Chapter 5

5

The minor danger we flirt with daily is far more a threat than the greater danger that is distant.

~ King Voromnar

The noises coming from Captain Targon's room had ended before Vlerion went over there, so Kaylina hoped he hadn't been forced to walk in on his boss having the good time that the curse wouldn't allow him to have. While waiting for him to return, she alternated between pacing and eating crackers. She hoped her brother had also gotten some food. Now and then, she yawned, a reminder of how little sleep she'd gotten the last few days. How little she'd gotten since they'd arrived in Port Jirador.

Exhaustion prompted her to creep into the other room and lie on Vlerion's bed, hoping he wouldn't mind. His appealing masculine scent clung to the pillow and sheets, and her mind drifted back to when she'd been in his arms. How she wished their embrace could have lasted—and turned into more.

If only she could find a way to lift his curse, they could be together without fear of repercussions. Later, she would visit Stillguard Castle and check on the plant. She couldn't help but feel the two curses were linked and that if she could solve the one in the castle, she might learn how to lift his. Then they could share his bed and do whatever they wished.

At that moment, what she wished must have been to fall asleep, because she dozed off snuggled under a blanket. How much time passed before quiet voices woke her, she didn't know, but the lanterns were dimmed, and she was warm for the first time in days, so she was reluctant to lift her head.

"I can't believe you have her in here," came Targon's voice from the office.

"I didn't realize you had her in there," Vlerion replied. "Had you apprised me of your scandalous intentions, I would have taken Kaylina elsewhere."

"They're not scandalous," Targon snapped.

"Uh-huh. I'll expect an article about your liaison to appear in the new underground newspaper tomorrow."

Kaylina let her eyelids droop back shut, wondering if she might reclaim sleep. She didn't want to hear about Targon's scandalous conquest.

"She left her guards outside the compound, and nobody saw under her hood," Targon said. "Not even Lenark. Had you not knocked on my door, you'd also have no idea she was in my room."

"The whole compound knows there was a woman in there with you."

Targon's tone turned smug when he said, "I can't help it that she was an enthusiastic lover. Far more so than you'd expect from an older woman, but she's an experienced older woman."

"One assumes the king chose her for a reason."

Kaylina's eyes opened. What? Were they talking about… the queen?

No, it had to be some mistress. But Targon had spoken of guards. Would a mistress have guards?

"Without a doubt." Targon still sounded smug.

Vlerion sighed.

"Forgive me. I forget that you find such matters tedious and have no interest in them."

"A lack of interest isn't the problem."

The men fell silent. Even though Kaylina couldn't see them from the bed, something told her they were both looking in her direction. Warmth crept into her cheeks as she began to feel she was doing something wrong by eavesdropping. Not that it was her fault they hadn't shut the door to the office.

"To have her in your bed and do nothing about it," Targon said, "you really are cursed."

"Yes. Did you finish reading this?" The newspaper rustled.

"I got the gist. It's like the others that have come out since this dubious press started publishing daily instead of weekly."

"Since the castle invasion and the assassination attempt," Vlerion said.

"Yes. Whoever's running the paper clearly wasn't pleased that their side was defeated. There are enough details that are correct in the stories about the beast that I assume some of the Virts who saw you got away to talk about it."

"Yes."

"What happened down in that dungeon? While I'm not sad that you lost it and decimated their forces— more than decimated them—it's unfortunate that there were witnesses. Witnesses who are now linking the beast to the rangers for the public."

"I don't remember exactly." Vlerion paused.

Was Targon giving him a skeptical look? Vlerion had said his memories of when he was a beast were fuzzy, but did that hold true for the moments before he changed? When he was still fully human?

"Kaylina was in trouble," Vlerion admitted.

"That's what I figured. Were the rebels going to maul her?"

"No. One of the guards was trying, or had at least tried, to rape her."

"Your mother is right. She's a problem for you."

Targon's tone held not a hint of empathy for Kaylina's experience, and she bared her teeth at him through the wall.

"Seeing any woman in that predicament would have made me lose it," Vlerion said stiffly.

"Yeah, but she makes you extra crazy. For lots of reasons."

"You're not helping."

" You didn't rape her after dealing with the guard, did you? As the beast? How come so many of those men got away? The beast usually kills everyone in its path."

"Of course I didn't do that."

"Don't give me that look. I've seen your mother's scars."

Kaylina curled her fist in the silence that followed. She was tempted to leap to her feet and rush in to defend Vlerion.

"I've done more research into your curse than you might suspect," Targon added, his voice gentler. "I know what happens when you change isn't your fault, but that doesn't keep it from being horrific."

"She's fine," Vlerion said, his tone clipped. "The men got away because there were fifty of them, and they had the common sense to run from a beast."

"I guess she wouldn't be sleeping in your bed if you'd given her a reason to be afraid of you."

"No." After a long pause, Vlerion said, "She does have reasons to be afraid, unfortunately, but not that one. Not that time."

"What about next time?"

Footsteps sounded. Vlerion pacing? "I don't know. Is that what you want me to say? I'm doing my best to make sure that the situation, the possibility, doesn't arise. I'm…" He exhaled a long breath. "I wouldn't forgive myself for that."

"What about for beheading rebels?"

"I don't like that I'm capable of that either, but, if you refer to the events in the castle, given what they were there for, I don't regret that."

A long moment passed, and Kaylina wished she could see their faces.

" Are you referring to the events in the castle?" Vlerion finally asked.

The newspaper rustled again. "You tell me."

"I didn't kill the rebels that have been found in the last couple of days if that's what you're asking."

"Are you sure? You've said you don't remember everything when you're the beast."

"I'm sure because I haven't been the beast. I don't forget when that happens." Vlerion's tone turned dry. "Neither does my wardrobe."

"All right. I'd just like to know. Something with claws is killing people in the city, and we're being blamed. Us and our beast."

"I'm aware, but I would tell you if I turned."

"Would you? In the catacombs, you didn't mention it until after I noticed one of the Virt bodies was missing his head. Gorily."

"Is there a non-gory way to lose one's head?"

"You know what I mean."

"I didn't deny it when you asked."

"But you didn't volunteer the information ahead of time. I got the feeling you were hoping I wouldn't notice."

Vlerion sighed. "What do you want from me, Targon?"

"Not to be blindsided. And to have your loyalty."

"You've always had it."

"You seem a little divided when it comes to her. And lately you're more… secretive."

"Targon."

"All I'm saying is that your mother has a point. Maybe you should stay away from her."

"Don't tell me you care about Kaylina."

"I care about you, you obtuse bastard. But I don't want to lose my anrokk either. Did you see her firing her sling while riding that taybarri like she'd been practicing it for years?"

The praise might have pleased Kaylina, but she well remembered how poor her aim from Levitke's back had been. She'd struggled to compensate for the taybarri's unpredictable movement.

"I want her as a ranger," Targon continued. "She could be one of our leaders one day. If we can get her to focus on training and not making booze. Though I did get a taste of that mead. It's damn good. Even if I hadn't believed you when you shared that wild story about the innkeeper being motivated to frame her out of fear of competition, I might have changed my mind after tasting it. I want her alive and working for the kingdom—for us —not dead in a river somewhere."

"I want her alive as well." Vlerion didn't comment on the rest.

"Then you should stay away from her. Help her clear her name, but don't invite her into your room. That's too much of a temptation, even for you. I'm positive ."

"I didn't invite her. In fact, I ordered her to stay away."

"That worked real well. You need to flog her until she brings her mouth and actions in line with what's proper for a commoner and a ranger trainee."

"Yes, I'm certain beating her is the way to win her allegiance."

"It's called discipline, Vlerion. Young rangers are supposed to obey their superiors."

"If I weren't being watched, I wouldn't have ordered her to stay away. After standing with us, she deserves our help in getting rid of that accusation. I don't suppose your interlude tonight changed anything about me having a watcher?"

"I'm doing my best to cement a relationship with the queen, especially since I think she may be one of her husband's puppet masters. Even as often as I report to the royal castle, it's been hard to pin down who's running the kingdom right now. He can barely remember the way to the dining hall, and the prince doesn't care about anything other than gambling, booze, and women."

"Just warn me next time there'll be cementing going on next door."

"The queen doesn't send me a calendar of dates and times she'll feel randy for a ranger."

"Disgusting, Targon."

"I assure you it's not, but I'm not deluded enough to think I'm the only one she visits at night."

"I can't believe she's poisoned—murdered — other women for sleeping with her husband when she does the same."

"That was years ago. Decades ago. Though I understand the king does still try to flirt."

"Enough. Do you want me to take a team into the preserve? If Kaylina did see Kar'ruk…"

"Do you doubt that she did? It's hard for me to believe they've gotten that close, especially when a sighting hasn't been reported from the watchtowers in months. You know how assiduously we guard all the access points through the mountains."

"I do, but it's hard to mistake a Kar'ruk."

"It could have been Virts in masks. I don't believe for a moment that the failed assassination attempt has stopped their scheming."

Kaylina sat up, deciding she had better join the conversation. It sounded like Targon wanted to deem her an unreliable witness and dismiss the threat.

Both men were looking at the doorway before she stepped into it, neither surprised, and she wondered if they suspected she'd been listening for a while. Vlerion had caught her eavesdropping more than once. Not that this time had been her fault.

"They spoke in a language I hadn't heard before," she said. "My brother, who's read about them and their language in books, said it was Kar'ruk before we saw them."

Skepticism narrowed Targon's eyes.

"Do you remember anything they said?" Vlerion nodded with encouragement, and she thought he wanted to believe her.

"Not… really. Something like clak druk when they first saw us."

"Over there," Vlerion translated, giving Targon a meaningful look.

"Huh."

"I can take Kaylina out there, find the spot where she was attacked, and look for tracks."

"The druid preserve isn't a healthy place for rangers," Targon said. "I suppose the Kar'ruk know that, and that's why they chose to lurk there."

"It's not as bad as the castle. Vines hardly ever try to kill our people out there."

"Hardly ever." Targon snorted. "It has happened. There's a reason we usually send the Kingdom Guard to patrol that area."

"Something that's apparently not being effective."

"I guess not."

"Horses aren't taybarri, and the guards don't have the wilderness training that we do."

"Something the Kar'ruk might have finally figured out." Targon lifted the newspaper. "You don't think they're behind this new press, do you?"

"Doubtful. In the past, they've been disinclined to learn even a word of our language. After all, humans are beneath them."

Targon snorted. "Must be hard getting through life being superior to everything."

Kaylina resisted the urge to roll her eyes at an aristocrat saying that. Besides, she reminded herself that Targon was a bastard and probably hadn't grown up in the same world as most of the pampered nobles.

"I'm positive the Virts are responsible for the newspaper," Vlerion said.

"It's being printed outside the city. I don't know if a press would be in the preserve, but…" Kaylina explained the wagon—and the guard who'd lied to the ranger and helped the incendiary cargo through the gate.

"Interesting," Vlerion said.

"And irritating," Targon said. "I'll go talk with that guard myself. Middle east gate, you said?"

Kaylina nodded.

"You're pretty useful, girl. I'm glad I saw your worth and decided to support you." The smugness had returned to Targon's tone, and he wore a self-congratulatory expression.

Again, Kaylina struggled to restrain an eye roll. She didn't want Targon to suggest flogging her again.

"Escort her out there to look," he told Vlerion, "but make sure to take a couple of other rangers with you."

"Because I can't be alone with her without a chaperone?" Vlerion asked.

"Because you don't want to be alone with only her sling for backup if you run into a pack of Kar'ruk. Then, after you've verified whether or not they're there, I want you to stow Korbian somewhere. Not your barracks room." Targon's expression turned sour as he eyed Kaylina. "Until we figure out where these clawed-up bodies are coming from, we don't need more beast sightings taking place."

Vlerion's jaw tightened, and he looked like he might object. Kaylina wanted to object to being stowed . But Vlerion ended up sighing and looking sadly at Kaylina before saying, "Agreed," to Targon.

"What will happen if the rebels figure out…" Kaylina extended a hand toward Vlerion and then Targon to indicate their link—the secret the ranger captain knew.

Vlerion had already said it would be problematic if his enemies learned about his curse, implying the Virts would demand he be killed for the crimes the beast had committed over the years—maybe the crimes all the beasts in his lineage had committed—but if people learned the rangers had been protecting his secret, the ramifications could be even greater. Not that Kaylina cared that much about the rangers. She cared about Vlerion. Still, she didn't want to see utter chaos sweep over the capital, especially if the Kar'ruk were plotting to take advantage of it. If the city and the royal castle fell, what would happen to the rest of the kingdom? Even her family far to the south could be negatively impacted.

Targon was the one to answer. "Nothing good, so keep your mouth shut about it, girl."

Kaylina bristled.

Vlerion frowned at him.

Maybe Targon decided he shouldn't be obnoxious to his anrokk protégé, because he softened his voice to say, "If you keep his secret, I'll make sure Levitke becomes your taybarri when your training has progressed far enough to earn a mount."

Kaylina almost snorted at the blatant manipulation, but she couldn't help but feel wistful as well. She was starting to love the taybarri, and riding Levitke into battle had been amazing.

"Levitke is the one who can make sure of that," Vlerion said. "Kaylina could have any mount she wants."

Targon flicked his fingers at him. "You're interfering with my bribe, a bribe I'm making for your sake."

"Our sakes, perhaps," Vlerion murmured.

That prompted another finger flick.

"You don't have to bribe me," Kaylina said. "I have no intention of spreading his secret around."

"Good," Targon said, as Vlerion nodded, as if he'd already known. Maybe he had. Maybe he was starting to trust her. "But you'll take a taybarri mount anyway, right?"

"Gladly," Kaylina said.

"I thought so." Targon nodded as he walked out, smug again.

"I'm sad I've never had the opportunity to hit him in the head with a sling round," Kaylina said.

"He has mentioned wanting to witness your skill with that weapon." Vlerion's eyes gleamed with rare humor as his hand drifted to the back of his head where she'd once struck him.

"He wouldn't mind if I targeted him?"

"I don't think he implied that, but it would be a way to demonstrate your ability."

"It might lead to flogging."

"Oh, most assuredly, but some punishments are worth receiving."

"Maybe you should crack him on the head."

"Maybe so. I'd like to let you sleep more, but it will be easier to get you out of the city without being seen if we leave before dawn." Vlerion opened his palm and raised his eyebrows. "Are you willing to go look for sign of the Kar'ruk now?"

Though Kaylina was weary and doubted she'd slept more than twenty minutes, she didn't feel she could say no. "Yes, but I might leave Frayvar here and ask him to poke around and try to figure out who's behind that newspaper. Your people don't know, right?"

Her gaze drifted to the story open on the desk, the promise that someone was trying to blame the beast—blame Vlerion —for murders.

"We do not," Vlerion said. "I agree that it would be better not to take the boy into what might turn into a battle."

"But you're okay taking me?"

" You have proven yourself."

Kaylina didn't think hitting a couple of guards using her sling counted as proving oneself, but the pleased smile Vlerion gave her filled her with warmth, maybe even pride. Even though her family was supportive in their own overly critical way, she couldn't remember many people ever telling her that she had worth. She liked it. A part of her even appreciated that Targon believed she had value, even if it was only because he wanted to use her.

Vlerion stepped forward, giving her a one-armed hug and resting his face against her hair. "One day, I would like to take a ride in the woods alone with you, but I'd best do as Targon suggests and round up a couple more rangers."

Her heart ached because she would also enjoy a private ride in the woods with him. She kept herself from leaning into him and made her tone light as she asked, "To help against the Kar'ruk or to be chaperones for us?"

Vlerion sighed. "Both."