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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

IN WHICH THE PARTY MEETS THE HEIRESS

Dawn intruded, as it always did, bringing a dose of reality alongside golden rays of sun. Half covered by a blanket, I lounged in bed as Luthri got dressed to go out and report to the twins. He pulled on his shirt and was stepping into his pants when I startled.

“Oh, wait!” I pushed myself up onto my elbows and patted the mattress beside me. “I forgot to look for your scar. Take ’em off and present yourself for inspection.”

“It’s too late now,” Luthri stated, already lacing the ties with deft fingers. “You’ll have to wait until next time. Don’t worry—I’ll even bend over so you can get a good look.”

Feigning outrage, I huffed and settled back against the pillows. Lu sauntered over and, ignoring my exaggerated scowl, took my head in both hands to plant an enthusiastic kiss on my forehead. I caught a firm hold of his collar and yanked him down for a real one.

“I won’t be gone long,” he said, giving my chin an affectionate wiggle.

“I’ll be here.” So long as nothing unexpected came up, I’d stay put until he returned. It was the whole point of doing this in pairs, after all. Hopefully, we’d catch Narille today and convince her to come with us, and this would be the last check-in we do.

Luthri crossed the room. He paused at the door to pull on his boots, blew me a kiss, and was gone.

As soon as he was out of sight, I tossed aside the blanket and went to fetch our washed clothing, now dry, from the bathroom.

I dressed and ate a meager breakfast of more fruit and nuts.

The sheets we’d sullied went in the sink to run under cold water.

It may have been an unnecessary step, but I took the time to disarrange the covers on the loft bed to make it appear slept in. Better to not have anyone asking questions.

Luthri returned as I was descending from the upper level.

“All’s well,” he reported. “They had to risk the town’s water supply, but no ill effects. Whatever we’re dealing with, it’s not in the water.”

“Well, that’s good to know. Best avoid any they hand us directly nonetheless.”

Luthri nodded his agreement. I fetched our canteens from the bag and filled them from the sink after testing a mouthful of tap water. It was a touch tinny, but potable. My canteen went on my belt for easy access while we were out during the day.

“All right, let’s go.” When I made for the door, Lu didn’t move.

“Should we be wandering around on our own?” he questioned. “I wonder if it would be more prudent to wait for news of Narille, in case she plans on coming to us.”

I angled a sidelong glance his way. “And miss our chance for unchaperoned sleuthing?”

Lu blinked, and his face brightened. “You make an excellent point.”

While we discovered no secret passages, dungeons where people were being tortured, or chambers with hypnotizing apparatuses (what would that look like, anyway?), we did uncover some truly terrible art.

Luthri and I barely made it through one particular hallway with straight faces after spotting an elegant bust of a turtle man with a comically confused look on its face.

“Maybe the artist was going for thought-provoking,” Lu reasoned as the side of his face twitched. “One of those things where you wonder what the subject was thinking.”

“Probably stupefied by the idea anyone would pay money for that.”

“Now, now. That could be someone’s great-grandfather.”

Shaking my head, I paused to check the wall behind a tapestry, tapping the wood paneling with a knuckle to listen for hidden compartments. Nothing.

“Hm.” I waved Luthri onward, and he fell into step beside me. “I still think there’s got to be something we’re missing. Maybe elsewhere on the island, if not here. I don’t believe for a second that this is nothing more than a kindly old man who turned around a failing town.”

“We could ask Hohem and Vyrain to conduct an investigation of their own.” Luthri’s gaze shifted around the hall, looking anywhere but me. “But… is it possible that there’s no evil mastermind? That these people are happy and healthy, and nothing is wrong?”

His hesitation made me second-guess myself. Was I being too pessimistic? Jumping to conclusions? Even the Solfarin residents thought something was up, and they’d know the island better than anyone else in the region, wouldn’t they?

“Is it possible? Sure,” I conceded, “but not likely. Nothing is this perfect. Do you honestly think an organic civilization of this scale could exist with no complications whatsoever? People are messy. They fight and?—”

I cut myself off as Savreen appeared at the far side of the hall, flanked by two turtle men. Upon noticing us, she perked up and lengthened her strides. The servants hurried to keep up. Inwardly, I pulled a face. On the outside, my mouth stretched in an approximation of a smile.

“There you are!” Savreen exclaimed, coming to an abrupt halt. She glanced at the turtle people by her side, who pivoted at her wordless order and ran off the way they’d come.

“You weren’t in your room,” she continued, directing her attention back to Luthri and me. Her tone, though light, held a petulant undercurrent. “I’m glad I found you. Lady Narille wanted to extend an invitation to join her for the midday meal. I figured you would be eager to accept.”

“That’s perfect,” I agreed. It was difficult to gauge how long we had been wandering the manor—was it already that time? “Should we go there now, or…?”

Savreen nodded. “If you’d come with me.”

I gestured for her to lead the way. She took us on an unfamiliar route through a seldom-used sitting room and outside to the veranda surrounding the inner garden.

Patio furniture had been placed in a sunny area directly in front of the fountain, and it was there that the Kereti heiress enjoyed a spread of refreshments, a slim book in hand as she snacked.

Narille was not at all what I expected. She was a stately woman, all limb, her lanky figure covered by a shapeless, draping dress not often seen in the North.

Her skin was smooth and pale gray, bordering on colorless.

She had no hair except for short, ash-colored eyelashes framing large, red eyes like rubies set inside her skull.

Altogether, it made for a unique alien allure.

At our approach, she set down her book and stood, smoothing out her skirt to fall flat.

“Hello,” she greeted, big eyes blinking. “Welcome. Please, take a seat.”

I didn’t move, and Luthri remained a regal statue at my side.

“Thank you, but we’re hoping this will be quick.

” Manners , I chided myself. Got to lure with honey, or however the saying goes.

Clearing my throat, I began again. “My name is Mar, and this is Luthri. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Narille, and we’re glad to see you’re in good health.

I assume you already know why we’re here? ”

“I’m aware.” Narille returned to her chair, floating into the seat as though weightless, and crossed her long legs. “I’m open to discussing the matter, but I make no promises. Have you had the chance to try Savreen’s cooking yet? She is uniquely skilled.”

Again with the food . It was tempting, though, I had to admit. The traveling diet didn’t compare to fresh foods, and it did look delicious. “We’re all right, thank you,” I forced myself to say. “Your family is worried for you. Worried enough to offer a large reward in hope of news.”

One of Narille’s feet bobbed impatiently. “You’re not the first to speak with me, so yes, I know. It has been a frustrating experience, if I’m being honest. I could not have made my stance any clearer to my family.”

“Well, they’re still confused, apparently.” My hands gestured as I talked, as if that could help sway her. “They didn’t see it coming, and it threw them off. I think if you visited them in person and explained your side of things, they would understand.”

“You don’t know my family.”

“No, I don’t,” I agreed. “But family is family, isn’t it?”

Narille picked at the food on one of the plates. “I’ll tell you what I told the others. It’s really none of your business. But as you can see, I’m not being held against my will, and I’m not being mistreated. You can tell them as much. I’m happy here, and I have no plans to leave.”

My palms grew moist as despair threatened. I pressed them against the thighs of my pants. She didn’t appear to be in distress, but was that enough? Could we leave it there and go back to her family with nothing but a secondhand account of her well-being?

Would they give up the reward we’d come so far to get based on that alone?

“Look at it this way,” Luthri interjected, surprising me.

“Fine, you don’t care whether your family is comfortable with your decision or not.

But you said yourself you’re frustrated—you don’t want people bothering you anymore.

This is the best way to settle the matter so that you can live out your life in peace.

Come with us, put their minds at ease, and we’ll personally escort you back to Munarzed. How’s that?”

A strained smile pulled at Narille’s lips. “I’m sorry, but all that traveling to prove a point that, as far as I’m concerned, is already proven? I’m sure you can see my dilemma.”

What else was there to argue? “We came all this way,” I tried.

“I don’t mean to chase you out.” Narille spread her arms, indicating the space at large.

“Munarzed boasts unrivaled hospitality, and I can say it’s not an exaggeration.

Visit with us a while. Socialize, see the sights, and enjoy everything the city has to offer.

I’m sorry that I can’t give you what you came for, but the visit will not be an entire loss, hm? ”

Luthri and I exchanged meaningful glances. If she wouldn’t come with us, we’d done all we could, and our work here was done. Frustration and disappointment warred in my chest. We’d be leaving empty-handed, but we had no reason to stay on Munarzed any longer.

I turned back to Narille. “Thank you for your time.”

Heavy under the weight of failure, we left the Kereti heiress to her lunch.

Luthri and I crossed the courtyard to where Savreen waited under the shade of the veranda, watching us with an inscrutable expression on her face.

Glazed eyes blinked and focused gradually as we neared, as though returning from some place far away. She must have been deep in thought.

“How did it go?” she asked, her attention narrowing on the two of us.

“Not as well as we’d hoped,” I answered honestly. “I think we’ll head back to our room and work on a new plan, so long as we can take advantage of your hospitality for a little longer.”

“Of course.” Savreen’s expression lifted. “I’ll show you the way. ”

“I think we can find our own way, but thank you.” Taking a hold of Luthri’s hand, I walked past her toward the door in long, even strides.

“If you’re sure,” Savreen called after us. “I’ll be by with supper before long. Let me know if you get peckish before then—I have a recipe for suncakes that will change your lives!”

“I’ll let you know!” I raised my free hand in farewell as we ducked out of view.

The moment we did, I lowered my voice and looped in Luthri.

“We’re going to have to think on another direction to come at this.

I’m not satisfied leaving things the way they are—there’s no way her family will cough up the reward based on our word alone. ”

“I agree.” Luthri matched my timbre. “I’d be down for a kidnapping. Say the word and I’ll signal the twins. We could smuggle the lady out of here before nightfall.”

I couldn’t help cracking a smile, although my heart wasn’t in it. “As fun as it would be to abduct an heiress with you, I don’t know that we’re at that stage in our relationship yet.”

“I know what you taste like,” Luthri said in all seriousness, prompting me to shush him. Heads bobbed in acknowledgment as we passed a group of turtle people.

“You can’t say that kind of thing out loud,” I grumbled. “Let’s get our stuff and reconvene with the boys to discuss our options. This place gives me the creeps.”

Not being able to convince Narille to leave with us was a failure, and on top of that, we hadn’t gotten any closer to solving the mystery of the island.

It was tempting to see this whole trip as a waste of time.

But there had been high points, even if we almost got eaten once or twice along the way.

And if we put our heads together, maybe we could come up with a solution.

Our room was as we left it that morning. Collecting our things took all of five minutes with how little we had with us. I took an extra minute to fix the bed. Unsettling atmosphere aside, Rugaveld had been an excellent host, and it was the polite thing to do .

Luthri loitered by the bookshelf. He stroked the set of spines in front of him and breathed a wistful sigh. “They wouldn’t miss a book or two, would they? They have so many.”

“You tempt my patience, Luthri Mendersson.”

“Oh? Do I tempt anything else?”

I hauled our bag over one shoulder and pivoted, meeting his saucy wink with a warning stare. “We take nothing that’s not ours. Come on, we’ve been so good!”

“I believe the rule was we take nothing that’s given to us,” Luthri pointed out as he followed me to the door. Having gotten to know him, I didn’t bat an eye when I was relieved of the pack. The hallway outside our room was empty, ideal for an absconding.

“Semantics,” I countered, stepping out. “It’s the spirit of the law, not the letter.”

“Is it a law, though? More like a suggestion, really,” Lu mused to himself.

Sometimes, questing alongside a group of boisterous young men felt an awful lot like mothering. It was a good thing Luthri was easy on the eyes. Summoning an impressive amount of restraint, I intoned, “I am not arguing this with you. We don’t need souvenirs.”

I wasn’t paying much attention to our surroundings. I didn’t think it was important, given that we were thirty meters from an exit, and we’d been given no reason to be worried yet.

A glint in the corner of my eye had my hackles rising. Our bag dropped to the ground, drawing my attention to a wide-eyed Luthri as his mouth opened to warn me.

He was too late.