Death Sworn(51)

Tellis. The longing that tore through Ileni hurt like the ripping open of an old wound. She bit her lip for a full second before making herself say, “No. There’s no one.”

The woman simply waited, as if expecting Ileni to change her mind. Did she know something? Had Tellis asked her . . .

No. That was ridiculous. Tasting blood on her lip, Ileni added defiantly, “Thank you anyhow.”

“I don’t think it was going to be a favor,” Bazel observed.

The woman leaned over and pulled a cloth bag out of the boat. “Of course not. We’re traders.”

“What makes you think she has anything to trade?”

“Everyone has something to trade.” The woman smiled. “Speaking of which, I have a surprise for you.”

Bazel leaned in eagerly. “What is it?”

“Something new.” The woman straightened, dangling the bag from one hand. “Cacao ground to powder. Mix it with water and it’s better than wine. More expensive, though. You have anything else for us?”

Bazel considered. “Not yet. Sayon is on a mission now, and I know he’ll bring back something to trade if he survives. I’ll save some of this for him, and give you whatever he brings back in exchange.”

The woman frowned. “Where was he sent?”

“Gadera. His target is one of the duke’s sons, so he’ll be in the castle. Plenty of opportunities to snatch some expensive baubles, and there’s a good chance he’ll make it out alive, too.”

“Though Sayon doesn’t have the greatest taste, if I recall correctly,” the blond man put in, running his fingers over the black pearls. “I gave my wife one of his last acquisitions as a gift, and I slept in the stables for a week.”

Bazel shrugged with elaborate casualness. “You can wait and see what he’s brought, and decide then.”

“We’re traders,” the man said, “not gamblers.” But he was smiling.

The woman made a slight motion with her hand. “All right. We’ll give you the powder in return for whatever Sayon brings back—”

“And,” the blond man spoke up, letting the pearls drop back to the ground, “for sharing some cups with us now.”

The woman turned to him, her face somehow amused despite the grim line of her mouth. The blond man propped an elbow on one knee. “Oh, come on, Karyn. To give us strength for the journey out.”

She rolled her eyes. “Very well.”

That struck Ileni as a bad idea. This secret meeting seemed risky enough without extending it. Clearly, however, it wasn’t up to her. Bazel had already settled cross-legged on the ground, and the blond man was efficiently pulling four large cups and a stoppered clay jug from the bottom of the canoe.

The woman—Karyn—finally deigned to get out of the boat. She was wearing a long green tunic belted at the waist, thick black leggings, and boots that had seen better days. She settled next to Bazel, leaned back on her hands, and said, “How do you like living among killers?”

It took Ileni a moment to realize the question was directed at her, since the woman was looking out at the black water. Irritation prickled through her. Was this habit of not looking at the person she was speaking to supposed to make Karyn seem coy and mysterious? “About as much as you like trading with them, I would guess. Or maybe less, since I don’t do it by choice.”

“I come from a long line of traveling traders,” Karyn said. “Where there’s great profit to be made, I don’t have a choice, either.”

How nicely overdramatic. “Even at the risk of your life?”

“I do what I can to minimize that risk,” Karyn said. “Like instructing Bazel to always come alone.”

Bazel flushed and opened his mouth. Ileni spoke before he could. “Not his fault. I forced him to bring me.”

Finally, Karyn looked at her. Ileni looked back, doing her best to appear dangerous. If she had managed for the past month to hide her fear from trained killers, she certainly wasn’t going to be intimidated by a trader.

Their locked gazes broke only when the blond man passed around the cups, now filled with a mixture of water and the fine brown powder. Karyn lifted hers and breathed in the scent, closing her eyes.

The chocolate drink was rich and sweet—not as good as pure chocolate, but it slid down Ileni’s throat like velvet. She drained nearly the entire cup, and only when she looked up after that first draught did she realize the others were sipping theirs slowly.