Page 54 of The Warrior Priest
I laughed lightly. “It’s a pity. I liked the orange blossom.”
“Then how did you know?”
“Your silhouette is distinctive. I could just make it out in the shadows.” I touched her straight hair, the ends just skimming her shoulders. “I know no other women with a feminine figure who wears their hair like you wear yours.”
She touched the ends of her hair, skimming her shoulders. “Very good. Excellent, in fact. If you doubted before that you were ready, I hope tonight sets your mind at ease. You are most definitely ready.”
“But against men who are prepared to kill me?” I shook my head. “Or if all three were as good with the blade as that third one? Or if there were more? I’m not sure, Giselle.”
“Trust me, Jac. You’re ready.” She almost sounded a little annoyed that I continued to doubt her judgment. “Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss your first mission. A real one, this time.”
I continued walking. “What if I can’t do it? Those men who attacked me…I didn’t want to kill them.”
“That’s because you knew they weren’t a real threat after your reconnaissance at the port. When someone truly wants to kill you, you’ll have no qualms killing them first. Look at Rhys.”
I stopped. “What?”
She stopped, too, frowning. “That’s quite a severe reaction to the mere mention of his name. All I meant was, Rhys and the other brothers are willing to kill to defend innocent lives. If they can do it, so can you.”
“I suppose.”
My answer didn’t interest her. She was still focused on my reaction to the mention of Rhys’s name. “Are you still infatuated with him?”
“I’m not infatuated. He was my friend for a long time. I miss his friendship, that’s all.”
“He rescued you when you were at your lowest, so it makes sense.”
I continued walking. I didn’t want her to see my face.
“You were young and impressionable, too.” Giselle’s soft voice was full of emotion that had me once again wondering about her own past. “Rhys was the first person to show you any kindness and respect since your mother’s death. It was no wonder you invested all your emotional needs in him.”
She wasn’t altogether correct. Minnow had shown me kindness, as had some of the other whores who came and went from her house, and Mistress Lowey, too. But I didn’t correct her. She was right in that I had focused a lot of my attention on Rhys. Perhaps my immaturity was to blame, and my desperate need to love another and be loved in return.
“You will love again, Jac, and next time, it will be better because it will be real, not an infatuation with a man you can never have. But only if you let the ideal of Rhys go. Stop seeing him through the eyes of the girl you were, and see him through the eyes of the independent, incredible woman you’ve become.”
“I’ll try, if I ever see him again.”
She flashed me a smile. “Hopefully, that’s some time away. I have no plans to return to Tilting soon.”
Plans changed rapidly,however. A week later, just before we were due to set off for the kingdom of Vytill to undertake my first mission, Giselle informed me we were going to Tilting instead. She’d received a letter from the publican at the Cat and Mouse. From the look on her face, I could tell it brought troubling news.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
She folded the letter in half. “A friend is dying.”
“Rhys?”
“No. She’s a dear friend, and I need to be there for her at the end. You could stay here, but I think you should come with me. You should steal back your pendant from your uncle. It belongs to you, and is your only connection to the women who came before you.”
I nodded slowly, warming to the idea. The pendant may not hold any of the sorcerer’s magic, but I still wanted it back. “When do we leave?”
“First thing. But promise me something, Jac. Be careful. Steal it when your uncle is not there. You need to stay out of his way now that he’s looking for you. And stay away from Rhys, too.”
“I plan to, on both counts.”
Despite my intentions, however, it proved impossible to avoid either man.
Chapter12
