“Who is it we’re looking for?” she asked him.
“His name is Rushlin.” He looked around expectantly. “We’ll have to find somewhere to spend the night.”
“Can’t we just do this ourselves?”
“Go after Arling? No, we can’t.”
She glared at him. “I don’t like the idea of waiting. Anything could happen to her while we’re sitting around.”
“I realize that. But both locks and wards likely protect the place where she’s being held. We need someone who either knows or can find out what we’re up against.”
She took a deep breath. “Rushlin?”
He nodded. “It’s what he does. We’ll come back in the morning and put him to work. He’ll know better than you or I what’s needed to reach Arling and bring her out safely. Come along.”
Taking her arm in the way a husband might his wife’s, he maneuvered them back out into the crowds milling about the streets, but in a more forceful and direct manner so that others were quick to step aside.
“What are you doing?” she snapped, trying to free herself.
“Appearances matter down here,” he replied, eyes darting left and right as he chose their path. “Our behavior determines the nature of our relationship. So stop struggling and laugh a bit. Just pretend.”
They worked their way up the street they were on, down one alleyway that connected to another and then on for several more blocks to an inn called Port Arms Redoubt, its sign decorated with a military crest that Aphen did not recognize.
“We stay here,” he told her, opening the door for them.
“We can do better,” she pointed out, looking around doubtfully.
“Much. But remember who we are supposed to be and how we should look to those around us. We are not people who can afford to do better or even care about where we stay. We just want to get into bed with each other.”
He squired her up to the innkeeper’s desk, requested a room in a decidedly salacious manner, patting her rump possessively as he did so. He signed the register with a flourish, gave the innkeeper a knowing wink, then wheeled Aphen away from the desk and practically dragged her up the stairs to the second floor.
When they were in their squalid little room with its single bed, its worn chest of drawers, and its rickety wooden chair, she gave him a look. “You enjoyed that.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her. “Maybe just a little. Look, I did what I felt I had to do in order to prevent the innkeeper from thinking we were anything other than a man and a woman out for a good time. There are dozens just like us passing through this fine establishment, so we fit right in. He will already have forgotten about us. We don’t want him talking about us while we’re here, and we don’t want him remembering us after we’re gone.”
She stared at him a moment. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you? You know all about it.”
He shrugged. “I know how to blend in. I know how to pretend to be something I’m not. I learned that when I was spying for the Home Guard. I was sent to the Southland cities to find things out, and I had to disguise who and what I really was from everyone around me. Sometimes for months.” He paused. “And, no, I haven’t done this before. Not this exactly. I was always on my own.”
She nodded quickly, chagrinned by her outburst. What was wrong with her? He brushed at his white-blond hair and watched her closely. “Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat?”
She stood where she was, studying him some more. “I know barely anything about you. We’ve been together for weeks, and I know next to nothing.”
He looked away. “You know what matters. You know why I’m here. Arling told you, didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want something to eat?” he repeated.
“No. I’m too tired to eat. I just want to sleep.”
He got up from the bed immediately. “Lie down. I’ll sleep on the floor.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t want you to do that. Stay in the bed with me. It’s cold in here.”
He lay back down and she scooted against him, arranging their cloaks to cover them both. She could feel his warmth through her clothing.
“That’s better,” she said. “Put your arms around me.”
He did so, saying nothing, but she could feel the tension in him. He didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands, so she put them where she wanted them. “Just hold me. I want to feel good about something. I’m tired of feeling wrung out and lost.”
They lay there for a long time without talking, allowing the warmth they generated to infuse and wrap them about. Aphen listened to his breathing, to the rustling he made with little changes in his position. She felt him pressed up against her from behind, and it gave her a sense of peace and well-being.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult,” she whispered into the darkness.
“Would you mind if I kissed you?” he asked.
“No.”
So he kissed her on the back of her head and then on the side of her face and then on the mouth before pulling back. “I would like it if you really were my wife,” he said.
She was on the verge of saying she didn’t think she would mind it, either, when she found herself remembering Bombax. She felt a sharp pang of guilt, or perhaps only sadness. Her promised, her partner, her lover—dead such a short time ago. It gave her pause. It suddenly felt strange to be thinking of Cymrian when she had just lost Bombax. Yet the Borderman was gone, and he was not coming back. And she had come to love her protector, perhaps as much as he loved her. She had kissed him fiercely when he had gone off to face Stoon and his mutants. She had been so afraid she would lose him, too.
Was there good reason to mourn Bombax any longer than she already had? How long was long enough?
“We could pretend to be husband and wife,” she said quietly. “Why don’t you kiss me some more?”
So he did as she asked. His kisses were slow and sweet and welcome, and she let them continue without pulling away.
Then she began kissing him back, and suddenly neither one could stop.
When she woke, he was turned away from her and she felt the cold that the separation had left between them. She took a moment to study him in the pale dawn light—the lines of his face and the strength in his features—before rising. She found herself captivated by what she saw, drawn to him with fresh need, warmed by memories of what they had shared. But last night was gone, and Arling needed them.
There was a basin on the chest of drawers, and she splashed some of the water it contained on her face to help wash away the sleep. She went to the dingy window and looked out and wondered when her life would ever become something she valued again.
They ate breakfast on the street from a food cart and walked back to the shop they had visited the night before. It was still early, but neither gave a thought to waiting just because Rushlin had been out late the night before. Finding Arling was far too important for delays, and they had already lost the better part of four days.
Cymrian knocked in the same sequence he had the previous night, and this time the door opened almost immediately.
“I knew it was you,” the man standing there announced. “I could smell you.”
He was young and smooth-shaven with dark hair and quick, anxious eyes that kept looking around as he waited for them to enter. He had a fox face, sharp-featured and narrow, all planes and angles. For someone who had been out and about for most of the night, he was surprisingly alert and rested looking.
“We came looking for you last night,” Cymrian admitted.
“I was working,” the other replied. “Come in and sit. I’ve made some tea.”
They went into a small sitting room with a work desk and some chairs and sat. Rushlin brought out a worn tea service and filled the cups. For a few moments they said nothing, enjoying the aroma and taste of the tea.
“A green tea,” Aphen ventured.
“Good guess. What
is it you think I can do for you?”
Cymrian told him, giving a full and careful description of the building they were looking for. “We need to get inside. But we can’t be caught going in or coming out.”
Rushlin whistled. “That’s Edinja Orle’s residence. Why don’t you just find a cliff and jump off and be done with it? Word is, no one who goes into that building uninvited ever comes out again.”
Aphen gave him a look. “My sister is in there.”
He shrugged and smiled. “Then you can be the exception that disproves the rule, I guess.” He glanced over at Cymrian. “Are you sure about this?”
“If you can point out the building and tell us a way to get inside. Or even if you can’t.”
Rushlin nodded, his features crinkling. “Like that, is it?” He gave them a conspiratorial grin. “Hope it doesn’t lead to tragedy. I’ll need today to find out what I can about possible ways to get you in. Getting out will be up to you.”
He stood, and they did the same. “Come back a few hours before nightfall. You won’t want to try entering that place until dark anyway. Find something to do. Take a carriage ride in Federation Square. Visit the museum of culture; that’s always good for a laugh. Go be a tourist. See the sights.”
He led them to the door and ushered them out. “But stay away from all things Edinja until you come back here. What you’re trying to do will require that you stay in one piece. At least going in.”
He closed the door with a small wave, leaving Aphen and Cymrian staring at each other.
Seven
Arling Elessedil was wrapped in a warm cocoon of sheets and blankets and near darkness, and it took her a long time to decide that she needed to open her eyes and look around—and that was only after what felt to be an endless sleep. She experimented first with moving her fingers and toes, arms and legs, and finally her head from right to left before taking the plunge. She could feel small twinges in her body—especially her back—from injuries she knew she had suffered when the Wend-A-Way had exploded into flames and fallen into Drey Wood. But she could also tell that her wounds had been treated and were healing beneath the bandages wrapped about her body.
When her eyes overcame gravity and drowsiness sufficiently for her to open them, she found herself in a beautifully furnished bedroom with drapes pulled tightly across the windows to keep out the light. The stone-block walls were whitewashed and layered with colorful tapestries and large paintings. Everything was very quiet—so quiet she could hear the sound of her own breathing. She lay motionless and expectant, cautious in this strange place, using her senses to see if she could detect another’s presence while taking everything in with slow, methodical care.
But she was alone.
She thought back to the crash that led to this moment, remembering the explosion, the flames, the feeling of the ship tumbling earthward, and the terrible certainty that she was going to die. She remembered seeing Aphen clinging to the back railing where she had fallen away after using her magic against the Federation warship. She remembered Cymrian close to her.
After that, it was all a collection of snippets and glimpses. She remembered nothing of the actual crash. What she recalled next was the sound of Aphen’s voice and the feeling of sharp pain as objects were removed from her body and wounds were closed. She was weak and disoriented, and she couldn’t tell if she was dying or not. She went in and out of deep slumber and a dark interior seclusion, where she hid and waited for a reason to emerge. Two pairs of boots came and went, worn by people whose voices she heard but whose faces she did not see. Hands lifted her and she was placed in a wagon that bore her away, wheels creaking and traces jingling.
Then she was in darkness aboard an airship; she remembered the rocking motion and the sounds and smells of the wood and iron. People came and went, but no one spoke to her or touched her. She was alone then for what seemed on reflection to have been a very long time.
Now she was here, in this bedroom, and she had no recollection at all of how she had gotten here, how much time had passed, or even where she was.
She wondered what had become of Aphen and Cymrian. Why weren’t they there with her? Or were they, and she simply hadn’t realized it? But that didn’t feel right. Too many other things had happened where they were not present. She had become separated from them, and she needed to find out why.
Abruptly, she remembered the silver seed the Ellcrys had given her to carry to the Bloodfire. She had concealed it in a leather pouch and strapped the pouch under her cloak. She moved her hands over her damaged body. She was no longer wearing the clothes she had been traveling in when the Wend-A-Way had crashed. She was wearing a nightgown of soft linen.
And the pouch with the precious seed was gone.
She couldn’t believe it. Even though she knew it made perfect sense that it would have been taken with her clothes, she couldn’t accept that it was gone. She searched herself frantically, hands feeling all through the bedcovers and over her body, desperate to find the missing seed.
She went still the instant the door latch released and the door swung open to admit a dark-cloaked figure backlit by the daylight that until now had been shut out of the room.
“Awake at last,” a woman said softly. “I’ve been worried about you. You’ve been asleep for five days.”
She let the door close behind her—as if perhaps she felt more comfortable in the dark—her slight form returning to the shadows. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Arling answered, forcing her hands to move slowly back to her sides. “A little sore.”
The woman stopped at the Elven girl’s bedside, looking down from inside the hood. “You suffered dozens of wounds, but they seem to have been treated by someone who knew what they were doing and are healing nicely. Do you know who treated you?”
Arling almost told her, but something stopped her. “No. I was unconscious. Where am I?”
“You are in my home.” The woman’s voice was warm and welcoming. She pulled back the hood of her cloak to reveal a beautiful, fine-featured face with startling eyes and silver hair. “You were found in Drey Wood by the captain and crew of one of our vessels and brought here. What happened?”
Arling hesitated. “I was in an airship crash. I don’t remember much after that. But there were people with me. What happened to them?”
“I don’t know. A man and woman brought you to where my airship was anchored and asked the captain if he would take you somewhere safe.”
A man and a woman. The shoes. She felt a chill go through her. “These people didn’t say if there was anyone else?”
The woman shook her head. “I don’t think they had much interest in anything but getting you off their hands. Peasants, from the sound of things. Would you like a drink of water?”
Without waiting for an answer, she moved over to a table set off to one side, poured water from a pitcher into a cup, and brought it back to the bed. Reaching behind Arling with one arm to brace her, she helped the girl into a sitting position and let her sip the water, careful not to give her too much or cause a spill.
Arling, for her part, was grateful for the water and for the time it took the woman to bring it over while she fought to get her shock under control. Was it possible that everyone else was dead? But wouldn’t this man and woman have discovered any bodies? Wouldn’t they have said something? Or would they have kept quiet because the less said the better?
“Who were you traveling with?” the woman asked, setting aside the water and seating herself next to Arling on the side of the bed. “Were they family or friends?”
Arling couldn’t help herself. “My sister.”
The woman shook her head in a gesture of regret. “Well, we must hope for the best. I will do what I can to find out what happened to her.” She rose abruptly. “It’s best if you sleep some more. Let me come back a little later and bring you some food. For now, just rest.”
“Wait!” Arling called out. “Did you take my clothes?”
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The woman gave her a sharp look. “Yes. I still have them.”
“Was there anything with them? My pack?”
“No. Just your clothes, and they are ruined. I’ve already thrown them out.”
She wheeled away and was at the door before Arling could say anything more, her dark form silhouetted against the light as she opened the door. “You should rest now.”
Arling gritted her teeth. Her sister and Cymrian were missing and maybe dead. The Ellcrys seed was gone. She was injured and miles from anyone she knew. It was then, for the first time, that it occurred to her she might not have been rescued, but captured by the very people the Wend-A-Way had been fleeing. She might not be a patient, but a prisoner.
“Who are you?” she called out to the woman.
“A friend,” the other replied, pausing in the open door. “Just go back to sleep.”
Arling started to get out of the bed. She needed to have a look outside her room; perhaps that would tell her something. Or maybe if she could have just a peek through one of the windows …
But almost immediately the woman was back at her bedside, gently pushing her down. Too weak to resist, Arling fell back again. She was surprised to find herself so listless. She seemed to have no strength at all. She looked up at the figure bending over her, and suddenly she was afraid. Something in the other’s eyes, in the sharp edges of her face, in the set of her mouth, warned her.
“Go to sleep,” the woman whispered.
Arling’s eyes were already beginning to close, and she could feel herself slipping away. The last thing she remembered thinking before she dropped off entirely—so quickly she seemed to fall asleep mid-thought—was that this woman was not to be trusted.
Edinja Orle walked out of the bedroom and down the hall a short distance before stopping to consider her impressions of Arling Elessedil. The girl was young, but she wasn’t stupid. Already she suspected things were not as they seemed; Edinja had seen it there at the end in her eyes, heard it in her voice. The gentle approach she had planned to use to unmask her secrets was not going to work. Time’s demands did not allow for it.