Rosa-Ka. Amate. The warmth swirled again, the happiness swelling to thrust away nearly all else — except, of course, for that one last, constant, unfinished truth, thrown again into sharp relief with this damned sudden meeting. The men. The atrocities. Thewar.
Lord Kaspar.
Rosa drew in a heavy breath, let it out. She could do this. She wanted this. She was safe. Home.
“If I write a letter to Dusbury, Tristan,” she said, “is there a way to send it there, from here? Now?”
Tristan nodded, again with that telltale approval in his eyes, and promptly passed over a fresh sheet of paper. Which Rosa stared at for a long, twisting moment, before she pulled out her quill, and began to write.
It was a short letter, but it said all she needed to say. And once she’d blown the ink dry, and silently handed the letter back across the table, there was only a hushed, shudderingrelief.
Tristan took it without speaking, but he was again smiling at Rosa, warm, approving. “I shall take this to Eyarl now,” he said. “He oversees such matters, and shall send it out tonight. I shall soon return.”
Rosa gratefully nodded, and once he’d left, she sagged back into her chair, her eyes glancing around at the familiar, lovely library. It had already become so dear to her, so much like home, and even the thought of leaving it now — leaving John — was almost acutely painful.
But she didn’t have to leave now. They’d —settled matters, like Tristan had said. John had asked. She had answered. She’d pleased him, earned his approval and his praise and even hisname. She would be the pet — and the partner — he’d always dreamed of. He would see.
But it was at that moment that two orcs walked by, speaking in Aelakesh together. Two orcs who were entirely unfamiliar — but that wasn’t what made Rosa sit up in her chair, her gut twisting, her hands gripped tight to the table.
They were talking abouther.
“Er þetta konan?” one of them said. “Konan sem leiddi til þess að Lord Kaspar kom með her sinn?”
Is that the woman, it meant. The woman Kaspar has brought hisarmyfor.
Wait. The womanKasparhas brought hisarmyfor?!
Rosa’s heart kicked and flailed, her brain screeching in her skull, and her suddenly jittery, prickling body lurched out of her chair, dashed to the door. And desperately, fervently listened, through the wild clanging in her ears.
“Ach,” the other orc said. “En John-Ka neitar. Hann vill halda henni.”
Yes. But John refuses.He wants to keep her.
The orcs were still walking, their voices fading into the darkness — but behind them, it was like something had stabbed Rosa straight through the stomach, and crushed her flat against the doorframe.
Lord Kasparhad brought the army. Forher?! And was that what John’s meeting with the men had been about? Was he meeting withLord Kaspar? Was Lord Kaspar trulyhere?!
There was no air, suddenly, only empty dragging gulps, scraping into Rosa’s throat. No. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. Surely John would have told her the truth. They’d agreed on this. They’d settled matters. No more secrets. He wanted her to stay…
But Rosa’s panic just kept jolting, louder and louder with every strangled breath. I willtry, John had told her. He’d hinted at the future, yes, at sharing all his secrets with her — but had he actuallysaidany of that? Surely he had?
Rosa’s brain was frantically casting through memories, grasping and discarding, finding only more hints, more meaningful looks and silences. And John had never actually even said who was leading the men, he’d said they were waiting, is there aught more you wish to ask me…
Rosa felt on the verge of screaming, and she groped at the doorframe, groped for rational thought. No. There still had to be some mistake. Because surely, Lord Kaspar would never have come to Orc Mountain. Not with an army, not for her. He was a scholar, not a fighter or commander, he was travelling, he was busy, far too busy to care about his librarian’s whereabouts…
And Rosa hadn’t even told him, in that first letter she’d left, where she was going. She’d only written that she was taking time to better research, just as he’d suggested. There was no way he could have found out, no one had evenknownthere was an orc in the Dusbury Library that day…
Or had they. BecauseSusanhad known. Good gods, Susan had known, and she’d even said to Rosa, that morning, maybe he’s here foryou…
Rosa only faintly registered the sight of another orc striding up the corridor — but wait, it was Simon,Simon— and Rosa rushed out toward him, grasping unthinkingly at his huge, solid arm. “Simon,” she choked out. “Is Lord Kaspar here? At Orc Mountain? With an army? Forme?”
Simon gazed down at her, unblinking, and Rosa gave his arm a frenzied shake, fought to ignore the sudden wetness welling behind her eyes. “Please, Simon,” she begged. “I need to know. The truth. Is Lord Kaspar here for me? Is John meeting with him right now?Please.”
Simon’s eyes on her didn’t change, and for an instant, she thought he would push her away. Laugh. Call her a stupid, foolish woman, caught in a bond, believing all that a lying Ka-esh orc said —
But then Simon nodded.Nodded.
“Ach,” he said. “This is truth.”
