by name. You ask for me, someone find me, no matter where you are, hear? I been all over. People know me.”
“I’m not the one—”
“Shhh.” The women cut Shanti off and pushed her toward the flap of the tent. “This group be organized. You won’t get two nights. You get your job done tonight, while they all drunk, and you get out. Go to Horse ’n Pony in town. Ask for Claude. Say Esme sent you—you need the map. That’s all you be sayin’. Esme sent you and you need the map. Take horses from here if you be able. Get your job done quick and get out. When they sober tomorrow, they be on your trail quick.”
Shanti snatched a well-worn tunic and a pair of matching pants from the ground where they had been cast aside. The woman had retreated to the other side of the tent—probably to get her money off her mark.
Without waiting another moment, Shanti worked the black uniform around her middle to hide it. She then adjusted the skirt and tied it off again. She now looked a little plump without the bust size to match, but she was still a woman, and available for business, so it probably wouldn’t matter to someone looking for a little fun.
Stepping onto the main path, she adopted a sensual swagger to advertise her trade. Rohnan was still as calm and patient as before, but now he was in a different location—further north than he had been before. Was he on the move?
“Hey, babeee,” a man slurred as he swerved in front of her. With half-closed eyes he glanced down at her chest and licked his lips. “I gotta need fer you.”
A chorus of laughter rang from a bunch of shapes sitting inside a tent in flickering candle light. The crack of cards filled in the moments of silence.
“Whadda’r say?” His eyes were half-hooded and liquid wet his front. He reached out to cup a breast.
After the briefest of glances to make sure they were alone, Shanti batted his hand away and gave him a solid punch to the stomach. The breath left the man in a loud whoosh. He slumped over and started coughing. She walked him to the side of the path and eased him down to the ground. If anyone found him, they’d think he had fallen down drunk.
A moment later, she was cutting through the tents and heading in the direction of Rohnan. He was walking, but not quickly. She stayed to the shadows as much as she could before returning to the main path. Once there, she slunk down and jutted out a hip, having to adjust her sword to keep it hidden within the loose folds of fabric.
Only a few paces later she turned a corner and saw him.
Shuffling toward her with his hands tied in front of him and his ankles tied together with an arm span of rope, Rohnan held his head high and directed his eyes straight ahead. Each movement in his body in harmony, as fluid as a dancer’s, he showed assurance and confidence. Muscles played delicately across his exposed arms and bulged within his snug-fitting pants. To a fellow fighter, every line in his body screamed lethal!
She’d trained him herself, working him every day, to be the best of their people besides herself. And now he showed it, like a prized horse among donkeys, gliding along the enemy tents with that killer’s grace. Rohnan didn’t even like to fight—he’d always said it was a necessary evil to protect his family—but he was exceptional, just like all of her people.
Shanti blew out a soft breath, eyes focused and intense, watching the brother she’d thought she’d lost. She knew she could rush forward and kill his captors easily. They were watchful, but not ready for an attack. She’d take them unawares.
The problem was, her deed would be found out quickly, and the enemy would be on her trail within an hour. This was an officer camp; they were the elite. They might be complacent in many ways, but at the first sign of trouble, their camp would be enraged like a hornet’s nest. She couldn’t take the chance.
Instead, she waited as the progression moved closer. When Rohnan got within the range of his receptive Gift, his eyes widened. His gaze swung unerringly towards her. Relief and intense longing colored his mental path as moisture filled his eyes and joy lined his face. He’d missed her as much as she him.