The Rogue Guardian

Chapter 16: Therese and the Gate

Morane knew she was being followed the moment she left the inn the next morning. Whether it was Wes, Lucian, Kay, or some other variable she hadn't yet encountered, she wasn't sure. They were good at staying out of her eyesight. It was a bit worrying, but if it was one of the boys she didn't think she was in any real danger-- they were probably pissed off, but not exactly murderous. If it was someone else... then it might end up being a problem.

But there was nothing for it, unless she was going to cower in her rooms all day. So she headed deeper into Maenar than she'd gone yet, one eye out for the figure that stayed yards behind her, their hood hiding their face in the same way they used the crowded streets for cover.

She had decided that there were a few places in the city she had to clear up. The thieves' dens were taken care of, and she was familiar with the docks and even a little bit of the Maze now. But she still hadn't looked into that mysterious court marked on the map with a small crown instead of a name. Governor's Court looked to be close by, which was one of the things that had drawn her attention. Ordinarily, she might have assumed the crown was shorthand for a government building. But since there was already a place for that, with no such markings, this crown seemed to mean something else entirely.

That, or it was a completely random drawing the mapmaker had added for no reason. But the rest of the map felt so deliberate, she had a hard time believing it didn't have a purpose.

By the time she stood in front of the gates, though, she wasn't so sure. Though the map showed a court large enough for several buildings, the gates wedged between two buildings were narrow and there seemed to be only a modest pathway beyond them, quickly swallowed up by impenetrable bushes. It looked at most like the entrance to a nice townhouse.

But there was, worked into the rusty metal grating, the same kind of crown drawn on the map, almost like a crest, placed over two crossed short swords.

So maybe this was a noble house? She didn't know of any noble families whose crest included a crown-- she thought that was frowned upon-- but only nobles had family crests in the first place.

It was as she stood there, attention caught, that her follower finally separated themselves from the crowd and slowly approached, becoming more distinct in the corner of her eye. Still facing the gate, she carefully slipped her longest, thinnest dagger from her sleeve and held it, out of sight, at her side. Then she turned to face them.

The stranger, a girl, paused a sensible distance away and looked her up and down before drawing her hood back, revealing the long hair, heart-shaped face, and dark eyes she recognized from the Fire Bird. Therese. Her eyes were calculating, and she held the loose folds of her cloak close enough to hide a number of weapons, though she didn't have the hardened look of someone who used them often. "You owe Kay and the others."

Morane slid her thumb across the dagger's hilt, wondering if this was all-- she'd just wanted to collect. "I'm not really in a position to hand out that much money at the moment. I can at some point. If it'll get Kay to stop sending people after me."

Therese's slight frown deepened, but even if she wanted to argue the side of a major road wasn't ideal. There was a silent agreement to leave the issue.

"Is there a reason you're staring at a gate?"

"I liked the design."

"Are you going in?"

"Uh. Yeah." Because so far lying had brought up some interesting things and she didn't need to know the truth anyway.

"You-- you are." Therese tried to hide her shock but it showed briefly. "Wes didn't say you were..."