Page 36 of Lake of Sorrow

He could have pointed out that she’d brought at least some of her trouble on herself by insisting on leasing that awful cursed castle, but he didn’t. He merely held her and offered his support. It touched her so much that she teared up and had to wipe her eyes surreptitiously on his leather armor.

“You’re a good man, Vlerion. Even if your boss is an ass. And you’re sometimes uptight and haughty.”

“You’ve an interesting way of complimenting people.”

“It’s my island charm.” Her hand warmed again, and she scowled at it.

The vine she felt was watching them made another flicking motion at Vlerion. When it shifted toward her, the motion changed.

“Is it my imagination or is that vine beckoning to me?” she asked.

Vlerion glared dourly at it. “If it’s beckoning, it wants you to step into a trap.”

Kaylina bit her lip, less certain. “Let me try something.”

His eyes closed to slits, but he released her. She took a few steps toward the ruins. Her hand cooled. She moved toward him again. It heated up.

“Something’s going on,” she said.

“Yes. We’re tracking the Kar’ruk.” Vlerion turned toward the taybarri, who were watching them instead of sniffing the air. “Which way, Crenoch? There are prints all along the shoreline.”

Kaylina gazed into the ruins, longing to investigate, but she had no idea if her hand would lead her to something useful or to her death.

Crenoch and Levitke ambled over. They sniffed Kaylina’s pockets, and Crenoch licked her hand. The brand. A coincidence? Or did the taybarri know something?

“Does that mean you’re on strike until she gives you more honey?” Vlerion asked them.

Levitke sashayed toward the ruins.

“The Kar’ruk did not go in there.” Vlerion shot an exasperated look at Kaylina, as if the actions of their wayward mounts were her fault.

Crenoch placed a paw next to a faint indention in a patch of bare earth.

“Is that a footprint?” Vlerion asked. “Moon craters, maybe the Kar’ruk did go in there.”

“I’ll check,” Kaylina said.

Vlerion drew his sword and raised a hand, indicating he would go first.

She pointed at the animated vine. It hadn’t reacted to the taybarri ambling past, but that didn’t mean it would appreciate Vlerion entering the ruins.

“It might attack you,” she said.

“Then I’ll lop it in half,” he growled.

“Let me investigate, and I’ll call out if I get in trouble. Then you can spring in and nobly save me from the Kar’ruk or the ruins or the vines—whatever turns dastardly.”

Vlerion sighed. “I’ll check the bank more thoroughly. With as many prints as there are, I think other Kar’ruk joined the ones we were tracking. Either that, or they danced up and down the shoreline like drunken nobles at a festival.” Back stiff, he walked toward the lake.

Kaylina looked at Crenoch. “I’m not sure if he agreed with my plan or not.”

The taybarri licked her face with his large tongue.

“You’d agree with anything that might get you some honey.”

He whuffed.

Since Levitke was already wandering among the ruins and nothing had happened, Kaylina headed after her. She would only poke around for a few minutes, and she would be careful in case the Kar’ruk had set traps.

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