Elantris - Brandon Sanderson [191]
“Sarene?” Roial asked with surprise as Sarene walked back toward the house. Then, more urgently, he called again. “Sarene! You can’t go.”
“I apologize, Your Grace, but this is important!”
He tried to follow her, but her legs were longer. In addition, the duke had a party to attend. He couldn’t just disappear in the middle of it.
Sarene rounded the side of Roial’s house in time to see the king climbing into his carriage. She cursed—why hadn’t she thought to arrange transportation of her own? She looked around frantically, searching for a vehicle to requisition. She picked a likely candidate as the king’s carriage pulled away, hooves clopping against the cobblestones.
“My lady!” Ashe warned. “The king is not in that carriage.”
Sarene froze. “What?”
“He slipped out the other side and disappeared into the shadows on the far side of the driveway. The carriage is a ruse.”
Sarene didn’t bother to question the Seon—his senses were much more acute than those of a human. “Let’s go,” she said, heading in the proper direction. “I’m not dressed for sneaking; you’ll have to keep watch on him and tell me where he goes.”
“Yes, my lady,” Ashe said, dimming his light to a nearly imperceptible level and flying after the king. Sarene followed at a slower pace.
They continued in that manner, Ashe staying close to the king and Sarene following at a less conspicuous distance. They covered the ground surrounding Roial’s mansion quickly, then moved into the city of Kae. Iadon moved strictly through alleys, and Sarene realized for the first time that she might be putting herself in danger. Women didn’t travel alone after dark—even in Kae, which was one of the safest cities in Opelon. She considered turning back a half-dozen times, once nearly dashing away in a panic as a drunk man moved in the darkness next to her. However, she kept going. She was only going to get one chance to find out what Iadon was up to, and her curiosity was stronger than her fear … for the moment at least.
Ashe, sensing the danger, advised that she let him follow the king alone, but she pressed on with determination. The Seon, accustomed to Sarene’s ways, gave no further argument. He flitted back and forth between her and the king, doing his best to keep watch over Sarene while at the same time following Iadon.
Eventually, the Seon slowed, returning to Sarene with an apprehensive bob. “He just entered the sewers, my lady.”
“The sewers?” Sarene asked incredulously.
“Yes, my lady. And he is not alone—he met two cloaked men just after he left the party, and was joined by a half-dozen more at the mouth of the sewers.”
“And you didn’t follow them in?” she asked with disappointment. “We’ll never be able to tail them.”
“That is unfortunate, my lady.”
Sarene ground her teeth in frustration. “They’ll leave tracks in the muck,” she decided, stalking forward. “You should be able to follow them.”
Ashe hesitated. “My lady, I must insist that you return to the duke’s party.”
“Not a chance, Ashe.”
“I have the solemn duty of your protection, my lady,” Ashe said. “I can’t allow you to go climbing through refuse in the middle of the night—I was wrong to let you go this far. It is my responsibility to stop this before it goes any further.”
“And how will you do that?” Sarene asked impatiently.
“I could call your father.”
“Father lives in Teod, Ashe,” Sarene pointed out. “What is he going to do?”
“I could go get Lord Eondel or one of the others.”
“And leave me to get lost in the sewers on my own?”
“You would never do something that foolish, my lady,” Ashe declared. Then he paused, hovering uncertainly in the air, his Aon so dim it was translucent. “All right,” he finally admitted. “You are indeed that foolish.”
Sarene smiled. “Come on—the fresher those tracks are, the easier it will be for you to follow them.”
The Seon sullenly led the way down the street, which soon ended in a dirty, fungus-lined arch. Sarene strode forward with determination, paying no heed to the damage the sludge would do to her dress.