Lacuna - N.R. Walker Page 0,48

smaller and obscure, and most definitely not what a king was accustomed to. But the innkeeper was a kind woman who was grateful for the coin and offered hot baths and food, and fresh hay and carrots for the horses.

Tancho was so restless, so anxious, he didn’t linger long in the baths. Not even a naked Crow could keep him there. He hurried to redress, then remembered he had to wait for Crow to finish and join him.

Seeing Tancho’s impatience, Crow let out a heavy sigh, quickly finished washing himself, and towelled off. Tancho held out his clothes for him, deliberately not looking when Crow pulled on his pants. He tried not to look at his naked chest either as he pulled his shirt on over his head, seeing that broad chest and the smattering of dark hair there . . . Tancho made himself turn to stare at the door.

“Hey,” Crow murmured. “I know you’re worried about tomorrow. I am too. But we need to be prepared, and to come up with a plan. You know your home better than anyone, so Soko and I will follow your lead. But we must think with strategic minds and not heavy hearts. We don’t know what we’ll be walking into, so we must think tactically.”

Tancho sighed and gave a small nod. Must he always be right? “I know.”

“And we should see if Maghdlm is faring better for questions.”

Finally something Tancho readily agreed with. “Yes, we should.”

Maghdlm was sitting up and dipping some bread into broth and taking small bites. Her bruising looked no better, truth be told, but she no longer resembled a piece of rotten fruit; she had some colour and life in her now. “Karasu helped me with a sponge bath while the room was empty,” Maghdlm said. “I feel better for it. And I should offer my thanks once again for your kindness, both of you.”

They sat on the floor cushions beside her. “You appear in much better spirits this eve,” Crow said. “If there is anything you need, any alchemical or medicinal ingredients we can source for you, please just ask.”

“Thank you, my lord,” she said, bowing her head. “I forgot my manners, apologies.”

Tancho gave her a smile. “We do have questions,” he began.

“I thought you might,” she said. Her one good eye held some spark; the skin on her unmarked cheek looked like soft paper.

Crow wasted no time. “Out of all the Elder Consuls, who is the traitor?”

She smiled at him. “You don’t hold back, do you?”

“We have no time for riddles,” Tancho said. “We reach my home tomorrow morning and have no idea what we will find. Is it a trap?”

Maghdlm took in a deep breath and put her bowl of broth on the floor between them. “Adelais leads them in all things,” she said. “The Grand Speaker. I know nothing of their plans or intentions, only that there have been whispers and secret meetings for some time. I can only assume Aelfflaed knows because she is the Seer of Truth. If Adelais had ill intentions, she’d have known about it.”

They’d assumed this much last night.

“You said last night,” Crow said, “that the elders left and our concern should not be where they went, but how.”

“That tea the healer made must be strong,” she mused. “The elders haven’t set foot outside the Aequi Kentron cobblestones in many, many years.”

“So how did they leave?” Crow asked, his tone shorter than it had been.

“Enough of the riddles, Maghdlm, please,” Tancho tried.

“I’ll be breaking the elders’ code by telling you,” she said. “If any code even still remains.”

“They tried to kill you,” Crow reminded her. “And very nearly succeeded. There is no loyalty anymore, no matter how much you wish it otherwise.”

She stared at him for a long, long moment. “Centuries ingrained is a hard habit to break, my lord. And if I break the elders’ code of secrecy, they’ll have me marked for death again. I’m sure they won’t fail a second time.”

“Murder?” Tancho asked.

“They take it very seriously,” she replied. “It is a position worthy of such a standing, is it not? Ruling over all four kingdoms.”

Tancho’s eyes darted to Crow’s, and it was clear that Crow didn’t like how she said that either. But they didn’t have time for that right now. The old, injured woman was fast becoming tired. “How did they leave, Maghdlm?” Tancho asked. “Where did they go?”

“There are . . . doorways,” she said, making a face. “I cannot explain it.