Page 20 of Shadows of Winter

“Huh,” Targon said when he picked Kaylina and Frayvar out of the shadows.

When Vlerion met Kaylina's gaze, he arched his eyebrows. An expression of surprise? Or was he thinking what idiots they’d been not to leave?

Kaylina cleared her throat. “We had some time to think while you were fighting, and I was wondering…” She pointed in the direction of the former Stillguard Inn, though the crumbling castle was blocks away, and intervening trees and buildings hid it from view. “If that place is cursed, the owner might be willing to lease it at a discount. Do you know if he or she would be available for a business meeting?”

Beside her, Frayvar’s mouth gaped open in surprise but only for a moment before he nodded.

The rangers stared at Kaylina for a much longer moment before Targon threw his head back and laughed. It was a short laugh that turned into a wince as he gripped his ribs.

“I admire your audacity, girl,” he said.

“Nobody leases the cursed castle,” Vlerion said without any sign of appreciation for audacity. His eyes were as cold as ever.

“Because the current owners are unwilling to rent it out?” Kaylina asked. “Or because its reputation keeps potential business owners from wanting to invest in it?”

“There’s ancient magic woven into it that makes it dangerous,” Vlerion said. “The catacombs underneath are traversed by criminals, it’s notorious throughout the city, and Lord Darringtar was just murdered on the grounds.”

“So… more of a reputation problem?”

Vlerion looked at Targon. Waiting for his boss to quash the ludicrous idea?

Targon smiled and stroked his chin, his eyes speculative. Kaylina didn’t know if she should like that look or not.

“The Saybrooks are the owners of the castle, aren’t they?” Targon asked Vlerion. “Of everything between the park and the river on that block, if I recall correctly.”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you used to play with the Saybrook girls when you were a boy?”

Vlerion lifted his chin. “I watched over them while their grandfather attended business meetings.”

“You made a tree fort and pretended to be rangers and robbers with them. Wasn’t there a dog too? That you dressed up like a taybarri?”

“They dressed up the dog, and how do you know what I was doing when I was nine?”

Targon grinned. “As you well know, the rangers have always kept an eye on your family. You’ve been of particular interest since you declared your intent to be something besides a farmer or goatherd wandering your ancestral lands.” Their gazes locked, something passing between them again. A secret unspoken. “I believe you were six when that happened.”

“One wouldn’t think grown men would put much stock in the blatherings of children.”

“Not all children.” Targon looked at Kaylina and Frayvar, then tilted his head toward the street.

The rangers withdrew to speak in private.

Frayvar scratched his cheek. “Are they going to help us? I didn’t expect that. I was second-guessing that they would even release us.”

“After you insisted we stay—I noticed.” Kaylina shifted on the bench, tempted to creep over to the wall to eavesdrop. The taybarri had moved, and the rangers hadn’t gone far. “If they’re going to help us, it’s because that captain thinks he can get something out of it.”

She struggled to imagine what. That comment about criminals using catacombs under the castle made her wonder if she and Frayvar might end up being spies for the rangers whether they wanted to or not. Or, if not spies, at least asked to keep their eyes open and report if they saw anything.

“Vlerion hasn’t given his surname to us, has he?” Kaylina asked. “He’s not one of the king’s heirs, right? Why would the rangers have been watching him?”

Though she paid little attention to the politics of the kingdom, she knew the prince and heir was Enrikon, a man of thirty, and he had two younger sisters. If there were illegitimate sons, she hadn’t heard about it, but she didn’t know why else a young noble would be considered important enough to keep an eye on, other than that the aristocrats had a checkered history of raising armies and trying to overthrow monarchs. Maybe the noble families were watched for signs of that.

“He didn’t mention it as he was mashing me to the ground, no. Strangely, I forgot to ask.” After a pause, Frayvar added, “I have read about the Saybrooks in history books. They were one of the founding families of the kingdom and have a lot of land, both agricultural all up and down the coastal valleys, and industrial and commercial in Port Jirador and other major cities.”

“So… they’re incredibly rich?”

“Undoubtedly.”

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