Chapter 11

11

Whether one is caught or not, eavesdropping always has consequences.

~ Spymaster Yeroknor the Senior

“Who are you?” the owner of the dagger asked softly.

Kaylina’s jaw drooped in surprise. It was a woman’s voice.

One of the maids? Their supervisor who rounded up wayward staff who used the castle’s passageways for eavesdropping? No, this person knew just how to grab Kaylina and where to hold her dagger—even in the dark. Weapons expertise would be an odd skill for a maid.

“I’m from the kitchen,” Kaylina breathed.

Not exactly a lie…

A thump came from the parlor. The door closing? Kaylina couldn’t hear voices anymore and suspected Petalira and Milnor had left. She’d hung out longer than she should have, and she hadn’t learned anything extra. And now…

“You are not on the staff,” the woman said.

“No, I run a meadery and was invited up to give a tasting to the wine steward.”

“Ah, you’re the druid girl.”

“No, I’m the mead girl.” Maybe Kaylina shouldn’t have argued. That blade remained against her throat, cold and deadly.

“With druid blood. Korbian.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you. Who are you, by the way? Would you like to try the mead?”

“Do you find it difficult to execute tastings from secret passageways far from the kitchen?”

“It adds an element of challenge, but I like that. Who are you?”

The grip on her arm tightened, surprisingly strong for a woman. Her voice was above Kaylina’s ear, meaning she had to be near six feet tall.

“What are you doing back here?” her captor asked. “Who sent you to spy?”

“I was in the kitchen when the staff said the prince had arrived. They were the ones to open a hidden door to this passageway. I was curious so I followed them.”

All true…

The woman snorted, warm breath stirring Kaylina’s hair. “The staff is full of eavesdroppers who do their best to outdo each other when it comes to gossip.”

“I wondered what will happen next to the kingdom,” Kaylina said, though maybe she shouldn’t have offered up anything other than what was asked. “Uhm, have you seen Lord Vlerion, perchance? He was supposed to help me with the tasting, but I can’t find him.”

“Oh, yes. I’m certain a ranger aristocrat pours drinks for you.”

“Well, no, but he’s supporting me in my business endeavor. His mother was even thinking of investing at one point.”

After a pause, the woman said, “I have heard that he’s been talking nobles into visiting that cursed castle.”

“For the delicious mead served there. Why don’t you put away that dagger, and I’ll take you to the kitchen, and you can try some yourself.”

The grip on her elbow shifted to her shoulder, and the woman forced Kaylina to turn around, the dagger still at her throat. “Walk.”

“Okay.” Kaylina tried to lead the way toward the kitchen, which she thought she could find again—the maid gaggle hadn’t taken many turns—but she doubted that was their destination.

“Turn right,” the woman stated.

Kaylina did so, her hunch proven correct. Soon, the passageway led up stairs that she bumped and groped over in the dim lighting. The woman removed the dagger from her throat, but Kaylina sensed it remained close and that her captor could sweep it back in at any time.

On the second floor, they took several more turns, finally entering a passageway so narrow that her elbows bumped the walls. She brushed against hard stone that protruded, making the way even tighter. The back of a hearth?

“Did Lord Vlerion kill Spymaster Sabor?” the woman asked, startling Kaylina.

She sought an answer that would neither condemn Vlerion nor belie what they’d both already said. She longed to protect him but knew he didn’t want her to get herself in trouble.

“He was there when Sabor died,” Kaylina said.

“As were you.” Her captor tightened her grip, stopping Kaylina.

“Yes, that alley was a busy place.”

“Milnor is skeptical that you had anything to do with it. Only the cat fur makes him wonder.”

“Huh.”

Tense, Kaylina waited for the woman to press her further—and return that dagger to her throat. But she used it to scrape at the stones. To prod a hidden switch between them?

Yes, a soft click sounded, and a door swung open, revealing an office with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, a sofa, a desk, leather chairs, and someone sitting in one of them. Someone familiar.

“Vlerion,” Kaylina blurted as his gaze swung toward the hidden door.

His eyebrows rose, and his lips parted as she walked out. Judging by his surprise, he hadn’t heard that she was nearby.

“Kaylina, what are you doing here?”

“Enacting a plan to rescue you.” She managed a smile, but she felt silly voicing the words. She didn’t know whose office this was, but it was far from the dungeon she’d imagined him in. He wasn’t even bound or shackled, nor was there a guard at the door, though she supposed a whole legion could be standing outside.

At first, he didn’t stir, but when the woman walked out behind Kaylina, he rose, muscles tensing. He glanced toward the hand gripping Kaylina’s shoulder and also noticed the drawn dagger.

“Will that rescue be hard to accomplish with an armed spy at your back?” Vlerion asked, his tone more mild than Kaylina expected.

He squinted at the woman, but he didn’t threaten her, nor did that dangerous spark light in his eyes, the one that suggested the beast might appear to protect Kaylina. She interpreted his body language as he was concerned but not yet worried.

“A spy? She wouldn’t give me her name after she ambled up and thrust a dagger to my throat.” Kaylina glanced over her shoulder, aware of the woman standing uncomfortably close. There were enough lights in the office to reveal that she had pronounced cheekbones in a lean face, her angles a little too hard to be considered beautiful, though Kaylina would call her handsome, especially if her shoulder-length dark-blonde hair were down instead of pulled back in a tight braid. “It was rude,” she added.

“Spies aren’t known to be the epitome of politeness,” Vlerion said.

“Really, my lord,” the woman said. “Haven’t I always been civil with you?”

“Reasonably so. More so than Sabor and Milnor, at least.”

“That wouldn’t take much,” Kaylina muttered.

Vlerion looked toward the closed wooden door at the front of the office, presumably the official exit. “There are a number of guards out there,” he said quietly.

“Yes,” the woman said, probably knowing all about them.

Kaylina spread her arms, not sure what to say or do. She didn’t know if she’d joined Vlerion as a prisoner here or if this woman might be an ally. Or at least not an adversary?

“Are you in as much trouble as I thought you were, Vlerion?” Kaylina asked.

“Milnor and I were having a chat when the prince returned.”

“That… answered my question less than you might think.”

“I don’t actually know the answer. What do you think, Lady Shylea?”

The woman snorted softly. “I’m no more a lady than Targon is a lord.”

“Targon thinks he’s a lord,” Vlerion said.

“He thinks he’s a lot of things. The arrogance is impressive given how many times we were beaten and told we were excrement as kids.”

Kaylina stepped away from the woman—Shylea—and looked back and forth between them. “I’m a little lost.”

“And yet you found the secret passageways in the castle,” the woman said dryly.

“I told you I followed the staff into those. And that’s not what I meant.”

Vlerion extended a hand toward the woman. “Kaylina, this is one of the spies who works for— worked for—Sabor. She’s also Targon’s twin sister.”

Kaylina rocked back. As soon as he said it, she could see the resemblance, but… “Targon has a sister? He never said anything about it—her.”

“He discussed his family with you at some point?” Vlerion asked.

“Well, no, but he’s so… It’s hard to imagine women in his life who aren’t—” Whores, Kaylina thought but kept herself from saying, realizing Shylea might find that insulting. Maybe she respected her brother. Though… the words she’d voiced didn’t quite suggest that.

“Yes,” Vlerion said dryly, as if he knew exactly what Kaylina was thinking.

“Spies don’t wish to be talked about,” Shylea said. “I serve the crown, the same as he does, and our father paid for us to have an education and the training we desired. Of course, I had to sneak off for my combat training, since sword fighting wasn’t deemed appropriate for women of noble—or half-noble—birth back then. I wanted to become a ranger, the same as he, but that wasn’t allowed then either.” Bitterness flashed in her eyes as she eyed Kaylina.

Great, someone else disliked her for reasons Kaylina didn’t want anything to do with.

“I had training and talent enough that then-Spymaster Jalkoran noticed and gave me work,” Shylea said. “He was loyal to King Gavatorin Senior, and I believed in what I was doing. The work was right, protecting the populace and the crown.”

“And now?” Vlerion asked.

Shylea hesitated and glanced toward the door, though it remained closed, no sounds suggesting the guards had their ears pressed against it.

“Things have been murkier of late,” she said quietly.

“Yes.” Vlerion nodded sadly at her.

Distant calls came through the door from the hallway, which had been quiet until then. It didn’t sound like the guards or anyone immediately outside, but a few thunks and clangs echoed from somewhere on the floor. Maybe the prince was stirring things up? Ordering people about? Or maybe the staff had come upstairs to help unpack and prepare whatever rooms he claimed.

Vlerion, apparently not that worried about the goings-on in the castle, walked around the desk to hug Kaylina. Though she hadn’t expected it, she leaned against his chest, always welcoming his touch.

He patted her gently while looking over her shoulder at Shylea. “Kaylina is not a threat to the crown. She’s been swept up in events because Targon has recruited her to be a ranger, and the cursed castle has recruited her to… I’m not entirely sure what it wants from her. But nothing to do with human politics, I think. It serves the druids—or their memory.”

“I’m aware of the plant,” Shylea said, her tone neutral.

Kaylina wished the woman would go away so she could talk to Vlerion alone. Since Milnor had finished his discussion with the queen, he might be on his way back to the office.

“I was trying to learn what happened to Spymaster Sabor,” Shylea said, “since, from what I’ve heard, you haven’t been forthright with Milnor or even Targon. The spymaster was wounded by both claw marks and a sword; that implies two different attackers.”

“Do you care that much what happened?” Vlerion stroked Kaylina’s hair as the conversation continued without her.

She felt awkward being talked around and wanted to suggest that she and Vlerion slip into that passageway before Milnor returned. But would Shylea allow that? It was doubtful she would be a match for Vlerion if he decided he wanted to leave, but Vlerion also might not be willing to attack Targon’s sister.

“He was my boss,” Shylea said after a long pause.

“I’ve long had the impression you weren’t that pleased to be in his employ.”

“He was overly ambitious and working at odds with his oath. That put me at odds with my oath.”

“It’s best for the kingdom that he’s gone,” Vlerion said. “He was trying to put his plans in action. If it’s discovered that the king died of some poison, he might very well be to blame, a plan he enacted before his end, though I’m not certain of that. Sabor probably needed more time before he was ready for the kingdom’s figurehead to disappear.”

“Time to ensure his army was birthed,” Kaylina muttered.

Shylea might not have caught that. She frowned over, a question in her eyes, but Kaylina didn’t repeat the words.

“He sought to betray the king and rule the kingdom himself,” Vlerion said, drawing Shylea’s gaze back to him. “I don’t think you would be doing anything wrong by not wholeheartedly pursuing the one who slew him.”

“Tell Milnor that.”

“Oh, I did. Swaying him will be difficult.”

“Well, he’s my boss now.” Her mouth twisted, the bitterness less hidden this time. “I’ve served in this capacity longer than he. He was a doctor for twenty years. I don’t deny that his experience in that field makes him valuable, but I…” She frowned toward the secret door and didn’t continue.

“Sabor didn’t respect women,” Vlerion said. “He wouldn’t have named one as his successor. You do have more experience than Milnor, at least in this role.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shylea said, though Kaylina sensed that it did. “ I’m not ambitious. I’ve only ever wanted to serve the kingdom and…”

“Have interesting adventures?”

“Yes. Since I couldn’t become a ranger and have a taybarri, I had to find them somehow.”

Amazing how many people became rangers so they could ride taybarri. Kaylina thought of loyal and delightful Levitke and admitted it had swayed her—a lot more than Targon’s bribery.

“I can’t decide on my own to drop the investigation,” Shylea said, bringing the conversation back to the topic Kaylina wished she would forget.

“I’m only suggesting that we move on, that the details of that night don’t need to be recorded.” Vlerion gazed steadily at her. It wasn’t exactly an order, but his face was stern, one of a commander addressing a subordinate.

But Shylea wasn’t that, was she? No more than Targon.

Still, she was the one to lower her head and study the floor. “If I left that exit undefended, would you walk out it, Vlerion?” She waved to the secret passageway, the wood-paneled door still ajar.

“ Yes ,” Kaylina said emphatically.

Vlerion sighed and didn’t move to leave. “If I disappear during the middle of his inquiry, Milnor will have justification to mobilize the guards—even the rangers—to have me hunted down.”

“He’s not going to let you leave, Vlerion,” Shylea said softly.

“I think she’s right.” Kaylina leaned back to look at Vlerion’s face as she gripped his arms. “I heard him talking to the queen.”

“You were eavesdropping?” he asked mildly, not appearing concerned about the rest. “Again?”

“To learn all I could to rescue you. You should be grateful for my tendencies, which, by the way, don’t seem rare at all. Half the kitchen staff was spying on the queen’s conversation with the prince. How do you think I found them?”

Vlerion looked at Shylea.

“It’s like I told her.” Shylea waved toward Kaylina. “The staff are busybodies and gossips. Besides, they want to know what their future holds. Understandably so. The prince hasn’t been around much lately, but everyone who’s worked here a long time remembers what a spoiled brat he was and how he dragged the female staff off against their wishes.”

“So you’re eager to serve him,” Vlerion said.

Shylea made a sour face. “As eager as you are, I’m sure.” She shifted her hand toward the hidden passageway. “Go ahead, Vlerion. This may be your only chance to leave without…” She glanced at Kaylina. “I know what you can become. What you will become if threatened. It would be better for us all if a repeat of the dungeon massacre didn’t happen here among the guards and staff.”

Vlerion sighed again, this time looking at Kaylina. He might have staved off turning into the beast when he’d been alone, but now that she was here and could be threatened…

“You can come stay at Stillguard Castle instead of ranger headquarters until we see what happens with the succession,” she offered. “Who’s going to get you there? The plant is protecting it.”

“The plant protects you ,” Vlerion said. “It would happily hang me from the rafters with one of its vines.”

“It would , but it won’t. We’ve got a deal.” Kaylina rested a hand on her chest. “Besides, it said you’re welcome now, remember?”

“I’m positive welcome isn’t the word it used. Does it even use words?”

“Sometimes. Usually, when a tendril is touching my head. That aside, it didn’t strangle you with vines after you groped me in the courtyard under the tower. How much more of an invitation do you need?”

Belatedly, Kaylina decided one shouldn’t discuss physical relations in front of strangers.

Maybe Vlerion didn’t agree, because he snorted and said, “You groped me as much as I groped you.”

Well, Shylea wasn’t a stranger to him.

“That plant sounds more intelligent than I was led to believe,” she said, observing their discussion with bemusement.

“It said you could come visit me,” Kaylina added to Vlerion. “In human form, anyway, which is the form I prefer.”

“The form we all prefer,” Shylea murmured.

More clanks and distant calls sounded on the floor. Was there more going on than the staff moving the prince and his entourage in?

“You could disappear in Stillguard Castle while we figure things out,” Kaylina urged. “Or until Sabor’s death is forgotten. Maybe the prince will be so busy fending off enemies that he’ll have to keep Milnor busy ferreting out plots, and Milnor won’t have time to have you hunted down.”

“I shouldn’t feel wistful at that notion, I suppose,” Vlerion said.

“It’s not an impossible one,” Shylea said. “He does have enemies who oppose him.”

Glad the woman was supporting her, sort of, Kaylina added, “If we took the catacombs to reach Stillguard, people wouldn’t have any idea where you’d gone. Is there still a tunnel leading from the dungeon to there?”

“That was walled up immediately,” Shylea said, “and the tunnel filled in.”

“Too bad. But we can find another way.” Kaylina tapped her lip. “If it hasn’t been too long to be suspicious, I could return to the kitchen, do the mead tasting, and then get the donkey I rented. If you scrunch up, we could fit you in that cart under some hay. There would be hay in the stable, right? I didn’t bring enough mead to cover you with bottles. Besides, those might be empty by now.” She looked to Shylea again, realizing they would need help for this new plan. How much of an ally might Targon’s sister be?

“Nobles don’t scrunch , Kaylina,” Vlerion said. “Or hide .”

“Commoners do. I’ll show you how. It’s easy.”

Shylea laughed softly. “I’d heard she was irreverent but not how much of a schemer she is.”

Kaylina lifted her chin. “I just want to help Vlerion.”

She wanted to make sure the damn spymaster didn’t have him executed .

Shylea eyed them—or their closeness, Vlerion’s arms still around Kaylina and her gripping him. “I see that.”

She smiled without condemnation. At least she didn’t seem to think Kaylina was trying to land herself a noble for his wealth—as that awful Lady Ghara had suggested.

“Targon’s reports may not have been adequate,” Vlerion said. “Strange that he accuses me of being overly brief.”

“Believe it or not, he doesn’t report to me. Nothing that he doesn’t write up in the official papers, anyway. Sabor was always irked about that and certain Targon was hiding things about the ranger organization.”

“Is that why he suborned Jankarr?” Vlerion asked.

Kaylina gaped at him.

Oh, she’d noted that things that happened around Jankarr seemed to get reported quickly, but she liked him—even if he’d stopped being as friendly and affable with her. She hadn’t wanted to believe he would do anything to harm Vlerion or the other rangers.

“I believe it was more of a strong-arming. That was his style. And Jankarr isn’t the only one. Watch your words.” Shylea stepped away from the passageway while leaving her arm extended toward it. Making it clear Vlerion should leave.

“I always do,” he murmured, considering the doorway but not yet moving.

Another shout sounded in the hallway. This one closer.

Someone knocked on the door and opened it. Kaylina jumped, shifting away from Vlerion to stand in front of the secret opening, though she wasn’t tall enough to hide its existence.

The knocker didn’t stick his head in, only saying, “Spymaster’s coming back, Lord Vlerion.”

“Thank you,” Vlerion said.

The door closed again.

“You have more people looking out for you than I expected,” Kaylina said.

“Sabor’s death freed that up somewhat.” Vlerion nodded to Shylea, took Kaylina’s hand, and—thank the moon gods—headed for the passageway. “He was ruthless and made sure nobody dared take action that wouldn’t please him. Everyone knew he was someone you didn’t dare cross.”

“ You dared,” Kaylina murmured.

“Not as much as you did.” Vlerion smiled at her, his eyes proud, even if he’d probably been exasperated with her at the time.

“As we’ve discussed, I’m not that wise.” Kaylina stepped into the passageway, eager to shut the door, though it wasn’t as if Milnor didn’t know about it. Even if that had originally been Sabor’s office, the spies had to know about every hidden passage and bolt-hole in the castle, if not in the entire city.

Vlerion paused before stepping fully in. He looked back at Shylea, raising his eyebrows.

“I’ll stay and try to buy you a few minutes. I was supposed to report to him at the start of my shift tonight anyway.”

“Very well. Be careful.” Vlerion nodded gravely to her. “Milnor might not be as ruthless as Sabor, but I have no doubt he expects compliance.”

“Oh, yes.”