by Keri Arthur
“Suggesting the strength of their mages had also faded.”
“We believe so.” He half shrugged again and returned his gaze to the road. “It at least gave us time to rebuild.”
“Which is what surprises me the most, I think. Given Mareritten’s determination to utterly control this land, why wait two hundred years to have another crack at Esan? That makes no sense at all.”
“Perhaps not, but I’m not about to question fate smiling favorably on us.”
“Fate isn’t generally that smiley. Not two hundred years’ worth of it, at any rate.”
“It’s not as if peace has reigned during that time.”
“No, but the point remains; the Mareritt had the advantage and they didn’t push it. Instead, they gave Esan time to regroup and build a wall. In no war book I’ve ever read does that make sense.”
He hesitated. “I personally believe they had little other choice.”
“Why?”
“All magic costs. Perhaps in raising both the coruscations and the ice storm that accompanied their forces, they drained their mages unto death.”
“That I can believe.” They’d always cared more for the result than the price to be paid. “But why would it take several generations to replace them?”
“I don’t know enough about Mareritt society or their mages, but what if—much like the kin bloodlines here—there are only a limited number of families who are capable of the ice magic?”
“It’s possible—but that only makes it even more imperative we find a way to uncover what’s happening in the White Zone.”
“Yes, because if they’re now constructing a coruscation large enough to consume Esan...”
His voice faded, but I had more than enough imagination to fill in what he’d left unsaid.
I drew the hood over my head once we were near Husk. Kaiden’s ID was again checked and then we were allowed inside. The buildings here were not only newer but larger than the ones in Renton. They were made of a mix of wood and stone; there was no tin in sight, new or old. I guess that wasn’t surprising, given the Mareritt had built this town for a purpose and couldn’t actually harness metal as they did stone and earth.
The deeper we moved into town, the fainter the smell of fish became. Orange clamberer covered most of the houses, and the bell-like flowers bobbed lightly in the breeze that teased the deeper scent notes from their throats.
Kaiden stopped the skid out the front of a longhouse, then killed the engine and climbed off. I followed suit, shaking my legs to ease the ache in my muscles. Once he’d unwound the cord and connected the skid to a nearby power source, he caught my hand and tugged me close.
“Keep the hood on,” he warned softly, his breath so warm against my lips. “And your hands concealed as much as possible.”
“I have the gloves—”
“Unfortunately, in this place, they’ll attract far more attention than your skin.”
“Then why come here?”
“Because this is the only tavern in Husk that has a recharge station approved for visitor use.” A spark of bedevilment touched his eyes, and a heartbeat later, his lips brushed mine, a barely there caress that nevertheless sent delight shimmering through me.
Even so, I couldn’t help asking, “Why?”
“Because, after a long day of having your body pressed so snugly against mine, I desperately needed to.”
“Your desperation isn’t immediately obvious.”
“That’s because I’m a man with fierce control.”
I laughed softly. He grinned and stepped back. “Keep close.”
“I have little other choice, given the grip you have on my hand.”
His smile flashed but there was tension in his eyes. “And a very nice fit it is too. Once inside, no sarcasm.”
“Can I talk?”
He hesitated. “It would be better if you didn’t. Most in your position would be afraid to in this sort of establishment.”
“So much for those having only a squirt of Mareritt blood being more accepted.”
“In this place, thanks to the relative peace and how little interference there is to daily life, they are. But you’ll always get the odd one or two who might react.” He gripped the door handle, then glanced at me. “Ready?”
I nodded as the embers deep within stirred to life. I’d faced all manner of threats in my years as a drakkon rider, but this was the first time I’d ever had to face a threat born out of something as simple as my skin color.
A blast of heated air hit as soon as we entered; it was a wave filled not only with the raw scent of masculinity but also the aroma of the meat being roasted over low flames in the fireplace to the left. My stomach rumbled, but the sound was thankfully lost to the babble of conversation and the clink of tankards.
Kaiden closed the door then led me deftly through the maze of tables. Though the level of noise didn’t alter, a number of people openly turned and looked at us. Some of their expressions held little more than curiosity. A few edged toward hostility.
The embers deep within shone a little brighter.
As we neared the bar at the far end of the room, a stout man with silver-shot black hair and an almost ginger mustache that curled several times at its ends walked over. “What can I do for you folks?”
“We need a room for the night and some of that longhorn meat when it’s ready.”
The man nodded, his gaze briefly flickering to me. His expression didn’t alter. “It’s twenty credits for the meat and fifty for the room.”
“Prices have certainly gone up since I was last here.” Kaiden released my hand and swung the pack from his back. He undid the front pocket, then withdrew a number of coins and placed them on the bar.
The man picked them up and then slid an old-fashioned register across to Kaiden. “That’s because the situation has changed since you were last here. Name and origin details on the next free line.”
Kaiden picked up the nearby stylus and sighed in with his Kai identity; his writing was small and close together—the scratchings of a man who was in a constant state of intimidation.
But instead of handing back the pen, he also filled in the next line; this time, his signature was as bold as the man himself, but the name he used was Jon Baker.
Another of his registered identities, or an utter fake to throw any Mareritt who might come calling off our trail? I suspected the latter, but it was a dangerous ploy—especially given his earlier suggestion that the manager might as easily betray as protect us.
He placed the stylus on the book and pushed it back toward the manager, who immediately snapped it shut and placed it under the bar.
“Are there any changes we need to be aware of?” Kaiden asked. “The last thing we need is to be getting into trouble.”
“The Mareritt have been on edge since yesterday.” The manager pulled a key off the board behind him and dropped it into Kaiden’s hand. “As long as you make no trouble, you’ll be fine.”
“Rest assured, trouble is the last thing we need. How long before the meat is ready?”
“Ten minutes, give or take.” The man’s gaze returned to me. “We’ll bring it up when it’s ready.”
Which meant he didn’t want me down here—understandable, given the hostility swirling through a small portion of the crowd behind us.
Kaiden caught my hand again and squeezed my fingers—a silent warning not to react. “Thanks.”
We headed up the stairs. Gazes followed our progress. I kept my free hand well out of sight, but fire nevertheless pressed against my fingertips, aching for release. The internal flames weren’t normally this hard to tamp down, but this whole situation was anything but normal.
The upstairs consisted of a long corridor with a dozen doors. The shadows crowded close, and each step echoed above the creaking of the floorboards. That made me feel a little easier; if any of the men who’d stared so hard decided to come up here for a game of “beat up the half-blood,” we’d at least hear th
em coming.
Our room was one of two situated at the end of the hall. Kaiden slipped the key in the lock, then opened the door and ushered me inside. The room wasn’t large, but it was at least clean. A couple of mint sprays hung from the ceiling, lending the air a pleasant scent, and the sheets and blankets on the double bed looked fresh and crisp. To our right, there was a window and a wooden screen, and to our left, a square table with two chairs. On the wall directly opposite the door—which would have been the end of the building itself—was a small fireplace. It wasn’t lit, but it had been set, and there was a small box of firewood sitting to one side.
Kaiden locked the door, then tossed his sleeping roll and pack on the bed and walked over to the fireplace. I moved around the bed and peered out the window. There wasn’t much movement on the street below, and the only noise I could hear rose from the kitchen that was obviously situated underneath us.
“Do you think those men will cause any problem?” I pushed the curtain to one side and peered to the left, past the end of the building. Lights shone in the Mareritt quarter even though most of Husk lay in shadows. And yet for some reason, I was uneasy.
“If you’d been alone, possibly.” Kaiden struck a strike and slid it under the kindling. “But they won’t risk it with me here—it’d cause too much of a ruckus and they’d know Jim would have to report it or face the consequences.”
I dropped the curtain and glanced around. “Then we’re safe for the night?”
“That depends on just how on edge the Mareritt currently are.”
I swung off my bedroll and hooked it around the post at the end of the bed. “Are there bathroom facilities in this place?”
“They’re basic, and behind the screen.”
I walked over. Basic was not an exaggeration—there was a small basin, a tap, and a privy. I used the latter, then retreated to the bed and sat down. “Do you think there’s any risk of a Mareritt patrol doing an inspection?”
“That’s always a risk in Husk, but I dare say more so now.”
“Because word is out about our escape?”
His gaze rose to mine, the flaring flames lending his eyes glowing specs of gold. “Yes. I think we’ll need to rotate watch shifts tonight.”
That was only sensible. “If they do come calling, what escape options do we have? The window?”
He shook his head. “Even if we could jump down to street without either alerting them or breaking something, we wouldn’t get far.”
“Which means we’re trapped—”
“Do you really think I’d come here if there was any chance of us being trapped?”
His expression suggested only an idiot would think that, and I couldn’t help my answering smile. “Well, you did admit to being reckless not so long ago.”
“No, I admitted to being stubborn. That’s very different.”
I snorted softly. “So where is this escape route?”
“It’s not so much an escape route as a means of getting into another room—which is where we’ll actually be spending the night. We’ll just mess up the bed here to make it look like we used it.”
Hence the entry of two different names into the register. “I don’t get how it helps us, though. Won’t they just check all the rooms if they don’t find us here?”
“Yes, but Kai was approved entry into Husk. Jon Baker was not. They may roust us, but they won’t suspect us.”
“I like the confidence with which you say that.”
“That’s because I’ve been through this before.” His expression was one of reassurance, even if tension rode him. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.”
“I’ve done nothing but trust you, in case you weren’t aware of it.”
“And, for the most part, I you.” It was softly said and held an odd sort of heat. One that was both wonder and desire. He was just as aware of the growing connection and was just as unsure as to what it meant.
Someone rapped on the door, a sharp sound that made me jump. Kaiden rose and walked across, unlocking and then opening the door.
“The dinner you ordered,” a fresh-faced woman said. “Shall I put it on the table for you?”
Kaiden nodded and stepped to one side. The younger woman bustled in, placed the tray on the table, and then pulled off the cloth, revealing a platter piled high with freshly carved longhorn meat and freshly roasted vegetables, a cob of bread, a thick slab of butter, and some gravy. A small jug of what smelled like mead completed the meal.
“You can leave the tray outside your door,” she added, with a bright if insincere smile. “We’ll collect it later.”
“Thanks,” Kaiden said and locked the door again once she’d left.
I claimed one of the chairs and began carving thick slices of bread. Kaiden poured the mead and slid one across to me. “Once we finish this, we’ll head into the other room.”
“You still haven’t told me where the passage is.”
“It’s behind the fireplace.”
I frowned at the wall in question. “I take it that’s a false wall?”
If so, both it and the passage must have been built after the tavern—if it had been done during construction, too many people would be aware of its existence.
“Yes. Three of the wall boards near the privy concertina just enough to squeeze through. The next room is a replica of this one—we’ll be safe enough there.”
I hoped he was right, because things could get very nasty if he wasn’t.
Once we’d demolished the meal, we messed up the bed, shoved the tray outside our door, then unlatched and opened the window to make it look as if we’d climbed out. I grabbed the sleeping rolls and backpack and then followed Kaiden into the privy. He knelt next to the pan, carefully pressed a rusted nail downward, and then pushed the nearby board to one side. The next three folded together behind it, revealing a small crawl space. He shuffled back and motioned me on. I hesitated, then dropped to all fours and crawled inside. The darkness closed in and my heart hammered as once again the old fears rose. But as tempting as it was to light my way with fire, I resisted. If the floorboards in this crawlspace were anything like the ones in the bedroom, then someone in the kitchen below might just notice the light and raise the alarm.
Kaiden followed me in and, once he’d closed the door behind himself, squeezed past and repeated the process into the next room. I climbed out with a sigh of relief and brushed a cobweb away from my face, unable to contain a slight shudder.
Kaiden followed me into the room and moved across to the fireplace to light it. As the flames leapt high, he motioned to the timepiece on the small mantle. “Two-hourly rotations all right?”
I nodded and moved across to the chair. “I’ll take the first one, if you like.”
“You just want the pleasure of watching me undress.”
“That depends on how far you strip down. Your shorts are not things of beauty.”
“I’m a man and a soldier. We need comfort, not beauty. Besides, we’re supposed to be married. Nakedness is required.”
“Then please proceed. I shall certainly enjoy the show.”
He grinned and unhurriedly stripped, revealing his lean yet muscular body in what seemed like slow motion. Desire rose between us, a thick heat that flowed over me, drowning my senses and warming my skin. He was glorious naked, and my fingers itched with the need to reach out and explore every inch of his powerful form. I crossed my arms instead.
Unlike the drakkons we rode, kin were by nature sexually free. When death is a constant possibility, you tended to celebrate life all that much harder. If things had been different—if everything I’d ever known still existed rather than being little more than dust on the wind or even water in a lake—I’d have readily accepted the unspoken invitation that gleamed in his eyes and fully indulged the fantasies I was barely keeping under control.
But the Arleeon I knew was long gone, and such indulgence wasn’t wise right now.
Especially when Mareritt magic lay inside my bra
in.
“I hope you offer me the same sort of show later.” The husky notes in his voice only strengthened my need to explore.
“That’s extremely unlikely in a situation such as this.” My voice was remarkably normal given the burn of desire. “We can’t afford to be sidetracked when the Mareritt are likely to come a-calling.”
“A sensible but disappointing statement.” He climbed into the bed but only half pulled up the blanket. The firelight played almost reverently across his dark skin and had my fingers itching to do the same. “But if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
A smile touched my lips. “Prepare to be disappointed.”
“Tonight, undoubtedly, but there are plenty of other nights ahead.”
Only if we kept out of Mareritt hands, and to do that, I suspected we needed to keep our hands to ourselves—at least until we were out of the occupied zone.
“Go to sleep, Kaiden.”
He smiled but settled down and in a matter of minutes was fast asleep. I drew my feet up onto the chair and hugged my knees, staring out at the darkness and listening to the clatter of dishes and the murmur of conversation rising from below. Normal, everyday sounds in a world that had suddenly become very abnormal—at least for me.
Tiredness pounded through my system by the time my two hours were up. I stripped off and then slipped into bed beside Kaiden, briefly drawing in his scent and heat before I poked him in the back with a stiffened finger.
He muttered something unpleasant, making me grin. “Time for you to stand watch, sunshine.”
“And you’re already in bed. That’s cruel, Red.”
“Tough. Out you get, warrior.”
He grunted but nevertheless threw off the blanket and climbed out. I resisted the urge to watch him pad across to the fireplace and closed my eyes.
Only to be wakened a few hours later by a warm hand covering my mouth.
Six
Heat speared through my veins and my eyes flew open. A musky, masculine scent swirled around me, and recognition belatedly sparked. Kaiden. It was Kaiden. But relief was short-lived.
