Duty Bound

  “A butler and another maid. An armory, yes,” Zenia said. “That’s exactly what it seemed like with weapons in racks next to practice dummies and boxes of cleaning kits. I looked in his office, too. I wasn’t able to really read through the… vision. It’s hard to explain exactly what the dragon tear shows me. I did, however, see that there was a green- and blue-colored map on the desk. It looked like his newly acquired land.”

  “Land we should definitely visit.” Jev nodded to himself, glad he’d grabbed his pistol and short sword on the way out of the castle. He’d noticed that Zenia had also donned her weapons belt before leaving, an unremarkable pistol in the holster. He still mused on getting her a new one, an exquisitely forged one with hand-carved ivory inlays. “Let’s grab a few supplies and stop by the elven embassy on the way out of town. I want to see if Lornysh has recovered from his injuries enough to join us. He has a magical sword.”

  “Are you expecting to run into trouble out on that land?” Rhi leaned forward, thumping her bo on the sidewalk.

  “Crocodiles, at the least.”

  “I’ll be disappointed if all we run into are crocodiles,” Rhi said.

  Jev thought of the water golem he and Lornysh had battled. “I won’t.”

  13

  Zenia shifted her weight in her saddle, alternating between eyeing the noon sun in the sky and the mangroves to the side of the highway. They were the mangroves where she and Jev had tangled with Iridium’s men that first night they’d met. Unfortunately, the land they needed to visit today was on the far side of the river, so it was a longer trek from the city. They were almost even with it, but they had to ride another three miles inland, cross the Rapids Bridge, and then travel back downriver on the other side before they would reach Tildar’s swath of swamp.

  The group had discussed borrowing a boat in the king’s name, but it would have taken a lot of effort to paddle it upriver against the current for miles, making it slower than riding. Still, Zenia worried they would end up riding back in the dark again by the time they explored the land and returned on horseback. After her last experience, she felt gun-shy about being out on the highway at night.

  “Rhi?” Jev called, trotting up from behind. “Will you switch positions with me?”

  He had ridden behind them and beside Lornysh for the first five miles of the trek.

  “Are you going to discuss flower preferences with Zenia?” Rhi slowed her horse, though, judging by her glance backward, she wasn’t sure she wanted to ride alongside Lornysh.

  Zenia still didn’t know the taciturn elf well and wouldn’t know what to say to him either. He appeared more flint-faced than usual, perhaps because of the injury Jev had mentioned. Whatever it was, his clothing hid it.

  “Most definitely,” Jev said. “I’m eager to learn if she prefers pink flowers to purple ones.”

  “Would your colorblind eyes know the difference?” Rhi smirked at him.

  “Yes, pink flowers are what I’m more likely to shove up the nose of a sarcastic junior agent.”

  “So long as they smell good.”

  Zenia looked at Jev as he brought his horse alongside hers and Rhi fell farther back. She knew he had heavier matters than flower preferences in mind.

  “I was wondering how you’re doing with the new dragon tear,” he said.

  Ah. Zenia would rather have discussed flowers. She remembered the way Jev and Rhi had gawked at her when she’d relayed all that information about the maid’s sexual interests.

  “It’s eager to please and sometimes gives me more than I intended to get from people’s minds,” she explained again.

  “Guess I better watch what I think about around you then.” Jev smiled, but his eyes seem worried.

  “I don’t pry into your thoughts.” She guessed he didn’t like the idea of having his privacy invaded. Who would? “Or the thoughts of any friends.” Not intentionally. It was possible the dragon tear would act on some subconscious desire of hers and share something a friend was thinking. After all, Zenia hadn’t meant to poke into Naysha’s mind.

  “That’s good. Anything else troubling you? Besides the mission?”

  Zenia wondered if he’d caught her staring moodily into her porridge and not eating that morning. He was, she reminded herself, more observant and perceptive than the average man.

  Should she tell him about her nightmares? He wouldn’t be able to do anything about them, and he might worry. She didn’t like that Cutter had thought she shouldn’t keep this particular dragon tear. Jev hadn’t voiced a similar objection, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he silently agreed. She could envision him putting her safety above the benefits the powerful gem gave them.

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” Zenia said, not wanting to outright lie to him.

  “Ah, so that’s a yes.” His tone was light, but he watched her intently. And yes, there was concern in his eyes.

  She sensed he wouldn’t let the matter drop easily. “I’ve been having some weird dreams. Variations of the same dream. It’s possible it has nothing to do with the dragon tear. Minds are odd.”

  “They’re not dreams about me naked, are they?”

  “No,” Zenia said. Judging by his smirk, it was a joke, but she wondered what had made him think that. “Why, are you having dreams about me naked?”

  His smirk faltered before he firmly reaffixed it. “I refuse to answer that question while you’re wearing that gem.”

  Dear founders, did that mean he was?

  “What are your dreams about?” he asked, and she sensed he wanted to turn the conversation quickly back to her.

  A little buzz of warmth came from the dragon tear along with what felt like a question. Was it wondering if she wanted it to poke into his thoughts?

  No, she thought at it with emphasis.

  “You don’t have to tell me,” he added when she didn’t answer right away. “I just want you to know you can if you want to.”

  “Thank you. I’ll remember that. I would rather focus on our investigation right now. They’re just dreams. Not a big deal.”

  “Hm.”

  They had reached the Rapids Bridge and guided their horses off the highway and across it. Another well-tended road continued on the far side. Zenia knew it paralleled the coast, a few miles inland, all the way to the border, but she had only traveled about ten miles down it before. Sometimes, she felt her life and her realm of expertise were tiny, since she’d so rarely left the city and had never traveled overseas. Her career had never required it. It had been novel when she’d traveled with Jev to Nhole Castle.

  After they had traveled a half mile, Jev pointed to a dirt road, one far less traveled than the main one. It headed back downriver. “That’s our turnoff, right? The only way to get to that land, I think, unless you want to go around it and to the coast.”

  “That’s it.” The area around the turnoff was clear of trees and occupied by farmhouses with lettuce, gort, and radishes already coming up in the fields behind them. But farther downriver, the dark shadows of mangroves and swamplands darkened the horizon. “I’m glad we’re visiting in the middle of the day.”

  Realizing that made her sound like a scared girl, she chuckled and waved a hand as if it had just been a joke.

  But Jev said, “Me too,” with feeling.

  She looked at him.

  “If there are crocodiles waiting, I want to be able to see them.”

  “Of course.” Zenia turned her horse down the dirt road, glancing back to check on Rhi and Lornysh. They were still following but not riding together.

  That made Zenia feel a little sad even though she didn’t think Rhi was deliberately ostracizing the elf. She probably didn’t know what to say to him. Still, Zenia decided she would talk to him later and try to get to know him. Even a standoffish elf had to feel lonely from time to time, and Jev had said the other elves in the embassy tower had left.

  “Hells,” Jev grumbled.

  Zenia turned her attention back to the front in tim
e to see the tail end of a crocodile as it waddled across the dirt road and disappeared into a canal alongside. “Maybe Tildar bought the land so he can start a crocodile farm.”

  “If such a thing exists in the world, I don’t want to know about it.”

  “It can’t be much different from owning a farm full of cows. Didn’t I see some of those on your land when I visited?” Visited, such a polite way to say she had been there to arrest him.

  “We milk the cows. And they don’t try to eat us while we do it.”

  “Perhaps some farmers like more of a challenge.”

  “When I was growing up, we did have a cow that licked my face and nibbled on my hat while I was milking her. It made matters moderately challenging.”

  Zenia was amused that Jev had actually milked a cow himself. She supposed his father wasn’t the kind to shirk work or pawn it all off on the staff. The old man must have deliberately raised his sons to be the same. Even if she didn’t care for Heber Dharrow, she did like the result of his influence in Jev.

  As the road took them into the mangroves, it grew much darker, the canopy overhead blotting out the sky. The air smelled damper and earthier. Almost immediately, the road, which had been wide enough for them to ride side-by-side, dwindled and turned into a path overrun by thorny vines and tree branches that clawed at their clothing.

  Croaking frogs competed with cawing birds, and occasional splashes sounded in stagnant water to the sides of the path. As many crocodiles floated in the murky pools as logs. A huge snake hissed from a tree branch as they rode under it.

  Though Jev couldn’t be pleased about all the predatory wildlife, he took the lead. Rhi and Lornysh closed the gap, and soon, Zenia could hear the breathing of Rhi’s horse right behind hers. It sounded hot and tired—or maybe afraid.

  What Zenia had thought was a root in the path moved, shooting into the undergrowth. Her horse shied to the side, almost stepping in the water.

  “It may be unwise to take the animals into this,” Lornysh announced from the rear.

  Jev stopped his horse and looked over their little group.

  “They may not be able to travel into the swamp if the path ends or grows too muddy,” Lornysh added. “If we’re forced to leave them, they’ll be targets for the predators in here.”

  “How much farther is it to Tildar’s property?” Jev asked Zenia.

  “Still more than a mile to the closest boundary, and then it spans miles in all directions.”

  “Hm, all right. Dismount, and I’ll take the horses back to one of those farmhouses. If I toss my name out, they should be willing to watch them while we’re in here. We’re not that far from Dharrow land.”

  “Are you sure you’re not just looking for an excuse to escape the crocodiles?” Zenia slid off her horse, careful not to step in the water. The path had definitely gotten narrow. Narrow and muddy. Her boots squished when she landed.

  Jev winked as he took her reins. “If I don’t come back within twenty minutes, feel free to go on without me.”

  “I’d pine away with loneliness without your company.” Zenia removed the travel pack she’d gone back to collect before they’d left town, then relinquished her horse.

  “Lornysh can keep you entertained if Rhi isn’t up to it. He’s quite charming to the ladies.”

  Rhi snorted. “Please, I could feel him glaring at me with his icy eyes all the way out here.”

  “Elven ladies find his glares charming. He’s teaching human ladies to feel the same way. He likes a challenge.”

  Lornysh gave Jev a harder look than any of the crocodiles had.

  Jev patted him on the shoulder before taking his and Rhi’s reins. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t go far without me.”

  Jev rode off with the other horses trailing him. He wasn’t able to keep hold of their reins since they had to go single-file, but the horses were content to follow each other. Eager, in fact. One kept trying to gallop and pass Jev. Zenia couldn’t blame them for wanting to leave the dark swamp.

  “I will go ahead to scout,” Lornysh announced.

  Without waiting for comment, he jogged down the path deeper into the swamp.

  “Did we miss the part where he charmed us?” Rhi asked.

  “Possibly.”

  Rhi peered into the trees to either side of the path. A snake slithered along a nearby branch, flicking its tongue as its eyes focused on them.

  “Some men wouldn’t leave women alone in snake-infested swamps,” Rhi said.

  “Yes, but your stick is bigger than theirs. They must assume you can handle yourself.”

  Rhi grinned and patted her bo. “It is a big stick.” She eyed the snake. “And I’m just as adept at whacking reptiles as I am criminals.”

  “You have experience doing that?”

  “I grew up in the stinky armpit of the Earth quarter. I’ve whacked everything.”

  Zenia smiled, alternating between looking up and down the path and out into the murky pools of water between the trees. Lornysh had already disappeared from sight.

  “Is the hayloft working out for you?” Zenia asked.

  “Yes, but it’s lonely. Some workers have been rebuilding the farmhouse during the day, but all the old tenants moved out. I’m envious of your room in the castle. You’ve got staff awake to chat with any time. A hunky zyndar just down the hall if you get cold and need someone to snuggle with.”

  Zenia ignored that, having already informed Rhi of their lack of snuggling, and said, “Do you miss the temple?”

  “Not Miss Snooty Marlyna. Or Sazshen either. But the other monks, yes. I passed Bondokk at the market the other day, and he barely acknowledged me when I waved and called to him. We used to be sparring buddies. And then Makrus, who was with him, told me I should have turned in my bo when I left, that those are weapons for monks only. He’s an ass and always has been, but Bondokk nodded in agreement with him. That stung.”

  “I’m sorry. Your association with me has probably resulted in you being ostracized too.”

  “Maybe some, but I think my deciding to leave got them frosty with me too. It’s a big deal to be accepted into the monk ranks, especially for a woman. I knew some people would be disappointed if I walked away from that, but I didn’t realize… I don’t know. It’s like I denounced the founders and decided to start a new religion. You’d think I was some evil blasphemer.”

  The snake slithered closer on the branch, revealing its fangs and preparing for an attack.

  Zenia reached for her pistol, but Rhi acted first. She whacked the thing flat on the head. It reared up like a horse and snapped at her bo, catching the side. It was enough for the snake’s fangs to sink in.

  Rhi growled and whipped the bo hard in the opposite direction. The snake’s body was coiled tightly around the tree, but Rhi’s swing was hard enough to snap the branch. It and the snake whipped across the path, pulled by the bo, and Zenia jumped back, lest she be whacked in the face. The snake lost its grip on the bo as it and the branch flew across a nearby pool of water before splashing down. Rhi sniffed and set the butt of her weapon down. In the water, the snake extricated itself from the branch and slithered away.

  “I, for one, am glad you kept your bo,” Zenia said.

  Rhi winked. “Me too.”

  “It’s a good thing you took care of that snake before I returned,” Jev drawled, ambling up the path toward them. “I’m afraid I might not have convinced it to leave in as swift and manly a manner.”

  “Manly?” Rhi lifted her eyebrows.

  “At the least, you displayed great strength.”

  “I won’t argue with that, but it was most assuredly feminine strength.”

  “But your stick is still larger than mine, right?” Jev asked.

  “Oh, absolutely.”

  “Lornysh scouting?” Jev asked.

  “How did you know?” Zenia asked.

  “It’s what he does. Also, I believe it pains him to have to engage in a conversation with a human for more than t
hree minutes.” Jev waved for them to lead the way down the path. Actually, he waved for Rhi to lead. With her big stick.

  Rhi lifted her chin and went first without complaint. If anything, she appeared pleased to be asked.

  “Why is he loitering in Korvann if he doesn’t like humans?” she asked over her shoulder.

  “I haven’t gotten the answer to that question out of him yet,” Jev said, “other than that he’s enjoying the city’s cultural offerings.”

  “So, he doesn’t like talking to humans, but he likes human things?”

  “I think he prefers to study humans from a distance. Like a scientist peering into a petri dish.”

  “What did he do in the army?” Zenia asked as they continued deeper into the marsh, the occasional hoots, chirps, and splashes of wildlife punctuating their conversation. “He worked in your company, didn’t he?”

  “He was a scout. Occasionally an assassin.”

  “An assassin of elves?” Zenia glanced over her shoulder at Jev—he had taken up the rear and was carefully watching their surroundings as they walked.

  “Yes. I never asked him to go on such missions, but the king found out he was willing and had no qualms about using him.”

  Zenia remembered the words Lornysh and the elven princess had exchanged at Dharrow Castle, about how he’d made choices to go against his own kind.

  She was about to ask why Lornysh had turned on his people, but he appeared again on the path ahead of them. She tensed, worried he had found some trouble. But he jogged toward them with the same easy lope he’d used before.

  “Find something?” Jev asked.

  “Something that may be of interest, yes. I’ll show you.” Lornysh didn’t slow his pace as he turned and led off again, and Zenia had to run to keep up.

  She wished she’d worn something less frilly than a dress today—and with more chest support. When they’d left to investigate the townhouse, she hadn’t envisioned it leading to runs through swamps. Maybe she would start dressing in trousers and tunics. There wasn’t a uniform for the Crown Agents, so presumably whatever was practical was permitted. Maybe if she wore a tunic, Brokko would leer at her chest less often.