“I believe so, until hunger drives him to hunt.”
“Then we better get back soon. If he tracks us, that might be a bit harder to explain.”
She nodded.
“You confused the soldiers on the bridge, didn’t you?” asked Jarrett.
“Only a little. I tricked them to see only three of you. They won’t remember seeing me.”
“Can you do that all of the time?”
“If there aren’t many people. Four is stretching it. If they weren’t so disinterested to begin with, I wouldn’t have been able to succeed.”
Earon and Muzik returned with four men. “They’ll take the horses.”
“Where?” demanded Jarrett.
Earon gave him a frown, then pointed over his shoulder. Down a side alley, they could see the entrance to a stable. “There. You didn’t think you could take them inside, did you?”
Jarrett glared at him. “This better be legitimate, Runner,” he said as he swung out of the saddle.
Earon gave a vexed sigh, but didn’t answer. Kendrick and Tyla both dismounted. When one of the men took her reins, he gave her a quick once over, a smirk on his lips. Tyla narrowed her eyes and sent a thought into his head. He jerked away from her and the smile dried. Tyla gave him a smile of her own. Without a word, he took the horse and made a hasty retreat.
Earon motioned to the stairs. “After you, Your Highness.”
Tyla started to go, but Jarrett placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. His other hand was wrapped around the hilt of his sword. “You go first,” he commanded the runner. Again annoyance sparked in Earon’s eyes, but he swung into place and climbed the warped stairs of the brothel, striding across the porch and throwing open the door. He stepped inside and the others followed him.
The brothel was ostentatious inside. The furnishings were primarily red velvet, even the walls were papered with scallops of red velvet, and the floor was covered with throw-rugs of red wool. Paintings on the walls displayed women in various stances, wearing little clothing at all, and a large red sign over the door read “Welcome.”
Lounging in the chairs and lying across the sofas were women, many of them, dressed in equally revealing clothing. Tyla glanced around, feeling alarmed by the disarray. At a long bar at the far left of the room sat a handful of men, each being attended by more than one woman.
A woman on one of the sofas rose and sidled over to Earon, placing her arm around his neck and leaning into him. Earon looked at Tyla out of the corner of his eyes with a sheepish grin. “Can’t stay away for long, can you, Earon?” she said, nuzzling his cheek.
Earon laughed. “Well, you know me, Bonna?” he said and passed his arm around the woman’s waist.
She was an older woman, attractive although heavily made up. She pulled the runner forward with her as she surveyed the rest of the group. Kendrick had his head bowed and turned slightly away from the woman. She reached out and lifted his chin until their eyes met. “My, but you are a beauty,” she said with an intake of breath. Kendrick backed away from her into Muzik.
She reached past Kendrick and ran her hand down Muzik’s arm. “And you’re a big, strong man, aren’t you?”
Muzik smiled uncomfortably and he and Kendrick backed a step further away.
Jarrett couldn’t suppress a smile at his two companion’s discomfort. Bonna turned and ran her eyes across his body. She moved forward and looked up into his face, then glanced back at Kendrick.
“We’ve never had your kind in here before,” she said, almost purring. Then her eyes passed to Tyla and she whistled appreciatively. “I’ll bank my last cent that this house has never seen one like you either,” she remarked, reaching out to touch Tyla’s braid. Tyla neither backed away nor lowered her head. The woman looked her up and down. “You are absolutely gorgeous. Look at this hair, black as night and thick and wavy, and eyes greener than a meadow in spring.” She glanced over at Earon. “She’d bring a high price. We could all retire with this one.”
The women reclining on the sofas giggled and the men at the bar turned to look at Tyla. Tyla pulled her braid out of the woman’s hand and her eyes flashed, but Earon stepped forward to intervene. “She’s a lady, Bonna, a born and bred lady, and she’s never seen the inside of a brothel before.”
“A lady?” said Bonna, “Well, of course she is. We all are, aren’t we, girls?”
Another chorus of laughter rose in the room. Tyla glanced around again, then she fixed her eyes on Earon. “What is going on, Earon? You promised us...”
But Earon moved quickly and took her arm. “I’ve promised you a great many things,” he laughed, then turned to Bonna. “I promised her that we might have a private conference with Lago.”
Bonna’s eyes shifted between their faces. She pursed her lips in a pout. “Is that all you want, Earon, and here I was hoping for so much more.” She looked Tyla over again. “So, she’s to be a special commodity, an untouched commodity.” She emphasized the last loudly enough for the men at the bar to hear, but she narrowed her eyes deliberately on Tyla. Tyla took the warning for what it was and didn’t bristle at the comment. Instead she looked away as if she were ashamed to have been assessed so frankly.
“Times are difficult, especially in this siege,” said Earon. “I figure Lago will know how to go about marketing her.”
Bonna nodded slowly. “I’ll see if Lago wishes to do business with you. But while you wait, you look like you could use a meal and a bath. Get her cleaned up, Earon, or Lago might not think she’s as special as you do.”
“You have my word.”
“Which isn’t worth the spit you use to give it,” Bonna said, then turned to go. She paused beside one of the sofas and spoke to a young blond haired woman in a silk robe. “Ivy, show them to rooms and have a bath drawn for her. Serve them supper in their rooms also.”
The young woman rose reluctantly to her feet and without saying anything, motioned for them to follow. They shouldered their packs and followed her up a long, winding staircase. She showed them to their rooms, Kendrick and Muzik in one, Jarrett and Earon in another, and Tyla in one far down the hall.
As Ivy turned to go, Tyla faced the four men. “What’s going on?” she demanded of Earon.
“Bonna has to make contact with Lago. He isn’t here. Sometime in the middle of the night, we’ll be taken to him.”
Tyla’s eyes shifted to Jarrett. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”
Jarrett clenched his jaw, but didn’t answer. She could feel his thoughts and knew he agreed, but he was trying to keep the worry from her.
“We’ll stand guard outside your door,” offered Kendrick. “We can each take turns.”
“I’ll take first watch,” said Earon with a broad smile.
The three men glared at him.
“You’ll stay with me,” said Jarrett, narrowing his eyes.
Earon took a step back at the look, then schooled his features and forced a nonchalant shrug. “You’re really not my type.”
“Good,” snarled Jarrett. “Because you’re not mine.”
“I’ll take the first watch,” said Muzik. “Go inside and rest, Your Majesty.”
Tyla turned away and entered the room. It wasn’t what she expected. It was sparsely furnished, just a bed and a dressing stand. A small wooden tub was hidden behind a screen. The bed clothes were worn, but clean and Tyla took a seat on the edge, folding her hands in her lap.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door and Tyla looked up as Muzik poked his head inside. “The girls are here with some hot water,” he said, struggling not to add her title.
She nodded and watched as four women entered, carrying buckets of steaming water. They emptied them into the tub and the woman named Ivy handed Tyla a rough towel. “Enjoy,” she said, giving Tyla a once over. Tyla dropped her eyes because she knew it was expected of her, but it was hard. She wasn’t used to behaving meekly.
After they left, Muzik hovered in the doorway, l
ooking uncomfortable. Tyla forced a smile for him. “Are you all right, Your Majesty?” he asked.
She nodded. “This isn’t what I expected, Muzik.”
He frowned. “I would hope not, Your Majesty. This isn’t any sort of place for you to be.”
She shook her head with a laugh. “No, I meant Kazden. I wanted to come here. I wouldn’t agree to wait for you because I thought…” Her voice trailed away. It was one thing to admit to Jarrett what she’d hoped, it was another to tell Muzik.
“You thought what, Your Majesty?”
She lifted her chin and straightened her spine. “I thought it would be safer if we were all together, but now I’m not so sure.”
Muzik’s expression became fierce. “We’ll be fine. We’ll get the supplies tonight and get out of this forsaken city. You’ll see. Everything will be all right.”
“Of course,” she said, then rose to her feet. “I think I’ll take that bath now.”
He gave her a smile. “You do that, then get some rest. No one’s getting past me, Your Majesty.”
Tyla smiled in return.
* * *
Jarrett sat in the window and stared down at the street. There was no sign of Sarkisian soldiers, still he was uneasy. Something didn’t feel right. Something was wrong. He didn’t like being trapped in this city, he didn’t like being at the mercy of the Lawries again. He didn’t like bringing Tyla here.
A knock at the door made him jump. Earon rolled off the bed where he’d been lounging and went to open it. Bonna stepped inside and glanced around. Her eyes landed on Jarrett as he climbed to his feet.
She turned to Earon. “Lago will only see you and the girl. No one else.”
Earon glanced at Jarrett. “You understand she’s not really for sale, right?”
Bonna rolled her eyes. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know who she is. So did half the men in the bar. You’re lucky they’re loyal to the Revolt. It was stupid to bring her here.”
Jarrett’s hand slid to his sword.
She marked the motion. “Don’t mistake what I said. They hate Sarkisian as much as you do, but you had to come across the bridge. It’s been manned by soldiers for the last three days.”
“They don’t know she’s with us,” said Jarrett.
Earon turned and frowned at him, but Jarrett didn’t offer an explanation. “We needed supplies. They wouldn’t agree to let me come by myself,” the runner said.
Bonna raised a brow. “Not that I blame them. I don’t trust you either, but still you shouldn’t have brought her here. Lago’s willing to help, but he won’t see them all – just you and her.”
“Not possible. She’s not going,” ordered Jarrett.
Bonna shrugged. “No deal then. Lago isn’t a man to budge.”
Earon turned to Jarrett. “We can’t wait this out. We need the supplies, Lago doesn’t need to give them. I swear I’ll protect her.”
Jarrett’s eyes narrowed on the runner. He didn’t believe Earon could protect Tyla, but he could and he could do it without them even knowing he was there. And then there was Tyla. She was as formidable a weapon as he was himself. He looked out the window. The street lamps had been lit and more people were moving about in the half-light, searching out taverns and brothels for a night of revelry.
“Let me talk to Tyla,” he said.
CHAPTER 17
“Don’t be afraid. Lago’s a good guy. He’s not like Revis,” said Earon, patting Tyla on the shoulder.
She glared at him from beneath the cowl of her cloak, then shifted her focus to the harlot in the red cape in front of them.
He removed his hand and forced a crooked smile. “You know, it might look better if you pretended we were lovers. No one would look twice at us if you were hanging all over me.” He motioned at the many couples stumbling up and down the boardwalks around them.
“Earon, maybe you shouldn’t try so hard,” she said coolly. “It’s very off-putting.”
He chuckled at her comment. “Let’s be honest. You like me. You find me amusing.”
Tyla canted a look up at him. “Funny how close annoyance and amusement are on the emotional pendulum.” She shot a look around the street, but no one seemed to be interested in them. And they’d seen no Sarkisian soldiers. Still, her skin crawled.
“From amusement, it’s only a short leap to full blown attraction…”
“Shut up!” hissed Bonna, glancing over her shoulder.
Earon made a face at her, but Tyla knocked him with her elbow. “She’s right, besides I can’t think when you chatter.”
He gave her a frown, but she ignored him, keying in to the streets around them and sharing her thoughts with Jarrett. She couldn’t see the Terrian, but she could feel him, sliding through the shadows above them.
There was so much she didn’t know about his training, so much she was just beginning to realize about his talent. Even so, she felt safer knowing he was a few steps away.
Bonna turned down a narrow alley, stepping off the boardwalk and into the middle of the street.
“Are you sure this is right?” Tyla asked, moving to the center of the cobbled way, trying to avoid the refuse in the gutters. It looked like entrails and fish scales. She grimaced at the smell and pulled her hood closer about her face.
Earon shrugged. “Lago moves safe houses frequently. He doesn’t have the same sort of operation that Revis does.”
Tyla could smell the ocean in the distance. As Bonna left the alley, they came out onto a wharf. Wooden piers extended over the surf and Tyla could hear the waves crashing against the piles beneath their feet. The traffic here had fallen to a minimum. Tyla wanted to look behind her for Jarrett, but didn’t dare let either Earon or Bonna know he was there.
She slowed as they passed one of the piers. The moon was full overhead and shining down on the ocean, painting the waves with a silvery glow. Spray gathered on the edge of her cloak and she drew a deep breath, drinking in the salty scent.
She closed her eyes and felt forth with her power, trying to catch the elusive feeling tugging at the back of her mind. Had her father ever walked this pier? Had he ever peered out at the ocean and watched the moonlight on the waves? Sadness rose inside her and she hugged her arms around herself. Tarnow was gone. Kalas was lost to her. And she couldn’t even find a trace of her father in this weathered city he’d called home.
Earon closed his hand around her elbow. “Come on. We shouldn’t stay in the open any longer than necessary.”
She opened her eyes and let him guide her back onto the wharf. She shook away the melancholy and met Bonna’s gaze. “How much farther?”
“Not much.” She turned and continued walking down the wharf, moving past boarded up shops and warehouses. Crates and fish entrails lined the edge of the street. They were moving quickly now, Bonna glancing around at the meandering drunks and pockets of young men looking for some action.
No one bothered them, but a few of the young men glanced over, eyeing them or shouting lewd comments as they passed. Finally Bonna turned into a passageway between two warehouses. It led back toward the ocean and was dark and narrow. Tyla felt her power respond to her anxiety, until it was pulsing just at the edge of her consciousness.
Suddenly Bonna pulled up short and turned into a shallow doorway, rapping out a familiar tattoo on the salt-encrusted surface. Tyla glanced down the alley and saw a number of the young men had begun loitering at the entrance. She reached for Earon’s arm and nodded the way they’d come.
Earon’s hand dropped to his sword hilt. “Just street punks,” he said, but his voice lacked conviction. Bonna glanced down there also and Tyla could feel her tense. She wondered where Jarrett was.
Finally the door opened and Bonna whispered to the shadowed form that appeared. The figure stepped back and motioned them inside. Tyla followed Bonna into the dark interior and paused, waiting for Earon to bring up the rear. Her hands tightened into fist, prepared to unleash her power if she needed to.
&nbs
p; The figure bent and uncovered a lantern. He lifted it and shined it in their faces. Tyla squinted in the light and made out the hooked nose of a tall, thin man. He motioned with his hand and led them into the warehouse.
It opened into a vaulted ceiling. Tyla could see the metal beams crossing over their heads and glanced over the rows and rows of broken and battered crates that lined the walls and floors around them. A clear path led to the back of the warehouse and a glass encased office door.
The man led them to the office door and opened it, motioning them inside. A handsome, bald man rose from a chair at their entrance and approached them. He was as tall as the man who’d opened the door for them, but he was barrel-chested and a good fifty pounds heavier.
“Welcome, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing to her.
Tyla nodded. “Are you Lago?”
He gave her a narrow-eyed look. “Straight to the point, aren’t you?”
“I’m thinking I don’t have much time,” she said. “Do you know who the men are gathered at the end of your alley?”
Lago frowned and his gaze shifted to Earon. He had very dark, almost black eyes with heavy lashes. Earon shrugged. “Looks like some street toughs. Nothing more.”
Bonna threw herself into the chair Lago had vacated. “I ain’t going back without an escort.”
Lago turned to the hook-nosed man. “Go see who it is.”
The man nodded and left the room.
Reaching for another chair, Lago motioned for Tyla to take a seat. “Please, rest yourself, Your Majesty.”
Tyla sank into the chair, but she sat with her back straight, her senses trained on the warehouse outside. Where was Jarrett now?
Lago leaned against his desk, folding his hands before him. His fingers were long and slender. “I am honored to offer you my assistance.”
“I won’t be able to repay you until I get to Temeron. However, once there, I will send payment in whatever form you’d like.” She cocked her head. “Earon led me to believe a shipment of arms wouldn’t go amiss.”
Lago smiled. “Temerian make? Certainly not. I’m willing to accept a promissory note. In fact, I took the liberty of drawing one up while I waited for you.” He slid a piece of paper forward on the desk.
The World of Samar Box Set 3 Page 27
