Dark Moon Defender (Twelve Houses) (46 page)

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Authors: Sharon Shinn

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No obvious solutions to his dilemma had occurred to him by the time that second day was drawing to a close, and Justin found himself uncharacteristically at a loss. The evening rush of customers had already passed, and Delz had quit for the night; in a few more minutes, Justin would head to his own room. He did not want to leave Neft, but he had to get Sabina Gisseltess to safety. He supposed he’d better look into getting them a week’s worth of provisions and tell Delz the bad news: He had to take a significant leave from this job. He would be back—no doubt about that—but he would understand if Delz wouldn’t want to keep his position open for him—
 
 
“You look so deep in thought,” said an amused voice, and he whirled around to see a tall, slim woman standing just inside the main doorway. “If I’d been an enemy, I’d have cut your throat for sure.”
 
 
“Senneth!”
He had never been so glad to see anyone in his entire life. He crossed the room in three strides and enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. “You have no idea—where’s Tayse? Where’s Cam?”
 
 
“Back on the road a bit. We weren’t sure exactly what kind of trouble you were in, so we didn’t know if we should all come rushing here at once.”
 
 
He stared at her. Her returning smile was mischievous. “How did—you can’t possibly—what makes you think—?”
 
 
Her smile widened. “Well, now, how exactly
do
you think I’d be able to know something was wrong with you?” she teased. “From a hundred miles away and with no particular reason to worry?”
 
 
Now he felt his bones prickle with disbelief. “Cammon? He could feel—
Cammon
told you I needed you? Where were you?”
 
 
“Halfway through Nocklyn on our way back from Coravann.”
 
 
“And he could tell—that boy is spooky-strange.”
 
 
Senneth nodded. “He is. But useful, in his own special way. What’s wrong? You don’t appear to have any broken bones. Well, I didn’t expect you to. He said you weren’t hurt, just uneasy. And I said, ‘Justin? Are you
sure
you’re picking up emotions from the right person? Because I’ve never seen Justin unsure of himself for even five minutes.’ ”
 
 
Now he was grinning back at her. Bright Mother blind him, but he was happy to see her. And he couldn’t wait to see the expression on her face when he shared his news. “Well, now, you tell me how
you’d
handle this situation,” he drawled. “Three nights ago a woman took refuge in the stables. Told me she was running away from her husband and any men he might send looking for her. Turns out her husband is Halchon Gisseltess.”
 
 
Senneth looked every bit as astonished as he’d hoped. “Sabina Gisseltess is
here
? She’s left him? I didn’t think she had the nerve.” She glanced around, as if expecting to see Sabina’s blond head poking up from behind the hay bales. “Where is she? Did you find someplace to keep her safe?”
 
 
“Barely. She’s in my room. Soldiers did come through a couple days ago, but I was able to hide her. I’ve been trying to decide if I should risk taking her back to Ghosenhall on my own—but I didn’t particularly want to leave Neft—couldn’t decide what to do.” He thought a moment about that voice in his head.
Wait
. “Did you tell Cammon to try to think something at me?” he asked slowly. “Because I had decided I should leave, and then I just felt this compulsion to stay a few more days.”
 
 
She was grinning. “You felt that, did you? Cammon said he wasn’t sure you’d pick it up, you not being too sensitive to mystics and all. So he made the message as simple as he could.”
 
 
He felt the skin on his back tighten and release. “I got it. I didn’t understand it was a message from him, but I got it. That’s—I don’t know that I really like that, Senneth. I have to think about it.”
 
 
“You think about it,” she said amiably. “And I’ll go talk to marlady Sabina.”
 
 
CHAPTER 22
 
 
THEY spent one night in Neft, and then Senneth and her group were back on the road, their party augmented by one. It was clear to all of them that their trip required equal parts speed and stealth, so they covered ground quickly, efficiently, and with a great deal of caution. Once again, Senneth thanked the Bright Mother for the impulse that had made her agree to bring Cammon along on this trip. Not only had he been the one to steer them back toward Neft when he picked up on Justin’s disquiet, but his heightened senses would alert them to danger if they crossed the path of Gisseltess soldiers—or anyone else bent on doing them harm.
 
 
Sabina was a better traveler than Senneth would have expected—but that, too, might have been due to Cammon’s presence. He rode beside the marlady for most of the way, talking to her in a low, calm voice that even Senneth found soothing, and she wasn’t particularly nervous. As a result, Sabina was docile, even helpful when they broke the journey to camp at night. She didn’t whine about keeping up the pace, sleeping on the ground, or running low on water. She did what she was told and seemed heartbreakingly grateful that Senneth and her friends had effected her rescue.
 
 
“You’re not safe yet,” Senneth wanted to say that second night on the road, when Sabina thanked them again, but she couldn’t bear to add any tension back to Sabina’s pinched face. Still, a quick look at Tayse let her know he was thinking exactly the same thing. Instead she said, as gently as she could, “We’re glad we were near enough to be able to help.”
 
 
Tayse had questioned the marlady fairly closely about what she and her husband had been doing at the convent, but Sabina had not had many details to offer. They had traveled to the convent many times before. Yes, even after the king had placed them under arrest on Gissel Plain. No, she didn’t know how Halchon was so easily able to slip through the royal guard sent to Gisseltess to keep him in place; she suspected some bribery and some cunning. They had left in the middle of the night and cut across the back lawns of the estate, guarded by a few loyal men. She rather believed that one of Halchon’s cousins had remained behind in the mansion, pretending to be the marlord. They looked somewhat alike if viewed from a distance. She had no idea if the Ghosenhall guards were even aware that her husband was gone.
 
 
“I can’t help thinking that the marlady is peculiarly ill informed,” Tayse said to Senneth that night. They were lying curled up together on one side of the fire; Cammon and Sabina were asleep in their separate blankets. Tayse had just returned from his habitual midnight circuit of the perimeter with the report that all was well. “She has told us very little.”
 
 
Senneth grinned and settled her back against his chest. His hand came up to rest on the curve of her hip. “I was thinking the same thing. But I don’t believe Halchon has ever taken her into his confidence and anything she does know she has learned by eavesdropping. And this past year or so I think all her energy has gone into keeping herself alive, knowing that her husband had been considering the advantages of seeing her dead.”
 
 
“Why run now?” Tayse asked. “Was it just the opportunity? An unguarded gate, a city close enough to reach? She doesn’t seem to have thought out her escape too well.”
 
 
“She said something about that. She heard Halchon tell his sister that the time had come to do away with her,” Senneth said. “She seemed to think that there would be a riding accident of some sort when they left Lumanen. So if she was going to die anyway—” She shrugged. “Might as well die fighting to live.”
 
 
“She’d have been dead anyway, if Justin hadn’t found her.”
 
 
“And aren’t you proud of him?” she murmured. “Not just that he figured out what he had to do to keep her safe, but that he was moved to do so. I didn’t think Justin would ever be soft enough to care what happened to strangers.”
 
 
“And you think that’s what I like?” he asked in mock outrage. “For Riders to be
soft
? For Riders to be easily distracted from their commissions?”
 
 
“Well, I’m proud of him, at any rate,” she said, smiling. “I wonder if this is Ellynor’s influence. If finding himself in love with her has made him feel more kindly disposed to the world at large.”
 
 
He was amused. “I’m not sure that’s how it works for most men,” he said. “I think love makes them more ferocious with the rest of the world—determined to keep that one woman safe.”
 
 
Now she sighed. She laid her own hand over Tayse’s and his fingers interlaced with hers. Strange how she wasn’t able to sleep these days unless this man was beside her, his hand folded over hers. And she knew perfectly well that she could keep herself safe without help from anyone. “I’m not sure he’s going to be able to manage it in Ellynor’s case.”
 
 
“What did he tell you? I saw him draw you aside.”
 
 
She debated how much she could repeat and decided she could tell Tayse what Justin knew, at least. “He thinks she’s a mystic.”
 
 
“A
mystic
? At the convent? How did that happen?”
 
 
“Apparently she’s not even aware of it. Doesn’t recognize that the things she can do are any kind of magic.”
 
 
“What can she do?”
 
 
“Heal people, for one thing.”
 
 
Tayse considered. “So can you. So can Kirra. That seems like a kind of magic.”
 
 
“Indeed, it does. A gift from the gods—though not from the Pale Lady.”
 
 
“Any other tricks?”
 
 
“Yes, a most useful one. She can hide in the dark. I mean, literally create some kind of scrim that no one can see through, and she can use this to conceal herself and someone standing close to her. Justin said she hid both of them one night while they were on the streets of Neft and soldiers rode by. You can imagine how impressed he was by a magic with such practical application on the battlefield.”
 
 
She heard the grin in Tayse’s voice. “Always seeking the advantage in combat.”
 
 
“At any rate, apparently it never occurred to her before that these abilities were out of the ordinary. Justin thinks he managed to convince her to be careful, but he didn’t convince her to leave the convent. Which I must say,” she added, “seems like a really good idea to me.”
 
 
Tayse’s mind was still back on blithe sorcery. “So none of Ellynor’s friends or family ever found her powers unusual? Where does she come from that skills like these are simply accepted without comment?”
 
 
Again, Senneth hesitated. “She hasn’t told Justin.”
 
 
His hand closed harder on her fingers. “But you’ve guessed.”
 
 
“I guessed the minute he described her.”
 
 
Tayse, who never forgot anything, reviewed that conversation of three weeks ago. “Something about her hair?”
 
 
“Very good. And her particular brand of magic is familiar to me as well.”
 
 
“Not to me. Although, I suppose,
you
can choose to disappear also—but not by wrapping yourself in some kind of darkness. What kind of goddess offers that kind of power?”
 
 
It was no use. She had to tell him. This was weighing too heavily on her mind. She had decided Ellynor should be able to choose what to confide in her lover and what to keep secret, but this was becoming too dangerous a game to play. “The Dark Watcher.”
 
 
“You’re the only one I’ve ever heard mention her name. What kind of people worship her?”
 
 
“Lirrenfolk.”
 
 
“You think this Ellynor comes from the Lirrens?”
 
 
“I’m positive she does.”
 
 
“But don’t they—you told us a tale—they forbid their women to marry outsiders. And if a girl falls in love with an unsuitable man anyway, they . . .” His voice trailed off. He had remembered the story precisely.
 
 
“They duel to the death. Yes.”

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