In Her Shadow(44)

Valex's heart jerked again. By disarming herself, she'd disarmed him too. He sighed. "No. But this is important, it really is – Not for the Dux but for your Abbess."

"I don't know why I should."

Valex held the letter out to her. She took it, unfolded it, and scanned the words. She folded the letter back up and stuffed it into the belt cinched around her waist. "I'll give it to her personally."

"You can do that?"

"Yes," said the girl. "I'm her heiress and handmaid. I am the New Moon."

Valex's mouth bobbed. Before he could say anything, the sounds of shuffling and women chattering came from outside the kitchen. The New Moon grabbed Valex's hand and pulled him towards a nearby wall. She slid a panel in the wall open and stepped through, Valex in tow. She's holding my hand, she's holding my hand was all he could think as she led him through a passage that deposited them out another hidden panel in the yard behind the abbey.

"Wow," he said. "Neat."

"Forget you ever saw it," she said. She turned from him and started back inside.

"Uh–"

She stopped. "Yes?"

"You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen," he said.

The New Moon's expression was as inscrutable as the Dux's. "You'd better go before anyone notices you. I'll get your letter to the Abbess."

"Thank you."

"Go," she said.

And he went.





Chapter 21


Britta wasn't sure what to do. They had business to attend to, but if she could stand over him all night, watching him and his little girl cuddled together on the bed, she would. Dux Lucius rolled slightly, shifted in his spot. Britta stepped silently backwards into the shadows.

"I know you're there," said Dux Lucius without opening his eyes. He yawned as he gently rolled Ava away from him.

"I am," said Britta.

"You got my letter."

"I did."

Lucius sat up in bed, exposing his bare chest to her. Britta should have known he'd be muscular, but seeing it with her own eyes beat anything she imagined. Thankful for the shadows surrounding her, she blushed.

"We shouldn't have this conversation here," he said.

"Of course not. The roof then?"

"Cold out?"

Afraid he'd put on a shirt, Britta said, "Mild. Comfortable." A bit of a fib, but a tough guy like Lucius could handle it. Much to her annoyance, he reached for a tunic anyway. He slid it over his head, then went for his boots. Without any more conversation, they slipped out of the officer's bunk, past the sleeping men in the bunks outside the room, and up the stairs that lead to the roof of the garrison.

"I came to thank you," said Britta as they emerged into the open air.

"Don't thank me. Thank the empire for keeping good records. Finding the woman taken from the steps of the abbey at the very end of The Siege was fairly easy."

"Weboshi told you the details?"

"Yes. Britta, I can't promise your mother is alive, or that the trail doesn't go cold after the ship carrying her arrived at its destination but. . ."

"It's enough. It's a start. But why, Lucius?"

"Why what? Why help you find your mother? I know you feel like I betrayed you when I didn't stand up to my father–"

"Because you didn't."

"I was playing a long con." Lucius sighed and looked up at the stars. "I couldn't come out and accuse him of anything until I had absolute proof."

"And do you have that proof yet?"

Lucius flexed his jaw.

"That's a no. So Weboshi's head still ends up on a chopping block. Your father still accuses the abbey of having a hand in everything that's happened. Our authority still gets undermined. The people of Ankshara – my people – still suffer."

"Britta–"

"No, Lucius, you listen to me. The strike continues. The interdict continues. Finding my mother was very kind of you, but it isn't enough to turn me back from my purpose. It isn't enough to make up for what's happened to this city or its citizens. The wedding is off – there will be no peace. Yes, the native Anksharans will lose, but we'll go down fighting the best way we can."

"Let me ask you something," he said. "Why haven't you rescued Weboshi yet?"

Britta cocked her head. A good question, one that she'd avoided asking herself. "I don't have the means."

"Of course you do. We've long suspected the city was infested with secret passages. Valex partially confirmed it the other day when visiting your abbey, and you confirmed it tonight by sneaking into what's supposed to be the single most secure place in all of Ankshara. Hell, we Regnals built it ourselves. How did you get secret passages installed?"

She started to make an excuse, but Lucius waved a hand to cut her off. "I imagine our cellars and dungeons are shot through with secret passages. So why didn't you take advantage of that when you had the chance?"

Britta backed away from him. She leaned against the crenelation as she thought about what to say and how to say it. The truth was, she didn't have a good answer. "I don't know," she said.