When the serving girl returned, Kate paid her double the price of the food and drink. The girl scooped it up eagerly, her earlier annoyance tucked behind a veneer of greed.
“But come back often,” Kate said before the girl walked away. “I will need more to drink.” She held up the cup in emphasis, then took a long swallow. The bitter taste burned her throat, but she managed not to cough.
After weeks of meals prepared in the royal kitchens, she found the fish barely edible, too salty and dry. Kate ate it anyway, using the excuse of each bite to observe the activity in the room. She tried to picture her father in this place but failed at every turn. Most of the men were high on alcohol or sex or both. In some ways she thought she’d rather be facing a pack of drakes again.
When the serving girl returned to the table sometime later, Kate ordered more wine, again paying double for it.
“What is your name?” Kate said, handing over the coins.
The annoyance reappeared on the girl’s face. “Janelle.”
Sensing her resistance, Kate slid over another coin. “Have you been working here long, Janelle?”
The girl shrugged. She was younger than Kate first thought, her thinness and frown lines falsely aging her. “Few years.”
Hoping she was telling the truth, Kate asked, “Do you remember a man who used to come here often about three years ago? Tall, with black hair and brown eyes.”
Janelle huffed as she picked up the coin. “Sure, I remember him. He’s just like that man over there or that one. They’re all the same, don’t you know.” She pointed at several nearby tables, and it was all Kate could do to keep from grabbing the girl’s arm and pulling it down, the idiot.
“This man was slight of build. A horseman. He worked at the royal stables.”
The girl started to shake her head, but then understanding dawned on her face. “Do you mean Hale Brighton, the traitor?” She practically shouted the name.
“Yes.” Kate gestured for the girl to lower her voice.
Janelle put her hands on her hips. “Why you want to know about him?”
Kate blinked, the question taking her by surprise. She’d been so focused on a convincing disguise, she’d forgotten to work out a convincing story.
“Uh . . . just . . . curiosity. I mean, he’s famous. Or infamous, rather.”
“I don’t think so.” Janelle turned and walked away.
Kate watched her go, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Janelle headed to the front of the room and began speaking to a matronly woman standing by the door into the kitchens. She wore her gray hair piled on top of her head in an intricate coiffure, and not an inch of bare skin showed below her neck—the mistress here, Kate guessed.
In moments, she realized that her innocent question wasn’t being taken so innocently. Everyone around her was whispering now. Some were pointing. The mistress started a slow, measured walk toward her. Kate reached for her wine, feeling an urge to fidget, but she held back, afraid she would spill it. It wasn’t just fear rising up in her but anticipation. If anyone would know why her father was making such large payments to this place, surely it was the person in charge.
The woman stopped at Kate’s table. “I am Madam Anise. Are you enjoying the wine? The food?”
Kate nodded, once, twice.
“Good, that’s good.” Anise folded her hands in front of her. “And will you be partaking in any of our other services this evening?”
With warmth spreading up her neck, Kate shook her head.
“I see. Then as soon as you’re done with that wine, I can expect you to take your leave, yes?”
Kate gritted her teeth. This was not how it was supposed to go. With a defiant look she said, “I might have another, and another after that.”
Anise leaned forward now, and Kate could see she was a tall woman, strong of body and even stronger of will. “I don’t believe you shall.”
Kate searched for a response, but before she could think of one, a man at a nearby table stood up and stumbled toward them. His long, bushy beard glistened with spilled wine, the smell of alcohol coming off him in nauseating waves.
“Who’s this girl trying to pass for a boy? It’s that Traitor Kate, ain’t it, Anise?”
The madam turned a shriveling look on the man. “What she is, Boyle, is a paying customer. Now go back to your drink. Or would you like me to send for Kristiana?”
The man Boyle made a quick retreat, but it didn’t matter. Others were approaching. Searching for a quick exit in case she needed one, Kate’s eyes fell on a familiar face across the room. The sight of that red stain across the man’s nose and cheeks, mark of the Shade Born, sent a clench of fear through her stomach. In the four weeks she’d been here, she hadn’t forgotten Master Raith’s threatening words to her. Now here he was sitting at a table a few yards away. For some reason he wasn’t wearing his mask or robes, which was why she hadn’t noticed him before. He’d seen her, too, but a second later, he passed out of view as Kate found herself surrounded by a group of hostile men.
“Get up, girl,” Anise said, her voice brooking no argument.
Kate stood, and Anise took hold of her arm, escorting her past the men. Her grip felt like a vise. Kate tried to pull free but couldn’t.
“Let me go,” she said as they passed through the archway back into the entrance. “I have questions. I’m not leaving until I get answers.”
“Be quiet, you stupid girl. Do you want every person in this place to learn why you’re here?”
Kate’s mouth fell open, outrage surging through her before reason asserted itself. She was making a scene, revealing her business to people who wished her harm. And that included Raith, a man who already knew her most dangerous secret. She clamped her mouth shut and stopped struggling. But Anise didn’t let go. She dragged Kate through a narrow door into a small room Kate hadn’t noticed when she first came in. It was a private office, barely big enough to hold the narrow desk and two chairs, one on each side.
“Sit.” Anise pushed Kate toward the nearest chair. She closed the door behind them before swinging to face Kate again. “Why did you come here?”
Kate debated a lie but knew she only had this one chance to get what she wanted. “My father, Hale Brighton, made regular, large, and secret payments to this establishment during the last three years of his life. I want to know why.”
Anise folded her arms over her chest. “How exactly do you know he did this?”
“A ledger. It’s in his handwriting, and the Sacred Sword is clearly marked.”
Anise’s nostrils flared, and she looked ready to stab something. But when she spoke again, her voice was low and calm, another command. “Come back tomorrow morning. First thing. Don’t tell anyone. Wear the cowl again, but not that ridiculous doublet, and make sure you aren’t followed. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Kate said. “But—”
Anise silenced her with another look. Then she opened the door and called to one of the girls by the podium. “Escort our guest outside through the back.”
Kate followed the girl down the hallway on the left, her head swimming over what had just happened. Doors lined one side of the hallway, most of them shut. One that wasn’t revealed a small, lavishly decorated bedroom inside. Glimpsing it, Kate turned her gaze to the front and didn’t look again into any of the other rooms.
The hallway ended in a door that led to a dark, litter-strewn alley. Once outside, Kate hesitated a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust, then turned left, in search of a way back to the main road.
Moments later, she stepped out onto the street not far from the entrance to the Sacred Sword. She took a deep breath, glancing at the doorway. Fear and anticipation coiled inside her like two snakes ready to strike. She would never be able to sleep tonight, when in just a few hours she would learn the truth about her father. Not even Raith’s appearance could dampen her relief. I’ll run away if I have to, once I know—
A group of men exited the Sacred Sword, some
of those who had threatened her just moments before.
“There she is,” one of them shouted, pointing. “There’s that Traitor Kate.”
Kate spun and hurried down the street, straightening the cowl over her hair. There was still a crowd, and she should be able to lose them in it. With their shouts chasing after her, Kate picked up the pace.
They will get tired of the game soon, she told herself. But the crowd was thinning out ahead, and still they followed. Spying an alley, Kate darted down it, breaking into a run. She would lose them easily now. The alley dumped her onto a quiet street, nearly deserted this time of night. The lamps in the streetlights were dim, the oil almost burned out, but the moon was full overhead, the silvery light glistening against the cobblestones.
Kate slowed to a jog, making sure of her location. She didn’t want to get lost out here. This street seemed to run parallel to the one she’d left behind. If she followed it long enough, she could cross back over, then find her way to the castle.
Two men stepped out of the darkness at the intersection ahead, and Kate froze, recognizing their faces. They were huffing from the exertion of getting in front of her to cut her off. She spun around, only to find the other three were here now, too, cornering her on the narrow street. Drawing her dagger, Kate faced the first two. They would be easier to get past. She couldn’t stand and fight, not with so many of them and her only weapon a dagger.
Steeling herself, Kate darted forward and made a quick slash with the dagger. She took the first man by surprise, slicing his forearm. He stumbled sideways, and she surged through the opening. But before she made it past, a hand seized her. The others had caught up, moving faster than she’d anticipated. Fingers closed around her upper arm, yanking her back. Kate lost her balance and the dagger flew from her hand. Spinning toward her attacker, she let fly a wild punch. It landed on the man’s chest. He puffed out a breath but didn’t let go. Stupid, Kate. Aim higher. For the throat.
She tried, but more hands seized her. She struggled but couldn’t break free, not under such a coordinated attack, not against men whose purpose wasn’t to fight but to subdue.
“Let me go!” Kate screamed. “Let me go!” She began to flail, throwing all her strength into it.
“Now, now, there’s no point in fighting,” one of them said. “We just want to see justice served. It’s not right for a traitor’s daughter to have such trinkets, even if you are favored by that fool Corwin. Good thing the Errant Prince isn’t here to protect you now.” The man grabbed at one of the ruby buttons on her doublet and pulled it off.
“You’re a thief,” Kate said. “This has nothing to do with my father.” She kicked out, striking the man on the wrist. Yelping, he dropped the ruby, and Kate kicked again.
The man stepped back, out of reach. “Make her pay for that one, John.”
A big man, easily the largest of the group, approached her, his right hand balled into a fist. Kate kicked out at him, struggling harder than ever to free herself. John deflected the kick with one hand and landed a punch with the other. It struck her belly, robbing her of the ability to breathe, let alone scream. She wanted to curl inward, to ease the pain rippling through her, but the cruel hands holding her kept her upright. The man called John struck her again, then stepped aside, letting the first man have a go at her. He kicked her in the side of her leg, and agony lit up her body all the way to her teeth. The next moment all of them were coming at her, raining down blows.
Kate felt her consciousness slipping but fought to stay awake. She had to keep fighting. These men wouldn’t stop until they killed her. Forcing her eyes open, she saw moonlight spilling over her, bright as the day.
Summoning all the strength she possessed and more, Kate sucked air into her lungs, then screamed, “LET ME GO!”
More than just words filled the command. Somehow, impossibly, she invoked her wilder magic. It was the deepest part of her, the truest part—and it refused to surrender. The magic swept out from her like an explosion. The men holding her stumbled back, dazed and reeling.
Realizing she was free, Kate scrambled to her feet and ran.
21
Kate
PAIN LANCED THROUGH HER LEG with each step, but she barely felt it as she darted down the nearest alley. Straining to see in the darkness, she stumbled over litter and debris, feet slipping in the muck. She started to fall, only to have someone reach out and catch her.
“No!” she screamed, lashing out with her magic again. It answered the call, more sluggish than before, but still there, despite the presence of night.
The hand on her arm loosened but didn’t let go. “I’m not going to hurt you, Kate.”
Recognizing the voice, Kate felt an insane urge to laugh. Of all the people to find her now, why did it have to be Master Raith?
“But please, refrain from using your magic on me,” the magist said. “It’s very disorienting.”
Kate gaped up at him, too stunned to respond.
“Let’s be off before those men recover and give chase.” Raith tugged her forward.
Dazedly, Kate followed the magist out of the alley and back onto the main street. She was afraid of Raith, but the threat posed by those other men was more immediate. The street wasn’t as busy as before, and Raith stepped beside her, holding her arm as if he were her chaperone.
“Just be calm and act naturally. Hold the doublet closed as best you can,” Raith said in a hushed voice.
Kate obeyed, grimacing at the state of the shirt, torn and dirty and with half the rubies missing. Signe will murder me when she finds out.
They walked on in silence for several minutes, and after a while, Kate felt the first small waves of relief slipping over her. With it came full awareness of her injuries. Her right leg was throbbing where the man had kicked her. She tried not to limp, but it was impossible.
Noticing it, Raith slid his hand into his pocket and withdrew a plain gray stone. He raised it to his mouth, the gesture disconcerting with the sight of his permanently blackened fingertips. He whispered a word of invocation, lips brushing against the stone, and a faint white light crawled across its surface as the spell activated. He handed it to her. “Hold this against your heart. It will ease the worst of your injuries.”
Kate accepted the healing stone. With a grateful sigh, she held it cupped over her left breast. The magic worked at once, a tingly heat slowly spreading through her body. In moments she could walk without limping, although the ache remained, reminding her in visceral detail of what had happened. With the magic in the stone now spent, she handed it back to Raith.
“Why are you helping me?” Kate glanced up at him. In the weak light, his birthmark appeared as nothing more than an unusual shadow across his face.
“That’s a rather strange question,” Raith replied, not looking at her but keeping his gaze fixed ahead where the street began to bend. A leather worker’s shop sat at the corner. “Why wouldn’t I help you?”
She frowned, unsure if he was playing with her or being unintentionally obtuse. Either way she was too tired for games. “Because you threatened me the day we arrived at Norgard.”
“Threatened?” Now Raith tilted his chin toward her, brows raised. “I don’t recall threatening you.”
Kate scowled and lowered her voice, even though the only person in view was still too far away to overhear them. “Yes you did. You said you know what I am.”
“And what are you, Kate?”
The question caught her off guard. But he knows! Unable to answer, she turned her gaze ahead, concentrating on the road. The person soon drew near enough for Kate to see it was an elderly woman, her narrow shoulders stooped with age and her gaze fixed on the ground as if she feared tripping. A moment later, though, she looked up, glancing first at Kate, then Raith.
“Good evening,” he said, nodding toward the woman.
She stared hard at his face, taking in the mark of the Shade Born. At once her eyes widened with fright. Then she made a warding gestur
e before deliberately turning away to walk on the other side of the road, his greeting left unanswered. Kate took in Raith’s expression, expecting to see anger or annoyance at such rudeness. Instead he seemed as if he hadn’t even noticed.
Once the woman had passed, Raith said, “You have nothing to fear from me, Kate Brighton. I’ve kept your secret all this time, and that will not change. But I wish you would have the courage to claim what you are. Your father never did, and that doesn’t sit well with me.”
“You knew my father?” The words came out more accusation than question.
Raith nodded as he stepped over a pile of trash left out in front of a dark doorway. “Yes, well enough to know what he was and about his ability to influence minds.”
Kate held her breath, wanting to deny it, but there seemed no point. “You mean influence the minds of animals,” she corrected.
Raith shook his head. “Animals were only the beginning of his power, easiest to touch and manipulate because of their simplicity. But as he grew in skill, he became capable of so much more. But surely you already know this, given the way you drove off those men.”
My magic. I used it on a human! And at night. Shock made her stumble, and Raith grabbed her arm to keep her from falling. But no, it was impossible. Her magic didn’t work that way. It only worked on animals. And yet . . .
“I didn’t know,” she said, voice barely a whisper. “That was the first time I’ve ever done such a thing.”
Raith abruptly stopped walking, his eyes locked on something in the distance—a man on horseback, bearing down on them. No, not any man, but Corwin.
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