Part 10 (2/2)

”Don't ask,” Miranda grumbled. ”Anyway, suffice it to say the direct approach is out of the question, but the Spirit Court cannot allow an enslaver access to a kingdom's power. We learned that lesson with Gregorn. Master Banage would back Henrith's claim, but the people of Mellinor would never believe it wasn't a Spiritualist trick. Whatever way we go, Mellinor will be thrown into conflict either with the Spiritualists, the Council forces, or itself. War is bad enough, but war with an enslaver involved?” She shuddered. ”Imagine rivers used as soldiers, armies of trees, an infantry of bonfires, and all of them left mad at the end, no matter which way the fighting went. That mad sandstorm was nothing compared to what Renaud could do if he had the reason. We can't let that happen.”

”Well, that sounds dreadful,” Eli said. ”I'm still failing to see what this has to do with us.”

”It has everything to do with you!” Miranda shouted. ”Who do you think started all of this? Everything in Mellinor was perfectly fine for four hundred years. Four hundred! That's four centuries without a coup, a rebellion, or any problems bigger than a trade dispute, until you three showed up.”

”That's a bit unfair,” Eli said and frowned. ”We only-”

”I don't care!” Miranda rolled right over him. ”I don't care what you wanted or how it was supposed to turn out. No matter what spin you put on it, this whole country is about to go to h.e.l.l because of you you and and your your stupid plan to bilk forty thousand gold standards by destabilizing a peaceful kingdom. So, what I want to know, Mr. Greatest-Thief-In-The-World, is what do you mean to do about it?” stupid plan to bilk forty thousand gold standards by destabilizing a peaceful kingdom. So, what I want to know, Mr. Greatest-Thief-In-The-World, is what do you mean to do about it?”

Eli looked from the fuming Spiritualist to the king and back again. He turned to Josef, who shrugged, then Nico, who was trying to get the last drops of water out of the canteen, and his shoulders slumped.

”All right,” he said. ”I admit that things might not have gone exactly as I would have liked, but perhaps we can come to an arrangement.” His smile was back as he looked up at Miranda. ”Say I agree to help you, what exactly would you be asking us to do?”

”Our primary objective is to apprehend Renaud,” Miranda said, nodding toward the castle, which was now lost in the evening gloom. ”After that, returning Henrith to his throne will be easy.”

”And you'd want our help on the apprehending part,” Eli said, tapping his finger against his belt idly. ”That's a tall order. Renaud's pretty strong.”

”Strong, yes,” Miranda said, ”but surely a man with a fifty-five-thousand-gold bounty on his head is plenty strong in his own right.”

”Such flattery is dangerous for a humble man like myself.” Eli grinned, and Josef rolled his eyes. ”But I'm a thief, Miss Spiritualist, not an a.s.sa.s.sin. Robbing him blind is one thing, but confronting him outright?” He shook his head. ”I'm afraid you'll have to sweeten the deal.”

”How do you mean?”

Eli put on his best innocent look. ”I do feel somewhat responsible for the current state of affairs in Mellinor, and I am a man who takes his responsibilities very seriously. That's why I'm going to offer you our services at a very reasonable rate.”

Miranda's eyes narrowed. ”I'm not going to pay you to do what you should be doing in the first place.”

”Oh, not money.” Eli waved his hand. ”Nothing like that. Just a small trade of favors. I help you, you help me.”

”If you want me to talk to the Council about your bounty-”

”Powers, no!” Eli laughed. ”You couldn't change a thing even if I did want it. My favor is much, much simpler. You see, right now I'm wanted by both the Spirit Court and the Council of Thrones for different infractions. Two posters, two listings in the bounty roster, two payouts. It's all very impractical. All I want you to do is convince the Spirit Court to combine its reward of five thousand standards with the Council's. No extra money needed, just a tiny administrative change.”

Miranda kept her eye on him as she went over the words in her head, looking for the catch. ”But that would raise your bounty to...”

”Sixty thousand.” Eli reached in his pocket and pulled out his new wanted poster. ”It's really too bad,” he sighed, unfolding it. ”They just copied out all these new ones. I think it's their best likeness of me yet.”

He tried to hand the poster to Miranda, but she held up her hand. ”Stop. You're up to something.”

Eli blinked innocently, but Miranda leaned forward on Gin's head, keeping her eyes pinned on his. ”Asking Mellinor to pledge money, I can understand. That gives them a thirty-five-thousand-gold stake in making sure you don't get caught. But the Spirit Council won't stop chasing you no matter what it costs. You know this, so why raise your bounty? Don't you realize that every gold standard draws another ten bounty hunters out of the woodwork? Sixty thousand is enough money to bankroll a small war. Your own mother would turn you in for half as much.”

”I don't doubt she would.” Eli's grin grew wicked. ”But you're missing the point, Lady Spiritualist. It's not about the bounty hunters or extorting countries. It's about the bounty. It's about a little boy's dream!” He threw out his arms. ”Sixty thousand is nothing. Chump change! My goal is to be worth one million gold.”

Miranda's eyes widened. ”One million? Are you crazy? There's not that much money in the world! The Council's war with the Immortal Empress didn't cost half so much, and they're still paying it off. Even if you kidnapped a king a week, you'd die of old age before you got your bounty that high.”

”Well,” Eli said, ”if that's how you feel, how can you object to a trifle like moving the Spirit Court's five thousand?”

Miranda hunched over Gin's head, glaring suspiciously at the grinning thief. ”Why a million?”

Eli shrugged. ”Seemed like a good number. No one's ever had a million-gold bounty.”

Miranda gave him a scathing look. ”It can't be that simple.”

”I never said it was, but you're free to make up your own reasons if it'll make you feel better.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at her, his face unbearably smug. ”Time's ticking, Miss Spiritualist. Do we have a deal or not?”

Miranda knotted her hands in Gin's fur, thinking. Henrith s.h.i.+fted uneasily behind her while the hound kept a close eye on Nico, who hadn't done anything except sit on the ground and watch the show. Finally, the Spiritualist gave a long sigh.

”All right,” she said. ”I'm sure I'll regret this, but you have a deal, Mr. Monpress. If you help apprehend Renaud and and put Henrith safely back on his throne, I will talk to the Rector Spiritualis about transferring our bounty on you to the Council. However”-she stabbed her index finger at him-”even though, at the moment, I'm looking the other way for the sake of the greater good, my orders to bring you in have not changed. When we are done here, I'm not going to stop chasing you.” put Henrith safely back on his throne, I will talk to the Rector Spiritualis about transferring our bounty on you to the Council. However”-she stabbed her index finger at him-”even though, at the moment, I'm looking the other way for the sake of the greater good, my orders to bring you in have not changed. When we are done here, I'm not going to stop chasing you.”

Eli smiled graciously. ”I expected nothing less.”

Miranda blinked, thrown off balance by his sudden sincerity. ”Well, that's settled then.”

Josef pushed himself off the tree. ”If you two are done chatting, we'd better get moving. Sitting out in the dark on the edge of the clearing where we were almost killed isn't a good place to talk strategy. Besides”-he slapped his neck-”I'm being eaten alive out here.”

Now that he mentioned it, Miranda could feel them too. ”Lead on,” she mumbled, slapping one of the biting midges off her hand.

When she looked up, the swordsman was already stalking off through the trees. The demonseed girl followed a few steps behind, silent as a shadow. Eli strolled along at his own pace with his hands in his pockets, whistling something off key.

Miranda exchanged glances with the king. At last he gave a resigned nod, and she nudged Gin with her toe. The ghosthound rose soundlessly. Quiet as his namesake, he slipped through the trees, keeping abreast with the swordsman but well away from the girl who followed him. High overhead, the moon was beginning its climb through the black sky, illuminating their winding path through the rocky hills and steep gullies of the deer park with her clear, white light.

CHAPTER 15.

This is where you were hiding?” Miranda gaped, sliding off Gin's back. The moonlight that filtered through the treetops was just enough for her to be able to make out the tumbledown walls and gaping roof of the small hunting shack. ”You could barely spend a night in this.” is where you were hiding?” Miranda gaped, sliding off Gin's back. The moonlight that filtered through the treetops was just enough for her to be able to make out the tumbledown walls and gaping roof of the small hunting shack. ”You could barely spend a night in this.”

”It's a bit run down,” Eli admitted, ”but”-he leaned over and pointed through a gap in the surrounding trees-”you can't beat the location.”

Looking where he pointed, she could just spot the white walls of the city glowing silver through the trees, barely half a mile away.

”I don't believe it,” Miranda said.

”First rule of thievery,” Eli said, grinning, ”only run if you're not coming back.” He thumped his heels on the hard ground. ”The last place a man looks is under his feet.”

”All this time you've been hiding in the king's deer park?” She was almost laughing now. ”You're putting me on. I had Eril search this area days ago.”

”Spirits don't see everything,” Eli said. ”Besides, I had some excellent camouflage.” He tilted his head back. ”Ladies?”

The pleasant purr of his spirit voice reverberated through her. High overhead, a chorus of sighs answered, ”Eli!”

Miranda took a step back as the trees behind the cabin, a clump of young hardwoods taking advantage of the tiny clearing's sunlight, shook themselves to life. They bent down, giggling like geese, and surrounded Eli in a nest of branches. He said something low, and they giggled harder before lifting away and settling lightly over the ruined roof. They rustled madly, fluffing their broad leaves over the gaping holes and forming a sort of net over the fire hole to diffuse the smoke. When they stopped moving at last, Miranda's eyes widened. The young trees covered the hut perfectly. In fact, had she not seen them move, she would have sworn that the hovel was just another rocky outcropping, and that the trees had always been that way.

”Welcome,” Eli said, slipping between the branches with practiced ease and opening the rickety wooden door. Josef followed him, clutching his injured chest and grumbling under his breath the whole way. Nico went into the hut last, pulling her coat tight around her and her hat down over her eyes as she squeezed between the branches. Only when they were all inside and she saw the first sparks of a fire being struck did Miranda begin to untie her own bag from Gin's back.

King Henrith had just made it to the ground. He looked at the hut with no small amount of panic in his eyes. ”What should I do?”

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