air. “I smell wood smoke.”
There were fresh tracks in the dust, too, which another man discovered. Farther on, signs of a scuffle and dark stains in the dirt. Gerek sent the two men ahead to follow the scent and the tracks, while he followed behind with Alesso. “It could be a trap,” Alesso observed.
“It could,” Gerek replied, nettled. “Do you have a better suggestion?”
Alesso shrugged. “No. Only that we don’t go rushing forward with joy at finding your beloved master. After all, that boat might belong to a crew of testy smugglers.”
“Then we take precautions.”
Precautions meant they kept well behind their advance scouts, gliding through the unnaturally silent ruins. There were no birds here, Gerek noticed. No mice or crickets or toads creaking in the twilight. He almost remanded his order, thinking they should retreat to the ship for a conference, when footsteps ahead brought them all to attention.
One woman, two men rounded the corner from an alleyway. They stopped at the sight of Gerek and his guards.
There was a snick of tension. Both parties shifted into battle stance with weapons drawn.
Gerek tried to speak, but his tongue stuck on the first syllable. Then he recognized Kosenmark’s guards—Ada Geiss, Barrent, and Gervas. In the same moment, Ada spotted Gerek. She gave a signal. Her guards dropped back a few steps. A breath later, so did Alesso and the others.
Ada lowered her sword. “Maester Hessler,” she called out. “A good thing you came along.”
He nodded, not quite able to master his speech. She seemed to understand because she drew him off to one side. “I am glad you came, and not just because we knew you. We’ve had trouble. I can’t say more here, but take care when you speak with him.”
He found his voice at last. “What happened?”
“Károvín soldiers,” she said. “They came for that woman. The stranger.”
“Any dead?”
She shook her head, but Gerek understood her meaning. It was a thing she could not discuss yet, not here in the open. He motioned for the rest to stay behind with Ada and her crew, then hurried forward alone through the avenue, until he came to a wide plaza. More ruins met his gaze, more dust and emptiness. On the farther side of the plaza stood the campsite—several canvas shelters stretched between enormous fallen blocks. One man bent over a makeshift fire pit, stirring a pot filled with bubbling stew. Others were at work with different tasks.
One of the men recognized him. “Ah, Maester Hessler. You want Lord Kosenmark, don’t you?”
He pointed out Kosenmark’s tent, larger then the rest, which was situated at the edge of their camp. Gerek jogged toward it, taking in the sight of the wounded, the great charred square off to one side, and a lingering burnt stench that hung over everything. By the time he reached Kosenmark’s tent, his steps had slowed. He stopped a few feet away. “My lord,” he said, tentatively.
There was a pause. Then, that high familiar voice said, “Come in.”
Kosenmark’s appearance shocked Gerek. The man’s face was bruised. His eyes were sunken, as if he’d not slept in days, and the once-faint lines beside them were etched deeper and stronger. It was then that Gerek realized he had seen no sign of Ilse Zhalina or anyone else except the guards from Kosenmark’s own household.
Take care when you speak with him, Ada had said.
Gerek bowed. “My lord.”
Kosenmark studied him with those great golden eyes. “I did not expect you.”
“There were … difficulties, my lord.”
“Ah.” A tiny smile lightened Kosenmark’s expression. It vanished quickly. “Just as well. As you perceive, our agenda has changed somewhat.”
He pointed to a wooden box with symbols burned onto the lid. The box was clearly a makeshift creation, unpolished and rough, but Gerek recognized the signs for a box of the dead. His breath came short. Ilse Zhalina’s?
Kosenmark must have interpreted his thoughts, because his mouth twitched into a bitter smile. “She is not dead. At least, she did not die in battle. No, this was a soldier of the kingdom, who gave her life defending me. I would bring her ashes to her family, except that her family already believes her dead. I shall have to think over what to do.”
His voice died away and his gaze went diffuse. He appeared oblivious—or indifferent—to Gerek’s presence, and it took Gerek several moments before he could bring himself to speak and break that reverie. “What comes next, my lord?”
That distant gaze went blank a moment and then returned to the