Jinaari ushered Thia through the door to The Green Frog, anxious to get away from the freezing rain that had started to fall. “Head up,” he told her. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
She nodded, her face still showing the concern it’d worn since Tomil left her office. He watched her disappear up the stairs before scanning the room. Caelynn was on stage, playing for the crowd. Inclining his head toward the staircase, he waited for her to nod in response. He tried to find Adam, but the warlock wasn’t at any of the tables.
“Where’s Adam?” he asked Wilim as he approached the bar.
The man mopped up some water with a rag. “Upstairs, I believe. Said he wanted to do some studying tonight.” He placed a mug full of ale in front of Jinaari.
“Thanks,” he said, grabbing at the handle of the tankard. Turning, he surveyed the room again. Lukas and a few other paladins sat at a table near the stage. “Their next round is on me,” he told Wilim as he placed some coins on the bar before heading to the group.
“Lukas,” he said in greeting as he got closer.
“Jinaari Althir. We are honored, brother. Please, have a seat with us.”
Pulling out a chair, he sat down. “Next round is on me. It’s already paid for, so don’t argue.”
One of the paladins laughed. “Thank Garret there’s no prohibition against drinking.”
Jinaari joined in the laughter, then turned toward Lukas. “Got a favor to ask.”
“Whatever you need,” he said, “just let us know.”
“I’ve got to leave the city. I may not be back until close to Tallachan. If you can, I’d feel better if you station a guard or two outside of Thia’s office at the cloister. Possibly one in the room, if she allows it. I don’t want her going anywhere without an armed escort.”
Lukas’s eyes narrowed. “She’s the Daughter of Keroys, Jinaari. That woman’s got more power in her pinky than all of us combined. What threat could we possibly protect her from?”
“The kind that involves a knife in her back, for starters,” Jinaari replied. “Yes, she’s powerful. She’s also naïve and doesn’t read threats like we do.” He grew serious. “I’ll rest better on my journey knowing my brothers are watching her back.”
“Then let your rest be untroubled, brother,” Lukas nodded. “At least, on this matter. When do you leave?”
“By tomorrow morning. Gives you time to sober up.” Jinaari rose. “Enjoy the round,” he said before turning around and walking up the stairs.
Activating the panel, he walked into the common room they shared. Adam, Caelynn, and Thia all looked toward him.
“What’s going on?” the warlock asked.
Removing his cloak, he threw it across the back of one of the chairs. “How much did you tell them, Thia?” he asked as he unbuckled his sword belt and leaned the weapon against the wall.
“Only what you told me, which wasn’t much.” Irritation tinged her words.
“Adam, do you know of any passages into and out of Helmshouse? Ones I could use if I wanted to enter unseen, and bring someone back out?” Jinaari asked as he sat down.
He blinked. “Several, actually. You’ll never find them yourself, though. The tubes are designed for warlocks to use. Unless you’ve got one of us with you, you’ll wander aimlessly. Might even end up back on the surface and have an avalanche bury you. Again.” He paused, sitting back in his chair. His hands were folded in front of him. “You’re going after Amara, aren’t you?”
Jinaari nodded. “I have to. The only way to squash the rumor about Thia and Tomil is to bring Amara back here in time for their wedding. We’ve got two months, but I don’t want to be gone that long.”
“I can transport us with my staff to Raven’s Pass. It’s going to take us two weeks of navigating the tubes to find her, and as long back out. But that pass is rarely used any more. Too treacherous, especially this time of the year.”
“All right. We’ll leave as soon as we’re ready. Caelynn,” he turned toward the elf, “I talked with Lukas downstairs. He’s going to make sure there’s an armed escort everywhere you and Thia go. Unless you’re both here,” he pointed to the floor, “she’s not to be left alone. For any reason.”
“I’m going with you,” Thia said.
Shaking his head, he looked at her. “You can’t. You promised Tomil you’d be there to receive the delegates from Byd Cudd. They’ll be here before we can get back.”
She stared at him, and he saw anger flash over her face. “I’ll send a note to Tomil, explain that I can’t—”
“No, you won’t,” he told her firmly. “He needs you more than we do.” Before he could say anything else, she rose and stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her.
“I think tomorrow morning, first light, is best,” Adam said. His words were measured, and Jinaari looked at his friend. Something wasn’t right. “I’ll need daylight to find the entrance, and I don’t relish sleeping outside in a blizzard.”
“Fine.”
Caelynn stood up. “I’m going back downstairs to play.” Jinaari saw her look at Adam and whisper something. Walking past him, she shook her head before saying, “Be careful. She’ll kill both of you if one of you lets the other get hurt.” She activated the portal and left.
“She’ll talk to Wilim, make sure there’s food for us by the morning.” Adam rose. “I think I’ll head to bed.”
“I’ll check my armor, then do the same.”
His friend coughed. “I think you need to smooth things over with Thia more than to see if there’s a missed speck of rust on your gauntlets.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ve been around you long enough to understand that once you have a task, you focus on it. The expectation has always been you would make the plan, I help execute it. She doesn’t know that,” he pointed to her door. “All she knows is that we get to go on a rescue mission and she’s being sidelined.”
“Tomil needs her to meet this peace delegation. They asked for her specifically. She agreed to do it.”
“If it wasn’t for that, would you take her along?”
Jinaari nodded. “Of course. Her and Caelynn both.”
“I think that’s what she needs to hear from you.”
“You think too much, Adam.”
The blonde man smiled. “You’ve told me that many times. Usually when I’m right.” He walked toward his room. “It’s your choice, my friend. However, I think it’s wise to make sure things are good between the two of you before we leave. If they’re not, she’s going to have weeks to nurse her resentment. And come up with creative ways to tell you she’s peeved when we get back.” He turned the knob of the door. “I’ll be ready at dawn.” Entering his room, he closed the door behind him.
Jinaari stared at it for a moment, then walked toward Thia’s room. Testing the knob, it turned silently under his hand. The latch made a barely audible click as it opened. Sliding into her room, he closed the door behind him.
She sat in a chair on the far side, staring at the illusionary sea on the wall. No matter how many times he’d seen it, it still impressed him. “Adam really outdid himself with that,” he said, pulling the other chair closer to her.
“He told me he wanted to get the details right, down to the smell of the saltwater air, because of everything bad I’d gone through down in Byd Cudd. He wanted to give me something beautiful when I woke up.” She sighed. “I’ve thanked him several times. It’s helped calm me down more times than I can count.”
“How are things with you?”
Her head snapped toward him; her lilac eyes were stone cold. “You’re leaving me behind while you go play the hero.” The words came out as a hiss. “How do you think I am?”
“I’d take you with me, you know. If Tomil didn’t need you.” He kept his voice low.
“I can send a note and get out of it,” her voice was steely. “They requested my presence, but I can decline. I don’t want to find out what politics are like down there now.”
“But it wouldn’t be right and you know it.”
“You and Adam are going to need me more than he does. I’ll be what? Sitting there, listening to people tell me about a culture I’ve never been part of and feigning interest so a treaty can get signed? One we both know can be broken by a perceived slight?” She shook her head, “No. Keroys didn’t give me the power he did to sit next to Tomil and be an advisor. He gave it to me to go out in the world and do things no one else can.” The words started coming out in a rush. “I’ve heard stories about Helmshouse, the creatures that guard it. You’ll need what I can do. Adam can’t heal nearly as well as I can. Nor can you. Let him stay behind and be the diplomat.”
“There’s nothing in those tunnels that my sword can’t kill, Thia. Adam was right that he needs to go. There are wards that only warlocks can take care of, and I’ll be able to pass as long as he’s with me. Those stories are meant to keep people afraid, keep them from snooping, that’s all.”
Her jaw clenched. She wasn’t convinced. “Then send him and Caelynn. Your sister knows Adam.”
“Thia, what is this really about? You’re grasping at straws. It has to be me, and Adam’s the only one that can get me in and out safely.”
She looked out toward the illusion. “I don’t trust her, Jinaari. Not like I do you and Adam. I’m anxious about this meeting and you’re deserting me. I’m not sure I can do this if you’re not there.”
“You can. And you will. Tomil will do all the talking, you probably won’t have to say a word. And what’s this about not trusting Caelynn?” He moved the chair in front of hers. “Alesso and the Barren ambushed all of us. None of us knew it was coming.” Reaching out, he took her hands in his. “You still trust me, right?”
Nodding, she said, “You know I do.”
“I wouldn’t leave you here, no matter what promise was made, if I didn’t think you’d be safe. I’ve already talked with Lukas. There’s going to be some of Garret’s Paladins with you everywhere you go. They won’t come up here, but you’ll know where they’re at.”
“With all that armor on? The entire city knows where your brothers are.” A small smile crept onto her face.
Good, she’s coming around. “We’re trained for battle, Thia, not sneaking into places. That’s Caelynn’s specialty. And one reason she needs to be with you.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s going to be in the room with you when you meet the delegates. She’ll be able to read them better than anyone, figure out how much of what they say is truth and how much is a lie. And she doesn’t want anything to happen to you. I’m certain she thinks of you as a sister, Thia. I know you’re cautious. Adam and I both earned your trust. Give Caelynn the same chance you gave us.”
She nodded, and he squeezed her hands reassuringly. “We won’t be gone long. It’s possible we’ll be back before they show up.”
“What if,” she swallowed, “things go wrong, though?”
“Not going to happen. We’ll go in, find Amara, and come back out. Soon as we’re clear of the tubes, Adam will bring us back here.”
“Damn your arrogance, Jinaari. Things can and have gone wrong before. Getting in may be easy, but I don’t think the warlocks are just going to let you saunter back out with your sister! If your mother sent her there for protection, they’re going to do just that. You’ll be chased as soon as she’s missed.” She shook her head. “I don’t like the odds.”
“They were worse going down to Byd Cudd. We all survived that.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” she whispered, looking down.
“Hey,” he said, raising her head so he could see her eyes. “You came out of it. It’s what needed to happen to receive what Keroys gave you, made us both admit something. That’s more than surviving.” She smiled, visibly relaxing. “Come on,” he said as he rose and held out his hand, “you need to eat something. Let’s go downstairs, have some dinner, and listen to Caelynn play. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lukas has a story or two that’ll make you laugh.”
She took his hand. “Lukas?”
“If he’s going to be keeping you safe while I’m gone, you should get to know him. And he needs to learn some things about you.” He held out a hand, silencing her protest. “I didn’t say you had to trust him, Thia. I know how long that takes. He’s had the same training as me and he needs to observe you. Learn how you move when you’re nervous. That sort of thing.”
“You want him to know my tells,” she stated.
Jinaari shrugged. “Pretty much. Not all of them,” he grinned at her. “Some are not for him to understand.”
Smiling back at him, she said, “Is he as arrogant, insufferable, and demanding as you are?”
“Not even close.” He led her from the room and down to the main part of the inn.
The room was full. Caelynn sat on the stage, her hands working the strings of her harp while she sang. Most of the guests were listening, with a few tables holding quiet conversations. Lukas and the others were where he’d left them. “Over there,” he pointed the table out to Thia. “Let’s go.”
As they approached, all four paladins rose. “Greetings, Daughter,” Lukas said, bowing stiffly.
“Mind if we join you?” Jinaari asked.
“Of course not. Please, sit,” he gestured to a pair of empty chairs. “Do you need something to eat? Drink?”
“Both, please.” Jinaari made sure Thia was settled before he sat down.
“Of course. Donovan will take care of it.” One of the other men left while Lukas sat down. “It’s an honor to dine with you, Daughter.”
“Please,” Thia’s voice was soft, “I’d rather you didn’t call me that. Not here, anyway.”
Lukas blinked, nodding. “If you wish. What should I call you, then?”
“Thia is fine.”
Jinaari cleared his throat. “Around here, we keep things less formal. Titles become cumbersome and can discourage us from getting to know each other better.”
“I’ll agree with that,” he replied. “My understanding is that all the official stuff happens elsewhere?”
“The cloister found a chamber that’s rarely used. One which makes it so people can come to me if they need healing, or help with a problem, and I can take care of them. It’s not large, and I’m trying to get it to feel more inviting, but it works,” Thia told him.
Lukas nodded. A plate appeared in front of Jinaari, and he started to cut into the roast beef. “She won’t be there much, though,” he said between bites. “Once the winter’s over, we’ll be on the move. Keroys didn’t give her the gift she has to sit in one place. There’s still plenty of monsters in Avoch.”
“Like your mother? Your brother?”
Reaching for his tankard, Jinaari leaned back in his chair. “What have you heard?”
“That one has gone crazy, and the other is egging her on. I hate to say this about your family, Jinaari, but you’re the sanest one of the bunch.”
He shook his head. “No. Amara is. She’s got a grasp of how to play politics that I never could duplicate. Or ever wanted to.”
“I’ve heard she’s in Helmshouse, under the protection of the Solar herself. A keep full of warlocks is bad enough. I don’t know anyone arrogant enough to try and get her out of there. Not without help.”
Jinaari smiled. “I imagine anyone who would attempt that would have to be certain they could pull it off.”
Lukas laughed, “Yes, they would. So, Thia?” He shifted his focus to her. “I hear you grew up in River Run. My parents moved there once I was an initiate, and I’ve visited it from time to time. It’s a beautiful area.”
“It was from what I remember, yes.” She paused. “I haven’t been back for so long. I’m not sure I’d recognize anything.”
“Where did you live? Was it in town or on a farm?”
“My father,” she coughed and reached for her mug. Jinaari watched her movements. She rarely spoke about her father, or the village. “My father and I lived just outside of town. We had a small house near a barn that he said was falling down when he moved there. I remember a large oak tree that sat between the two. He made a swing for me one summer and hung it from one of the branches.”
Lukas’s face grew sad. “I know the place. The house itself is gone. A fire gutted it before my family arrived. The barn’s been raided for lumber more than once. The swing is still there, on the branch.”
“I knew about the house.” She drew a deep breath, “Do you know if there’s any grave marker nearby for Bran Tannersson?”
“I know there’s a grave up there, but never went looking at the stone. Why?”
“My father died covering my escape with Father Philip. The villagers set the house on fire after they killed him. It was the last time I saw him.” Jinaari saw the sadness in her face briefly. “I couldn’t go back there and make sure he was laid to rest, and I’ve always wondered.”
“Donovan?”
The young man sat up straight in his chair. “Yes?”
“I want you to head to River Run at first light. Take your drawing kit. Find out if Thia’s father has been properly interred. Make a rubbing of the marker and bring it back to Thia.”
“And if it’s not him?”
Lukas glared at him. “Then do whatever you can to find his remains, put them to rest, and have the marker carved and put in place.”
“As you command.” The paladin rose and left the inn.
“That wasn’t necessary,” Thia started to protest. Jinaari reached out and put his hand on her arm, silencing her.
“Donovan’s new to the Order, Thia. Just made his vows a week past. He’s been itching for a mission of some kind. Anything, really, to prove himself in his own mind. We’re not all inherently arrogant like your friend here,” he nodded at Jinaari. “Most of us needed a small quest to take on in order to prove to ourselves we were worthy of calling ourselves one of Garret’s Paladins.”
Jinaari felt the tension leave Thia and drew back his hand. He tuned out the conversation, letting his gaze settle over the patrons in the bar. Many were regulars who came enough that he was starting to recognize them. They knew enough to leave Thia alone. The rest were enthralled with Caelynn’s song and ignored anyone beyond the bard.
“Hey, pretty lady!” A gruff voice brought Jinaari’s attention back to the table. A large man, almost his height, staggered toward their table. “Come dance with me!” His arm stretched out toward Thia.
Jinaari stood, his brothers rising just as quickly. “Thia?” His voice was low, and he didn’t take his eyes off of the drunk. “Do you feel like dancing?”
“No,” she whispered.
“Didn’t think so.” He motioned for her to move behind him. “The lady isn’t interested, my friend. I recommend you find another partner.”
A loud belch came from the man. “She ain’t never danced with me, and I don’t take no for an answer. Not from any woman.” He lurched forward, stumbling into one of the empty chairs.
Someone moved behind Jinaari, and he caught the slight glimpse of pink hair. “Get her upstairs, Caelynn.”
“What about you?” the bard asked.
Jinaari smiled. “I’m going to teach this boy some manners.”
The drunk squinted at him. “Did you just call me ‘boy’? I ain’t no whelp! I’ll beat you into the lap of whatever God you follow!”
“Please tell me you’ll let us educate him as well, my brother,” Lukas said as he came up next to him.
“I have no problem if you want to join in, but after the ladies are upstairs.” He moved around the table, keeping his gaze on his opponent. “This is your last chance, friend. You can leave, or you’re going to have a problem.”
The man roared, charging at the group while swinging wide with his right fist. Quickly, Jinaari blocked it before landing a punch against the drunkard’s jaw. He staggered back, shaking his head. One large hand went to his jaw. “Nobody hits me that don’t want to be flattened!” the man said.
Adrenaline surged through Jinaari’s veins. He knew Adam wouldn’t care if furniture got broken in a brawl, but that wasn’t the point. Not this time. The man advanced, raising his fists. “Let’s do this,” he muttered.
Five punches later, the man was on the ground, unconscious. Blood ran from his nose. “Damn it, Jinaari,” Lukas said. “You said we’d get to play.”
Turning, he smiled at the other paladin. “Next time, move faster. Otherwise, you get to clean up.” He nodded toward the stairs. “How fast did you have to talk to convince her to go up?”
“Not fast enough. She saw the one punch you let get through. Took two of us, plus the bard, to get her inside.”
Two more began to drag the drunk outside. Hopefully, he’d sober up enough to go home before it got too cold.
“He won’t freeze tonight, Jinaari,” Lukas continued. “I told them to put him on a wagon and take him to the chapterhouse. He’s going to do some manual labor and reflect on his behavior as soon as the sun rises.”
Laughing, Jinaari looked at Lukas. “That’s an excellent idea.” He turned toward the staircase. “I’m heading out at dawn, so I should get some rest myself. Thia is likely going to resist you being around at first. Don’t take it personally.”
“We won’t. We’re beholden to Garret, not Keroys. She will get the respect and courtesy she deserves, but we will do what we must to keep her safe.” He held out his hand, and Jinaari grasped it. “Do what you need to do, brother. May Garret keep you safe.”
“May Garret keep you safe, as well.” He walked toward the stairs.
“What do you think I’m in danger from?”
Jinaari paused on the small landing and looked over his shoulder. “I just need to get in and out of Helmshouse. You need to keep the Daughter of Keroys safe. Trust me, you’ve got the tougher mission.”