For Want of a Fiend (29 page)

Reluctantly, Christopher had agreed to the job, hoping that the woman they were supposed to kill would run away and get lost in the woods forever. Even if they did catch her, Christopher told himself he’d put a knife through her heart before the perverts got a crack at her.

That was his last memory of Lady Hilda. Starbride searched for Roland, Maia, or Darren, but Christopher hadn’t had contact with them, and there were no gaps to indicate tampering.

Starbride pulled out of Christopher’s memories, back through the pyramid and into herself. Christopher slumped, unconscious. Starbride stared at him as his emotions leaked away now that she wasn’t inside his mind. She felt a little sorry for him until she remembered that he’d been planning to kill her. At least he would have made it quick, unlike some of his friends.

“Well?” Ursula asked.

After a sigh, Starbride told her all. There were no Fiends or Order to keep silent about. Lady Hilda was what she was, a lowlife out to move up the social ladder via murder.

“Does this cook her goose enough for you?” Starbride asked, remembering that phrase from Maia.

“If I can take your word for it.” She stared at the man now slumped over in the chair. “Can he lie to you like this?”

“Hiding one’s memories takes a disciplined mind and special training. Another pyradisté could cover them up, but that hasn’t happened.” She grimaced at the thought of pyramiding the rest of the captives, including those who’d been imagining doing terrible things to her before they killed her.

Crowe wouldn’t have stopped. Starbride straightened. “Can I have the next one, please?”

Ursula narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t you say you had enough for me to arrest Lady Hilda?”

“The others may have been privy to more information, like where she’s hiding.” And whether she knew Roland. It was worth the risk, worth any ugly feelings.

“All right.” Ursula gestured at Sergeant Rhys, and he dragged the unconscious Christopher into a corner before going toward the door.

“No need to panic them until we get them in the room.” He flashed a crooked grin.

Starbride tried to smile back, but it was too much for her to manage.

*

Only two of the remaining prisoners had indulged in nasty thoughts about Starbride, and those seemed to have dissipated now that they were in prison.

Their captain was dead, so any secrets he’d known were gone. Starbride struck gold in a treasured memory of the handsomest guard, Timat. Lady Hilda wasn’t above getting her feet wet in her own household, it seemed. She’d taken the young man somewhere special for their dalliance, a two-storied house in the forest. They’d shared a few nights of passion and then returned to the city, the young guard under orders not to tell anyone what had happened. He’d kept the secret, but he’d overheard Lady Hilda instructing her pyradisté to blank his memory.

Timat had paid the pyradisté ten gold crowns to leave his memory alone. With a laugh, the man had done so. Starbride lingered on the pyradisté’s face, one she remembered. The more she stared, the more he looked like Darren and Cassius. And Roland. The pyradisté in the memory had to be Roland’s nephew, Katya’s cousin. But if they wouldn’t see that, well, Starbride supposed it didn’t matter in the end.

When she opened her eyes, she realized she was sweating, both from the strain and the very vivid memories of Timat’s time with Lady Hilda. They weren’t far off calling her a snake; she was so flexible.

“Is that the last one?” Starbride asked.

“Yes,” Ursula said. “Did he give you anything more? You seem…flustered.”

Starbride turned to find Ursula giving her a wry look. “It’s the strain.”

“Of course.”

Starbride related the tale of the house in the woods and tried to ignore the way her memory flashed with images of Lady Hilda’s naked body.

Ursula tapped her lips. “My jurisdiction’s not good outside the city, not unless I’m operating on a joint venture with the palace, like this afternoon.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

“Do you want to be there when we search the house?”

The question stumped Starbride. Ursula didn’t even ask if Katya wanted to be there. She still hadn’t caught on to the idea that Katya was a force to be reckoned with. Or perhaps she thought Katya would have the common sense to protect herself now that she was the crown princess. Well, maybe Ursula knew her and didn’t, all at the same time.

“If not me,” Starbride said, “then a representative.”

“The big guy or the masked man?”

Starbride rolled her head, trying to stretch the tired muscles. “I’ll have to get back to you. We have more friends.” Hugo sprang to mind or Castelle. Katya seemed to be willing to trust her to a point. The idea rankled faintly. On the one hand, Starbride was happy if the two could be friends. On the other, she didn’t really want them to be, not if there was any chance of rekindling sparks.

Instead of making them sneak back the way they’d come, Ursula put Starbride and Pennynail in the back of a cart and covered them with a canvas tarp for a bumpy, if less strenuous, ride to the palace. Easier on the muscles, yes, but Starbride’s belly tingled at the thought of being in someone else’s house again.

When they were safe in Freddie’s room, Starbride sagged onto his battered ottoman.

“The sneaking…” She shook her head and laughed. “I can see why you like it, Freddie, though I could never be a thief.”

“Sneaking was the reason I did it. The thieving was just to survive. Would it help if I said I tried to steal from evil people?”

“If you were trying to survive, would it matter what kind of people you stole from?”

“Even in Dockland, there were rich and poor, though the rich that live there wouldn’t be accepted in the polite society of Marienne.”

“You stole from thieves.”

“Never steal from someone who identifies himself as a criminal. I stole from those who called themselves businessmen, but it was the same thing.”

She had to laugh, but without adrenaline to go on, she started to sag. “Why did you freeze when we saw Captain Ursula?”

He didn’t answer, and when she glanced over, his thumbs traced the scar around his throat. “She’s the one who hanged me.”

“But then she knows you got away! Is she still after you?”

“That’s a long story, Starbride, but the short version is, she thinks I’m dead now.”

“Does she know you’re innocent of the crime she tried to hang you for?”

He nodded, his gaze still far away. “She wouldn’t be happy to find out I’m alive. Before I ‘died’ a second time, she’d decided to banish me from Dockland and Marienne. She was just a sergeant then. It’s good to see she’s moved up in the world.”

Starbride shut her teeth on other questions, though they burned in her. She couldn’t help but wonder if there’d been something more between them.

Before Starbride could think of how to broach the subject, Freddie said, “Don’t you have a report to make to Katya?”

Starbride nodded and stood. “As soon as I know what she wants to do, I’ll let you know.”

He went back to staring into space. In the past, he could have gone to his father with his troubles, but he was all alone now. Starbride didn’t know him well, but if she was all he had…

“Freddie?”

He glanced at her again.

“If you ever…want to talk. That sounds like something out of a soppy novel, I know, but…”

“You’ll want to have a soak before you go to bed or your muscles will stiffen up.”

She smiled once more before she went through the secret passageway to Katya’s apartment. Luckily, Katya was waiting for her. Starbride hugged her close and held on for a long time.

“I was worried for you,” Katya said into her hair.

“I’m so happy I have you.”

When Katya smiled, Timat’s memories of Lady Hilda rushed into Starbride’s mind. She kissed Katya softly, and then deepened it, letting the heat of a moment if not the memories take over. Katya gasped. Starbride reached to the small of her back and mashed them closer.

“My, my,” Katya said. “Are you trying to show me just how happy you are?”

Starbride leaned forward until she could trace Katya’s ear with her tongue. “I’ve been advised that a nice hot bath is the only cure for sore muscles.”

“I know a maid that can summon one in record time.” Katya’s voice was shaky, and Starbride had to admit that throwing her off balance never failed to appeal.

Katya wouldn’t be overthrown for long, though. Already one of her hands had found its way to the front of Starbride’s tight leather outfit, and clever fingers worked their way inside.

“Call Averie,” Starbride said. She relished the shakiness in her own voice and loved it, loved the feel of Katya’s touch, the way it made her skin fire. “She can help Dawnmother set up a bath in my room.”

“Not here?”

“We’ll be busy here.”

*

The tub was narrow, with just enough room to sit one in front of the other. Starbride sat against the hard wooden end, Katya’s back against her chest, long hair trailing over Starbride’s shoulder. As she craned her neck, Starbride grinned to see that Katya’s eyes were closed. Starbride tightened her thighs so she wouldn’t slip under the water.

“I’m fine, nursemaid,” Katya said.

“It’s not a crime to care.”

“I could live in here.”

Starbride had already told her about Lady Hilda’s house in the woods, just vaguely mentioning Timat’s memories. She didn’t want any teasing about lusting after Lady Hilda. What had happened before the bath was all Starbride’s lust for Katya, and she didn’t want Katya thinking anything different.

Starbride trailed her fingers down Katya’s shoulder, along her arm, and slowly over the curve of her breast. Katya gave a very contented sigh.

Starbride chuckled. “If we live in here, meetings with the Order and the nobles’ council might be awkward, not to mention dinner with your parents.”

“We’ll have baths drawn for them, too, then we’ll all be on equal footing. I love you, Star. Have I ever mentioned that?”

“It’s a complete surprise.”

Katya turned, lifting up out of the water just enough to brace her arms on the sides of the tub. “I can’t let that pass.”

One kiss and then Starbride said, “Who is going with Captain Ursula to Lady Hilda’s secret house?”

Katya sagged against Starbride’s shoulder. “Do we have to go back to the real world now?”

“I told Ursula I would get word to her tonight so she can plan. She’s probably wondering what happened to me.”

“She knows you’re my consort. She’s not wondering too hard.”

“Oh, ho! Does everyone in the palace think I’m in your bed day and night because of your appetite?”

“Probably.”

“I should get out on my own more. People will worry I’ll die from exhaustion.” Starbride sighed and took a leap. “I could
start
by trapping that snake in her own nest.”

“What did we say when we planned to trap her guards in the first place? You and I are both targets.”

“I’ll go in secret. I’ll be hidden amongst the Watch, and Roland will steer clear of them, never knowing I’m there.”

“What’s to say I can’t be hidden among them, too?”

Starbride opened her mouth, hoping a reason would come to her before she had to actually speak, but it wouldn’t.

Katya nodded, a very satisfied look on her face. Starbride crossed her arms, making the water splash over the sides of the tub.

“You know I don’t see your life as less important than mine, Star, so don’t give me that. The Umbriel line will remain unbroken as long as my niece and nephew are alive. Do you have another reason you don’t want me to come besides my safety?”

“I’d love to have you. It’s just that, since I’ve taken over for Crowe, I’ve adopted his logical arguments for why you shouldn’t take unnecessary risks.”

“Those arguments could equally apply to you.” She moved Starbride’s wet hair back over her shoulders. “Let’s both ignore them when we catch Lady Hilda tomorrow.”

Captain Ursula raised an eyebrow when Katya climbed out of a covered cart beside Starbride, Pennynail, Brutal, Averie, and Hugo.

From her perch on the driver’s seat, Castelle grinned at Ursula’s expression. “I’ve learned it pays to expect the unexpected when dealing with the royal family, Captain.”

Katya gave her a dour look and adjusted her chain shirt over her plain hunting gear.

“This is no ordinary hunt, Highness,” Ursula said.

“You’re right. I’m not used to hunting hillcats.”

Everyone else chuckled, but Ursula didn’t lose her frown. Katya hated that she had to keep the court persona up even as she was undertaking an adventure for the Order, but she couldn’t have the Watch thinking she hunted fugitives all the time.

“Lady Hilda wanted to kill my consort,” Katya said. “The fact that Starbride was nowhere near her trap makes no difference.”

Ursula sighed and turned away. However she chose to deal with Katya’s presence was her own business, as long as she dealt with it.

“We’re all accomplished fighters,” Starbride said. “We can take care of ourselves. We won’t treat this like a picnic.”

“Eloquently put, Crown Princess Consort,” Hugo said, making their journey to catch a murderer sound more like a nobles’ outing.

“I do believe your word, Highness,” Ursula said, “and it’s always lucky to have more capable allies, but…”

Castelle jumped down from the cart. “If anyone gets hurt through her or his own stupidity, no one will blame the brave Watch captain.” She winked as she said it, ever the flirt.

“That’s one thing to say, Baroness, and quite another to have happen. I hope you’ll all forgive me if some in my company keep an extra eye on you. I understand why you feel the need to be there, Highness. As an actual traitor to the crown, the lady’s more under your jurisdiction than mine. You’ll no doubt want to hold her in the palace.”

She took a deep breath.

“But?” Katya prompted her.

“
But
I wish we were taking the king’s Guard instead of you.”