Trading Into Shadow (The Magic Below Paris Book 1) by C. M. Simpson & Michael Anderle

Author:C. M. Simpson & Michael Anderle [Simpson, C. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2019-02-28T06:00:00+00:00

16

HUNTER IN THE DARK

Marchant was still trying to work out what she was going to do about her magic when she got to the monastery. She knew what she was doing for Monsieur Gravine and she knew what she was doing for the children, but she didn’t know what she was doing for herself. Her world had changed, and she had to change with it. What she still couldn’t figure out was the part she wanted to play in it. She couldn’t even work out if there was a part she could play.

She only had the skills of a seeker trying for an apprenticeship—a seeker wannabe. What good was that to anyone? The same went for her skills as a courier. Anyone could play that part, and she wanted more. How much more, she didn’t know, but she did know she couldn’t walk away.

She hadn’t been able to walk away from the children or from Fabrice, and she hadn’t known she’d been walking away from a whole cavern’s worth of captives. If she had, she’d never have made it to Leon’s Deep, and Ruins Hall might very well have fallen. Marsh shook her head. Even though everyone else thought it better that she hadn’t intervened—and that included Fabrice—she had trouble accepting it.

Marsh felt like she’d failed; like she’d just abandoned all those people to whatever fate the raiders had planned. What had they meant when they’d said “perhaps that will be enough?” What did their master want with all these people? Why would it take four settlements or more before their master was satisfied?

“Enough for what?” she muttered. “Enough. For. What?”

She was back on a mule again and leading another borrowed mule, Fabrice’s herd bleating in her ears. The woman hadn’t been making idle threats when she’d told Cleon she was moving her household and her herd. Granted, Marsh hadn’t expected Tamlin to step forward and offer Fabrice his family’s farm. The boy had told Marsh the night before and sworn her to secrecy.

She’d been sitting in a corner of the eatery the next morning when Fabrice and the children had come in. Catching Marsh’s eye, Tamlin had slipped from his seat and intercepted the family as they’d walked toward the counter. Aisha had followed him, Scruffknuckle at her heels, and nodded solemnly when he’d made his offer.

“I can’t take that!” Fabrice had been shocked.

“Borrow it, then,” Tamlin said. “Consider it a kind of trade. You look after the place, and we lend you the pasture in return.”

“But where would the children and I stay?”

Tamlin had smiled and played his final card.

“You look after Aisha and Scruff an’ me and the house as trade for staying there until Marsh rescues Patrik and we get your old farm back.” He’d stopped and given her a pleading look. “Please? Marsh is going to be busy. We’ll need a grownup around.”

Marsh had caught that in time to look up and catch Fabrice’s questioning stare. She’d nodded and kept the rest of Tamlin’s plans a secret.

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