"Chal said to kill her guard if she had one. He said to get the lady any way we had to."
It hit her then: she had gotten Dennel killed. She had told Chal that Tavia was researching how to move objects instantly from one place to another. She had told Chal where Tavia was going to be tonight. And now Hennic—and presumably Chal—was expecting her to hand over Tavia.
"You aren't getting her."
Hennic stiffened and paused a moment. "So you're betraying Chal."
"I didn't think I was working for a kidnapper. Or a murderer."
"So you'd rather let Lord Mellas take control of all the shipping and make himself prince of Auragos. Because he's no fool. He's going to use what his daughter has discovered."
"She moves cups across the room, not shiploads between continents." She made her tone sarcastic and dismissive.
"You yourself told Chal she was working on increasing the size and distance of what she transported. Sooner or later, it's going to be useful if she keeps it up."
"And sooner or later she's going to go back to the Collegium and share her knowledge with the other mages. Then we'll all be on an even footing again."
"That's even worse. Because then, the mages—in Telar no less—are going to be transporting goods instead of using ships. Instantly. Can you imagine what that would mean to a port city? And what power it would give the mages, not to mention the city that nearly conquered us?"
"That's all speculation. Dennel's corpse in front of me is fact." Elunet drew a knife from each boot and held them low, in case she needed them. "And I'm not letting you kidnap a harmless research mage because you're worried about what she might do in the future."
"So your loyalty to Corellis means nothing."
"I barely know them. I was loyal to Chal, but maybe I didn't know him well enough." Turning her back on the man who had taught her so much was the hardest decision she'd ever made, but one of the quickest. She glanced at Dennel, at the spreading pool of blood beneath him and his horse snorting and prancing skittishly, and at Tavia. Tavia was still prone, but her right hand was moving in front of her, doing something on the ground that Elunet couldn't see.
"And you know this girl better?"
"I know she didn't just kill an innocent man and kidnap someone out of fear for her employer's purse. That's got to be worth something."
Elunet heard the knife coming from her left before she saw it, and dodged. Moonlight flashed on the blade, and it hummed past her ear and landed in the dirt. She retaliated with her own knives, aiming at the tall man who'd attacked her. The first missed. She switched the second to her right hand while the first was still in midair and threw, concentrating all her attention on lining up point and target. It split the tall man's throat, with a horrible gargling noise. Elunet's stomach roiled and she heard Tavia retch.
The shorter figure who had been at the tall man's side—a woman with her hair in a long braid—charged at her from one side and Hennic from the other. Elunet drew her two remaining knives from lined pockets concealed in her skirt, and parried an attack with each hand, then leaped back out of the way of Hennic's left-hand counterattack.
Tavia was on her feet, backing up, a faint red glyph full of jagged lines where she had been lying. It was made from her rouge, Elunet realized.
Elunet's kick caught Hennic in the kneecap. He staggered, and she thrust, piercing his right shoulder. The tip of her blade jarred against bone. He managed to parry her left-hand follow-up, but his right arm was now all but useless.
Pain sliced across Elunet's ribs, under her right breast, as the woman's dagger tore through her dress and skin. The cut was shallow, but pain was distracting. She leaped back again, and the woman followed, pressing her hard. One more step, and Elunet's back hit the wall of a house. She heard Tavia speaking words she didn't understand as she parried thrust after thrust; the woman with the braid was a ferocious fighter, and Hennic was coming up behind her, left hand at the ready.
A terrible shrieking wail, louder than any human voice, split the night. It was coming from Tavia's direction. Tavia's horse bolted past, running at full speed for home, and Dennel's horse followed. Hennic, the woman with the braid, and Elunet all jumped, but Elunet recovered first and took advantage of the distraction to attack. She rammed her knife into Hennic's chest, and caught him just below his left clavicle, missing vitals but hampering his uninjured arm. As blood welled from the deep wound, he backed up several steps, then turned and fled.
When a set of shutters banged open beside Elunet's head and a bellowing voice, almost drowned out, demanded to know what in the Sea-Father's name was that ungodly racket, the woman with the braid backed up as well. Other shutters and a door opened along the street, and the woman ran.
Elunet and Tavia ran in the other direction, as startled citizens began to investigate. They were two streets away when Tavia shouted, "It was the only thing I could think of to do that I had materials for. Are there more of them waiting for us?"
"I don't know!"
"Then we'll take a back route!" She led Elunet through an alley and out to a back street overshadowed by jutting second stories and hung with clotheslines. A chicken, pecking in the dirt, flapped away from them with a startled squawk. They proceeded down Redstone Hill in a jagged sideways motion, zigzagging from street to narrow street, then through the vicinity of the market close to the Mellas estate, avoiding the market square itself.
When they got to the Mellas gate, Dennel's fellow guard, Parric, looked at them with alarm. He unbarred the gate, opened it just enough for them to squeeze through, and then promptly shut it again. "Lady Tavia! It scared the life out of me when I saw your horse galloping back without you!"
"Parric. I don't know how to tell you this, but... we were attacked by—by thugs. They killed Dennel, and they nearly killed us. I'm so sorry." Tavia's voice was shaky.
Parric's face went slack with shock. He looked out to the city beyond the gate, and back at Tavia and Elunet. His eyes went to the dirt staining Tavia's dress, and the bloody rent in Elunet's. His mouth moved a little, as if he were trying to speak but words would not come.
"Go upstairs and get cleaned up, my lady. I'll make sure no one gets in."
"I'll find the guard post and get you a partner. You shouldn't be standing watch alone tonight."
The other six guards the family employed were sleeping in their bunks in a spare barracks lined with chests and racks of swords, hammers, spears, and armor. The one Tavia woke was equally horrified by the news of Dennel's death, and went to the gate without complaint.
They crept upstairs as quietly as they could, so as not to wake the rest of the household. Tavia closed the door of her chamber quietly, and stood leaning against it. She stared at Elunet for a long time before she finally spoke. "You lied to me," she said.
Elunet dropped to her knees. "I did. And I'm sorry, my lady. There aren't words to express how sorry I am."
"It's a little late for sorry. And you can drop the 'my lady,' 'Nel.' You were a very convincing lady's maid, whatever you really are." Tavia's voice dripped acid.
"Yes, my—yes." Elunet bowed her head. "I'll accept whatever punishment you give me. You have every right to turn me in to the Guardhouse and have me banished or executed, and I won't resist. I got an innocent man killed, and I nearly got you kidnapped."
Tavia looked startled by Elunet's surrender. "Who the hell is Chal? Who were you working for?"
Elunet sighed. "Chal is a spymaster. He has agents all over the city. He originally worked for House Corellis, but since they allied with House Valen he's been feeding secrets to both. I told him some things about your father's business dealings, about the gossip I heard, and about—about you."
"What in the darkest caverns of hell did you tell him about me?" Tavia's voice rose with anger.
"What your research was about. That you didn't like parties and would rather be working on your research. That you don't think you're good at business or politics. That you didn't appreciate y
our father letting Captain Lajaras slobber over you. That you..." She swallowed hard. "That you don't want to be heir. Absolutely nothing else."
"Nothing else?" Tavia picked up a pale green porcelain vase and threw it at the wall, where it shattered. "Nothing else?"
"I... I felt like it would be wrong to tell him anything else, like—like about your life, or that you liked women or kissed me. More wrong, I mean. Like he didn't have any reason to know it." Elunet realized she was backing away from Tavia.
Tavia's face had gone from pale with fear to crimson with fury. "Reason? What reason did he have to know anything about me?"
"He was afraid House Mellas was committing treason by conspiring with the Duke of Telar. The—the other Houses on the Council asked him to investigate. He thought your grandmother was selling Council secrets to the Duke—which I found absolutely no evidence of—and he thought you might be involved too since you spend so much time at the Collegium there." Elunet was talking fast, too fast, her heart hammering.
Tavia's red fury cooled slightly—but only slightly. "Who were those—those brigands?"
"That man who recognized me was Hennic, another one of his spies. I first met Hennic when I was nine. I didn't know the others."
Tavia's eyes widened. "Nine?"
"That's how old I was when Chal caught me trying to cut his purse. He took me in and taught me to spy—to play roles, to recognize potentially useful information, to read, to fight."
"So you used to be one of his thugs. His hired killers." She spat the words.
"What I said to Hennic was completely true. Chal never had me kill or kidnap anyone, and as far as I knew he never had anyone else do those things either."
"But you've fought before. Not just for practice, but in earnest."
"I have killed two men before tonight. One was part of a gang of robbers beating me with clubs down by the docks when I was spying on someone else. The other was trying to rape a girl behind a tavern who didn't look more than thirteen."
Tavia was silent for a while. "What you said to me when I told you about my mother and brother—that your parents both died when you were six—and when you told me later that you ended up on the streets—was that true?"
"Yes. I was on the streets for three years before Chal found me. It really was like I said. I begged, stole, delivered messages, whatever I could do to get food and keep out of trouble. I started dressing as a boy to avoid... the worst trouble. Then Chal took me in."
"I can't even imagine. So he raised you." Tavia's voice was a little softer.
"Sort of. Sometimes he taught me lessons, and sometimes he sent me off on assignments. I've been in service off and on since then. I started as a kitchen helper in a minor House, then moved up to the seven Houses on the Council."
"And you just betrayed him. For me." Tavia shook her head.
"I didn't want to work for someone who had Dennel killed in cold blood. And I didn't want to work for someone who was going to hurt you for... for discovering something wonderful that's been lost for two thousand years."
Tavia caught Elunet's gaze and held it for a moment, then looked away. "You saved me from being kidnapped. And possibly saved my life."
"I was afraid they were going to torture you for information. And the way they were talking, I was afraid they'd kill you to keep you from telling anyone about your research. Or telling anyone what they'd done to you." Elunet looked back at Tavia. "I couldn't let that happen."
"I suppose I should thank you." Tavia met Elunet's eyes reluctantly, then grimaced. "And I suppose they'll be after you now."
"Yes. And I don't even know all of Chal's agents, or even how many he has. They could be anywhere in the city, and they'll know where to find me." A chill swept across Elunet's skin. "You aren't safe either. Maybe you're safe in House Mellas, but when you go beyond its walls..."
Tavia hugged her arms to her chest. "Yes. I see." She looked at the walls, the bookshelf, the window. "They wouldn't dare to attack me at the Collegium. I don't know any hexes and I don't have any talent for destructive magic, but there are other mages who do." She began to pace. "Father and Grandmama are going to be so angry. They might even pull me out of the Collegium if they find out my research has caused all this trouble. And if I'm not there... either they'll keep me locked up like a prisoner here under constant guard, or they'll ship me off to—to I don't even know where. Marry me off to some old man in Varnos or Emerac—whoever will take me sight unseen. And I don't even know what they'd do with my research—encourage it because they thought it would make them rich, or forbid it because they don't want the mages to control shipping."
"I can pay your fees at the Collegium. I have a sapphire necklace I keep hidden in my bodice, and a lockbox with some other jewels hidden under the floorboards of a little room I rent by the docks. They're from all the money I've been saving since I started spying."
Tavia stopped pacing and stared at her, eyes wide. "You'd really do that?"
Elunet nodded. "It would be the least I could do to try to make up for deceiving you. And putting you in danger by telling Chal about you." She shivered, feeling a sick hollow in her stomach. "Protecting you would be the least I could do for Dennel. If he has any family, I'd like to... to give them whatever's left over."
"For what little it's worth." Tavia started to pace again, tight little circles on the wooden part of the floor, then stopped. "How would I explain the money to Father and Grandmama?"
Elunet smiled, just a little. "You've received a scholarship for your extraordinary research. I'll forge documents for it."
"You can do that?" Tavia shook her head. "Of course you can do that. I'm not sure I want to know everything else you know how to do."
"Climb walls, if they're rough enough. Among other things."
"Father and Grandmama won't be pleased to hear I've taken up full-year residence at the Collegium, but it's best if I'm not in Auragos for a while, and I think they'll come to understand that once I've sent them an explanation. Someone tried to assassinate Father in his youth, and he spent four months visiting cousins in Delesant while Grandmama made sure it wouldn't happen again."
"Full-year residence?"
"I can rent a room for the summer term. Some students do." She smiled. "Almost more of a cell. The rooms are tiny compared to this one. I don't blame Dulsa for leaving."
"I don't mind." Elunet stopped. "I'm sorry. That was horrible effrontery on my part, to assume I'd still be serving you after... after spying on you and nearly getting you killed."
"And betraying your mentor to save me." Tavia shook her head and stretched. "I expect you'll be leaving Auragos as well—considering that there's probably a whole group of people after you and you don't even know who most of them are."
"Definitely."
"I'm planning on leaving for Telar at dawn, and I'd rather not tell the guards until I'm out of Father and Grandmama's reach. I suppose that would make you the closest thing to a guard I have."
Elunet's heart seemed to flip over. She couldn't believe it. "I'd be honored to serve you, my lady. And I know the path where the goatherds drive their goats down from the hills; we can take that and avoid the road."
"I'm... a little worried by what else you probably know. But if you were going to kill me or have me kidnapped, you'd have turned me over to those... those people, not risked your life for me." She ran a hand through her hair, and pulled her veil off. "And I can't let anything happen to someone who risked her life for me."
Hearing Tavia say that felt like warm sun on her skin.
"Speaking of which... you're hurt."
"A little. I've had worse." The cut was a long stinging line across her ribs, but it was no longer bleeding.
"I'll wash it with brandy."
"Brandy!" Elunet winced.
"It's something I've learned at the Collegium. It hurts, but they say it helps it heal clean."
Tavia found a flask of it in the drawer of her dressing table; Elunet was amused by the t
hought of Tavia keeping a hidden flask of brandy. Elunet sat in the blue armchair, and Tavia spread open the tear in her dress. Her fingers were a little cold against the bare skin of Elunet's chest, but the touch sent warmth through Elunet. Tavia wet a lacy handkerchief with brandy and touched it to the wound. It burned; Elunet drew in a hissing breath through her teeth and held it as Tavia cleaned.
With the blood washed away, the cut on Elunet's chest was very thin and shallow at the ends, with only a small place in the middle that gaped red and open. Tavia's fingers rested against Elunet's skin for a moment, and Tavia looked up at her, face softening. Elunet thought about how close to her own lips Tavia's were and how much she wanted to kiss them, and how inappropriate it would be. Instead, Elunet stood, went to the washstand, poured water into the basin, and began trying to soak the blood out of her dress as well.
Tavia started to pack for the journey. Elunet mended her own dress, cleaned Tavia's dress and stitched a few small tears, and helped Tavia finish packing. Tavia lay down very late in her bed, but kept turning restlessly; Elunet sprawled in the blue armchair and awaited the dawn, uneasy.
She remembered her days on the streets of Auragos: the filth, the terror of violence, the gnawing hunger and cold nights when she crawled into middens to keep warm. If Chal had taken her in and asked her to kidnap or kill for him, would she have done it? She didn't think so, but she wasn't sure. She remembered the tall man with her knife in his throat, and Hennic's wounds, and shuddered. Maybe she could have been in their place.
*~*~*
As black sky began to fade to gray, they readied themselves to leave. The whole room seemed tight with tension as they spoke, still uncomfortable with looking at each other. Tavia asked Elunet to tell her everything she knew about Chal: the places he frequented, his other associates who might be dangerous, and how he might be found.
"Please don't have all his agents killed or arrested," Elunet said. "Most of them are like me, as far as I know. They spied for him, maybe they stole for him, but they didn't kidnap or kill for him. They don't deserve to die, and I don't want to be responsible for having them killed."
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