Page 54 of Red Dragon
“Colonel Mosworth. He just came downstairs from another room.” Fel pointed toward the ceiling. “I recognized his voice, and we came in to avoid him spotting us.”
“We’ve a lot of high-ranking military regulars,” Celena said around a yawn. “Some minor lords too. Important people. The girls here— Well, we’re not proud or full of ourselves. We can’t afford to be. We’ll do things that the expensive ladies of the night servicing the high-powered won’t.”
“General Dolok ever come?” Fel asked.
“I’m not sure about him, but some other generals. Fleet captains. Especially fleet officers. And Minor Lord Dallingswok comes regularly for Yeera. She’s a real looker. Draws a lot of men and commands a high price. Brings in the Vollard brothers too. They’re rough. I’m glad they’ve not looked my way.” Celena touched her jaw, maybe noticing that the bruises didn’t hurt anymore—or remembering someone who’d hit her.
Fel looked thoughtfully at Syla.
She’d finished the healing and stood up. “What does that expression mean?”
“Someone contending for the throne and with many enemies could use informants in places where powerful people visit.”
“I didn’t heal Celena so she would spy for me,” Syla said.
Celena surprised her by sitting up and grasping her hand. “I wouldloveto share the things I see here with someone.Especially if… Dear departed gods, some of those powerful ones think they’re so special. Above the law. They hurt the girls because they know we can’t do anything about it, that the enforcers would blameus. If you could change that… I mean, even if you couldn’t, I owe you.” Her grasp tightened on Syla’s hand, the adoration in her gaze again—the magically induced adoration.
Syla wanted to flee that look. “You don’t owe me anything, Celena, but if I can, I’ll help. I’ll…” Storm god’s wrath, she didn’t even know if she would be able to take the crown. More likely, she would end up in Dolok’s dungeon cell. How was she supposed to help this woman or anyone else?
“Come back regularly, Your Highness, and I’ll tell you everything I see and hear that might be important. Like I said, all kinds of powerful people come here. I’dloveto help you do something to stop them from hurting others.” Celena released Syla and clasped a hand over her own chest, though she didn’t addstop them from hurting me.
“I’m off on a mission, but I’ll try to come by again.” Syla patted Celena on the shoulder and made herself walk out, though she wanted to flee from the adoring gaze that followed her.
Once in the hallway with the door closed, she slumped against it.
Fel looked at her, less adoring but still contemplative. “I thought this would be a waste of time.”
“You’ve changed your mind?” Syla waved toward the door to the alley exit.
“Now, I think maybe you should visit every brothel in town.”
“Let’s… fix the shielder first.”
Teyla brightened. “Yes. Our quest awaits.”
Syla hopedWreylithawaited. It was taking longer than she’d hoped to get out of the city, and they still had to sail to Harvest Island.
13
Syla expectedFel to lead her and Teyla to a Royal Fleet ship with a captain loyal to her family. Shedidn’texpect him to hurry her down the pier to the most remote dock where an unassuming whaling ship was moored, burn marks and gouges from dragon claws visible on its hull.
“Captain Radmarik is taking us?” A briny breeze swept through the harbor, and Syla gripped the hood of the cloak Fel had found for her in the brothel, leaving a coin for its purchase. He’d apparently thought a disguise, or at least covering, was a good idea for a traveling princess. “I thought he left after receiving payment,” Syla added.
As her aunt had pointed out, after thelastsailing Syla had gone on with Radmarik, he shouldn’t have wanted to take her aboard again. His vessel had survived—barely—but several of the accompanying guard ships had been sunk—or torched by dragon fire. This time, there weren’t any guard ships nearby.
Syla bit her lip. If Wreylith didn’t agree to take her to the various places where the components could be gathered, this would have to be the vessel that transported her all over the Sea of Storms and waited for her while she trekked inland. Would ahired captain be willing to do that? Since Radmarik had a link to the Freeborn Faction, a band of stormers who’d left their people to pursue peaceful relations with the Kingdom, that might bode well for her, but Syla had never met any of them. She questioned how much assistance they and their allies would offer.
“He did leave,” Fel said, “but he returned while I was attempting to arrange transport. After talking to officers in the Royal Fleet and finding their loyalties had been more to the queen—or the years-dead king—rather than to you, I worried about telling them of your plans. One of them didn’t even knowwhich childyou were.”
“Maybe I should have been more of a public figure over the years.” Syla had always preferred her duties in the temple as a healer and her books and collections to anythingpublicand couldn’t help but wince at the notion.
“There was one captain whom you’d healed about a decade earlier. I almost confided in him and asked for transport, but his first officer is someone I’ve seen in the castle before, chatting with General Dolok, so I had doubts. It was as I stood on the deck of that vessel that the whaling ship sailed into the harbor.”
TheStriking Falconread white-painted letters across the wooden hull, claw marks gouged through the G and F. Syla didn’t know if she’d caught the whaling ship’s name before, but if she was to sail on it again, she would make a note of it.
“The captain and I fought side-by-side on the deck against the dragons trying to uncover the decoy.” Fel’s voice had a fondness to it. For the battle? Or for finding someone worthy of engaging in battle alongside? Maybe the latter. “When my knee tried to buckle—” he scowled down at the offending limb, a stiffness to his gait suggesting it was wrapped under his trousers, “—he covered my back and kept a wicked set of talons from taking my head off.”
“In other words, you two bonded.”
