Page 55 of The Warrior Priest
Tilting had changed in the months we’d been away. The lords and ladies had returned and now went about their business as if they’d never been visiting the palace in Mull. They drove in their carriages with the curtains open or rode on their high-stepping horses through the park, keen to be seen in their finery. They were very visible and seemingly happy to be back in the city.
The constables were less visible, however. Talk at the Cat and Mouse centered around the stripping back of the governor’s powers, although no one seemed to know how this had come about. The rumored changes to sentencing had never gone ahead, so thieves were no longer in danger of being hanged if they were caught, and the victims of rape once again had a voice in court and wouldn’t suffer repercussions.
The governor also no longer had the power to pass decisions without the approval of the council. I was safe. I couldn’t be arrested without just cause. Even if he did capture me, he wouldn’t harm me while he thought I could unlock the power within the pendant.
It was a relief to be able to walk through the city without fear, and to know that I was right and that Uncle Roderic’s plan to use the magic in the pendant hadn’t worked. It was likely it held no magic, after all. The myth of the sorcerer was probably just that, a myth. Rhys would be pleased that his religious beliefs remained unchallenged.
Rhys. Although every street, every corner, and every rooftop reminded me of him, I avoided going near the temple of Merdu’s Guards and the room where we used to meet. Instead, I focused on getting my pendant back.
I was familiar with the routine of the governor’s office. There was no reason to believe anything had changed. If I wanted to get in, I could use the same method I’d used when I memorized the document that gave him extra power. I’d have to tuck my hair away, now that it was longer, but I could pass as a boy again if necessary. I decided to watch his home instead. While Giselle called on her dying friend, I studied the comings and goings from Uncle Roderic’s house from the roof of his neighbor’s manor.
Once it became too dark to see, I climbed down, using water pipes and vines as my ladders, and set off, intending to return to the Cat and Mouse. The sight of Andreas talking to a woman beneath a lamppost stopped me in my tracks. My breath caught in a gasp of surprise.
The woman noticed me and thrust her hand on her hip. “Get going! This is my turf and he’s with me.”
Andreas turned. “I am not with— Jac? Is that you?”
I spun on my heel and walked quickly away. I should have run.
Andreas jogged up to me. “It is you!” He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Thank the merciful goddess. Vizah! Rufus! Look who it is.” I tried to leave before they arrived, but Andreas was still holding my shoulders. His gaze swept over me. “Well, well. You grew up.”
It wasn’t until then that I spotted Vizah and Rufus lounging by a door to a nearby tavern. They’d been keeping watch on the area. They now joined us.
“Merdu and Hailia,” Rufus muttered, shaking his head. “Jac. There had better be a good explanation for this.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Vizah got in first. “That’s not Jac.” He squinted and peered closer at me. “Merdu’s blood. ItisJac!” He pointed at my breasts, drawing little circles in the air. “Good disguise. They look real. How do you get your hips to look so natural? Why are you pretending to be a woman anyway?”
Andreas snickered into his hand.
Rufus rolled his eyes as he shook his head. “Jacisa woman. She always has been, you dolt. She used to disguise herself as a boy. Seems she’s no longer bothering.”
Every sentence deepened the frown scoring Vizah’s brow. He gently gripped my chin and angled my face to the light. He grunted. “Who’s going to tell Rhys?”
“Rhys knows,” I said. “He has always known.”
Andreas put up a hand. “As have I. Women are my specialty. Speaking of which, I wasn’twiththat whore. She collects information for us, and I— Looks like she’s gone.” He shrugged. “Her news must not have been that important after all.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” I said.
He puffed out his chest. “True. You already know I don’t need to pay my lovers.”
Rufus smacked Andreas’s shoulder with the back of his hand. “Don’t flirt with her.”
“I wasn’t. I can’t help it if I’m naturally charming.” He tossed his head, making his golden hair ripple.
Rufus rolled his eyes again.
Vizah hugged me. “Rhys will be so relieved.”
“Don’t tell him I’m back in Tilting,” I said.
He pulled away, frowning. “Why not?”
“He’s been looking for you everywhere these last months,” Andreas added.
It was my turn to frown. “Why?”
Rufus huffed a humorless laugh. “What did you think he was going to do? Just accept your disappearance?”
