By then she would be in Lupa, the Dark Lord's plans to the contrary.By then she would be in Lupa, the Dark Lord's plans to the contrary. She still did not trust the lad. He was a hope. Perhaps he would bring back the old days. She had done commissions for him, and she knew she stood high in his favor, because of the unlimited travel pass, but she still could not bring herself to trust him. She had stayed alive by not trusting anyone too far, and was too set in her ways to change now. Part of it was his sisters, she supposed. Alyne was a saucy little brat, but of no real influence. Zara, on the other hand, made the slaver's blood run cold. There was an ice maiden with no question, and she was his favorite into the bargain. The way the witch-bitch had looked when her husband was poisoned sent a chill up Jess's spine. Magic made her nervous anyway. A sword was a better defense any day in her mind. But she had not discouraged Janesse's dabbling in the art. She had considered warning the Dark Lord to be careful, but realized he probably already knew. She was his twin sister, after all, and if some of the rumors one heard in Guhrya were true, she loved him better than life itself. Jess put the thought from her mind. She thought about the coming fall sales. A few of the Dark Lord's slaves would keep her in luxury all winter and she would not have to take to the roads until late spring. The price he had agreed on for Brianna was not exorbitant, but it was high. She had kept her travel expenses to a minimum, sleeping on the roads, and only taking to the inns when the weather was uncooperative. Most of the hundred gold he had given her for expenses had remained untouched. The weather had been oddly warm and terribly dry all year, and was doing nothing to motivate the horses to move any faster than they had to. Crops in unirrigated regions outside the empire were likely to be poor, and grass and brush fires would soon be dangerously common everywhere. Behind the cart, she could see the dust kicked up by the wheels. Tavect drew ever nearer and finally, before sunset, they entered the city. The palace was in the heart of town, about equal distance from the four walls. Tavect was a peaceful city and had not even heard rumors of war since the Time of Darkness. |