Magic Below Paris Complete Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 8): Trading Into Shadow, Trading Into Darkness, Trading Close to Light, Trading By Firelight, Trading by Shroomlight, plus 3 more

by C. M. Simpson

  9

  One Night Too Many

  The villagers came to meet them, and Mordan soon had a crowd of admirers. Marsh watched the kat trying to sit aloofly in front of the fire and had to smother a smile. While she was sure Mordan would rather be left alone, the village children were fascinated by her.

  It reminded her of the children in Dimanche. Mordan had played the pony with them until Marsh and Roeglin had gone to fetch her. Marsh was sure the kat had left a lasting impression and wondered how many kat-hunting expeditions that mother would need to thwart as her kids grew up.

  The thought made her smile. Watching the hoshkat now, she figured more parents were about to have the same problem. The kat was making an impression, and Perdemor wasn’t helping.

  The kit had become an instant celebrity, even though he wasn’t much smaller than his mother, and Scruffknuckle was winning hearts despite Aisha’s jealousy.

  “Scruffy, you come here!” she ordered as he bounded past with three children in hot pursuit.

  On hearing her voice, the pup bounced over to her, licked her cheek, and danced away. One of the kids pursuing him ran into the edge of the table she was sitting at and bumped into her.

  “Hey!” she shouted and shoved the little boy away.

  “Sorry!” he replied, changing direction and promptly running into the table once more. This time, he hit it head first and ended up on the ground.

  Aisha’s anger vanished and she dropped down beside him. “You okay?”

  He blinked at her, his dark eyes unfocused. “Um...”

  “You’re not okay!” she exclaimed, her small face creasing with alarm.

  “Marsh! Brigitte! Help!”

  Her cries brought the two women to her side in an instant. “What is it?”

  “Are you all right? What happened?”

  The boy tried to roll out of their way, but Aisha laid her small hands on his chest to keep him still. The movement reminded her that calling for help wasn’t her only option, and she scowled.

  “Hold still,” she ordered, sounding as authoritative as any healer. “I will fix.”

  She waved Marsh and Brigitte away, ignoring their looks of concern.

  “It’s okay. I will fix.”

  “Fix what?” Brigitte asked as the little girl placed a palm on the boy’s forehead.

  He tried to squirm away and she smacked him on the forehead with the palm of her hand, making him wince.

  “I said, ‘hold still.’”

  The boy looked past her, his eyes begging the two adults for help. Marsh bit her lower lip and tried not to smile. Brigitte turned her head to hide her own smile.

  “Ready?” Aisha asked, and the boy shook his head.

  He immediately regretted the movement and groaned.

  Aisha gave a long-suffering sigh. “I told you to hold still,” she scolded. “Now hold still.”

  The boy froze.

  She was so focused on what she was doing that she didn’t realize she had an audience. Several of the druids from Ariella’s Grotto had gathered to watch. They hung back as her eyes blazed green and green light spread from beneath her palms.

  The boy’s eyes grew wide, reflecting the emerald glow spreading from her hands. Marsh wasn’t sure the kid could have moved if he’d wanted to, but she watched his face relax and knew Aisha had done the right thing.

  The kid must have really banged his head. Aisha held the green for a moment longer, then let the glow die. She sat back on her heels and rested her hands on her knees.

  “There,” she declared, her brow wrinkled with concern. “You ‘kay?”

  The boy stared at her and slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows.

  “Oui,” he told her, looking surprised. He swallowed and then sat all the way up. “It doesn’t hurt anymore!”

  “Course not,” Aisha told him. “I fixed it.”

  He raised his hand to his head and rubbed where he’d banged it on the table. “You did.”

  The two of them stared at each other for a long moment, then Aisha frowned. “What’s your name?”

  It was such a normal question that the nearby adults laughed, making the two children look around in surprise. With a scowl like thunder, Aisha got to her feet.

  “Let’s go sit near Dan,” she told the boy. “Kat doesn’t listen. She’s not rude.”

  This brought more laughter as the two children walked over to the kat and the fire. Seeing them settle beside each other, Marsh watched as Aisha asked the boy his name again and then introduced him to Mordan.

  The look of stunned adoration on the kid’s face when the big kat touched her muzzle to his forehead made Marsh smile. She looked up as Master Envermet settled down beside her. He indicated the three at the fire.

  “What’s that all about?” he asked, and Marsh grinned.

  “Aisha’s making friends,” she explained. “Why?”

  He glanced around as though afraid of being overheard. “Because,” he said, lowering his voice, “these folk need a day of rest, and we’re not far from the assassin’s cottage.”

  A day of rest? Marsh’s heart fell. Another day?

  Even though she tried not to show what she was feeling, some of it must have gotten through because Master Envermet’s gaze softened. He looked around at where the travelers were laying out their sleeping rolls and shrugged.

  “Look at them,” he murmured. “They’re beat.”

  Marsh followed his gaze and had to admit he was right. The ex-raiders and rescued prisoners looked exhausted. They moved slowly, hardly saying anything as they got ready to sleep for the night. Marsh and Master Envermet watched them a little longer, and Marsh sighed.

  “I can see what you mean.”

  She glanced at the fire and smiled when she saw Aisha and her new friend propped against Mordan’s side. The villagers had mostly left, and the hall was slowly settling to silence.

  Obasi and his warriors moved among the travelers, helping as needed, but most of them had been prisoners, too, and they looked as tired as the rest. Izmay and Henri came to stand in front of the shadow captain.

  Master Envermet nodded at their arrival and repeated what he’d said to Marsh.

  “The assassin’s cottage isn’t far from here.”

  Henri’s response was typical. “How do you know?”

  The shadow captain smiled. “I had Obasi ask the wolves. Bristlebear has agreed to show you the way.”

  “In the morning,” Obasi added, having approached while they were talking. “The Corner does not usually open its gates after dark.”

  “Good thing we arrived when we did, then,” Gerry observed. He shivered. “Didn’t want to spend the night outside when there might be more remnant about.”

  Henri snorted. “Yep. It’s a good thing we found some walls to hide behind. Now we can all feel safe.”

  Master Envermet frowned. “What are you getting at, Henri?”

  Henri rolled his shoulders and looked around. “I’m just saying we’re in a town that tolerated raiders, and he’s worried about remnant.”

  “It wasn’t exactly their choice.” Evan had arrived, Claude by his side.

  At Master Envermet’s look of surprise, Marsh decided the travelers weren’t the only ones who were tired. The shadow captain wasn’t usually so easily surprised.

  The shadow captain waved for Evan to continue.

  After a moment’s hesitation, the man obliged. “When I was brought through the first time, the town was garrisoned by a small force of raiders. They rotated shifts and ran the place with an iron fist.”

  His eyes took on a faraway look, as though he were seeing a different scene. “They added three people to the slave tally when I was first here, and then another six as an example of what happens when secrets are kept.”

  His face paled. “I don’t know which ones were luckier, the ones they took to the fort or the ones they executed. None of them remained by the time you arrived.”

  Claude laid an arm around his s
houlders and he jumped. Izmay frowned and cocked her head.

  “Did they have magic?” she asked, and even the gentle tone of her voice made him flinch.

  Evan blinked and swallowed to moisten his throat. “Yes.”

  That one word seemed almost too much and he fell silent, his eyes dark with memory and distress. He tried to shrug the emotion away, but his words creaked when he spoke. “Anyway, the folk here had no real choice about hosting them.”

  They were silent until Marsh thought of something.

  “You knew who lived in the house outside the gates, didn’t you?”

  Evan shook his head. “Not personally. Rumor had it they were some kind of freelancer, a mercenary for hire. I always wondered why they weren’t pressed into service, but they were untouchable.”

  “Did they have magic?”

  He shook his head. “Not as far as we knew. They knew how to deal with those who did and were sometimes called in if a prisoner was particularly difficult. I thought that was why they were left alone. You know, too useful to force into service.”

  He paused. “That, and they stuck around anyway. Why?”

  “Did you know if they had other places to stay?”

  “Had to have. They came and went. No one does that without somewhere to go.”

  “They could have just been traders.”

  This time Evan’s headshake was adamant. “No, not in any goods I heard of. Why do you ask?”

  “We were hoping someone knew where they went,” Master Envermet told him before Marsh could reply.

  Evan accepted the answer with a shrug. Whatever he thought of it, he kept it to himself.

  “How can I help you?” Master Envermet asked when Claude and Evan didn’t move away.

  Evan colored but gestured to the travelers. “We know the smart thing would be to rest a day here,” he answered, “but none of us...”

  He gulped and lifted his eyes to Claude. The farmer nodded encouragingly.

  Evan tried again. “None of...”

  Again he stopped, swallowing hard, unable to continue.

  Claude picked up where he’d left off. “None of us want to stay here any longer than we have to,” he told the shadow captain. “No offense to our hosts, but this place holds too many memories none of us want to relive.”

  He waved a hand toward where the rest of the caravan was settling down for the night.

  “No one’s going to sleep well tonight,” he finished.

  Master Envermet nodded. “Very well. If people want to move on, we’ll leave at first light.”

  The two men stepped away. “Thank you, shadow mage.”

  Master Envermet inclined his head, waiting until they had departed. Only then did he turn to Marsh and the rest of the shadow guards. “Change of plans.”

  After his cautious glance at the rest of the room, they gathered closer and waited for him to explain.

  “You’ll take the mules and investigate the cottage while Obasi and I keep the caravan moving. I’ll have one of the Grotto druids stay linked with Bristlebear so the wolf can bring you to wherever we stop to camp for the night.”

  “We won’t make Briar Ridge?” Gerry wanted to know. He looked slightly alarmed at the thought of spending another night in the open.

  Master Envermet sighed. “We should make the town, but there are no guarantees.”

  Gerry relaxed and looked sheepish.

  Master Envermet gave him a quick grin. “I’ll make sure we’re in a shelter by the time night falls.”

  Marsh wanted to ask him how he intended to do that, but she didn’t want to break the fragile confidence Gerry found in Master Envermet’s words.

  It worried her that he was so afraid, and she wondered what had happened to make him that way. He’d seemed fine on the journey out.

  Master Envermet chose not to enlighten her, and she did not pursue it, but she couldn’t help staring at him. The shadow captain stirred, slapping his knees as he rose to his feet. “Get some sleep,” he ordered. “Dawn’s not that far away.”

  10

  A Minor Detour

  The villagers opened the gates at dawn. Some seemed disappointed to see them go, but others seemed relieved. All seemed happy that the threat of the raiders was gone, even if they were uncertain about what the future would bring.

  The route to Briar’s Ridge took them south, away from the grassy slopes overlooking the Devastation and down into the forest that had sprung up in one of its building-free spaces.

  Almost building-free, Marsh noted, seeing the collapsed roofline and vine-choked stone walls of a building smothered in the undergrowth.

  After a half-hour of working their way down an underbrush-lined path, they reached what must have been another major thoroughfare before the Madness had struck. Master Envermet brought the caravan to a halt before crossing it and signaled to Marsh and the shadow guards.

  Obasi’s eyes flared green, and the wolfpack’s leader trotted out of the undergrowth. He pricked his ears and turned his head to look expectantly at Marsh and her companions.

  “Bristlebear says it’s not far,” the Grotto warrior told them.

  “Wait!” Evan exclaimed. “You’re going?”

  Master Envermet tried to soothe him. “It is a matter of some importance.”

  “But what if we are attacked?”

  “We are staying,” Obasi reassured him. He lifted a hand, and a nearby tree bent so he could step into its branches. “And we are not without magic.”

  Evan relaxed, nodding jerkily as if his approval might mean anything. “Thank you.”

  Claude came to stand beside him. “When will you be back?”

  As if they were errant children who needed a curfew, Marsh thought, but she didn’t respond. She figured this would be better handled by Master Envermet.

  As if catching her thought, the shadow captain acknowledged her with a slight inclination of the head before giving Evan a direct stare. “They will rejoin us at midday,” he told the man.

  Evan’s jaw dropped. “But we’ll be there by then.”

  “That depends on how long we take for breakfast.”

  Breakfast! They’d been in such a hurry to leave that they’d politely refused the offer of a meal. This had been for two reasons. The first was that they didn’t want to use any supplies the Corner might need for themselves.

  The second was more personal. Those who’d passed through the village had no appetite. When Master Envermet had broached it, Evan had quietly told him they felt too sick to eat.

  Something about being in the place that had signified the true start of their captivity, he’d told them. Master Envermet had quietly dipped into the heads around him and shared what he found with the guards and Marsh. The overwhelming nausea had them rapidly agreeing, even if Henri mourned his empty belly.

  “Here,” Izmay had told him, taking a shroom roll from her pack. “Eat this and quit complaining.”

  He’d opened his mouth to argue and she’d jammed the roll into it, stopping his retort and leaving him to take it out. Marsh had thought Master Envermet was going to have the caravan eat on the move, but it seemed he had other plans.

  They’ll feel better for the rest, he told her, and she wished it was Roeglin walking inside her head instead. Master Envermet cursed. You’ll be returning soon. Bristlebear is waiting.

  Marsh looked up and realized the wolf leader wasn’t the only one waiting. Henri, Gerry, Izmay, and Brigitte were also standing at the edge of the ancient road. As she went to join them, Marsh felt a small hand curl possessively through hers.

  “You can’t come,” she said, and the tiny fingers tightened.

  “Am so too.”

  Marsh stopped. “Are not.”

  Aisha tugged on her hand, trying to drag her to where the others were waiting. When Marsh wouldn’t budge, the little girl stomped her foot and jerked her hand free.

  Before Marsh could stop her, Aisha had stomped over to stand with the wolf. Her eyes glowed green, an
d she gave Marsh a triumphant smile. “Bear says I can.”

  Marsh scowled at her. “And I say you cannot.”

  The wolf growled and looked at Obasi. Marsh followed his gaze and saw the warrior’s eyes change.

  “Oh, no. You are not seriously...”

  Obasi shook his head regretfully. “I am sorry, Marsh, but the wolf says the child must accompany you.”

  His eyes shifted, and she realized Tamlin was standing beside her.

  “The boy also.”

  Of course, the boy also, Marsh thought. She glared at the wolf leader. “Are you sure?”

  The wolf raised his head, his expression daring her to gainsay him. For a moment, Marsh was reminded of Mordan in one of her more difficult moods. Aware of the caravan waiting for her to make a decision, she bowed her head and sighed.

  “Okay,” she told the wolf. “They can come, but you are responsible for their safety.”

  The wolf jerked his head up at her words.

  “I mean it. I’m holding you responsible.”

  From the color of Obasi’s eyes, he was relaying her meaning. The look on Bristlebear’s face showed disbelief, and then he lowered his head and his body rippled in the wolfish equivalent of a shrug.

  When his fur had settled, he turned and walked down the ancient road without looking back.

  I miss Roeglin, Marsh thought, and Master Envermet chuckled.

  Marsh and the others followed the wolf, glad when Tamlin chose to walk beside her and surprised when Master Envermet had nothing to say to make the situation any more embarrassing.

  Oh, I have plenty to say, he assured her, but there are other things that need to be done.

  When she looked back, he was speaking to Evan and Claude, with the rest of the caravan gathered close. Obasi’s warriors formed a perimeter around them.

  Half the pack stays to protect them, Obasi informed her. Silvermoth leads them.

  He paused. Bristlebear likes that name, by the way. He says it suits his mate well.

  The comment brought a swift bounce of happiness, and Marsh hurried to catch up.

  He also says his scouts report no remnant, and the “crunchy red ones” are “nesting” in the ruins they fled to.