The Death Ray

14

Naull had never dressed so fast in her life. She was hardly a vain woman, but she liked to put some thought into her wardrobe. As Regdar coaxed a quivering Maelani out of the armoire, though, Naull just threw on whatever was at hand. She stopped for a breath only after finally slinging her pouches over her shoulder.

"What happened?" Maelani asked Regdar.

Naull stepped toward them more forcefully than she should have. There was something about Maelani's body language that made it obvious she wanted Regdar to take her into his arms. The beautiful young woman leaned into him, seemed almost on the verge of collapsing.

Naull took her by the arm, startling her.

"I'll get you out of here," the wizard said.

"But…" Maelani started, looking at Regdar.

Naull pulled on the girl's arm and said, "The lord constable has work to do."

Regdar, still blushing, unable or unwilling to look either woman in the eye, said, "Naull will take good care of you."

Maelani shook her head, but let Naull pull her a few steps farther away from Regdar.

The fighter crossed to the overturned bed and looked down at the floor. Naull followed his eyes and saw the hole in the marble. It was big-easily big enough for all three of them to drop through at the same time. The bed would have rested right over the hole. Whatever flipped it off the floor had obviously come up through there.

"I can't imagine this has been here the whole time," Regdar said, speaking more to himself than to either Naull or Maelani.

Naull was about to make a suggestion when a loud knock sounded again at the door.

"Lord Constable," the watch sergeant barked, "if the lady is no longer…indisposed, perhaps we should conduct an investigation?"

Regdar looked at Naull, then at Maelani. He seemed at a loss.

"Where does that hole lead to?" Naull asked in a whisper as she dragged Maelani around the overturned bed.

"The room downstairs," Regdar said, peering into the hole. "Looks like there's another hole just like it in the floor there, and another…into, what, the basement or wine cellar or something?"

Naull stopped at the edge of the hole and swallowed. Her head spun, and she almost fainted.

After a deep, cleansing sigh, she said, "Lower us down."

Regdar lifted an eyebrow, but finally looked her in the eye.

"I know," she said, "but it's the best way out of here without your men seeing Maelani."

"My men?" Regdar asked, then he shook his head. "Oh, yes…my men."

The big fighter bent and grabbed the strong satin sheet.

"Lord Constable?" the sergeant called from the hallway.

"One minute," Regdar answered as he started wrapping the big sheet into an improvised rope.

"Heights," Naull said, peering down into the thankfully vacant room below. "Always heights…"

Naull and Maelani walked out of the Thrush and the Jay past a crowd of watchmen. The constables were, by then, looking for something big, heavy, and armored, so the two slight women in their city clothes and close-drawn cowls easily passed unnoticed.

Once out of the inn, they crossed the street without speaking and silently slipped into the late night shadows.

"You managed to sneak out of the palace," Naull said at last, her voice barely above a whisper, "but did you have a plan for getting back in?"

Maelani looked at her, one eye peeking out from the edge of her cowl. The look was hard, accusatory, but at the same time fragile and embarrassed. Naull was briefly taken aback by the strong emotions the girl radiated. It had been some time since Naull had been with another young woman, and she'd grown accustomed not only to the company of men but the quiet stoicism of Regdar and adventurers like him.

They came to the end of the street, and the brightly-lit marketplace stretched out ahead of them. The huge dome of the Wizard's Horde glittered across the street. To their left was the bridge that would take Maelani back to her island palace. The guards standing at the foot of the bridge were plainly visible, as were their razor-sharp halberds that glowed with obvious magic.

The two women stopped on the corner, and Maelani drew her cowl even closer around her face. She met Naull's eyes.

"I was," she whispered, "not informed of…I didn't know that the lord constable was married. Please forgive me."

Naull held back a laugh, but not a smile.

"We're not married," she said. "We are sharing the room, though, as we have shared many things."

"I didn't go there to…" the young lady said, then she turned away.

Naull touched her elbow and gently drew her back so they could see each others' faces again.

"Your father knows about me," she said. "If he's pressuring you, as he's pressuring Regdar, I…"

Maelani tipped her head to one side, waiting for Naull to finish. The mage just sighed and looked down.

Naull felt warm, thin fingers touch her chin. It was Maelani's turn to bring the mage's eyes back to her own.

"I love my father," she said. "He is the best man I have ever known, and he has raised me well. His example has made me more demanding of young men than some girls can be. He isn't pressuring me or Regdar but if he gives an order, I, like the lord constable, will follow it."

Naull almost flinched from the cool challenge in the young woman's eyes.

"Not all of the duke's subjects are willing to set their private lives aside for his whims," Naull said, not sure herself where the conversation was heading. "Love, as they say, conquers all."

Maelani smiled. To Naull the expression seemed sincere, friendly.

"I was surprised to see you there," Maelani said.

Naull returned her smile and replied, "And I thought you were the murderer."

"No," Maelani said, "but I get the feeling you'd have been happier if I had been."

Naull felt the fine hairs on the back of her neck bristle and she said, "Not at all, Lady Maelani. If you were the murderer, Regdar and I would have to kill you. As it stands-"

"As it stands," Maelani interrupted, "you may want to anyway."

"He loves me," Naull blurted.

The wizard felt her cheeks flare red, but she kept her eyes on Maelani's.

The girl smiled, but the expression was a bit crooked this time.

"The bridge guards can see me from here," the duke's daughter said. "I won't be bothered by this murderer again tonight."

Naull tipped her head in agreement but kept her eyes on the girl's.

"I hope you and the lord constable can find this…thing, before anyone else is hurt," Maelani said, "but I also hope you'll continue to cover for me."

"You should stay in the palace," Naull said, more quickly and harshly than she'd intended. "Until the murderer is caught, it's the only place your safety can be assured."

Maelani nodded once and said, "I guess that means we shan't ever see one another again."

Naull tried to smile, but succeeded only in grimacing.

This made Maelani smile, and she was still smiling even as Naull stood there on the corner, watching her go.