Page 66 of Lake of Sorrow
“Except that she’s more than a tourist, isn’t she?” Sabor asked softly. “I’m sure her looks aren’t the only reason you’re interested in her.”
“She’s an anrokk. You know how rare they are.”
“She’s more than that.” The words were so soft now that Kaylina strained to hear them. Further, the men seemed to have their backs to her. Were they standing side by side and looking out the window?
“Like what?” Targon asked.
Kaylina caught herself pressing her hand against the bookcase. It moved slightly but fortunately soundlessly. A tiny vertical gap of light entered her hidden nook.
“What more than that is there?” Targon added.
She pressed her eye to the gap. The narrow view allowed her to see Targon’s shoulder and the side of a shorter graying man with a mustache and a lean build.
“You tell me,” Sabor said. “She used druid magic to save the life of one of your men.”
Kaylina drew back. How could he know that? Only Jankarr knew that. Was Jankarr his spy?
But, no. Jankarr might have been the only one there besides the Kar’ruk warrior, but he would have reported everything that happened to his superiors and however many rangers had been around to hear it. Kaylina rubbed the back of her neck, wishing she and Jankarr had never noticed the Kar’ruk trapped in the undergrowth, that they’d gone right past those ruins.
“Jankarr isn’t sure what she did,” Targon said after a long moment. He probably hadn’t expected the spymaster to gather that information so quickly.
Kaylina didn’t appreciate that the whole city seemed to know about her now.
“I’m sure she doesn’t have any access to magic,” Targon added. “She’s human, like you and me.”
“She’s not like you and me, and you know that.”
“Have you met her? She’s mouthy and disrespectful. She’s not anything special.”
Had she not been so disturbed to be the subject of their conversation, Kaylina would have stuck her tongue out at the bookcase. At them.
“You don’t believe that,” Sabor said, “or you wouldn’t be protecting her. You want to use her power.”
“She doesn’t have any power beyond getting herds of taybarri to show up at her door.”
“And that’s not a power? Where is she, Targon? I won’t ask again.”
“Are you trying to find her because you believe she poisoned that mead? Or because you want her for your own plans?”
“If she does have access to druid power, she could be useful. Just as Vlerion has been useful, however accidentally. It’s not wise to cast aside valuable tools, especially in uncertain times. If there are a handful of Kar’ruk near our city, there could be thousands more poised on the border, ready to take advantage of our distraction with the Virts.”
“Then why don’t you get out of my compound and leave me to do my job?”
A knock sounded at the door, and the men moved out of Kaylina’s view.
“My lord Spymaster? We’ve searched the compound and didn’t find the brother or the sister. We questioned a few rangers, but they were tightlipped. One started to talk—one who’s friendly to you, I think—but a taybarri stepped on his boot, and he changed his mind.”
“Those furry mounts are smarter than they look, aren’t they?” Sabor grumbled.
“They’re very smart, yes,” Targon said.
“When you see her next, send the girl to me, Targon,” Sabor said. “I won’t let her be put to death. We’ll find a use for her. Better us than the Virts.”
“I won’t argue that.”
“But you don’t believe she’s loyal to them?”
“No,” Targon said. “She’s loyal to Vlerion.”