Though we walked until sunlight peeked over the city’s walls, I heard no barks or scrabbling claws. I kept Brynmor in my thoughts, praying he was safe. That the city’s gang hadn’t done him harm. Brynmor was cunning. When I failed to locate him, he’d hunker down and wait for dawn.
Tracking me was an easy matter if Murdoch was to be believed. So Brynmor would find his way to the tower and back to me. Working through the stitch in my side, I asked myself at what point Brynmor’s welfare had begun to matter to me. By all rights, I should hate him. Yet time and his devotion to his family had softened the harsh edges of the education Sikya had given me on him.
“Let me get that for you.” Vaughn pulled me from my thoughts and opened the door with slick precision. “I’ll show you to my rooms.” Before I laughed in his face, he cut me short. “I intend to spend the night with Mother, in her rooms.” As if reading my next objection, he said, “I’ll send Nerys to an empty suite so she can rest. Gods know how long she’s gone without proper sleep.”
“Thank you.” Though a nighttime spent in his room, reliving his claiming, would be torture.
“I’ll have her bring you a meal.” His offer made my stomach growl. “Fruit and bread.” After escorting me to his room, he lingered in the doorway. “What I said earlier—”
“Please don’t. I’m tired and I won’t remember this conversation tomorrow.” I hoped. “If you would like to continue this talk in the morning, I’m amenable.” How cool and formal I sounded. I thought perhaps I could thank my time among the Araneidae for that aloofness. “Dream well.”
“I somehow doubt I will.” His knuckles rapped the frame. “Call if you need…anything.”
Then he was gone.
I sank into his mattress and straight into troubled dreams.
Thick mist swirled about my feet and I groaned, trying to block the visitor strolling from the fog and failing. I sank to the soft ground with a disgusted sigh. “Let’s have this done, Brynmor.”
He circled me. “You’re tired.”
I snorted.
He paused. “No need to be rude.”
Rubbing my palms against my cheeks, I studied him. “I looked for you. Where did you go?”
“I sought shelter. I pushed the canis too far.” He frowned. “It’s resting now.”
Weariness melted and concern took its place. “Will it be all right? I saw traces of blood.”
Brynmor stared at his palms. “Broken pottery shards are to blame for that.”
“I’ll ask Cleit for balm if he has any.” I studied him. “Did you find who was following us?”
His spine stiffened. “I did.”
“Murdoch said there is no gang,” I prompted. “Just bored youths who prowl the streets.”
“This was no youth.” He began pacing. “She smelled odd, moved faster than a canis runs.”
“A female? You must be mistaken.” He had to be. “Nerys was the last female brought here.”
Even as I said it, doubt lingered. The youth who had approached the towers and been turned aside by Cleit. Could he have been a female? Caught in that awkward phase of immaturity where sexes blurred? Brynmor said she was no youth, but could she have appeared as one? The shadow I saw had been slender. A youth or a slim female with little endowment could fit my recollection.
“Then one has since escaped the towers.” He grunted. “There are hidden rooms, tunnels, if a person knew where to look. If they had attended Isolde or me, they would know the locations.”
“I’ll ask Nerys for a headcount in the morning.” I stifled a yawn. “We must know how many entered the towers. Then we can compare that number to those in the north and east towers. I’m sure there’s a ledger with names and tallies. She can access her records if we run short a body.”
“True enough.” He appraised me, his gaze sharp. “I can see the bond you share with my son. It’s good and strong. He will make you a fine husband.” He paused. “He will cherish you.”
“It’s not enough,” I said softly. “He speaks of duty, of honor, of want, but not of his heart.”
He turned from me. “It seems all males of my line are cursed in matters of the heart.”
“Cursed? I doubt that. Males of your line take what they want and they are doomed to suffer the consequences of their actions.” My fingers curled into my palms. “If your son has failed to learn from his father’s mistakes, then it’s a true curse indeed, but it’s one of his own making.”
“You’re tired. You’ll be more rational tomorrow.” He sniffed. “I’ll find you then.”
I slid lower, until I lay upon the ground. “Do as you please. Males of your line always do.”
Morning brought fresh optimism. I found soap and a rag, then washed in Vaughn’s basin. My shirt and pants were stained. I regretted pulling them on over freshly scrubbed skin. Perhaps I could borrow clothes from Nerys or another female nearer my size. There must be one or two.
Hoping to avoid Vaughn until I could be civil, I cracked the door open a fraction and peered out into the hall. No one stood guard. No voices carried. All was quiet. I expelled a harsh breath.
I widened the crack, then froze. Footsteps approached. I nudged it closed but for a sliver.
Nerys rounded the corner, moving fast. Under her arm, leather bulged—the supply roll.
Throwing the door open, I stepped into the hall, facing her, hands on my hips.
“Mana—I—” Her smile faltered. “Good morning.”
“It was.” I stared at the leather bundle. “Where did you just come from?”
She took a step backwards. “I was making the rounds. That’s all.”
“And you needed my supply roll for that?” I held out my hand. “My supplies, if you please.” The tools were Old Father’s, and I had no intention of losing them.
“I meant no harm.” Nerys eased back another step. “You must understand. I had to try.”
Dread pooled in my gut. “I’m afraid I don’t. What have you done?”
“I—” She spun and ran.
Stunned, I stared after her until she rounded the same sharp corner. Adrenaline flooded me. I gave chase. Her feet flew over the stones, the path familiar to her. I scrambled to keep up, sliding when she made an unexpected twist or turn. We passed the south tower, the west and the north. I let her run me in circles before she dashed for the east tower’s door and the city streets beyond.
“Stop.” My voice echoed.
She didn’t so much as slow down.
Growling, I used Brynmor’s curt dismissal of my feelings to give me the push I needed. My thighs burned, but I closed the gap between us. The latch and the heavy doors slowed her down. I skidded around the last bend and into the final stretch. Sunlight slanted across the tiles. I squinted and lunged, catching her about the waist and tumbling onto the stones hard enough we cried out.
“Give me the roll.” I tugged at her arms, but they were folded beneath her.
“You must hear me out.” Her words muffled against her forearm and the floor.
Fisting clumps of her hair, I yanked her head back. “There are irreplaceable tools in that roll. If they weren’t broken in the fall, it will be a miracle. Return what you’ve stolen from me, thief.”
“I can’t.” She panted.
I tugged until her spine bowed. Rhys had used my long hair to gain the upper hand in all our wrestling bouts as children. I put his moves to use. She whimpered but held on to the roll and let me do what I wished. If I weren’t so furious, I would have admired her determination to thieve.
“Mana.” Vaughn’s voice carried.
“I can handle this.” It shocked me to realize I could. “I don’t need your help.”
His footsteps faltered before resuming. Moments later, he appeared at my elbow. I stared up at him, half-expecting him to rip us apart or demand her side of the story, but he didn’t.
“She stole my supply roll.” I relaxed my grip. “She must have sneaked it from Isolde’s room after you went searc
hing for me. She won’t say why or where she was headed. I caught her in the hall and she ran.” I let her go but remained straddling her waist. “Return what you have stolen.”
“Please, you must listen to me—” She began struggling, trying to worm out from under me.
“May I?” Vaughn waited for my permission. I nodded, scuttling backwards. He lifted Nerys with ease and held her upright. “Take the supply roll and check her for anything else of interest.”
I secured the roll, checked her pockets and gown, her shoes, looking for objects of value.
Sweat dampened my brow by the time I’d finished. “There’s nothing else.”
“Gather your things.” He twisted Nerys to face down the hall. “Mother is feeling much more herself this morning. I’m sure your maven will be interested to hear your accounting of events.”
Nerys hung her head and let him shove her before him. He was not gentle in the least, and it should have bothered me to see his hands on this female more than it did. These were dark times, and no matter how soft my heart had been before I left Beltania all those weeks ago, it was much harder now. She had stolen from me, from Old Father. Had she thought the tools of some value?
I’d find out soon enough. Isolde would leave no stone unturned during her examination. After days of being cooped up in bed, she was ready for a good brawl, verbal or otherwise.
I almost pitied Nerys. Almost.
Vaughn pounded on Isolde’s door with the side of his fist. When she answered with what, he tossed Nerys into Isolde’s room, then slammed the door shut behind us. “We have ourselves a thief.” He shoved Nerys into her usual chair. “She stole something of Mana’s and attempted to escape.”
“I should have known. No proper female has such aim.” Isolde pushed upright. “What were you thinking? You’d steal from your own clan at a time like this?” She made a chopping motion at her wrist. “Nerys, you know the penalty for thievery. Vaughn will see to your punishment.”
The female paled but stood her ground. “It will be as you wish, Maven.”
Isolde flexed her fingers. “Which can’t you live without? We’ll take that into consideration.”
Vaughn tapped the hilt of his sword, unflinching, willing to mete out his mother’s justice.
“Nerys.” I swallowed hard and tasted bile. “Why steal the roll? What use is it to you?”
Isolde cut a glare my way. “Don’t think you’ll get her off the hook so easy.”
“I’d like to know her reasons.” And spare the female if I could. “That’s only fair.”
With a snort, Isolde lay back against her pillows and crossed her arms. “Go on then, tell us.”
Nerys shook her head.
“Mana asked you a question.” Vaughn slid his sword from its sheath. “Answer her.”
Trembling so hard her voice quaked, she said, “Isolde drank her potion and was healed.”
“Nerys…” I began.
“No.” Her gaze darted between the blade in Vaughn’s hand and my face. “She drank it and I saw you drink it. How else can you explain her recovery, and how can you explain your health?”
“Mana heals souls on a spiritual plane.” Vaughn’s weight shifted. “What she did for Mother almost killed her. The oil isn’t what saved your maven.” He stared at me. “Mana did that alone.”
Pleasure unfurled in my chest at his praise. Love was absent in his gaze, but warmth was there. Pride made his chest rise when he looked at me. Respect carried in his words. That he believed in me… I lacked the words for how I treasured his faith. Warmth. Pride. Respect. Trust.
There were worse ways to begin a relationship. Perhaps we could make this work.
Forcing my head to turn, I asked Nerys, “Where were you going with the roll?”
“I t-treated some of the worst cases in the north tower.” Her lip trembled. “My cousin is ill. She doesn’t have much longer if I… I had to try. I watched you. I was careful…but I had to try.”
I crossed to the bed and emptied the supplies from my roll. The tin filled with dayflower oil was much lighter. “Dayflower oil is as lethal as Mimetidae venom.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Nerys stagger. “But you drank it. The maven drank it.”
“I’ve dabbled in dayflowers all my life. I’m resistant to their adverse effects.” I crammed my belongings into their slots. “As for Isolde, I am well aware of how to treat those under my care.”
Vaughn watched me a moment. “Where are you going?”
I tucked the roll under my arm. “I must visit the north tower.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.” His voice came out strained.
“I have no choice.” I met him at the door. “She’s right about one thing. I haven’t gotten sick. I’m immune to most common maladies, but I had no reason to hope I would be immune to this.”
“What are you saying?” He kept me from leaving.
I sighed when I pushed and he refused to budge. “I’m saying I’ve never tested dayflower oil on a person not under my care. Not only am I interested in the results, but I’m obligated to attend those people.” I pushed again. This time he moved. “Thank you. I’ll inform you of my findings.”
“You won’t have to.” He grasped Nerys’s arm. “I’m going with you. She can at least do you the courtesy of identifying her victims.” He glanced at Isolde. “Do you feel safe waiting for me?”
She bared her teeth and reached between her bed and the table beside it. Metal glided against metal. She straightened, holding a short sword aloft. Fisting the hilt, she said, “The day I require a sitter is the day I retire my title as maven of this clan.” She growled. “That day is not today.”
Vaughn’s easy smile lifted my spirits. “In that case, would you like your door left open?”
“I’m no fool.” She angled her blade toward the door. “Shut it and lock it. If someone wants in enough, they’ll find a way. Once they cross that threshold,” she said, grinning, “they’re mine.”
“Don’t overexert yourself, Isolde.” I watched her expression blacken. “I’m glad you feel like you’re strong enough to battle all adversaries, but give your body time to catch up to your spirit.”
“She’s right. You need time to finish healing.” Vaughn nodded my way. “Defend yourself if you must. Otherwise, please don’t go looking for trouble. Mother, I mean that. Don’t. Stay here.”
Her glare was mutinous, but she offered a curt nod. Her eyelids were heavy. I doubted once we left that she’d remain awake to cause any real trouble. Though she felt rejuvenated, she had gone too long without proper food and drink to maintain her strength. She was days away from giving her son grief. I hoped. Lips twitching, I had to admit Isolde was nothing if not determined.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find her blade at our throats when we returned—on principle.
I braced on the doorknob. “Nerys, how long ago did you administer the oil?”
“I attended those in the north tower on my regular rounds.” Her face scrunched. “It was after you left, and after Vaughn went to search for you. Once Isolde was resting peacefully, I left her.”
A curse caught in my throat. “Prepare yourselves. If they’ve gone all night unattended…”
“They haven’t been,” Nerys protested. “I wouldn’t dose them and then leave them alone.”
“How…?” Then I remembered. “Vaughn stayed with Isolde last night. You were given your own suite.” Hope stirred. “That’s good. So your last round must have ended when I caught you.”
“Yes.” Her cheeks flushed. “I didn’t sleep much last night or I’d have been more cautious.”
“I had a hard enough time catching you as it was.” I held open the door. “If you’d been more rested, I might not have captured you and you might have cost those people their lives. Let’s go.”
Though Nerys’s dangerous gamble made my stomach clench, I had trouble faulting her. Put in her situation, I would have reacted the same way she had. I would have sto
len, risked lives—theirs and mine—if it meant saving the ones I loved. Hadn’t I already? I’d defied Sikya’s wishes by coming here and battling this illness. I was risking my life to save others for Vaughn.
My own logic floored me, and my feet became too heavy to lift.
I couldn’t love him. Not before he gave me a sign my heart was safe in his keeping.
Chapter 15
North tower stank of sweat and unwashed bodies. Entering the largest room in the converted sick ward, I surveyed the five people resting upon makeshift cots. Thank the gods, they all lived.
“Which did you treat?” I would examine those first.
“I, um, treated all of them.” Nerys’s shoulders bowed. “I meant to treat my cousin, but when the others heard me explain what I was giving to her, I couldn’t refuse them. I had to try to help.”
“I understand.” And I did, all too well. The call to heal was impossible to ignore. Measuring Nerys’s determined expression, I considered she might have a healing gift or a touch of empathy.
“Gods’ web,” Vaughn cursed. “I hope for your sake these people survive.”
Nerys shrank into herself, huddling against the furious male at her back.
I started at the nearest cot, sat on a wobbling stool and checked the female’s pulse, finding it stronger than expected. I woke her with a gentle shake, surprised when her clear eyes stared up at me. “Hello there. My name is Mana. I’m here to examine you. Is that all right? How do you feel?”
She turned her head, caught sight of Nerys and tried to sit upright. “Leave her alone.”
I placed a hand on the patient’s shoulder and eased her back down to the mattress. “Nerys is fine, for now. She has been named a thief. If you answer my questions, you might help her case.”
“I’m Crystin.” The female tore her eyes from the doorway. “Nerys is my cousin.”
“Ah.” So this was where the trouble began. No wonder a stool sat beside her cot. “I see.”
“No, you don’t.” She threw her covers aside. Her legs were withered and misshapen, a birth defect most likely, given how healthy the tissue appeared. Crystin slapped aside my hands, rising without my help. Panting, she braced on the edges of the bed. “I was born this way, crippled. My parents didn’t want me. They were going to…” Her elbows buckled and she fell back against the mattress. Nerys bolted, but Vaughn snagged her shoulders. Crystin stared up at me. “Nerys saved me. She’s the only family I have. Please. If you have to blame someone for this, then blame me.”
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