Part 23 (1/2)

Dranna leaned over with a devastating smile and closed the lid of the basket, but slowly enough to keep eye contact with InThig for as long as possible. Once it was done Kadrim took the basket to put it in the coach, but Dranna ignored his grin and the ones on Zail and Rik as she turned to me.

”He just needed to feel appreciated.” she confided in a low voice, looking up at me with eyes that still matched the new green of her gown. ”It can't really be comfortable for him in such a small basket, and it didn't hurt anything telling him that.”

”No, it didn't hurt anything,” I agreed, changing my mind about pointing out again that InThig was an it, not a he. Considering the way it had responded to Dranna I was no longer quite as sure as 1 had been, and it didn't seem to make much difference. If InThig was happier being treated as a he, who was 1 to deny him? It? Whatever.

Once Kadrim put InThig's basket in the coach, he and Su began climbing up to the coach seat while Rik and Zail helped Dranna and me inside. Rik smiled at Dranna and patted her hand as he helped her in, and got a warm smile in return; Zail took my hand and kissed it while looking at me with those beautiful gray eyes, and the silent promise in them moved me into the coach without my knowing exactly how I'd gotten there. The promise had spoken about the dme together we'd missed out on the night before, and had said we wouldn't miss it again. I suddenly couldn't wait until we camped for the night, even if the camp was one that had to be warded.

”He's nice, isn't he?” Dranna said, bringing me back to the world to find that we'd already begun moving. 1 was

154.

sitting on the seat that faced the back of the coach, of course, and she was smiling at me from the other.

”He's very nice,” I agreed with a matching smile, moving my right foot away from the basket thai had been put on the floor of the coach. ”I wish he really could have ridden in here with us.”

”Oh, you mean Zail,” she said, glancing out one of the curtained windows. ”I was talking about Rik. He must be one of the nicest men I've ever met, and one of the most interesting, too. Did he really fight against a-thing-last night and win?”

”He has a very powerful link-shape,” I said with a nod, stil! partially involved with thoughts about Zail- ”It's bronze, like his eyes, but all over, and seems to have a lot of experience fighting. And winning. That thing knew it was beaten as soon as he bit into its leg and really damaged it.”

”What do you mean, link-shape?” she asked, a strange expression having taken over for the smile. ”1 don't un- derstand. I thought he just-fought it.”

”With nothing but a drying cloth for a weapon?” I said, wondering what dinner with Zail would be like. ”Even a sword would have left him at a disadvantage with thai thing. Having a link-shape means you can s.h.i.+ft from one form to the other whenever you like, human or animal, take your choice. It's an ability some people are born with, but that doesn't mean they're Sighted; having an ability is not the same as doing magic. He also has a belt with a spell on it, that takes care of his clothes and things while he's in link-shape, then puts them back on him when he s.h.i.+fts again. He didn't have it with him last night, though, and didn't realize he'd lost the drying cloth in the first s.h.i.+ft. I was the one who discovered that when it was all over, and it was very embarra.s.sing.”

I had expected Dranna to be amused over my being embarra.s.sed by something she was probably very used to, and was grateful when all she did was stare out of the window without even a smile. Seeing a man without clothes was nothing like seeing a boy the same way, and it really was embarra.s.sing. And then my mind began wondering what it would feel like to see Zail that way, wearing even

155.

tf

less than he had when he'd kissed me.- My cheeks were uncomfortably warm at the thought, but I couldn't push it away; somehow I didn't think he'd mind if I saw him like that, but would simply grin at my blush. I remembered the way he'd grinned at me the night before, just before he'd put his arms around me, and then 1 was deep in the memory of it.

1 hardiy noticed that the bouncing of the coach didn't ease much even once we were on the road, but I did notice when we abruptly began slowing. The soldiers guarding the road hadn't been far away at all, and even as we slowed, men in uniforms of yellow with brown trim began closing in on the coach.

”The one in the brown uniform with yellow trim is in charge,” InThig whispered from its basket, a tiny wisp of black vapor peeking out through a narrow slot in the basket weave. ”He's a lord, and that's the way they address him.”

”You there, whose coach is this?” an arrogant voice demanded, sounding reasonably near. ”The House colors are totally unfamiliar to me.”

”The lady is in charge, sir,” Zail's voice came jn answer, sounding stolid and not-very interested. ”With all due respect, you'll have to speak to her.”

”A lady?” the voice demanded, this time outraged.

”With no more of an escort than you four? I'll JUSI see about that'”

The coach door to my left was yanked open and a man who was probably the owner of the voice poked his head in, but his belligerence disappeared as soon as he saw Dranna. She was giving him one of those smiles of hers, her expression coot and in control, and the newcomer proved that lord or not, he was first and foremost a man.

”My lady, I do beg your pardon.” he apologized imme- diately, reaching quickly for the brown-tnmmed-with-yeliow hat he wore. ”I had no idea- I mean, I was taken quite by surprise- I mean, may I ask who you are?”

”I'm afraid you may not, my lord,” Dranna answered, her low, throaty voice making the man's hand close more tightly on the hat he held. ”I travel in utmost secrecy on very urgent business, which I may not divulge to anyone.