Page 4 of Lake of Sorrow

As far as she knew, animals had never taken to her brother. Which was probably good since cats, dogs, horses, and who knew what else roused his allergies and made him sneeze.

“I don’t either, but you’re the only one in the family grandpa’s hounds follow around faithfully.”

“They follow him around.”

“Because he feeds them, but they also trail you and, I don’t know, show off for you.”

“If you mean they wrestle right next to me and knock me over, that’s a true honor.”

“They probably think it is. What is that envelope the ranger left? Was that Jankarr?”

“Yes.” Reminded, Kaylina drew it from under her belt and eased her pack off her shoulders. “Do you think I could risk lighting my lantern to read it?”

“It’s more of a risk not to read it. If it offers help… we need help.”

“True.”

2

Even the best laid camp may suffer a branch falling upon a tent.

~ Ranger Captain Bonovar

After lighting it with a cinderrock match, Frayvar held up their small travel lantern. Its glow did little to push back the deep shadows under the trees but allowed Kaylina to examine the envelope. It did indeed read pirate on the front. There weren’t any fancy stamps or embellishments, such as she would expect from the desk of an aristocrat.

“It doesn’t smell like perfume, does it?” Frayvar asked.

“Uh, no. Should it?”

“If it’s a love letter from Lord Vlerion, I thought it might.” He eyed it warily as if tiny paper hearts and profusions of adoration might spring out.

“I’m sure it’s not that.” As Kaylina opened the envelope with her knife, she noted how many pages were folded inside. Nope, it wasn’t a love letter, not unless Vlerion was as verbose as Frayvar, who couldn’t pen a grocery list without turning it into an essay.

“You did kiss him.”

“I thought you were behind the shed and missed that.”

“I went behind the shed when it was glaringly imminent. I’m observant. I miss very little.”

“Uh-huh. Well, as the girl, I’d be the one to put perfume on a letter I sent him. Guys don’t do stuff like that.” Despite the words, Kaylina sniffed surreptitiously as she drew the folded pages out.

They smelled only of parchment, maybe slightly of taybarri. That made her imagine Crenoch standing over Vlerion’s shoulder and watching while the pen scrawled across the page. Could the taybarri read? All the ranger mounts were young, but they got the gist of spoken words.

“If I had a lover and sent her a letter, I might use perfume,” Frayvar said. “Do you think Lady Ghara would like that?”

“No. You’d get further cooking for her.”

“Hm.”

“They’re maps,” Kaylina mused as she looked through the stack of papers. All except one page showed mazes of tunnels and caverns and burial chambers. “The catacombs under the city.”

When she’d gone down there with Vlerion, she’d only gotten a look at one tunnel, a couple of alcoves, and a pool near Stillguard Castle. He’d said there were miles of passageways on different levels—and that some of the deadly traps the original builders, the Kar’ruk, had left were still viable. The idea of exploring down there held no appeal.

Kaylina opened the remaining page to find Vlerion’s writing. For some reason, her belly fluttered with nerves, as if it might be the love letter Frayvar had teased her about. As she hoped it would be?

Her name wasn’t at the top. Vlerion must have assumed it could be intercepted. The words were as aloof as he so often was when he wore his mask, determined not to let his emotions out, lest the beast be roused.

Hiding in the countryside will not allow you to do as you must, it read vaguely, though she had no trouble filling in clear your name. The letter continued, With these maps, you can move about under the city and travel from place to place. Traps are few on the level closest to the streets. Do not venture deeper. The more important Kar’ruk sarcophagi are down there, and they did their best to ensure their honored dead would not be disturbed. The topmost level is patrolled infrequently but occasionally by the rangers, especially if we have a reason to believe the rebels are skulking down there. You will avoid them.

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