The Pyramid Waltz (22 page)

“Are you planning to kill him, Brutal?” Katya asked.

“Just waiting for a bit of the fight to go out of him. You want him alive, yeah?”

“Please.” She turned back to Pennynail. “Where—?”

Crowe grabbed Darren’s dropped knife and waved it. “Where did you get this?”

“Crowe?” Katya asked.

He ignored her and pressed the knife close to Darren’s smug mouth. “Where did you get this?”

“From his body, old man, before we gave it to the dogs.”

Crowe punched Darren across the face. Darren’s head twisted to the side, and he half slumped before Pennynail hauled him upright again.

Katya grabbed Crowe’s arm. “
What
are you doing?”

He shook the knife at her. “Do you know who this belonged to?”

A small emerald glittered in the knife’s guard. Memory stirred, but Katya couldn’t place it. “Save it. We’ve got to clear the rest of this place.”

Crowe tucked the knife into his satchel, and Katya turned to the others. Cassius had stopped kicking, and Brutal let him slide to the ground. “Tie these two up. One of you stays with them while the other goes with Crowe. Where’s Starbride?”

Pennynail pointed at the staircase. “Safe?” Katya asked. He nodded. “Maia?” she called.

Maia stood from behind the balcony railing. “Here.”

“Crowe and either Brutal or Pennynail is coming to join you.”

“Gotcha.”

Katya started up the stairs. Minimal traps, a pushover of a villain, it was all too easy. There had to be something else to all this. A single room waited at the top of the staircase; the only other exit was blocked by rubble. “Star?”

Starbride peeked through a gap in the wall, and Katya realized she’d been hiding outside the building. It was brilliant and perfect. She stepped inside wearing too-large clothing, and she was the cutest thing Katya had ever seen, in spite of the danger, in spite of everything. Katya sheathed her blade, crossed the room in a few strides, and threw her arms around Starbride, her anger forgotten as she buried her face in Starbride’s hair.

“I’m all right,” Starbride mumbled into her shoulder.

“And you’re better dressed.”

Starbride tilted her head, her eyes tired. “It’s been a long week.”

“Want a ride home?”

“You left me in the palace while you went investigating.”

“Yes.” She knew this conversation had to happen but hoped to postpone it.

“And I saw you kiss that courtier.”

Katya nearly stepped back. “It seems I’ve met the most observant woman alive.” After a long sigh, she stroked Starbride’s cheek. “It’s a part I have to play, and I hate it.” Tears threatened the corners of her eyes. “You see everything. You saw
me
, the thing inside me, and you didn’t run away. You saw everything, and you still came running after me. Star, I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

“I was going to yell at you like you’d never been yelled at before.”

“Let’s skip that and go right to I’m sorry, and I love you.”

Starbride’s eyes widened before she wrapped her arms around Katya’s neck and pressed their lips together. Katya didn’t waste the moment. She clasped Starbride’s waist and drew their bodies closer.

From the doorway, someone cleared her throat. Katya almost expected to see Averie, but Maia stood there, grinning from ear to ear. “I came to get Pennynail’s boots and gloves. And Brutal’s calling for us downstairs.”

Katya glared at her. “We’re coming.”

“The boots and gloves are in the corner,” Starbride said.

Maia retrieved them, winked, and hurried away. Katya helped Starbride clonk down the stairs in her too-large boots. “I can carry you part of the way, if you’d like,” Katya said.

Starbride snorted. “Part of the way, no doubt. And after that, you’d stagger and fall, and we’d break our necks.” She gave Katya a serious look. “I still plan to yell at you, love or not.”

Once outside, Starbride and Lord Hugo clasped hands, each exclaiming relief at seeing the other alive. Crowe sat on the ground near the horses and held a bloody cloth over his left knee. He glared at the injury with an affronted expression.

Brutal and Pennynail loaded Cassius and Darren, both bound and gagged, on top of the horses. After helping to tie them in the saddles, Averie knelt by Crowe and replaced his bloody cloth with a clean one. Katya crouched beside them. “What happened, Crowe?”

He nodded at the house. “I found and canceled every active pyramid and then stumbled over a broken brick.”

“How bad are you?”

“I’m fine.”

Katya nodded at his knee. “Do you want me to poke that to show you how hurt you are?”

He gave her a sullen look but didn’t argue. Katya took one of the bandages and tied it around her calf. The damage was minimal, but it seeped a bit, and she didn’t want to leak all the way home.

When she stood, she stared at the manor house. These criminals were cunning and adept. Lord Hugo mentioned that they’d meant to take one of Katya’s friends. When presented with Starbride instead, they’d adapted. They were too smart to be hiding out with minimal protection and a few thugs. The only wounds they’d managed to inflict had been a slice to Katya’s calf, an accidental gouge to Crowe’s knee, Lord Hugo’s injuries, and some minor scrapes.

“What now?” Brutal asked from beside her.

“Were you hurt, Brutal?”

He shrugged. “A few bruises.”

“This is too easy. The only one we didn’t catch was the thirty-something bearded man. The rest went down like warm milk.”

“We’ve already searched the place. Nothing interesting. Let’s take our new friends back to the palace and have a chat.”

“What if that’s what they wanted all along?”

“To be taken inside the palace? Well, we could pyramid them out here.”

“No!” Crowe said from their feet. He struggled to stand. “We wait until the palace to interrogate them!” he said in a strangled whisper.

Katya stared. “What is going on with you?”

He swallowed and turned his gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry, Highness. Please, I’d like to wait until the palace.”

Everyone stared at them. Even Darren and Cassius watched, and Darren still had some of his smug look, even with a reddened, bruising cheek and his bandaged shoulder. “Crowe, come and speak with me,” Katya said. He limped forward, and she led him a short distance from the others. “Tell me.”

“I can’t.”

“The knife?”

“It’s caught up with me.”

Katya blinked. “What has?”

“Time!” He spat the word. “The thing no man can outrun: time!”

“Crowe…” She’d never considered his hold on sanity fragile, but he sounded too much the madman.

“Please, Katya.” He looked deep in her eyes, and she was shocked to see unshed tears in his. “I’ll use the pyramid on them in the palace, but not out here, not in front of others. Please. This was all too easy. You must have felt it.”

“Yes.”

“Not…not if their aim was to split us up.” He caressed his satchel and stared at nothing. “I pray they haven’t succeeded.” Quick as a snake, he focused on her again. “Please, let’s go back.”

“Well, we can’t do it in front of Lord Hugo, anyway. Here, let me carry the satchel.”

The unshed tears nearly fell, and she could see that her words wounded him. For everything he said about suspecting everyone, distrust cut him to the core.

“Because it seems to pain you and because your obsession with it amuses one of our guests.” She nodded at Darren, and Crowe gave her the satchel, but his hurt expression didn’t change.

“Mount up,” Katya said. Pennynail offered Starbride the dress again, but she refused after a little laugh. Katya stepped close to her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were enjoying yourself just a little.”

“This is my second adventure in a very short time, and it’s turning out much better than the first, despite the fact that I was scared out of my mind for most of it.”

Katya kissed Starbride’s temple, but she couldn’t relax and enjoy the moment. The situation didn’t smell right no matter how she moved it around in her mind. The entire house should have been trapped. There should have been twice as many guards. They never should have left Starbride alone. What had been the point of it all? Was there a trap they didn’t spring? Maybe it was a trick to get her
out
of the palace.

“Let’s move.” She guided her horse to Lord Hugo’s. “I don’t wish this adventure bandied about court, Lord Hugo.”

“But, Princess, you saved your lady from a band of ruffians. All should praise you!”

“Honor lives in one’s own heart, don’t you think? It doesn’t need court gossip to puff it up. That leads to ego and too much pride.”

He nodded slowly, and she knew she had him. “Admirable thought, truly admirable.”

“Thank you. And as for your nose…”

“I’ll tell everyone I was involved in a fight, but due to a matter of honor, I cannot elaborate. Your man Brutal was kind enough to recover my rapier from these rogues, so I needn’t admit I was robbed.”

“Excellent. And if this adventure does get around court…” She leaned forward, a sinister smile in place. “I’ll know who started the rumor.”

Lord Hugo’s answering look carried a twinge of worry. “Indeed, Highness. You’ve nothing to fear from me.”

“Good man.” She clapped him lightly on the shoulder. As she rode back to Starbride, she rolled her eyes to the heavens.

Starbride rode next to Lord Hugo for most of the trip, with Katya coming to her side now and again before circulating among their companions. At the head of the group, the two men Maia had named Brutal and Pennynail rode on either side of the captives.

In her head, Starbride tried to make a list of everything she would say to Katya once they were alone. If these men were the ones Katya had been seeking, or if she’d been on the trail of someone else, why hadn’t she involved the king’s Guard? How did Crowe and Pennynail become part of the expedition when Starbride hadn’t seen them leave Marienne with Katya? There were secrets here, and she couldn’t leave them alone when they involved her. Well, she couldn’t leave secrets alone at the best of times, she admitted that, but this wasn’t the best of times. Secrets now could get her killed.

And she’d have to discuss with someone the fact that she’d been called a pyradisté. She thought Crowe would be badgering her for information already, but he seemed distracted, staring ahead with a morose look on his face and talking to no one. Starbride decided to tell Katya when they were alone,
after
she’d been given some answers.

She glanced at Lord Hugo and wondered what all he’d been told. He smiled when he caught her looking, his mouth slightly open so he could breathe; the middle of his face was one large bruise, and he hunched slightly because of the knife wound in his back. Through most of the trip, he’d been sneaking glances at Maia. “She’s very pretty.”

Lord Hugo blinked. “Who?”

Starbride gave him a level look. “I have eyes.”

“Oh.” Lord Hugo hung his head; he didn’t wear the blush she expected. “No, it’s not that. I mean, she is very pretty, but I just…We’ve never met, but I feel like we’ve always known one another.”

Crowe’s previous words came back in a rush.
Memory erasure works in threads
. “Lord Hugo, have you ever had a pyramid used on you?”

“No, why would I?”

“No reason.” But with his strange reaction, she had to ask. She reminded herself not to jump to conclusions. Maybe he and Maia were kindred souls, and his recognized hers even though their bodies had never been introduced. There were too many maybes, one more thing to discuss with Katya. Their future conversation was getting longer and longer; she’d have to tell Katya to block off an entire day.

Up ahead, Katya took Brutal’s place beside the prisoners, and he rode to the back of the column. “How are you two doing?”

“Achy but tolerable,” Starbride said.

“No sharp pains when you move? Dizzy spells? Headache?”

“I’ve got the headache but not the other two.”

“Let me know if you get either. We have too many injuries in my chapterhouse not to know the signs of a serious one.”

“Thank you,” Starbride said. He had a tender way for such a large man. She’d heard of the fighting monks, but she’d never seen one in combat. Brother Brutal
had
managed to hold down Katya after she’d turned into a Fiend, though; he had to be amazingly strong.

“Once the swelling goes down,” he said, “I can fix your nose, Lord Hugo.”

Lord Hugo frowned. “Fix it?”

“Set it. So it won’t be crooked,” He grinned. “Unless you want it that way? Some women love a crooked nose.”

Lord Hugo blushed slightly. He cast a quick glance toward Maia, probably before he knew what he was doing. Starbride looked to Brutal; his easy smile was gone. In its place was an intense, nearly unreadable expression, but it said enough. Brutal didn’t want Lord Hugo interested in Maia, which meant he was either family or interested in her himself. And why would family object to her having a lord as a suitor?