Fortune and Fate (Twelve Houses) (72 page)

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Authors: Sharon Shinn

BOOK: Fortune and Fate (Twelve Houses)
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Wen let out her breath in a little hiss. “I forgot! Your Lirren blood.”
 
 
Justin looked deeply interested. “That’s right. You’re related to Ellynor. You have Lirren magic?”
 
 
“Just a little,” Ryne said. “But enough to make sure no one observes me slipping inside.”
 
 
Wen was skeptical. “I watched you that day with Karryn. You never disappeared entirely.”
 
 
He smiled at her. “It’s hard to explain. But I have spent my whole life being able to slink in and out of rooms without being noticed. I can get inside.”
 
 
“Does us no good if you can’t wield a sword,” Justin said practically.
 
 
“I can,” he said.
 
 
Wen confronted him. “The truth,” she said in a stern voice. “Can you fight well enough to defend yourself against professional killers? Because you’ll be dead inside of five minutes if you can’t. And much as I prefer Karryn to you, I don’t really want to trade your life for hers.”
 
 
He stared back at her. “Well, I can’t fight like a Rider,” he said at last.
 
 
Orson pushed forward. “Wouldn’t have to,” he said. “First floor windows—you can hardly see them through the ivy. Creep inside, get to one of those rooms, open the shutters. We’ll wait till the patrol goes by, then some of us will enter that way. It’ll even the interior odds somewhat.”
 
 
Ryne brightened. “I can do that.”
 
 
Justin glanced around. “Then I think we’re ready.”
 
 
 
 
WEN
wasn’t sure she’d ever appreciated how hard it was to ride a horse while wearing a dress. She tugged her skirts down as far as they would go—not that Ginny’s dress was a perfect fit for her anyway—and tried to assume a maidenly expression as she jogged up to the front of Covey Park.
 
 
The hired guards at the front gate instantly snapped to attention. One of them called out for reinforcements, and four more soldiers came running. Within seconds, all six of them were clustered around Wen’s white gelding, swords drawn, expressions menacing.
 
 
This would be a good time for Ryne to try to sneak in through the front door,
Wen thought, but she avoided looking in that direction. Instead, she let apprehension mingle with irritation on her face. “Is this Covey Park?” she asked.
 
 
“And why would you have any interest in Covey Park?” asked the tallest of the guards, a tall, lean man with a stubbled black beard and a scarred, ferocious face. Probably the captain of this little group, Wen guessed.
 
 
She visibly gathered her courage and glared back at him. “Because Lady Demaray Coverroe paid me to come here and take care of the serramarra, that’s why,” she said.
 
 
The lead guard frowned, but he was clearly taken aback. “She didn’t say she was sending any lady’s maid.”
 
 
Flashing more leg than she would have liked, Wen slid out of the saddle. She could see them all relax just a little when she was standing among them. She was so short, so unlikely to be a threat. “I don’t suppose she told you every single thing she thought she was going to do,” she said tartly. “Now can someone take me to her?”
 
 
The men stood uneasily for a moment, still not convinced. A few sent covert glances toward their leader, who looked uncertain. “Make sure she’s not carrying any weapons,” he said at last. One of the younger men, muscular and grinning, stepped forward and began running his hands over Wen’s body, through the loose folds of Ginny’s gown. It was no accident that he stroked her breast and brought his fingers up suggestively as he investigated the length of her thigh.
 
 
“She’s clean,” he announced. On the words, Wen spun around and gave him an openhanded slap like any self-respecting tavern girl.
 
 
“Lady Demaray didn’t pay me to take liberties off the likes of
you
,” she snapped.
 
 
“Hey!” he exclaimed, nursing his cheek, but the other men were grinning. Even the leader seemed to think he’d deserved it.
 
 
“
Now
can I go inside and see to the serramarra?” she asked.
 
 
The head guard jerked a thumb toward the door. “Take her in.”
 
 
One of the other soldiers led her inside. She made a great show of looking around with lively interest at the shadowed hallways and narrow stairs. Was it her imagination that the door to the library was just now shutting quietly behind an invisible intruder? “Not nearly as nice as the house in the city,” she pronounced.
 
 
“I wouldn’t know about that,” her escort said, then he cupped his hands as if to call someone. “Jolee! You’ve got company!”
 
 
The small, slatternly housekeeper that Wen remembered from her last visit came bustling out of the back region of the house.
Bright Mother burn me,
Wen thought. She looked so different than she had last time she’d been here that she thought it was unlikely Jolee would recognize her. But if she did . . .
 
 
Wen would have to take out the soldier first. A hard kick to the groin, gain possession of his sword, slice him enough to keep him out of the battle, then whirl around to face whoever else might be coming through the front door or down the steps. . . .
 
 
“Well, who’s
this
?” Jolee asked, crossing her arms on her chest and looking truly annoyed. “Another mouth to feed? Who is she—one of your doxies?”
 
 
“Not mine,” the soldier said with a grin. “Lady Demaray hired her to look out for the serramarra.”
 
 
Wen thought that might evoke another storm of protest, but Jolee nodded. “Well, good! I can’t be running up there every five minutes, bringing her food and emptying the chamber pot. I don’t know what Lady Demaray was about, giving me one day’s notice that I’d be having all of you descending on me! And everyone expecting to be fed!”
 
 
She didn’t seem too worried that one of the people in the house was under guard and possibly in danger of her life, Wen thought. Her opinion of the woman, already low, dropped to the cellar.
 
 
“Well, nobody told me I was expected to help in the kitchen,” Wen said sharply. “I’m just here to see to the serramarra.”
 
 
Jolee waved a hand toward the cramped stairwell against the wall. “Then see to her! She’s upstairs! Someone else will have to take you up because I’m too busy.” And she spun around and flounced back to the kitchen.
 
 
The soldier was laughing as he led the way up, probably admiring Jolee’s feisty spirit. Wen hoped Jolee put up some resistance when the Fortunalt guards moved in, so one of them would have an excuse to knock her down. She herself would like to smash the housekeeper’s face.
 
 
Upstairs there were only two guards, slouching on the floor before the door to Lindy’s old room and playing on a battered old cruxanno board. They hadn’t gotten very far into it, Wen noticed, which led her to believe her guess had been right. Karryn hadn’t been taken from the town house until after Wen had left it this morning, so she hadn’t been at Covey Park very long.
 
 
“Maid for the serra,” the soldier gave as his concise explanation of Wen’s presence. “Supposed to let her in.”
 
 
One of the upstairs guards came slowly to his feet, giving Wen a comprehensive examination accompanied by a knowing smile. The other guard was too absorbed in plotting his cruxanno strategy to do more than spare Wen a cursory look. He was obviously too stupid to recognize a threat when he saw one, but the standing guard, although he misread Wen, had at least taken the trouble to assess her. He would be the more dangerous one. He would be the one to disarm first.
 
 
“Another lovely lady come to help us pass the time,” said the guard who’d looked her over. “What’s your name?”
 
 
“My name is none of your business,” Wen said rudely, tossing her head. “Just let me in so I can see to my job.”
 
 
He produced a key and dangled it before her. “You know once you go in there, I got to lock the door behind you,” he said in a teasing voice. “You’ll have to be nice to me if you want me to let you leave.”
 
 
“I’ll remember that,” Wen said. “Can I go in now? Please? Is that nice enough for you?”
 
 
“Nice enough to get in, not nice enough to get out,” he said with a grin, and unlocked the door.
 
 
He stepped in a pace ahead of Wen, blocking her view somewhat, but she glanced swiftly around the room. It was just as she remembered from that last visit—full of white furniture and blue accents and as much light as the small windows allowed. She heard Karryn before she could see her, sounding as if she sat up quickly from a supine posture on the bed.
 
 
“Who’s there? What do you want?” Karryn demanded. Her voice was icy, though Wen could detect a tremor that Karryn was clearly trying to conceal.
 
 
“Lady Demaray sent you a maid so you don’t have to be afraid that me and the others’ll help you bathe,” the soldier said with a laugh. “Ain’t that thoughtful of her, now?”
 
 
“I don’t want any of Lady Demaray’s thoughtfulness, thank you very much,” Karryn said. “You can send her away.”
 
 
“Well, she’s here and I think she’s staying,” the soldier said, moving aside and gesturing Wen forward.
 
 
Wen instantly dropped into a deep curtsey, her head down. The sweet gods knew this was the most dangerous moment of all. If Karyn gasped with astonishment when she recognized Wen’s face—if she called Wen by name—the guards would instantly realize something was wrong. It would be a matter of seconds before they would all be in a bloody fight that none of them might survive.
 
 
Chapter 38
 
 
WEN HELD HER CURTSEY LONG ENOUGH TO TAKE A DEEP
breath and figure out just where she would strike the guard if he made a sudden move toward her. Speaking in a subdued voice, she said, “I promise to serve you well, serra,” and lifted her head to gaze at Karryn.
 
 
Karryn’s face was a mask of coldness. “You could serve me best by going directly back to Fortune and telling my uncle where I am.”
 
 
For a split second, Wen thought Karryn actually had not recognized her. But Karryn’s gaze was unwavering on Wen’s face and her eyes showed a flare of excitement.
 
 
The guard didn’t notice. “I don’t think anyone’s going back to Fortune anytime soon,” he said. “You two behave real good, now, and maybe there will be a little supper later.” Laughing, he shut and locked the door.
 
 
Wen put her finger to her lips to enjoin Karryn’s silence, but Karryn couldn’t maintain her stony expression a second longer. She mouthed,
“Willa!”
and flew across the room to throw her arms around Wen. Wen could feel the girl’s body shaking with tears and terror. She made shushing sounds and stroked the tangled hair as Karryn clung to her.
 
 
A moment only, then Karryn pulled away. “How did you find me?” she breathed. “How did you know?”

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