Again, she tried to say thank you, but Thana deserved more. Asthey reached a clearer track, she nudged her horse abreast with Thana’s. “Iappreciate you.” No, that was just another thank you. “It’s very good of you.”That didn’t sound right, either.
Thana chuckled. “Don’t mention it.”
Sylph fought the urge to frown, recalling her lack of wordsearlier and how she’d wanted Thana to truly hear those that went unspoken. “Ifear you’re not listening.”
She expected anger again, but Thana smiled softly. “It’s allright. I know what you mean, and I know why you seem to be having troublesaying it. You’ve been at court a long time, and it must be hard to speak to apeasant.”
Before Sylph could argue, Thana winked. Sylph smiled back,recognizing teasing even if what she’d said was also the truth. But thoseweren’t the only reasons Sylph couldn’t speak. What she felt for Thana was…unprecedented.She recalled how mystified she’d been when her father first told her that she’deventually marry well. She’d understood falling in love. She’d read aboutromance and had spied on some servants kissing in the hall. But nothing hadseemed to recommend love beyond the simple slaking of lust. And even then, she’d had no one.She hadn’t even had friends. How was she supposed to find a spouse?
Every flirtation she’d experienced at court had felt false, amere grab for power and influence. But Thana didn’t care about such things. Andunlike those at court, she kept secrets for others and helped without askingfor anything, and her emotions fluttered all about her for anyone to see. Shecared.
She was a friend.
And they’d shared little moments of something more. Thana’soccasional heated stares said she felt attracted to Sylph. And in every mood ofThana’s, there was something to desire in her.
It grew easier to think of such things the longer she spent inThana’s company. Now she just had to find a way to say them.
Chapter Nine
Thana didn’t know whether to be pleased or frustrated withSylph, a state of half-emotion she hadn’t become accustomed to. Sylph wasundeniably beautiful, and when they argued, Thana wanted to leap on her andlose herself in combustible passion. But then Sylph would turn vulnerable andopen, and Thana wanted to cradle and protect her, kiss her gently and tell hereverything would be all right.
It was all so stupid.
And impossible. There would be no kissing or leaping or losingherself. Sylph would be offended beyond belief if she tried anything romantic,would probably be offended at the very thought. Sylph might admit hervulnerability, had pleaded some ignorance, but she would never seek comfortfrom a peasant. She’d hit her maid over the head with no hesitation, and ladieswere said to be very attached to their maids.
At least in the stories.
But that maid had also been a spy, so the stories were probablyall wrong.
Either way, if Sylph hit her maid so easily, she’d never be kissedby some peasant she hardly knew. Worse still, she might do something extraoffensive like tip Thana for the service. What else could Thana expect fromsomeone who couldn’t even express her thanks?
Her head hung a little at that thought, but she couldn’t arguewith it.
She focused on the path ahead, wondering if her theory aboutSylph reacting to the crystal was correct. The teacher had mentioned a secondshipment. Perhaps if she and Sylph investigated a path near the palace gardens,they’d run into this larger shipment and test her theory. And if they were outin the middle of nowhere when Sylph lost control, the danger to bystanderswould be less, even if Sylph brought the outer wall to the garden down.
One worry taken care of, at least. Another was the middle ofnowhere part. Where would they stay? Thana knew nothing about sleeping rough,and Sylph probably knew less than that. She might not even know the wordcamping, no doubt called it peasant sleeping or something. Or maybe she thoughtonly animals slept outdoors.
Thana pulled her horse to a stop and glanced around. The lightwas dimmer in the forest than in the city, but it had to be getting late.Everything that had happened, from the fire to the incident at the academy, hadseemed to go by in a flash, but it had taken all day. They’d be sleeping roughsooner than they thought.
“We need to pick somewhere to bed down for the night.” She lookedat the dense trees lining the path, wondering how to tell a good place from abad one.
As expected, Sylph looked at her blankly before staring at theforest. But then she glanced away as if thinking and pointed ahead. “If we arewhere I think, Countess Carisse Van Umberholme’s estate isn’t far.”
Thana shook her head. “Where? Who?”
Sylph’s smile was only slightly condescending, a vastimprovement. She drew a circle in the air. “Marienne and its lands to the westare held by the Umbriels,” she said. “All the way to the Lavine River, and thenstretching slightly north, so that they own the harbor there.” She swept her handto the left and up, then right. “But the lands abutting theirs are owned by theUmberholme family, distant cousins to the Umbriels, who hold this area.” Shemade another wave. “All the way to the Lake of Umber north and then down to thevillage of Longside. Indeed, if their population gets any bigger or theyacquire more land, they’ll be a duchy.” When Thana continued to look, wonderingat this vast wealth of knowledge she knew nothing about, Sylph’s smilefaltered. “Countess Carisse inherited her title after the death of her husbandfour years ago, and she merely holds it now until her daughter is of age.”
“Sorry,” Thana said, shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to stare. Ijust had…no idea that you knew…well done.” She felt the heat in her cheeks andwondered when in the spirits’ names she’d stop blushing around this woman.“Good.” She cleared her throat. “Do you think she’ll welcome
