Orlind (5 page)

‘
I
hope he won’t scare her away,’ she mused. ‘If he came at me with
that much earnest enthusiasm I think I’d run, too.’

‘
He’s
a charming fellow,’ Tren protested. ‘Odd, but he honestly cares for
Llandry.’

‘
Without doubt, in his own peculiar way.’

With that
observation the conversation promptly died. Tren, still
embarrassed, wouldn’t meet her eye. Searching for a way to turn the
subject, Eva came up with nothing but a lame enquiry after Tren’s
health.

‘
I
feel pretty good,’ he said, still not looking at her. ‘Physically,
anyway. My ego may never recover from this latest
set-back.’

‘
It
was funny,’ she ventured.

‘
I
know. That’s the whole problem. Men generally prefer not to be a
laughing-stock to the women they’re trying to impress.’

‘
Somebody needs to tell that to Pensould,’ she
agreed.

Tren chuckled,
and at last consented to meet her gaze. The look he gave her was
painfully worshipful and full of hope. He may speak of
embarrassment, but she guessed that Pensould’s parting words - and
her reaction to them - had rather given him hope than otherwise.
She’d laughed, but she hadn’t actually rejected the
suggestion.

She sighed
inwardly. The problem of Tren was a plaguing one, for she felt
herself entangled in a situation she couldn’t see a solution to.
Tren had made his feelings clear enough: he’d been injured
defending her against a mutual enemy, and before that he had told
her that he loved her. She had kissed him as well, soon after
Limbane’s healing had largely restored his health; but she hadn’t
done it since.

And that was
because Tren did not fit into any of her usual categories. She was
not usually shy about taking lovers; in fact she preferred to
conduct her romances on a more casual basis than many people of her
station, and though she had come close to marriage once she had not
yet persuaded herself to go ahead with it.

To use Tren in
such a way, however, seemed wrong. He was more important to her
than that; but could she actually marry him? Of course not.
Everything about their separate situations told her that such an
arrangement could never work. Tren felt that he loved her now, but
she was not at all what he needed. In time he would realise that
and find a girl near his own age, instead of thirteen years older.
He would do better with someone nearer his own social status,
too.

But in the
meantime he was persistent indeed, and she read an enquiry in the
look he turned on her.

‘
I
need to consult you about something,’ she said quickly,
forestalling any awkward questions.

He said nothing
for a moment, but then managed a smile. A flimsy one, but it was
there. ‘Oh? That is quite a development.’

‘
Is
it? Why?’

‘
You
aren’t much in the habit of consulting me. Or anyone,
really.’

She grimaced.
‘You make me sound intolerably conceited.’

‘
Well,
and so you are. Also stubborn, and difficult, and completely
maddening.’ He spoke teasingly, but she sensed that he meant most
of it.

Well, she
deserved that.

‘
It’s
about Limbane,’ she persevered. ‘He wants to waltz into Krays’s
warehouses and stare at his machines, and expects to learn a great
deal that way
without
encountering any particular
difficulties.’

Tren sighed and
sat down, waving a hand to her to take the other chair. She did so,
watching him closely. He’d claimed to be fine, but he had sat down
with particular care rather than throwing himself into the seat as
he might usually do. His wound wasn’t perfectly healed yet,
then.

‘
Krays
will catch him,’ Tren agreed. ‘Especially after Devary’s adventures
in Draetre. He’ll guess that Dev told us all about it, which means
he’ll either have moved his operations elsewhere by now or he’ll be
keeping everything under close guard.’

Eva nodded.
‘Limbane is terribly complacent. I think he’s been besting Krays
for so long he can’t imagine failing to do so now, not even after
his near-disastrous foray into Krays’s library not long ago.’
Limbane had taken a team of Lokants into Krays’s stronghold in
order to rescue two hostages; he had prevailed, but two of his team
had been badly injured and one had almost died. None of it had
fazed Limbane at all; he accounted it a fluke.

Eva doubted that
very much.

‘
I
also doubt he’ll gain much by simply poking at machines, no matter
how knowledgeable he is. He told us that Krays is one of the most
imaginative engineers the Lokants have ever produced; I wonder if
anyone could decipher his weird new works merely by looking at
them. We need another idea, but I’m going to need your help to come
up with something Limbane will agree to.’

Tren nodded
thoughtfully. He knew as well as she did how difficult Limbane
could be about outside interferences.

‘
I
agree that those technologies seem to be the key to Krays’s plans,’
he said. ‘If we could find out what they are
for
, we might
indeed learn - or be able to guess - what he’s up to. I’m not sure
I buy the theory that he’s trying to unseat Limbane. All of this
seems too complicated a plot for that.’

‘
Exactly,’ she agreed. ‘I think Limbane’s blinded by the
rivalry between the two of them. And it may be part of Krays’s
plan, but I don’t think it is the whole. He’s taking some enormous
risks, and all we really have is conjecture.’

‘
We
need to get at someone who’s close to Krays,’ Tren mused. ‘Somebody
must be admitted to his confidence.’

‘
Or at
least parts of it.’

Tren thought for
a moment, and she wondered if he was reaching the same conclusion
that she had come to. ‘It’s a shame that Devary has gone,’ he said,
confirming that he hadn’t.

‘
Why
so?’

‘
He’s
right in the heart of that university Krays hijacked, the one in
Draetre? And he said some of his colleagues are looking for a way
to get rid of Krays. I wonder if they could help us.’

‘
Possible,’ she agreed, feeling glad she’d asked him. This line
of enquiry wasn’t one she’d thought of herself. ‘We can get him
back. Llandry will want to see her mother soon anyway, I am
sure.’

‘
You
think he’s still with Ynara?’

‘
I
shouldn’t think he’ll leave her until she’s well,’ Eva said. ‘He’s
almost as bad as Pensould that way.’

‘
Great,’ he smiled. ‘We’ll consult him as soon as possible,
under cover of conveying Llandry so Limbane won’t kick up a
fuss.’

‘
Perfect,’ she smiled. She would wait until after this venture
to bring up the topic of Griel with him. Her own plan wasn’t likely
to please him at all.

Chapter Four

Pensould had
finally learned the art of knocking on doors. He still did it with
unbecoming force; the moment the pounding began Llandry ran to
rescue the door before he could knock it out of its frame
altogether. He grinned sheepishly at her as she wrenched it open,
and she realised she was probably scowling at him.

‘
Good
morning, Minchu,’ he said. ‘Or whatever time of day it is out here.
I don’t think we are on a world, so can there be times of
day?’

‘
An
intriguing philosophical point,’ she said, ushering him inside.
‘But I can’t at all be bothered to think about it just
now.’

‘
You’re right, of course,’ Pensould agreed. ‘There are much
more pressing matters at hand.’

She assumed he
was referring to her mother’s state, or perhaps the impending (or
on-going) attacks on Glinnery, but he didn’t pursue those topics
either. Instead he swung a small rucksack off his shoulder and sat
cross-legged right there on the floor to open it up. Out came a
range of fruits: she didn’t recognise most of them but their plump
shapes, shiny skins and rich colours suggested that they would
taste wonderful. The last item to come out of the sack was
something she did recognise: a soft pink nara fruit from Glinnery
itself. Pensould retrieved a wooden bowl from the bottom of his bag
and amused himself arranging the fruits in an intricate and
colour-coordinated pile, then flashed her a dazzling
smile.

Llandry sat
opposite, smiling back a touch uncertainly. Doubtless she hadn’t
been eating properly of late, having been unconscious for a time.
It was kind of him to bring all these.

‘
Where
did you get the nara?’ she enquired.

‘
Bune
gave all these to me. He didn’t tell me where they came
from.’

‘
Can I
have it? The pink one.’

He handed it over
and watched with satisfaction as she bit into it. It was a perfect
fruit, well ripened and sweet. Pensould scrutinised her closely as
she ate it, his expression expectant.

‘
Thank
you,’ she said when she’d finished. He smiled, but she had the
impression this wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting.

‘
Umm.
Sigwide might like that blue one,’ she offered. Immediately he
produced a knife from somewhere and sliced it up into small pieces,
which the orting investigated and then ate with gusto.

‘
There; you have pleased us both,’ she smiled.

That statement
apparently pleased Pensould too, inordinately so, for his grin
became maniacal.

‘
Excellent!’ he enthused. ‘And how are you feeling, Minchu?
Recovered?’

‘
I
think so.’ She did feel much better, having benefited from some
proper sleep and Bune’s excellent food. Impatience gnawed at her
ceaselessly, however, making it difficult for her to relax. ‘I want
to ask Lady Eva to take me to Mamma,’ she added. ‘Maybe
today.’

Pensould didn’t
reply. She could feel him checking her over with his
draykon-senses, a sensation that felt mildly invasive. She
shivered, but he was still beaming.

‘
You
are stronger than I thought, Minchu,’ he said, rousing her
indignation. Did he think her so frail? ‘Perhaps we should go
today, indeed,’ he added, as if he was granting his
permission.

‘
Fine,’ she said stiffly, and his face fell.

‘
Are
you displeased?’

‘
No...’ she began. ‘Not exactly.’

He
waited.

‘
I’m
grateful for your care,’ she said. ‘Truly.’ And it was true. She’d
heard about Pensould’s dedicated attendance while she was ill, and
she knew that he may well have saved her life by replacing her
exhausted energy with his own. But still. ‘You’re smothering me, a
little.’

He frowned.
‘Smothering?’

‘
You’re almost as bad as Mamma,’ she said with a rueful smile.
‘Watching over me every minute of the day, wrapping me in cotton in
case I hurt myself. I’d like some time to myself once in a
while.’

Pensould mulled
that over. ‘You don’t want me to come with you?’ he concluded at
last. He looked so crestfallen that she instantly felt guilty, but
she hardened her heart. It wasn’t an unreasonable request, and she
hadn’t been cruel about it. She nodded.

‘
Oh,’
he said, sounding a little lost. He frowned, but then summoned a
smile for her. ‘Very well. You can find me if you need me, I’m
sure.’ He stood up, leaving the bowl of curious fruits where it
was. With a gentle pat of farewell on Sigwide’s head, he
left.

Llandry took a
deep breath. She was used to solitude; in fact, she revelled in it.
It was a lifestyle that would drive some people mad, but it suited
her. Since the events of a few moons ago, however, when the istore
had been discovered by the world, she had rarely been alone; and
when she had, she’d been in circumstances of peril. It felt good to
just relax for a few moments in an empty room, just her and
Sigwide.

But it couldn’t
last. There was work to be done. Rising to her feet, she scooped up
Sigwide and went in search of Lady Eva Glostrum.

Her ladyship was
with Tren, as expected. The two of them were comfortably ensconced
in Eva’s chambers. They were both holding books, but neither one
appeared to be reading when Llandry arrived at the door.

‘
Come
in,’ Eva smiled in answer to Llandry’s knock. Llan obeyed, feeling
detestably unsure of herself. She ought to be getting used to these
people by now.

‘
Lady
Glostrum,’ she began, but she was interrupted.

‘
Eva,’
said her ladyship firmly. ‘You can’t go on calling me by my title
after all that’s happened.’

‘
Well... I
could
,’ Llandry protested. She noticed Tren
grinning and felt even more uncomfortable.

‘
I
can’t get used to it either,’ Tren offered, perhaps noticing her
discomfort. ‘But she’s beaten me into doing it, so don’t expect to
be let off.’

‘
Umm,
all right,’ she muttered. ‘I was wondering if you might be willing
to take me to my grandfather’s house? I’d like to see
Mamma.’

‘
Ah,
yes,’ Eva replied. ‘I’d heard that your mother was in the Uppers.
I’d like to see her myself. Shall we go at once?’