Sharon Shinn - Reader And Raelynx

“Am I supposed to feed everybody?” she whispered when the other two joined her. “ Is there food? What am I supposed to do?”

“They’re Riders. You don’t have to take care of them,” Senneth said, but Kirra had been raised more politely than that.

“We’ll go to the barracks and lift some bread and fruit,” Kirra said. “I’m not going to cook or anything, but maybe it would be nice to offer them something to eat. Oh, but do you like the plates? Do you like the pans? We picked them out for you, but if you don’t like them-”

Ellynor still looked overwhelmed, but now gratitude crossed her fine features. “That was so kind! I’ve never been to such a big city! I thought Neft was an intimidating place, but I’ll never be able to find my way around Ghosenhall!”

Senneth laughed. “I don’t believe you. If you can track your brothers through the Lirren wilds, you can make your way through the royal city.”

Ellynor smiled. “Fewer dangers in the Lirren wilds,” she said.

“That’s probably true,” Kirra said. “But come with us, then, if you want to see the city. Senneth and I can protect anybody.”

They made a foray to the barracks and returned with an assortment of food and drinks, Donnal assisting them. Senneth noticed that Ellynor was pleased to see Donnal and reflected that the shy Lirren girl probably found Donnal the least frightening of Justin’s friends. But she, at least, was not fooled by Ellynor’s soft voice and kind expression. The woman was unyielding if called upon to protect someone she loved; she had literally hauled Justin back from the abyss of death. And she was dense with magic. No, Ellynor was no helpless child dependent on the strength of her husband or her friends.

Although even a mystic might quail at the thought of navigating Ghosenhall on her own.

Eventually the Riders had had their fill of purloined breakfast goods and ribald jokes. Tayse practically pushed Hammond out the door, and Wen was still talking to Justin through the front window. But finally everyone else was gone. Kirra and Cammon flopped onto two of the chairs, Senneth coaxed the hearth fire higher, and Tayse turned the lock on the door.

Cammon looked swiftly around the room, an oddly sweet smile on his face. That was when Senneth realized it: For the first time in more than six weeks, the six of them were together again.

Seven. The seven of them. For Ellynor sat curled next to Justin, who had sprawled on the floor before the fire. Not one of them and yet somehow belonging, somehow seeming to fit right there under the crook of Justin’s arm.

Tayse dropped easily to the floor near Justin, while Senneth took one of the other chairs. At some point, Donnal had melted into his familiar shape of a shaggy black dog, and lay with his head across Kirra’s dainty feet.

“Let me commend you on your trick,” Tayse said. “Very effective.”

Justin grinned. “Wasn’t sure we could pull it off, not when I saw a Rider every three paces for a quarter of a mile! And then getting through the front door-how to do that so no one saw it open?”

“And how did you?” Kirra asked.

Justin looked down at Ellynor, who answered in her sweet voice. “I made the shadow so deep no one would notice it, and then we slipped inside.”

“I’m even more concerned about how you breached the front gate, where I know four Riders were on duty,” Tayse said in a calm voice. “How did you manage to open that without anyone being the wiser?”

Justin shook his head. “Didn’t even try. We came in with another party last night-a group of nobles all dressed up, so I suppose they were arriving for dinner. Ellynor just cloaked us in magic, and we stepped in right behind them.”

Tayse nodded. “That’s a slight comfort, but very slight. You could bring a whole troop inside the palace grounds if you slipped them in by ones and twos behind other parties.”

Justin looked grave. “I wasn’t thinking about it that way yesterday, but you’re right.” His eyes narrowed; he was already considering solutions. “So then-maybe some kind of trip wire-the Lirrenfolk are impossible to see , but they still have weight and mass. Though, that won’t work-everyone would stumble over that.”

“What about dogs?” Kirra asked. She prodded Donnal and he sat up, ears pricked forward. “Or a wolf? Would Donnal have noticed you going by last night?” She glanced at Senneth. “We should have slept outside after all.”

“You might have heard or smelled us,” Ellynor admitted. “The few times my brothers were caught were when a guard dog raised the alarm. But I can cover almost all trace of our passage. It has to be a pretty smart dog.”

“Donnal’s an exceptional animal,” Kirra drawled. Donnal’s black mouth opened in a canine grin.

“Let’s try that,” Tayse said. “Over the next few days. See how well Ellynor can trick Donnal and what he has to do to catch her. See if Cammon can learn how to sense her, too.”

Senneth smiled at Ellynor, who looked a little startled. “He never asks,” she said. “He just assumes that everyone is as focused as he is on keeping the palace and all its inhabitants safe.”

“Of course-whatever I can do,” Ellynor said earnestly, and the rest of them laughed.

“Jerril can help, I bet,” Cammon said. To Ellynor he explained, “Jerril’s my tutor. He’s teaching me how to improve my magic.”

“Oh, because you’re so weak and useless to us now,” Justin said.

But Senneth was nodding. “Good idea.”

“You’ll like Jerril,” Cammon said to Ellynor, who did look just a bit nervous. “He couldn’t be nicer.”

“Not like the lot of us, you mean,” Kirra said lazily. “Unprincipled and ruthless.”

“Sounds about right,” Justin said with a grin.

“The problem remains,” Tayse said, “finding a way to make sure none of Ellynor’s friends and cousins-or enemies and uncles-can come stealing into the palace completely undetected. I hardly think we can expect Donnal to spend the remaining days of his life prowling these few acres and trying to scent out trouble.”

“Why can’t we use real dogs?” Justin said. “ Specifically on the watch for someone trying to enter the gate by stealth?”

Tayse nodded. “We could do that. The head groom at the royal stables knows an animal trainer. We could work with him.”

Senneth glanced at Kirra. “And maybe we could supplement the real dogs with some enchanted ones,” she said. “I’ve been thinking it’s time to recruit more mystics.”

Kirra straightened in her chair. “Carrebos!” she exclaimed. “We can see who’s on hand there.”

“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” Justin said.

“City not far from Fortunalt lands that apparently has become a community of mystics,” Senneth said. “Maybe some of them would like to come work for the king.”

Tayse looked intrigued. For a man who had distrusted magic for most of his life, he had become awfully willing to turn it to his advantage. “You think there might be shape-shifters among them? That would make an interesting contingent to add to the king’s troops.”

Senneth shrugged. “Won’t know till we go investigate. I thought Kirra and I could head down there in a few days and see what we might find.” Donnal barked sharply. “Donnal would come with us, of course,” Senneth added.

Tayse gave her a quick smile, private despite the fact that five other people could witness it. “So would I,” he said. Because I intend to never be parted from you again .

Kirra made a tiny cooing sound, but even that didn’t keep the slow shiver from tickling down Senneth’s spine. “So would you,” she agreed softly. Because I could not bear it if you were .