Chapter 7
When Tovin managed to extract himself from his duties, more than a quarter of an hour had passed. Once the regent had left, the squire returned, and Tovin was careful to keep the table between them at all times. Still, minutes rushed by, tumbling into hours, and it wasn’t until he heard the evening prayer bells ring from the chapel’s tower that he realized how late it had grown. “s**t,” he muttered, rolling up the nearest map. To the squire, he ordered, “See to it that these are put away. I am late for an audience with the regent.”
Very late. Given Amery’s earlier mood, Tovin suspected he would have a lot of making up to do.
The door to the regent’s chambers was locked. Tovin did not expect that—he had one hand on the knob and walked right into the oaken door. A snicker esca
