Chapter 17
Melodie woke slowly,in the golden glow of sunrise. She could feel the light on her face, and the sounds of a busy inn outside the window. She sensed Theo lying next to her, the bed dipping a little toward him, and she realized she felt safe and comfortable.
She stretched and winced a little at the stiffness in her muscles, and then remembered how she’d crawled into bed after her bath and fallen asleep immediately, leaving Theo to worry about securing the room.
She winced as she looked to her right and found him awake, too, staring up at the ceiling with his hands folded beneath his head.
His arms were fascinating. He was shirtless and she could see the smooth golden skin and bunched muscles of his biceps, and she felt a familiar heating of her cheeks.
She really needed to keep her blushes under control.
She rolled on her side, toward him, and he looked over at her, his face so serious.
“You got some sleep?” she asked softly, suddenly worried he’d stayed up all night to watch her.
“I got plenty of sleep.” His gaze flicked to the door, and she saw he had wedged a chair under the handle. The key was on the wooden dresser on the far side of the room. He lowered his voice. “No one bothered us.”
“I’m sorry I left you to it,” she said.
He put a finger to his lips and put his hand on the wall behind them, and finally, now she was concentrating, she heard the faintest shift of sound coming from the wall—a rustle of clothing.
“You hungry?” he asked suddenly, sitting up and turning to put his feet on the floor. “Because I’m starving.”
“I’m hungry, and I’m pleased at the idea of not eating travel food,” she answered.
“I’ll go down, see if I can have something brought up here,” he said, moving away from her, back still turned. She could see the definition of muscles in his back and on his shoulders. He wore soft, loose cotton pants that hung low on his hips. His clothes were draped over a chair set beside the fireplace, and he grabbed his trousers.
She caught just the smallest glimpse of him in profile, and then turned to give him privacy as he dressed, so glad she had an excuse to keep her face tilted away from him, because her cheeks were pink once again.
He was aroused.
She aroused him.
She was so delighted by the idea, she found herself smiling.
“Anything in particular you feel like for breakfast?” he asked, pulling his shirt over his head.
She lifted up a little on her elbows, letting him see the gleam in her eye and the fluster on her face. “Anything they have is good.”
He stared at her, rooted to the spot, and then shook his head, as if to clear it. “Got it.” He opened the door.
“Theo,” she called.
He paused in the doorway. “Yes.”
“Your boots.”
He looked down at his bare feet and shook his head again. Pointed a finger at her as if to say that was her fault.
She giggled, then slapped a hand over her mouth.
Had she ever giggled?
Maybe, when she was little. When it was just her and her father, and they had been somewhere safe.
He walked back, sat down and pulled on socks and boots in the quick, economical movements of a soldier, then left, locking the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, she remembered the listener at the wall, and her breathing sped up.
Was it just another guest, sitting up against their pillows and making a noise they weren’t aware of? Or was someone trying to spy on them?
She had to assume it was a spy.
She got up, found her bag, and walked behind the neck-high screen Peggy had put up around the bathtub. She changed out of the cotton pants and tunic she had slept in, into thick trousers, a clean shirt and her usual boots.
There was a quick, single knock at the door and then Theo unlocked it and stood in the doorway, his eyes widening a little at the sight of her behind the screen.
“It’ll be easier to go down,” he said. “They’re so busy in the tap room, the food will be cold by the time they bring it up.”
“I’m ready.” She stepped out, and her gaze went back to the wall. “How many visitors are staying at the inn? I know I was probably told last night, but I don’t remember.”
“You were pretty tired.” Theo stepped back into the hallway, and his gaze flicked to the door next to theirs. “There was a traveler who left early this morning, so it’s just ourselves and someone who came in even later than we did.” He tilted his head to the left, indicating the room next door. “Peggy says they’re headed to Illoa, too.”
“So all the patrons they’re dealing with downstairs are locals, then?” she asked, walking past him so he could lock up behind her.
“Must be,” Theo agreed. His gaze flicked again to the door beside theirs, and then he held out an arm for her to take as they reached the stairs.
She smiled as she took it. “I’m not quite so decrepit this morning as I was last night. Although I’m still stiff.”
“I like your hand on my arm,” he said simply.
She tightened her grip, and he reached over to brush his fingers over her wrist before they took the stairs.
It was packed in the tap room, but Peggy had kept their little nook for them—probably the benefit of being an actual guest of the inn— and as soon as they had taken a seat, she plied them with food and hot tea.
They had just started to eat when a man came down the stairs. He looked prosperous, and slightly thickset, but his eyes were small and dark, darting toward them as soon as he reached the tap room, and then away to where Peggy was dealing with customers at the bar.
He turned away from them and went to speak to Peggy, then followed her over to them.
Melodie could guess what was coming. There was no other table to sit at.
“Do you mind sharing the table with a fellow guest?” Peggy asked, and one of her workers brought a third chair over. “This is Kandra Gus.”
“Not at all.” Theo smiled, friendly and affable.
She needed to be the same.
After they’d introduced themselves, Kandra Gus sat down and they waited politely until he had food and drink himself before they continued eating their own.
“Peggy told me you’re headed for Illoa,” Gus said.
Melodie sent him a beaming smile, and wondered if he was the magic user they were looking for. Theo didn’t have a clear memory of what he looked like, but whoever it was would know Theo. He had spelled him into a goat, after all. If Kandra Gus was their enemy, he would know they were lying no matter what she said, so she didn’t worry about it.
“Eventually,” she said.
“Oh, I thought you were on your way today?” Gus paused with a spoonful of scrambled eggs on his fork.
“Theo promised me some time out of the saddle.” Melodie sent the same sunny smile to Theo, and he returned it like a love-sick swain. “I can barely move. So we’re resting today and tomorrow, at least, just to get the use of my muscles back.”
“I see.” Gus looked between them. “Haven’t you been traveling from Taunen? I think that’s what Peggy told me?”
In other words, haven’t you already had a lot of time in the saddle? Melodie thought. It was a good question.
She smiled again. “Our cart overturned and broke. Unfixable.” She lifted her shoulders sadly. “We had to sell so much of our stock in the small village where it happened, because we obviously couldn’t transport it, but we were so looking forward to seeing Illoa, we decided to press on anyway. But I’d forgotten how long it’s been since I was in a saddle instead of sitting on a cart bench. I’m reminded now, though.” She gave a wince as she shifted in her chair. “Brutal.”
“Are you headed off today?” Theo asked him politely. “And are you traveling on from Illoa into Kassia?”
“I have some business in Warven, so it depends how long it takes me to get it done.” Gus scraped the last food off his plate. “I might see you tonight, or I might not.”
“Well, happy travels.” Melodie smiled at him, taking a slow, unhurried sip of her tea.
He gave a nod, pushed his chair back, pulled something out of his pocket, and threw it at Theo.
It lifted up, a golden net so gossamer light it floated upward on an air current and hovered, suspended for a moment. Melodie jumped up, leaped onto her chair, got her hand above it, and shoved it back down at Kandra Gus.
He stared at her, slacked-jawed, and she realized he didn’t know what she had done. Perhaps couldn’t even see what he’d thrown at Theo very well. When it floated down and settled on his head, he sat back down on his chair in a slump.
“Melodie.” Theo stood, angling out of the nook and putting a hand on Kandra Gus’s shoulder to stop him getting up.
“It’s all right.” She kept her voice soft. “He’s not going anywhere. Question is, does he have a helper, because if that had landed on you, how would he have taken us both?”
“Had what landed on me?” Theo’s gaze swept the tap room.
“The net.” Melodie inched out herself. “See anyone suspicious?”
“Maybe.” His gaze locked on someone close to the side door, and as Melodie got free of the table, she caught the back view of a woman, pushing the doors open and escaping outside.
“I’ll get her. Can you bring him with you to the stables?” Theo was already moving.
“Yes.” Melodie was careful not to touch the net. “Come now, Gus, let’s go outside. Follow me.”
He stood compliantly and did exactly as she asked. The crowd had thinned since the breakfast rush and it was easy enough to take the exit closest to the stables.
As they walked to the door, she checked the patrons to see if they were watching the drama, but either no one had been looking their way, or they didn’t think it that strange.
Once they’d made it outside, she blinked against the brightness of the sun. Despite the cloudless day, the air was cool, and she shivered a little after the warmth of the inn. She needed her jacket or at least a vest over her shirt.
Gus stumbled on the uneven cobbles, and she took his arm, leading him to the large, well-built stables set along the side of the inn.
“Here.” Theo’s voice came from around the corner of the building, and Melodie steered Gus along with her, and found Theo holding a woman up against the back wall, completely out of sight of the courtyard between the stables and the inn.
“So, you and Kandra Gus are a team?” Melodie said. “What’s your name?”
The woman was thin, wiry, and older than Melodie had originally thought. About the same age as Gus himself. The clothes she wore looked a little more worn than Gus’s and she looked less sleek and prosperous.
“Name’s Nena, and we’re not a team.” The woman spat to the side. “He pays me, and tries to undercut the final amount. That’s how things work between us.”
“And what was he paying you to do today?” Theo asked.
“To grab her.” Nena nodded to Melodie. “He said he would have you under control, and would lead you outside, and I was to bring the woman along, and pretend like we were going to help you.” She lifted one shoulder. “Looks like you managed to turn the tables on him.”
“Looks like,” Melodie agreed.
There was a beat of silence, and Nena’s eyes moved from Gus to Theo to her, and she looked frightened.
“I know he meant you harm. I’m not stupid. But he pays me, and I need the money. I know you got no cause to feel friendly toward me, but if I tell you what I know, will you let me go?”
“Depends if, after you tell us what you know, we believe you.” Theo sounded as grim as an executioner.
Nena hesitated, then gave a nod, her eyes sliding over and over to Gus, as if she couldn’t believe his demeanor.
He stood, smiling slightly, swaying a little in place, but otherwise completely placid.
“Gus here comes through Warven at least twice a month, sometimes more. I live just outside town, and he’s used me a few times to help him.” Her eyes darted away, and Melodie wondered what that help had entailed. “He takes his orders from someone who lives nearby, and he comes and goes between Taunen and Illoa, and sometimes even further, for whoever it is he works for. He buys things or collects things, and drops them off. And every now and then, he does something a little more hands on than just delivering packages.”
“Like this time,” Theo said.
She gave a nod. “He arrived very late last night, to tell me to be at the inn early, and I was to have breakfast in the tap room and wait for him to give me the signal.”
“Where would you have taken us?” Melodie asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been to the big boss’s house,” she said. “Gus calls him Marchant. He lives down the road from me. At least, I think he does. But then, this place was always a little muddled, you know? I’ve felt more myself since yesterday evening than I have for a while.”Nena rubbed at her arms. “A lot of people are feeling that. I heard the talk this morning in the tap room.”
“How long have you had this arrangement with Kandra Gus?” Melodie asked.
“Three years,” she said, and there was a depth of bitterness to her voice that told Melodie she had hated every minute of those years.
“He short-changes you, you said?” Theo asked.
“Yes, but it’s not just that . . .”
“You don’t like the work,” Melodie said. “So why did you do it?”
Nena looked down. “I just haven’t been able to think straight for the last few years. Everything just stopped working for me on my smallholding. There’s something wrong with me. I keep forgetting what I need to do, and things went to ruin. Gus offered me a way to keep myself from having to sell up.”
Melodie felt a little spike of excitement. “Where is your place?”
“Just outside of town, up into the forest a little way, to the right.” She pointed over the field that was fenced off behind the stables, toward the woods. “It’s a road that leads nowhere. Maybe it used to be a shortcut to Sk?ddar, but it wasn’t maintained, and now it’s quicker to take the Taunen road and then branch off further to the north.” She waved in a north westerly direction. Put her arm down. “So, can I go?”
Theo released her. “Yes.”
She stepped away, unsure if they meant it, but when neither of them made any move toward her, she gave a dip of her head and ducked around the corner. Melodie could hear her boots jogging away on the cobbles.
“What’s wrong with him?” Theo asked, jerking his chin at Gus.
“He tried to throw a net of compliance over you. I tossed it back over him.” Melodie turned her attention to Gus. “He’ll do whatever we ask.”
Theo studied Gus, and Melodie saw the horror on his face. “That would have been me?”
She nodded. “He will answer truthfully, though. Which is good, because Marchant obviously knows who we are, or very clearly suspects us, or he wouldn’t have sent these two to grab us. That net is magically valuable. I’ve only seen something like it once in my life before.”
“But it’s gone wrong for him.” There was satisfaction in Theo’s voice. “We have Gus. And the net.”
She nodded.
Gus started walking to the fence, and Melodie gently grabbed him by the arm and led him back. “Lean against the stable wall and enjoy the sun,” she told him, and he did it with a smile.
“So, who do you work for?” Theo asked him, leaning against the wall beside him.
If anyone came around the corner, they’d look like three weary travelers, enjoying the sunshine and the green fields.
“Marchant,” he whispered, then tapped the side of his nose. “I’ve never seen his face.” Gus turned his hand palm up. “He always meets me just past Nena’s farm, and he wears a covering over his face, a hat, and long, flowing clothes.”
Probably less to hide his face and more because the confusion spell blew in that direction when the wind was right, Melodie guessed. And their man couldn’t afford to ever have a foggy thought.
“You’ve never seen him?” Melodie was skeptical. “How did he come to hire you?”
“I was boasting a little in the inn on my way through a couple of years ago. Went on my way the next day, and he came up to me when I was sitting around my camp fire on the way to Taunen.”
“Covered up?” Theo asked.
“Maybe.” Gus shrugged. “He kept behind me, touching my neck with the tip of a knife. Told me he’d pay me well, but he expected quick service and no lies.” He shrugged again. “He has paid me well. It’s been a good deal.”
“So when he says go throw a net of compliance over someone in the inn, you do it?” Theo asked.
“I was a bit nervous today, truth be told.” Gus looked more awake than he had since the conversation began. “Usually you won’t believe what I can get away with here, because everyone’s wondering around half-asleep. But today, everyone was so clear-eyed.”
“So, being so aware and clear-eyed, we turned the tables on you.” Melodie liked that he’d come up with his own story about how they’d bested him. “What happens now?”
“I’ll have to go tell him I failed.” Gus slumped against the wall, back bent, head bowed.
“It’s okay,” Melodie consoled him. “It wasn’t your fault that everyone is more awake now.”
“That’s true.” Gus gave a grateful nod. “I could tell last night already, and it was only more obvious this morning. I’ve never seen the tap room so lively and so full.”
“When did your boss tell you to watch us?” Theo asked.
“He hires a man to watch the road into town.” Gus waved a hand the way they’d come in the night before. “He said two people came in with very good horses.”
“You were nearby?” Melodie asked. She was impressed if Marchant had a way to contact Gus from afar.
“I always go straight to the meeting spot, just past Nena’s place, when I have a new delivery, like I did yesterday. I ring the bell he leaves there. It has to be magical because he wouldn’t be able to hear it, otherwise. If he doesn’t come after about a half hour or so, I leave whatever I have for him in a box to the side.”
“But he came last night?” Theo asked.
“He was already there. I passed the watchman on my way. Marchant told me to get Nena to help me, and to grab you both, and deliver you tonight.”
“You think it’s a half hour walk for him from his house to the clearing?” Melodie asked.
“That’s the usual time.” Gus shrugged. “Sometimes longer, but never less.”
“Well, Gus, what you’re going to do now is go back to your room and have a good rest. We’ll call you when it’s time to go ring the bell.”
“A rest?” Gus’s eyes teared up. “That would be nice.”
They walked back to the inn with Gus, let him go up the stairs before they did, and then followed him up.
He was standing looking at the door, as if trying to work out how to open it.
“Do you have the key?” Melodie asked.
He dug in his pocket and pulled it out, showed it to her.
Theo took it from him, unlocked the door, and nudged him in. “Go lie down and rest.”
Then Theo locked the door behind him and slid the key into his own pocket.
“What now?” Melodie asked.
Theo couldn’t leash his excitement. “Now we do some reconnaissance.”