Veiled Innocence (Book One, The Soul Cycle) (40 page)

“
Was
a knight’s lady
,” Rowan
corrected
. He glanced over his shoulder. “She had to dismiss her servants not long after her husband’s death. They had some small fortune, but with the country’s economic decline and the increase in property taxes…”

“No wonder she looks so ragged,” Lian murmured. They had to help her; there had to be some way. “Does she not have any money at all?”

“She sold most of their livestock, and she can sew,” Rowan said. “She tailors and keeps a small garden, but that is all the income she can obtain.”

Lian glanced at Vishka, who appeared to not be paying attention. 

“What are you thinking about?” Lian asked. Her
eyes were already blurring as sleep tried to take over
,
making Vishka shift
in and out of focus.

Vishka turned to look at her. Her face was blank. “Nothing and everything.”

“You’re thinking about Orris, aren’t you?” Lian said softly. At the mention of his father, Rowan’s face tightened.

“Perhaps,” Vishka said.

“Do you want to go after him?” Rowan said suddenly.

Vishka paused. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll find us. Now that he knows what Lianora is.”

Before Lian could ask, Lady Mardon knocked on the door. “Your bath has been drawn.” 

Lian wanted to question Vishka, but she couldn’t ignore the bubble of excitement at finally being clean. Without saying another word, she eagerly
,
but sleepily
,
followed Lady Mardon out of the room.   

She wanted to stay in the bath forever, to lose herself to the luxury of hot water, but she knew Vishka might appreciate it if the water was still warm. She was a little surprised and delighted to find her skin had tanned beneath all the mud and grime. On the flipside, her hair was bleached out from sun exposure and was now whiter than ever.
Oh, well. At least I have some contrast now instead of being one solid color from head to toe.
 

When Lian returned to the room, Vishka was gone
,
and two folded nightgowns
lay
on the bedside table. Lian picked one up, and after fussing with her dress for a few minutes, managed to pull off the ruined ball gown and slipped into the cotton shift. 

She walked over to the bed and ran her fingers along the sheets.

“You should get some rest while you can.”

Lian jumped and whirled around to find Vishka standing in the doorw
ay, fully clothed in her armor, which also looked cleaner.
Her hair was wet and knotted at the nape of her neck. “That seemed awfully fast,” Lian said, sitting down on the bedside with her heart hammering in her chest. 

Vishka ignored her and crossed the room to the window. She folded her arms, the shadows hiding her face. “You never know when you may find peace,” she said. “Enjoy it while you can.” 

Lian eyed her strangely.
Did she never tire? Maybe she doesn’t sle
ep. Perhaps it’s part of being an I
mmortal.  

“Right,” Lian said, lying back on the sheets. They had small holes
,
and
though
the nightgown made her skin itch, they felt luxurious after sleeping on the ground in her grimy dress. 

“
Enjoy it while you can.
”

A chill ran through her
,
and she pulled the sheets to her chin. Then she rolled over onto her side
,
and the last thing she remembered was the sadness in Vishka’s eyes as she stared off into memories too dark for Lian to fathom. 

Plan

THE NEXT MORNING OVER
a breakfast of eggs, bread, and berries, Lian relayed the events after the fire, leading up to them finding Lady Mardon’s cottage. She decided to omit the fact the Dracor was actually Rowan’s father and the Gold Knight of Accalia.

Lady Mardon sat in awed silen
ce as she let it all sink in.
At last, she shook her head. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought…” She massaged her temples and sighed. “If this Lord Winter you speak of tells the truth, then we are all in grave danger.”

“It must be stopped at any cost,” Vishka said curtly, leaning toward Lady Mardon. “Until we know exactly what we’re dealing with and who we can trust, you
must not
speak a word of this. Do you understand?”

Lady Mardon nodded, a grim look on her face. “Do you know where this great evil is? If it’s even a person?”

Lian groaned. “No, we don’t. Or at least, I don’t.” She jerked her finger at Vishka. “She does, or so I believe.”

Vishka regarded her with cold eyes. “In case you didn’t hear me the first time, I
cannot
tell you.”

Lian slammed her fist down on the table. “Quit playing games with us! How are we supposed to trust you if you won’t tell us what we’re up against!
Maybe you’re the great darkness.
”

“That’s impossible.”

Every head turned to Rowan. “How do you know?” Lian demanded.

“Because if she was
,
she would not have been able to set foot inside the Garden of Light,” he said calmly. “It is sacred.”

When Lian merel
y blinked, he went on irritably.
“The Dracor’s poisonous talons had tainted me with Darkness, and because of that
,
I couldn’t enter. Or at least, I couldn’t stay there as you two did.”

Lian stared at him. “That still doesn’t help.”

“Si
t down before you hurt yourself,
” Rowan
said with a wry smile, tugging
her back down to her seat. 

“I’m fine.” Lian swatted away his hand. She crossed her arms and scowled at the table. 

After a moment of tense silence, Lady Mardon said quietly, “We should find your people.”

Lian shook her head. She already had enough to think about. “Where would we start looking? It was complete and utter chaos that night. Accalians could be scattered across all of Asilee by now.”

“Then quit,” Vishka said. 

Lian stared at her incredulously. “Are you mad? I can’t do that!”

“Then stop feeling sorry for yourself and start thinking like a regent. Anything less is unworthy of the title.”

Lian bristled, on the brink of arguing with her when Vishka
stood and started to walk away.

“Wait.
Where are you going?” Lian rose halfway
from her chair.

Vishka didn’t even bother to glance back. “Away.” She disappeared up the stairs.   

Lian’s face
burned
.
I do not feel sorry for myself all the time. She’s being unfair. 

“Lady,” Rowan
said, looking at Lady Mardon, “d
o you have a map of Asilee, by chance?”

“Yes, er, though it may take me a moment to find it.” She rose from her chair and fluttered up the stairs, skirts rustling
around her boots
. 

Rowan eyed Lian warily. “
Are you
all right
?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“Don’t let Vishka get under your skin
. She’s just edgy from having to wait on us ‘mere mortals,’ I’ll bet.”

“Well, this ‘mere mortal’ is about to
box
her in the mouth.”

Rowan snorted
,
and Lady Mardon returned with a large roll of yellowed parchment. She spread it across the table, using a book to hold it down. 

“We’re here,” Rowan said, pointing to the southeast edge of Accalia’s border. “On the outskirts of Delkor.”

Lian’s brows furrowed as she tried to remember exactly where that was. “The City of the Sea. It’s also called that,
correct
?”

Rowan grinned. “Home of the best ship makers in all of Eresea. It’s one of the major trading hubs of the Eastern Sea.”

“No!” Lian’s face fell. “What if my people boarded ships there and have sailed far away from here by now? How are we supposed to find them all then?”

“Lian.” Rowan’s voice was gentle. “You can’t move the entire mountain at once. You have to start one shovel at a time. It may take weeks, maybe months, but we’ll find them.” He tapped Delkor’s spot on the map. “This is as good a place to start as any.”

Lian chewed on her lip and drummed her fingers along the table. “You’re right. I should’ve seen…” Her face lit up. “We should go there tomorrow!” She looked to Lady Mardon so quickly the woman jumped. “How long will it take to get there from here?”

“Uh, that is, well, it’s less
than an hour by horseback, my L
ady.”

“That’s perfect!” Lian
leapt
from her seat, nearly toppling it backward. “We can easily walk.”

Lady Mardon stood. “Oh, please take my horse. I barely have use for it as it is, and –”

“Dear lady, don’t be absurd. We’re not taking your only horse. We’ll be fine. Rowan, pack your things. We leave for Delkor at first light!” 

Before Rowan could protest, Lian all but skipped out of the room.

Revelation

DAWN CAME EARLY, OR
at least it felt that way because Lian’s excitement was so great
. 

Lady Mardon had brought them all clean changes of clothes. “You’re about my size. Well, when I wasn’t pregnant,” she said, laying a teal dress in front of Lian. 

Lian inspected it, and while it was very pretty
,
she couldn’t bear the thought of traipsing through the countryside in another horrid dress. When she requested a pair of men’s riding breeches and a tunic, Lady Mardon gave her a strange look but didn’t protest. She returned a few minutes later with a pair of deep green pants, a cream-colored blouse, and brown ankle boots. Lian had thanked her and beamed at the clothes. She couldn’t have asked for a more perfect outfit. 

Lady Mardon offered a gown of deep purple to Vishka, who
instantly
refused to wear it. “I am perfectly comfortable with what I have on,” she said, folding her arms across her leather chest-plate. She ushered Lady Mardon away
,
and Lian looked
at Vishka and
chuckle
d
.
Although
Vishka
didn’t laugh
with her, her mouth rose in the faintest hint of a smile.

The sun’s early rays hit Lian’s face as she stepped outside,
with
Rowan and Vishka
close
behind. Lian lifted an arm to shield her eyes. She looked down the path, first right,
and
then left.

“There,” Rowan said, pointing to the right. “We want to go northeast.”

“Here, before you leave.” Lady Mardon glided onto the path. “
These are a
few things for your journey.”

She presented them with an armful of packages in various shapes and sizes. They each took a parcel and peeled back the wax paper. Lian was astonished.
S
labs of cheese and bread, flasks of water and wine, and an assortment of used but sturdy daggers
lay before them
.

“Lady Lianora.”

Lian turned her attention to Lady Mardon. “Yes?”

“I’m told you are skilled with a bow. My late husband was also an archer. I want you to have this.” She held out a bow-shaped cloth. 

“Who told you that?” Lian asked. It wouldn’t surprise her in the least to learn Lady Mardon could read minds, not with everything she had seen and experienced these past few days.

Lady Mardon inclined her hea
d to Rowan. “He did, of course, a
fter you’d gone upstairs last night.
He says you’re quite skilled.
”

Lian looked at Rowan in surprise. “Yes
,” Lian said, taking the bow, “b
ut I couldn’t possibly accept this. It was your husband’s.”

Lady Mardon shook her head. “Please. He would be honored
, as would I
.”

Lian graciously took the bow and slung the quiver over her shoulder. She lifted the cloth and gasped. The bow was beautiful, with flowers and suns carved along its shaft and along the rim of
the quiver. The white grain had been
worn smooth in places, and she suddenly didn’t feel so alone. She smiled. “Thank you. For everything,” she added. 

Lady Mardon curtsied
. “It’s
the least I
can
do to repay you.” She looked up the path. “The sun will be getting high if you don’t hurry along. Go on, off with you. And have a pleasant journey.”