Page 99 of Shadows of Winter

As she drew back, his mother’s words came to mind: Do not flirt with him.

But a kiss on the cheek wasn’t flirting. It was showing gratitude. And Vlerion’s visage softened.

“I’ll send someone to help you look,” he said, swinging up behind Frayvar.

“A ranger?” Kaylina gazed toward the opposite side of the river. The man who’d shouted to let the castle burn down was gone, but other onlookers remained, drawn by the action.

Vlerion followed her gaze. “Someone who won’t attract notice. Jankarr, if he’s around. Wait until he arrives to go inside.” His tone made it clear that it was an order, but the squint that accompanied it suggested he wasn’t positive she would obey it.

“Of course.” She smiled.

His squint deepened, but Frayvar groaned and gripped his ribs. Vlerion nudged Crenoch into motion.

Only as they rode away did Kaylina realize she recognized one of the onlookers. The woman’s hood was up, but it didn’t quite cover her face. Jana.

24

Enemies and allies test us in different ways, but they test us all the same.

~ Lord General Menok

Water dripped onto Kaylina’s head as she looked through the wreckage in the kitchen. None of the food would be salvageable, unfortunately, and she frowned at the thought of having to buy all Frayvar’s ingredients to start again. She hadn’t asked him how much money he had left, but she’d recently caught him looking into his ledger and scowling at the numbers.

Surprisingly, the fire in the hearth was still burning, happily gnawing at logs with red embers. A layer of soot floated in the pot of apple-cider stew that still hung above the flames. She put on mitts and removed it. Like everything else, it would have to be thrown out. Frustrating, but, if the firefighter was right, she couldn’t blame the curse.

Reminded of her earlier musings about the plant, Kaylina filled another pot with water and hung it lower over the flames so it would boil. Despite the fire that had burned in the pantry, the jars of honey hadn’t broken, and most were still sealed. She took one and grabbed a spoon, intending to make the fertilizer she’d been thinking of earlier. As far as she recalled, Grandpa had mixed a few tablespoons of honey in a gallon of water. She didn’t think there were any other ingredients.

While waiting for the pot to boil, she peered into the root cellar. Tiny shards of glass lay on the stone floor below. From the broken bottle of kerosene the fire sergeant had found?

She crouched by the ladder and debated whether to investigate further but decided to be wise—not, she told herself, obedient—and wait for whoever Vlerion sent to help her. She didn’t need to run into vengeful arsonists lurking in the catacombs.

After stirring her honey into the heated water, she grabbed a rag and debated how to clean up the kitchen. Everything was sooty, and the thought of tackling the chore was daunting. That niggling feeling that they should give up and go home returned. This was turning into so much more than she’d planned for.

Some instinct told her to check the window, to see if Jana had disappeared or was still watching. Yes, the older woman remained across the river, now standing in the shadows of a tree, twilight creeping over the city and helping to hide her. If Kaylina hadn’t spotted her earlier, she would have missed her.

Deciding to be cheeky, Kaylina lifted a hand and gave a hearty wave.

Jana didn’t react.

“Doesn’t that woman have her own inn to keep her busy?” Kaylina hadn’t verified Jana’s story by going to see if the establishment she’d mentioned existed. She made a mental note to do so.

“Hello?” came a young woman’s voice from the vestibule.

“We’re closed due to fire.” Kaylina assumed it was someone who’d planned to enjoy dinner here, but hadn’t Frayvar said that none of those people had been willing to come inside?

She abandoned the rag to check on the visitor and found the girl from the delivery wagon in the great hall. Milzy.

Vlerion’s concern about what Kaylina might tell Milzy filled her mind, and her first urge was to shoo the girl out. What if the ranger, or whoever Vlerion sent, showed up and found them chatting together? Milzy might be a known Virt spy.

“I heard about that,” she said. “I came to see if you’re okay. Is your brother…” Milzy looked around.

“Gone to see a doctor. Broken ribs. A heavy iron pot rack fell on him.”

“Oh, that’s awful.” Milzy lifted a hand to her mouth and appeared genuinely distressed.

“He would agree. It’ll be all right though. We’ll get the place cleaned up and do our opening another night.” Kaylina smiled and waved Milzy toward the front door, hoping she would take the hint and leave.

But Milzy looked around, from floor to ceiling, and didn’t notice the gesture. “I heard there was a ranger here. Lord Vlerion. He’s a scary bastard. Killed a lot of the righteous and virtuous.” Milzy touched her chest. “They say he doesn’t blink when he drives his sword through people. A real stone-cold killer.”

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