Deepwoods (Book 1) (26 page)

That made ice run through her veins. “Are they such a large
guild, then?”

“Not as large as us,” he refuted with a shake of the head.
“In fact, not particularly large at all. We can’t know their exact number, but
I guess them to be about a hundred strong. They might grow if they can ever
stop their members from killing each other off periodically. But every time an
old guildmaster falls, anyone loyal to him dies too, which wipes out dozens of
men at a time.”

How horrifying. Siobhan felt relieved with every word that
she had managed to take Rune away from that future. She really didn’t want to
ask this, but it begged to be known. “Please answer the next question frankly.
Has Rune personally done anything to Iron Dragain?”

“That I’m aware of? No. I think my men have crossed paths
with him before but we know him by his reputation and little else.”

She blew out a covert breath of relief. Honestly, she hadn’t
known what she would do if the answer to that question had been ‘yes.’ “I’m
glad. Hopefully our trip to Orin will let heads cool.”

“You’ll take him with you, then?” Jarnsmor studied her with
narrowed eyes. “Doing so risks him leaving you, you know. Once he’s on a
different continent, you’ll have no hold over him.”

Siobhan gave him an enigmatic smile. “You think so?”

His head slanted slightly in puzzlement. “Unless you know
something I don’t?”

Shaking her head, she declined to answer and instead stood.
“Thank you for handling this. I’ll get my people ready to leave tomorrow.”

Jarnsmor looked like he wanted to press the matter but let
it go with a wave of the hand. “As you will. I’ll be curious to see if he comes
back with you or not.”

ӜӜӜ

It was just as well that they were set to leave soon. After
what happened with Rune, no one seemed able to rest easy in Iron Dragain.
Without Siobhan being aware of it, some discussion had happened, and as a
result everyone closed in ranks around Rune. He didn’t go anywhere alone, but
always had at least one other person with him. In the course of preparing for
their departure tomorrow, Siobhan saw him with three different people. At one
point, she even saw him sitting with Conli, getting his bandages swapped out,
with both Pyper and Pete sitting on his feet.

The whole scene just warmed her heart.

People might still be debating on whether or not they fully
trusted Rune, but they did feel some sort of connection to him, or they
wouldn’t be reacting this way. Word had spread quickly through the guild of
what had happened that morning and Siobhan saw many a snide glance being aimed
at her assassin. It never went further than that, however. Whether it was
because of Jarnsmor’s instructions or her own people’s vigilance, she wasn’t
sure.

As long as no trouble started, she didn’t care what the
reason was, either.

Now, let’s see, what else did she need to do? She herself
was packed, as was most of the guild, but she did want to speak with Lirah
before they left. Where could she find her at this point in the day?

“Siobhan!”

She turned, halfway inside the common room, spying Sylvie
and Rune coming her direction. “Yes?”

Sylvie rubbed her fingers against her thumbs in a clear
gesture that asked for money. “We need to outfit Rune.”

Oh. Right. The clothes they’d bought for him earlier hadn’t
survived the gamut of assassins. She had a feeling that Rune was rough on
clothes anyway, but the nightly attacks were certainly destroying his wardrobe.
“Yes, of course. I’m glad you thought of that.” She took the cloth purse out of
her side pouch and handed it over. “Try to only spend half of that, alright?”

Usually Sylvie would shrug assent, but this time she
hesitated as she took the bag. “Umm, that might be a bit difficult. Markl gave
me a shopping list for Rune as well.”

“Oh?” Her eyes darted to Rune’s face. Markl? And why was
Rune avoiding her eyes?

Sylvie glanced at Rune as well before she dropped her voice
to a confidential tone. “Siobhan. Rune can’t read.”

WHAT?! Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. No, wait,
calm down. She should have expected this. He was from a dark guild, after all;
people were rarely educated in those circles. Wolf had been one of the few exceptions,
but it was his hometown that had educated him, not the guild who’d bought him.
She took in a breath to steady her voice before speaking. “So, Rune, has Markl
offered to teach you?”

Rune searched her eyes, as if trying to see any pity or
disgust she might feel, but he steadied out when she just looked at him
levelly. “No. He demanded ta teach me.”

That made her chuckle. “Now, why is it easy for me to
picture him doing that? Lucky for you, then. I can’t imagine a better teacher
than him. What did he say you needed?”

“A primer book, a practice book, quill and ink, and some
scratch paper,” Sylvie listed, ticking things off on her fingers. “Any book is
pricier here than in Robarge, so it’s going to be a bit steep.”

Siobhan waved this off. “It’s worth it. We can’t have Rune
wandering around the world without being able to read. It’ll put him at too
much of a disadvantage.”

Rune made a wordless protest. “This wasn’t part of the
deal.”

She put a hand on his shoulder and snared his eyes with
hers. “You are guild, Rune. Until the day you decide to leave, you are guild,
and I will treat you as such. Now, do you want to learn how to read?”

He nodded once, firmly, eyes locked with hers.

“Then learn.” Giving his shoulder a final squeeze, she let
go before focusing on Sylvie. “Try not to bankrupt me. We have quite a bit of
traveling to do before we get home after all.”

Sylvie gave a mocking bow. “I’ll do my best. I need to teach
him a few things too while we’re out.”

Both Rune and Siobhan gave her a blank look.

“Like?” Rune asked in puzzlement.

“Like how to shop and properly bargain with people,” Sylvie
answered promptly, giving him a pointed look. “Rune, my dear, you have
no
survival
skills to speak of.”

Siobhan bit her tongue and tried not to laugh at the
poleaxed expression on Rune’s face. So, assassination didn’t count as a
survival skill, eh? Well, it likely wouldn’t in Sylvie’s opinion.

“Have fun, then.” She waved them away. Actually, she blessed
Sylvie’s idea in taking him out of Iron Dragain. It not only gave Rune the things
he needed, but removed him from this tense atmosphere, which they all needed.
She took all of one step before a thought struck. Turning about, she called to
their retreating backs, “Rune?”

Rune stopped mid-step and looked back over his shoulder.
“Yes?”

“Protect Sylvie.” Siobhan’s mouth quirked in a wry manner.
“She tends to attract the wrong sort of attention from men.”

Rune glanced at Sylvie, who couldn’t do anything more than
shrug in resigned agreement, before he assured her, “Geta.”

“Good man.” Siobhan waved him on again, feeling a little
like a mother that had just sent two siblings out for a day of shopping. Well,
in a way, that’s exactly what she had done. She couldn’t put Rune in any better
hands, though. Sylvie could make a kor stretch until it squirmed and begged for
mercy.

Now, what had she been doing before being interrupted? Oh
right, talk to Lirah.

Late that evening, after most of Iron Dragain had settled in
for the night, she had everyone in Deepwoods meet again in the common room.
During the whole course of the day, she’d been running from pillar to post, and
because of that, she hadn’t been able to meet with her people to check in.

Once again they found places either on the couches or chairs
to sit, although this time Denney didn’t choose the floor next to the dogs, but
instead stuck close to Conli. The older man had an arm around her shoulders in
silent support. Siobhan noted this position with a slight frown. Denney
normally chose to be close to Conli, but for her to openly cling like this was
unusual. Had something happened?

Making a note to ask later, she cleared her throat to get
everyone’s attention. “The ship leaves the day after tomorrow on the morning
tide, so I expect people to be on board by eight sharp. We are, technically,
investigating on Iron Dragain’s behalf and Jarnsmor has funded us for the trip.
I’ve got individual purses for each of you, but mind that it’ll not be until we
reach home that you’ll get paid again, so make it last.”

People nodded or said a word of agreement in response.

“Now, is everyone packed? Anything that we need to get
before we go?”

No one said anything at this, just looked at each other as
if to say,
You? No, I’m fine.

“Conli?” she prompted. “How badly were they injured?”

“Scratches and bruises,” Conli assured her. “Nothing that
required any stitches. Assuming they keep the wounds clean, they’ll heal
perfectly in a week or two.”

Well enough. “I’m not sure if everyone knows this or not,
but Conli is staying behind to see after the Blackstone people. So Fei will be
in charge of any injuries for the duration of this trip. Conli, does Fei
already have the black bag?”

“I do, Siobhan-ajie,” Fei assured her calmly.

“That said, I do not
want
injuries,” she said this as
strongly as she knew how.

“Wolf? Tran?” Grae had a smirk on his face. “I think she’s
talking to you.”

“I wasn’t in the fight this morning,” Tran pointed out.

Wolf put an innocent hand to his heart. “And I didn’t start
it.”

Grae rolled his eyes heavenward. “According to you, you
never
start it.”

He looked wounded by this, as if he couldn’t understand why
Grae was picking on him.

Not one person in the room believed his innocence either.

Siobhan blew out a year’s worth of sighs. “Moving on…no
fights, people. Not if you can help it. I especially don’t want injuries when
we’re on foreign soil far from home. Now, that out of the way, Rune? Did Sylvie
outfit you?”

“And then some,” he assured her, brightening perceptibly.

“He now has three shirts, two pants, an extra pair of boots,
a coat, and a new belt,” Sylvie listed this off while ticking it away on her
fingers. “Plus the books and papers that Markl requested I buy him. I bought a
leather satchel for him to put it all in, but the strap is a bit damaged.
Beirly, can you fix that for him tonight? The bag is in perfect shape except
the strap.”

“And you got an absolute steal on it because of that,”
Beirly guessed dryly.

Sylvie grinned like a cat that had just polished off a dish
of forbidden cream.

“I’ll take a look and fix it, one way or another,” Beirly
promised. “Rune, bring it to me after this.”

Rune ducked his head in agreement, bewildered but pleased by
this ready offer of help from Beirly.

“I think that’s all we need to cover.” Siobhan stood from
her chair, clapping her hands in dismissal. “Go to bed, and remember, stay out
of trouble before we leave.”

People started moving, some heading toward their rooms,
others trying to catch someone else’s attention. Siobhan had her own back to
the room, heading for bed, when she heard Conli call to Rune.

Eh? Conli said Rune was fine…she turned back to see what it
was he wanted.

Conli had caught Rune’s attention, but it was Denney that
stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She had a serious set to
her jaw, as did Conli. Siobhan cocked her head slightly. What was this about?

“Rune.” Denney’s voice shook ever so slightly but she stood
steadfast in front of the assassin.

Rune went abruptly still, almost motionless, as if he didn’t
even breathe. He watched her cautiously, having no idea what to expect from
her.

“What you did for me earlier…” Denney’s lips curved in a
helpless smile. “For protecting me the way you did, I cannot find the words to
thank you. Because of that, I hope you will take this as my thanks.” From
inside her vest, she drew out a mid-sized hunting knife and presented it to him
on her open palms.

Siobhan’s eyes went wide. What he did for her? Protected
Denney? What was this about? What had Rune done that was so weighty that Denney
felt the need to give him a present in return?

The whole guild had taken notice of this interaction by now
and had turned back to watch the scene play out.

Rune seemed oblivious to their attention as he reached out
slowly with one hand that never quite touched the knife. “Are those…marks?”

“You weren’t registered with your own hunter’s marks that I
could find,” she explained, still holding the knife out toward him on steady
hands. “So I registered a set of marks for you.”

Siobhan felt her knees give way and she had to lock them to
keep her feet. What Denney had done was
huge
. In all the four
continents, only a handful of laws were universally obeyed, but the hunter’s
law was one of them. No man could claim another’s prey if a hunter’s marks were
found there. A man was not considered to be a whole man until he had his own
marks to lay claim with. Siobhan had named Rune but hadn’t thought it wise to
push getting him marks as well, all things considered.

Seeing that look on his face, his expression of open wonder,
made her realize she was a fool for not doing so.

Rune swallowed hard before he finally raised his other hand
and took the knife from Denney with both hands. In a gesture of utmost respect,
he drew the knife from its sheath and looked it over carefully. Denney hadn’t
spared any expense—the metal shone brightly under the light, the etching near
the hilt fine and detailed. Three flat lines with two circles were engraved
into the dark wood of the hilt, and that, too, gleamed. A hunting knife was the
traditional method of gifting a hunter’s marks to a boy and Denney had chosen a
very fine weapon to do it with.

He just as carefully sheathed it before saying hoarsely,
“It’s a good gifti’n. I thank ya for it.”

Denney beamed at him. “No, Rune. Thank
you
.”

Conli added in a gentle tone, “She told me what you did, and
how you’ve stepped in several times and warned people off on her behalf. It’s
made you many enemies in a place where you had few allies to begin with.
Because of that, I feel like we owe you something more.”

“What?” Rune’s head jerked back in instinctive protest. “No,
sir, that’s not—”

“Whatever your agreement with Siobhan,” Conli cut in kindly,
“you are clearly doing more than she expected. That dumbfounded expression on
her face tells me that much.” Conli turned and winked at her before adding,
“Because of that, I give you one more gift of thanks.” He snagged Rune’s hand
and raised it up.

Before Siobhan’s—the entire guild’s—astonished eyes, Conli
took his bejeweled bridge ring off his own hand and slipped it onto Rune’s
middle finger.

 “This is a bridge ring,” Conli explained. “Do you know of
it? No? It’ll let whoever wears it travel through Island Pass without any
questions asked. You can also search the records there, and request help or
information from any inhabitant on that island. With this, you do not need to
be bound to any place but can travel freely across the bridges as you wish to.”

Rune’s mouth opened and closed like a beached fish. He
finally shook his head roughly. “I don’t deserve this.”

“Rune,” Conli chided gently. “You protected someone precious
to me. Multiple times. I know that you will continue to do so in the future,
and that because of your actions, you will draw anger and malice to you. What
kind of man would I be if I didn’t help offset that by giving you a means to
escape if you need it? We will, of course, protect you and safeguard you as you
have us, but I do not intend to leave you trapped here unnecessarily.”

“We thought the best gift we could give you was the freedom
to go and make any future you wish,” Denney added. “The marks and ring are for
that purpose. Accept them, please.”

Rune’s eyes traveled from one face to another, mouth
searching for words, but none were coming out. He clearly looked overwhelmed by
this outpouring of gratitude and kindness and had no idea how to accept it.

Siobhan’s patience snapped with an almost audible twang. “I
can’t take it anymore. Rune! What happened? What did you do? I’ve rarely seen
them act like this before.”

Denney turned and gave her an odd look. “He didn’t tell
you?”

“Tell. Me. What,” Siobhan gritted out.

“The reason why he was in that fight with the Iron Dragain
men this morning,” Denney responded as if the answer was obvious. “The whole
fight started because of me.”

“
What?!”
several voices yelled at once.

Siobhan took in a deep breath. “Denney. From the beginning,
please.”

“Right.” She half turned so she could look at the whole
room. “I’d come back from the baths, heading for my room, when those idiots
cornered me. They…well, it was the usual thing. They thought I was a prostitute
or something and were hassling me. I wasn’t sure what to do, at first. I mean,
I never expected that sort of danger
here
.”

Neither had Siobhan, or she would have taken precautions.

“I was a little too late in using force to get them to leave
me alone, and they thought I was playing hard to get, so they cornered me. It
was at that point that Rune appeared from thin air—” she glanced at Rune, head
cocked in question.

“Ceili’n, actually,” he corrected.

“Oh, is that where you were? I just knew you were suddenly
there
,
between me and them. Rune hit them hard and fast and told me to run for it. I
went straight to Conli, hoping to send help back to Rune, as I wasn’t sure he
could handle three men at once.”

Rune snorted. Obviously, he hadn’t been worried about that.

“But by the time that I could get to him,” Conli picked up
the thread of the story smoothly, “Sylvie, Wolf, Fei and Siobhan were already
there and Siobhan was reaming the men for daring to attack Rune. Since those
three were obviously hurt, I went immediately back for my bag so I could patch
them up. Besides, I was afraid of leaving Denney alone again, after what had
just happened.”

Denney gave Siobhan an odd look. “Didn’t you tell me that he
told you what happened?”

Siobhan glared at Rune. He couldn’t quite meet her eyes. “I
thought he had, anyway.”

Rune shrugged uneasily. “She hadn’t done anythi’n.”

“Rune, I don’t blame the victim for trouble, y’know?”
Siobhan responded in exasperation. “I realize it might not seem like that,
because I’m constantly yelling at Wolf and Tran when trouble breaks out, but
that’s because
they’re
usually the ones that start things. When Sylvie
or Denney are in trouble, I know good and well they didn’t start it, so I’m not
going to be harsh with them. You don’t have to protect them from me.”

Denney blinked at her, then turned to Rune with wide eyes.
“You covered for me?”

Rune stared at the floor and muttered something
unintelligible.

Rubbing her eyes with both hands, Siobhan blew out a long
breath. “So, in other words, it’s not just Rune we need to look out for, but
Denney as well? Rain and drought, but this is ridiculous. I’ll speak with
Jarnsmor again, but for now, no one goes anywhere alone. Do you hear me?
None
of you
.”

Everyone gave her nods or voiced some sort of assent.

She smiled grimly. The next fool that decided one of her own
was easy prey wouldn’t live long enough to regret it. But for now, she needed
to say something else. Stepping forward, she ruffled the back of Rune’s hair
with an affectionate toss. “You did good, kid.”

Rune glanced at her from the corner of his eye with that
almost-smile she was beginning to love. He openly basked in the praise.

Her eyes took in Conli and Denney as she repeated, “You did
good.” If she had known all that Rune was doing behind the scenes, she’d have
put together a reward for him herself, but having it come unsolicited from
Conli and Denney meant the world to him. Perhaps it was best that she hadn’t
known anything until now.

They both gave her understanding smiles.

Beirly cleared his throat and offered, “Rune, why don’t me
and you put those marks on your things? Now that you have ‘em, let’s put ‘em to
use.”