Page 24 of To Sway a Bard
Sheknew?
And the hope he’d had burrowed deep, the pain of disappointment, of utter betrayal, almost canceled out the ringing in his skull. Spots danced before his eyes and he felt her hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Neo. I have to save my father. I have to do this my way.”
“Iwill personally deliver her head on a platter,” Diana snapped, standing over Neo. “Look at how much blood you lost. Which way did she go?”
Neo sat up with a groan, took the wet cloth, and pressed it to the back of his head. He was slightly impressed with how quickly Diana and the rest of the royal entourage had caught up. Regardless, they were never far. “Don’t take off her head,” he protested.
“She did this to you!”
“It was the ruffians she hired,” he started, but when Diana’s steely eyes flashed, he added, “But yes, she is responsible. Give me a moment. I assume she’s returning to steal the trolls’ treasure, but I want to make sure I’m not missing anything.”
“I told you she’d be tricky,” Diana fumed. “Thieves don’t change, no matter what.”
“I felt the betrayal,” he admitted. “Almost too late. She was angry they hit me.”
“So am I!” Diana held up her hand. “Don’t say another word. I see you’re about to make excuses for her and I won’t hear it. You’re compromised, emotionally caught in this. I will continue from here.”
“You need me. I’m the only one who knows how to track her.”
“True. Because of the weight of this venture, I will allow you to join me, but I’m taking the lead from now on. Agreed?”
Neo started to nod, then winced at the pain in his head. Instead, he held out his hand and Diana took it, grumbling as he stood.
22
ZULA
Treachery was the domain of thieves. After all, thieves were not to be trusted, and it was important to have a few tricks up one’s sleeve—just like a magician—in order to survive. Zula had learned long ago to only trust herself, regardless of what others promised, which was why, now, she stood in the heart of troll territory, playing her ukulele. But her heart wasn’t in it, and her fingers kept missing notes. Worse, tears pricked at her eyes and made her nose run. Impossible to wipe a dripping nose while playing. A vision of all that bright red blood from Neo’s head flashed in front of her face, the way he wavered and fell, as though he couldn’t see anymore. She’d had the opportunity of a lifetime, yet she was forced to toss it away.
A gentle snore tugged her from her misery. Under the shade of a hut, she made out a female troll and her child, curled in the shade, dreaming peacefully. A memory bloomed of being a small child herself, a woman, her mother, holding her hand, laughing, showing her the silver fish in the waters, the frogs that hopped among the lotus blossoms, the wide lily pads.
Zula closed her eyes and opened them again, reminded of Neo’s kisses, the way his fingers played with her hair, his hand on her hip.
Her fingers slipped from the strings and, tucking the instrument under her arm, Zula walked up the hill to the tower, barely limping. Because that was the treachery of thieves. While her ankle throbbed from time to time, she’d discovered she could put weight on it. But it wouldn’t do to be fully healthy in the palace, and she’d seen the way Neo eyed her ankle, believing she had a weakness. She couldn’t flee, couldn’t run from him, therefore he’d let his guard down.
It had worked, but she hated herself for it, misery a weight on her chest, guilt dragging down her limbs.If she were tossed into the sea she was sure she’d drown.
Instead, she stole the egg for the second time, planted her peacock-blue feather with the golden eye on it, and slipped away to the meeting spot where Scarred Joe and his band of thieves waited for her.
“Took your time coming, didn’t you?” Scarred Joe taunted as Zula limped into camp. He sat in the middle of his band of thieves, picking his teeth with a knife. He held out a hand for the egg. “Let’s see the treasure.”
Zula stepped around the men to hand him the sack. Scarred Joe’s thieves were rough on the eyes, hardened men, most of them slim, light on their feet, quick with their hands. Any of them could have figured out a way to elude magic and steal the treasure from the trolls.
She wasn’t sure what they gained from it, but she was certain she was the scapegoat for their devious plans, and it filled her with trepidation. She wished she had a weapon, other than her ukulele. A dagger to stick into flesh would send a better message than lulling the thieves to sleep with music.
“I’ve upheld my end of the bargain,” she said flatly.
Scarred Joe opened the sack and lifted the egg in the air, licking his lips as he held it up to the light. “Yes, fair is fair.”
He snapped his fingers.
One of the thieves tossed a pouch of gold at Zula. She caught it deftly and turned to leave, stepping out of the circle, but fingers wrapped around her bad ankle.
Frowning, she glanced over her shoulder, silently daring the man to let her go.
He didn’t.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Scarred Joe asked.
