whispered, rocking backward and wrapping her arms about herself tightly. Her eyes ached as if tears were about to come, but they didn’t, beyond her vision blurring for a moment. She’d cried too much over the last day. Now there was just a ragged hole.
Gregir patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Let us ask the owner if he saw anyone come up, yes? We can—”
“She,” she mumbled. “Mrs. Vliades.” She didn’t move, but she didn’t resist as Gregir lifted her up to her feet and walked with her back to the stairs.
Roulette stared at the door to Mrs. Vliades’ room numbly, until Gregir knocked on it for her. Shortly the L’rovri woman came to the door, seeing Gregir first. “May I help—Alizabel? Goodness, dear, what’s wrong?”
She took a ragged breath. “Did…did anyone come here looking for me, Mrs. Vliades?”
The wolf woman’s ears lowered. “A young human man was here yesterday, right when I was clearing the table after dinner, asking about ‘a raccoon dancer.’ I didn’t know whether you were in or not, but since he didn’t seem to know you I didn’t give him your room number.”
“Did he talk to anyone else?” Gregir rumbled.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you. I was here in my room this afternoon, but I didn’t hear anything and no one else came to me.”
“You should get better door locks, yes? And you need a new one for room eleven now.”
Mrs. Vliades frowned, and shuffled out of her office, heading up the stairs.
Roulette stayed in the hallway, looking at the floor. “It was all my money, Gregir. All of it. Over fourteen hundred vars.” She laughed bitterly. “ Now I really need the Aid Society, don’t I?”
He squeezed her hand between both of his gently for a moment. “You are safe, and that is most important. It means you can work to get more.”
“I should have kept trying to get it into a bank,” she muttered miserably. “Lisha said they make it hard here just because I’m not human, but I should have kept trying.”
“You cannot fix the past, yes? And…ah…” He trailed off. “I am afraid you should not have invoked her name. It has summoned her.”
“What?—” The raccoon’s ears folded back even before she turned to see Lisha descending on her like a thunderbolt.
“I told you not to leave under any circumstances,” Lisha snarled. “And you come back to the only place they’d know to look for you?”
“Were you following me? Again?” Roulette said, incredulous.
“Not until I couldn’t find you, or him, and had a suspicion.” She jabbed a finger at the wolf. “And you should have known better!”
He crossed his arms and glowered. “I am helping a friend. If you had any you would understand.”
Lisha’s volume rose with her temper. “You realize they likely have this place staked out, don’t you? You’re just lucky there was no one waiting for you in there.”
Suddenly Roulette wasn’t afraid or miserable. She was furious. “Lucky?” She shoved Lisha against the hallway wall, perversely gratified by the shocked look it earned her. “I’m lucky someone dragged me out of that room without letting me get my strongbox. I’m lucky that whoever robbed me didn’t do it until last night, so it turned out there wasn’t a rush after all. I’m lucky that thanks to you, I only have ten vars to my name!”
Lisha’s eyes had grown steadily wider through this tirade, her ears creeping backward. “I was looking out for you!”
“I’ve been looking out for myself since I was nineteen! I know how to look out for myself!”
The vixen had recovered enough to start looking angry again herself, teeth slightly bared. “If that was true, you wouldn’t be here now.”
“Mother of devils, Lisha.” She gave the vixen another shove. “Massey was looking for me at the Society yesterday, not here.”
“What?” The vixen looked shocked again. “You didn’t tell me—”
“It wasn’t important to me. I’m not the one on the crusade!
Gregir patted her shoulder awkwardly. “Let us ask the owner if he saw anyone come up, yes? We can—”
“She,” she mumbled. “Mrs. Vliades.” She didn’t move, but she didn’t resist as Gregir lifted her up to her feet and walked with her back to the stairs.
Roulette stared at the door to Mrs. Vliades’ room numbly, until Gregir knocked on it for her. Shortly the L’rovri woman came to the door, seeing Gregir first. “May I help—Alizabel? Goodness, dear, what’s wrong?”
She took a ragged breath. “Did…did anyone come here looking for me, Mrs. Vliades?”
The wolf woman’s ears lowered. “A young human man was here yesterday, right when I was clearing the table after dinner, asking about ‘a raccoon dancer.’ I didn’t know whether you were in or not, but since he didn’t seem to know you I didn’t give him your room number.”
“Did he talk to anyone else?” Gregir rumbled.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you. I was here in my room this afternoon, but I didn’t hear anything and no one else came to me.”
“You should get better door locks, yes? And you need a new one for room eleven now.”
Mrs. Vliades frowned, and shuffled out of her office, heading up the stairs.
Roulette stayed in the hallway, looking at the floor. “It was all my money, Gregir. All of it. Over fourteen hundred vars.” She laughed bitterly. “ Now I really need the Aid Society, don’t I?”
He squeezed her hand between both of his gently for a moment. “You are safe, and that is most important. It means you can work to get more.”
“I should have kept trying to get it into a bank,” she muttered miserably. “Lisha said they make it hard here just because I’m not human, but I should have kept trying.”
“You cannot fix the past, yes? And…ah…” He trailed off. “I am afraid you should not have invoked her name. It has summoned her.”
“What?—” The raccoon’s ears folded back even before she turned to see Lisha descending on her like a thunderbolt.
“I told you not to leave under any circumstances,” Lisha snarled. “And you come back to the only place they’d know to look for you?”
“Were you following me? Again?” Roulette said, incredulous.
“Not until I couldn’t find you, or him, and had a suspicion.” She jabbed a finger at the wolf. “And you should have known better!”
He crossed his arms and glowered. “I am helping a friend. If you had any you would understand.”
Lisha’s volume rose with her temper. “You realize they likely have this place staked out, don’t you? You’re just lucky there was no one waiting for you in there.”
Suddenly Roulette wasn’t afraid or miserable. She was furious. “Lucky?” She shoved Lisha against the hallway wall, perversely gratified by the shocked look it earned her. “I’m lucky someone dragged me out of that room without letting me get my strongbox. I’m lucky that whoever robbed me didn’t do it until last night, so it turned out there wasn’t a rush after all. I’m lucky that thanks to you, I only have ten vars to my name!”
Lisha’s eyes had grown steadily wider through this tirade, her ears creeping backward. “I was looking out for you!”
“I’ve been looking out for myself since I was nineteen! I know how to look out for myself!”
The vixen had recovered enough to start looking angry again herself, teeth slightly bared. “If that was true, you wouldn’t be here now.”
“Mother of devils, Lisha.” She gave the vixen another shove. “Massey was looking for me at the Society yesterday, not here.”
“What?” The vixen looked shocked again. “You didn’t tell me—”
“It wasn’t important to me. I’m not the one on the crusade!
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