Page 60 of Shadows of Winter

“Got forty years together this summer.”

A thump at the door drew glances. Crenoch remained at the window, the panes so fogged Kaylina could barely make out his blue furry face. Targon went to the door and opened it, revealing another taybarri outside. Its eyes swung toward Kaylina.

“What is this about?” Targon looked to Vlerion.

“She gave Crenoch honey.”

“And thus he’s sworn his eternal devotion to her? And that of the herd?”

Warmth crept into Kaylina’s cheeks again, though she refused to admit she’d done anything wrong. She didn’t know why the animals were so interested in her.

“Apparently,” Vlerion said.

“That can’t be all that’s going on,” Targon said. “If honey was all it took to earn the loyalty of a taybarri, our enemies would have plied them with stolen beehives centuries ago and made off with the whole herd.”

“Hukk gives his taybarri sugar cubes and apples and doesn’t get such interest,” Jankarr said.

“My family’s honey is really good,” Kaylina offered. “The bees forage on islands with a lot of altered wildflowers. It’s why our mead is so good too. It’ll be a number of days before some is ready to try, but you’re welcome to come by for a tasting of the first batch.”

“I’d love to.” Jankarr smiled at her again.

Vlerion’s eyes narrowed slightly. “The rangers are to avoid the castle so the Virts don’t believe us associated with it.”

“Which is naturally why you were there all evening,” Jankarr said.

“I was in the catacombs, not the inn.”

“Enough.” Targon raised his hand, then gave Kaylina a long assessing look. It was reminiscent of the calculating look he’d had for her the night of the jailbreak, and it reminded her that he’d given orders forbidding ship captains from taking her and Frayvar onboard. “I’d like to see your sling work when your leg has healed enough for you to give us a demonstration.”

“All right,” Kaylina said, though she didn’t want to perform for him. She was positive he was thinking of another way he could use her.

“You planning to recruit her, Captain?” Jankarr sounded like he approved of the idea. “It’s been a while since we had any new female rangers.”

Kaylina shook her head. The idea wouldn’t have been appealing even if she hadn’t had her own dream she was pursuing. Besides, the rangers didn’t accept commoners, did they?

“We’ll see.” Targon waved at Vlerion. “Change clothes, take her back to her castle, and then I want you in the Warehouse District. I’ll send men down to grab the munitions in the catacombs and do a thorough search. I’m glad you stumbled on that, even if you didn’t have orders to check that area, but we have to assume there are more stashes around the city. They’re getting ready for something big.”

“They are,” Vlerion said.

“We don’t need any distractions.” Targon waved at Kaylina, as if he hadn’t just been plotting some way to use her, then at Vlerion’s ripped clothes. What was that supposed to imply?

“She is not a distraction,” Vlerion stated coolly.

Targon held his gaze for a long moment before saying, “She’d better not be,” and walking out.

16

We easily accept truths that make sense, but the universe is full of nonsensical realities.

~ Lord Professor Varhesson, Port Jirador University

It was late at night by the time Vlerion accompanied Kaylina back to the castle in a horse-drawn carriage, the painting on the side claiming it belonged to the Ice Creek Taxi Service rather than having anything to do with the rangers. She would have preferred to ride on Crenoch, especially since he and three other taybarri had followed her to the gate, as if they intended to go along. But Targon had commanded the animals to return to their stable, reminding them that the rangers—and their mounts—were not to visit Stillguard Castle.

Too bad. The carriage offered a bumpy ride that jostled Kaylina’s bandaged leg as it rattled through the cobblestone streets.

Since Vlerion watched her from the bench seat opposite, she did her best to keep the pain off her face. He spoke little on the ride, and she resisted the temptation to ask him how the fur shark had died.

In her heart, she knew, but her mind had never heard of a man turning into a beast, and she struggled to believe that was possible. How could such a thing happen? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. A very grim fairy tale.

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