Page 48 of Shadows of Winter

“I thought you spent as much time as you could in the mountains, away from pesky people who irritate you.”

Vlerion gazed at her, and she thought he would state that she fell into that category. All he said was, “I know the mountains well too.”

With her lantern relit, he headed off down the tunnel again.

“I’ve been sent down here to hunt criminals before,” he added. “The graycoats—the Kingdom Guard—are always reluctant to come down here, but Captain Targon isn’t one to let a bad element lurk below the city. Periodically, he sends rangers to clear out the catacombs. There are a lot of levels and warrens for people to hide in, so we don’t always get them all. And the criminals make traps of their own. It’s dangerous down here for all.”

“Nice of you to think I’d like to see the place.”

“You are a fan of adventure, are you not?” Vlerion looked back at her—or maybe at the pack with the novel she’d mentioned.

“When it happens to fictional heroines in books, it’s wonderful. As I told you before, I’m just here to grow my family business and—” she almost added prove myself. But she didn’t want to open up to him. He wasn’t a confidant. “What’s the deal with the rangers and the castle? All the nightmares I’ve had while sleeping in there have shown your people and—I think—allies of your people being horribly killed by vines and branches and nature. Violent nature.”

“Yes, when the druids set the curse, they were particularly displeased with the rangers.” Vlerion kept walking as he spoke, the sound of running water growing louder. “Generations ago, Stillguard River Inn was owned by a family who’d always supported the rangers. It was a place where they could drink and relax, almost an alternate headquarters. That is why it was targeted by the druids when they decided to punish humanity. The rangers were only obeying the king’s orders, but the druids didn’t care. They took their ire out on them and their favorite destination.”

“What were the druids pissed about? And why didn’t they go after the king instead of the rangers?”

“They punished the king as well. Trust me.” Vlerion slanted her a long look laden with significance. “As to the crime, humans poached in the sacred forest preserve east of the city. A millennia ago, when the druids agreed to leave this land for our kind, part of the deal was that humans would never hunt there. But after seven years of famine, King Balzarak was in a difficult situation. His people were starving, and the preserve was the only place teeming with game. The druids hadn’t been seen for centuries. He believed there might not be repercussions and was willing to accept the responsibility if there were. He sent the rangers to hunt, to find enough game to feed the people. Had he foreseen that the consequences would be widespread, that rangers would be killed even as he was cursed, Balzarak might not have made the decision. But he might have. As I said, there was little choice.”

“Sounds like a rough time.”

“The northlands can be brutal.”

They passed between two more Kar’ruk statues. Again, they hissed steam and the eyes glowed.

Knowing their reservoirs were devoid of poison didn’t keep Kaylina from jumping at the noise or flinching at the cloud of vapor that caressed her cheeks. If anything, it made the catacombs scarier. How many people had died coming this way before the reservoirs had run out?

“You visit Ghara in her apartment yet?” she asked, blurting the first thing that came to mind in an attempt to distract herself.

Judging from the cool look Vlerion angled back at her, it wasn’t an appropriate thing to ask a lord. She didn’t know why she’d thought about it.

“Is that the intelligence the Virt girl sought?” he asked.

“No, I’m making conversation.”

“As I recall, Ghara and I did not include you in that discussion.”

“No? That’s weird. I remember it really well.”

“Do your kin find you exasperating?”

“Is that your way of saying you do? My kin like challenging women who speak their minds.” Well, that was an utter lie. Her tongue had gotten her in trouble plenty of times at home.

“Interesting.”

“Yes, I am.”

They rounded a bend, and light came from an opening ahead. Vlerion paused and fell silent.

It wasn’t the creepy red glow of the statues’ eyes but the warm yellow of torchlight. That wasn’t that much more reassuring since it meant someone was down here. Even with a special pitch blend that burned a long time, thanks to altered cinderrock powder mixed in, torches rarely lasted on their own for more than a day.

Vlerion held a finger to his lips before continuing on.

“You’re the one who was doing all the talking,” Kaylina whispered.

He gave her another cool look over his shoulder. She nobly and respectfully resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at his back. Hopefully, his back appreciated that.

As he advanced, Vlerion drew his sword. Had he heard someone?

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