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“Cat got your tongue?”

Quinn realised hadn’t responded, and hurried to fill the silence. “I’m sorry, captain, I didn’t realise you were here, otherwise…I wouldn’t…would you like to be alone?”

“No. I spend most of my days alone. Please, stay.”

His voice was gentle and quiet. She liked that. It soothed her mind almost as much as the soft, hot water soothed her aching muscles. “I thought you spent your days with your family, my lord?”

“Precisely,” Eden muttered by way of response. Quinn snorted, surprising herself. She had never thought of herself as a snorter. Eden smiled in return, widely, showing off his white teeth. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Before this investigation begins, I mean.”

Quinn tried not to start in fear. “Oh, what do you mean?”

“The lords—even the king—agreed I could head the men trying to track down the Satori. I’m reporting to the king himself on everything I find. I’m honoured that they’re trusting me with this. The first thing they’ve asked me to do is speak to Sammah, and monitor his household. That includes you.” Eden saw the face Quinn made, and realised how that sounded. He stammered to explain himself. “You’re not under threat, you understand, but we think the Satori may try to do something to Sammah, or someone close to him. I shouldn’t even be telling you this, but I’m going to be protecting you. So I suppose it’s only right that you should know?”

“I’d find out anyway from Sammah, I suppose?” was the answer Quinn gave. She wasn’t going to open up to Eden there and then, naked in a pool, and feeling more than a little vulnerable.

* * *

Quinn was composed responding to him. Eden berated himself for being a rambling fool. Bravado aside, he had looked away when Quinn had started taking off her clothes, only looking back when he heard the splash of water that told him she had submerged. Eden wasn’t shy of nakedness, either of his own, or other people’s. That he would be suddenly nervous of Quinn gave this woman a further mystique of her very own. Part of him regretted his actions. She was beautiful. He wanted to see all of her body. He wanted it to be on her terms, though. Above and beyond everything else, Eden was determined to be nothing like his father.

“Sammah can tell you whatever he likes, of course. So yes, of course there’s no problem telling you these things.”

“But you wanted to talk to me anyway, captain? About something else?”

Eden cursed himself again. He was forgetting where his sentences began. What was it about Quinn that set him on edge? Then, as he saw her bold smile, it registered. Not only did she not want anything from him, she wasn’t afraid of talking to him. Everyone in his life either wanted something from him, or feared him. She was neither of those things. It was a surprisingly endearing trait.

“I did. I just wanted to meet you, in truth.”

“I’m humbled, captain.” Quinn responded stiffly.

Eden smiled. “No you’re not.”

* * *

Quinn sensed something new. It was a bouncy feeling. Her senses rebounded off his, with a warm and soft recoil. He was being playful. It felt utterly delightful. “No. You caught me. Do you need to send me to the cells as well now?”

“I doubt I’d ever be able to send you to the cells.” An awkward silence followed as both struggled for something to say. “Do you…do you like working for Sammah?”

“Thankfully I work for Ross. I love Sammah,” Quinn lied smoothly, “but he is a precise man, and a hard man to please.”

“I can imagine. His reputation is well established around the kingdom. My father has a great respect for him, which says a lot, given their history.”

Indeed, and I know why your father appears to show respect for him. I can’t tell you that, though, can I
? Quinn thought all this, but instead responded with the more diplomatic “Your father does him a great honour.”

“Bah. My father doesn’t honour anyone if there isn’t anything in it for him. That’s why I volunteered to search for the Satori, you know? I’m a good fighter, and a strong thinker. But I’m a third son. It’s just so unlikely that I’ll inherit, that I have to make my name and respect my house in other ways. I’ve been made captain of the guard for a reason, and this just seems like the perfect way to please my father.”

Quinn understood then exactly how he felt. Despondent, and one of many children desperate to please a man he knew didn’t respect him, to gain standing amongst a population that would otherwise ignore him. Quinn wanted to please Sammah out of gratefulness that he had plucked her out of obscurity; Eden wanted to please Shiver out of fear that he would plummet that way. Hating what she knew she had to say next, Quinn whispered “You’ll find the Satori. I know it. You’ll be a hero.”

“I hope so. I really do.” Eden meant it so much, that Quinn felt his sincerity through his very words. His need to please Shiver resonated so much with her that she felt close to tears. She dashed them away with a splash of water, under the pretence of dousing her hair and face. “I have no idea where to start though. I think I might be biting off more than I can chew.”

“You won’t be. Sammah is a knowledgeable man. And Everfell can’t have that many Sha’sek in it, can it? If that Satori is here, and wants to start a war, your hunt won’t scare him off. It may even make him bolder, and drive him into making a stupid mistake. Everyone is going to be looking for him. It will only be a matter of time.”

“Thank you Quinn. It means a lot that you believe I’ll find him. You don’t even know me.”

Better than you think
Quinn thought. “I’ve heard of you. You’re well-respected amongst the household. Though some of the maids think you’re a bit of a bore.”

Quinn couldn’t help but have a dig at Grainne and Yvette, to tempt Eden into talking about why he had rejected the flirtatious maid. He took the bait, scoffing at her words. “You mean I won’t rise to their pointless flirting? I haven’t got time for women like that.” Eden blushed. “I mean…not maids…I don’t mean you, Quinn…I….” he trailed off as he realised she had started laughing at him, and he had been trapped in a corner. He pouted and flicked water at her. She feigned shock, and flicked some back. This triggered a brief water fight that resulted in both of them squealing and thrashing around the side of the pool. This was only interrupted with a holler from Ross, which brought them both back to their senses. The Chamberlain crouched down next to the pool so that he didn’t have to shout at them. Quinn thought they were in trouble, but saw immediately a glint in Ross's eye that told her they were safe.

“If I had been any judge, I was sprinting down this hall to break up a fight. If you two want to catfight, you’d best do it in the privacy of your own rooms. Captain, you need to be up early in the morning for your first brief with Baron Sammah. A word of advice: he hates it when people are late.” Ross's eyes flicked almost imperceptibly to Quinn “And he is very over-protective of his household. To bed with you, if you’ll excuse me saying so.”

“Not at all sir, I’ll be off directly.” Eden swam to the edge of the pool. Quinn didn’t avert her eyes as he pulled himself out. His body was lean, skin tight against taut muscles. What unpredictably caught her eyes were the scars of lashes against his back. Who would dare lay a whip across the son of a lord, other than the lord himself? Ross clicked his fingers, bringing her attention back to him.

“You’re chasing high-born game there, young Quinn. It seems you might not be running yourself into as much of a stable as your empty-headed friends, either. Be careful, young Quinn. Sevenspells is a dangerous city. Eden may seem harmless enough, but his father is a man you do not get in the way of. I don’t want to see you with a broken heart, but I want to see you with a broken body even less.”

Ross left before Quinn could respond. They were sombre words from a conservative man, therefore Quinn knew she should take them to heart. She was secretly elated though, that Ross thought Eden might even slightly reciprocate her interest. She had to admit that Eden intrigued her in more ways than one. He was the first man her own age who was accepting her immediately for the way she was, with there being no hesitation on her own part. Talking to him seemed completely natural. There was no fear around him. Had there ever been fear around Maertn? Quinn wasn’t sure, but she knew that she had never reciprocated the quiet healer’s feelings. Eden was a different, unknown quantity. Not for much longer, she hoped.

Quinn set about cleansing herself, the pool now hers alone to enjoy. Throughout she kept stealing glances to where Eden had treaded water, wishing he were still there. The scant few words they had shared were not enough. Her smile faded. Whether she liked it or not, they would be sharing more words. Those words would be about the Satori. Eden was pursuing her, and not because of the flirtatious words they had shared in the pool. Eden thought she was a murderer. And if he found out about her, they would have nothing. Quinn closed her eyes, a tear squeezing out and rolling down her cheek. For the first time in her life, she had found something that she was afraid to lose, and it wasn’t in her power to keep it.

31

“You have to understand, Eden, that whilst the Satori is undoubtedly of Sha’sek origin, he might not be so easy to spot as it is seeing me in the street. Have you ever heard of the Dance of Demons?”

“It’s a feast, held once a year at the break of summer, on all the islands?”

“It is. And as part of that, entertainers parade through the streets. You have women made up to look like men; men that make themselves up to look like women. There are pale skins, dark skins, even blue skins. It isn’t hard to create the compounds to make your face this way. Think of the women at court; the powders they use to pale their faces. This Satori could easily disguise himself if he so wished.”

Eden blanched. “Wouldn’t a man in powders stand out somewhat if he was walking down the street?”

“He would, but I don’t think a man that has evaded our justice for so long would be so careless. We are looking for someone beyond clever. He may also be powerful enough that he would be on the lookout for anyone actively hunting. He may sense that someone is curious, someone is searching, and will simply run from where he is if he detects that particular emotion.”

“How is that possible? How can you feel someone searching?”

“I’m not blessed enough to know, my lord. I am not gifted, like some of the Sha’sek kind are. Indeed, as the generations go on, so I hear, there are fewer and fewer gifted being born.” This was in complete opposition to what Sammah had told Quinn. “I have already sent for the necessary scrolls from our generous libraries; my brother’s city boasts the largest of them all so we shall not want for knowledge. I know time is of the essence. I have sent my fastest messenger bird, and have asked for the swiftest couriers. Still, it will be quite a wait. The Severed Desert is no easy place to cross.”

Eden scratched his head. “I normally understand my opponents. I can see their bodies, and predict the moves they will make. I think I will have my work cut out, trying to work out this Satori, if I can’t understand how he does what he does.”

“Even I can’t understand that, my lord. It is best to try and overcome that early on. We can all learn new skills, especially the younger of us.”

Quinn sat miserably in the corner, her chin resting in her hands. She had been instructed to wait on Eden and Sammah; this was to replace her role as a maid for the foreseeable future. As she had been the recent victim of an attempted murder, her father had deemed it unsafe for her to be roaming the castle alone at night. No one, not even Ross, had argued with him. It was a restriction Quinn had not asked for, and she felt trapped. Even more agonising, was being so close to Eden and not being able to talk to him. Instead, she took the opportunity to study him. She wanted to know what every inch of his face looked like, how he physically reacted to words, so that she could tell what he was thinking without having to use her power. She listened for the timbre of his voice, and the gestures he used when talking. Quinn had already identified that he sat forwards in his chair without thinking when he was excited, and he scrunched his hands into fists when he was frustrated. It was fascinating; even better that she could back up her theories with quick verifications. Gestures identified, she would not send her power back when those triggers presented.

In return for this close study of mankind, all she had to pay was the occasional pitcher of wine or water, and so far two runs to the kitchen. This was her second day. Sammah had told her that she was not to engage Eden unless he engaged her directly in conversation first; he had from that moment on talked at the young man so constantly, that Eden had barely had time to think, let alone dwell on the young woman sitting in the corner.

Eden saw that at first, Quinn had looked utterly bored. No small wonder. If Shiver had commanded him to sit in the corner of a room waiting to pour drinks for two men perfectly capable of picking up their own pitchers, he would have walked out in disgust. Quinn didn’t have that luxury. It was the first real definition between their lives that had been drawn. They had been interrupted only twice so far. The first time had been Maertn, the healer. The lad was looking much better since his knockdown in the courtyard, the bruising on his face was now all but gone. Maertn had been resting in the healing rooms, under the bitter care of his own mentor. That had been a chagrining turn of fortunes, and Maertn had stung from the rebuke that he couldn’t treat his own wounds. Having a fractured shoulder notwithstanding, Maertn had been certain that no one else could treat him better. As such, what with being a terrible patient, it had taken him longer than usual to heal. When he reported to Sammah, it had been to give a statement to Eden, and to confirm that he would be returning to his normal duties. Maertn had flung Quinn an apologetic glance. He probably wished he could swap places to save her, Quinn thought. After that, he was gone. The next visitor had been Shiver, checking on the progress of his new favourite son. He had strided around the room, and may as well have been thrusting each time he stood still. Peacocks didn’t pose as much. He had tried leering at Quinn, but had been called to heel immediately by Sammah. Quinn hadn’t missed the triumphant smile that passed Eden’s lips at that point.