Page 76 of Lake of Sorrow
“Relax.” Mitzy sounded like she was in charge even though she was Frayvar’s age. Maybe they were following her orders because she was the only one who’d been inside before. “The castle isn’t moaning and groaning tonight. I bet the purple light means something has changed.”
“I wouldn’t take that bet,” the man said. “We don’t need that girl. Besides, she’s friendly with the rangers. She fought with them against us in the royal castle. That’s what Hokkens said. If anything, it would be better to kill her before the rangers can use her against us.”
Kaylina eased the pantry door open and stepped inside, slow to put her weight fully on each foot, remembering broken glass and other debris on the floor. With someone talking about killing her, she especially didn’t want to be caught.
“They say she’s an anrokk and has druid powers,” Mitzy said. “She could help us against the rangers if we could win her to our side.”
“It’s not worth taking the risk. Besides, druid magic is creepy. That makes her creepy.”
“Someone had better deal with her before she becomes a problem,” another man said, his voice right outside the kitchen. “More of a problem. We don’t need to fight someone with druid magic.”
Kaylina closed the pantry door most of the way, leaving only a peep hole. The speakers hadn’t yet entered the kitchen, but she could see the light from their lanterns.
“Druid magic.” The third man scoffed. “The only magic in the world that really exists is from altered plants.”
“The only magic that we know about that’s left in the world, but the druids had all kinds of powers. And don’t forget taybarri magic.”
“All they can do is move really fast.”
“According to Cougar,” Mitzy said, “our man inside the rangers believes Korbian does have some druid magic. Or it was given to her somehow.”
Our man inside the rangers? Targon had been right to assume there was a spy. Or were there two spies? One for the Virts and one for Spymaster Sabor?
Kaylina hoped Jankarr wasn’t either of them. She liked him. She liked the doctor too. The rest of the rangers… Well, she didn’t know many of the rest of them, but she was inclined to dislike the ones who’d ogled her chest during her training day. They could be spies.
“Humans don’t get druid magic,” one of the men said after a pause.
“Maybe she’s not fully human.”
Kaylina had to bite her lip to keep herself from scoffing, the same as the Virts. Of course she was human. What else could she be?
Since the druids had disappeared, the Kar’ruk and the taybarri elders were the only intelligent species besides humans left wandering the world. Legends spoke of Kar’ruk-human mixed bloods who’d once existed, but modern science said that wasn’t possible. The two species couldn’t produce offspring, even if they deigned to have sex with each other.
“Whatever she is,” Mitzy said, “it would be better to get her on our side than to let her help the rangers. They’re all rich and noble. They don’t need any more help. And we need advantages.”
“We’ve got an advantage happening right now.”
Kaylina pressed her ear to the door. What advantage?
“We just need to make sure things don’t get screwed up again,” the man added.
“Based on who we made that deal with, the odds are in favor of screw-ups,” Mitzy said. “That was a desperate move. I’m surprised Cougar reached out to them. There’s no way those guys are going to keep doing what we ask without demanding something much more than access to the catacombs. I’d much rather deal with Korbian.”
“Korbian hasn’t proven amenable to joining us.”
“She hasn’t said no to it. She’s new.”
“She’s just a girl. Our new allies?—”
“Aren’t allies,” Mitzy interrupted. “They’re using us, the same as we’re using them, and that’s only going to last until they don’t need us anymore.”
The man sighed. “If you insist on finding the girl, physical coercion might help get a yes out of her.”
Kaylina shuddered. Having them want to use her might be better than them wanting to kill her, but she already had Targon bribing her. She didn’t need anyone else coercing her to help. What could she even do for the Virts? Use her anrokk power to round up stray cats to add to their army of rebels?
“We’re the good guys, Dendron,” Mitzy said. “We’re not killing or coercing anyone.”
“The ends justify the means.”