Alec groaned softly and arched his back, surrendering-mostly. “At least we know that there’s-some-there’s some-connection. Thero-”

Seregil leaned in very close, warm breath tickling Alec’s ear, and whispered, “We’ll see him tomorrow, tali.”

Alec was surprised to feel a flash of need and worry cut

through his own haze of arousal along the invisible connection of their talimenios bond. Only then did it occur to him that this was the first time he’d done a job on his own since they’d returned to the city. He caught Seregil’s roaming hand. “You do know I can take care of myself?”

Seregil regarded him seriously. “Would you have been worried about me if I’d disappeared for hours on a job?”

“You used to do that all the time! You still do.”

“And you worry.”

Alec sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “And you do what you need to and come home safe.”

Seregil was quiet for a moment, then Alec felt the mattress shift as Seregil knelt behind him and put his arms around Alec’s shoulders. “I know. I’m not questioning your skills, Alec. I swear to you that’s the truth and you know I don’t lie to you. But after what happened to you in Plenimar?” His arms tightened. “I suppose I’m still trying to get over that. If you…”

Alec covered Seregil’s hands with his own. “Are we going to quit the nightrunning business, then?”

Seregil laughed softly. “No. Just… Give me time.”

“I’ll try. But sometimes I wonder if maybe I have more faith in your skills than you do in mine, even after all this time.”

“Oh, Alec! I know that you can take care of yourself. I do, really. Now…” Seregil gently cradled the back of Alec’s head and kissed him. “Are we going to make love or have a fight? Personally, I don’t want to fight.”

Alec’s lips quirked in a half smile as he turned in Seregil’s arms and kissed him back. “Then that only leaves one other choice.”

Their lovemaking that night was fierce and full of need. Surging and tumbling, each got as good as he gave, leaving a few fingertip-shaped bruises and teeth marks in their wake. Afterward, they fell away from each other, sweaty and winded. A rare night breeze wafted in through the open window; cooled, Seregil rolled over and lay with his head pillowed on Alec’s smooth chest as Alec lazily stroked his hair

the way that made him feel especially content. Seregil kissed the warm skin over his lover’s heart, savoring the salty taste and strong pulse beneath his lips.

If you die, I won’t be far behind.

Some emotions and thoughts traveled over the talimenios bond more clearly than others, or perhaps Alec knew him too well. Gently tugging a strand of Seregil’s hair, he murmured, “I’d wait for you at Bilairy’s Gate. Now stop worrying. I love you.”

“I love you, too, tali.”

They waited well past midnight, then stole back to Kyrin’s house in dark clothing. Retracing Alec’s previous route, they made it to the library window without trouble. Seregil opened the inside latch with a thin lime-wood shim.

Alec retrieved all the documents he’d found and they laid them out on the carpet, then held them one by one in front of the lightstones and one by one discarded them until they came to the scroll. Alec unrolled it and held it up for Seregil, who had the stone. Tiny points of light shone through the parchment like miniature constellations.

“What does it say?” Alec whispered.

Seregil squinted at the letters for a moment, then his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “It’s in Aurenfaie.” Seregil scanned the page, muttering under his breath. “Dark moon with the tide. Twenty-five. More?”

“More what?”

“Who knows? But ‘dark moon’-perhaps the traitor’s moon-and ‘tide’ suggest smuggling to me.”

Alec nodded excitedly. “That and the manifests!”

“Sounds like our marquis is stockpiling valuables. The question is, why?”

“It must have something to do with that list of names.”

“Very likely.”

Putting the room back in order, they went out the way they came in and headed back to the inn.

Early the following morning they carried the news to Thero, who was at breakfast with several other wizards. A

spread of fresh currant buns, ham, pears, boiled eggs, white cheese, puffed berry pastries-an Oreska House specialty-and pots of strong tea were laid out on one of the worktables. Nysander’s breakfasts had been famous, and to everyone’s surprise, Thero had continued the tradition.

The other wizards greeted them warmly, believing, as intended, that Lord Seregil and Lord Alec had just arrived back from their travels.

“Ah, you’re just in time for another free meal,” Thero noted dryly as they came in.

“Cranky this morning, are we?” Seregil grabbed him in a hug and kissed his bearded cheek, much to the wizard’s dismay.

“Do that again and you’ll find yourself at the top of Mount Apos,” Thero warned, slopping his tea on the table as he shook Seregil off.

“At least it would be an escape from this heat,” Alec said as he filled a plate.

There was no choice in front of the other wizards but to make small talk and pretend they’d come for nothing more than breakfast. But when the wizards were gone Seregil and Alec detailed the findings of their night’s work.

Thero nodded as he listened, then considered it for a long moment. “There’s no way of knowing if the list of names and the apparent smuggling are related. You did find the suspicious documents in different places.”

“There could be any number of reasons for that,” said Seregil.

“Maybe Kyrin was waiting until nobody was there to move the scroll to the hidden cupboard behind the tapestry,” Alec pointed out.

Seregil nodded. “Perhaps.”

“And don’t forget Elani’s stolen letter,” Alec reminded them. “If Kyrin is sharing secrets with Reltheus and the others, maybe they know about the letter, too.”

“Korathan’s secretary, and someone stealing the princess royal’s letters.” Thero frowned. “This could strike at the heart of the court.”

“More work to be done,” said Seregil. “I think Lords

Seregil and Alec will be out of the city again for a bit while the Cat attends to this Watcher business.”

“But I’ll be able to reach you at the inn if need be?”

“Of course. We’ll work out of there until Alec’s name day, then reappear from our ‘travels.’ ”

“Keep me informed of your progress. I fear you may have stumbled onto something quite serious.”

Seregil nodded. “So do I, and I don’t much like our names on that list.”

CHAPTER 5. Whispers in the Dark

KLIA and her force took the Plenimarans by surprise just before sunrise in a carefully coordinated attack, striking at one corner of the encampment. Beka and her troop successfully overwhelmed the pickets before they could raise the alarm, then Lieutenant Kallas and the Urghazi riders went after the enemy’s horses. Klia rode through the gap with Danos, Anri, and their troops, thundering into the camp as the first startled soldiers emerged from their tents.

Even taken by surprise, the Plenimarans were quick to mass against them, and it was a hard-fought battle that surged back and forth between the wood and the river. But as Klia had hoped, the Plenimaran line did begin to thin as they were pushed back.

Within a few hours the broad meadow was littered with the dead and dying, Skalan side by side with Plenimaran.

Bloody to the elbows and half blinded by sweat, Beka and her riders were fighting beside Klia when she heard Danos shout, “Commander, look there!”

Beka couldn’t see Danos, but she did spy a Plenimaran standard wavering above the melee no more than a hundred feet away. Summoning her flagging strength, throat already raw with shouting, Beka yelled, “Riders, to the commander! Blood and Steel!”

Fighting like the demons the Plenimarans had named them, they hacked their way through what felt like a wall of