The Eagle And The Nightingales

doesn't want you to notice him is someone you likely don't want to notice you.'

She picked up the second, equally tattered cloak, flinging it on and pulling up the hood. Better to broil in this thing than to have her face seen_and she could not rely on her own magic to work properly inside this Elven protection.

And two people, together, cloaked in this heat_they are twice as unlikely to be bothered.

They waited until the street was empty of traffic, and stepped out as if they belonged in the house they had just left, on the chance that someone might be looking out a window. Thieves and escaped prisoners were not supposed to stroll out like a pair of down-at-the-heels gentry.

It was a long, weary walk to the Chapel, and they had to stop often, so that T'fyrr could rest. But when they got within a few blocks of the Chapel, they were swarmed.

But not by guards looking for them, nor by the mages' men, but by Nightingale's pack of children. Tam had taken word ahead, which Nightingale had not expected him to do, and the children must have been waiting, watching, along every possible route to the Chapel.

A wheelbarrow appeared as if conjured; the children coaxed the Haspur into it_he had no tail and very little in the way of wing feathers to get in the way of sitting, now_and a team of a dozen rushed him along the street faster than Nightingale could run. She caught up with them at the entrance to the Chapel, her side aching, but her heart lighter than she'd had any reason to expect when she had set out a few hours ago.

Father Ruthvere was waiting for them; he opened the door to the Chapel just enough to let them inside, and shut it again quickly.

'They've been here looking for you,' he told Nightingale, 'They have warrants for you and T'fyrr both.'

His thin face was creased with worry and exhaustion, and her heart sank. Warrants? Already? How could they have gotten legal warrants past the King?

'A warrant for T'fyrr?' she said incredulously. 'But he's in the King's household, how could they get a warrant out on him?'

'It's part of the original warrant for the men who attacked the Deliambren,' the Priest told them, his mouth twisting into a grimace as he led them into the sanctuary. 'The King already signed it; they've altered it to read 'humans or nonhumans' and they're claiming that T'fyrr set up the attack in the first place_that the Deliambren Envoy recognized him, and that was why he kept asking for T'fyrr.'

When T'fyrr made a growl of disgust, Nightingale only shrugged fatalistically. It figures. I shouldn't have been so surprised. 'It doesn't have to be logical,' she pointed out, 'it only has to be legal, and since the King has already signed it and probably initialed the change, it's legal. And me?'

'You're supposed to be the mysterious female who freed the attacker the Deliambren caught.' Father Ruthvere sighed and shook his head. 'I haven't a clue how they're managing to get past the fact that you'd have had to be two places at the same time_'

'If they have their way, it would never get to a trial where they'd have to produce proof,' she pointed out bitterly, feeling a surge of anger at High King Theovere, who had probably just signed the warrants without ever reading them once he was told what they were_vaguely_about. 'When criminals can escape from locked dungeons or walk away legally, it doesn't take any stretch of the imagination to see that two more 'criminals' could be murdered during an 'escape attempt.' And we don't have any friends in high places or awkward relatives who might ask questions.'

T'fyrr drooped despondently. 'I had hoped that we had awakened Theovere to his sense of duty enough so that things like this, at least, could not happen. I thought he_'

She took his arm, hoping to give him comfort. To have gone through all he had, only to be hit with more bad news, seemed grossly unfair.

'Never mind,' Father Ruthvere said firmly. 'You have sanctuary here, for as long as you like, and no one can pry you out of it since the Bishop is behind you. You can stay until you're stronger, or your feathers have grown back, and fly out.'

'But what about Nightingale?' T'fyrr asked instantly.

She actually had an answer to that one, although she wouldn't bring it up in front of Father Ruthvere. Well, an Elf who can appear in my room and disappear as well, can certainly manage to take me with him. She knew how he was doing it, of course; opening up Doors into Underhill wherever he chose. It took a tremendous amount of magical power, but_

But they might do it, just to tweak the noses of the human leaders and prove that the human mages are no match for them.

'I can find a way to safety, love, trust me,' she said, and patted his arm reassuringly. 'I found you, didn't