The Novels of Tiger and Del by Jennifer Roberson

Author:Jennifer Roberson [Roberson, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, General, Epic, Ficção Científica E Fantasia, Fantasia, Épico, Ficção E Literatura, Suspense E Ação, Romance, Ficção Científica & Fantasia
Publisher: Daw Books
Published: 2006-09-14T23:00:00+00:00

Twenty-nine

I stumbled into the shadow-curtained room, rebounded from the doorframe when I misjudged its nearness, and rousted Akbar’s nephew. “Where is she? Where did they take her? Which way did they go?”

The nephew gaped, duly rousted.

One-handed—the other was full of sword—I caught a knot of cloth beneath his chin and jerked him off his pillow. “I said, where is she?”

“The woman?” he managed.

“No, I mean the mare.” I let go of his nightrobe. “There were men here earlier—”

He tugged at his twisted attire. “Yes, but—”

“Which direction did they go?”

“Toward the North gate, but—”

“Did they hurt her?”

“No—but—”

“Harquhal,” I muttered intently. “They’d take her to Harquhal—unless there’s somewhere else—”

The voice came from the doorway. “Where in hoolies have you been?”

I jumped, spun, stared. “What are you doing here?”

Stalemate. Del knitted brows. Lovely pale brows, set obliquely in a flawless, familiar forehead—unmarred by all save bad temper.

But never mind that. “I mean—” I frowned back. Then, rather lamely, feeling more than a little foolish, “Didn’t they come for you?”

Boreal gleamed in her hands. “Those men? Yes.”

“But…” I sat down—no, collapsed—on the edge of Akbar’s nephew’s bed. “I don’t understand.”

“They came,” Del clarified. “Happily, I wasn’t in the room. I was in the stable, looking for you.”

Uh-oh. “For me?”

“Yes. The last thing you said to me was you were going to check on the horses.” The scowl deepened; pointed reproach. “When you didn’t come back, I went to look for you.” She shrugged. “I heard them come. I stayed where I was. In the stall, with the stud.” She scrutinized me. “You look worse now than you did two days ago.”

I felt worse, too. Then, it was head and knee. Now it was everything else. “I thought,” I began, with great dignity, “that I would rescue you.”

“I’m fine.” Then her expression softened. “Thank you for the thought.”

Akbar’s nephew stirred. “May I go back to sleep now?”

“Oh.” I stood up, rubbed numbly at filthy cheek, then tried to arrange my back so my kidneys didn’t hurt. Well, didn’t hurt so bad. “We’d better get out of here.”

Del stepped aside as I made my way by her into the common room, then followed. “Are you so sure they’ll be back? They came here once and didn’t find what they wanted. Sometimes a room already searched makes the best hiding place.”

“They’ll be back.” I fought my way through tables, kicking stools aside grumpily, and headed for our room. “I have the feeling Umir won’t give up.”

“Who?”

“Umir. The Ruthless. The man who wanted to buy you.”

“Him?”

“Now he wants to steal you.” I yanked cloth out of the way and leaned against our doorsill. “Do I seem real to you?” Brows shot up. “What?”

“Never mind.” I waved a limp hand. “Just—get our things. I’ll see about the horses.”

“Our things are with the horses.” Del studied me. “After those men left, I packed and readied them.”

“Readied—?”

“Saddled, bridled… with pouches already in place.” Her expression was exquisitely bland, as if she didn’t want to insult me but knew any comment would. “With all the botas filled.

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