I teach bow, and Ari and Jan teach tactics. What’s your contribution?”
I gestured to the four of us. “This. And…” I hesitated, unsure if my next statement would have any sway. “I could teach you some flips, and help you to gain greater flexibility and balance that might benefit you in a fight.”
“Damn.” Janco was impressed. “She’s got you there. And four does make for a better training group than three.”
Annoyed, Maren shifted her focus to Janco. He smiled sweetly at her.
“All right, I’ll try it on a temporary basis. If it doesn’t work, I’m walking.” Before anyone could interject, she said, “Don’t worry. I may listen to the rumor mill, but I don’t participate in it.”
Once we shook hands on the arrangement, my apprehension dissipated. We showed her where we had been meeting for the last week.
“Cozy,” Maren said as she entered our training room.
Ari had found an abandoned storeroom on the lower level in the deserted southwest corner of the castle. Two windows near the ceiling let in enough light to work by.
We spent the remaining time practicing the rudiments of bow fighting.
“Not bad, Puker,” Maren said at the end of the session. “I see some potential.”
When she picked up her bows to leave, Ari placed a large hand on her shoulder. “Her name’s Yelena. If you don’t want to call her by her name, then don’t come back tomorrow.”
I could see my astonished expression mirrored on Maren’s face, but she recovered quicker than I did. Nodding curtly, she shook off Ari’s hand and walked away. I wondered if she would join us again.
She returned the next day, and showed up without fail for the next two months as we trained together throughout the cooling season. The air held a fresh crisp scent, and true to the season’s name, each day grew cooler than the last. The bright flowers of the hot season wilted while the trees turned orange, russet and finally brown. The leaves dropped to the ground and were blown away by the frequent rainstorms.
My research on the pods had stalled, but Valek appeared unconcerned by my lack of progress. On occasion he observed us training, and he would comment and make suggestions.
Nix continued to plague me during my morning run. He threw rocks, he spat on me and tripped me. I had to change my routine to avoid him by running laps around the outer wall of the castle complex. My defensive abilities were still in the beginning stages, and not sufficient for a confrontation with Nix. At least, not yet. There were advantages to running outside the complex. The smooth grass was softer on my feet than the dirt path inside the complex, and by jogging before dawn, I encountered no one, which added to the deception that I had quit training.
At the end of the cooling season, the hours of daylight shortened, and our training sessions ended with the setting sun. In the semidarkness of twilight I headed to the baths, moving with care to accommodate my bruised ribs. Janco, that annoying jackrabbit, had gotten through my defenses with his speedy little jabs.
As I approached the entrance to the baths, a large shadow detached from the stone wall. Alarmed, I stepped back into a fighting stance. Fear, excitement and doubt raced through my body. Would I need to defend myself ? Could I do it? Should I run?
Margg’s ample shape coalesced out of the shadows, and I relaxed a bit.
“What do you want?” I asked. “Are you running another errand for your master like a good doggie?”
“Better than being a rat caught in a trap.”
I brushed past her. Exchanging insults, while enjoyable, was a waste of my time.
“Would the rat like some cheese?” she asked.
I turned. “What?”
“Cheese. Money. Gold. I bet you’re the kind of rat that would do anything for a piece of cheese.”
19
“WHAT WOULD I HAVE TO DO to get a piece of cheese?” I asked. I knew it! Margg was the one leaking information about me, and now she wanted to use me. Finally, some evidence.
“I have a source that pays well for information. It’s the perfect setup for a little rat,” Margg said.
“What kind of information?”
“Anything you might overhear while you’re scurrying around the Commander’s office or Valek’s apartment. My contact pays on a sliding scale; the juicier the news, the bigger the chunk of cheese.”
“How does it work?” My mind raced. Right now it was her word against mine. I needed proof I could show Valek. To be able to finger both Margg and her source would be a sweet treat.
“You give me the information,” she said, “and I pass it along. I collect the money, and give it to you, minus a fifteen percent fee.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that you’d stick to fifteen percent cut of a total I’d be unaware of ?”
She shrugged. “It’s either that or nothing. I’d think that a half-starved rat like you would pounce on any morsel, no matter how small.” Margg began to walk away.
“What if we went to your source together?” I suggested. “Then you’d still receive your fee.”
She stopped. Uncertainty creased her fleshy face. “I’ll have to check.” She disappeared down the hallway.
I lingered outside the baths for a while, considering the possibility of following Margg around for a couple of days, but dismissed the idea. If her contact didn’t like my suggestion, I’d scamper to Margg with my tail between my legs, begging for another chance. She’d enjoy that! Then I’d follow her. Revealing her as a traitor to Valek would be a pleasure.
My conversation with Margg had used up my bath time, so I headed to the Commander’s office. When I arrived, Sammy, Rand’s kitchen boy, hovered outside the closed door holding a tray of food. I could hear a muffled angry voice inside.
“What’s going on?” I asked Sammy.
“They’re arguing,” he said.
“Who?”
“The Commander and Valek.”
I took the tray of cooling food from Sammy. No reason we both had to be there. “Get going. I’m sure Rand needs you.”
Sammy smiled his relief and sprinted through the throne room. I’d seen the kitchen during dinnertime. Servers and cooks swarmed like bees with Rand directing the chaos. Barking orders, he controlled his kitchen staff like the queen bee of the hive.
Knowing the Commander disliked cold food, I stood close to his door, waiting for a break in the conversation. From my new position I could hear Valek clearly.
“Whatever possessed you to change your successor?” Valek demanded.
The Commander’s soft reply passed through the wooden door as an indecipherable
