Shadow Runners Page 11

  It was as well she’d already told Tanya that this would be the last. She didn’t think her heart could take another close call like the one she’d just had!

  * * * *

  Tanya wasn’t certain if Sonya’s strange mood had affected her or if she was just burnt out from all of their adventuring herself, but it took more of an effort to play the part of an innocent bystander than it ever had before. All the while she listened to the silly chatter of the ladies around her and fended off the unwelcome attentions of the men, she felt as if she was being watched.

  It was only her own sense of guilt, she kept telling herself, and yet she couldn’t prevent herself from glancing around the great hall in search of the eyes she felt boring into her.

  It sent a jolt through her when she finally encountered them, unnerved her so badly she felt the color leave her face.

  “Are you alright, my dear? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Tanya blinked, turning to look at the man who’d spoken, instinctively pasting a smile on her face for his benefit. She managed a weak chuckle. “I’m like to faint from lack of nourishment before the food arrives!” she said lightly.

  The man refilled her glass of wine. “This should bolster you.”

  “It is more likely to lay me out!” she retorted. “Should I be worried at the wine you keep trying to ply me with?”

  He grinned, but shook his head. “I prefer to keep my head, my lady!” he said with a chuckle. “Your patron might take exception if I were even to consider crossing the line.”

  Tanya smiled thinly at his reference to the king. She was grateful, however, for the comment since it seemed perfectly natural for her to glance toward the high table. “I shall be lonely after everyone marches away on the morrow,” she said with a pout, trying to ignore the uncomfortable flutter of her heart. She’d caught no more than a glimpse of the king despite her effort to see if he was showing any signs, yet, of taking ill. She caught sight of the ‘watcher’ she’d noticed earlier, however, as he stepped far enough from the shadows to give her a good look. “I am certain I will be forgotten very quickly.”

  She frowned faintly, trying to decide if she knew the man who seemed so intent upon her, but she didn’t believe that she’d ever seen him before. He was a handsome brute—scary looking to be sure—but far too handsome for all that, she was sure, for his face to fade from her memory.

  He seemed to know her, though, and that meant he knew her sister.

  Jarek, she wondered? Or one of the others?

  She felt a rush that was almost equal parts excitement and fear. He wouldn’t dare approach her in the king’s hall, would he?

  But then again, she would never have thought a beast man would dare to enter the lair of a natural at all!

  Gracious! Sonya had not exaggerated! He was not only uncommonly handsome! He was daring to the point of idiocy!

  Well! As soon as she was certain they had achieved their goal, she would have to get him out! That was all there was to it. Sonya would never forgive her if she allowed anything to happen to him!

  He must be very taken with Sonya indeed to seek her out here!

  She did adore a man with balls!

  “I don’t think a woman as beautiful as you are will be quickly forgotten,” her admirer persisted, jerking her back from her fanciful notions.

  She blinked at him, wondering if the idiot could possibly believe she wanted to remain in favor with his king! “You are far too kind!” she exclaimed with just a touch of irritation.

  Which he, unfortunately, noticed.

  She smiled coquettishly at him when he frowned in confusion. “Beauty fades like the rose. A woman prefers to remembered for her wit and charm!”

  “Of which you have both in plenty,” he replied with prompt gallantry.

  She uttered a girlish giggle for his benefit and managed a blush—more because she was annoyed with herself for her slip than because she was the least bit flattered. She must keep her mind on what she was doing, she chided herself! She’d been at pains to appear as witless as possible!

  Fortunately, before she was forced to think of a suitably vacuous reply, a ripple of alarm went through the diners between them and the king. She glanced around just as everyone else did, trying to discover the source of the disturbance—although she had a fair notion of what it was.

  “Something’s wrong!”

  “What’s happening?”

  “Someone said the king has taken ill!”

  Tanya hoped she looked suitably shocked, but she didn’t worry overmuch about it. The turmoil that began to build very rapidly toward a frenzy insured that everyone was far too focused on what was transpiring at the high table to notice anything beyond that and their own reaction to the confusing and contradictory rumors spreading like wildfire.

  “Physicians!” someone bellowed abruptly. “To the king! The king is ill!”

  Benches scraped against the stone floor as men and women began to leap up to try to see better. Tanya leapt up, as well, straining to see over the men and women between her and the watcher. She saw him weaving his way toward her. Waiting until she caught his eye, she began to move away from her table, struggling against the stream of soldiers, knights, lords, ladies, and servants that were scurrying in every direction at once in a building panic that would almost certainly become a riot in short order.

  She paused when she’d finally reached the corridor and managed to break free of worst of the tangle, looking around for him. Catching sight of him again, she moved on, heading toward the nearest access to the secret passages. She stopped when she reached it and looked to see how close he was behind her. When she was certain he couldn’t possibly miss her, she glanced around to make certain no one else was looking directly at her and stepped through the opening, allowing the panel to close behind her.

  She did not have long to wait. Within a matter of moments, she heard the faint click of the latch and Sonya’s beast man stepped through.

  “What the hell are you up to?” he growled, grabbing her before she could move. Not that she’d had any intention of moving.

  “There are better places to discuss it,” she murmured chidingly.

  He frowned and then lifted his head to look around. “What is this place?”

  “The king’s secret tunnel. We should go before they decide he isn’t merely ill.”

  He sent her a startled look. “Do you know the way?”

  She smiled at him. “Of course I do! I’ve been studying it for weeks. I don’t suppose you have a candle to light our way?”

  “I have eyes to see what I need to see,” he growled. “You planned this?”

  “Not this part or I would have my candle,” she said wryly. “There is a turn about 200 yards from here that will take us beneath the moat and beyond the outer curtain wall.”

  He caught her hand and began to stride quickly along the passage without another word.

  It was a shame, Tanya thought, that the little light filtering through chinks between the stones here and there weren’t nearly enough to allow her to admire him … and equally a shame that Sonja had found him first. Mayhap there were more where he came from, however, that would be just as appealing?

  It seemed likely, she thought with wry amusement, that she would find out. Her only anxiety was that there was no way to alert Sonja to the change of plans.

  She dismissed it. They’d already arranged a time and place to rendezvous and complete the transaction. She would just have to figure out how to elude Sonja’s very determined lover and reach the meeting place.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sonja had been trying to beat back the alarm scratching at the back of her mind for the better part of an hour before she finally admitted the horrible truth that she hadn’t wanted to face—she was lost! She’d made a mistake and it was going to cost her far more than those few moments of terror she’d suffered hiding under the king’s bed! That mistake had merely been the catalyst for the next.

/>   She hadn’t found the candle and flint Tanya had left for her because she’d fled the wrong way when she’d left the king’s chamber and she’d been too distracted and upset to realize it until she was hopelessly lost. Now she couldn’t even find her way back to that point to use the directions she’d memorized.

  Worse, the castle was already in an uproar and that meant the king had taken ill. If they began to think he hadn’t simply taken ill and she was still wandering the secret passage when they began to search for an assassin, she was doomed.

  She might well be doomed even if they didn’t begin to suspect an assassin and begin a search. She could wander the maze until she died for lack of water.

  She was near tears to compound her idiocy when she heard voices that seemed to be coming from within the passage. Panicked, she froze where she was, trying to decide whether to retreat the way she’d come or hurry onward since she couldn’t tell which direction the sound had come from.

  There was no sign of any light from either direction, however, and she had begun to think she must have imagined it when she heard the voices again and this time they were closer and unmistakable despite the low tones.

  “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with the king taking ill?”

  “Define ‘anything’,” Tanya said cautiously.

  They stopped abruptly. “Did you make him ill?” Jarek growled.

  “Certainly not! I was sitting in the great hall when he took ill. You saw me!”

  Jarek grunted. “How much further?”

  “I can’t see. How do you think I would know that?”

  “Guess!” he growled.

  There was a prolonged silence. “I might be able to if you weren’t dragging me along so fast! I counted the paces before, but I didn’t count from the great hall. I’d planned to enter the passage from my room.”

  “But you changed your mind?”

  “Of course I did. I hadn’t expected you to be there and I didn’t think it would be at all wise to chance someone seeing you going into my bedchamber—especially now.”

  Sonja held her breath when the two stopped again so close she could hear Tanya’s ragged breaths.

  “Your bedchamber?” Jarek growled.

  “Yes, my bedchamber, the bedchamber where I’ve been sleeping for the past weeks!”

  “You were sleeping in my bedroll not more than a week ago, Sonja! I don’t feel like playing games with you.”

  “Sonja may have been, but I certainly wasn’t.”

  There was a faint sound of a scuffle and heavy breathing that told its own tale and made Sonja livid.

  “I know your taste, your scent, the feel of your body,” Jarek growled after several moments that made Sonja’s imagination go wild. “Do not try to spin me that tale about your sister. I didn’t believe it before and I sure as hell don’t believe it now.”

  “Oh my!” Tanya gasped. “This must be very serious. She told you about me?”

  “Who?”

  “Sonja!” Tanya said, her voice edged with impatience. “She won’t be happy that you kissed me, you know!”

  Jarek uttered a frustrated growl.

  “Not that it wasn’t a very nice kiss and I can certainly understand what Sonja sees in you ….”

  “You can?”

  Sonja didn’t know if she most felt the urge to kill—both of them—or kiss them both. She resisted the urge to confront them, however. If Jarek had Tanya then they couldn’t afford to both be in his hands. They would never get paid!

  She was almost ready to weep with relief, though, to discover that she was near the turn Tanya had told her about. Despite all of the stupid mistakes she’d made, she’d finally, nearly, stumbled upon the right passage! She waited, counting in her head the steps she heard until she was certain they had moved far enough down the passage that she wouldn’t be heard and yet the very moment she moved she heard them pause again.

  Her heart knocked against her chest wall. She froze, waiting. Finally, she heard them begin to move again, more rapidly than before.

  Clearly, Jarek had heard her although it seemed almost impossible that he could have detected the whisper of fabric from so slight a movement so far away.

  It was something to take note of—his senses were keen enough she and Tanya would both be in trouble in she wasn’t very careful.

  She waited until she could no longer hear even the faintest sound of their footsteps and finally felt her way along the passage until she found the corner of the wall where the passage she was in intersected with the one Jarek and Tanya were following.

  The kiss rankled. She supposed it shouldn’t have. It certainly wasn’t the first time she had shared a man with Tanya, and it was clear that Jarek, despite his keen senses, thought it was her. But it did bother her and she finally decided it was because he didn’t know her taste, her scent, the feel of her body, else the halfwit wouldn’t have been kissing her sister!

  That should have been her kiss, damn it! That should have been her listening to his rough voice saying those things—to her, not Tanya!

  She knew it was unreasonable when no one had ever been able to tell them apart, but she didn’t feel like being reasonable, damn it!

  She had her unpleasant thoughts for company until she finally reached the end of the passage. After feeling around for a few moments, she found the ladder leading up.

  It was going to be hell, she thought, climbing in the damned gown Tanya had given her! There was nothing for it but to tuck the voluminous skirts and petticoats up, which she did, or risk breaking her neck and it was still a struggle to climb the ladder. The heavy oak door at the top nearly defeated her, but she finally managed to climb high enough on the ladder to use her back and shoulder to push it up. She lay on the ground panting for breath for several moments when she finally emerged and then got up and closed the door as carefully as she could. Strain though she might, it still settled into place with an ungodly loud thud that made her flinch all over, but she was certain Tanya and Jarek were far enough away by that time it wasn’t likely they’d heard it.

  As Sonja straightened from her task she heard the bells begin to toll for the death of the king. A flicker of surprise went through her followed by relief that the potion she’d bought from the old woman had done its work so quickly. It flickered through her mind to wonder if so quick a death for such a bloody tyrant was really justice for the people he’d harmed during his reign, but she had no time to waste dwelling on it. The very fact that he’d died so quickly was liable to arouse suspicions of poison and she didn’t want to be in Thalon if they began to search for an assassin.

  Turning from the sound of the bells, she looked around. Without surprise, she discovered the damned horse and provisions that was supposed to waiting for her was gone!

  She cursed Jarek and her sister!

  She was completely open-minded about being flexible in their plans! It was rare indeed for everything to go just as they planned, but this was the outside of enough! Now she was going to have to go into the Shadow Lands and fetch Tanya, for there was no way to collect the reward King Vladislav owed them without Tanya’s help!

  If she trusted the man, it would be a different matter, but she and Tanya had learned the hard way that, once the deed was done, their patrons were never keen about producing the reward they’d promised. Vladislav wasn’t likely to be any different. In point of fact, although he was generally well liked by his subjects, he was known to be a tightwad.

  Uttering a frustrated growl, Sonja set off on foot to find a horse.

  She’d walked miles before she came upon a tavern in the wee hours of the morning. As weary as she was, as tempting as the thought was of getting a room for the night to rest before she went further, she was keenly aware that Jarek and the others were getting further away the longer she was delayed in following. In any case, she had a far better chance of ‘borrowing’ a horse while everyone else, or nearly everyone, was tucked up in their beds fast asleep—where she wished she
was.

  She was fortunate that the servant left on watch was fond of hard liquor and snoring loud enough to wake the dead. She was too uneasy about lingering to try to saddle the horse. She settled for throwing a blanket across his back and fitting the horse with a bridle. Leading him to the mounting block, she hoisted herself onto his back and walked him out of the yard without a single alarm being raised.

  She regretted the lack of a saddle almost immediately. The horse was a good breed and young enough to be swift, but it took all she could do and then some to stay on his back once she’d given him his head. The only bright side as far as she could see was that she was finally making some progress toward closing the distance between herself and the others.

  The question that loomed uppermost in her mind once she had a mount was how she was going to get across the border into the Shadow Lands. Should she simply follow them and trust that she could talk her way in if she encountered more guards? Or take the long way around?

  She certainly knew where Jarek would be headed.

  Insane or not, she finally decided to follow them for the simple reason that it was the shortest distance to her ultimate goal and also because she didn’t want to give Jarek and the others time to reach home ground and take up with sister where they had left off with her!

  Not that she had any doubts that Tanya would try to dissuade them, but they were hard men to dissuade!

  Sonja didn’t realize that she’d convinced herself she could slip unnoticed across the border and into the Shadow Lands until she found herself surrounded by beast men. She studied their shadowy faces in dismay when their leader demanded to know why a natural had wandered into the Shadow Lands.

  “Uh … I didn’t wander,” she said uneasily. “My … uh … my men already passed this way—with my sister.”

  The men exchanged a long look.

  “Jarek?”

  “Of the wolf clan?”

  There was amusement in the man’s voice she didn’t entirely like and something about the way he said ‘wolf clan’ that alerted her to the fact that he wasn’t one of them and made her even more uneasy. “Yes, of the wolf clan.”