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“Not everyone likes what’s been going on in the city,” he said. “Ain’t no good going to come from cutting ourselves off. And as for Miro and his cronies…” He shook his head. “They might not lie directly to the crowds, but I went to hear them speak myself, and there’s no hiding the whiff of deception about them.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Did you ever consider a career in law enforcement? Master Anka would be glad to have you.” It wasn’t surprising he had a healing affinity since he worked with animals, but he clearly had the sort of law keeping talent I’d heard Anka talking about.
The stable master chuckled. “That’s a business for young heads like you two. Me, I’ve always preferred horses to people. They’re more straightforward. No need to look for lies with them.” He looked me straight in the eyes. “My brother-in-law has an elements affinity, and he’s told me more than once that the storm came out of nowhere, and there’s nothing the capital could have done about it. We both think this city would be better off without Miro. If you’re going to put a stop to his nonsense, we’ll do what we can to help you. Including turning a blind eye to this one.” He nodded toward Nik.
I relaxed completely. “He’s telling the truth.”
I smiled at the stable master. It was nice working with another healer, even a weak one. He understood that I wanted to hear him state the situation clearly. After seeing Grey at work, I was becoming all too familiar with the ways people shaped words for deceptive purposes.
“If I get in via the produce cart, you’re confident you can get yourself in?” I asked Nik.
He nodded, his expression determined.
“In that case,” I said. “We should go talk to the others. I think we have a plan.”
ChapterSeventeen
The stable master’s brother-in-law was next due to deliver supplies to the law keepers’ hall the following morning, so we didn’t have long to debate the details. But considering how much couldn’t be known, I preferred it that way. Waiting around would only make me nervous and give more time for Grey to track us down.
When the stable master returned from an early morning visit with his relative and instructed me to come with him, Amara protested. She wanted to accompany us as far as the cart, at least, and Hayes only just managed to convince her to let me go alone.
I could understand her feelings. Hayes, Luna, and I could all sense the truth of the stable master’s words, but she had to go on faith. If she wasn’t so well-known in Eldrida, I would have been tempted to let her walk with us as far as the brother-in-law. But with her hero status, it wasn’t worth the risk.
Nik would have volunteered in her place, of course, but he was already long gone. He had disappeared into the night the moment we agreed on the plan and was hopefully already inside the hall. I had been spending the hours since his departure trying not to picture him discovered and mesmerized by Grey. I could now understand firsthand why he hadn’t wanted to be left behind with nothing to do but wait and wonder.
There was enough cool bite in the morning air to justify my wearing a cloak as we walked through the city, and it took all my self-control not to keep tugging the hood down further over my face. Instead I kept my head down as I wound through the streets in the wake of the stable master.
The morning was advanced enough that many other people were also out on various forms of business, and snatches of their conversation drifted past my ears. Some talked of their children or the day’s prices for vegetables, but any time anyone mentioned the capital in a disparaging way, my insides clenched a little tighter. Did they really believe the throne and Guild were to blame for their recent woes, or had they already had the misfortune to run into Grey?
The stable master moved at a surprising pace given his age, and we were soon in an unfamiliar part of the city. When a tall, white marble building loomed before us, I jumped and came to a standstill. Staring up at it, I forgot to keep my face covered.
“What are you doing?” The stable master jerked my arm, pulling me back into movement.
I stumbled behind him, my thoughts churning. “Why are we at the law keepers’ hall? Aren’t you supposed to be taking me to your brother-in-law?”
Suspicious tension flooded my body, although I couldn’t make sense of it. There had been no lie in his words when he had repeatedly stated his intentions and our destination. But I couldn’t be mistaken in the building either. The law keepers’ halls across Tartora had all been built in the same era to the same plans, and I had come to recognize one easily, even despite the similarity they bore to the public hospitals.
“My brother-in-law lives on the other side of the hall,” the stable master said. “We’ll be meeting him a few streets further on.”
“Oh.” The possibility was so obvious that I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought of it immediately. “Of course.”
But now that my nervous tension had exploded, I couldn’t easily get it to recede. I was practically trembling as we turned down a side street and passed down the side of the hall.
A plain, unembellished door swung open as we approached. I faltered, but the stable master kept moving steadily. I pushed myself back into movement as well, not wanting to draw attention to us, but my pace had slowed to a crawl.
My face was angled downward, keeping my features from view, but I couldn’t resist a quick glance upward as two young men exited the building. They were moving slowly despite the air of excitement that clung to their frame and words.
“I thought you were just coming to keep me company,” the first said. “I didn’t expect you to sign up yourself!”
“How could I not once I heard the situation?” the second exclaimed. “If the capital won’t assign us enough law keepers to ensure the city’s safety, we have to step up. It’s the only right thing to do.”
“Won’t your master be upset?” the first asked as I drew level with them. “Mine has already signed on another apprentice. He couldn’t afford to keep me on now that I’ve graduated since he would have to pay me wages and not just room and board. But yours was expecting you to stay and work with him, wasn’t he?”
Neither spared me a glance as we passed each other, too absorbed in their conversation, but I caught the shadow of uncertainty cross the second’s face. He quickly shrugged it off, however.
“I’m graduated now, just like you, which means I’m free to choose where I work. He has no hold over me. I’m sure when I explain the situation, he’ll see that I’m doing this for the good of…” His voice faded as they turned onto the main street.
I looked forward again to find the stable master waiting for me, an impatient look on his face.
