In Her Shadow(11)

The sailor with the booze dropped it to the ground, where it glug-glugged its contents onto the street. His club dropped an instant after. "Please," he said as he held both hands up to her. "Please, I have a family. I'm sorry. We're sorry. Right?"

The other sailor trembled in silence until his companion tapped him. "Yeah," he said. "We're sorry."

Britta swept her arm out, pointing to the docks. "Then go. Return to where you belong, and perhaps I won't tell the Abbess of Night." The words barely passed from her lips before the two sailors broke and ran, vanishing in the darkness without looking back.

Britta's knees wobbled. Palms clammy despite the sweat pouring from her forehead, she hadn't realized how scared she was until it was over. But why should that be? She and Lucius were never in any real danger. She'd just proven it. "Power waning?" she said to Dux Lucius as he sheathed his sword. Had he noticed her moment of weakness afterward? She couldn't tell. Did it matter?

"Let's get you home," he said.

***

Returning through the city streets by himself was much easier without company. He could dart from shadow to shadow, avoiding any entanglements like he'd encountered earlier with his chattering bride-to-be trailing behind him. She was beautiful, no doubt. No one back home would complain he'd been forced to marry an old mare, but did she ever shut up? Worse was the embarrassment she'd caused him with those sailors. Though he preferred to avoid a fight, being shown up by a woman was not an acceptable way to do so. He was half-way tempted to go down to the docks, find the men, and kill them before they could spread word of his humiliation.

But that was anger speaking, irrational and consuming. His walk back to the Governor's manse allowed him to contemplate what had happened, put it in perspective. What purpose would it serve to kill them? Revenge was a ridiculous and dangerous notion, especially given there was no way those men knew who he was. For all they knew, they'd had an encounter with an imperial soldier, and that's it. They had no idea he was the Dux, commander of the Regnal garrison.

Then why did it bother him so much?

It was her.

Those sailors didn't know who they were dealing with, but Britta did. She knew who he was, and even if she hadn't meant to, she had been witness to his failure. That wasn't all there was to it, though. No, he wasn't that irrational, even at his angriest. There was something deeper to his frustration: guilt. Guilt for finding her attractive. Guilt for being impressed at her bravery. Guilt for escorting her home personally instead of having the Governor's household guard do it.

On that last point, Lucius forgave himself. It had taken all of eventide for him him to realize they were totally incompetent. Finding the guard house still empty upon his return proved that. He rattled the manse's gate. At least someone had thought to lock it. Lucius thought about shouting for someone, but something about the situation set his battle-honed instincts on edge. For the second time tonight, his hand slipped to the hilt of his sword. Something shuffled behind him. Dux Lucius swiveled, yanking his sword free in one smooth motion. It swung out, slicing through the darkness. His hands registered the sensation of blade striking meat before his eyes did.

A man in a mask stood behind him, knife out, the front of his shirt soaking in blood. The man gurgled once, then fell to his knees as his blood painted the pavement scarlet in sheets. Forms in the darkness scattered down alleys, away from the dying man. Dux Lucius put his back against the gate, sword out, and waited.





Chapter 5


"How was he?" Weboshi asked as she helped Britta out of her cloak.

Britta sighed and shook her head.

"That bad?"

"A real cold fish."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Weboshi. She hung the cloak up on a rack near the door and, brush in hand, went to work on Britta's hair. "I wouldn't worry about it too much, though."

"No?"

"No. Here, don't look so down. Was he at least handsome?"

"He is, or would be if he had any sort of expression to his face."

Weboshi caught a tangle in the brush. Britta squirmed as the handmaid tried to work through it. "Was there anything good about him?"

"Well, he was brave."

"Oh? How so?"

"Two men tried to attack us."

Weboshi stopped halfway through the stroke of her brush. "What?"

"Two men tried to attack us. Rob us. Dux Lucius was ready to fight but–"

"Didn't they recognize you?"

"Let me finish." Britta sighed as Weboshi went back to brushing her hair. "I didn't have my cloak on. Too hot, you see. So when I threw it on, they ran away."

"Troubling."

"Troubling seems like an understatement."

Weboshi grinned the thin-lipped smile that had warmed Britta's heart and soothed her aches since childhood. "Put a robe on," she said. "The sun's not up yet and the Abbess of Night wished to speak with you."

Britta did as she was bid, choosing something light and comfortable, not interested in the clunky cape she'd spent most of the night absorbed in. She and Weboshi walked together until they came to the Abbess's door. Weboshi stopped Britta to wipe a bit of lint from her shoulder. "When you go in," she said, "don't mention the muggers."