BloodLust (Rise of the Iliri Book 1) (25 page)

Don't be, love.  You did nothing to be sorry about. 

I should have been with you.  I told you I didn't want anyone else, and yet...
  She let the thought trail off.

Yeah, you told me that before you knew.  I knew, Sal.  I knew, and I'm ok with this.  I just worried that you wouldn't want to come back.

Maast, Blaec,
she thought, borrowing the expression from Jase,
you make me feel safe.  You confuse me, but you remind me how lucky I am, in so many ways.

Good. 
He kissed her head. 
Just keep coming back to me and I won't care about what happens in between.  Deal?

I think I can agree to that
.

You'd better, because I'm going to ask you to do it again.

It?
A flash of Jase's face crossed the link in her confusion.

And him,
Blaec admitted. 
I need the two of you to work together.  It's the best chance we have.

How can you do this?  How can you send me out, knowing how I'll respond to it, putting me so close to him?

Sal, I'm the commander first.  We need this done and the pair of you are the best I have.  It's convenient that you'll turn to him, and I trust him.  It's convenient that he'll turn to you, and I trust you.

She nodded.

I was also raised by an iliri mother.  I may look human, but my habits are those she gave me.  I have no interest in possessing you like a pet.  I'm a little old fashioned, I guess, and I want a woman who chooses me each time, not just the first.

Humans raised me, Blaec.  I've been bought and sold, and I'm used to being possessed.  These instincts, and your acceptance of them?  It confuses me.  It's going to take me a while to get used to this.

We've got time, Sal.  I'll be here every time you come back to me.

Chapter 30

Over the last week, Cyno had grown comfortable in Sal's presence and the men even commented on how often he smiled.  Now, Arden matched Raven stride for stride as they raced across the meadow.  The speckled mare flicked her ears forward, making Sal scan the far tree line.  She breathed a sigh of relief when a pair of deer was all she could see.  Beside her, Cyno had also gone on high alert. 

They can't know we're anywhere close,
she thought at him.

Nah, but they can allus get lucky.  I do na wanna risk it, do you?

No.

As one, they pushed their mares faster, the massive beasts reaching with each stride, making the trees surge closer.  Hidden in their shadow, both assassins slipped from their mounts and wound the reins around the horses' necks.  She glanced at him, the silence deafening, the wildlife frightened by their mad rush.

Cyno's mind whispered in hers,
Let's get away from the horses.  If there's anyone here, they'll have seen where we came in.

She nodded at him and stepped lightly, watching for detritus that would give her position away.  Finding a bush huddled next to a tree, Sal tucked her small body among its branches.  She had a clear view of the horses from here, and anyone who saw them would surely find the animals hard to resist.  She caught a flash of light when Cyno pressed himself against a branch high in the trees.

Watch your blades,
she sent,
you're flashing.

Maast,
he thought back,
I jus' found a new one and forgot ta scuff it.  The ceramic these things're cast from's sharp, but way too pretty.

So,
she said,
while we wait, why don't you tell me why you keep calling me kitten.

Ha!  No, I do na think that'd do me any favors.  I'd rather keep ya wondering.

You're a tease, you know that?

I can live with that,
he thought.

Fine, then tell me about the tattoos.  I always seem too busy to ask.

Since I think we'll be laying here a bit, I can do that.  Whatcha wanna know?

What made you pick those?
she asked.

Ya do na read iliri do ya?  Nah, never mind.  I shoulda known better than ta ask that.  It's a story, kinna, but na the good kind.

Go on,
she begged.
I got a twig poking me in the ass.  Help me keep my mind off it.

Well, each time I killed a man, I allus thought of them by their deaths.  Yeh, the ladies too.  Like, there was the one whose neck I broke, or that bitch that screamed when she saw me.  Each name is scrawled here, in the writing my amma taught me.  They started in a book, but eventually Risk agreed ta put 'em on me.

Ok, so why on the left?

Ya did na know I'm left-handed?

No, actually,
Sal replied. 
I didn't.  You fight as well with either, and I can't say I see you doing a whole lot of writing.

Yeh, fair 'nough.  I think we're being a bit twitchy, though, since the birds're singing and nothing's moved yet, cept the mares.

Yeah, and the stick is still poking my ass.

Oh kitten.  Yer a tease, ya know that?

She didn't indulge him with a response.  Instead, she made her way to Arden, listening to each sound while she moved.  Reaching her mare, she checked Cyno's position and swung into the saddle, clicking for Raven to follow.  If any attack came, she'd look like a lone rider, trailing an extra horse.  As she led the animals to Cyno's tree, the woods around them remained peaceful.

It's clear down here,
she said.

Up here too.  Comin' down.

She heard the rustle of bark when he descended, then he suddenly appeared at Raven's side.  Together, they moved on, their horses carefully picking their way through the underbrush.  Keeping their conversation in their minds, they chatted about anything that caught their attention while they meandered the two kilometers to the edge of the forest.  Just inside the tree line, the pair looked down on the outpost below.

That's a lot more military than LT spected,
Cyno thought.

You still up for this?

Yeh, but I'm na as eager as I'd be alone, I gotta say.  I think that's why he stuck us together.

Probably, Blaec does things like that.  Look, if we make it down that ridge,
Sal thought, pointing,
we can keep to the trees until the wall.  Park the mares in there – doesn't look like there's a lot of traffic – and scale the wall after dark.

Na bad.  Yeh, that looks like it'll work,
Cyno said, following the path she laid out. 
It'll put us farther from the gates, but Raven'll come when I call her, and Arden should follow.  If na, my girl can carry two until we catch yer spotted mule.

Leave her spots out of this.
Sal tossed a smile at him, teasing. 
It means some back tracking, but I think it's safer than showing pale skin or our blacks.

Cyno agreed, and together they began the long trip back through the woods.  The sun hung a finger length above the horizon when they reached the pocket of trees Sal had chosen.  They secured their horses, checked their weapons, and Sal reminded Cyno to dull his new blade.  With time left before darkness gave them the cover they needed, they sat in an awkward silence.

Ok, you're killing me, Jase,
She told him. 
Are you as nervous about this as I am?

Nah, we'll be in and out of there with a few more notches on our belts.  It will na be hard.

I didn't mean the job
.

Yeh, the after?
He kept his eyes on the ground.

She nodded.

It's a bit 'a both.  Part of me wants it ta hit.  It's so intense, there's nothing else like it.  Part of me is worried about ya.

Me?

Yeh.  It's nothing.  Ferget I said anything.

You still have time, you might as well get it out there,
she pointed out.

K.  It's like this.  I know one of us will get the lust tonight.  Prolly, both.  Can na see how we both will na get a kill in there.  I'm pretty sure we can make it out before we start tearing at each other, but then what?  What happens the next morning?

You mean Blaec?
she asked.

Nah, I'm good with him.  It's you.  Will ya still respect me in the morning.  That kinda thing.

Jase?
she asked, her mental voice conveying her amusement. 
Are you saying you're worried you won't be good enough?

Something like that.  Yeh. 

Your only concern, minutes before we're supposed to sneak into a fully manned military outpost, is if you'll be good in bed?

I knew ya would na understand.

Trying to keep from laughing, with guards possibly meters away from them on the other side of the wall, she kissed him.  Jase leaned into it, his hand reaching up to her face.  When their lips separated, he looked in her icy eyes.

It's time, kitten.

Together, they made their way to the three meter high wall.  Cyno found a handhold and began scaling it like a spider.  When he reached the top, he paused, his black leathers nearly invisible in the deep twilight.  Sal pulled her hood over her hair and followed, moving slower and more cautiously.  She reached the top and crouched beside him.  Together, they mentally mapped their path to the Broch.  From the wall to the roofs, Cyno's natural agility made Sal feel awkward.  She focused on each step and was able to keep pace with him, barely.

Crouched on a rooftop, he pointed out the rough spot in their path.  A gap longer than her own body lay before them. 
Can ya make it?

I can make it, but I can't promise to do it silently,
she admitted.

K.  Just follow me, kitten.  When ya hit the other side, roll with it.  Spread yer weight out and it will na be as loud.

I can do that.  Just be ready to move if we need to
.

Cyno waited for a moment, listening to the natural sounds around him, and leapt when a wagon passed a few streets over.  He landed on the far roof, rolling gently, and Sal barely heard anything out of the ordinary.  He turned to her and nodded.

She listened, and luck smiled on her.  A group of mounted soldiers passed on the other side of her building, their horses' shoes ringing against the stones in the street.  She rushed forward, leaping at the last second, and sailed across the gap.  As she landed, she tucked her shoulder, felt the jarring impact, and allowed herself to roll.  She made her way to her toes, squatting with her hands against the thatch roof, and glanced at Cyno.  He smiled at her proudly, allowing his sharp teeth to show.

'Bout as good as I coulda asked for.  I think I'll keep ya.

As the streets grew quiet again, the couple crept over the roof, skipped across another, and found themselves standing in the shadow of the Broch wall.

Not too smart, letting the buildings stand so close like this,
Sal thought.

Yeh, but who'd be dumb enough ta scale a Broch?
he asked.
C'mon.  We gotta get ta the third floor.  Keep yer hair covered, or change it, but do na let it catch the light.

Yes, sir,
she replied.

Ya got me confused with yer other man, I think.  I am na yer "sir."

Shut up and climb.  It's the only time I get to appreciate your ass without you noticing,
she snapped back.

Grinning, he started up the wall.  Sal made sure to place her hands and feet in the same places Cyno chose.  When they reached the base of the third story window, they waited, listening for voices and the sounds of movement before sliding through the opening.  Cyno went in first.  Sal counted to three before following.  Finding themselves in a dark and dusty room, they took the chance to rub out tired muscles and catch their breath.

Ya feeling it yet?
Cyno asked.

Nah.  This isn't anything more than a training exercise.  Takes more than this to get me going.  Sorry.

Jus' checking, since we have a nice room all ta ourselves.  Ready?

She nodded and followed him into the hall.  They slid along the walls, keeping to the shadows between lanterns, and made their way to the balcony over the great room.  Below, a group of men sat at a table, the tone of their voices suggesting they argued about something.  Carefully, Cyno slipped over the balcony wall, onto a cross beam that spanned the room.  Sal moved to the other side, making a last check of her weapons before doing the same.  They crept over the heads of the men below and paused, listening to the conversation.

"The Emperor swears he can supply us with over one hundred swords each," a large man said, slamming his fist on the table.  "That's a hundred metal swords, not ceramic, not resin, but
metal
swords.  I can't pass that up."

"Damn it, Dejan," another said, "What are you willing to give up for that?  What does that bastard want for that much true steel?"

"He wants to take the Conglomerate," Dejan answered.  "Swears there's more under one of their military bases.

A third man added his voice to the debate.  "I'm with Dejan.  Metal is worth more than some ancient covenant our ancestors created."

"Vilko's with me.  Who else?" Dejan demanded.  "The Emperor is bringing in Anglia next.  If they take the steel he's sending, he won't need any of us.  This isn't something we can wait to decide!"

"If he's after Anglia, why does he need us?" one man demanded.

"It takes a while to get across the continent," Vilko said.  "The shipment's just heading to the Escean Pass, now.  Means six months, maybe more before Anglia can help.  The Emperor doesn't like to wait."

"Ok, I'm with ya."

"I figured ya would be, Rok.  Jurij, you can't be scared of the Westerners, are ya?" Dejan taunted.

The second man answered violently. "I'm the only one of us on the border!  It's pretty easy for you to make agreements, get paid in steel, and leave me to defend your territory.  I want no part in this!"  Jurij shoved away from the table, his wine spilling, and stormed from the room.  "Keep your damned steel.  It won't do me any good if I don't have a province left."