Chapter 16

We easily accepttruths that make sense, but the universe is full of nonsensical realities.

~ Lord Professor Varhesson, Port Jirador University

It was late at night by the time Vlerion accompanied Kaylina back to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage, the painting on the side claiming it belonged to the Ice Creek Taxi Service rather than having anything to do with the rangers. She would have preferred to ride on Crenoch, especially since he and three other taybarri had followed her to the gate, as if they intended to go along. But Targon had commanded the animals to return to their stable, reminding them that the rangers—and their mounts—were not to visit Stillguard Castle.

Too bad. The carriage offered a bumpy ride that jostled Kaylina’s bandaged leg as it rattled through the cobblestone streets.

Since Vlerion watched her from the bench seat opposite, she did her best to keep the pain off her face. He spoke little on the ride, and she resisted the temptation to ask him how the fur shark had died.

In her heart, she knew, but her mind had never heard of a man turning into a beast, and she struggled to believe that was possible. How could such a thing happen? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. A very grim fairy tale.

“Am I in danger from your captain?” Kaylina asked instead, wondering if Vlerion would tell her.

His loyalty was to Targon—after all, Vlerion didn’t even like her—but that first night, he’d admitted his captain had arranged things so she and Frayvar couldn’t leave. Maybe it had been more a warning than an admission, so she wouldn’t do something foolish, but Vlerion needn’t have said anything.

“He is intensely loyal to the kingdom and its subjects. He’ll do anything to protect them.”

“Even if it means sacrificing an innocent person along the way?”

“If he deems it for the greater good, yes. He’s made that choice many times.” Vlerion touched his chest. To indicate himself? Or maybe the rangers? How many comrades had he seen fall over the years?

“If he remembers to call me back for a sling demonstration, should I deliberately miss the targets?”

“Would your pride allow that?”

“Maybe. To save my ass.” Kaylina hesitated, not certain that was true. “To save my brother’s ass, I definitely would.”

“Targon doesn’t have much interest in him.”

“Lucky boy.”

The horses pulling the carriage stopped, the driver keeping them across the street from the castle. The familiar red glow shone from the tower window.

Arriving didn’t feel like coming home, but weariness and pain made her long for a horizontal position. Anywhere would do.

Kaylina grabbed the crutch the doctor had lent her. It was bigger and more unwieldy than the cane she’d imagined.

“I recommend doing your best to make him forget you,” Vlerion said quietly as he opened the carriage door.

He hopped down and lifted his hands toward her. Though she hated needing help, the ache from her leg kept her from doing something dumb like swatting his arm away and jumping out. Instead, she didn’t object when he gripped her waist and gently lifted her down.

As they stood close, his hands lingered, and the memory of slumping against him in the alcove came to mind. Of rubbing his shoulders and leaning into his chest, of him stroking her hair and kneading the taut muscles in her neck. Since he didn’t release her and step back, she wondered if he might be thinking about that too.

“Wrap your honey so that it’s difficult to smell, and keep it someplace safe,” he said.

Kaylina blinked. “What?”

“So Crenoch and the other taybarri aren’t drawn here.”

That was what he was thinking about while tenderly holding her?

Exasperated, Kaylina stepped back, jamming the crutch down for support. “You tell me to avoid your captain’s notice but also want to make sure whatever he’s planning for me doesn’t get messed up. Is that it?”

“The taybarri must be bonded to their riders and not have their attention—or loyalties—split between multiple people.”

Craters of the moon, maybe Vlerion’s words had nothing to do with his captain. Maybe he was irritated because his faithful mount wasn’t as devoted to him as the men he worked with were. Too bad.

“If you want him bonded to you, maybe you should give him honey from time to time. Do you want me to get you some of ours?”

“No.” Vlerion stepped back. “It is not appropriate for a taybarri.”

“You can’t tell me they wouldn’t suck down a beehive whole if they found one in nature.”

“I am the one who must tend to his teeth if any need pulling.”

“Oh gods. However would the valiant rangers ride into battle to slay their enemies if their taybarri had cavities?”

Vlerion took a breath. When he said, “You are an exasperating female,” he sounded calm, not exasperated.

“And you’re an ass.”

“My lord,” he said tightly.

“Pirate.” Kaylina would have stomped into the courtyard if she hadn’t needed the crutch. She was the one exasperated as she struggled to make the dramatic exit her last word called for. Worse, she tripped as she crossed through the gatehouse, the uneven ground needing repairs. Everything about the damn place needed repairs. This entire adventure was exhausting, and if not for Vlerion watching, she would have cursed at the fates that had brought her to the doorstep of the castle.

But she clamped her jaw shut and made it awkwardly across the courtyard. Only when she reached the doors did she notice someone sitting against the wall under the overhang. She let out a startled squawk.

“What is it?” Vlerion drew his sword and stepped through the gatehouse.

“Just me.” Frayvar threw his hands up.

“We’re fine,” Kaylina made herself say, though she was annoyed Frayvar had seen her arguing with Vlerion. Why was he loitering outside? “Go home, taxi service.”

She doubted anyone was spying on them but, to please the pompous Lord Vlerion, she wouldn’t go out of her way to screw up the ranger captain’s ruse.

“Very well.” Vlerion sheathed his sword and climbed into the carriage.

Even though she’d spent far too much of the day with him, a pang of loneliness struck her at his departure. The castle felt safe when he was around. Everywhere did. She didn’t understand it, but she knew he’d been the one to save her life in the catacombs.

“Nothing attacked you, did it?” she asked Frayvar.

“No, but the castle was being eerie, and that’s harder to stomach when you’re alone.” He pointed at her crutch. “I didn’t realize you’d been hurt that badly. Did something attack you? Or did you fall and break your leg?”

“I both fell and was attacked. No broken bones though. Hopefully, bites don’t take long to heal.” As appealing as having an excuse to curl up in bed with her books was, there was so much left to do before they could open their new establishment that she didn’t like the idea of struggling to get around. It would be easy to feel sorry for herself and succumb to one of her funks, as Frayvar called them, but she couldn’t. They didn’t have a fallback plan. There was no one here to take care of them if they ran out of money and failed. And going home probably still wasn’t an option.

“Attacked by what?”

“Have you heard of fur sharks?”

“Certainly. I’ve got books on marine life of the North Dakmoor Sea and the fresh waters of the kingdom and beyond. I did a report on furred water creatures in school.”

“Of course you did. You probably wouldn’t have been foolish enough to jump into an underground pool where such things live.”

“No,” he agreed. “Why did you?”

“I fell more than I jumped in. I was being chased by men who were going to…” Kaylina stopped, not wanting him to have reason to be even more concerned about the castle. “Well, they’re rebels, and they’re setting up for a plan that involves a lot of explosives. And I mean a lot.”

“You didn’t use your sling on one of them, did you?”

“On one? No.”

“On two?” he asked.

“It’s like you know me.”

“We’ve been siblings my entire life.”

“Huh.”

“Keep in mind that we’re not vigilantes or crime fighters,” Frayvar said. “Leave that to the rangers. I put together a menu for our debut dinner and made a list of ingredients. Are you… still going to be able to carry my groceries?”

“Lopsidedly, probably, but yes. The ranger doctor gave me painkillers that taste like dehydrated horse droppings.”

“If that’s true, Grandpa’s hounds would love them.”

“Probably so.” Though it was cold outside, the castle was rarely much warmer, and she noticed he had a blanket. She sank down beside him, sticking her leg straight out and leaning against the stone wall. “I’m feeling overwhelmed,” she admitted.

In front of Vlerion and the other rangers, Kaylina had striven to appear strong, but she didn’t feel as compelled to put up a facade for her brother.

“I’ve heard shark bites will leave one feeling daunted. And perforated.” Frayvar shared half the blanket with her.

“I meant about our project here.”

“I checked the mead earlier. It’s doing fine. The first batch will be ready in time for me to make mead vinegar for my lamb recipe.”

“The one with fennel and figs?”

“Yup.”

“That sounds amazing.” Kaylina’s stomach rumbled. When was the last time she’d eaten? It had been a long day.

“Because it is amazing. Especially when I make it.”

“Your self-confidence in your abilities is admirable.”

“It’s a hallmark of a good chef. When Silana made the recipe, I don’t know what she did, but it was drier than a desert.”

“Do you think we can pull this off, Fray?” Kaylina pulled her half of the blanket up to her chin while watching someone bundled on horseback clopping up the street. Despite everyone’s aversion to the castle, it was in a busy part of the city. If they could lure people in—and keep them from being slain by a curse—it had potential to be a good spot for an eating house and meadery.

“Of course.”

“Even though you’re so afraid of our establishment that you were going to sleep outside in the middle of winter under the murder holes?” Kaylina looked up. “Or are those the… what’d you call them? Macho-things.”

“Machicolations, yes. And I wasn’t afraid. I was wary. Also, it’s spring.”

“Do the mounds of snow piled along the streets know that?”

“One of the locals said it can snow even in the summer here. But that bush over there is budding out. And we’ll be successful. Don’t worry. The curse will make people curious to come.”

“The curse and the skeletons in the bedrooms.”

“Well, we might want to remove those eventually.”

Kaylina had been afraid to touch them. Nothing Vlerion had told her of the history of the place had changed that. If anything, she was more afraid to touch them now.

“Or people can sleep in the courtyard,” Frayvar offered. “Ten liviti for a blanket in this prime location.”

“Our customers will line up to take advantage of that deal.”

He nudged her with an elbow. “The good food and our amazing mead will make them line up. They’ll love it, and they’ll put up with the quirks. Just like they do back home.”

“The quirks back home are seagulls pooping on the railings and the tacky wind chimes made from seashells.”

“Come on. We get hurricanes. Not to mention that pirates raid Vamorka at least quarterly. Remember when we fought them off with crossbows and blunderbusses while the mayor and his wife were dining?”

“That is true.” Kaylina scratched her jaw. “Despite what these northerners and their beast-filled mountains—and catacombs—think, the south isn’t all sunshine and sandy beaches. Coming to the Spitting Gull can be dangerous, and people brave it anyway for the very recipes we’re going to make.”

“Yes, they do.”

“You’ve actually made me feel better, Fray.”

“Are you sure it was me and not the nasty pills?”

“Pretty sure. I— Are you expecting someone?” The person Kaylina had noticed on horseback hadn’t continued past like everyone else on the street.

The rider was a cloaked woman with a lean face and thick gray hair clasped on either side above her ears. She slid off her horse and walked through the gate with a lantern at her side.

“No,” Frayvar said. “Other than the Saybrook wagon that came of its own accord, I haven’t even been able to get supplies delivered. People don’t want to come through the gate. The worker who brought silverware chucked the pieces at the doors like darts.”

Though Kaylina’s leg protested, she pushed herself to her feet and grabbed the unwieldy crutch she was already starting to loathe.

“Good evening,” the woman said, lifting a hand. “You needn’t get up on my account. I’m Jana Bloomlong. I’ve heard about what you’re doing and wanted to introduce myself.”

“What we’re doing?” Kaylina tamped down panic that threatened to bubble up. Had this woman seen her with Vlerion and recognized him? Was she a spy for the Virts?

“Starting a meadery, right?” Jana hung the lantern on a broken post, part of a railing that needed to be repaired, and alternated gazing at Kaylina and Frayvar and up at the castle.

“Yes. I hadn’t realized word was getting out.” Kaylina looked at Frayvar, but he only shrugged.

“Someone moving into the old ranger inn is big news. You know it’s cursed, right?” Jana’s gaze shifted toward the tower, but the red glow wasn’t visible from their position.

“We’ve heard that,” Frayvar said dryly.

“Mead isn’t as popular as ale in Port Jirador, but it does decently well, especially in the summer if you can serve it chilled.”

“I can’t imagine serving chilled drinks is hard here at any time of year.” Kaylina already regretted that she’d left the blanket’s warmth.

“Ice men come down from the mountains in the summer with wagons filled with blocks carved from the glaciers. You can have them deliver directly to your place for a fee, or there are ice houses in town where you can buy it by the pound. It can get warm here in the summer. Quite pleasant, really. You’ll want to put in an outdoor dining area.” Jana pursed her lips as she considered the castle and the courtyard. “You might want to have customers dine outdoors year around. With a few fire pits to warm the patios, people will do it. We don’t mind bundling up to eat and drink around here.”

“I’d had that thought,” Kaylina said.

To keep inimical vines from strangling customers inside the castle.

“You’re doing food too?” Jana asked.

“That’s the plan,” Kaylina said. “Are you in the business?”

“I’m your competition.” Jana winked and offered a friendly smile, but a hint of calculation in her eyes reminded Kaylina of Captain Targon, and she had a feeling this wasn’t a social visit. “My husband and I run Nakeron Inn about a mile that way.” She pointed south toward the Factory Quarter. “We get a lot of laborers on their way home from work. You might not think it from this run-down castle, but you’re in a nice part of town. You’re more likely to get merchants or maybe even aristocrats.” Jana’s eyebrows rose.

Wondering if that was the audience they wanted to serve? If Jana was friendly to workers, she probably stood on the side of the Virts and was inclined to dislike the nobles.

Kaylina thought of her dream to have the king and queen visit and enjoy her award-winning mead. “Well, we certainly won’t try to entice rangers to visit. From what we’ve gathered about the curse, the castle doesn’t like them much.”

Jana snorted. “That castle doesn’t like anyone much. My husband and I were debating if you’re terribly brave for choosing it or young and naive.”

It made Kaylina uneasy to think of others talking about them.

“The latter, I suspect?” She looked at her brother.

“Oh, absolutely,” he agreed.

That earned another snort. “At least you’re not in denial. I’ll wish you luck, and maybe we’ll stop by on your opening night.” Jana grabbed her lantern. “Where did you say you source your honey from?”

Wariness stampeded into Kaylina. “We didn’t say.”

“No? I can give you the name of my supplier if you like. There aren’t many meaderies in this part of the kingdom. We’ll have to look out for each other.” Jana smiled, but, again, Kaylina didn’t think it was sincere.

“Of course,” she said politely.

“Will you be using your grandmother’s recipes?”

More than the icy air chilled Kaylina. “You know about our family?”

“Everyone in the industry has heard about, if not tasted, the award-winning meads from the Spitting Gull. It’s hard to get them way up here, as I’m sure you know, so I look forward to trying them for myself.”

“We’ll be happy to share samples. Free of charge, of course.”

“Wonderful. I’ll bring by some of ours, and we can compare.” Jana lifted a hand and headed for the gate.

“How many people have you told about Grandma and who we are?” Kaylina whispered to her brother.

“Not many,” he whispered back.

“Any?”

“Not that I recall. It wouldn’t have occurred to me that anyone here would have heard of the Gull or give us special treatment for our association with it, so I didn’t think to share.” Frayvar pointed at her. “You told the ranger captain everything when they drugged you.”

“Yeah, but would he have gossiped our life stories around town? He wants to use us, right? We’re his secret whatever.”

“Maybe he thought we would be more likely to get visitors if people knew we’d be using Grandma’s recipes. He wants us to succeed so customers will come hang out and blab for his spies, right?”

“I don’t know exactly what he wants, but I—”

Squeaks came from one of the tower windows, and a pair of bats flew out.

Since Kaylina had seen them coming and going before, she hadn’t thought much of their presence—it wasn’t as if she could find stairs up into those towers to clean out the rooms they’d claimed—but seeing them depart after being close enough to listen to the conversation…

“You know those stories about herbalists and alchemists having animal familiars and using them to spy on people?” she asked.

“Those are just fairy tales. We’ve already discussed that magic doesn’t work that way.”

“Are you sure? We’ve got a curse in our castle and killer beasts in the catacombs. There may be more magic in the world than your books know about.”

“My books know about a lot. I’ve read thousands of years of history.”

“Well, someone is keeping an eye on us.”

Frayvar shrugged. “There were other people in those jail cells, remember. Some of the Virts might have heard your responses during the questioning. You weren’t being quiet.”

“I suppose that’s possible. We’ll have to be extra careful though. A lot more people than I expected are interested in us, and we don’t have any allies here.”

“The rangers want us alive.”

“For now. If they come to believe we’re not on their side, that might change.”

“I don’t want to be on a side, Kay. I just want to make good food and not have to slink back home, feeling like a failure because we couldn’t start a business. Or because you died.”

“I don’t want you to have to slink back home after my death either. Trust me.”