heart had healed, but there would always be a piece missing.
“You just tell him to come visit me,” Neris repeated. “Or I’ll think of something dreadful to do to
you
.”
“You really like him, don’t you?”
Neris shrugged. “Dirk’s all right. He’s not as smart as me, though. He still hasn’t figured out what I know, so there’s no point you harassing him about it.”
She frowned. “What makes you think—”
“Because you set him onto me,” Neris cut in.
Tia opened her mouth to object, but Neris gave her no chance to defend herself. “I’m mad, Tia, not stupid. I know why you brought him here. He’s clever, I’ll grant you that. But I won’t tell him. I won’t tell you. I won’t tell anyone what I know.”
Tia shrugged helplessly. She knew better than to argue about it. Her father’s intransigence on the matter was legendary.
“I’ll tell him to come visit you,” she promised. “Will you be all right?”
Neris nodded. “You go down and visit your boyfriend. I’ll be fine.”
Tia looked at him curiously. “Reithan’s not my boyfriend.”
Neris smiled knowingly. “I wasn’t talking about Reithan.”
By the time Tia had rowed back across the bay to the village, the
Wanderer
was anchored off the beach and there was no sign of Reithan or Dirk. Tia pulled the dinghy up onto the black sand and headed up toward Johan’s stilted house overlooking the delta, certain that was where she would find them. Everyone in Mil still called it Johan’s house, even after all this time.
Reithan and Dirk had been to Kalarada to deliver another chest full of poppy-dust to the Brotherhood. Tia was not pleased with the thought of Dirk going to Kalarada. Suppose he ran into Alenor while he was there? Of course, as Reithan had pointed out, the chance of bumping into the Crown Princess of Dhevyn while transacting an illicit poppy-dust deal with the Brotherhood in some seedy tavern by the wharves was highly unlikely. But it still made Tia nervous. Dirk was not unknown to the Queen’s Guard. Some of them—the two who had watched him murder Johan Thorn in particular—would probably never forget his face.
She found them on the veranda with Lexie. Reithan was sitting next to his mother; Dirk was perched on the railing. She almost gasped when she saw him, struck, once again, by his resemblance to Johan. It was easy to forget about it when she saw him every day, but at times like these, when she had not seen him for several weeks, his dark hair and metal-gray eyes always took her by surprise.
“Tia!” Lexie exclaimed with a smile, looking up at the sound of her footsteps on the wooden decking. “I thought you were up with Neris.”
“I saw the
Wanderer
heading in. Good trip?” She directed her question at Reithan, quite deliberately ignoring Dirk.
“Well, we survived it,” Reithan said with a smile. “Does that qualify as good?”
“Good” would have been if only
one
of you had survived it,
Tia was tempted to reply, but Lexie got upset when she needled Dirk, so she smiled pleasantly. “I suppose it does. Hello, Dirk.”
“Tia.”
He said nothing else, did nothing to provoke her, yet still she felt her ire rising. It did not seem fair that he was so much a part of the family these days. Reithan treated him like a brother; Lexie treated him like a son. Mellie adored him with almost the same ridiculous enthusiasm that Eryk did. Neris treated him like a best friend. Dal Falstov had taken him out on the
Orlando
twice now. Everyone in the whole damn village liked him. Even Porl Isingrin, the captain of the
Makuan,
and the one person Tia was certain would see through Dirk’s facade, was warming to him.
Why is it only me who can see Dirk Provin for what he
really is?
“Do you have any news?” she asked, taking the seat on the other side of Lexie, where she could keep her eye on Dirk.
“Quite a bit actually,” Reithan said. “Alenor D’Orlon and Kirshov Latanya are getting married on her
“You just tell him to come visit me,” Neris repeated. “Or I’ll think of something dreadful to do to
you
.”
“You really like him, don’t you?”
Neris shrugged. “Dirk’s all right. He’s not as smart as me, though. He still hasn’t figured out what I know, so there’s no point you harassing him about it.”
She frowned. “What makes you think—”
“Because you set him onto me,” Neris cut in.
Tia opened her mouth to object, but Neris gave her no chance to defend herself. “I’m mad, Tia, not stupid. I know why you brought him here. He’s clever, I’ll grant you that. But I won’t tell him. I won’t tell you. I won’t tell anyone what I know.”
Tia shrugged helplessly. She knew better than to argue about it. Her father’s intransigence on the matter was legendary.
“I’ll tell him to come visit you,” she promised. “Will you be all right?”
Neris nodded. “You go down and visit your boyfriend. I’ll be fine.”
Tia looked at him curiously. “Reithan’s not my boyfriend.”
Neris smiled knowingly. “I wasn’t talking about Reithan.”
By the time Tia had rowed back across the bay to the village, the
Wanderer
was anchored off the beach and there was no sign of Reithan or Dirk. Tia pulled the dinghy up onto the black sand and headed up toward Johan’s stilted house overlooking the delta, certain that was where she would find them. Everyone in Mil still called it Johan’s house, even after all this time.
Reithan and Dirk had been to Kalarada to deliver another chest full of poppy-dust to the Brotherhood. Tia was not pleased with the thought of Dirk going to Kalarada. Suppose he ran into Alenor while he was there? Of course, as Reithan had pointed out, the chance of bumping into the Crown Princess of Dhevyn while transacting an illicit poppy-dust deal with the Brotherhood in some seedy tavern by the wharves was highly unlikely. But it still made Tia nervous. Dirk was not unknown to the Queen’s Guard. Some of them—the two who had watched him murder Johan Thorn in particular—would probably never forget his face.
She found them on the veranda with Lexie. Reithan was sitting next to his mother; Dirk was perched on the railing. She almost gasped when she saw him, struck, once again, by his resemblance to Johan. It was easy to forget about it when she saw him every day, but at times like these, when she had not seen him for several weeks, his dark hair and metal-gray eyes always took her by surprise.
“Tia!” Lexie exclaimed with a smile, looking up at the sound of her footsteps on the wooden decking. “I thought you were up with Neris.”
“I saw the
Wanderer
heading in. Good trip?” She directed her question at Reithan, quite deliberately ignoring Dirk.
“Well, we survived it,” Reithan said with a smile. “Does that qualify as good?”
“Good” would have been if only
one
of you had survived it,
Tia was tempted to reply, but Lexie got upset when she needled Dirk, so she smiled pleasantly. “I suppose it does. Hello, Dirk.”
“Tia.”
He said nothing else, did nothing to provoke her, yet still she felt her ire rising. It did not seem fair that he was so much a part of the family these days. Reithan treated him like a brother; Lexie treated him like a son. Mellie adored him with almost the same ridiculous enthusiasm that Eryk did. Neris treated him like a best friend. Dal Falstov had taken him out on the
Orlando
twice now. Everyone in the whole damn village liked him. Even Porl Isingrin, the captain of the
Makuan,
and the one person Tia was certain would see through Dirk’s facade, was warming to him.
Why is it only me who can see Dirk Provin for what he
really is?
“Do you have any news?” she asked, taking the seat on the other side of Lexie, where she could keep her eye on Dirk.
“Quite a bit actually,” Reithan said. “Alenor D’Orlon and Kirshov Latanya are getting married on her
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