Page 91 of Lake of Sorrow
Penderbrock considered her. “She hasn’t struck me in the back of the head with a sling round.”
“So her gentleness depends on the company she keeps.”
“It’s possible you’re the problem, Vlerion.”
“Huh.” Vlerion extended a hand toward the river trail and raised his eyebrows again, this time for Kaylina.
She didn’t know what he wanted to talk about, and that made her nervous, but she headed down the trail with him.
A flare of purple at the edge of her vision made her glance back as she walked. For a moment, the glow from the tower was bright enough to see even though the window wasn’t visible from their position.
It soon faded, but she didn’t miss the warning. The plant knew she was walking off with Vlerion and didn’t like it. Or maybe that intense glow had been a command, an order to take her knife out and attack him.
Vlerion looked over at her and also back toward the castle. Since he didn’t miss much, Kaylina had little doubt he’d noticed the glow intensifying.
His gaze dropped to the brand on the back of her hand, and his face grew grimmer. Maybe, despite his levity with the doctor, Vlerion was concerned.
23
It is easy to be virtuous until temptation appears.
~ Assai, Priestess of Luvana
With the sun peeking through the clouds, numerous people were walking along the river trail, and bicycles and wagons rolled along the streets that crossed it, so Vlerion and Kaylina kept their hoods up. Even with her face hidden, it was foolish to stroll through the city by daylight, but she wanted to ease Vlerion’s mind about the plant’s vision before leaving to look for the press. The press and… should she try to find an elder taybarri? She had less of an idea about how to do that.
As they walked, they didn’t see any guards along the trail or in the streets. Vlerion’s gaze roved, and Kaylina knew he was keeping an eye out for her sake.
Though she believed he wanted to speak with her in private about the curse—his curse as well as the castle’s—he started their walk by returning the pronged gauntlet to her.
“The blades match the gashes on our dead ranger’s throat,” he said.
“Does your captain believe you that the Kar’ruk were responsible for all the murders?”
“Yes. I also told him where to find the Kar’ruk I killed. As for everyone else in the city…” Vlerion rocked his open hand in the air. “I don’t know if that’ll be enough evidence. Unfortunately, the warrior that you and Jankarr captured has been an unreliable source. The kafdari root doesn’t work well on their kind, and his answers while under the duress his guards have put him through?—”
“The torture,” Kaylina interrupted, looking for a way to hang the gauntlet from her belt without cutting herself.
“Physical duress, yes.” Vlerion nodded to acknowledge her statement. “It is not a method of acquiring information that I prefer, but the safety of the city, if not the entire kingdom, is at stake. It is not, however, always effective. Especially on their kind. The Kar’ruk train from an early age to endure pain. Based on the answers he’s given us, we think he’s lying. He said his people have merely come for a pilgrimage to their holy catacombs. We also believe he doesn’t know much, else his superiors would have given him poison and instructed him to take his own life before allowing himself to be captured.”
Kaylina nodded, remembering the warrior they’d seen do that.
“The Kar’ruk denied that any of his allies were in the catacombs yet—he didn’t know about the one we ran into. Of course, he also emphasized that the catacombs belong to their people. He said this whole area does and that we stole it from them centuries ago.”
“There’s some truth to that, isn’t there?” Kaylina hadn’t studied history the way her brother had but assumed the Kar’ruk wouldn’t have built catacombs under enemy territory. They must have occupied all this land at one point.
“There is, but it’s been almost eight centuries. Also, they’ve been trying to kill our people and take the land back all this time. This is not a new grievance for them. What is new is that an unknown number have slipped past our rangers patrolling the mountain border.” Vlerion gazed toward the jagged peaks. The slightly warmer spring weather hadn’t yet melted any gaps in the snow blanketing them. “I should be up there. That’s a duty I excel at. And up there, I don’t have to worry as much about…”
Maybe he remembered who he was speaking with because he looked at Kaylina and fell silent. They had reached a park with people on the far side, and he stopped in the shadows of a few trees and turned to face the river.
“Lovely and gentle but occasionally exasperating women who bestir your emotions?” She stood beside him, looking toward ducks in the water but watching him out of the corner of her eye.
“And whom I struggle to stay away from.” Vlerion shifted toward her, his gaze demanding hers. His eyes grew heated as he stepped closer and rested a hand on her arm.
His attention—his intensity—never failed to heat her body, to make her want to embrace him. And more.
“Did Crenoch really have to sit on you to keep you from coming into the castle to check on me?” Kaylina whispered.
“Yes. And I almost threw the doctor in the river. I was ready to hack that plant to pieces.”