Resenting the Hero (18 page)

She huffed and went back to her chair.

So maybe I liked LaMonte after all.

A young man sitting next to me touched my arm. “Are you all right?” he asked me. “You've gone gray.”

I frowned at him. Of course I was all right. I was fine. Karish was the one who had been assaulted. Nothing had happened to me. There was no reason for me to be anything but all right. There was no reason for me to be reacting to anything at all. I was great. I was wonderful. My hands were strangely cold, but that was probably nothing.

It wasn't long before the last healer came out. Like his colleagues, he was surprised and obviously irritated by the number of people waiting in the hall. He glanced over us, then asked, “Which of you is Lord Shintaro's Shield?”

I quietly cleared my throat. “That would be me.”

He leaned his head toward the door. “His Lordship's asking for you.”

There were a few pouts at that. I was rather surprised myself. I rose to my feet, a little unsteadily. Because I'd been sitting still too long.

“The rest of you might as well go home,” the healer announced to the others. “He's barely awake, and one visitor's going to be enough to put him back under.”

“I don't want to overtax him,” I said.

A look of exasperation crossed his face. “He's demanding to see you.”

There were some grumbles from the others. The bureaucrat crossed her arms, looking mulish. “I'll wait,” she declared.

I didn't really blame her. If I'd waited so long, for the reasons she did, I would have been offended at my true love's colleague being given precedence. But hey, Karish was quirky. She might as well learn that from the beginning.

I entered the room quietly. The light coming through the window was dim. I was surprised, though I wasn't sure why, to see it was night. A low lantern had been lit. In the faint light I couldn't see how pale Karish was, but he did look awfully young for some reason, not much older than a boy. Strange what lighting and bedding and boneless exhaustion, his and mine, could do for a person's looks.

He was awake, his tired eyes clear. He was all right. I could breathe. I smiled at him as I pulled a chair close to his bed. “I'm going to ask you a stupid question,” I warned him.

“You want to know how I feel.” His voice was a little weak but perfectly audible.

“You
can
read minds.”

“I'm told I'll live.”

“They're spreading the same lies outside.” I leaned forward in my chair. “Did you babble anything embarrassing while you were delirious?”

“I spilled my guts, and you missed it all.”

“Damn it. All those financial opportunities wasted.” He smiled, but I could tell it took more effort than it should have. I was tiring him already. “I was told not to stay too long. I'll let you sleep.” I started to rise from my chair.

“No, wait,” he said softly.

I froze. “If you have any deathbed confessions to make, you're decades too early.”

“Sit down.”

I sat. “Yes, sir.”

He ignored the sarcasm. “How are you?”

“Me? Fine. No one's tried to stab me. Do you know there are about a thousand people waiting in the hall for you?”

“A thousand?”

“All right. A couple dozen. That's still a lot.”

Another weak smile that quickly faded. “Someone tried to kill me.”

I stomped down on another strong emotion. This one rage. Because how dare they. “Aye.”

“I didn't think anyone hated me that much,” he said softly.

“I think it's a little early to be thinking along those lines. It might be a bungled robbery.”

“No one would bother trying to rob a Source. I don't have anything.”

Oh. Right. Stupid suggestion. But really, who would want to kill him? The idea was ludicrous. Everyone adored Shintaro Karish.

“Are you taking care?” he asked.

“Nothing's happened to me.”

He seemed pained by my stupidity. “Whoever is doing this obviously doesn't care that you'll die with me. It won't take them long to remember that they can turn that around and do the job through you. I'll be harder to kill while I'm in here. You'll make an easier target.”

I felt my eyes widen as his words sank in. Holy hell. He was right. While perhaps not providing the same perverse satisfaction as a direct assault, if this person was determined to kill Karish and couldn't get to him, he would come after me. That aspect of the bond was not a secret. “Zaire.”

“Aye.”

“And you have no idea who might be behind this?”

“Did they catch the fellow who did this?”

“I don't know. Did you know him?”

“No.” He carefully smoothed away a wrinkle in the blanket. “The Runners think it might be a relative. I'm sure there are many who'll object to having a Source as their head of family, and they might have found out about the duke's death long before I did. But I can't pinpoint one person. I haven't even met most of my cousins, don't even know all of their names.”

“I'm going to Flown Raven as soon as I'm able. I have to check this out. We can't spend the rest of our lives dodging knives.”

I nodded. It made sense.

“And you'll be coming with me.”

That woke me up. “Excuse me?” I demanded.

“We're a Pair,” he explained patiently. Like that had anything to do with anything.

“So? I don't know anything about that aristocratic world of yours. I'd be no use at all.”

“It'll be too dangerous for you here, Lee.”

And who was the one in the hospital bed?

Of course I was going. I'd be a wreck waiting in High Scape while he was flitting about Flown Raven, doing all sorts of stupid masculine and dangerous things. More I-might-drop-dead-any-moment tension. No thank you. “I'll think about it,” I told him with expertly feigned reluctance. “Go to sleep. You look awful.” I stood.

“Leaving so soon?”

“I was told not to tire you out.” I looked at him. I would have wagered he couldn't lift his head if he had to.

He could have died.

“I'm glad you're going to be all right.” Weak words, insufficient for the relief I felt, but I'd never claimed to be any kind of poet.

He smirked. “Glad enough to get me some chocolate?”

I raised an eyebrow at him. No, not glad enough to fetch and carry for him. “I bet the bureaucrat out there would do that for you.”

Was that panic that flared in his eyes? “Amanda is out there?”

It amused me that he knew exactly who I'd been referring to. Assuming that was her name. “Want me to send her in?”

“Not if you hold the slightest affection for me in that cold, hard heart of yours.”

“Now that'll take some serious self-examination,” I said, opening the door.

“What, no good-bye kiss?” he protested.

“Don't tempt me, Stallion.” And because I was tired and light-headed with relief, I blew one at him before I left.

Chapter Fourteen

When I told Aiden that Karish had been attacked, the goal of said attack likely to be murder, he started swearing. Most creatively. Most furiously. I hadn't been expecting anger. That would imply he actually liked Karish, wouldn't it? That he actually cared that something dangerous was happening to him? “What's the problem?”

“It's—Don't they—Doesn't the person who did this know that if he kills Karish, he kills you, too?”

Oh.
“I guess he didn't care.”

“What happened to him, the attacker?”

“The Runners are looking for him.” And I really didn't want to talk about it anymore.

“Maybe you should leave.”

“Leave?” The house? He was that upset?

“Leave High Scape. Go somewhere safe.”

There was no place safe. As long as Karish was in danger, I was, too. “I can't leave.”

“Why not? You can't work until Karish is back on his feet, anyway.”

I couldn't leave Karish. For someone to be struck down as Karish was and have his partner desert just to save her own skin was a little too cold even for me. And I couldn't shake the absurd notion that Karish would be safer if I were around to watch over him. Besides, we were going to Flown Raven as soon as Karish was able.

“I'll be able to travel soon,” he promised rashly. “We could go to Middle Reach.”

“Middle Reach? Why would we go there?” Why would anyone go there, if they had the choice? There was nothing in Middle Reach.

He offered up an awkward half shrug. “I've been thinking about how you feel about being a Shield, and how different it is from everything Ryan says. He's so bitter. I think it would be good for him to talk to you. Besides,” he smiled crookedly, “I'd kind of like you to meet him.”

Well, all right, that was all very flattering, but what was the rush? Why couldn't Ryan come to High Scape rather than me going to Middle Reach? Middle Reach could spare a Pair more easily than High Scape, especially right then.

“I'm sorry, Aiden,” I said, “but I can't go to Middle Reach right now.” Or ever, if I had anything to say about it. “I can't leave Karish hanging here while there's some lunatic after him.” Aiden frowned. It irked me. It was bad enough I had to consider one person—Karish—whenever I made a decision of any significance. I wasn't going to add another. “And we have to figure out who it is. So once he can travel, he and I are going to Flown Raven.”

His face stiffened. “Are you?”

What was his problem? “It may be a member of his family. Someone resenting that he's going to be the next duke. We need to find out if that's true, and what can be done about it.”

He didn't like that at all. I could see it. And for a moment I feared we were going to have a genuine argument. But then he pulled in a deep breath, and he visibly calmed himself down. “That makes sense,” he conceded. “So when do you think he'll get out of hospital?”

I was relieved. I hated arguments. And as he had no right to argue with me over something like this, it would have made me angry. That would have ruined my whole day.

We spoke a while longer, about Karish, and it was the most civil conversation I'd had with Aiden, about Karish, since we met. It pleased me, because the instantaneous dislike between the two of them had definitely been mutual. Perhaps this attack would have the beneficial consequence of enabling Aiden to see Karish in a more sympathetic light.

My next visit—I had nothing to do but visit people until Karish and I were back on the roster—was to the Stall. Ogawa and Tenneson were on duty, their first shift since their full recovery. It was nice to know they were working again. It meant they were now the veteran Pair of High Scape, and I was happy to pass that responsibility on to them. I had enough to worry about.

They made me tea and grilled me about Karish. I was delighted to tell them it looked like he was going to be fine. I didn't tell them about the suspicions concerning who had attacked him, although they asked. It was just speculation. And I was really hoping it was just some kind of fluke. The man had attacked Karish by mistake, or had been smoked, or some other explanation that meant Karish wasn't facing some kind of long-term threat.

Ogawa tapped my foot with her toe. “So why are you here?”

“Bored.”

Tenneson chuckled. “You're in High Scape,” he said. “This is the most exciting city in the world. How could you possibly be bored here?”

I shrugged, a little embarrassed. I had never had a chance to be bored while I was in the academy, with all the training I'd had to do. As a bonded Shield I was suddenly left with hours of free time on my hands, and I didn't know what to do with it.

Ogawa took pity on me. “Have you come up with an act for the Hallin Festival?”

It was said that Octavia Hallin was the founder of High Scape. Otherwise the name meant nothing to me. “What's that?”

They made such emphatic sounds of astonishment that I wondered if I should duck.

“I know you haven't been here long, Mallorough, but that you've managed to avoid hearing about one of the most important festivals in High Scape is inconceivable.”

“My talents are many and varied.”

“You haven't been spending enough time with regulars,” Tenneson chided me. “You spend all your time with Triple S company, and you'll become isolated.”

Sure, whatever.
“So now that you've whet my appetite, do you want to tell me what this all-important festival is about?”

“To mark the end of summer, everyone takes the week off and performs onstage for the benefit of their fellow citizens. By law, everyone must perform.”

“Hm, by law, right.”

“I'm serious.”

I refused to accept that. “There's no way every single person in High Scape performs. It would take forever.”

“It doesn't happen at the same place. Dozens of stages are erected all over the city.”

“So you take out a copy of the census and round up every single person in the city? That's impossible.”

Tenneson conceded that with a slight nod. “I'm sure some slip through, but most people have friends and family who will force them onto the stage. And anyone who's at all known hasn't a chance of escaping.”

They had to be joking. Me, get on a stage and perform? “Can I dance the benches?”