Sweep of the Blade (Innkeeper Chronicles #4) - Ilona Andrews Page 0,61
spread their tissue-thin petals, each petal a faint blue marked with a bright red vein running through its middle and meeting in the flower’s glowing golden center. Long spikes, shivering with yellow tendrils, dripped glittering pollen on to their neighbors’ leaves. The air smelled of spice and sweet perfumes.
Dina would have a field day here.
The path ended in a large circle. A stream ran in a ring, sectioning off the center of the path into a round island. A single vala tree grew in the circle, not one of the massive thousand-year-old giants, but a more recent planting, its trunk barely four feet wide. It spread its dark branches bearing blood-red leaves over the water of the stream and the small stone table with two chairs, one empty and the other occupied by Lady Ilemina in full armor.
Here we go. Maud walked across the stone bridge. The older woman looked at her.
“So, you’ve made it after all. Excellent.”
Maud bowed and took her seat. A plate was already set in front of her. A large platter held an assortment of fried foods, meats, and fruit on small skewers. Finger foods. A tall glass pitcher offered green wine.
Ilemina leaned back in her chair, sitting sideways, one long leg over the other, her left arm resting on the table. Up close, the resemblance between her and Arland was unmistakable. Same hair, same determined look in the blue eyes, same stubborn angle of the jaw. A lunch with a krahr.
“Your face was thoughtful as you walked the path,” Ilemina said.
How much to say? “I was thinking about my sister.”
“Oh?”
“When the three of us, my brother, my sister, and I, were growing up in our parents’ inn, each of us was responsible for a specific area of the inn in addition to our general chores. Dina’s was gardens. She would love it here.”
“What was yours?”
“Stables.”
“I would’ve never guessed. You have no mount or pet.”
“There weren’t many opportunities for pets on Karhari.”
“And before that?” Ilemina asked.
She had to set some boundaries. “That’s in the past.”
“My brother told me of your findings.” Ilemina picked up the pitcher and filled their glasses.
Maud lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip of wine. The older woman was watching her carefully.
“We’ve suspected Kozor and Serak of collaborating with the pirates, but to stoop to piracy themselves is base.”
“It’s not unheard of,” Maud pointed out and wished she had bitten her tongue.
“You’re right. But the Houses of the Holy Anocracy never prey on each other without a declaration of war.” Ilemina took a swallow of her wine. “It’s a hefty accusation. I need proof.”
“I understand,” Maud said.
They sipped their wine. The pressure was mounting inside Maud with every passing second.
“You didn’t ask me here to talk about Kozor,” Maud said.
“You’re not very good with silences,” Ilemina said. “Something to work on.”
Maud reached out, took a skewer of small yellow berries and slid one into her mouth.
“What are your intentions toward my son?” Ilemina asked.
Maud considered the question. What the hell were her intentions? She settled on honesty. “I don’t know.”
“What’s there to know?” Ilemina fixed her with her stare. “You have feelings for him. You followed him across the Void. He has feelings for you. He brought you here. What’s the holdup?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“But it is. You’re both adults. I see the way you look at him when you forget to guard your face.”
What?
“He asked you to marry him. You said no. What are you waiting for? What is it you want? Wealth? Power? Marry him and you’ll have both.”
She thought Maud was a gold digger. A familiar irritation stabbed at her, like a burr under her foot. “I don’t need Arland to earn a living. I’m the daughter of innkeepers. I speak dozens of languages, I’m trained for combat, and I’m at home at any trade hub. If I wish, I can return to my sister’s inn anytime I want.”
She could. Given that Dina’s inn had access to Baha-char, the galactic bazaar, if she wanted to take jobs, they would be plentiful, and the pay would be great.
A small triumphant light sparked in Ilemina’s eyes. “And yet here you are. Subjecting yourself to the humiliation of being a human in a vampire House and bearing a blank crest.”
Maud almost bit her tongue.
“Clearly, a strong bond pulled you across space.”
Maud said nothing.
“Do you love my son?” Ilemina asked.
“Yes.” The answer came with surprising ease.
Ilemina stared at her. “Then do something about it.”