Page 75 of Lake of Sorrow
“Nothing flattering, I’m sure.”
“You don’t think they’ve noticed and are admiring my sling abilities?”
Kaylina leaned out again, making sure the watcher hadn’t returned. The man was still gone, or had backed off the street, at least. Maybe he’d left to alert his boss about the castle visitors. If he was working for the guard, a bunch of armed men might show up soon. If Kaylina wanted to eavesdrop, she needed to do it now.
“I’m going in the back way,” she whispered, making sure her hood hid her face.
“Kay…”
“Wait here. If I get myself in trouble, you can save me.”
“With what? I don’t have a weapon.”
“You can leap out and challenge the Virts to math problems.”
“Hilarious.”
Kaylina patted him on the shoulder, then strode across the street. Though she wanted to run, she made herself walk. If the watcher remained in the area, she didn’t want to draw attention, but she supposed anyone wandering about this late at night would.
Staying outside the courtyard wall, she kept to the shadows and followed it to the gatehouse in the back. A barge floated down the river, a couple of lanterns burning on its deck, but there wasn’t anyone on the path or watching from across the waterway, at least that she could see.
Someone had closed the gate since she’d last visited. She eased it open, careful not to let it creak, then padded cautiously toward the door leading to the kitchen. She didn’t see any lanterns through the windows on this side of the castle and hoped she wouldn’t run into the trespassers.
The kitchen door opened without trouble, remnants of soot from the fire wafting out into the night air. It was dark inside, but Kaylina knew the layout well enough to find her way. Voices floated down from upstairs.
Though worried about being caught, Kaylina felt anticipation too. Even excitement. Maybe she could learn something useful here, such as why the Virts were really looking for her.
But she had to make sure they didn’t find her, so she hesitated to climb the steps. The long halls upstairs didn’t offer many hiding spots unless one slipped into the rooms, and some of those had skeletons inside.
“I don’t think she’s here,” a male voice wafted down, the words clear.
Footsteps sounded in the upstairs hallway.
“I wasn’t sure she would be—she has to know the guards are looking for her—but that plant was red a few hours ago,” came Mitzy’s voice in reply. It sounded like they were heading toward the stairs, so Kaylina backed into the kitchen. “I think she’s the one changing it. That’s why I thought she might be here.”
“You don’t know she’s causing it to change.”
“No, but it was always red before she showed up. Who else could be responsible?”
“Maybe the druid magic is feeling feisty this spring.”
The footsteps reached the stairs, clumping softly as the speakers came down.
Kaylina eased farther away, angling toward the pantry. There weren’t many other hiding spots in the kitchen, and she’d eavesdropped on Vlerion once from there. She tried not to think about how she’d been caught eavesdropping on Vlerion.
“Of course it’s the magic,” Mitzy said, “but she’s the one stirring it up. We need to get her before the guard shoots her or who knows what they want to do.”
Kaylina’s heel bumped something unexpected on the floor, and she halted. The huge wrought-iron pot rack. She’d forgotten it had fallen during the fire.
Lantern light swung in the stairwell.
“Did you hear something?” the male asked.
Kaylina swore to herself and glanced back. She was almost to the pantry door.
“Rats probably,” Mitzy said.
“Or the curse,” a second man muttered.