Wolfsbane Winter (21 page)

Sitting on the edge of her bunk, Deryn studied his rear view, then sighed and let her head slump. She could not believe that she was seriously thinking about asking him if he wanted to play. Her stint at Neupor had barely begun. How desperate for entertainment would she be by the end of winter?

A pack of cards were in her bag, but the thought of trying to teach Ross the basic rules of any game was nothing short of a joke. Nevin probably knew how to play poker, but he would refuse if she asked him. For all his contempt of the Iron Wolves in general and her in particular, he was not so stupid or arrogant as to think he could beat her—which was a pity. While Deryn had no wish to socialize with the slob, the thought of taking money off him had its attraction.

The inkling of a scheme drifted into Deryn’s head. Nevin would undoubtedly take up the challenge to play against Ross, confident of victory. He would also be certain to bet heavily. Could she work out a way to fix the cards so that Ross was guaranteed to win? Watching Nevin lose to him would be doubly sweet. Not only would the sergeant be out of pocket, but he would end up looking like a fool. Sorting it out would not be easy, giving that her accomplice would be unwitting (in every sense of the word), but it was something to occupy her mind.

Possibly the biggest problem with this was that Ross would then think he was a champion card sharp, and get fleeced by the next person he met. Deryn frowned. She would not want that to happen. Ross was a well-meaning man, who tried his best. It was not his fault that his best did not amount to much. When the brains were dished out, somehow he had ended up in the line reserved for beetles.

“Your horse is coming,” Ross said from the doorway.

“Tia?”

“Looks like her.”

“Why isn’t she in the barn?” Deryn jumped off her bunk, alarmed.

“Don’t know.”

Admittedly, someone with far more intelligence than Ross might have had difficulty answering the question. There could be little to show how Tia had escaped and made her own way back. “Is she all right?”

“I suppose so. That healer woman is leading her. She might know.”

“Right, Ross.” Deryn patted his back, grateful that he had finally gotten the important information out, giving her a moment to ready herself before meeting Alana. She squeezed passed him, her face set in an expression of pleased surprise. “Hi. I didn’t expect you to bring Tia back. I was going to collect her myself tomorrow.”

“I know. But I was coming into Neupor, and she’d been doing well. I thought I’d save you the journey.”

“Thanks.”

Tia’s greeting whicker was a welcome distraction, an excuse to switch the focus of attention to her horse. Deryn stroked Tia’s nose while mustering her self-composure. She needed to. Deceiving herself was pointless. She had been both dreading and looking forward to meeting Alana again.

In breaking down as she had, Deryn knew she had handed over ammunition that could rip her apart. Would Alana try to use it? The unfamiliar feeling of vulnerability made Deryn’s stomach knot. And how did Alana view her? As a sad victim? A new topic to spread gossip about? A wounded soul needing treatment? All of these were unbearable. Deryn desperately wished she could run away, but she was tied to Neupor for the winter, with no escape.

All this was bad enough, but some inane part of her was excited to see Alana. It was a part that still fantasized about kissing those lips, and imagined the evening in Alana’s cottage could be erased from their memories as if it had not happened. It still hoped she could work a way back into Alana’s bed. Worst of all, if Deryn did not get it under control, that inane part of her was readying itself to start flirting.

Ain’t gonna happen.
Even as the words went through her head, Deryn felt her resolve weaken. Why did Alana have that sort of effect on her? And more to the point, how was Deryn to put an end to it?

“It’s good to have Tia back.”

“She’s pleased to be back. She trusts you.”

Really? I don’t trust myself, with you around.
“I’ll take her to the stable.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Deryn did not know what bothered her more—the offer, or the surge of pleasure it caused her.

The stable stood on the outskirts of Neupor, close by the dock. A corral was on one side, and a hay shed on the other. Its standard of maintenance was better than many of the nearby houses. This was no great feat in itself, but it said enough about the owner that Deryn was happy to entrust Tia to his care. The doors shut and the straw thatch kept the rain out. Both of these features made it an improvement on the marshal’s station. The horses were well fed and the smell was no worse than Nevin’s farts. Deryn was more than half tempted to move in with Tia.

There was certainly enough space. One small building serviced the entire village, and even then it was half empty. The marshal’s men were the only ones to make regular use of it during the winter, the only ones with dedicated riding horses. In summer, when the docks were busy, no doubt the wagoners needed the spare capacity.

Deryn got Tia settled in her stall and stowed her tack, while being all too aware of Alana’s eyes on her. She tried to concentrate on the task. Tia ought to be her first concern, Deryn reminded herself, although this was not much of a distraction since Tia was clearly doing fine. Her leg was not unusually warm and she was moving freely.

“How long before she’ll be okay to ride?”

“I’d leave it another couple of days, if I were you. Then just a little gentle exercise to start, not too far. But you know your horse. I’m sure you can judge how she’s doing.”

“Good. She doesn’t like being kept inside.”

“I noticed.”

“Has she been misbehaving?”

“Not really. She was missing you. But she can be a handful and gets bored easily. She became a touch overexcited whenever I turned up.”

Like rider, like horse.
Deryn hung Tia’s harness on its hook. “What do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“I normally take payment in kind from the farmers. I don’t know if you’ve got anything I want.” Alana smiled as she spoke.

“Maybe I’ll think of something I can do for you. Is there anything you’d like me to do?” Flustered, Deryn turned to rub Tia’s nose.
Ain’t gonna happen.
Ain’t gonna happen.

“Did you have anything in mind?”

“I could chop logs.”

“I can chop them for myself.”

Alana’s tone was light, teasing. The humor in her voice brought out its soft richness. Her underlying intelligence was clear in her ease with the game of words. And her lips were still so very kissable.

Despite everything in her head telling her to back off, Deryn stopped stroking Tia and turned to face Alana.
Why fight it?
“Doing things for yourself can be a bit unsatisfactory, don’t you think? It’s much more fun having someone lend a hand. I could take care of you.”

“Are we still talking about chopping wood?”

“Do you want to?”

“Do you?” Alana took a step forward so that she stood directly in front of Deryn, with barely a hand’s breadth between them. Her eyes met Deryn’s, dancing with both amusement and desire. Her lips opened just enough for Deryn to see the tip of her tongue.

“What would you like to talk about?”

And then, between one heartbeat and the next, Alana’s expression changed. Her eyes broke contact with Deryn’s, dropping first to her feet and then flicking anxiously to the door. She turned and half stumbled away. “Um…well, what I need to talk about is a bag of grain to see the chickens through winter. That’s why I came into Neupor. I ought to be moving on. I’m pleased Tia’s okay, and that I could help. But I’ll, er…be off. See you around, soon, maybe.”

The words came in such a rush that Alana was out the door before Deryn had processed them all. “Ah, yeah. Bye. And will you—”

Deryn stopped. Alana was no longer there to hear.

What the hell?
Deryn felt thoroughly aggrieved. She stood with her hands on her hips, staring at the open stable door. Who said Alana got first claim on running away? That was her role. It always had been in the past.

Deryn turned and stroked Tia’s nose. “What got into her? She looked like she was about to kiss me, and then she ran away. I didn’t say anything to scare her off, did I? That was just weird of her.”

The snort from Tia was in total agreement.

“Do you think it’s her idea of playing hard to get?”

Tia appeared to give this serious consideration.

“It isn’t going to work. If she thinks I’m going to start chasing after her, she’s got a surprise coming. Dammit. The last thing I want is to get stuck with someone.”

Now Tia looked a little skeptical.

“Oh come on! Don’t you think I’ve learned my lesson? If it hadn’t been for those whores back in Oakan, I wouldn’t be in this god-awful dump to start with. Alana’s pretty. Got a good body. She’s easy company. She seems bright enough. Nice smile. But that’s it. She ain’t going to get me wound round her finger. I’m not that much of a fool.”

Tia’s nostrils flared as she rolled her top lip back.

Deryn scowled at her horse. “And you can keep that thought to yourself.”

She checked the hay, filled the water bucket, and then stomped back to the marshal’s station. Ross had left the door and was lying on his bunk, which was another of his favorite occupations. The bad news was that Nevin had returned and was at the table with a half-empty bottle of wine before him. He would not offer to share it. He never did.

“I hear you’ve got your horse back.”

“Yes.”

“That healer woman from up the valley brought it down.”

“Alana.”

Nevin took a swig of wine and belched. “Yeah, Alana. That’s her name. I’ve seen her around a few times. She’s got a nice pair of tits on her.”

Ross sniggered. Deryn ignored him. He only had half a brain, and could not be held fully accountable. Nevin did not have the same excuse.

“Really? I didn’t notice.”

“She’s got a cute face too. Definitely screwable. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

“My horse was lame. Alana was looking after her. That was the only thing on my mind.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard about you Iron Wolves. Anything with a pulse and two legs and you’ll hump it.”

Ross sniggered again.

The thought of battering Nevin to a pulp with a large club had never been more attractive. Deryn turned her back on him and stood in the open doorway. If Tia had been fit she would have gone for a ride. Anything to get away from the obnoxious fool.

Nevin would not shut up. “Her girlfriend walked out on her a year ago, so I’ve heard. She ought to be up for it.” He belched again. “I reckon she ought to be damn well desperate. I might call round myself. See if I can interest her in my old one-eyed snake.”

“She’s a good healer. But I haven’t heard she can bring the dead back to life.”

Without waiting for a reply, Deryn set off at a brisk walk. Maybe she could find someone who could sell her a fishing rod. There was the river in Neupor and she had often though about learning to fish. Failing that, maybe she could find someone who could sell her a club.

*

Alana plodded up the hill. The bag of grain over her shoulder was weighing her down, but not as heavily as her thoughts. What was wrong with her?

During the previous two days, Alana had gone over her feelings about Deryn often enough until she had everything sorted out. She had to keep the Iron Wolf at arm’s length. They could be friends, but that was it. It had been all perfectly rational and under control, right up until the second she had set eyes on Deryn again, and then the good intentions had gone straight out the window. Yes, she found the woman attractive, but how could she be so enamored as to leave all common sense behind? What had she been thinking of? For a moment in the stable, she had been on the point of stepping into Deryn’s arms and kissing her. Alana shook her head, amazed at her own recklessness.

When she lived in Ellaye, she had thought she understood how common people viewed the demon-spawn aristocracy. Her time in Neupor had provided many surprises, but possibly the biggest was finding out how wrong she had been. Not that the commoners held any love for the demon-spawn. Quite the opposite. They did not hold any marked feelings at all.

The apathy had been unexpected. Most commoners did not spare a thought for the aristocracy from one month to the next. The king himself was dismissed with a shrug, the few times his name came up. The remaining demon-spawn nobles never got mentioned at all. Alana had been wryly amused by her own reaction to this. The demon-spawn were the most important people in Galvonia. They ran the country. They owned most of it. How dare the peasants ignore them?

Scratch me, and a little bit of my mother will show through.

Even so, this did not mean Alana could divulge her background in safety. Maybe the commoners, on a daily basis, wasted little time, breath, or thought on their demon-spawn masters, but it did not mean they held no opinion at all. What little attitude they expressed had been utterly and unreservedly scornful. More significantly, there were a few who were far more hostile. Maybe because of personal history. Maybe because of strongly held political views. Or maybe because they were aggressive thugs with chips on their shoulders who were on the lookout for any reason to cause trouble. If Alana’s heritage became known, one or two instigators might be all it took to inflame the rest. Could they rouse a large group to attack her?