Honor's Price (16 page)

This time, however, the thread was firmly back in place and far stronger than an hour ago. Kane was
moving back in this direction. Good, but for how long? After all, the man was a common mercenary with no ties of loyalty to anyone, least of all Ifre himself.

Sooner or later the bastard would decide to leave. If Ifre was going to make use of Kane, he needed to do so soon. Should he strengthen the magic he'd infused in the sigil that marked him as Ifre's captain? To do so would weaken the mage-marked warrior's shields at a faster pace, but the stronger connection would carry its own risks.

If Kane were to figure it out, he might destroy the emblem, severing their connection completely. A movement at the other end of the room made the decision for him. The dark cloud had floated higher, giving it an unobstructed view of Ifre. Those eyes, now bloodred and flame-hot, stared at him with malicious intensity.

Ifre immediately bolted for the passageway that led to the keep above. When he reached the door, he waited until his pulse had slowed to normal. It wouldn't do to appear in the great hall looking shaken and fearful. At the first sign of weakness, his enemies would be on him like a pack of hounds on a hare.

They didn't think he knew they watched him, but he did. Once he reestablished control over his weapon, he'd unleash enough magic to track the bastards down and destroy them.

For now he'd retire to his office and reinforce the spell that would tie Kane to him with unbreakable chains. Ifre could almost taste the sweet flavor of the captain's magic. Feeling renewed, he strode across the hall, nodding to a few favored guests along the way.

T
heda made small talk as the servants cleared away the last of the evening meal. Ifre had chosen to eat in his office, leaving her to play hostess to his guests. She hated every minute of the time she had to spend with the courtiers.

Ifre made it all too clear that she had fallen out of favor with him, leaving her an easy target for their sly insults and superior smirks. Fools. Did they not realize that if Ifre was willing to treat a member of his own family this way, he wouldn't hesitate to do far worse to them?

As soon as she ensured the cook had the cleanup under control, Theda had every intention of retiring to her quarters until nightfall. Then she would seek out the darkest corners of the gardens in hopes of finding Kane waiting for her there. After the embarrassing fiasco of her impromptu marriage proposal, she wouldn't blame him for avoiding her.

But she had to believe that there was power enough in the feelings they had for each other to draw him back to her side. She truly hated that his time here in the city would soon come to an end. She could only hope that the knowledge he would take back to his allies would enable them to put a halt to Ifre's predations.

When she excused herself and left the table, Margaret and Lydia immediately joined her.

“My lady, shall we retire for the evening?”

She smiled and nodded. “Let me take one last look
around. It shouldn't take but another few minutes. You may go ahead if you'd like.”

Margaret shook her head. “No, we'll wait. You are no safer walking the halls alone than we are.”

And it was a sad state of affairs that Theda could not argue with her young friend's logic. “Very well. I'll hurry.”

She made a quick stop in the kitchen to make sure everything was in good order. From there, she made one last circle around the room, nodding at one or two of her old friends who caught her eye with a friendly smile.

Satisfied she'd done her duty for the night, she cut across the hall, preparing to take her leave of the milling crowd. Margaret and Lydia rejoined her just as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She stifled a groan when she noticed Sergeant Markus standing nearby. She did her best to ignore him, but didn't expect her ploy to work.

His cool eyes raked over her from head to toe as he tipped his head in a brief bow. “Lady Theda.”

His bold perusal was an insult of the worst kind. She returned his cool stare with an even colder one of her own.

“Sergeant,” she said, tilting her head just enough to appear to be looking down her nose at him.

His face flushed hot. She savored the small victory, although she suspected he would find some way to make her regret it. Rather than dwell on the matter, she swept past him with her friends flanking her.

It had been too much to hope that he would simply let her leave. But no, he had to have the last say.

“If you see Captain Kane, please tell him that I was looking for him.”

Was he dangling a baited hook in hopes he would catch something? As much as she wanted to simply ignore Markus, she couldn't. Pasting a smile on her face, she turned back.

“You've managed to misplace your captain, Sergeant? How very careless of you.”

This time she kept walking, hoping to outdistance him enough to make her escape. Her calm demeanor as she followed her two friends up the steps was but a thin shell, ready to crack at any instant.

Had something happened, forcing Kane to leave the city? If so, she could hardly blame him for going. His duty took precedence, requiring him to serve his goddess alongside his friends. She had no real hold on him, but the possibility that he'd left Agathia without even a wave of farewell stabbed deep in her heart.

She headed straight through her solar to the balcony that looked out over the stable and the barracks where the guards lived. A quick look around did nothing to comfort her. The shadows were stretched out long and thin as the sun continued on its downward trip toward the horizon. Several of the guards were moving about, but Kane wasn't among them.

“Lady Theda, is there something wrong? You look worried.”

“No. I'm fine, Lydia. Sometimes the walls seem to close in on me. Coming out here to watch the sunset helps to push them back out again.”

She lightened her words with a smile. “Forgive me. I shouldn't be so gloomy when it promises to be a lovely night.”

Lydia joined her at the railing, her pretty face reflecting the soft gold of the fading light. She drew a deep breath as if to calm herself.

“I should have told you sooner, but I did what you asked and wrote to my parents, asking that they let me return home. They are sending my brothers to accompany me back to the family estate within the week. They've also said that Margaret is welcome to come with me.”

Lydia kept her gaze averted as she continued
speaking. “I will be sorry to leave you, but I no longer feel safe here in the capital.”

Theda wrapped her arm around the younger woman's shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “I will be sad to see the two of you go, Lydia, but I cannot find fault with your thinking. In truth, it will be a relief to know that the two of you are safely away from here.”

Margaret, who had been hovering just inside the door, now joined them out on the balcony. “If you would prefer it, I can stay here and make the journey to Lydia's home later. I do not like the idea of you being alone.”

“Bless you both for your friendship, but do not worry about me. I will be fine.”

And even if she wasn't, her well-being shouldn't be a burden upon their young shoulders.

“Do your best to keep your preparations to leave quiet. It would better if my brother-in-law did not learn of your departure until after the fact. I don't know that he'd try to prevent your leaving, but his actions are difficult to predict.” She considered the possibilities. “Pack only what you need for the trip. After you are safely gone, I will arrange for the rest of your things to be shipped to you by one of the trading clans when they come through.”

“Only if you are sure, my lady.”

Theda turned to face Margaret, placing her hands on the younger woman's shoulders. “I'm sure, and it will do you good to visit Lydia's family. As I recall, Lydia's brothers are quite handsome, as are several of her cousins. I'm sure they'll all be vying for your attention.”

Margaret blushed prettily while Lydia rolled her eyes. “My youngest brother is a decent enough sort. The rest of them can be quite tiresome.”

“Ah, but you're their sister, Lydia. They might behave differently around Margaret. You must both promise to write me long letters about what happens.”

“We will.”

After a quick exchange of hugs, she sent them back
inside. “I'll be just a minute. Lydia, if you'd like to play chess, set up the board.”

When she was once again alone, she checked one more time for any sign of Kane. She was about to give up when a familiar figure rode into sight on the back of a huge stallion. Kane dismounted and proceeded to walk his horse in circles, probably to cool the enormous beast before returning him to the stable.

From what she could see, the two were well matched. The horse was heavily muscled but yet moved with the kind of grace that spoke of speed. In short, he was the perfect horse for a warrior.

It wouldn't do to get caught staring at Kane with such interest, so she headed back inside. As she did, she wondered once again why Sergeant Markus had sought her out to comment on Kane's apparent absence. What was he thinking?

Regardless of the risks, nothing would keep her from visiting the gardens again tonight. She had but a few more opportunities to be with Kane, and she wouldn't miss a single one if she could help it. And if they found a way to do more than simply stroll, so much the better.

*   *   *

Walking circles with his horse outside of the stable had done little to calm Kane's fury. After leaving Averel's company on the way back to the city, he'd taken the long way around, aiming for the gate normally taken by the caravans coming in from the east. Kane had been riding along lost in thought when Rogue stumbled over a sudden dip in the ground.

Startled by the sudden movement, Kane had sat up taller in the saddle and looked around. What was this place? He'd dismounted to study the unusual tracks on the dusty ground. A double set of grooves had been worn several inches deep in the dirt, too close together for a wagon to have made them. Most likely someone had been wheeling a handcart through the area on a
regular basis. The tracks had led back toward the city of Agathia, but also stretched out in the opposite direction.

Considering how desolate the area was, the obvious question was why. First he'd followed the tracks back toward Agathia. They stopped just short of the city wall, where they circled around to the far side of a small hillock. The ruts stopped right at a small door set back into the side of the hill. From its proximity to Agathia, it had to be a secret way out of the city. The door was locked. No surprise there.

Having learned all he could from tracing the path to its source, he'd mounted Rogue and followed the trail back in the direction he'd come. A half mile farther on, it came to an abrupt end at the edge of a cliff. The flock of carrion birds soaring overhead warned of the horror he'd see when he dismounted again to look down into the canyon below.

Bodies. Lots of them in various stages of decay, all tossed away as if they were nothing more than trash. The stench had left him gagging. He'd found the first hard evidence of Keirthan's violence against his own people. It was also clear he'd had help, because the man wasn't the kind to clean up his own messes.

Kane bowed his head and offered up a prayer for the dead along with a vow to avenge their pain and suffering. He hated to walk away, leaving them to the scavengers, but there was nothing else he could do. If Keirthan's accomplice returned to find the bodies disturbed, he would sound the alarm. There was no telling what Keirthan would do if he panicked.

For now all Kane could do was tie his rope to a large piece of dry brush to drag behind Rogue, hoping to wipe out any sign of their tracks. The hour was growing late, but he took the time to also destroy any sign of his passing near the ruts left by the cart.

When he'd finished, he'd ridden hard back toward the city, entering from a gate some distance from the one he'd originally planned to use. If anyone had been
watching for him, at least they'd have no reason to suspect where he'd been.

After walking Rogue, Kane turned the horse loose in his stall and headed for his own quarters. He had just enough time to change into a clean uniform before his late-evening rounds. As he stepped back outside, his eyes automatically went right to the balcony outside of Theda's solar.

It was empty now, but he'd been all too aware of her watching him as he'd cooled Rogue down after their hard ride. She should know better than to watch him where anyone could see her. He'd have to remind her of the danger—that is, if she joined him in the garden later for their nightly walk.

If he were a wiser man, he would end their trysts, not to mention any chance of sharing Theda's bed again. But he knew himself better than that. If there was a way for him to spend more time in her company without bringing disaster down upon both their heads, he would. There was so little time left for the two of them; he wouldn't waste even a single morsel.

Back in his room, he washed up and changed. Before leaving, he spoke to Hob even though the gargoyle was currently resting in Kane's shield.

“If I can, I will bring Theda here tonight. I plan to teach her how to call you herself.” He rubbed his chest as he spoke. “I don't know why, but I sense that it's important. I fear for her safety, and she might need to call upon you for protection.”

He could feel Hob's sleepy agreement in the back of his mind; he would come if the pretty lady called. Good. Hob's reaction to anything new was always unpredictable, and Kane felt better knowing his companion would look after his lady.

Of course, that would last only as long as Kane and Averel remained in the city. Once they left to rejoin the other Damned, there would be no one she could turn to, no one who would stand between her and the duke. The
thought of riding out and leaving Theda to her fate made him furious.

If only he could convince her to go with him. But asking her to abandon those she cared about would be like her asking Kane to break his oath to the goddess and his friends.

Outside, he nodded at the first guard he passed by but didn't stop to talk. When he reached the front entrance of Keirthan's keep, he found both guards sitting on a nearby bench. The men were too busy talking to notice Kane's approach.

“Gentlemen, care to tell me who is guarding the door?”

His deep voice rang out, drawing the attention of several other people in the area. Normally Kane preferred to handle any problems with those under his command quietly, if possible. Right now he had no patience for such niceties.

“Get back to where you belong. And since you have obviously forgotten what is expected of one of the duke's personal guard, you will remain on duty through the next shift. If I catch you slacking off again, you will receive ten lashes each.”

One hustled back to resume his proper position by the door, but his partner protested. “But Sergeant Markus said we could accompany him into town tonight!”

Kane smiled and stepped closer, stopping right before the man's face. “Well, that's different.”

The man started to nod, happy that he'd made his point. Then he froze, finally realizing that he'd just made a major mistake. Too late.

“I can see why you'd prefer to spend the night carousing with your friends instead of pulling a second shift of duty.”

Kane paused to reach out and flick a piece of imaginary dust off the man's shoulder. “I just hope you remember all the fun you had tomorrow when I tie you to the post out in the bailey and order your good friend
Sergeant Markus to give you fifteen lashes on your bare back.”