“We’re going to have to swim,” Syla reminded her.
“The pack has been oil-skinned, and I’ve further wrapped everything inside.” Tibby pointed at the cobbler. “That’s not for the dragon, is it?”
“No.” Syla hadn’tintendedto make the dessert, but Vorik had given her the berries, and most of the ingredients had been sitting out on the kitchen counter, as if the gods themselves had wanted him to have a cobbler. More likely, someone had been in the middle of baking preparations when the attacks had started. Since the salve had needed time to simmer anyway… “Vorik requested it.”
Tibby’s eyebrows flew up. “You’rebakingfor him?”
Syla lowered her voice though she hesitated to speak any of her plans aloud since Vorik had a knack for overhearing everything. “Let him think he’s winning me over. Then it’ll be easier to slip away later.”
“We need to slip awaynow. How can we get rid of him?”
“Well, as we talked about, the dragons won’t be able to reach land with us. It’ll be easier to get away from him when he can’t mount Agrevlari and fly after us.”
“He’s still going to be faster on foot than we are. Did you see him jump off his dragon’s back from twenty feet in the air? And land like he’d hopped downtwofeet?”
“I’ve observed that he’s athletic, yes.”
Tibby gave her an exasperated look. “That’s a lot more thanathleticism.As I told you before, he has magic. Powerful magic. Youof all people should recognize it.” She pointed to the back of Syla’s hand.
Syla sighed and scooped the salve into a bowl. “I do recognize it.”
“He could kill us easily. Any time he wishes.” Tibby pointed at her chest and Syla’s, then waved toward the garden outside as well. Including Fel?
“Yes, and he hasn’t. That’s not what he wants.”
“What do you think he wants? You’re a comely girl, but I’m positive he’s not here because he’s smitten with you.”
Syla’s cheeks heated as the memory of riding with Vorik again popped into her mind.
“He wants the shielders,” Tibby said. “And he thinks you’ll lead him to them.”
“You said that before, yes. And I haven’t discounted it. But that faction he told me about… Fel has heard of it. It apparentlydoesexist, so it’s possible…”
“It exists. I’ve also heard of it. Butheisn’t in it. It’s mostly women who are tired of scavenging for their food and constantly being threatened by predators that can bite one of their children in half if they’re careless outside of their caves for even an instant.”
“You don’t think some men are also tired of scavenging and threats to their children?”
“Not him.”
“We’ll escape him on Harvest Island.” Syla grabbed a large wooden spoon, then took the cobbler pan and the salve bowl and headed for the door.
Tibby intercepted her, leaning close to whisper in her ear. “Does he trust you enough to eat that without question?”
Syla shook her head in confusion at the question. “I don’t know.”
“There’s some dried zalok in the root cellar.”
Syla froze. Since she knew herbs well, she recognized that one and what it did.
It was a potent poison, one that was taken to the castle so that anyone who knew kingdom secrets, which included her, could consume it if they were traveling between islands and captured by stormers. It was supposed to be one’s godly duty to kill oneself to keep from divulging vital information.
“You can easily mix some into the topping, and he wouldn’t taste it,” Tibby added.
Syla couldn’t keep from giving her aunt an aggrieved look. While she understood the logic, she was a healer, not a murderer. She couldn’t contemplate poisoning someone.
“Or I could do it,” Tibby said, her voice low. “So you wouldn’t have to. I know it would be hard for you.”
“I would hope it would be hard for you too.”
