“I’ve made other arrangements.”

“The same arrangements you had last night?”

“No, these are new and improved arrangements.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it’d have to do until I came up with something else.

“I should hope so,” Eiliesor said. “As long as you wear that beacon, I can’t allow you to remain unprotected. I can’t risk Nukpana capturing you.”

“You mean capturing the beacon.”

“Unfortunately, you and the beacon are one and the same.”

“Unfortunate is right,” I muttered.

“Nukpana knows what you’re capable of now. He was caught off guard once.” Eiliesor gave me a level look. “He won’t be caught unawares again.”

He was right. I didn’t want to admit it, but I certainly couldn’t deny it. I just nodded. A couple of Guardians to watch my back might not be all that bad. The blond one I had met last night seemed like a nice, homicidal sort. And it wasn’t like Eiliesor could act immediately on any impulse he might have toward keeping me prisoner. Since my body was still onboard the Fortune, he couldn’t keep me here against my will. At least I didn’t think so. Then again, a lot of what I deemed impossible two days ago had turned out to be all too possible. The way my luck had been running, this would turn out to be one of them. And if I looked in those blue eyes for much longer, I might decide house arrest was a simply wonderful idea.

“I’m not opposed to a little extra protection,” I said. “The only way I can protect myself from Nukpana and his like is by running or using the Saghred, or more accurately, letting it use me. It happened last night, and I never want it to happen again.”

“Then we’re in agreement. I’ll have a few of my men keep you under surveillance.”

“A tentative agreement,” I clarified, like I could stop him from having me followed. “I have family and friends who I won’t endanger any longer. Some are capable of protecting themselves; some are not. Nukpana wouldn’t hesitate to use them to get to me. I can’t allow that to happen, either.”

“The young spellsinger?” Eiliesor asked.

I nodded. I didn’t like the way Sarad Nukpana had looked at Piaras last night. I liked it even less knowing what I knew about Sarad Nukpana.

“I can provide protection.”

“Thank you,” I said, and meant it. “My family is taking care of it. But I do appreciate your offer.”

“I appreciate your cooperation.” His voice was oddly gentle. At least he seemed to realize that he had just turned what was left of my life upside down. I think he expected a fight from me. I would have liked to have given him one, but the truth was I needed to save my fight for when it was really necessary. Sarad Nukpana was out there.

“I’ll meet you tonight at a nightclub called Sirens off Heron Row in the Sorcerers District,” I told him. “Do you know it?”

“I do.”

“I’ll be there at nine bells.” I managed a grin. “With a few family members, of course.”

“Of course.”

I had one more question, but was more than a little embarrassed to ask.

The Guardian sensed my dilemma. “Yes?”

“How do I get back to where I am?”

I heard voices talking.

At first there was one, then I could distinguish two. Thankfully, I knew them. It meant I was waking up in the same place where I had fallen asleep. I liked it when that happened.

“Let me get this straight,” Phaelan was saying. “You tackled Chigaru Mal’Salin, kicked his guards, and later decked a sentry?”

I slowly opened one eye. The other side of my face was still firmly buried in the pillow. Phaelan was grinning from ear to ear. From the other side of the cabin, Piaras’s own expression was a perfect match as he nodded.

He was sitting cross-legged on Phaelan’s bunk. The bruise was fading nicely, the swelling all but gone. It looked like Phaelan’s ship’s healer had been in while I slept. Considering what had happened last night, he looked amazingly calm. While I still had the urge to keep him safe, I no longer felt as much of a need to protect him, if that made any sense. The Piaras who woke up on the Fortune was a more mature version. He wore it well.

So much for the kid being scarred for life.

Then I remembered where I had been, whom I had seen, and how I had seen him. I sat up, gasped and pulled my own covers up under my chin.

“What is it?” Phaelan wasn’t sure whether he should be alarmed or not.

“Nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

I glanced under the blanket, and breathed a quick sigh of relief. At least I wasn’t naked under the covers.

“Determined Guardian?” Phaelan chuckled, misinterpreting my reaction entirely.

“No.”

“Didn’t he try to contact you?” Piaras asked.

“He didn’t have to.”

Phaelan’s eyes went wide. “You contacted him?”

“I didn’t mean to, but I did.”

“Well, was he expecting you?”

I had an entirely welcome flashback to the sight of Mychael Eiliesor naked in bed. I felt myself flush. “I don’t think so.”

Phaelan noted my reaction and his grin turned wolfish. “Sounds like you had yourself some fun, cousin. Good girl.”

“Did not.”

The grin grew wider. “Liar.”

“Well, are you meeting him?” Piaras asked.

“I suggested tonight at Tam’s club. It’s public enough. I told Eiliesor I’d be there at nine bells, but I’ll be there earlier. After last night, I want to have a little talk with Tam about Ocnus and a certain goblin spellsinger.”

I looked out the porthole next to my bunk. It occurred to me that I had no idea how long I had been asleep. The low clouds outside didn’t help my guesswork any.

“What time is it?” I asked Phaelan.

“Just past two. You slept through lunch.”

Lunch. There was another wonderful idea. It ranked right up there with the promised safety of a certain Guardian’s protective custody. Custody that I’d turned down. I sighed and tossed back the blanket. While safety would be nice, I’d settle for lunch.

“Do you think you might be able to trust the Guardian?” Piaras asked. He sounded hopeful. So was I.

“I just might.”

Chapter 15

Phaelan and a few of his more socially presentable crew were my chosen escorts for the evening. I knew they wouldn’t be much of a deterrent if we ran into Sarad Nukpana, but everyone else we encountered suddenly preferred to be on the other side of the street. When we got to Sirens, Phaelan and two of his crew came inside with me and made themselves at home at the bar; the others stayed outside and covered the exits. Considering the way my luck had been running lately, it wasn’t all the precautions I wanted to take, but it’d have to do.

I thought I had arrived with plenty of time to have a heart-to-heart talk with Tam, but apparently I’d have to get in line. A reunion was underway in my favorite booth. Tam and a certain elven Guardian were chatting away like old friends.

I sauntered over. “I see you boys know each other.”

Neither looked guilty at being seen with the other, nor did they look surprised to see me. Normally, I’d smell a setup, but I was the one who suggested the meeting place, and it definitely hadn’t been under compulsion. But something was going on here, and I suspected it had everything to do with me.

“I know Paladin Eiliesor tolerably well,” Tam said with an easy smile. “The good Guardian helped me out of a sticky situation once.”

“And Primaru Nathrach once assisted me with a minor inconvenience,” Eiliesor said.

“Tonight, Mychael and I are sharing war stories,” Tam offered, his grin widening until his fangs were showing. “Raine Benares war stories.”

“Though Tam has more to share than I do,” Eiliesor said.

“But yours hurt more,” Tam countered. He looked at me, his expression pained. “You didn’t really kick him there, did you? I’m certain that wasn’t called for.”