That rapist probably wants revenge, she told herself. He’d never forgive her for humiliating him. If she ever saw him again, she might worry…of course, if she was lucky, the next time she saw him again she would be able to use her magic freely. Perhaps a transformation into a slug would teach him a lesson. It would certainly make the air smell nicer.
Her thoughts ran in circles, considering everything they might encounter when they reached Alexis. Would the war have started by then? Or would it already be over? Would Randor be expecting them? Or would he assume that Jade didn’t know what had happened to his wife?
Assume the worst, she told herself. Randor knows we’re coming.
It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but it had to be faced. They’d left Whitehall a week ago. By now, it would have dawned on the wretched gossipmongers that she wasn’t going to be going back. She had an unconditional offer of an apprenticeship and she didn’t need to stick around for the exams. But one didn’t have to be as paranoid as Randor to suspect that Emily might be on her way to Zangaria. The inquest was over. Jade was almost certainly on his way back too. Randor wouldn’t expect him to take the long route home.
She rose and walked over to the window. Cat had left it open, allowing the night air to blow through the room. Emily had to smile, recalling some of the superstitions she’d seen in the Cairngorms about leaving windows open at night. There were stories of creatures that saw open windows as invitations and came inside, creatures that did unspeakable things to their victims…her lips quirked. Their deeds might be unspeakable, but that didn’t stop everyone from knowing what they were. Or from keeping their windows securely covered at night.
A faint glimmer of light could be seen in the distance, marking the slow shift from night to dawn. It wouldn’t be that long before the sun appeared, driving the night creatures back into the shadows. This close to a town, it was unlikely that there was anything genuinely supernatural lurking in the darkness, but she understood just how scared people were of the shadows. The really dangerous creatures only came out at night.
And they may still come close to the town, she thought. Supernatural creatures were supposed to respect walls and closed doors, even unlocked doors, but they were also supposed to watch carefully for opportunities to enter a house without explicit permission. The stories about vampires being unable to enter without an invitation had some basis in truth. A farmer who leaves a door open might as well have invited every creature in the neighborhood to lunch.
Emily yawned as she stood by the window, her body telling her she needed to go back to sleep. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in order to keep from falling asleep. The boys wouldn’t respect her if she allowed herself to fall asleep while she was on watch, even if they never said a word to her about it. Sergeant Miles had taught her enough about how young men thought–particularly on campaign–to know that respect was hard to win, but very easy to lose. No matter what she was–no matter what she’d done–she could still lose it in a moment.
She heard someone moving down below and frowned, peering into the semi-darkness. A fox? A cat? Someone going out to relieve himself? Or…someone intent on trouble. She reached for her dagger and held it gently, ready to move. If someone was coming up the wall…she’d taken a look at it, earlier. It wouldn’t be easy to climb, but it wouldn’t be impossible…
The sound faded back into nothingness. Emily listened for a long moment, hearing nothing but the beating of her heart. She leaned forward carefully as the light slowly brightened, hoping to see something…there was nothing. She might easily have imagined it.
She jumped, one hand reaching for the dagger, as the cockerel started to crow. Others joined in a moment later, telling the guests that it was time to get up. Emily turned as she heard Cat sitting upright, his eyes flickering from side to side. He looked grumpy, unsurprisingly. She doubted he’d had more than two or three hours of sleep on each side of his watch.
“Time to get up,” she said, dryly. “Did you sleep well?”
“No.” Jade sounded annoyed. “I slept very poorly.”
He stumbled out of bed, knelt down beside the headboard and pulled the chamberpot out from under the mattress. Emily turned away as he did his business, brightening the lantern and then hunting for her shoes. Jade would want to leave as soon as they could. They probably wouldn’t be coming back after breakfast.
“It could have been worse,” Cat said. He sounded revoltingly cheerful for someone who’d been grumpy a minute or two ago. “We could have been murdered in our beds.”
“Yeah,” Jade said. “That could still happen, you know.”
Chapter Five
BREAKFAST, TO EMILY’S PLEASANT SURPRISE, WAS held in a single large dining room, where a handful of men and women mingled as they ate. One table was lined with everything from poached eggs to sliced meat, while another held bread, water, beer and Kava. She took a mug of Kava, then filled her plate with food. She knew just how long it might be before they had a chance to eat again. The food was plain and simple, but it tasted good.
“Half the men are probably nursing hangovers,” Jade commented, as they ate. “Or they’ve left without waiting for breakfast.”
Cat shrugged. “They’re probably used to drinking themselves silly every night. I think they’re already heading to their next destination.”
“It probably doesn’t matter, as long as they’re not paying any attention to us,” Emily said, quietly. She looked around, checking for listening ears. “Did any of them seem a little too interested in us?”
“No, apart from the recruiting officer,” Jade said. “And he just wants us to fight for his lord.”
“Pity he wasn’t working for the king,” Cat commented. “It would have made our trip north a great deal easier.”
Emily shook her head. Randor would have to be absolutely insane to allow a sizable contingent of mercenaries inside the walls. There was very little else that would guarantee turning the city’s population against him. Besides, mercenaries were expendable. They’d be sent out to crush opposition across the country, not ordered to garrison the capital city. That was a job for the king’s loyal men. Jade and Cat would find themselves further away from their destination than ever before.
Although they’d probably never be suspected, she told herself, wryly. Who’d expect the Prince Consort to sign up with a mercenary band?
“We’d better be on our way,” Jade said, as he cleaned his plate. “We have a long way to go before nightfall.”
“True,” Emily agreed. Her body ached, after five days in the wagon, but there was no help for it. She would just have to endure a few days longer. They were barely crawling along, compared to the distances she’d traveled on Earth…but there was no help for that either. It would be a long time before the locals invented the car. “I think that…”
She heard someone approaching and looked up, sharply. The girl she’d saved was walking towards them, her pale face clearly nervous. Up close, it was easier to see through the masculine disguise…although, given she already knew it was a disguise, it was possible that casual observers wouldn’t notice. The girl’s face showed no hint of stubble, but she was young enough for that not to seem strange.
“Ah…My Lady,” the girl said. “I…”
Emily tensed, half-forming a spell in her mind. Did the girl know who they were? Or was she simply trying to flatter her? Emily had saved her virtue, after all.
“My mother would like to speak to the three of you,” the girl stuttered. She seemed to be having problems looking at Jade and Cat. “Please, would you come with me?”
Emily exchanged glances with Jade. A trap? Or…or what? The girl could have told her mother anything. Did the mother want to thank them personally? Or…?
Jade stood. “We would be honored,” he said, smoothly. “Cat?”