She popped another morsel in her mouth with more apparent interest in the food than the words.
Gwyn scowled, unconsciously mirroring the expression on Jes’ face as her mother asked, “What’s become so serious that the Council tries to take advantage of their past ties to you?”
Sparrow lifted a shoulder, busily sopping up some of the platter’s gravy with a piece of bread. “Brit’s got the same questions, yet you know how often those elderly Mistresses and Masters are right about trouble coming—”
“I know!” Jes snapped, cutting short the flippancy. “But what did they say to get Brit to agree this round?”
Sparrow met Jes’ gaze steadily, all jesting gone from her manner now. “They said that you two needed help. They didn’t need to say anything else. You know that.”
“Forgive me,” Jes sighed, her frustration fading to sheer weariness. “You’re right. Brit would walk the Firecaps naked if it meant aiding a Sister, even one she didn’t know.”
“We all would,” Sparrow amended quietly.
“We should have expected the Council to take notice eventually,” Gwyn murmured, eyes downcast as Jes looked at her sharply. Her mother stared hard a second, then saw the reason in what Gwyn was saying. Gwyn’s copper glance lifted finally and a crooked smile teased a semblance of better humor from Jes. “It’s only fair play, N’Sormee. Our Ring’s Sighted members keep abreast of the Council’s doings, why shouldn’t we assume the Council’s Seers are following us as well?”
“I’d just hoped they’d be a little slower in interfering this time.” But Jes was smiling again.
“Well, they are interfering,” Sparrow piped up as she stole another bite of lexion. “Not very forcefully, though. As usual. All you have to say is ‘no thank you’ and Brit and I will leave you be. The Council knows that as well as either of you, so I shouldn’t think they’re very concerned about….” She broke off and grinned at the irony of the fact that she didn’t even know what the trouble was. “About whatever it is.”
“Ahh…,” Jes interjected quietly, “perhaps this should all wait until we’re somewhere a little more private?”
“It should wait until Brit arrives,” Sparrow declared matter-of-factly, inspecting the berries in the fruit bowl. Her sandy eyes suddenly jumped to Gwyn, and a mischievous glint sparkled as she recognized the younger woman’s obvious surprise. “I admit it. I have absolutely no curiosity whatsoever. Never have, probably never will. I leave that to Brit. As long as she lets me tag along for the exciting parts, I’m perfectly content to let her choose our battles. But that’s a prerequisite of my trade — patience.”
Gwyn was only more confused, and Jes scowled at the slight woman with, “Spare her the riddles, Sparrowhawk. You know no one’s told her.”
“I’m sorry.” Sparrow planted an elbow on the table, shaking down the long sleeve of her blouse to display the blond leather wristband she wore. Her voice dropped low as she explained, “I’m more to Brit than the love-of-her life, Gwyn. I’m her Shadow.”
“Bonded by lifestone?” Gwyn nearly gasped, still amazed that any of dey Sorormin ever submitted to such a merging.
The other nodded unconcerned, pulling her sleeve back over the band again. “I was only adopted into dey Sorormin after our march across the ice plains.”
“The Exile’s Trek?” Stunned again, Gwyn’s breath caught. “The Council sent you to help Brit with that desperate venture? After the Changlings had poisoned Maltar’s eastern water range, wasn’t it?”
“You’ve heard of it then.”
“Who hasn’t,” Jes muttered darkly.
Gwyn found herself staring at this small, wiry woman with an added measure of respect. “They say, there were a hundred lost to frostbite and exhaustion, while you saw nearly six times that many to safety.”
Pain shadowed those honey-brown eyes as Sparrow remembered not the
Gwyn scowled, unconsciously mirroring the expression on Jes’ face as her mother asked, “What’s become so serious that the Council tries to take advantage of their past ties to you?”
Sparrow lifted a shoulder, busily sopping up some of the platter’s gravy with a piece of bread. “Brit’s got the same questions, yet you know how often those elderly Mistresses and Masters are right about trouble coming—”
“I know!” Jes snapped, cutting short the flippancy. “But what did they say to get Brit to agree this round?”
Sparrow met Jes’ gaze steadily, all jesting gone from her manner now. “They said that you two needed help. They didn’t need to say anything else. You know that.”
“Forgive me,” Jes sighed, her frustration fading to sheer weariness. “You’re right. Brit would walk the Firecaps naked if it meant aiding a Sister, even one she didn’t know.”
“We all would,” Sparrow amended quietly.
“We should have expected the Council to take notice eventually,” Gwyn murmured, eyes downcast as Jes looked at her sharply. Her mother stared hard a second, then saw the reason in what Gwyn was saying. Gwyn’s copper glance lifted finally and a crooked smile teased a semblance of better humor from Jes. “It’s only fair play, N’Sormee. Our Ring’s Sighted members keep abreast of the Council’s doings, why shouldn’t we assume the Council’s Seers are following us as well?”
“I’d just hoped they’d be a little slower in interfering this time.” But Jes was smiling again.
“Well, they are interfering,” Sparrow piped up as she stole another bite of lexion. “Not very forcefully, though. As usual. All you have to say is ‘no thank you’ and Brit and I will leave you be. The Council knows that as well as either of you, so I shouldn’t think they’re very concerned about….” She broke off and grinned at the irony of the fact that she didn’t even know what the trouble was. “About whatever it is.”
“Ahh…,” Jes interjected quietly, “perhaps this should all wait until we’re somewhere a little more private?”
“It should wait until Brit arrives,” Sparrow declared matter-of-factly, inspecting the berries in the fruit bowl. Her sandy eyes suddenly jumped to Gwyn, and a mischievous glint sparkled as she recognized the younger woman’s obvious surprise. “I admit it. I have absolutely no curiosity whatsoever. Never have, probably never will. I leave that to Brit. As long as she lets me tag along for the exciting parts, I’m perfectly content to let her choose our battles. But that’s a prerequisite of my trade — patience.”
Gwyn was only more confused, and Jes scowled at the slight woman with, “Spare her the riddles, Sparrowhawk. You know no one’s told her.”
“I’m sorry.” Sparrow planted an elbow on the table, shaking down the long sleeve of her blouse to display the blond leather wristband she wore. Her voice dropped low as she explained, “I’m more to Brit than the love-of-her life, Gwyn. I’m her Shadow.”
“Bonded by lifestone?” Gwyn nearly gasped, still amazed that any of dey Sorormin ever submitted to such a merging.
The other nodded unconcerned, pulling her sleeve back over the band again. “I was only adopted into dey Sorormin after our march across the ice plains.”
“The Exile’s Trek?” Stunned again, Gwyn’s breath caught. “The Council sent you to help Brit with that desperate venture? After the Changlings had poisoned Maltar’s eastern water range, wasn’t it?”
“You’ve heard of it then.”
“Who hasn’t,” Jes muttered darkly.
Gwyn found herself staring at this small, wiry woman with an added measure of respect. “They say, there were a hundred lost to frostbite and exhaustion, while you saw nearly six times that many to safety.”
Pain shadowed those honey-brown eyes as Sparrow remembered not the
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