Philip accompanied the men carrying Katherine and her friend until they reached the edge of Waterfront, and then he returned to the camp. What did that strange woman mean about Devia’s army being about to destroy us? he wondered as he walked. He was nearly back to his quarters when he saw Shadow stomping restlessly near his tent. He stooped to examine the cuts on the great horse’s legs and belly and then began the slow process of bathing each wound and rubbing balm into each cut. Several men assisted him. They were nearly finished when a youth hurried toward him and said, “Mercinor Gammel is waiting to speak with you, sir.”
“Mercinor?” Philip asked. He was the last person Philip had expected to see. He did not understand Katherine’s story, but if it were true, he would need to be wary of Mercinor.
“Give me a few minutes to finish here, and then bring him to my tent,” Philip said.
“Yes, sir,” the lad responded and walked quickly away.
Philip had just sent Shadow away with another lad when Mercinor Gammel appeared in the campfire light. “Good evening, Mercinor.” Philip tried to sound genial. “What brings you out so late tonight?”
“I’m sorry for the intrusion, Philip,” Mercinor said rapidly, “but I wanted to warn you.”
“Warn me of what?” Philip asked casually.
“Your doom!” Mercinor said with flair. “You and your men will be slaughtered tomorrow morning.”
Is Mercinor trying to frighten me into surrender? Philip wondered. If what Katherine’s friend said was true, Mercinor might just be telling the truth. “I know,” he said calmly.
“You—what?” Mercinor stammered. “But how?”
“A woman from Capri just informed me. You have merely confirmed her report,” Philip said coolly.
Mercinor stood with his mouth agape.
Philip eyed Mercinor and then continued. “I don’t suppose you know who else I’ve seen?”
“I have no idea,” Mercinor grumbled. Philip noticed Mercinor’s shoulders sag and his enthusiasm ebb. It looked as if Mercinor’s pride had taken a blow to know that a woman had stolen his thunder.
“I’ve just been chatting with your cousin,” Philip goaded.
Mercinor jerked to attention. “Who?” he asked.
“Katherine Gammel,” Philip stated flatly. “She is your cousin, is she not?”
“Yes, but …” Mercinor began.
“I don’t suppose you know where Katherine has been, do you?” Philip asked.
“No, I—” Mercinor stammered.
“I didn’t think you would. I doubt you have seen Katherine for days, have you?”
“As a matter of fact—”
“She escaped from your raft by jumping into the river and fleeing into Northglen Forest!” Philip interrupted.
Even in the firelight, Philip could see the color drain from Mercinor’s face.
“Why did you tell her the tug had been burned?” Philip demanded. “Where were you taking her, Mercinor? You nearly scared your cousin out of her mind!”
“No, Philip!” Mercinor shouted, waving his hands for Philip to stop. “You’ve got to believe me. I was only trying to protect her! She is in danger every minute she is near you. Philip, don’t you realize Master Devia is out to get you? He’ll destroy everyone who is close to you!”
Philip became quiet.
“Look at the threats against Rhoop!” Mercinor stated. “And look at old Gandrel; he’s dead, isn’t he? Everyone knows Katherine is sweet on you. I was afraid she would be the next target. Do you know where she is now?”
“Stonewall,” Philip said, looking away. Maybe Katherine had been wrong about Mercinor. Maybe it was all a mistake.
“Well, at least she’ll be safe for a while,” Mercinor began. “But how long can your fortress stand against the world, Philip. Look around! Amity is changing. You and your men cannot stand against Master Devia’s army.”
“I know,” Philip said quietly.
“Well?” Mercinor said. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing!” Philip said.
“Nothing!” Mercinor shouted. “You can’t be serious! They will kill you and your men, Philip! Why don’t you surrender quietly, and maybe Devia will offer you clemency.”
“Aren’t you forgetting that my father committed Amity into my care? I can’t just surrender,” Philip argued.
“Philip,” Mercinor pleaded. “Think of your men and the people of Waterfront and Sebring. Add to those people all the refugees who have come here for protection. If you resist Master Devia, there will be war, and thousands of innocent people could be killed. You don’t want their deaths on your conscience, do you? You just need to be a little more tolerant—”
Philip cut him off. “More tolerant! Evil flourishes in the name of tolerance. It is high time someone took a stand for what is right. Right now I’m finished with tolerance!”
Mercinor was aghast. “Philip, this posturing will only get you killed. You have to think about the good of the nation. If you want to die, that is your choice, but you can’t ask others to die with you!”
Philip remained silent.
“Look, Philip,” Mercinor pleaded. “Come to terms with Master Devia. Everyone else has, and they aren’t faring too badly. In fact, things are going quite well in Zaraphath and Deep Delving. The mines are busier than ever. River traffic has never been so good.”
“Is commerce everything to you, Mercinor?” Philip asked coldly. “The woman who fled Capri tonight was terrified of Devia’s rule!”
“I don’t believe it!” Mercinor snapped. He sounded sure of himself, but his face showed a hint of doubt.
“The woman had been starved and abused and was in no shape to travel, but she fled rather than spend one more day under Devia’s rule. How can you believe that everything will be all right once Devia takes over?” Philip leaned forward. “You’ve been listening to a lie, Mercinor! Someone promised you riches and power if the Stafford family was overthrown.” He inched closer to Katherine’s cousin.
“No!” Mercinor pleaded, backing away.
“You planned the attack on Katherine, didn’t you? Did you kill Gandrel yourself, or was it one of your men?” Philip accused.
“Philip,” Mercinor begged, “you have no proof. You can’t establish—”
“I have proof enough!” Philip shouted. “Katherine’s been right about you all along!”
“Philip, wait!” Mercinor fell to his knees, lifting his arms before him. “Katherine and I have never seen eye to eye. Don’t listen to her!”
“I haven’t listened to her enough!” Philip roared. “It was a wicked thing you did, chasing your own cousin into Northglen Forest. Katherine is fortunate to be alive!”
“Look, Philip,” Mercinor began again. “I didn’t mean—”
“Get out of here!” Philip shouted. “Go back to your master and find out how merciful and kind he is! I charge you with only one thing, Mercinor Gammel. Don’t ever go near Katherine again!”
“Philip …” Mercinor protested.
“Be gone!” Philip shouted.
Mercinor suddenly rose to his feet and stood tall, his face hardened with hatred. “You are going to regret this,” he hissed. Turning away, his eyes flashed in the firelight.
“Shall we stop him?” an old man asked anxiously.
“No,” Philip responded. “Leave him alone. He’ll receive his reward.”
It was still an hour to sunup, and Philip sat holding his head in his hands. Had Mercinor been right? Did he have any right to put innocent men and women into open conflict with Master Devia? He heard a sound and looked up to see Peter Sikes hurrying toward him. “Peter!” Philip called. “What do our scouts report?”
Sikes looked grim. “There is a large army stationed just east of Capri, sir.”
“Did the scouts get an estimate of how many were there?” Philip asked.
“They estimated fifteen thousand, sir,” Sikes responded.
“How many men do we have, Peter?” Philip asked, already knowing the answer.
“Three hundred, sir!” Peter responded.
“What about our volunteers?” Philip asked.
“The old men, sir?” Peter asked. “I’m not really sure. Quite a few of them went home after serving sentry duty.”
Philip smiled. Peter was so by-the-book. A haphazard approach to war didn’t sit well with him. Philip wasn’t sure he could depend on the old men either, but they were nearly all he had, and the Creator of heaven and earth could use any willing heart. “What do you suggest, Peter?”
“I think we should retreat and defend Stonewall, sir,” Peter said without hesitation.
Philip nodded. It was the answer he had expected. “What shall we do with the citizens of Waterfront and Sebring?” he asked.
The young officer suddenly looked at his feet as he answered. “We can prolong the battle if we leave them outside.”
“Only prolong, not win?” Philip asked directly.
“Victory against such odds is very slim, sir,” Peter responded. “However, we might be able to hold Stonewall until your father returns.”
“All right,” Philip said as he considered the possibilities.
Peter Sikes looked up expectantly. “Sir?” he questioned.
“It’s settled,” Philip stated. “I do not know when my father will return, and I refuse to sit like a caged animal inside Stonewall while Devia has his way with the people who have come under my care. Peter, you and I will take our stand against Devia in the open. If we fail, we fail!”
Though the order sealed his fate, Peter Sikes stood unflinching. “Yes, sir!”
“Send a message to Rhoop and tell him to begin evacuating everyone from Waterfront and Sebring into Stonewall immediately,” Philip said.
“Yes, sir!”