"It is I. May I come in?"
After a brief pause the door cracked open, and Magiere peered out. She looked haggard, as if she had suffered a long night with little sleep. The room smelled stuffy, even from the hallway, and an unpleasant scent floated to Wynn's nostrils.
"What is it?" Magiere asked.
"Byrd just came to me. Can I come in?"
Magiere hesitated, then stepped back. Wynn entered with Chap tagging along.
"Has someone been sick?" Wynn asked, wrinkling her small nose.
"No," Magiere answered.
Leesil rolled in the bed but did not sit up. His eyes were closed, strands of his hair tangled over half of his face. Wynn quietly related everything Byrd had told her. Magiere's eyes sharpened as she listened.
"That gives us time to prepare." She looked down. "Chap, were you with Leesil on a visit to the keep? Is there anything I should know before we leave?"
He huffed once for yes.
"Fair enough. Wynn, get out the talking hide while I dress. I'll join you shortly."
Wynn thought Leesil should be involved as well, but Magiere practically pushed her out the door, scooting Chap out behind her. Not until she was out in the hall did Wynn realize the sickly sweet smell had not grown stronger near Magiere. Which meant it had come from Leesil.
A scraping sound woke Hedi. She sat upright in the large bed.
Julia knelt by the hearth, working to start a fire. The maid wore the same housedress and apron from the night before, but now her hair hung down her back in a red-brown braid. She jumped slightly at Hedi's movement.
"Oh, I'm sorry, my lady. I was trying to be quiet."
"Do not concern yourself. Is the sun up?"
Julia smiled. "Yes, and breakfast is prepared in the lower meal hall, when you're ready."
Hedi considered this. Yes, she was hungry, and she would be expected to appear. Better to hurry down now than to have Darmouth come looking for her again, alone in this room.
She climbed out of the bed, and Julia immediately opened the wardrobe. All of her clothes had been properly arranged there. It seemed Hedi had slept right through Julia emptying the travel chest.
Hedi normally did not like being tended at dressing, but she allowed Julia to help her into a pale blue gown. The maid arranged her hair in a twisted bun, leaving a few loose curls at her temples. The teeth marks on her throat were red and lightly scabbed, but they were healing. Julia neatly fastened the velvet ribbon around her throat to hide them again.
"Very fine, my lady," Julia said. "You look lovely."
Hedi was uncertain about the bun but did not argue. "Thank you. I can find my own way to the hall."
Stepping out in the corridor brought relief, as if she needed a reminder that she was not a prisoner of her room. She followed the corri-dor to the stairs and wound her way down to the main floor and the vast meal hall, hoping Darmouth had already eaten and left.
She looked in to see several long tables and an enormous hearth. The household did not seem to stand on ceremony at breakfast, as several servants and four common soldiers were milling about, eating bread and sipping from pottery cups. There was no sign of Lord Darmouth.
Lieutenant Omasta stood with several of his soldiers, a large hunk of buttered bread in one hand and crumbs in his blond beard. He looked over when she entered and nodded, pointing to a chair.
"Here, lady, come and sit."
Although Omasta was Darmouth's lapdog, Hedi still preferred him to his lord and master. The lieutenant was clearly most at ease in the company of other men. Simple as he was, he did not pretend to be anything other than a soldier. He was dutiful, perhaps with some semblance of propriety, and Hedi wondered what made such a man loyal to the likes of Darmouth. To the best of her knowledge, Omasta had no family. She sat down and poured herself some tea.
She took her first sip as Darmouth strode into the hall like a barbarian out of place in his polished and oiled armor. His men straightened to attention, but he ignored them and walked straight to her. She could smell him before he closed on her.
"Did you sleep well, lady?" he asked.
"Yes, very," she answered with forced politeness, and put down her cup.
He seemed preoccupied and glanced once at Omasta as if some important matter kept distracting his thoughts. Then he asked her, "Do you need anything more from the inn?"
This caught her unprepared for the opportunity, but she quickly took advantage.
"I have my belongings, but I did leave behind unfinished affairs. There are several letters to be completed and a few matters for the barons family. If I could speak with Emel, I am certain he could handle these for me. Could you send word to him?"
Her heart pounded as Darmouth stared at her. He did not say "yes," but he did not refuse either. Instead, he raised his eyes to the cluster of soldiers.
"Omasta! Come with me. You're to meet the hunter at the gatehouse by noon." He looked down at the ribbon about her throat. "We will finish the beast that did this to you."
Hedi smiled sweetly with a shy nod. "Thank you. That is a great comfort. Then I may be safely returned to the Bronze Bell."
Again he did not answer, and turned to stride out of the hall. Hedi wondered who this hunter was, this "dhampir" Viscount Andraso had mentioned.
Omasta dropped his bread on the table and followed his lord. Darmouth stopped in the arched doorway and looked back at Hedi. Omasta had to sidestep out of his way.
"I don't like your hair this morning," Darmouth said. "Don't wear it that way again."
Hedi lowered her eyes in obeisance, and Darmouth left without further comment. Under the table, she crushed the fabric of her gown's skirt in her hand.
Perhaps she should shave her head and see how he liked it. She'd hated Darmouth more than any other person-except for the one who had murdered her father in his sleep. All eyes in the room were upon her now, and her appetite faded.
She stood up and walked out into the main entryway, wondering what to do with herself. Directly across the way was the council hall, where she had sat at dinner two nights before next to the true monster in this land. She had no intention of visiting there.
To either side of the staircase were corridors leading left and right behind the halls. As far as she could see, there were no other passages, and no stairs leading downward. She stepped around the central stairs and into the left corridor that headed north. It stretched a good way, then turned right. She followed it, stopping short of the corner to peek around the turn. At the end of another long passage, two soldiers stood guarding a door. She retreated and retraced her steps to the entryway.
The right-hand corridor heading south produced the same result- two guards standing before an identical door. Perhaps one or both doorways led beneath the keep. She was eager to search the keep's interior to expand Byrd's maps.
Darmouth had forbidden her to wander into the depths below, but there were still the upper levels. If anyone stopped her, she could always give the pretense that she had lost her way while returning to her room.
Hedi climbed the central stairs. She passed two servants along the way but no soldiers. As she reached the second-floor landing, movement caught her eye. Julia stepped from a room near the corridor's end with a tray of empty dishes.
Was someone else a "guest" of the keep?
Hedi counted the doors to the one Julia exited and then circled around to the next flight of stairs upward. She waited out of sight, and then peeked cautiously back around the stone railing into the corridor. Julia descended toward the main floor.
When Hedi was certain the maid was on her way, she doubled back. As she approached the door, she heard soft and high singing. It sounded like a little girl, but Hedi could not imagine why a child would be here in the keep. To the best of her knowledge, Darmouth had no family or relatives, especially not a daughter or niece.