Page 81 of Sanctifier

“These three, I daresay, desperately need a laugh.” Simon’s grin was as strained as Ru’s silence. She bit her lip until she tasted blood.

Lord D’Luc was no longer playacting. He waved a hand almost dismissively, rings flashing in the lamplight. “Take the minstrel,” he said, his voice ringing through that horrified silence. “Leave the rest for now.”

Ru’s mouth was dry, her palms sweating. She could hardly maintain her grip on Gwyneth’s hand.

Ru realized with a sudden swoop in her gut that she was the only person who could stop this. She was the only one with leverage.

Inda and Ranto took Simon’s arms, and she saw from her brother’s grimace that they were not holding back. She remembered those viselike fingers on her own arms, marble statues squeezing her flesh.

“Mylute,” Simon protested, “for god’s sake.”

But it was too late. The Children were pulling his arms back behind him, wrenching his body to obey their commands. And as they did, he dropped the lute. It fell in one shuddering, twanging crash, bouncing from the stage and onto the floor.

Ru couldn’t have cared less about Simon’s lute. She just needed her brother safe. But his face crumpled with devastation, and she bit back a cry of protest.

“Do you know how much that will cost to repair?” Simon demanded.

“Wait.”

Ru hadn’t meant to speak. She knew her brother would be silently cursing her for it, but she couldn’t watch this happen. Not if there was some way to stop it.

Every eye in the room turned to Ru. Hugon D’Luc’s was the only face that showed an expression other than mute horror. Instead, he gave her a lopsided smile, his cheek dimpling.“Delara. How charming. I suppose you have something useful to say?”

Ru dropped Gwyneth’s hand. She did this alone. Her chest was tight, her throat twisted up with dread.

She said, “Let Simon go.”

Lord D’Luc blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

Simon’s gaze was boring into Ru, but she ignored it. She saw only Lord D’Luc, clearly already calculating, guessing what she might be doing, putting himself one step ahead.

“Let Simon go,” she said. “Keep your white-robed lackeys, your threats,andLady Bellenet away from him. She doesn’t touch him, doesn’t harm him.Promiseme.”

Simon shot her a sharp, horrified look.

Ru ignored it.

Hugon crossed one arm over his chest, the other propped by the elbow so one hand rested delicately under his chin. “And why,” he said, danger in his cool voice, “would I agree to that?”

Ru turned so that she couldn’t see Simon at all, even at the edge of her periphery. She couldn’t bear to see his disappointment, the betrayal, or — worst of all — the worry. She didn’t need it. She could handle herself with Hugon.

“Because if you keep this promise,” Ru went on, “I’ll stop holding back. I’ll do whatever you ask of me in our demonstrations. Anything.”

An understanding passed between Ru and Lord D’Luc then, an unspoken exchange. For all intents and purposes, Ru already belonged to Lady Bellenet. But Ru saw Hugon as few others did. And she saw him now, the conflict raging in his eyes, the frustration clawing behind his expression of calm.

Please, Ru thought, desperate for Hugon to spare her, to take her deal.

After a moment, the lord shrugged, looking away. “Very well,” he said, as if this were all suddenly boring him. Hesnapped his fingers once more, jerking his head. “Let the minstrel go,” he barked.

Simon collapsed to his knees on the stage, the Children’s grip on his arms suddenly slackened. He reached down for his lute as if by instinct, pulling it into his arms.

Hugon caught Ru’s gaze again, and for a moment, she tried to understand. As if to ask him, through force of will,Why?She knew he could have refused, and pushed her harder anyway. She had no leverage. He gained nothing from this agreement.

With a gesture so small she could have written it off as a trick of the light, or a shadow, Hugon lifted one corner of his mouth in a rueful smile. He and the Children made their exit, a flurry of white robes and golden hair. Ru wondered if this had been his plan along, if he had manipulated events for some unknown purpose, just to see what she would do.

Otherwise, she might have to accept that Hugon D’Luc was capable of mercy.

CHAPTER 30

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