Page 117 of Untempered
“You can try to kill her,” I whispered under the rain. “And when you do, you’d better hope she gets you before I do.” I straightened, nodding to the closest guard. “I’ll take your spokesman to the lady, then,” I called to the listeners hidden behind the rain and gloom. It took me only moments to have him tied to the back of my saddle, far enough that Bliksem wouldn’t accidentally crush his skull with a kick.
“Let’s get going, then,” Paedar said, his words carrying only as far as the closest guardsman, who passed it along quietly. Another guardsman peeled off and paced along behind our captive, spear in one hand and shield on his arm. It was slow going, and as the violence drained from me, I became aware of how cold I was, how I was covered in filth from the road, and how heavy my sodden gambeson was beneath my armor.
If we were lucky, Audrey hadn’t made those shots. Some random person who’d opted to help us out just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and knew how to work a bow.
I had no evidence of her presence. None at all. I’d never seen her loose a single arrow. I’d never seen her leave the tower. While she could’ve quite easily kept pace on foot, why would she?
In my mind, I heard that grunt of effort as she hoisted the guard and tossed him, all by herself, over the sea wall. Because she’d sat beside her fire with eyes that burned like liquor and promised she’d never ask me to take a life.
If she hadn’t worn an oiled cloak, I was going to have to respond somehow. Surely, the woman wasn’t so stupid.
Inappropriate reactions ran through my head. Shouting, shaming, locking doors, hogtying.
The only thing I could come up with that I couldactuallydo that might have an impact was to rat her out to Isolde, who would absolutely dress her down for taking unnecessary risks.
The thought brought me some pleasure. However sick Isolde was, if she wasn’t dead, her tongue would be sharpened and ready to use.
She knew I couldn’t go to the Matri’sion lands. She didn’t want my oath to kill me.
Why did the thought make me want to grab her, shake her, and then crush her to me until her bones creaked?
When we finally got back to the castle, I left the guardsman with the captured bandit, but not before tying up the newly made criminal. No point asking for trouble, after all, not after Audrey had gone to such lengths to keep us all safe. “I’ll be back,” I told them both.
I went, alone, to her rooms, expecting to find her there ahead of me. I stopped to strip off my chain mail and hang it to dry, knowing it would need love later, so it didn’t seize up. The gambeson, too, I put aside.
I knocked on the door to her rooms once I’d removed the worst of the wet clothing, but I got no response. I let myself in, annoyance and embarrassment making my steps heavy. “So, you didn’t bar the door,” I said to the silent tower, waiting for her to appear on the staircase, straightening her clothes or carrying fresh sheafs of parchment.
She didn’t.
Dread gnawed at my belly.She’s in the kitchens. She’s bathing.“Audrey?” I called loudly. “I’m coming up.”
There was no response. When I eased into the room, it was warm. Isolde was sleeping, curled up like a wounded creature on the edge of the bed closest to the fire. Quietly, I stoked the fire and checked all the rooms and the upper level, my heart drumming in my chest.
I found the overdress and skirts she’d worn that day. And with that vanished my last hope of it being a misunderstanding.
CHAPTERFORTY-SIX
CHAY
“When entertaining a guest, do not make hasty decisions, for your husband, father, or brothers will have information you will not, and they have not the time to share it. One must look to the head of one’s table for guidance.”
~ Etiquette in Arcanloc
The shadows got long. Or my eyes made them warp. I ran through scenarios in my head helplessly as I paced, things that could’ve gone wrong. She’d been caught. Her throat was cut. She’d fallen and hurt herself. She’d been caught and was trying to escape. She was too sick and weak to make it home and was dying in the shadows of a seedy inn.
How long could I keep the prisoner waiting? In the end, I stood grimly and left her tower to return to them. Too long would only make them suspicious. I’d get them gone and then check one last time before trying to retrace her steps.
Having a plan made me feel better. I strode swiftly through corridors and found the guard where I’d left him and our prisoner as sullen as I’d seen him last. Had it been hours? Minutes? I couldn’t be sure. “The lady is busy,” I told them both. “She’ll see you on the morrow, sir.”
“Dungeons?” the guardsman asked me, hefting himself up.
I hesitated. I doubted Audrey would throw him in the dungeons. “She didn’t say,” I admitted, because it felt unfair to do otherwise. I could put him in Ylva’s room, but I hadn’t heard whether anyone had even noticed she was gone yet. “But, given the situation, it feels like the best choice for today. Make sure he’s got a blanket and warm food, though,” I reminded the guard, just in case.
He nodded and brought the man to his feet. The bandit shot me an angry look but didn’t fight against it.
The ground flew beneath my feet on the way back to her tower. It definitelylookeddarker, but no one was calling the hour, of course. They were all transporting food and supplies to the hospital we now needed to collapse and relocate.
How close was it really to nightfall? With the thick cloud cover, the light was deceptive, and the hours seemed to take on a life of their own. I opened the door to Audrey’s rooms and had to stop myself from running through the whole place again. The only wet footprints were my own.
