The Shrinemaiden (The Maidens) (27 page)

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she saw a large house in the distance, saw the carriage wheel toward it. It appeared heavily guarded, with soldiers patrolling the gated walls where a large sculpted eagle, General Kazer’s own personal herald, stood atop the wall, wings spread wide as if about to soar into the sky. In its talons was a metal snake, twisting in its grasp.

She bid the wagoneer to stop. The trees hid the house from view from the main road, which also worked in her favor, because it could also be used to keep them out of view. She watched as the gates swung open to allow the carriage in, and watched them swing shut after they passed.

She’d seen enough. Telling the somewhat confused wagoneer to return to the city, Adelai was silent for the rest of the ride, trying to make sense of what she had just seen.

“A summer house, perhaps?” Daken suggested, while they both lay against his sheets, fresh from their coupling. They both knew that the earl might send for her again soon enough, and that they must be quick if they wanted to talk.

Adelai nodded. “He is keeping a house some distance away from the city, only miles from General Kazer’s house.”

“It’s not one that I know of.” Daken frowned. “I have never been to such a place before. A well-barricaded mansion, you say?”

“I saw several guards by the gates. I think there is something he is keeping hidden inside the house.” There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had a very good idea of what she might find there.

“Nothing legal, knowing my father. Why? Do you think this is important?”

“Don’t you think so? Don’t you think this seems suspicious, somehow?”

“Of course I do. It sounds like something out of a novel - the secret guarded mansion, an eagle atop the red gates just for dramatic effect, the mercenaries stationed within. But if there are guards surrounding it as you say, then I’m not sure we can do much. What’s wrong?” he asked, at the sudden frown on her face.

“It’s nothing.” Adelai’s mind ran through several options, rejecting them as she went. “I suppose you’re right. There isn’t much we can do. Still - I want to think things through.”

She’d written another note to Lady Shannika saying she would like to take her up on her offer to visit. The Silvermaiden’s reply was prompt, suggesting that Adelai come the day after.

She made one more trip that she told no one about - Nemar Lacroisse had extended an invitation to her to come visit as well, and she wasted no time accepting that day.

“I was half-expecting you to refuse, actually,” Nemar confessed with a smile, as they sat down at his parlor. “I hadn’t thought I made much of an impression at Lady Wilchestrom’s party, with all the males vying for your attention.”

“You made more of an impression on me,” Adelai said, matching his smile with one of her own, “while you were at a certain brothel in the city.”

The grin slid off Nemar’s face, eyes suddenly wary.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do now, my lord Lacroisse. And now you’re going to listen to what I have to say.”

“I’d like to ask your friend, Sana, to scout out the place. Can you get word to her?”

Daken grinned. “I thought it would be best not to go into the city for the meantime. Nemar’s not as carefully guarded as I, so I can ask him to pass the information along.”

“Good, because this is what I want her to do.”

The Maestre manor was smaller than the General Kazer’s residence, but was equally as impressive. Unlike the general’s, where expensive items littered the walls and tables, Lady Maestre had less furnishings, but was more discerning in her tastes. Muted but attractive paintings decorated the walls, with vases and glassware adorning the mantelpiece and side tables. The Silvermaiden herself sat at a large armchair before a blazing fireplace, and rose to greet Adelai when she arrived. The woman was dressed in a simple gray dress and wore little jewelry. She presented Adelai with a garland of orchids, much to the shrinemaiden’s delight, who recognized them as a rare, exotic breed. The Lady Maestre was an avid gardener herself, and talk quickly turned to preferred flowers and herbs, both comparing notes and tips. Adelai had also brought a small glass horse as a gift for the other woman, a sleek miniature she had found in the city.

As before, her slave-general, Khalid, was also present, sitting on the floor beside the chair and studying her with his hard gray eyes. The slave collar was still around his neck, but he was no longer leashed. Though he could have easily overpowered his mistress and escaped if he wanted to, he did no such thing. If anything, despite his stern gaze he looked almost… relaxed.

“I don’t think I’ve thanked you yet for the kind invitation, milady.”

“Call me Shannika, Adelai.” The woman smiled. “I was expecting you to call soon enough,” she added, once they had resumed their seats. “My cousin told me everything about what had happened at the general’s house. I had no idea both Kazer and Sevrigne would stoop so low as to kidnap Sarcopian noblewomen.”

Khalid made a sound much like a grunt, but said nothing.

“I feel betrayed,” Adelai confessed, quicker to be more open with the woman than she had been with the Wolf. “If my high priestess had known about this, she would have never offered him my contract.”

“No one in Sarcopia had even been aware of this, my dear. The good earl has been very good at hiding his secret. The question is, what are we to do?” She smiled at the start Adelai made. “It was easy enough to intuit why you asked to visit me today. What the earl and the general are doing does technically go against the crown, though the king might see it fit to support them still. They took daughters of families who are the most vocal of His Highness’ detractors. The people, however, will not be as kind. They might look to you as Sarcopia’s heroine if you make those documents known, though you are not Sarcopian yourself. This does not contradict the oath you took as a shrinemaiden, does it?”

“No, it does not,” Adelai admitted. “Still, it would be easy for others to turn this around and say those documents have been forged. I could be painted as a spy working in collision with other kingdoms. I do not think I can risk my reputation as a shrinemaiden and my own personal safety, all for pieces of paper.”

“True enough. We will need more ammunition if we are to expose Kazer and Sevrigne once and for all. And surely you must have an idea of what to do, for I think you have come here to ask for my help.”

Adelai smiled. “You’re very astute, milady. I’ve only recently discovered that the earl had been taking trips to an estate he owns not far from where General Kazer’s manor lies. His son knows nothing about this land, and claims he has never been there. I’ve also discovered that this place is heavily fortified, with guards patrolling the grounds.”

Shannika Maestre looked surprised. Khalid said nothing, but it was clear he was listening intently to their conversation.

“I have every reason to suspect that he’s been keeping many of the women there,” Adelai went on, “I don’t have any other proof, but it’s the only answer that makes sense. There is something inside that house they don’t want anyone else to know about.”

The noblewomen frowned to herself for a few minutes, thinking hard. “We will need my cousin’s help for this, I think. The troops are loyal to him, and he can quickly find some means to bring a small army to the Earl’s doorstep, and construct some valid reason to enter the premises.” She leaned forward. “But we must be sure, Adelai. If we choose to storm the Earl’s residence, and find nothing there, then not even my influence can keep us all out of the dungeons.”

“I know,” Adelai said, miserable. “If only there was some way to be sure! It is partly why I am here - to ask for a second opinion. For now, here is everything I know.” She brought out the sketch Sana had made of the Earl’s house. The thief was as good as she claimed to be, making note of when the guards were changed, as well as areas about the house that seemed least heavily defended. She spread it across the table, and Shannika leaned forward, curious. Khalid, Adelai was quick to note, also drew closer, his eyes taking in the drawings.

“There’s one spot marked out where there aren’t any soldiers posted on duty, where it looks like we could rush in and take the guards there by surprise. Once every three days, a covered wagon would come in with supplies - and, I suspect, more captured girls, hidden inside. The caravans would always depart empty. The only transport seen to be arriving and leaving ar either the Earl or the General’s carriage. The guards change places every six hours - at six in the morning, at noon, at six in the evening, and at midnight. I would recommend finding a way in just a little before six in the morning, where the guards would be tired and ready to get off their posts.”

“Water,” Khalid said unexpectedly.

Shannika looked at her slave in surprise, but his eyes were still trained on the paper. “Is this manor northeast of Sarcopia, a mile or so from the Killich Sea?”

Adelai nodded, impressed. “How did you know?”

“It explains why many caravans enter the compound, but leave empty-handed. I’ve had to run down a few pirates in my time, milady, and I have never met one who have ever done their smuggling out in the open. If the documents say the captured females are to be delivered to Corsuciva slavers, then they will have to do so by water. If I remember the terrain right, northeast of Sarcopia lies the Killich Sea, a route Corsucivan ships would need to pass through to reach the western kingdoms. There will be tunnels inside that house, leading out to a cove by the sea, which they will use to load their slaves.”

Adelai’s admiration grew, as well as her amazement. She knew the general was a highly intelligent tactician, which was why he was such a valuable commodity at the auctions, but it sounded as if Lady Shannika had not been afraid to share information with him as well - a curious notion, given that he was her slave, and technically an enemy himself.

The noblewoman was studying the former general, her expression inscrutable. “You don’t need to help us, Khalid,” she said, in a softer voice than normal.

Khalid looked back at his mistress. His time with the Silvermaiden had done much to change him, Adelai thought. He was still unbending and proud, but much of that had been gentled somehow, channeled into submission to Lady Maestre, but without subservience. She remembered them coupling on the couch, the look on Khalid’s face as he watched his mistress above him, crying out in ecstasy, and a faint smile tugged at her lips. She wondered if Shannika knew.

“Other Highrolfe women are still missing, that much I know. If the earl has them, then I will do all I can to help.”

The worry did not quite leave Shannika’s face, as if she knew there was more to his assistance than what he was saying. “I will send trusted men, some of my best, to look at the cove, as will my cousin. If there is a tunnel there leading back into the house, no doubt they will find it.”

“And I have another thing to show you,” Adelai placed another piece of paper onto the table. It was similar to the initial sketch of the mansion, but with glaring differences. “And this is where things become more complicated.”

There was other things they needed to plan out, and these occupied the rest of the afternoon. “You seem very familiar with military tactics,” Khalid noted quietly.

“I had a very good teacher,” Adelai said sadly, thoughts drifting back to Thornton.

They agreed to make the attempt in three days’ time, just a day before the slavers were due. Shannika had been furious when Khalid had volunteered his services. Though admitting that the man was an ideal candidate to infiltrate the house, given his experiences, she was unyielding, nonetheless. The former general backed down, though there was a faint gleam in his eyes Adelai wasn’t sure she liked.

“Why, Adelai?” Shannika asked. “Why would you risk everything to help us? You cannot claim to be a patriot, and you will not profit from this.”

“There is someone in Sarcopia that I would risk everything to protect, milady,” Adelai said. It was the closest she had ever gotten to confessing her true purpose in the kingdom. “I would rather die than see him come to harm, and should Sarcopia fall into another war….”

Something passed between the two women, an understanding that needed no words. The Silvermaiden glanced at Khalid, and then looked away again.

“I understand,” she said, and Adelai knew that she did.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Outmaneuvered

On the night of the attempted raid, Adelai dined with the earl of Sevigne and his son at his house. There had been no reason for Adelai to be present when the Wolf and the Silvermaidens men moved in, but it was very difficult for her to agree to sit in safety while the others might be risking their lives for something she had brought about.

Still, she did have one important role to play that night - to keep the earl distracted and relaxed so that he would only know about what had transpired after the fact. Lady Shannika invited them earlier that afternoon to her estate on the pretext of business. The earl and her father had been partners in certain mining interests, owning several scattered throughout Sarcopia, and the former also had numerous investments in the Silverwine trade. As Shannika had now resumed control of her father’s papers after he had passed away, the noblewoman wanted the earl to sign several documents to facilitate a smooth transition of ownership. Khalid was absent, and the earl himself commented on that fact.

“He’s being punished, milord,” Lady Maestre told him, and a small smile played on her lips. “He’ll be indisposed for most of the day. Or until I decide he’s had enough.”

While the earl and the Silvermaiden talked, Adelai and Daken kept themselves busy, with the boy offering her a tour of Lady Maestre’s manor on her behalf, having visited enough times to be familiar with the place. Like Adelai, the lady was keen on flowers, and her gardens were extensive, rivaling that of the Temple of Inne-Anneah’s, much to the shrinemaiden’s delight. Daken was amused as she chattered happily away, pointing out several rarer specimens and giving him a thorough herbology lecture for the next couple of hours. “I’m afraid I have more knowledge on blue orchids now than I know what to do with!” He said, laughing. “I’ve never seen you so animated.”