Karrell shook her head. 'No. I came to sketch the palace at Ormpetarr. But I am glad to have met you.' She leaned forward and rested a hand on Arvin's knee. 'Will you introduce me to Dmetrio Extaminos?'
Arvin hesitated. Karrell's answers to his questions had been short and evasive. What if she was a spy, or even an assassin? Even if she was exactly what she claimed to be, he could think of a dozen reasons to say no. Dmetrio didn't know about Arvin's mission- to him, Arvin would be nothing more than a 'rope merchant's agent' that he was to introduce to Baron Foesmasher. This would give Arvin an excuse to chat informally with Dmetrio, to find out-with a little prompting, in the form of a psionic manifestation-if Dmetrio knew anything about Glisena's disappearance. Dmetrio had been courting Glisena for several months; there was a chance that her disappearance was part of an illicit elopement. If it was, the alliance between Sespech and Hlondeth would unravel as quickly as a frayed rope.
Arvin didn't need a stranger hanging about while he asked Dmetrio delicate questions. Nor did he want her tagging along behind him in Ormpetarr. The next thing he knew, she'd be asking for an introduction to Baron Foesmasher and a tour of the palace.
On the other hand, Karrell was the most beautiful woman Arvin had ever met. And the touch of her hand on his knee-even through the thick wool blanket-was sending a welcome flush of warmth through him.
Karrell raised her free hand to her chest, making a brief, imploring gesture that reminded Arvin of the silent speech. She leaned closer still, whispering a plea in her own language, and Arvin caught a whiff of the scented oil she must have combed into her hair to make it shine so. She smelled of the exotic flowers of the south, of orchids underlaid with a hint of musk. A snowflake landed at the corner of her upper lip, and Arvin was filled with an urge to kiss it away.
'Please,' she breathed. 'It would mean so much to me to meet Ambassador Extaminos, to share my sketches with someone who appreciates the subject as much as I do.'
Arvin swallowed. 'I'd like to see your sketches, too.'
Karrell's dark eyes shone. 'So you'll introduce me?'
Arvin tugged at the neck of his cloak, loosening it. The snow was still falling thick and fast, and the air had chilled as the sun went down, but he was suddenly very warm. 'I…'
The wagon jerked to a halt. 'We're here,' the dwarf grunted-the first words he'd spoken since their journey began. 'Riverboat Landing. The Eelgrass Inn.' Bells tinkled as the horses shook their heads, taking advantage of the slack reins.
Arvin glanced around. The wagon had pulled up beside the largest of the half dozen inns that lined the bank of the Lower Nagaflow. Several piers splayed out into the river like fingers. Tied up to them were the riverboats- wide-hulled sailboats with tall masts, canvas sails furled tight against their yards. Snow had blown into drifts on the decks of most, but one had been swept clean. Aboard it, two men were fitting a repeating crossbow to the port rail amidships. A second repeating crossbow was already mounted on the starboard rail.
Arvin caught the eye of the dwarf, who had climbed down to tie the reins of the horses to a hitching post. 'Why the crossbows?' he asked. 'Are they expecting trouble?'
The dwarf's feet crunched in the snow as he walked back to open the door of the wagon. 'Slavers,' he said as Arvin climbed down from the wagon. 'From Nimpeth.' He pointed across the river at the far shore. 'They have their own boats. Sleek and fast.'
Arvin caught Karrell's eye as she rose and gathered up her bag. 'Don't worry,' he assured her. 'If the slavers do attack, there will be more than just crossbows to stop them. I'm armed with a magical weapon-and I'm very capable in a fight.'
Karrell gave him a bemused glance. She swept back her cloak, revealing an ironwood club, with a knobbed, fist-sized ball at one end, that hung from her belt. 'So am I.'
Arvin's eyebrows rose. 'But you're-'
She stared down at him, eyes narrowed. 'A woman?'
'No,' Arvin said quickly. 'I mean yes. You're clearly a woman.' He realized he was staring not at her weapon, but at the curves the drawn-back cloak had revealed-at weapons of a different sort. 'And there are lots of women in the Guil-' He caught himself just in time and took a deep breath. 'I meant that you're… an artist,' he finished lamely.
'And you, so you say, are a rope merchant's agent,' she said, giving the final word a slight emphasis, as if to imply she thought he was an agent of a different sort.
Arvin swore to himself. What had he been thinking, bragging to this woman? To a complete stranger. She might have been anyone-even a spy from Chondath. She seemed to have guessed that he was more than he was pretending to be, but then, so was she. Arvin glanced at her bag. It didn't look big enough to hold an artist's ink pots, quills, and scroll tubes. Even so, he had a feeling he could trust her.
A gust of wind caught his cloak, and he shivered. The inn the wagon had stopped in front of was two stories tall, with walls made of roughly squared logs and a roof whose eaves were crusted with icicles. A signboard hanging above the front door was painted with a picture of a snakelike creature winding its way through submerged river grass. The door opened briefly as a man-one of the sailors from the riverboats, carrying a hand crossbow-exited the inn and headed for the piers. The smell of stew flavored with winter sage and onions drifted out in his wake.
The dwarf grunted and marched back to the hitching post, his feet crunching in the snow. 'I need to rub down my animals,' he grunted. 'When you're done chatting.' He untied the reins and stared pointedly at the stable that adjoined the inn.
Karrell nodded. 'Of course.' She stepped down from the wagon, glanced up at the inn's signboard, and picked her way gracefully toward the door.
Arvin trailed after her. 'You're taking a room here?'
Karrell nodded.
'Maybe we could share it,' he suggested. 'To save some coin.'
She paused, one hand on the door latch, and tilted her head. 'We have only just met. Perhaps once you have introduced me to Ambassador Extaminos '
Arvin nodded eagerly. Then he realized something. Once he got to Ormpetarr, he was going to be busy with his mission. And he didn't think he could wait until then. Karrell was an amazing woman, as quick-witted as she was beautiful. If he didn't win her over now, someone else surely would.
Karrell opened the door, releasing a gust of warm, savory-scented air that was thick with conversation. At least two dozen people were inside. Several glanced up from their meals as the door opened. More than one man raised his eyebrows appreciatively or whistled under his breath at the sight of Karrell.
'Listen,' Arvin said, desperate now. He dropped his voice to a low, confiding whisper. 'I won't have time to spend with you once we reach Ormpetarr. I'll be too busy. You were right-I'm not really here to sell rope. I actually came to Sespech to find someone. She-'
The words froze in his throat as he saw who was seated at one of the tables. A woman with long red hair, slit eyes, and skin freckled with green scales. She lifted from her plate what looked like a raw egg that was still in its shell, swallowed it whole, and licked her lips with a forked blue tongue.
For the space of several heartbeats, Arvin stood rooted to the spot, unable to breathe. The chill that filled him was colder than the thickest ice.
Zelia-here?
She glanced up.
Arvin jerked back, putting the half-opened door between himself and Zelia. He stared at Karrell, who was hesitating in the doorway. Suddenly, Arvin saw her in a new light. The flame of desire that had almost driven him to confide his mission to her had been snuffed out the instant he'd spotted Zelia. He recognized it now for what it was-a magical compulsion.
He'd been charmed by Karrell. And she'd led him straight to Zelia.
Or… had she? Karrell glanced once at Arvin, then back through the open door, her eyes ranging over those within. She obviously realized that Arvin had spotted someone inside the inn who terrified him-but she'd made no move to force him inside. Instead she had a thoughtful expression on her face.
She wasn't in league with Zelia. But if Arvin didn't act quickly, she'd give him away.
'Go on,' Arvin said, flicking his hands at Karrell, frantically motioning her inside. Sharing a room with her was the last thing on his mind now. 'This place looks too expensive. I'll find a room somewhere else.'
Karrell frowned. 'Will I see you in the morning?'
