Pendant of Fortune (39 page)

Volle had to pause for a moment before following. His first impulse had been to grab the rat and choke him to death. After a moment, he thought he might settle for knocking him down the stairs, as long as he got to kick him repeatedly at the bottom. But when Dereath turned and actually began heading to the north tower, the revenge fantasies faded slightly—Dereath was actually going to take him to Streak. Besides, they were both dressed now. If not for the pains over his body, it would be hard to believe the previous hour hadn’t been a bad dream.

They walked through the corridors in silence. The castle was still nearly deserted; the only people Volle saw were servants walking quickly around on errands. Dereath’s mood had shifted, Volle noticed; he was no longer garrulous and thrilling over his own power. He seemed to be walking under an odd sort of tension, with a restrained haste, as though he were worried about something but couldn’t resist the lure of it.

Volle, himself, was feeling sore. Walking made it worse, especially as his sheath was rubbing against the leather of his trousers and aggravating the wound unless he walked carefully. But inside, he was feeling nervous and elated, and couldn’t keep his tail from wagging despite the soreness under it. He didn’t even want to kill Dereath any more. At least, not right away. Streak was so close now…and maybe, he thought, unable to stop himself from wondering, that’s where Dereath’s tension was coming from. Could he be worried about what Streak will say? Or…did he have another nasty surprise planned?

All the way to the tower stairs, he harbored these thoughts. But when they reached the tower and the puma standing guard attentively (he stood much straighter in Dereath’s presence than when Volle had seen him earlier), Dereath made his remarks short and to the point.

“
Lord Vinton is permitted one visit to the tower, beginning right now. If he isn’t out before dinner, you are to go in and remove him. Otherwise, do not disturb him in any way.” He turned to Volle. “There. We’re even now.”

Oh, hardly
. The resentment flared up in him again; he felt the residue of his torture anew. But he controlled himself. A look up the stairs reminded him that Streak was waiting for him, so he nodded curtly to Dereath and watched the rat walk away, flanked by the rabbit. Only when they’d turned the corner did he nod to the puma and put a paw on the stairs.

“
Just a minute, my Lord,” the guard said. “I’ll unlock it for you. Please stay down here while I do.” He produced a large key from his waist pocket and climbed the stairs. A moment later, Volle heard the sound of a lock being drawn back, and then the puma reappeared, glancing over his shoulder. “Go ahead, my Lord,” he said, taking his position again.

Volle nodded and climbed the winding staircase slowly. Turning around at the top, he could no longer see the puma below him. The door facing him was large and ancient, but solid for all that: reinforced wood that had stood the test of time in the castle. He wrapped his paw around the large metal handle, and felt a sudden shiver of trepidation. For a moment, he hesitated. Then the scent hit him, and he pulled as hard as he could, throwing the door open wide.

Chapter 10

They stared at each other for a heartbeat. Streak was standing, waiting by the door in his disheveled and dirty clothes, but the shock in his eyes showed that whatever he’d been prepared for, it wasn’t this. “Volle?” he whispered, and then they were wrapped in each other’s arms, and Volle didn’t care that the wolf was squeezing him so hard it hurt. He drank in Streak’s scent like wine, running his paws up and down the wolf’s broad back, and then his nose touched Streak’s and they were kissing, tongues pressing fiercely against each other. For a moment, Volle forgot to breathe, and his body’s aches and pains were gone. There was nothing but the wolf in his arms and the glow in his heart that felt like a fire returned to a long-dead fireplace.

They fell apart by mutual agreement, almost at the same time, and Volle couldn’t hold back a smile at the way each of them knew just what the other was about to do. “Close the door?” Streak said as Volle’s paw was halfway to pulling it shut.

Volle was about to smile, but he saw the wolf’s ears lay back and the wet tracks through the fur of his muzzle. “Streak?” he said softly, wincing as the aches returned one by one.

“
Sweet Canis, Volle…I…I thought…” the wolf sniffled loudly and gulped at the air, falling to his knees. There was no furniture in the small cell, and now that Volle didn’t have his nose buried in Streak’s fur, he could tell that there wasn’t a toilet anywhere either. He filed those impressions away and sank to his knees, putting an arm around the wolf’s shoulders.

“
What? Tell me, what?”

Streak lowered his head and pressed it into Volle’s chest, sobbing loudly now. He spoke in stuttering gasps punctuated with sniffles and guttural cries. “You came…for me. I…the other night, I thought it was…I thought I was dreaming.” Another round of sobs shook him, and before Volle could think of a response, Streak went on.

“
I didn’t know…if you’d ever come. They said…they said I would hang, and I thought maybe you just thought you’d…you’d be…”

“
Hush.” Volle cradled the wolf’s head to his chest, his own eyes tearing up. “I tried to get to you the other night, through the rain. I was going crazy.”

“
Why didn’t you come sooner?” Streak looked up, tear-filled eyes meeting his.

“
Dereath wouldn’t let me. I wanted to. I tried to get in that night, but I was too late.”

“
That’s what Nero said, but…I thought you’d find a way.”

“
I tried.” He pushed away the guilty memories of the day at the resort (
the night with the otter
) and held the wolf close, kissing his ears and nuzzling him. “I finally…talked him into it.”

Streak’s sobs had been fading slowly, and now trailed off altogether, though he still sniffled. He nuzzled Volle and sighed, and finally spoke. “You smell funny. Lots of cinnamon, and…” His nose was right at Volle’s stomach.

Volle tugged his muzzle up and licked his nose. “I wanted to try something different.” He was sure there was still some scent of blood on him, and he didn’t want Streak to get close enough to smell it. “You like it?”

The wolf smiled tentatively. “Not really.”

“
Never again, then.” He sat down on the stone floor, winced, and resituated himself to keep his weight off his rump. He held Streak’s paws in his, rubbing the fur and pads with thumb and forefinger, remembering the night in the rain.

Streak squeezed his paw, his eyes showing that he was remembering as well. Then he said, abruptly, “I didn’t do it.”

Volle exhaled and brought his ears all the way forward. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“
Did you think I had?”

His heart ached at Streak’s confused words. “I wondered. You might have thought you were saving me from the hearing, if you thought the witness could really hurt me,” he said quietly. “It felt almost like the sort of silly, noble thing you would try to do for me.”

The wolf smiled, and sniffled again. “She really was the witness, then?”

Volle nodded, and looked back at the wolf, who was shaking his head. “I didn’t kill her. Maybe if she were threatening you…but not someone helpless, just like that.”

“
I didn’t really think you did. Do you know who did, then?” Volle smiled, and Streak smiled back, but with an odd waver.

“
Volle…” He took a breath. “I guess I should tell you what I was doing there.”

“
Since you won’t tell Nero,” Volle began, and then saw the hurt in Streak’s eyes. “All right.” He sat back and waited.

“
He came to see me,” Streak whispered. “Dereath. While you were at the castle that first night. He knew me, from when I was a guard, and he told me that I had to come see him after dinner that night. He said…he said that he…that I owed him for deserting, and that he was going to give me the chance to pay him back and save you at the same time.”

Volle held his paw sympathetically and listened as Streak went on. “He said he had a witness, someone who had seen you commit treason, and he said that if I came to see him and did what he said, then he would make sure she didn’t testify.”

“
Was anyone else around while you were talking?”

Streak shook his head, and Volle sighed. He’d suspected Dereath was too clever for that. He nodded to the wolf to continue.

“
So I thought, he’s just bluffing. But then I heard you and Tish talking about the witness, and I…I had to go.”

“
Why didn’t you tell me?” Volle said softly.

“
He told me I couldn’t, or the deal was off. I couldn’t tell anyone.”

“
Why didn’t you tell Nero this? I mean, the witness was dead.”

“
He said if I told anyone but you, he’d…” Streak swallowed and said the last words in a whisper, “have you killed.”

“
Why didn’t you tell me before dinner, then? Before you went there?”

“
No…” Streak waved a paw and laid his ears back, looking confused. “That was after dinner, that he said that. Before, he said I couldn’t even tell you because you wouldn’t let me.”

“
He’s probably right. What did he want?” Volle thought he could guess.

“
He wanted me to…to sleep with him. But we never did anything,” he said hurriedly. “He put his paw down my pants, but that was all. I heard the scream before I went into the bedroom.”

“
Where was he when you heard the scream?”

“
Outside. He told me to wait in the bedroom, that he had to go make sure we wouldn’t be disturbed.” Streak kept touching Volle’s fur with his free paw, sliding his fingers under the sleeve of Volle’s shirt as though he didn’t even want the cloth to separate them. His words came more and more quickly. “I didn’t know if I could go through with it or what you’d think of me, but I had to do it, you understand? And then I heard her scream and I had to go take a look. She was dead when I opened the door. There was nobody else in the room. I couldn’t move. The servant found me, and De—he was right behind her.”

“
Okay, okay.” Volle rubbed the fur on Streak’s paw gently and looked into the wolf’s eyes. “I understand. I wouldn’t have been mad at you. You were just trying to help me. I’d—”
I’d have done the same for you. I did.

Streak looked relieved, then he searched Volle’s eyes in return and read his unspoken words as easily as if Volle had said them. His ears folded back again. “That’s what you did, isn’t it?” he whispered. Volle didn’t say anything. “You did that to get him to let you in here—oh, fox, I’m so sorry. That bastard.” He growled softly.

“
I’ll get him back,” Volle said. “I’ve sworn that by Fox. And we’re together now, anyway. I was worried he might have done something to you.”

Streak shook his head and started to reply, but was stopped by a knocking at the door. The puma’s voice followed. “Lord Fardew says you have to step outside in five minutes, Lord Vinton.”

Volle folded his ears back and called, “No.”

“
But Lord Fardew…”

“
Lord Fardew can take his five minutes and be damned.” He was almost trembling now, and if Dereath had come into the room, Volle would certainly have attacked him.

“
Yes, my Lord. He told me to tell you, my Lord.” In the ensuing silence, Volle heard the scratching of claws on the stone as the puma descended.

He sighed as he turned back to Streak, whose ears were pressed back. “Don’t worry,” he said. “He’s through with getting what he wants. I’m going to stay with you for a while longer.”

Streak looked down, a low growl in his throat. “I still wish you hadn’t had to…”

Volle shook his head. “It’s over now. And I know you didn’t do it.”

“
But we still don’t know who did.”

“
We have a suspicion. But…” Volle rubbed the wolf’s paw. “Did Nero tell you your scent was on the scissors?”

“
Yes. I said I didn’t handle them.”

“
How else could your scent have gotten on them?”

Streak shook his head. “That’s what I don’t know.”

“
Scent transfer…wait…” Volle searched his memory for one of the classes he’d taken at the Academy. They’d done a piece on scent transfer, and as he recalled pieces of it, his fur prickled. “When Dereath put his paw down your pants,” he said slowly, and didn’t finish.

“
It was down the back, under…under my tail,” Streak said softly.

“
I’m an idiot,” Volle snarled. “If he’d grabbed you in the front, it would have smeller muskier, but I assumed that…”