A friendly smile lit Lord Durmond’s face after he rose from a low bow. “Lady Sábria. What an honor to have you visit us on this beautiful morning. Mia and I were finishing our breakfast. Won’t you join us?”

  Mia curtsied at the mention of her name and then shyly smiled at the Arch Priestess. She was much younger than her husband and seemed unsure of what she should do when meeting someone of Sábria’s rank.

  Sensing the woman’s hesitation, Sábria stepped forward and presented her hand, first to Lord Durmond, who bowed over it and kissed her ring, and then to Mia, who placed her delicate hand beneath Sábria’s and curtseyed low enough to place a kiss on the blue Ring of Elyon. Sábria smiled to ease the young woman’s distress. “Lady Durmond, I’d heard Lord Durmond had taken a new bride, and I’m very pleased to finally meet you.”

  Ailith thought the woman couldn’t have been much older than she and Emlyn, and when the lady responded with a highly cultured accent, Ailith groaned quietly to herself. Nothing was worse than someone her own age lording their aristocracy over her.

  As was proper, Lady Durmond looked directly into Sábria’s eyes when she spoke. “The pleasure and honor are all mine, Lady Sábria.”

  Lord Durmond suddenly roared, “What ho! You’ve found my horse! We thought him lost for good when my stablemaster reported him missing along with one of my best bridles.”

  Sábria held up a hand. “That’s actually why we’re here today, My Lord.”

  “Please, call me Durm. All my friends do.”

  “Thank you, Durm. You see, my shiv, Ailith, claimed Temple Exigency when she took your horse. She had an immediate need and didn’t have time to awaken your horseman to ask his permission.”

  Ailith blinked in surprise. She’d never heard of Temple…whatever…but it sounded like something that might come in handy, especially today.

  Durmond eyed Ailith and then noticed she was riding without a saddle. “I say, you must be quite the rider, Ailith if you can ride that horse bareback. He’s no more than green broke, and so far, my man, Quin, hasn’t been able to put him under saddle, let alone ride him bareback. Well, truth be told, Quin’s getting a bit long in the tooth to ride anything bareback, but… he’s a good man and serves me well.”

  Ailith blushed and looked down, not trusting that she wouldn’t say something stupid.

  When she moved to slide off Adaeyfur’s back, Lord Durmond held up a hand. “No, no, wait. I bought the horse for Mia, but clearly, he’s too much for her.” He turned and addressed Sábria, “Allow me to gift your young shiv the horse, My Lady. They were meant for one another.” He strode to Adaeyfur and stroked his muzzle. “What do you think, my boy? Would you like to go live at the Temple?”

  Sábria joined him and shook her head. “While I thank you for the thought, Lord Durmond⁠—”

  He held up a finger. “Durm.”

  Again, Sábria nodded graciously, “Durm. Ailith is much too busy with her studies and training to take on the responsibility of a horse.”

  An idea occurred to Ailith, and she blurted her thoughts without stopping to consider what she was saying. “What about Ghost, Milady?”

  Terro’s brows furrowed, and Ghost glanced at Ailith at the mention of her name.

  Sábria tilted her head slightly as she regarded her shiv, “Ghost?”

  “Aye, Milady. If she owned th’ beast, she’d have to stay and care fer him, no? And Kemi could train her up, and she’d have a skill, aye?”

  Sábria shook her head. “We can use one of the Temple horses if we⁠—”

  Durmond’s enthusiasm had him interrupting Sábria a second time with an exuberant shout. “Nonsense. You’d be doing us a favor. I insist you take him and give him to this Ghost Ailith’s talking about.”

  Everyone else stayed silent, and Ailith was sure she’d said something she shouldn’t have. She looked at the ground and said quietly, “Sorry, Milady.”

  Since it was Terro’s decision to make, Sábria wanted to know what she thought of the idea. “Terro?”

  To Ailith’s surprise, the Senior Guardian didn’t look like she hated the idea. She glanced over her shoulder and caught Ghost’s eyes. “If ya take th’ horse, ye’ll stay in th’ Temple? Ya promise ya won’t go to th’ Codpiece on yer own anymore? Ye’ll feed him and brush him and learn from Kemi how to train him?”

  Ghost scrunched her eyes nearly shut as she tried to understand what Terro was saying.

  Ailith translated. Again, one sound slid into the next so fast none of the onlookers could make out any specific words. “This four-legger’ll be yers. Ye’ll kip in th’ Temple and no fie to th’ muck pits no more. Ye’ll put th’ gran in fer him an’ ye’ll hie t’ Kemi how to struct ‘im.”

  With every word, Ghost’s jaw dropped a little further, and by the time Ailith finished, the skelli’s mouth hung completely open. She jerked her thumb into her chest. “Ghost?”

  Ailith nodded and spoke slower this time, “Aye. But ya bide in th’ Temple. That’s aye important.”

  Ghost turned her stare on Sábria, pointed to the horse, and repeated the gesture with her thumb to her chest. “Ghost?”

  Once again, Sábria deferred to Terro. “If Terro allows it, yes.”

  When Ghost turned wide, beseeching eyes on Terro, the Senior Guardian practically melted. “Aye. He’ll be yers.” She held up her finger, “But⁠—”

  “Ghost bides.” Ghost nodded so hard her hair flopped over her eyes.

  Durmond clapped his hands, which startled Adaeyfur. “That’s decided then! And take the bridle, too!”

  Sábria stepped to her horse, ready to mount. “The Goddess’s blessing on you, then Durm, and on you, Mia.”

  Mia tucked her arm around her husband’s elbow and said quietly, “You’re truly doing me a favor, My Lady. I have to admit the thought of riding such a spirited horse has been worrying me.” She dipped her chin. “You and your Blades are always welcome in any of our homes.”

  The servant undid Shadowfoot’s reins from the ring and pulled them over the horse’s head.

  Durm clasped his hands together and held them low enough for Sábria to place her boot into them and mount.

  As they turned to go, Ailith finally got up the courage to address the nobleman. She looked him in the eyes as she’d been taught and spoke slow enough that her peasant accent wasn’t too pronounced. “Thank ya fer th’ use of yer horse, Milord.”

  To her surprise, it was the lady who responded. “You’re more than welcome, Ailith. And we hope to see you sometime in the future as well.”

  At a loss for words, since most noblewomen treated her like shite on the bottom of their shoes, Ailith sat staring down at her in silence.

  Sábria moved Shadowfoot close to Adaeyfur and gently clasped Ailith’s arm above the elbow.

  That was enough to get Ailith’s brain moving again, and she quickly said, “Thank ya, Milady. I’ll….” She wasn’t sure if what she wanted to say was right, so she stole a look at Sábria, who smiled slightly and nodded her encouragement. Turning back, Ailith finished, “I’ll keep an eye out fer ya in Sarlogne, and if I see ya need help, I’ll come right quick.” When she felt Sábria’s gentle squeeze a second time, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  Sábria released her hold and nodded. “Good day, Lord, Durmond. Lady Durmond.” She once again turned Shadowfoot toward the forest, and the others followed.

  CHAPTER 15

  When they began hearing seagulls and the clanging of a harbor buoy, Sábria held up her hand, telling the others to wait.

  Everyone except Shirin immediately pulled their mounts to a stop. Shirin rode up beside Sábria and raised her brows. “My Lady?”

  “Join me.” Sábria moved out of earshot of the other riders and stopped beneath the canopy of a massive oak tree that overstretched the path to the harbor.

  She didn’t begin speaking right away, and Shirin studied her friend, wondering what was going through her mind. When pink spots appeared on Sábria’s cheeks, Shirin sidestepped her horse close enough that their thighs were touching. “What’s wrong?”

  Two birds in the canopy above them began thwapping each other with their wings in a mock fight. The sound drew Sábria’s attention, and she used watching them as an excuse to gather her thoughts. “Shirin, what I did was wrong, I realize that, but….” she ran her fingers through Shadowfoot’s course, black mane. “I don’t want to return with all of you. I don’t want it to look like you’re escorting a recalcitrant Blade back to the Temple. As though you have to ride after me and bring me⁠—”

  To have her Arch Priestess looking embarrassed, like a chastised shiv, set Shirin back on her heels. She put a hand on Sábria’s forearm. “My Lady. Sábria, I understand and would feel the exact same way. No one except those riding with us, Master Fiyori, Calit, and Kemi, know we rode out to find you. I ordered Kemi not to tell anyone that you’d ridden off alone, and the rest of us acted like it was no big deal when we saddled our mounts and rode out of the Temple gates. Neither Calit nor Master Fiyori will say anything either.”

  Sábria stiffened, and a tiny spark of anger overshadowed the embarrassment Shirin had seen in her eyes. “Why would you tell the magistrate?”

  The stress of the past day had begun creeping into Shirin’s shoulders, and she pulled them back to loosen cramped muscles. She’d known this would come up, and she’d also known that Sábria wouldn’t be pleased she’d spoken with Fiyori. “I had to know where you’d gone. Ailith sent word that she was following you into the forest, but I knew that wasn’t enough information. I was worried and barged into Isobel’s room, looking for answers. I accidentally saw Ty and knew why you’d left.”

  Shirin paused while thinking about what she’d just said, “Well, I didn’t know exactly, but I did know that Master Fiyori had been at the Temple when you first arrived as a young woman, and I hoped she could fill in the blanks.”

  “She betrayed my confidence?”

  “I wouldn’t put it like that. She held your confidence for over thirty turns. I think, in this instance, she was worried about what you planned to do and weighed your privacy against your safety and well-being.”

  The sound of something heavy crashing to the wooden deck of a ship, followed by loud shouting and cursing, floated through the air. The sharp, salty tang of the sea rode on the wind as well, and Sábria breathed in the scent. “I need a bit of time, Shirin. I’m going to my townhouse for a few days.”

  Shirin’s face lit with a relieved smile. “I think that’s a perfect solution. We’ll escort you there, and I’ll send Killian and Emlyn to the market to buy food for your stay. I’ll send Geller to arrange a townhouse security detail⁠—”

  “External only. I need some time to myself.”

  “Of course. I’ll have Terro and Ailith bring in wood and start the fires.” Shirin put her hand on Sábria’s shoulder. “That’s a perfect solution. It also takes care of people wondering where you went, and you won’t have to feel as though we’re bringing you back to the Temple.”

  The red tint reappeared on Sábria’s cheeks. “Dragging me back like some runaway Arch Priestess.”

  Shirin shook her head and scowled at her friend. “As though we could. Or would. Sábria, I know Ty coming has shaken you to the core, but you are the Arch Priestess, and if you ordered me to leave with you for several sevendays or more, in the end, that’s what we’d do. I’d never deign to haul you back to the Temple against your will. I may go overboard protecting you, but in the end, you are my Priestess, and I answer to you.”

  Instead of answering or acknowledging Shirin’s words, Sábria closed her eyes and pulled in another breath of fresh air. This time, she detected the distinctive aroma of the fish market, which evoked memories of visiting the markets with her parents when she was a child. She spoke without opening her eyes. “I used to love going to the fish market with my parents. My mother and I would find the most exotic spices as they were unloaded off the cargo ships, and each trip, we’d buy one special spice that we’d use to make some exotic dish for the family meal.”

  “What was your mother like?”

  Sábria blinked open her eyes, and a wave of guilt washed over her. “She would have raised Ty. She would have loved her no matter—” Her throat closed, and she couldn’t force the words out. Knowing Shirin would understand, she pulled her hood over her head and kicked Shadowfoot into a trot.

  Before riding after her, Shirin signed to Geller that they were to follow at a distance. Knowing Sábria as she did, she stayed several horse lengths behind Shadowfoot to give her the time she needed to grieve for everyone she’d lost and for decisions she’d made as a grieving, traumatized fifteen-turn child.

  Since Sábria had pulled her hood up, no one on the docks paid any mind to the seven Blades as they trotted along the wooden walkway fronting the harbor. When they moved off the walkway onto a cobblestone street that paralleled the bay, the rhythmic echoing effect of hooves on wood changed to the sharp, everyday clip-clop of metal horseshoes on stone.

  This was a street Ailith was well acquainted with since she ran it nearly every evening. She and Emlyn exchanged glances, wondering why they weren’t returning to the Temple immediately. They were even more confused when Sábria pulled Shadowfoot to a stop in front of a two-story townhome overlooking the bay. They waited while Shirin knocked on the door two houses further up the lane and spoke to an older woman who disappeared inside and returned with a key, which she handed to the Commander.

  Shirin joined Sábria at the first townhome, unlocked the door, and escorted her inside.

  Geller turned to Killian. “You two secure the backyard.”

  Killian dismounted and motioned for Emlyn to do the same. They tied their mounts to a hitching post and then disappeared around the house’s side.

  “Terro, you and Ailith secure⁠—”

  Her instructions were interrupted by Shirin, who motioned Geller over to where she stood in the doorway. After they spoke for a while, Geller returned and continued, “Change of plans. There’s wood around th’ side of th’ house. Ailith, you bring th’ wood into th’ townhome. There be four fireplaces. There’s one in th’ sittin’ room, dining room, library, and main bedroom. Fill th’ woodbins in all but th’ bedroom. When yer done, find th’ Commander, and she’ll make sure it’s a good time to take wood in there. Light a fire there and in th’ library and set fires ready to go in th’ other two unless th’ Arch Priestess is bidin’ in th’ sittin’ room. If she is, ye’ll light that one too.”

  It sounded to Ailith like the Prime was familiar with the place. It had been locked up, so probably no one was inside. As Ailith jumped off Adaeyfur and tied him next to the other horses, she wondered why Sábria had come here instead of returning to the Temple. Well, that wasn’t any of her business, and following Geller’s orders was something she was more than comfortable doing. Chopping wood and setting fires had been her job when she’d ridden with Isobel, and although she had no idea whose home this was, she was glad to have something familiar to keep her busy and out of trouble.

  She found the stack of wood, loaded several onto her arms, and stepped through the front door. Like Lady Farryn’s home, the door opened onto an entryway with rooms to either side. The sitting room on the right appeared empty, so she entered and filled the woodbin to the right of the fireplace.

  Retracing her steps back to the woodpile, she loaded herself up with so much wood she could barely see over the highest log to walk. This time when she entered the home, she moved further down the hall and peeked through one of the open doorways. She found a room filled with books of all sizes, shapes, and colors. They were arranged neatly on bookshelves that covered three walls, and there were carvings and clay pots and any number of interesting trinkets and baubles interspersed at uneven intervals between books.

  She whispered, “Fowk,” before remembering her armload of wood. She stepped lightly on an oversized maroon rug that took up much of the library floor. Her grandmother had been a weaver, and Ailith knew the amount of work it must have taken someone to weave in the intricate patterns and designs displayed on this rug.

  Kneeling beside the fireplace, Ailith deposited the wood on the floor, found the round tinderbox in a cubby, and used the flint and steel to light a fire. As a thin smoke rose from the tinder, she bent over and blew gently until she had enough of a flame that she could begin carefully adding small twigs and a handful of dry leaves she’d shoved into her pockets before coming inside. Adding the leaves might seem like a small thing, but she’d learned at a young age that dry leaves kept the flames burning long enough for the twigs to catch hold.

  As Ailith waited for the right time to add the next-sized sticks, her gaze wandered to the bookshelf on her right. Her breath caught when she noticed a Dreyuthan holy man’s flute proudly displayed within a framed box. Checking to ensure the fire was still burning, she quickly added larger pieces of wood and then rose and stepped over to the bookshelf. She ran her fingers reverently over the holy carvings and jumped when Sábria spoke from where she sat at a desk in the corner with a quill poised over a parchment.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  Ailith jumped away and ducked her head. “I’m sorry, Milady. I shouldn’t of touched it.” She hadn’t noticed Sábria seated at the desk and wished she could climb into a hole and disappear. She’d been told to light the fire, not gawk at personal things scattered about.

  Sábria set her quill in its stand and moved to the display case. She removed the flute and stepped to where a flustered Ailith stared at the rug with her arms crossed over her chest. Sábria studied her momentarily before continuing. “My father traveled all over the world as part of a Cibían trade delegation. If my mother didn’t accompany him on his trips, he’d bring her small curios, which, as you can see, she displayed all over the townhouse.” She held the pipe out to Ailith, who hesitated before holding her hands out, palms up. Sábria laid the flute in her hands.

  Ailith stared at it momentarily and then reverently held it out for Sábria to take back.