In Her Shadow(18)

"Oh my."

Was her surprise genuine? Dux Lucius didn't care. "'Oh my,' indeed. And though he wasn't alone, only he assaulted me. The others, shall we say, faded into the night."

The Abbess of Night's face vanished in the darkness. "This happened?"

"Now who is accusing who of being dishonest?"

There followed silence. He stood, alone in the dark, the only sound his own breath as he counted each inhale and exhale in even, calming beats. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"You know there is."

"You didn't know about it."

Silence.

"You didn't know about it, and you know everything that happens in the city."

More silence.

"Someone has done something outside your control and you're angry."

More silence.

Dux Lucius took a step forward, chest out and chin high. "This city is changing, sliding out from between your fingers and you can do nothing to stop it."

"Enough!" Her voice rattled the floorboards.

"What are you going to do? Send men to kill me?" He stopped himself before going any further. That last sentence had been a mistake, and he knew it as soon as it escaped his lips. "I apologize," he said. "That was uncalled for. I'm not here to make an enemy of you, Abbess of Night."

"Oh? And then why are you here?"

"To make an ally of you."

"We're already allies."

Dux Lucius shook his head. "No, we're not. We're at peace, but we're not allies."

"Then what do you suggest?"

Now it was his turn to remain silent as he tossed around in his mind for something solid.

"You haven't thought this through, have you?"

"No."

"You're an honest man, at least."

"Thank you."

"This is not a city for honest men."

"It will be, Abbess of Night. That's why I've come here. Whether you like it or not – whether I'm here or some other Dux or Governor – the darkness that infests Ankshara is fading. You have a choice: help us and retain some semblance of your power, or be blinded when the empire banishes the last of this city's shadows."

"Is that all?" the Abbess of Night asked.

"For now."

"Then leave." But there was no harshness to her words. Perhaps she too sought to control her emotions, at least in this diplomatic instance where revealing her true feelings might give Lucius an edge. It was hard to say.

"As you wish," he said with a curt bow of the head. As he stepped out of the room, he found Weboshi standing off to the side. Had she been eavesdropping? A paranoid thought. Most likely she was the Abbess of Night's handmaid, always on hand to do whatever her abbess commanded. "Can you point me to where Britta might be?" he asked her, thinking it a poor diplomacy to stop by and not call on his future wife.

Weboshi's jaw clenched. "I can point you out."

"Hm. I can find my way out."

And he did.





Chapter 8


Britta wasn't sure it was him at first, as she leaned against the window staring out into the darkness.

"What was he doing here?" she asked herself in a little whisper.

"Hm?"

Britta turned as Weboshi set a tray of food down on her table. "Dux Lucius. I just saw him leaving."

"Yes, he met with the Abbess of Night. Showed him there myself."

"I wonder what they met about."

"I couldn't say."

"Did he ask about me?"

"No," said Weboshi as she uncovered the tray of food. "Eat."

Which Britta dutifully did, bite by bite, slowly, not really tasting the food as she chewed.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I mean, I understand why he'd want to meet with her. I thought, though. . ." Britta sighed and shook her head.

"'Thought' what, New Moon?"

"The Abbess gave me a speech last night about leadership and learning to do things my own way. I thought – since he's to be my husband – she would have sent Dux Lucius to me to deal with." Britta pushed the tray away from her. "The Goddess wants me to lead in my own way? That's just what I'll do." She snatched her cloak from its rack next to the door and threw it over her shoulders.

"Where are you going?"

"To catch Dux Lucius and talk with him."

"What?" Weboshi shook her head, eyes down. "New Moon, you mustn't."

"Why? Because it's dangerous? We both know that isn't true. I proved that last night."

"New Moon–"

"What?"

"Dux Lucius was attacked last night."

"I know. I was there."

"You don't understand, New Moon. He was attacked a second time, by assassins."

Britta cracked the door. "All the more reason for me to go to him."

"No." Weboshi grabbed Britta's arm.

"What is your problem, Weboshi?"

"Just because you stopped a group of muggers doesn't mean you'll stop a group of assassins."