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“Seeing as it’s not likely we’ll be allowed back in there for who knows how long,” Ox said with a smirk, “I suppose it’s the least we could do.”
That seemed to be the end of that. There was a strong possibility we now knew who had killed Eneko—or at least who was an accomplice in the murder—all we had to do now was find Yarik, if that was even possible.
“Oh, one other thing,” Ox said, turning back to the gate. “I don’t know if Magnus has received the message yet, but a runner from Jorgen and Hati showed up at the boat about an hour ago. Jorgen and Hati and a handful of their men should be arriving tomorrow at some point.”
“Tomorrow?” Sebald asked on behalf of us all.
Ox nodded. “Apparently, Jorgen feels a sense of urgency about meeting with Magnus and Lord Vikhrov. He and Hati, their pups, and a couple other men decided to ride ahead of the rest of them so that they could get here as fast as possible. They sent a runner out ahead of them, even, to let us know they’ll be here very soon.”
“That’s a relief,” Sebald said, stepping back from the gate. “It means we’ll be able to get everything else settled much faster.”
“It means I’ll have to tell Magnus about General Rufus sooner than I thought I would,” I sighed, stepping back from the gate as well. “I have to tell him before Jorgen and Hati get here.”
Sebald and Gennadi looked at me and nodded in agreement. Jace was too busy saying goodbye to Ox and Katrina. Billie and Hayk didn’t know what was going on, but they seemed eager to hear the whole story.
“I am so glad Lefric invited us to come along with you today,” Billie said, still brimming with excitement, as we walked away from the gate, heading back to the main part of the garden.
“So am I,” Hayk said, looking at me with a hungry look. “For several reasons.”
My face heated. With all of the wildly important diplomacy and frontier-shaping intrigue going on, that look from Hayk felt like the most important thing that had happened to me in days.
And they had been momentous days.
“So what do we do now?” Sebald asked once we we’d reached one of several collections of chairs, this one centered around a pretty fountain.
My friends all moved toward various chairs, but just as I picked one and stepped toward it, I spotted Ludvig in a chair of his own on one of the balconies on the second floor of Lord Vikhrov’s house. Guilt that I’d nearly forgotten about washed over me.
“I need to pay a visit to Ludvig,” I said, waving up to the balcony. Ludvig waved back, proving that he’d seen me. In fact, I had the feeling he’d watched the entire scene from the balcony where he was recovering. “I was planning to visit him in the first place. I should fill him in on everything that’s happening.”
“I’ll come with you,” Hayk said as I started to move away.
“No,” I told him, second-guessing myself even as I said it. I met Hayk’s questioning eyes, let out a breath, then said, “This is something I have to do on my own.”
Hayk smiled, even though I had the impression he would have rather come with me. “I’ll wait for you, then.”
Those words struck me harder than they should have. As improbable as it was, I knew he was sincere. He would wait for me.
Which made me hope there was something to wait for.
ChapterEleven
It took a few minutes for me to find my way to the room Ludvig had been given in Lord Vikhrov’s house. The house was more complex on the inside than it appeared from the garden. Its hallways were like a maze. But I figured that was part of the design that enabled every room to have a balcony with an astounding view. I had to find a servant to direct me to the room.
I was surprised at how comfortable the room was when I knocked, then let myself in. It was even larger than the suite Dmitri and I had been given in Olympus’s house, and it not only had a large bed with a canopy, it had an area that looked like a sitting room next to a large fireplace. A cot was set up in that corner of the room, and I assumed that was where Constantine had slept the night before. I wasn’t certain where the healer was now, though.
“Through here,” Ludvig called to me from the balcony.
I picked up my pace, crossed the room, then stepped through a tall archway that was filled with the same sort of temporary windows that my room with Dmitri had. The archways must have been left open in the warmer months of summer.
As soon as I was on the balcony with Ludvig—who reclined in his chair, a blanket over his lower half, looking surprisingly well and contented—I didn’t know what to do with myself. I grasped my hands in front of me, and when that gesture felt too formal, I let them drop to my sides. But that only made my hands go numb with uncertainty, so I clasped them in front of me again.
“What’s wrong?” Ludvig asked, studying me from head to toe. “Has Dmitri done something to you?”
I flushed hot at the question. That was the first thing Ludvig wanted to know?
“Not really,” I said, half lying, forcing myself to meet his eyes. “How are you feeling? You look much better than I thought you’d look.”
Ludvig laughed, which both startled me and made me worry he could do himself harm.
