by Ben Cassidy
“You—you—” Joseph sputtered angrily, reaching for words, “you married her!”
“Yes,” said Maklavir drily, “well between you and me I was been hoping for a happier honeymoon than this.”
Joseph’s face turned purple.
“Enough,” said Kendril. He stepped between both of them. “Maklavir, you said Kara will need dresses.”
“Yes. At least two,” the diplomat replied. His eyes were still on Joseph.
“Then start now. Get to whatever tailor shop you think is best and start ordering.”
Maklavir looked at Kendril, his expression still sulky. “I need Kara for that. There need to be measurements, and—”
“Oh please, Maklavir.” Kendril gave the diplomat a sidelong glance. “You’ve been around Kara long enough that you know her measurements by heart, and we all know it.”
Joseph straightened. “We do? He does?”
Maklavir straightened his cape. “Yes, well, I suppose Kara can’t exactly walk into an upscale tailor shop the way she’s dressed right now anyway.” He gave Joseph another nasty look, then headed out the door himself.
“I’m going to go find Kara,” said Joseph.
“No, you’re not,” said Kendril firmly. “You’re going to get back to work on that carriage. I’ll go find Kara and talk to her.”
The scout bristled. “Why you and not me?”
Kendril looked his friend in the eyes. “Because what you have to say right now is not what she needs to hear.” He looked back at the dilapidated carriage. “And because you are a lot better at fixing that thing than I am.”
Joseph managed a reluctant half-smile. “You got me there.” He looked at the warehouse door. “Maklavir sure is an idiot sometimes, isn’t he?”
Kendril moved past him towards the door. “You’re just realizing that now?”
The common room was nearly empty. Outside it had begun to snow again, the flakes flicking softly against the windows.
Senna stepped in front of Kendril. She threw a towel over her shoulder. “She’s over there, in the corner.”
Kendril nodded his thanks to the buxom woman. He moved out into the smoke-filled common room, weaving his way towards the table by the fire where the red-headed woman sat.
“I figured it would be Joseph,” Kara said as Kendril came up. “Or maybe Maklavir.” She looked up at him. “You were a distant third.”
Kendril pulled out a chair across the table and sat down.
Kara looked away, staring out the window.
Senna came up to the table. “You two going to at least look like customers?” she asked with a smile.
Kendril looked up at the innkeeper. “Bring me an ale.”
“Me too.” Kara lifted her eyebrows at Kendril. “Or am I only allowed to drink fine wine now?”
Kendril turned his head back to Senna. “Two ales.”
The blonde woman smiled and turned back to the bar.
“So…” Kendril began as soon as she was out of earshot.
“So,” said Kara hotly, “Maklavir is an idiot.”
“That’s not news,” said Kendril thoughtfully. He folded his hands on the table. “In fact, Joseph said the same thing not five minutes ago. I don’t think that was what was bothering him, and I don’t think it’s what’s bothering you.”
“No. You want to know what’s bothering me?”
Kara turned her head away as Senna came up and deposited two beer mugs on the table. As soon as the woman had left, she started again in a lower voice.
“What’s bothering me is that suddenly I’m expected to act like Maklavir’s blue-blooded wife for some huge important festival, and no one even bothered to ask me about it first.”
Kendril spread his hands. “I admit, it was stupid of him. But you can do this. We just need--”
“Need to what?” she cut in. “Teach me how to act like a prim and proper lady in four days?”
Kendril was silent a moment. “Is that what’s bothering you?”
“Yes. No.” She fell back in her seat with a defeated sigh. “I don’t know. It’s just…” She paused, the thoughts forming in her head.
Kendril waited patiently.
“All my life I’ve lived on the streets,” she said. Her voice was so soft that Kendril could barely hear it. “I used to watch the ladies of New Marlin when I was just a girl. Riding by in their carriages, strolling out of the theaters, perusing the shops.” She stared morosely at her ale. “I used to love them and hate them all at the same time. I wanted to be them, and I despised them all the same. They were born in privilege, I was born with nothing. I would have given anything—” She stopped, her voice faltering. “In the Howling Woods, when Torin and I set up camp there, I used to enjoy it when we found some proper ladies travelling through the woods. It didn’t happen too often, of course, but when it did—” She looked out the window. “Well, it felt like payback when we robbed them.” Kara turned her head back to Kendril. “And now I’m supposed to pretend to be one. I—I don’t know if I can do it.”
Kendril sipped his ale. “Joseph told me about your little stunt at the carriage yard. He said you were more than convincing.”
Kara shook her head vehemently. “That was different. That was like a con, like—”
“So is this.” Kendril set his ale down. “It’s exactly the same. It’s a con, Kara. Just on a bigger scale.”
“But it’s not the same,” the thief blurted. “A con relies on gaining your mark’s confidence. You have to know your stuff, convince the mark you’re the real thing. Well here I’m going to have dozens of marks, and all of them can spot gutter trash like me from a mile away. How am I supposed to convince them that I’m one of them? What if I use the wrong fork? What if I address someone by the wrong title? What if—”
“Kara.” Kendril put one of his gloved hands on top of hers. “You can do this. I know you can. You have four days to learn what you need to know. That’s plenty of time, believe me.”
Kara balled her other hand into a fist. “I don’t know, Kendril. Maklavir—”
“Forget Maklavir. We’ll let him worry about clothes and Valmingaard winter festivals. I can teach you everything you need to know to fool the aristocrats at Dutraad’s gathering.”
The redhead arched an eyebrow. “You can?”
Kendril gave a somewhat embarrassed shrug. “I…know enough to get you by. Let’s leave it at that.”
Kara sighed and stared up at the ceiling. “It seems I’m just surrounded by mysterious men.” She tilted her head back at Kendril. “You really think I can do this?”
“I’ve seen you put an arrow through a squirrel’s eye at a hundred paces. This should be easy in comparison.” He lifted his pewter mug. “To Candle Ice, or whatever the Void it’s called.”
The thief smiled despite herself. She lifted her own mug and clinked it against Kendril’s.
They both took a drink, then plunked the mugs back down on the table.
Kara looked up. The smile on her face disappeared.
Kendril didn’t turn his head. “What is it?” he asked quietly.
She glanced down quickly at the table, trying to look unconcerned. “Four gendarmes,” she whispered. “They just entered.”
They could hear the officers now, loudly ordering drinks and banging their hands on the table.
Kendril’s hand tightened on his mug. “Are they looking this way?”
Kara waited a moment, then glanced casually in the direction of the door.
Two of the gendarmes were looking with growing interest in their direction.
“Yes.” She felt the hilt of the dagger at her belt, wishing she had her bow instead.
“We should go.” Kendril gave the back door of the inn a quick look. “Can’t be seen going out the back. We’ll have to go out the front.”
All four of the gendarmes had turned in their direction now.
Kara pretended to take another long drink of her beer, speaking into the mug. “We’
ll have to walk right past them.”
“I know.” Kendril got up, and tossed a coin on the table. The hilt of his short swords flashed as he drew back his cloak. “If fighting starts,” he said in a low, calm tone, “I want you to run.”
“Ashes I will.” Kara got up out of her seat.
“Follow me.” Kendril turned and walked towards the inn’s door.
Kara trailed behind. She couldn’t help a quick glance at the gendarmes’ table.
The men were all staring at them. They were speaking in low tones. Kara couldn’t overhear what they were saying,
Kendril pushed his way out the front door into the sharp cold air. He waited for Kara, then shut the door behind him.
They both walked into the frozen, snow-covered street, moving quickly between the rows of old wooden buildings that teetered on both sides.
Kara breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Behind them the inn door opened.
Kara didn’t glance behind her. She didn’t need to.
There came the heavy crackling of large boots breaking through the crust of ice that covered the snow.
Without a word Kendril pushed back his cloak and snatched the handle of one of his pistols.
Kara laughed.
Startled, the Ghostwalker whipped his head around towards her.
She grabbed him by the shoulders, and swung him around into the side of a nearby building.
He stared at her in dumb confusion. “Ka—”
Kara pushed her body up against him, and threw her arms around his neck. “Why you are a dirty, dirty man, Loren!” she exclaimed, loud enough for the whole street to hear. “You’re lucky you’re so handsome.”
She kissed him.
They stayed locked there for a moment, their bodies warm against each other in the chilly afternoon.
Kara pulled away with another tinkling laugh. “That’s just a taste, you scoundrel. Now let’s get home.”
It was all Kendril could do to nod dumbly.
She pulled him back into the street, and hooked her arm into his.
They continued walking down the street.
Behind them they heard some low grunting of voices. A door opened and shut.
Kendril risked a glance back. “They’re gone,” he said quietly.
Kara ducked into an alleyway off the street.
Kendril followed, leaning up against the side of a building. He exhaled, his breath streaming out white. “I think that surprised me as much as it did the gendarmes.”
The redhead craned her head to look out into the street. “Sorry. It’s your own fault, though.”
Kendril rubbed the back of his gloved hand across his face. “Just how exactly do you figure that?”
She looked over at him. “You were about to start shooting. There’s no way we could have gotten out of there alive. I had to think of something.”
“And kissing me is the best idea you could come up with?”
Kara cocked her head. “We’re alive, aren’t we?” She stepped towards the middle of the alley. “Just…don’t tell the others. I don’t think they’d understand.”
Kendril pushed away from the wall. “You mean Joseph. And no, I don’t think he would.” He ran the edge of his hand over his lips, then stared down at his gloved fingers.
The redheaded woman gave him a teasing smile. “Are you okay? You act like you’ve never—” She froze, her face whitening. “Oh, Eru. Great Eru in Pelos, I forgot.”
Kendril nodded, staring down at the snow. “That’s the first time I’ve touched a woman in…well, a long time.”
“I’m so sorry,” Kara said. She pushed the hair back from her face. “I can’t believe I—I just forgot, I wasn’t thinking…” She shook her head violently. “I’m so stupid. What happens now? What do you have to do?”
The Ghostwalker gave her a chilling look. “I have to kill you. Then I shoot myself.”
Kara opened her mouth in astonishment.
A thin smile passed over Kendril’s face. “Just kidding.”
The redhead crossed her arms and glared at the Ghostwalker. “That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.” Kendril glanced back out at the street. Nothing was moving. “Technically, you touched me. And there were extenuating circumstances.”
Kara paused a beat, her arms still folded. “That’s it?”
Kendril shrugged. “That’s it.”
“So all those vows of yours…?” She scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. “They don’t actually mean anything?”
Kendril fastened her with a hard gaze. “They mean everything.” He motioned down the alleyway. “Come on, let’s go.”
The beautiful thief stepped up beside him. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, it was like kissing my brother.”
“Oh, thanks,” said Kendril sarcastically. He stepped around a pile of snow-covered debris. “That makes me feel a lot better.”
“It’s your fault anyways,” Kara continued. “Half the city is looking for a man meeting your description, and you can’t even bother to change your clothes.”
Kendril reached the end of the alley, and looked out carefully into the next street. “My cloak is the uniform of my order, Kara.”
“It doesn’t mean you have to wear it all the time. Look at Maklavir. He changed his clothes. And shaved his goatee.”
“Maklavir looks for any excuse possible to buy new clothes.” He grabbed Kara by the arm and pulled her out into the street. “Come, on, we’ll go in the back way.”
“You might look good in a goatee,” she said briskly. “Maybe you should grow one.”
They reached the other side of the street, and slipped into a space between two warehouses.
“I’ll leave the facial hair changes to Maklavir, thank you very much,” said Kendril. He stepped towards the back of the warehouse, his boots shuffling through the deep snow.
Behind him, Kara suddenly stopped.
Kendril looked back, an irritated look on his face. “Are you coming?”
“What was her name?” she asked.
Kendril blinked. “What?”
“The woman. What was her name?”
The Ghostwalker bit his lip and glanced away awkwardly. “You mean Jade--?”
Kara lowered her voice. “Not her.”
Kendril spun his head back around. A fire simmered in his eyes. “How do you know there was a woman?”
She crossed her arms again. “Please, give me some credit.” She gave him a sympathetic look. “So what was her name?”
He tapped the hilt of his sword. “Celeste.”
Kara looked down at the ground. “Did you love her?”
Kendril nodded slowly. “Yes.”
She looked back up at the dark-cloaked man. “So…what exactly--?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Kendril said abruptly. “Let’s go.”
The redhead pushed a little further. “Is she the reason why you’re wearing…that?” She gestured to his black cloak.
“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” Kendril snapped. “Now come on.”
They moved around towards the rear of the warehouse, tromping heavily through the snow. Crisp white flakes began to fall again from the gray sky above, gently pelting their faces and raised hoods.
“This weather,” Kendril grumbled. “How can anyone manage to live in this Eru-forsaken—”
Kara grabbed the Ghostwalker’s arm. “There,” she said with a nod of her head. Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Kendril followed her gaze.
Just ahead of them was the back door to their warehouse, the one that they didn’t use.
There were several deep footsteps in the snow around the entrance.
Kendril yanked out his pistol. He listened for a moment. “No sounds of working in there.”
Kara felt her heart stop. She reached for her dagger.
“That all you have?” Kendril asked with a contemptuous glance at her weapon.
&n
bsp; “I guess I’m not a walking arsenal like you,” she shot back.
“Get back,” said Kendril. His voice hissed out in the cold air. “I’ll go first.”
Kara didn’t argue. “Fine with me.”
The Ghostwalker stepped forward, stepping softly through the deep snow. He sidled up against the back of the warehouse, a pistol in each hand.
For a moment he listened against the door, straining to hear any noise from inside.
Kara crouched beside him, her dagger out and ready. It looked woefully small in her gloved hand.
Kendril glanced back at the young woman, then motioned with the barrel of his pistol at the back door.
Kara nodded.
Kendril kicked the door hard.
The wood cracked as part of the frame shattered. The door burst open.
The Ghostwalker swept inside, both pistols lowered.
Something moved directly to his left, just inside the door. A cloaked, hooded figure leapt forward and grabbed at Kendril’s arm.
They scuffled for a moment. Kendril’s pistol banged off in the semi-darkness of the warehouse, the bullet drilling into the ceiling above.
Kara started forward, her dagger at the ready.
With a snarl Kendril pistol-whipped his attacker across the face with the barrel of his spent pistol.
The hooded figure fell back with a cry of pain.
Kendril brought down the other gun, tossing his fired pistol to the floor. His free hand reached for the hilt of his sword.
Kara leapt up beside him, ready to cover his exposed flank.
At least a half dozen more figures emerged from the shadows of the warehouse, cloaked and hooded. There was the dull gleam of a blade being drawn.
“Wait!” Joseph appeared from behind the coach, his hand held out in front of him.
Kendril trained his gun on the nearest hooded figure.
Kara hesitated, her hand still clutching her knife.
The nearest figure stepped forward, and lowered its hood.
The kindly face of an elderly woman appeared, gray hair tied tightly behind her head. She smiled wanly. “Hello, Kendril,” she said. “You’re a hard man to find.”
Chapter 16
“I think you broke my nose.”
