Page 64 of Horn of Winter

“Did Riayn warn you that I might be?”

“Not specifically.” She pressed a button near the door, and the glass door in front of me swung open. “Come along then.”

She turned and walked back inside without waiting for me, her movements sure and steady despite the quiver in her voice. I closed both doors behind me and followed her to the right, into the kitchen. She motioned me toward the table then grabbed the kettle and moved over to the sink to fill it. I tugged out the chair and sat down, feeling a little awkward because it, like the counters and stove, had been designed for someone her size not mine. Once she’d filled up the kettle and put it on, she pulled out a drawer to collect the teapot and a couple of cups and saucers.

“What is it you’re wishing to know?” she asked when she finally turned to face me.

Movement caught my eye, and after a moment, I realized it was a bee. In her hair. Several of them, in fact. Mathi’s comment was not far off the mark after all.

“When did you last see her?”

She pursed her lips. “It would depend on your definition of ‘see,’ wouldn’t it?”

“As in come here, share tea, and have a good old chat.”

“Ah, well, that would have been a good three or four months ago.” She placed the tray on the table then pulled out her chair. “I did see her in the street a few weeks before the knife, though, and let me tell you, she was furious with you.”

Given it would have been around the time Vincentia had made the unwise decision to work with the Looisearch and Rogan, that was no surprise. “Let me guess, she claimed I’d stolen Vincentia’s heritage?”

She raised an eyebrow, briefly disturbing the bee crawling through her fringe. “And did you?”

I smiled. “Technically, no. I simply stole back what they took from my mother.”

“Well, technicalities aside, I’ve never seen her so angry. You should watch your back, young woman, because that sort of anger can twist a mind.”

That sort of angerhadtwisted a mind. “And the time she came here—was it simply a social visit?”

She wavered a hand. “Mix of business and pleasure.”

“Can I ask what she wanted, then?”

She studied me for several long seconds, the bees in her hair buzzing around a little more energetically. “Why are you asking me all these things? Why not just ask your aunt? Surely the council will give her niece special dispensation.”

“No, they won’t, given Vincentia’s attacks on me are part of the reason she was given the red knife.” I motioned toward the teapot. “Shall I?”

When she nodded, I poured two cups, adding, “Besides that, there’d be no point, as she’s not there. She’s gone missing.”

Alys frowned. “How? The only way to escape the knife is death.”

“Yeah, I know. The IIT are looking into it.” I slid her cup across and poured milk into mine. “I take it there’s been no rumors floating about?”

“No, but then, it was pretty widely advertised that her place was off-limits except under certain circumstances.” She took a sip of her tea, her expression thoughtful. “As to your question, she was looking for storm witch recommendations, and came here because she knew I’d worked with a number over the years.”

“Did she say why?”

“Said they had a wealthy client who was looking for some sort of god’s horn for his collection.” She shrugged. “I told her no good would ever come from messing with godly artifacts, but I doubt she listened.”

Meaning shehadknown about Borrhás’s Horn, and well before the hoard, which it had supposedly been a part of, had gone missing. Then the old woman’s choice of words hit. “Theyhad a client?”

Her eyes gleamed. “You didn’t think Vincentia was the only hunter in that little unit, did you?”

“Well, yes.”

Alys cackled. “Your aunt saw, Vincentia hunted. They were a good team, from what Riayn said over the years.”

Meaning it hadn’t only been the codex that had aided Vincentia in her hunts, and I guess that made sense given the codex had never been blood-bonded to her.

I took a sip of tea. “I don’t suppose Riayn mentioned the client’s name?”

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