Twenty-Three: Threats

Winter brings worsening news from Bearns. Despite Kettricken’s sacrifices—first her opals, then Verity’s emeralds—communications falter and coastal footholds strengthen. Regal withholds meaningful aid while funding entertainments and gifts inland. Rumors swirl that stock and grain are sent away or sold under the guise of defense.

Burrich returns to Buckkeep to find the stables and breeding stock depleted, grieving the loss of his life’s work. He numbs his pain with brandy but remains lucid enough to plan. After discussing the situation with Fitz, Burrich chooses duty over rest, splinting his wounded leg and vowing to guard Kettricken’s door, convinced her pregnancy will provoke attempts on her life.

Fitz informs Kettricken, who accepts Burrich’s guard with grim resolve. Returning to his chambers, Fitz catches Serene and Justin emerging from his room. He confronts them; they taunt him as a “beast-man,” revealing their knowledge of his Wit, while Fitz discerns their guilty disloyalty. Inside, he finds subtle signs of a targeted search and meticulously checks for poisons, concluding Regal suspects secret passages and that his room is compromised.

Seeking respite, Fitz tries to go to town but is denied passage by the watch under undisclosed orders. At the gate, Molly arrives terrified: two mounted men chased and pinned her, rifled her basket, and threatened to expose and hang her as the Bastard’s accomplice if she aids him. Fitz, fearing further harm to her, insists they keep apart to deflect danger, provoking her anger and heartbreak.

The chapter closes with Fitz isolated—watched within Buckkeep, enemies probing his quarters, and forced to distance himself from Molly—while Burrich stands sentinel over Kettricken, signaling open readiness for the conflict to come.