with the tide of fortune-seekers.’ He took a breath. ‘This will be the difficult part. We must insist that we are taken to one of the libraries of scrolls for the reading. That is a rare and expensive privilege. I doubt we have the coin for it, but we can barter this for that privilege.’ He held up the bracelet. The flame-jewels woke in the dim cabin; they truly looked as if they burned. ‘We will take the fire-brick as well, but reserve it in case we need a large bribe. It’s a practical item. Almost anyone would covet it.’
‘But we promised …’ Per began.
‘In dire need, we could part with them. Saving Bee is a dire need,’ the Fool said.
I nodded. Not that l liked his plan. I simply had no other.
‘In the library, we must find ways to disperse. Perhaps I can insist I must relieve myself, and Lant and Spark will accompany me as I dodder along. When we don’t return, you and Per will go to seek us. Instead, you will find hiding-places. You may have to separate …’
‘I won’t send the boy off alone,’ I objected.
‘I can do it,’ Per insisted, but I saw secret relief in his eyes.
‘As you will,’ the Fool said with a sigh. ‘So much will depend on opportunity. But by the time the second low tide of the day comes, and the first wave of visitors is required to depart so that the second wave may come, all of us must be hidden or we will be forced to depart. And go you must, without objection, leaving behind any who manage to remain hidden.’
It had been a terrible plan the first time he proposed it. Details had not improved it.
‘How will we find one another after dark when the castle is abed. And how do we know the castle will be abed?’
‘Do you not recall what we planned before? We meet at the washing courts: it is deserted at night. That is our rendezvous point. I trust you have all studied our map?’
‘We have,’ Spark agreed. No one reminded the Fool that he had told us this before.
‘And then?’ Per asked.
‘As we agreed. I will search the lower cells first. If she is there, we must free her as swiftly as possible.’
Per looked as if he might be sick. He sat with shoulders bowed as if expecting a blow. The Fool gave him a sad smile. I pushed aside images of Bee tortured in the dark. I had to think only of the rescue.
‘Once we have regained her, we must escape with her. That may be our biggest challenge. When I search the lower cells, we will look for some evidence of how my rescuers took me out. The entry to the tunnel under the causeway must be there. If we find it, and we have Bee, two of us will take her that way immediately, leaving one of us to meet you in the washing courts and guide you out as well.’
He sat back and folded his long-fingered hands in his lap. ‘And there it is. My plan, refined.’
