Page 97 of Lake of Sorrow
Kaylina adjusted it in case it had fallen back. Her elbow brushed the gauntlet hanging from her belt, and she remembered her hope of talking the Virt press operator into printing a retraction. Maybe this wasn’t the worst idea. She could help in another way while Vlerion and the rangers kept an eye on the Kar’ruk. With luck, Frayvar would also make progress on their personal problem. Her personal problem. She hoped the doctor would keep an eye on him in case any guards spotted him and had the idea of questioning him to learn her whereabouts.
“Excellent,” Jankarr said after Kaylina tugged the hood lower over her eyes. “You’re a most amenable companion. I don’t know why Targon calls you irreverent.”
“Because he’s an ass.”
“Is he? As a ranger, I’m not allowed to say or think such things.”
“If I have to be a ranger, I plan to say and think them frequently.”
“You might find yourself engaged in a lot of extra onerous duties, such as peeling potatoes in the depths of the night.”
“Oh, good. I’ve been sleeping way too much lately.”
Jankarr’s blond eyebrows arched. “I may possibly be observing some of your fabled irreverence now.”
“I’ve heard rangers have keen eyes.”
“A truth, for certain.”
Levitke whuffed and swished her tail. Maybe taybarri approved of irreverent riders who spoke their minds.
As Jankarr led the way toward a city gate, Kaylina patted a furry shoulder and thought of the plant’s first vision. It occurred to her that the taybarri youngers might know where the elders lived.
“Levitke?” she asked softly when they weren’t near any guards or pedestrians—and when Jankarr was looking intently toward the gate. “When we get a chance, would you take me to see your family?”
The next whuff had a questioning note to it, and Levitke looked back, one of her floppy ears shifting.
“In the mountains. That’s where they live, right? Your elders?”
Depending on how intelligent the young taybarri were, Levitke might be wondering how Kaylina could know anything about her family.
Jankarr’s brow furrowed, and he looked over. Maybe he hadn’t been as distracted as she’d thought.
“Even if we didn’t have another mission, this wouldn’t be a good time for a lone woman to venture into the mountains.” Jankarr lifted his hand toward the distant peaks. “It’s never a good time for a lone woman to venture into the mountains.”
“Even with a powerful taybarri mount?”
Without a doubt, Levitke understood that because she lifted her head and her tail, then hopped and surged forward to take the lead from Jankarr’s taybarri.
A sturdy male named Zavron, he nipped at her shoulder. It didn’t break skin or even ruffle fur, but he’d made his point. With a glare, he increased his pace to take the lead back.
“Even with a taybarri, yes, though they can even the odds against a lot of enemies.” Jankarr looked with concern at Kaylina. “Let’s focus on locating the press. By the time we complete that duty and return, your brother may have found evidence that will prompt the queen to pull the guards off their hunt for you. The gods know we’ve got more important things to worry about right now.” He glanced back, though the park, Vlerion, and the Kar’ruk had fallen out of view, the intervening buildings hiding even the royal castle on its plateau.
Only the city wall loomed ahead, taller than most of the rooftops. As usual, the gate was open, but two armed graycoats stepped out of a guardhouse and into the street as Jankarr and Kaylina approached on their mounts. In addition to swords belted at their waists, they carried blunderbusses, and they stopped so that they blocked the street. Two more guards stepped out behind them, men with crossbows.
“Let me talk to them,” Jankarr murmured, nudging his taybarri to take a greater lead. “Don’t say anything.”
“Okay.” Kaylina rested a hand on Levitke’s shoulder, hoping she understood that this wasn’t the time to jostle for position with her taybarri herd mate. She resisted the urge to pull her hood lower over her forehead. She’d already done that, and now she had observers.
The cool faces of the guards—and the way they gazed unwaveringly at her approach—made her think they knew who she was. Had some spy glimpsed her and run ahead to alert them?
“Step aside, men,” Jankarr said. “We’ve orders from Captain Targon to ride out.”
“You may ride anywhere you wish, Ranger Jankarr,” one of the guards said, his voice faintly familiar.
Where had Kaylina heard it before?
“Your companion, however, is not a ranger and is to be detained.”