Wolf's Head, Wolf's Heart (84 page)

Only the heaviness of his sleep each night and the quantities of food he required gave hint to the tremendous toll his exertions took on him.

"He will have scar through lid and around eye," Firekeeper continued, "that will always show, but both will work."

The wolf-woman looked truly happy for the first time since she had failed to catch Lady Melina. Elise hoped that Firekeeper was on the way to forgiving herself.

"Blind Seer laugh at me," the wolf-woman continued, her tone sour but her eyes still dancing, "and say, why I keep this silly hair. He say cut it off and have done. Hair will grow back."

She held out a razor. "Would one of you cut it off?"

As Elise accepted the razor, it occurred to her for the first time that Firekeeper was as vain as any woman. Her disinterest in fashion, her open disdain for what she considered the more ridiculous aspects of clothing, her own idiosyncratic manner of dress, all these had blinded Elise to the truth.

Now, as she set about shaving the rest of Firekeeper's tatty hair to an even length, leaving just the bare fuzz of five days' growth against her scalp, Elise realized that Firekeeper would like nothing more than a thick mane of hair.

"How about you?" Firekeeper asked as she viewed the end result of Elise's barbering in the mirror. "Will you go short in front, long in back?"

Elise considered.

"I think so, Firekeeper. I don't have your courage. A tight braid wrapped close and the contrast won't be so obvious. Wendee?"

"I'll follow your lead, my lady." Wendee laughed a trace nervously. " 'Tis bad enough being bald in front without being bald all over."

Firekeeper ran her fingers over the stubble on her scalp, then shrugged.

"I not even had enough to make braid. Maybe someday."

She sounded distinctly wistful.

That trace of femininity vanished, however, when a shrill scream sounded from outside the window.

"Elation!" Firekeeper shouted and ran down the stairs.

They could hear her thudding over two at a time in her haste to get the peregrine's report.

Wendee sighed. "Don't think me coldhearted, Lady Elise, but I was so hoping for a day to let my behind rest from the saddle."

Elise nodded. "You're a kind woman to say so. Citrine is my own cousin and I'd been hating myself for wanting nothing more than to rest. Still, it seems that Elation is going to keep us honest to our better selves."

As she slipped on her outer clothes and hurried outside to hear what the falcon had to report, Elise felt a thin finger of worry touch her heart. They'd been counting on Elation to find Citrine.

What if the falcon had failed?

F
irekeeper's bare feet slapped on the wooden treads of the staircase as she raced to meet Elation. Outside, the ground was cold and hard, but she was too excited to miss her boots.

Elation was perched on a narrow fence rail, busily shredding a plump rat that had abandoned its comfortable housing under the floor of one of the hay barns upon finding that barn unaccountably inhabited by a wolf.

Raising her head from her still warm repast, Elation fixed Firekeeper with one of her gold-rimmed eyes.

"I have found Citrine," she cried triumphantly. "As Doc guessed, she is to be found in a stone tower in the swamps to the east. She is pale and fragile, but still lives. I saw another thing there as well."

"I am certain you saw many things, mighty conqueror of the clouds," Firekeeper said, lavish with her praise.

Not only did the falcon deserve it, but flattery eased her along like oil on a hinge.

Elation, finished now with the rat, preened, wiping away the worst of the gore.

"I saw a man arriving," Elation said, "a man I had seen in Dragon's Breath some days after our own arrival. He had made himself noticeable to me then, for my eyes are sharp and I miss nothing. I had seen that he had hair beneath the knit cap—hair where a New Kelvinese permitted access into Thendulla Lypella would have had none."

Firekeeper gasped her admiration aloud, encouraging the peregrine to continue.

"He also did not walk like a New Kelvinese. They all mince because of those robes and tight shoes they wear," the falcon continued, exaggerating somewhat. "He walked like a man of Hawk Haven… or perhaps from Bright Bay. In any case, like a man from a place where trousers and boots are worn, not robes and curly-toed slippers."

"Peace doesn't wear curly-toed slippers," Firekeeper protested, temporarily distracted.

"He does in court and among his fellows," Elation retorted placidly. "I saw him."

Firekeeper shook the distraction away.

"So there is contact between New Kelvin and Baron Endbrook," she mused aloud.

"Rather between Endbrook and New Kelvin," Elation corrected, "for I saw that this man was treated as one of the flock at the lighthouse. Nor is Baron Endbrook happy at the news the man carried to him."

"When did you see this?" Firekeeper asked.

"The sun was high then," Elation replied. "When I had seen all I could see, I flew here directly. I rested some when darkness came, then flew much of the next day. Last night, I rested again. When I arrived, I located your lodgings by the mules in the pasture."

"Less than two full days," Firekeeper said. "I am impressed. Even for a falcon of your power and tenacity, that was a flight of which to sing."

Elation preened, though her feathers were clean by now.

Blind Seer, pretending to doze in the thin winter sunshine, sniggered.

"I
am
impressed," Firekeeper repeated. "From what Derian and his maps tell me, we afoot will need four or five full days to cover the same distance."

E
lation's arrival had found their company somewhat scattered. Doc had been tending to Grateful Peace and making arrangements for the crippled thaumaturge to be moved to Doc's family holdings in the Norwood Grant.

Peace had survived the journey, but that was the best that could be said for his condition. Ideally, he should have been allowed to stay in one place and heal, but the danger to his life should he remain so close to the border was very real.

As Firekeeper understood it, the New Kelvinese One—Apheros the Dragon Speaker, a ruler who was not a king, who served a king but was more powerful than that king… this Apheros would not simply let Grateful Peace disperse from the New Kelvinese pack.

Peace's actions would be seen as more heinous than stealing meat from a weaning pup and for them the penalty would be death. Whether or not assassins, such as those who had come to Sapphire and Shad's wedding, would be sent could not be ascertained, but in any case, Peace would be safer away from the border.

Derian, for his part, was replenishing their sadly depleted supplies. Edlin was assisting him—at Derian's invitation.

However, with Bold's help, Firekeeper collected her stragglers before the morning was much older. In a private room with a thick door and Bold outside the windows to make certain none snooped on their conference, she informed them of what the peregrine had discovered.

"So," the wolf-woman concluded, "how soon can we leave?"

Derian frowned thoughtfully.

"I'm nearly finished with my purchases. There are farms along the way, even a tavern or two with rooms to let. We don't need to carry as much."

Edlin nodded agreement and seemed to be about to launch into one of his incomprehensible speeches when Doc spoke up.

"Have we thought this through?" he asked. "So we go. What are we going to do when we get there?"

Firekeeper honored Doc for his healing talent—a talent he had insisted on using to her benefit as soon as he had recovered some, so that her hip no longer ached and the bruises were fading to a nasty purplish green. Because of how she honored him, she held back her exasperation.

"We must ride for days and days," she reminded him gently. "Maybe we can plan on the road?"

Doc nodded a trace impatiently.

"We can and shall," he said. "However, do you really think that the few of us can take Smuggler's Light?"

Firekeeper was sincerely puzzled.

"We not take this light. We take Citrine. She is very small."

"Firekeeper," Doc persisted, "they won't give her to us, not just for asking, nor do I suspect that she's going to be particularly easy to steal away. This matter has advanced beyond our ability to handle it alone."

"I say! I'd wondered about that," Edlin said diffidently. "I mean, this Endbrook is an ambassador, what? Wouldn't our going after him—and I know you, Sister, you're not going to let him hurt Citrine and then go free as air—I don't particularly want to let him go myself… But what I was saying is, wouldn't our going after him create a diplomatic incident?"

Firekeeper felt her patience melting.

"Not again!" she wailed. "Isn't anything simple?"

"Maybe among the wolves," Edlin said kindly, "but not among humans, what?"

"
And not among wolves either
," Blind Seer added from where he lay beside her on the floor. "
If it was, you wouldn't be here. By the way, have you considered how you're going to get the artifacts you gave to Elise and Wendee away from them? They sleep with them at night and wear them under their clothing by day
."

"
Shut up
!" Firekeeper growled at him.

The humans blinked at her and she slouched down.

"Not for you, Edlin," she apologized, for it was clear that everyone thought she'd been snarling at Edlin.

"That's all right," he beamed.

Firekeeper sighed.

"This diplomatic incident," she said, sounding out the words carefully, "how do we prevent it and rescue Citrine still?"

She had expected this simple question to start another long wrangle, but Doc surprised her by saying:

"I have an idea. It will take some cooperation from your wingéd-folk allies, Firekeeper, but I think it's time we brought in Princess Sapphire. Citrine is, after all, her little sister. Sapphire's not likely to refuse a call to come to her aid. If the crown princess decides an ambassador is out of line, she can act against him…"

"Boot him out, you mean," Edlin translated happily.

"That's right," Doc concurred. "She can also bring in some of the Royal Guard to enforce her wishes."

Elise asked a trace hesitantly, "But didn't Princess Lovella fail to take Smuggler's Light with an army?"

"True," Doc replied, "but Sapphire isn't Lovella—and she'll have Lovella's failure to learn from. Sapphire won't be looking to take the tower, just to remove two of its residents. I think the pirates may see reason and surrender Baron Endbrook and Citrine if their choice is that or losing the light house."

"I could ask Elation to carry words," Firekeeper said, glancing over at the peregrine, "but she is one. Do you need more that you speak of allies?"

Doc nodded. "I also suggest that a message be sent to King Allister. From court gossip following the wedding, I know that he was planning to have ships patrol the coast lest Queen Valora get ambitious. He may be able to divert a ship or two to cover the coastal side of the swamp—just close enough in so that we can inform Baron Endbrook that there's no escape that way."

Elation moved uneasily on her perch, lifting first one foot, than the other.

"
I cannot be everywhere
." she said. "
Nor do I care for the idea of flying over the sea searching for ships. I begin to understand why Doc speaks of 'allies.' "

"
So do I
," Firekeeper replied, impressed and unsettled at the scope of Doc's vision. "
You will someday be among the Mothers of your people
," she continued. "
If you went with Doc's message to King Allister, could you convince some of the Royal Gulls to seek out the ships
?"

"
I could try
," Elation said, "
but I can no more promise for a seagull who isn't here than I can promise for the wind
."

"Elation will try," Firekeeper said aloud, "but she cannot promise. Bold could carry the message to Eagle's Nest. He is not a falcon nor yet is he known to Princess Sapphire, but you can make the writings talk for him. Consider what you will write and write it small. I go and speak with Bold."

She leapt to her feet and hurried outside, not wanting the others to see how Doc's idea had troubled her world. A few moons ago, Doc had not known of the Royal Beasts. Now he had swallowed the idea that there were beasts intelligent enough to serve his needs and was turning them to his use.

Somehow she felt that Grateful Peace was not the only traitor to come back out of New Kelvin.

K
ing Allister of the pledge had escaped to the castle roof. Somehow, he had never imagined that the greatest irritant of his new kingship would be a houseful of adolescent women.

Royal politics he understood—he'd lived them all his life. Great-Aunt Seastar with her continual angling for position was a problem. So was his perennially offended royal physician. Lord Rory had never forgiven Allister for permitting Sir Jared to treat the newlyweds. So were a multitude of lords and ladies of various stripes of nobility, all determined either not to lose privileges that had been their family's since the days of Gustin I, or to gain new privileges under the new—and presumably manipulable—monarch.

But these things Allister understood. These things he'd been prepared for in some shape or form since Queen Valora first set him to try for the throne of Hawk Haven—never dreaming, of course, that he would end up instead with her throne.

What he didn't understand were young females. He'd brought back four with him from Hawk Haven, and they seemed to have unfolded like the petals of an exotic flower ruffling into multiples of itself. The proliferation had started with a tea party or so, become circles dedicated to embroidery or dancing or some other delicate pursuit.

Pearl had told him that many of the local nobles were offended because
their
daughters had not been invited to stay at the castle. Gossip said that King Allister expected
both
of his sons to marry foreign women, and this had encouraged every mother in the kingdom with a remotely eligible daughter to find some excuse to bring her by the court.