“It’s not that. I just want to know if you’d trust her word.”
“Yes. She’s no good at lying.” Kim’s expression became rueful. “When I think of the time we spent wondering what they were up to! In hindsight, I can see we let Rohanna do too much of the talking. I should simply have sat down with Natasha and asked a few direct questions. The Chief Consultant didn’t pick the right woman for the job. Not that I’m complaining. Interrogating Natasha just now, there was no need to beat the information out of her. Her face gave everything away.”
“You wouldn’t have done it anyway,” Lynn said confidently.
“I would if it were necessary to protect Westernfort, but I’m pleased I didn’t need to. Natasha wanted to be loyal to her comrades, and I’d hate to be hard on any woman because of that.” Kim paused and glanced at Lynn. “And if you’re thinking that she could promise not to tell the Sisters about Ginasberg, it won’t work. She still wants to be loyal to them.”
“No. That wasn’t my idea.”
“Then where’s all this going?”
“If she gave her word not to escape, would you release her on parole?”
“You’re suggesting that I set a Guard free to wander around town? She came here to kill us, remember?”
“But she didn’t. In fact, she saved your life by giving the warning. I’m sure you could trust her if she gave her word. You could always ask Ash’s advice, if you want another opinion.”
“And I’m sure I know what Ash would say. She’s developed a bit of a maternal soft spot for Natasha.” Kim sat back in the chair, frowning at the fire. But to Lynn’s relief, she was giving the suggestion serious consideration. “I suppose we haven’t got much to lose by trying. Without Cal, we’ll have no trouble tracking her down if she breaks parole. And it would save the need to have someone permanently on jailer duty.”
“Plus Mirle can have her storeroom back,” Lynn added.
Kim’s gaze shifted to Lynn. “So you’re hoping that if the first three months go okay, we can extend Natasha’s parole until Ginasberg is finished?” Kim shook her head. “I know one person who certainly won’t agree to that: Natasha herself. She’s so certain she’s damned her soul, I feel sorry for her. If I explain it all to her, she’d feel I was offering her the chance to save her neck by yet another betrayal. At the moment, she’s hooked on the idea of giving her life for the Goddess.”
“But I doubt she’s hooked on the idea of spending three months in an underground cell for the Goddess,” Lynn pointed out. “Don’t mention the possibility of long-term parole when you get her to agree to three months. You can even stress that when Rohanna and Cal are caught, she’ll be executed along with them.”
“It might still come to that,” Kim interjected grimly.
“No, it won’t. Because now that everyone knows who and what she is, we can all work on talking her into joining us here permanently.”
“I don’t think it’s likely she’d do that.”
“Oh, I’d say there’s a very good chance. I’d even go as far as saying she’s halfway there already. She’s begun to think for herself, which is always a good start.”
“You know her better than me,” Kim conceded, although her expression was still skeptical. “Okay. I’m not saying yes right now to offering her parole, but I promise I’ll think about it and talk it through with Chip and the others tomorrow.” She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “And it will take a bit of work to sell the idea to the rest of the town. I’d have to call a meeting to explain it to everyone.”
“You’re going to have to do that anyway, to stop the lurid rumors. From some of the stories going around, I’m surprised there isn’t a lynch mob waiting outside the offices.”
“I can guess. The first account I got from Katryn wasn’t totally accurate.”
“I don’t think I was particularly coherent when I spoke to her. And I didn’t want her to hang around until I’d gotten my head together.”
Kim looked thoughtful. “Actually, the overblown rumors would help. By tomorrow morning, everyone will have had their fun with the gossip but won’t want to appear gullible by acting as though they believed any of it. Some people will still object rather strongly.”
“Dani, for one.”
“Yes. I can see she might feel unhappy.” Kim’s tone was lightly ironic.
“You don’t know all of it. They slept together the night before you left.”
Kim’s lips formed in a silent whistle. “In that case, I’m surprised Dani isn’t outside the cell as a lynch mob of one.”
“Hopefully, she won’t cause too much trouble, though, and you shouldn’t have many problems with everyone else. Natasha is actually very likeable.”
“She’s certainly won you and Ash over. I wanted Ash in on the interrogation, in case we had to play the ‘nice and nasty’ game. Ash wouldn’t have needed to pretend for the nice part, and you could see she was tying herself in knots that I was going to start playing it nasty.”
Lynn’s head tilted back as her thoughts moved on. “Now that Ash doesn’t have to watch the family, perhaps you can give her the job of talking Natasha into joining us. I think it’s a challenge she’ll enjoy.”
Kim gave her partner a sideways look. “You’re talking as if it’s a foregone conclusion we’ll offer Natasha parole.”
Lynn dropped a kiss on Kim’s forehead. “Of course it is. I know just how much you’ll hate yourself for executing Natasha when she hasn’t done anything to really deserve it. This is your best chance to avoid having to do it.”
Kim laughed softly. “So we’re counting on Ash’s ability at religious conversions?”
“I’ll be doing my bit as well with Natasha, when we’re working together in the barn.”
“No,” Kim said sharply, jerking upright. “She’s not going back to working with you.”
“Why not?”
Kim shook her head. “I’ll agree that she is generally safe to release on parole. But she came here to kill you, and she’s still devoted to Celaeno. If the two of you are alone together, it will only take a split-second impulse to redeem herself with the Goddess, and you’ll have a cracked skull. I don’t want to give her a second chance to kill you.”
“She won’t. If she didn’t stab me when I put a sword in her hands, she never will. And she may be pious, but she hasn’t given away her conscience. If you could have been there and seen her face...” Lynn smiled and took Kim’s hand. “Believe me, I was in no danger whatsoever.”
Chapter Eighteen—A Broken Heart
The crowd in the main square listened to Kim in something approaching silence, with no more than a scattering of muttered comments around the edge. Natasha also stood at the top of the broad steps to the council offices, a little way back and to one side. Her hands were still bound, and a Ranger stood at either shoulder, grasping her arms above the elbow. Just in case anyone is unsure which one of us is the prisoner, Natasha thought ironically. Even without the two minders, she had not the slightest chance of escaping.
Natasha did not look at the montage of faces staring up at her. Instead, she fixed her eyes on the roofs of the houses opposite. She was used to being stared at. She tried to recapture the vacant disdain of sentry duty at the temple gates, but she had never felt so exposed. She half wished that the vote would be to refuse her parole, so she could go back and hide in the cell.
She lifted her gaze still higher. A light wind was racing small clouds across the spring sky. The noon sun was bright without being hot. It sparkled on the snow-covered peaks. The air was moist and clean from the previous night’s rain.
Natasha took a deep breath. She should make the most of it. The odds were that she would not have much longer to enjoy such things. The likelihood was not good that Rohanna and Cal, on foot, would evade all the mounted Westernfort Rangers. And Kim had been quite frank about what her comrades’ failure would mean for her fate. Natasha had agreed to the offer of parole so she would not spend the final f
ew days of her life in the tiny underground room.
Kim’s speech was coming to an end. “I’ve discussed this with Captain Coppelli and the rest of the council. We’re all willing to release Guard Corporal Ionadis on parole. The terms will run for three months from today. She’ll swear not to leave Westernfort during this time or harm anyone here. If anyone finds her carrying a weapon, or if she’s seen outside the town by night or beyond the farmlands by day, she may be killed on sight. Are there any questions?”
A voice on the left called out, “Do you think you can trust her?”
“No. I think she’ll murder me in my bed. That’s why I’m proposing to free her.” Kim was at her most sarcastic. “Does anyone else have a question?”
Someone closer at hand asked, “So your name isn’t Jess?”
The question was aimed at Natasha. She looked down and recognized the speaker as a woman from her lodgings. Natasha cleared her throat. “No.”
“What do we call you, then?”
Before Natasha could reply, a suggested answer was shouted at the back of the crowd. “How about that fucking bitch?”
Natasha again fixed her eyes on the rooftops, struggling with the lump in her throat while she waited for the scattered laughter to fade. The voice had sounded like Dani’s. When there was silence, she said, “My name is Natasha Ionadis. My friends call me Tash.”
“I can’t see anyone here needing to know that.” It was the same voice, and it was definitely Dani.
Kim stepped forward. “Are there any more questions?”
A few were shouted out and quickly answered. Kim took the vote. Natasha chose not to watch and averted her gaze, but from the relative volume of rustling as arms raised, it was obvious that a large majority was in favor of releasing her on parole. Feeling a little numb, Natasha repeated the words of her oath loudly so that everyone in the square could hear, and Kim cut the rope around her wrists.
Natasha waited at the top of the steps for the assembly to disperse. She did not want to remain on show, but neither did she feel inclined to barge her way through the crowd in the square. Fortunately, most women were eager to return to their work or find somewhere more private to gossip. Within a few minutes, patches of ground had appeared between the groups, and she could make out individuals on the far side of the square.
Kim also stayed where she was. Her eyes were scanning the faces of the departing women, probably judging the mood of likely troublemakers, and she did not speak. Natasha tried to concentrate on massaging her wrists, though it was not really necessary. The bonds had not been tight. In the end, she could not stop herself from looking across the square to where the heckling shouts had come from. In the middle of an open space, as if wanting to be seen, was Dani, standing with Shelly. They were chatting happily, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, faces so close that their noses were almost touching. Natasha looked away just a little too late to avoid seeing them kiss.
*
The barn was exactly the same as the last time Natasha had been there, except that someone had removed the pile of sweepings and a new litter of pigs was burrowing against their dam. Tipsy bounded over to greet her. Natasha knelt to rub between the dog’s ears and looked around, confused. Somehow, she had been sure that the barn would look totally different, but it had been only two days. The changes were entirely within herself.
Natasha stood and wandered along to the low fence around the pigpen. The eight tiny piglets seemed even smaller by comparison with the bulk of their mother. The sight brought a grin to Natasha’s face, although her mind was in a state of chaotic upheaval. The last time she had entered the barn, she had still been a loyal servant of Celaeno, a Guard on a mission, hand-picked by the Chief Consultant. Now she was a prisoner who had informed on her comrades and broken faith with Celaeno. She was an eternally damned traitor. It made no sense that she should be feeling more at peace with herself.
Natasha was so lost in thought that she was unaware of Lynn’s arrival until the Imprinter joined her, leaning on the wall of the enclosure. Natasha leapt up, startled.
Lynn was completely unperturbed and continued watching the animals. “You know, I always find something reassuring about pigs. It’s probably because my parents were pig farmers. Memories of my childhood and all that.” Lynn leaned over the barrier and patted the flank of the sow.
It was the first time that they had met since the aborted assassination attempt. Natasha took a stumbling half step back and then stopped, feeling like a fool. She was not the one with the right to be nervous. Lynn stopped fussing over the pig and stood to face her. Neither spoke. Lynn’s expression showed no hostility, but Natasha felt her own face flush crimson.
Lynn raised an eyebrow and asked, “Before we start work, is there anything you want to say?”
Natasha’s eyes dropped to the ground; her cheeks were burning. Both “Sorry” and “I didn’t really want to kill you” would sound pathetically banal. At last, she swallowed and burst out, “How can you still trust me?”
“What makes you think that I do?” Lynn laughed.
“Because you...” Natasha stopped and looked over her shoulder, suddenly wondering whether Lynn had brought an armed bodyguard with her, but they were alone in the barn.
Lynn tapped Natasha’s arm, regaining her attention. “I was joking. I do trust you.”
“Why?”
“Because after three months working together, I know the sort of person you are.”
“But I lied to you. You don’t know me at all. You didn’t know I was a Guard,” Natasha said, shaking her head.
“I said the sort of person, not the details of your life story.”
“I tried to kill—”
Lynn interrupted quickly, “No, you didn’t.”
“I—” Natasha broke off in confusion.
“You made no attempt to use the sword. And you may have been playing a part, but you couldn’t hide the fact that you’re a decent young woman who would never do anything you knew to be wrong.” Lynn smiled easily. “That’s why you didn’t try to kill me. You knew it would be wrong. And that’s why I trust you.”
“The Chief Consultant said...” Natasha’s voice failed.
“That I was evil and deserved to die?”
“Yes. But you aren’t.”
“And neither are you. Which is an important lesson for you. The Chief Consultant can get things wrong.”
Natasha slumped down, sitting on her heels with her back pressed against the wall of the pigpen. She bit her knuckles.
“Now you look as if you’re in pain,” Lynn said quietly.
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m damned forever.”
“So am I, if you listen to the Chief Consultant.” Lynn shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt that much.”
“It’s easy for you. You don’t believe in the Goddess.”
Lynn pursed her lips. “I don’t believe in the Chief Consultant. The Goddess, I’m a bit more open-minded about.”
“You think Celaeno was a ship built to fly between the stars,” Natasha said defiantly.
“True,” Lynn conceded. “Gina did get me to agree with her about that. But she couldn’t prove that there isn’t a real Goddess, and sometimes...” She paused and sighed. “I’d like to think there is one.”
“Do you think your version of the Goddess would forgive me?”
“I doubt she’d find anything to forgive.”
“It would be nice to think that.” Natasha’s voice held little hope.
“Well, I’m going to be doing my best to convince you. That’s why I talked Kim into granting you parole.”
Natasha stared up in surprise. “You? Why?”
At first, Lynn did not answer. Her eyes fixed on the far wall of the barn. Then she looked back. “Did Kim tell you what would happen if we catch Rohanna and Cal?”
“Yes. She made it clear.”
“We’re not against you personally, but we can’t le
t news about Ginasberg get out.”
Natasha gave a one-shouldered shrug. “That’s all right. I understand. And I’m not afraid to die for—”
Lynn cut her off. “So I’ve heard. But fear doesn’t come into it. You rescued Becky from the mountain cat, you gave the warning that saved Kim’s life, and you didn’t murder me. Though on the minus side, the smith was very late getting the sword for repair, even after I’d asked you to run it over to her.” Despite her light tone, Lynn’s expression was very serious. “Weighing it all up, I’m still on your side, and I couldn’t bear to watch you dangling by your neck.”
Natasha’s gaze dropped to the straw in front of her knees. She could feel her eyes filling with tears, prompted by the unmistakable tenderness in Lynn’s voice. Her mouth opened to speak a couple of times before she finally said, “Perhaps Rohanna and Cal won’t get caught.”
“I wouldn’t count on it. Which is why I wanted the chance to talk you into agreeing to join us here in Westernfort.”
“Become a heretic?” Natasha said incredulously.
“If you want to put it like that.”
Natasha shook her head. “You won’t talk me into renouncing the Goddess.”
“My aim wasn’t that ambitious. It’ll be enough if I get you to agree that the Chief Consultant was wrong to tell you to murder people, and she has about as much understanding of the Goddess as Tipsy has of lace making.”
Natasha wet her lips. “It’s not that simple.”
Lynn studied her face. “You’ve got close family back in Landfall? Some other reason why you can’t stay here?”
“Oh, no. When I volunteered for the mission, I was told there was no hope of returning, and I’m not sure I want to go back anyway. But it doesn’t mean I...” Natasha’s words dwindled away.
“It sounds like I’m halfway home already. And I’ve got a full three months to convince you.”
“Rohanna and Cal might be caught tomorrow.”
The Walls of Westernfort Page 23