by C. J. Archer
At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. Many Mullians wouldn't, but Lyle was a good man, albeit a little slow. He bristled, however, as Max drew up alongside us.
"Evening, Miss Meg," Max said.
Meg turned her head to the side, hiding the birthmark from him. "Evening, Sergeant Max," she muttered into her chin.
"Just Max," he told her.
"And I'm just Meg." She sounded like she was smiling.
Lyle frowned at her then glared at Max. "Who're you?"
"Sergeant Max of the royal guards," Max said, straightening. "And you are?"
"Lyle Diver."
"Meg's brother," I added, and was gratified to see Max relax.
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Diver," he said.
Lyle crossed his arms and his frown deepened. He looked as if he was about to interrogate the sergeant, which was my cue to steer him away and leave Max and Meg alone. Lyle complied willingly enough, but unfortunately Meg followed us after a hasty goodbye to Max.
I sighed. If she didn't start believing she was worthy, he would think her uninterested when I knew her to be the opposite.
"Why was he escorting you home?" Meg asked when Lyle left us outside my door.
"I got swept up into the march. Don't look so worried. It was peaceful."
"For now. Next time, it might be different. Next time, their numbers could be more, or they might be more inclined to violence."
"I can't imagine they'll become violent. These are people we've known all our lives, Meg. A handful of them should be avoided, but most of the protestors I saw tonight are just ordinary men, not bad people."
"I hope you're right. I really do, but I'm not so sure."
I wanted to visit Marnie the following morning, to check on her and the baby, but was reluctant to head into The Row alone. I walked to the market instead, dodging puddles and the worst of the mud. The previous night's rain had brought an end to the oppressive heat and today was clear and a little cooler. I wasn't buying anything at the market. I merely wanted to gauge the temperature of the village. It seemed I wasn't the only one with that idea. Two guards watched on from horseback.
I was about to head home when Dane joined them. He spotted me and approached. Dark shadows smudged the skin beneath his eyes and bristles shadowed his jaw.
"You haven't been back to the palace all night, have you?" I said.
"Good morning to you too." He checked the vicinity then dismounted.
"But it rained last night."
"Very observant of you."
I gave him a withering glare.
"Speaking of last night," he went on, "why were you in the march?"
I sighed. "Straight to the lecture, I see."
"It's a question, not a lecture."
I sighed again. "I was on my way home when I met Ingrid Swinson and her family coming to join the protestors. Ingrid sort of swept me along with them."
He cocked his head to the side as if he hadn't heard me properly. "You were on your way home? At night? Josie, you promised you'd be careful." His voice was surprisingly gentle.
"I am being careful, but babies don't keep regular hours."
He huffed out a breath. "Next time, go straight home. Don't get inquisitive and allow yourself to be swept into a crowd like that one."
He knew me too well already. I had been perfectly capable of leaving Ingrid's side, but my curiosity got the better of me. "You think there'll be a next time?"
"I'm almost certain of it, but hopefully not for a while. Most of the crowd didn't seem interested once we showed up, but we can't always be here, and they might be angrier next time."
"The sheriff needs to put on more men," I said.
"He's been told as much."
I waited for him to tell me more, perhaps that the sheriff was hiring, but he said nothing. "You could always send for the warrior priests in Tilting," I said.
His gaze sharpened. "Warrior priests? There are such a thing?"
"A collection of about fifty or so, all elite fighters, all dedicated to the god, Merdu. They're known as Merdu's Guards and live at a fortified temple in Tilting. They'll fight for the king if called upon, but they'll put the god before the king if it came to a choice."
"Good to know."
"Hopefully the instigators will calm down now. I told Ivor Morgrain that Barborough works for Vytill not Glancia. I doubt they'll listen to him anymore. And before you lecture me," I cut in when he opened his mouth to speak, "I didn't approach Ivor with the intention of informing him. He approached me and I merely saw the opportunity to pass on the knowledge."
"I'm not going to lecture you. I'm going to thank you."
"Oh. Good." I stroked the horse's neck, my hand close to Dane's. His gaze tracked it. "Will you remain in the village long?"
He touched my wrist where the bruise Ivor had caused the day before darkened the skin. "What happened?" he asked.
"It's nothing." I lowered my arm and clasped my hands in front of me. "I knocked it on the table when I was making some medicines."
He gently took my hand and turned it over, palm up, revealing the bruise on the underside of my wrist. He caressed it with his thumb, lightly stroking the blue-black patch, and then lifted it. I thought he was going to kiss it but he suddenly let go.
"You should be more careful," was all he said.
I folded my arms and willed my nerves to calm. "Are you returning to the palace?" I asked. "Because you should get some sleep. You look tired."
"Now who's lecturing?" he said with a crooked smile.
"It's a question, not a lecture," I said, echoing his earlier words.
"I suppose I deserved that. I will return to the palace when Max brings men for the next shift."
"Can you spare a man for a while? I want an escort into The Row to check on a newborn and his mother."
"You went into The Row last night?"
I arched my brows.
"Fine, no lectures," he muttered, "but I wish to express my unease at you entering The Row alone."
"I had an escort. He's well known there and is quite fearless." I didn't tell him my escort had been an eight year-old.
"I'll take you." He put out his hand then quickly withdrew it, balling it into a fist at his side. It wasn't until we walked off, leading his horse, that I realized he'd been about to help me up into the saddle but had thought better of it. I was relieved. It would have been excruciating on my nerves to be that close to him again. I did not want him to know how he affected me.
Dane spoke to one of his men then we walked to The Row. It quickly became obvious that Dane was a novelty in the slum. Whores emerged from behind frayed curtains that shielded their beds from passersby, and their whoremasters stepped forward with threatening glares, prepared to protect their territory if necessary. The children playing in the gutters were far more interested in Dane's horse than us. A cluster followed us all the way to Dora's street.
Remy greeted me but he also only had eyes for the horse. Marnie's two children weren't quite as awestruck, probably because they'd seen horses on their journey to Mull.
"Where does your patient live?" Dane asked, looking around at the hovels.
"Through there." I pointed at the hole in the wall.
"That's a hole, not a door."
"Actually it's a doorway."
"I don't think it's wise for you to go in. I can't follow you."
It was true, I realized. He was too big. "The families of these children live inside. No one else. I'll be quite safe."
I'd probably be safer in there than outside. A small crowd had followed us, many of them children, but there were several men and not all of them looked half-starved like Marnie's husband. These were the so-called protectors of The Row, the whoremasters and gang members who made sure the sheriff's men felt unwelcome. They were the law in this neighborhood, and they would not like a palace guard on their territory. I shouldn't have brought Dane. He was in more danger here than me.
"Perhaps we should
go," I said.
"Check on your patient first. I'll wait here."
I climbed through the hole and glanced back from the other side. Dane stood facing the lane, his hand resting on his sword hilt. He spoke quietly to the children, encouraging them to pat the horse's nose, but he did not take his gaze off the mouth of the lane and the small, mean crowd gathered there. I resolved to be quick.
Marnie and her baby were fine. She assured me she had eaten because Dora made her. Their water was fresh and the air didn't seem quite so oppressive today. With the baby born, Marnie's hips and back had dramatically improved and she was able to stand and walk, although she was weak. She promised to walk a little outside for sunlight and exercise as soon as she was strong enough.
I returned through the hole to see Dane talking to Marnie's husband while several children patted his horse. One of Marnie's children even sat on the saddle while her father held her. He chatted quietly to Dane. Upon seeing me, he lifted the child off and greeted me with a smile.
"I told him the sheriff was looking for new recruits to train," Dane said as we left.
"You think the sheriff will employ someone from outside of Mull?" I asked. "Someone not even from Glancia?"
"He has been encouraged to do so, since a lot of the trouble is coming from Vytill men who've come here without their families. Having Vytillians in a position of authority might settle them, make them feel accepted. Whether the sheriff heeds that advice is up to him."
"Sheriff Neerim is a sensible man."
"So I've been told, but I hear the governor is not."
"True, and the governor has the power to overrule the sheriff," I said, in case he wasn't aware.
He seemed to already know, however. He must have researched the local administrative structure of the kingdom.
By the time we returned to the market, Max and the new guards had arrived to relieve the others, including Dane. They exchanged some words then Dane walked me home. He did not insist on the escort but I didn't ask him to leave either. I was hopeful for another quiet moment together, perhaps even another kiss.
My hopes were soon dashed. He gave no sign that he thought of me as anything other than a friend, and I was too cowardly to grasp his face with both hands and plant a kiss on his lips.
He made sure I was safely inside before leaving. I watched him go then went to shut the door but opened it wide again as Meg emerged from her house opposite. She also watched Dane ride off and waited until he was out of sight before joining me.
"What was he doing here?" she asked with a mischievous smile.
"Nothing at all," I said on a sigh.
"You like him, don't you?"
I just looked at her.
"Then you should let him know how you feel," she said.
"How?"
"Kiss him."
"We have kissed. It didn't end well."
She stared at me, her jaw slack. "When?"
"Three days ago."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"Sorry," I said wryly. "I've been trying to forget about it. He made it clear he's not interested in me in that way."
She gazed up the street again in the direction he'd gone. "Are you quite sure? I consider myself an expert at matchmaking, and I think he does like you in that way."
I gripped her shoulders and made sure she looked me in the eyes. "If you're an expert matchmaker, you'd go to the market right now," I said, eager to change the topic.
"Why?"
"Max is there."
"I have no need to go," she said, pulling free.
"You could invent a reason."
She clicked her tongue. "You're being childish, Josie."
I grinned.
"Wipe that foolish smile off your face. You look ridiculous." She marched back to her side of the street and slammed the door.
I took a small bottle of cough medicine over to Meg's house in the early afternoon as a peace offering. She accepted it on the condition I never mention Max's name to her again. I promised and returned home to find a note had been slipped under my door. It was from Lord Barborough, demanding my presence at the palace.
A meeting with him was inevitable, and I was glad the time had finally arrived. Ever since discussing the false information to feed him with Dane, I'd wanted to bring the situation to a head. I wanted to learn what he knew about the sorcerer.
I immediately left for the palace, hitching a ride on the back of a wagon taking freshly caught crayfish and oysters to the palace kitchens. I stank when I arrived and asked one of the kitchen servants waiting for the delivery where I could wash. He directed me to the central fountain in the commons' courtyard.
Other palace servants washed there too, some lingering to chat. I expected them to stop when I approached, but they didn't seem to mind if I overheard them. Some of the maids even nodded at me in greeting and another loaned me a small bottle of rosewater to scent my hands.
With the stink of seafood reduced, I went in search of a footman to pass on a message to Lord Barborough that I had arrived. But the first footman I found heading to the palace along the breezeway between the commons and the pavilion was Seb.
As with the other times I'd seen him, he eyed me thoroughly, as if inspecting a vegetable in the market. The tip of his tongue poked through his pressed lips like a pink, slimy creature emerging from a burrow. The skin on the back of my neck prickled, even after he'd disappeared into the palace.
"Stay away from that one," said a maid heading in the opposite direction, a yellow silk gown over her arm. "He's taken a liking to you, I can tell, and that ain't a good thing."
"Why do you say that?" It was possible the maids knew something and hadn't gone to Dane with the information. Sometimes women who'd been violated didn't want to talk to a man about it.
"It's just a feeling I get," she said. "But it ain't me who has to be careful around him."
"Why not? Who should be careful?"
"You pretty ones."
"Has he done something to one of the maids? Hurt any of them?"
"He's pinched more than one arse, but I think he won't stop at that. One day, a fiddle won't be enough for him. He'll want more, and no one's willing to give it to him because he's slime. But like I said, I'm too old and fat for Seb. It's you young ones who should watch out."
"I think everyone should be careful of him," I said. "Men like Seb will take the opportunity if it arises."
She nodded at my warning and continued on toward the commons. I hailed a passing footman and asked him to find Lord Barborough. It was a long time before he returned and informed me that Barborough would meet me in the same enclosed garden as our first meeting.
I felt conspicuous as I followed the northern wing's walls past the garrison and prison entrance. Two guards greeted me as they exited the garrison, and I asked them to inform Dane of my visit when they saw him. I rounded the practice yard at the very end of the palace, where another two guards sparred with swords, and made my way along the path between the garden sections. It was a quiet part of the formal gardens, with most nobles preferring to wander in the center between the palace entrance and Lake Grand where they could be seen. Those I did pass eyed me with suspicion, no doubt wondering why a woman dressed like a villager was in their domain.
Would any of them inform Lady Deerhorn of my presence? Would she inform the king? Despite telling her I didn't care if she did, I no longer felt indifferent. Lady Deerhorn and her family would make powerful enemies, and I feared I'd already set Lord Xavier against me by refusing to spy on the duke of Gladstow for him.
Lord Barborough sat on the stone bench in the enclosed garden, his legs crossed and his right arm lying limply in his lap. He neither rose nor smiled upon seeing me, merely inviting me to sit beside him. I did, ensuring there was space between us.
"I don't know why you're afraid of me, Josie. I can't do anything to you with this pathetic arm." He nudged it with his good hand. "You're more likely to overpower me." It was said too smugly for it
to be entirely true. Either he was stronger than he looked, and knew it, or he'd stashed a weapon somewhere on his person.
"I'm naturally cautious," I said. "Particularly these days. Just last night there was trouble in the village."
"So I heard. I'm sure a careful girl like you kept away."
"No, sir, I did not," I said, all innocence. "But the palace guards intervened so nothing came of the march, thank Hailia. I don't know how they knew about it."
"Spies in the enemy camp?"
"I suppose, but I don't know about these things."
"Of course you wouldn't." He seemed to have bought my simple village girl act. This was one man I didn't want knowing that I was aware of his spying activities. The Deerhorns were not nearly as dangerous as a Vytill lord, a man almost beyond the reach of Glancian laws.
"You know why I've asked you here, don't you?" he said.
"I do."
"And do you have something for me?"
"Yes, my lord." I told him the story Dane and I concocted about a palace maid I'd befriended who claimed she came from Freedland originally and had heard about employment at the palace from a friend in Tilting. "She came here immediately and started straight away," I finished.
He gave no indication whether he believed me or not. He simply sat there, his thumb stroking the dead hand in his lap. "How did her friend learn of the position?" he finally asked.
"I don't know."
"When she arrived here, how many other staff were already working?"
"I don't know."
"Did you ask her if she has spoken to any other servants about their pasts?"
"No, sir."
He huffed out a breath. "Why not?"
I shrugged. "I didn't think to ask, sir."
"Merdu, I thought you cleverer than that." He continued stroking his thumb along the back of his limp hand. "Why did she leave Freedland in the first place?"
That was an innocent enough question for me to give an innocent answer to. "Freedland is poor, my lord."
"I know that," he snapped.
"The mine where her father worked let some workers go so her family came to Glancia for a better life."
"Glancia has been far too lax with its borders, although I'm sure that will change, given the recent problems."
