A House Divided

Chapter 34

Though he had tried his hardest to preserve it, Cianne's warmth had faded from Kila's bed. He might have deceived himself that she had never been there at all, that everything that had happened between them had been nothing more than the most delicious dream he had ever dreamed, but her scent lingered. Exhausted as he was from everything that had happened, sleep had eluded him, his mind too alternately occupied by memories of what they had shared and the creeping sense of dread that would not cease to insinuate itself in his mind. Not persuading her to stay had been a mistake, he was certain of it, and he felt as though a boulder had settled on his chest, crushing him with the weight of his fears.

A shadow passed his bedroom window, and Kila bolted upright. Drawing a dagger from under his pillow, he slipped it beneath his sheet in order to conceal it. He held his breath for several long beats but refused to allow himself to relax when nothing more happened.

Perhaps his worries were affecting him more than he wanted to admit, but he was not prepared to dismiss the shadow as a figment of his overactive imagination. He had just resolved to go outside and search his garden when the shadow appeared again, this time resolving itself into a form that slithered into his room. He knew immediately it was Cianne, but rather than relieving him the realization filled him with alarm.

"What's wrong?" he whispered to her, his voice no more than an exhalation of breath.

She held a finger up, warning him to be quiet, and he slowly moved his legs to the edge of the bed, taking care not to rustle his bedclothes. Crouched below the sill so that she could not be seen from the outside, Cianne lingered by his window for several unendurable seconds before moving closer to him. Bending down, she brushed her lips over his ear and spoke directly into it, so low he had to strain to hear her despite her proximity.

"Vivie caught me when I was coming back into the manor. She said we have to flee right away."

He opened his mouth to protest but she laid a finger over it.

"I know, I've already said it all to her. Please, get dressed and pack what you need. Vivie will be here any second."

Swallowing his protest, he nodded and got out of bed. She rushed around the room noiselessly, tossing his clothing to him and jamming things into a bag she had made appear.

His pulse raced and his ears strained as he yanked on his clothing. Every common nighttime sound now struck him as a potential threat. Those two men laughing raucously in the street? They might be on their way to seize him and Cianne. Was that the whinny of a horse? Had he heard a sword rattling, or was it his imagination?

After making a quick circuit of his room, running her hands under his mattress and below every surface, sliding them over his walls, she returned to his side.

"Vivie's going to lead us out of the city," Cianne said, helping him pack spare clothing.

"Do you trust her?" he asked, pausing to fix an intense gaze on her.

"I don't trust anyone other than you," she said, which, while gratifying, did nothing to reassure him of the wisdom of placing their trust in Vivie to get them out safely. "However, I mistrust her less than I do the rest of the House."

Nodding, he decided to be satisfied with that, for the time being. They would be able to reassess later—he hoped.

"It does seem like too elaborate a scheme to capture us," he said, wondering if he believed the words.

Putting her hand over his, Cianne paused long enough to give him a steadying look. She squeezed his hand. "Me disappearing poses more problems for the House than it does solutions, which means this isn't an ideal way of ridding themselves of me, especially since the whispers about Toran's death haven't completely died down yet. If they really wanted to silence me for good, it would have made more sense for them to send me along with Lach on his voyage. They're good at making people disappear at sea, after all."