Read Online Storm and Steel by Jon Sprunk - Free Book Online Page B

Majesty, I would suggest waiting until morning.”
    â€œNo, no. I'm just prowling around. Have you happened to see Lady Alyra recently?”
    â€œI have not. Lieutenant Orthen?”
    â€œNo, sir,” the lieutenant said in a surprisingly soft voice. “I could send out a detachment to locate her, if my lord wishes.”
    â€œNo. That's not necessary. Have a good night, Captain.”
    Dyvim bowed again and was imitated by his men. “And you, as well, Belum .”
    With a friendly nod, Horace resumed his search. He went downstairs and reached the villa's atrium without seeing anyone except a pair of guards walking patrol. He almost ran into a young woman in a short dress hurrying in the front entrance. Then he saw her gold collar and recognized her as one of the queen's handmaidens.
    â€œPardon me,” he said.
    She kept her eyes on the floor as she moved out of his way. “Please forgive me, Great Lord.” Her words were pitched almost too low to hear.
    â€œIt was my fault. I'm trying to find someone. You know Alyra, right? She's not in her room.”
    â€œShe is in the gardens,” the woman said, almost whispering. She looked upset. “Down by the meditation pool.”
    â€œ Kanadu. Have a good evening.”
    As he continued out the door, Horace looked back over his shoulder. The handmaiden was climbing the stairs. Her head was bent down, her shoulders shaking, as if she were crying. I hope it's not something I said. Poor girl.
    Outside, the night was cool with a fresh breeze. The drooping trees surrounding the villa's estate swayed to the rhythm of the wind. The gardens spread out on all sides of the main house, divided by stone paths and leafy hedges, broken by the rooftops of small pavilions like wooden islands in the greenery. It was quiet, except for the buzzing of locusts and the occasional birdcall.
    Horace made his way through the winding paths. A few minutes later, he found Alyra standing beside a scenic pond. He held back for a moment to watch her, standing in the pale moonlight. She bent down to smell the petals of a broad, white bloom, and he wished time would freeze in that instant. She was the purest thing in his life. She's a spy. Dealing in duplicity, and yet she's never false to herself. Why can't I be that way?
    But he was torn between two worlds and two desires. He shifted his feet, the leather of his sandals scraping across the stone underfoot, and she turned. She kept her hands at her sides as she spotted him. Her eyes were hidden in deep shadows. “How long have you been there?”
    All my life?
    â€œI needed to find you.” He spoke in Arnossi.
    She stepped forward, flower petals brushing against her legs. “Here I am.”
    â€œI was hoping you'd be back soon. I have something for you.”
    Horace reached into his sash and pulled out a small object. She took it in her hand. The carving was done in a light wood, polished to an amber sheen. “A sea turtle?” she asked.
    â€œIt's from Thym. You told me you and your family lived there when you were young.”
    She held the carving in both hands, examining the detail. “That was thoughtful of you.”
    â€œThings haven't been the same since you left. The job is…well, it's a lot more work than I anticipated.”
    â€œIt's an important position. You've come a long way since I first met you.”
    â€œI'm still the same man. At least, I hope I am.”
    â€œIt's not so easy to tell.”
    â€œYou've been gone. I've had to hold things together here without you. Without Mulcibar. I tell you, Alyra, I feel like a fraud most of the time. People are making all these demands of me, and I don't know what to do anymore.”
    â€œThe queen wants you to do something?”
    He didn't want to get into this with her, but it was pointless to hide it. She'd find out soon enough. “She wants me to oversee the halt of the slave uprising.”
    â€œShe wants