Cross Keys

by Ally Shields

  “Hopefully the last,” he muttered. When they reached her horse, he handed her pouch and bridle to Rhyden. Taking an arrow from his quiver, he shoved it into the ugly wound in the horse’s neck.

  Kam flinched.

  He looked up at her. “Sorry, but when someone comes to get her for burial, we don’t want them wondering what killed her.” Swinging onto his horse, he held out a hand to Kam. “Come on. Nightwind can easily carry double.”

  She hesitated, wishing she could refuse and go with Rhyden, but Seth had effectively eliminated that choice. She braced herself against reacting to such close physical contact and took his hand. He pulled her up, and she quickly settled behind him. She rested her hands on her thighs, but when he urged Nightwind into a gallop, she swayed and finally slipped her arms around his waist. She held herself upright, minimizing contact with his body.

  “Relax, Kam. It’ll be over soon. It’s not that far to town.”

  She felt his chest move in a chuckle and was tempted to poke him in the back. But even that gesture seemed too intimate under the circumstances.

  Seth was wrong. It was a long ride, and emotionally charged, feeling his body move under her hands. Kam breathed a sigh of relief when town was in sight. As they rode down the path toward the palace, she saw Caleb walking ahead of them.

  “Caleb! How wonderful to see you.” She was so anxious to end her current awkward situation that she didn’t even consider that Caleb might think her enthusiastic greeting was odd. She slid off the back of the horse as Seth reined to a stop. “Thanks for the ride, Seth. I’ll walk from here. See you at Brunic’s office in a few minutes.”

  Seth frowned down at her. “Don’t be long. We need to report this incident.”

  “What incident? Has something happened?” Caleb looked from Kam to Seth. The speculation in his eyes made her wonder if he was asking about the afternoon’s events or something more personal.

  She took his arm, her eyes urging him to play along. “I’ll explain while we walk. I hope you were going past the palace.”

  He gave her an indulgent smile. “I am now.”

  Seth pulled his horse away and cantered down the path to catch up with Rhyden, who had ridden ahead.

  “What gives?” Caleb’s look was rather pointed.

  “Sorry about that, but thank you.” Kam swallowed her guilt and gave him a half-truth. “I’ve been stuck with them all afternoon, and, well…it just got to be too much. Lormarcs, you know.”

  “Uh-huh.” He made no attempt to hide the skepticism. “So what happened to your horse? I assume you didn’t start out riding double.”

  She quickly filtered the facts and told him about the attack without mentioning the shooter had used a rifle.

  “Killed your horse!” He came to an abrupt halt and confronted her. “You could be the one lying dead out there. Whatever this secret mission is, it’s too dangerous.” His worried eyes studied her face. “As your friend, I think you should resign from the Guard. At least refuse this assignment with the Lormarcs. They’re obviously incapable of protecting you.”

  “Now wait a minute.” She took her hand off his arm. “I don’t need them to protect me.” She gave a long sigh. “That’s one of the reasons we would never work, Caleb. You want a conventional woman, who expects her mate to fight her battles for her. Tell me honestly…have I ever been that girl?”

  He looked away, as if trying to decide how to answer her. A faint smile curved his mouth. “Point made.” His gaze returned to her face. “I admire the woman you are so much that I confused her with the wife who would be a good life partner. You won’t be an easy mate for any man.”

  She chuckled. “No, and don’t you forget it again.” They had almost reached the palace gate. “I have to go. And thanks again for the rescue.”

  “No problem.” He grabbed and squeezed her hand. “At least be careful.”

  “I can safely promise I’ll try to do that.”

  She dashed through the gate and across the courtyard, arriving at Captain Brunic’s office nearly out of breath. Since Seth and Rhyden had taken time to drop their horses at the stables, they were just walking down the marble hall.

  Seth frowned at her. “You didn’t tell him your mare was shot with a gun, did you?”

  “I’m not stupid,” she snapped.

  “Is there a problem?” Captain Brunic stood in his office doorway. When he had their attention, he stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have this argument in the hallway.”

  Kam glanced over her shoulder at the empty corridor, nodded tersely and followed him. She flushed with embarrassment. What were they, squabbling children? They were lucky someone else hadn’t overheard them. But she wasn’t the one who’d used the word gun.

  Captain Brunic’s expression carried a reprimand, but his words were matter-of-fact. “What’s this about a shooting?”

  They related the afternoon’s events, including the number of shots fired.

  “Eight to ten, at least. He wasn’t a very good shot,” Seth concluded.

  “What? My mare’s dead!”

  “Only because she reared. Otherwise, the shot was way high. He didn’t even come close after that. Moving targets at that distance are nearly impossible, unless the shooter is an expert marksman. Which he wasn’t.” Seth shook his head. “If he’s the best they have, the guns won’t be as big a threat as we thought. So, I’m willing to agree to Kam’s proposal.”

  Startled, Kam swung around to stare at him. He meant it.

  “What proposal?” Brunic’s voice was unusually grumpy.

  “I changed my mind about the guns, but I didn’t want to involve you unless Seth and Rhyden were in agreement.” She turned to Seth’s cousin. “Are you?”

  He shrugged. “Why not? You had a good point about the kind of statement we were making.”

  “Is somebody going to include me in this conversation?” Brunic asked, brusque, impatient.

  Kam laid her pistol on his desk. Brunic’s eyes widened as Seth and Rhyden added their own. “We won’t be needing these.” She gave him the arguments, including the hypocrisy of using firearms to punish others for using firearms. “And when it came down to a fight, you should have seen them.” Kam grinned and motioned to the men beside her. “Neither of them grabbed a gun. They instinctively grabbed their bows, and the shooter turned tail and ran.”

  Rhyden bobbed his head. “It’s true. The bow felt natural.”

  Brunic sank into the chair behind his desk and scrubbed his face with one hand. “I’ve hardly slept for worrying that we’d made a decision we couldn’t live with. It seemed so necessary at the time, but now, you think this can be done without the guns?”

  “That’s about it,” Kam said. “We’d like to try.”

  “A couple of us had a little nudging in the right direction,” Seth admitted.

  The captain uttered a loud, guttural sigh. “I must inform the king. He’ll be relieved.” Brunic pulled at his collar as if it felt tight. “Seliwyn ignored his advisors when he gave you permission to use them. The council wasn’t pleased.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Seth’s voice was sharp.

  “He didn’t want you to know. He’d asked you to take on a difficult, if not impossible mission. He felt you should have every resource you wanted, including the guns.” Brunic leaned forward, grabbed the pistols and backpack and spun his chair to open the safe behind him. “I’ll keep these safe for the moment.”

  “Uh, don’t we need one of those?” Rhyden asked.

  Brunic paused and looked back. Rhyden explained their interrupted attempt to test the titanite. “I suppose that’s a good idea.” Brunic sounded reluctant.

  “We’re not changing our minds again, Captain. One pistol, one loaded magazine. Kam can be the keeper.” Seth seemed more amused than offended by Brunic’s sudden possessiveness.

  Kam pointed to the Glock; Brunic handed it to her. “Take care,” he mumbled. He locked the rest in the
safe and turned back, recovering his good mood. “So what’s next? You seem to have gained someone’s attention.”

  “It’s time for the mines.” Seth spoke without hesitation. “We’ll start a search for the uranium, and on the way we can test the titanite.”

  “It’ll be dark soon, so I assume you’ll start tomorrow and everyone will be staying here overnight. Anyone interested in a poker game after supper?” Brunic rubbed his hands together, as if anticipating his winnings. Poker was one of the imports from Cityside that had been embraced by Elvenrude’s inhabitants. It was played in most pubs and homes.

  The men agreed, and let Brunic know they expected to send him home penniless.

  “Kam?” Brunic left the invitation open.

  “Not tonight. I’m going to my room.”

  “Expecting Caleb?” Seth asked.

  Kam hesitated, debating whether to answer what was clearly none of his business. “Not tonight. I’m just tired.” She threw him a cheeky grin and headed for the door. “But it’s a good idea. Maybe tomorrow. I want to be well-rested.” Let him think she was looking forward to a future night of vigorous love-making with Caleb.

  * * *

  “She’s gotten under your skin, hasn’t she?” Rhyden glanced sideways at Seth as they walked down the corridor of the quarters designated to the King’s Guard. They were headed toward the poker room.

  “I’m not sure what you mean.” Seth kept his eyes averted. He knew exactly what Rhyden meant. His system buzzed like a caffeine high whenever he was near the woman. He hadn’t realized it was so obvious.

  “Kam. You like her.”

  Seth looked at him then. “When I’m not finding her annoying as Hades. But don’t start imagining a future for us. What you saw in New Orleans was left there. She made that more than clear.”

  “I don’t mean to pry, but what happened? You two looked pretty tight, then the deep freeze set in.”

  Seth’s shoulders tightened. He really didn’t want to discuss this, not even with Rhyden. “Nothing happened. We spent one night together. That was it.”

  “No, not buying it.”

  Seth said nothing.

  “All right, you don’t want to talk about it. I guess I’ll have to ask Kam.”

  Seth’s laughter was derisive. “Good luck with that. She won’t talk to me.”

  “Ah-ha, so you admit there’s something wrong.”

  Seth frowned. “Why are you so persistent? It’s nothing fixable. She’s a Ryndel. Isn’t that explanation enough?”

  Rhyden stopped abruptly, looking dumbfounded. “This is a family issue? Really? Then you’re both crazier than I thought.” He turned and followed Seth, who’d continued down the hallway. “Of all people, I thought you’d have the balls to defy Harad.”

  “She broke it off,” Seth growled. If Rhyden didn’t shut up soon, he was ditching the poker game and going to bed. Anything to get away from the questions he kept asking himself.

  “And you let her get away with that?”

  Seth stopped this time. “What should I have done? Can you imagine anyone dictating to Kam? Besides, I agree with her. It wouldn’t work.” He resumed walking. “Just drop it, Rhyden. Now. I’ve already put it behind me.” He pushed through the saloon doors into the card room, letting them close behind him.

  Rhyden jumped aside to avoid the swinging doors. “OK, cuz. Whatever you say.”

  Seth could have sworn his cousin chuckled behind his back.

  * * *

  Exhausted by the day’s events and the sleepless night before, Kam’s head barely touched the bed before she was asleep. Consequently, she was the only one of the three that was bright-eyed the following morning.

  Kam had borrowed a gelding from her father, and they’d gotten an early start. With Seth and Rhyden both suffering from short hours and too much beer, it was a mostly silent ride.

  Rhyden finally pointed at a narrow ravine. “That old mine’s down this way.”

  “What’s in this other direction? I see several hoofprints.” She shaded her eyes from the sun that shone directly on her face. “They look relatively fresh.”

  “More abandoned shafts. There are a bunch around.” He pulled up beside her and looked at the tracks on the path that turned east. “Probably just kids.”

  “Hmm. Maybe.” She continued to study the trail, following it with her eyes into the surrounding hills. “But look how deep some of the prints are.” She swung down from the saddle. “See here. And here. As if they were carrying a heavy load.”

  “So they were big kids.”

  She shook her head. “No, they’re unshod.”

  Seth came back to join them. “What’s the hold up? Something wrong?”

  Rhyden waved at Kam’s crouching form. “She’s found some tracks that are bugging her.”

  “I’m not bugged.” Kam straightened and remounted. “But I am curious. You can go ahead if you like, and I’ll catch up. I’m going to check this out.”

  “Oh, no.” Seth reined his horse around to block her. “We’re not separating with a sniper out there somewhere. If you go, we all go.”

  “Then I guess we all go.” She guided her horse round him and cantered away, following the tracks.

  * * *

  “Dammit, Kam!” Seth swore under his breath but urged his stallion after her.

  “Bull-headed,” Rhyden pronounced, coming alongside. “Makes them all the more interesting, doesn’t it?” He grinned at Seth’s sour face.

  “Interesting isn’t the half of it. We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t get herself or us killed.”

  Rhyden laughed aloud. “Somehow I don’t think that’s what’s really on your mind when you look at her. You think I’m blind? She looks pretty good in those snug pants.”

  Seth’s temper flared. “Shut up, Rhyden. And keep your eyes to yourself.”

  Rhyden laughed even harder.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The Lormarcs caught up with her before she entered the foothills. Kam noticed the scowl on Seth’s face, and the grin on Rhyden’s, but she decided it would be wise not to ask them what was going on. Feminine instinct told her she was better off not knowing. At best it was some guy thing that didn’t concern her. Yeah, Kam. Keep on telling yourself that.

  She kept her eyes on the tracks.

  “They’re leading right to that old mine entrance.” Seth pulled up his horse, throwing clods of dirt. “Maybe we better think this over before we go charging in.”

  “Change your mind about it being kids?” she asked.

  “That was Rhyden’s idea, not mine. Let’s go in on foot.” Seth slid to the ground, leading his horse under the closest group of trees and throwing his reins over a low hanging branch. He patted the horse’s haunches as he waited for Rhyden and Kam to tether their own.

  Kam noticed the glint of a metal blade in Seth’s hand as they began to move carefully toward the entrance. She dropped her own knife out of her left-hand wrist sheath. The weapon felt familiar, shifting her into a mindset and pattern established by long hours of training. Her eyes scanned the area, her body ready for action.

  A horse nickered from the grove ahead of them. Kam and her companions ducked through the foliage to take a look and found three horses. Seth checked their hoofs, holding one a little longer than the others. “This one has special shoes. I noticed it a mile back. But I don’t think any of these animals made the deeper imprints. Those came from two sets of unshod hoofs.”

  “That’s what I thought. Pack animals. Maybe they took them inside the mine,” Kam suggested.

  Seth stood. “One thing’s for sure, they weren’t carrying lunch for a bunch of kids. They were overburdened with three or four hundred pounds. Let’s see what’s going on.”

  They moved forward again and were near the entrance when Kam spotted more unshod hoofprints.

  “Leading right inside,” Rhyden said. “This gets more interesting by the minute.” He put one hand on his bow and followed the tracks into the en
trance. Almost immediately they heard him swear, then his warning floated back. “Watch your step. The critters left a calling card, and I stepped in it.”

  Seth bit back a laugh and handed Kam a flashlight. “I thought we might need these.”

  She switched it on and stepped inside, thankful Seth had thought ahead. Flashlights were a fairly common import to Elvenrude, but they’d soon be useless if the portals didn’t reopen. No one in Elvenrude produced batteries or had the skills to do so. She sighed. The elves’ rejection of modernization and industrialization wasn’t always convenient, but somehow she wanted to protect Elvenrude’s right to maintain the status quo.

  Rhyden was scraping his boots on a rock when they spotted him.

  Seth handed him a flashlight. “You could have avoided this, if you’d waited.”

  “Now you tell me.” Rhyden shone the light on his once shiny boots, marred with horse manure, and grimaced. “If someone’s using this mine, I thought they’d have torches lit or something.”

  “Apparently not.” Seth’s voice was dry.

  Rhyden took a few steps down the tunnel. “I see more animal droppings leading deeper into the mine. Do we still want to follow?” He turned around and came back. “Why would anyone bring pack animals in here?”

  “If I remember correctly, all these old shafts are interconnected with each other and the new tunnels,” Seth said.

  “Meaning?” Kam prompted.

  “If I wanted to conceal an illegal operation and maybe bring in supplies, I might use one of these abandoned entrances. I think it’s worth exploring.”

  “Why not? We’re here already.” Kam moved around Rhyden and started forward. “We have to start somewhere.”

  Kam didn’t remind them of the plan to test the titanite or that their only pistol was fastened to the ornamental trappings of Kam’s horse. The test was Rhyden’s phobia, not hers. It really didn’t matter whether the chain mail shirts they were wearing would provide protection or not; they’d made their decision. They were committed to doing this old style—Elvenrude style.