Fire - Kristin Cashore [99]
He listened, quietly, growing more and more amazed; and when she finished he was silent for some time. He considered her mittens with something of a helpless expression. He said, ‘I was insufferable to you the night we met. I’ve never forgiven myself.’
It was the last thing Fire had expected him to say. She looked into his eyes, which were pale as the moon.
‘I’m so sorry for your sadness,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what to tell you. You must live where many people are having babies, and adopt them all. We must keep Archer around - he’s quite a useful chap, really, isn’t he?’
At that she smiled, almost laughed. ‘You’ve made me feel better. I thank you.’
He gave her her hands back then, carefully, as if he were afraid they might drop to the roof and shatter. He smiled at her softly.
‘You never used to look at me straight, but now you do,’ she said, because she remembered it, and was curious.
He shrugged. ‘You weren’t real to me then.’
She wrinkled her forehead. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Well, you used to overwhelm me. But now I’ve got used to you.’
She blinked, surprised into silence by her own foolish pleasure at his words; and then laughed at herself for being pleased with the suggestion that she was ordinary.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE NEXT MORNING Fire walked to Nash’s office with Musa, Mila, and Neel to meet the royal siblings and Archer.
The gala was only weeks away and the extent of Fire’s involvement in the assassination plan was a matter of ongoing debate. To Fire’s mind it was simple. She should be the assassin in all three cases because she was far more likely than anyone else to be able to lure each victim to a solitary and unguarded place, and she might also manage to learn a great deal from them before killing them.
But when she stated her case Garan argued that Fire was no sword fighter, and if any of the three proved to be strong-minded she would end up on someone’s blade. And Clara did not want the assassin to be a person with no killing experience. ‘You’ll hesitate,’ Clara said today. ‘When you see what it really means to stick a knife in someone’s chest, you won’t be able to do it.’
Fire knew herself to be more experienced than anyone in this room save Archer realised. ‘It’s true I won’t want to do it,’ she responded calmly, ‘but when I have to, I will do it.’
Archer was fuming darkly in a corner. Fire ignored him, for she knew the futility of appealing to him - especially these days, when his attitude toward her ranged from high dudgeon to shame, because her sympathies and her time were tied up with Mila, and he sensed it, and resented it, and knew it was his own fault.
‘We can’t send a novice to kill three of our most fearsome enemies,’ Clara said again.
For the first time since the topic had been broached, Brigan was present in person to convey his opinion. He leaned a shoulder against the wall, arms crossed. ‘But it’s obvious she must be involved,’ he said. ‘I don’t think Gentian’ll give her much resistance, and Gunner’s clever, but ultimately he’s led by his father. Murgda may prove difficult, but we’re desperate to learn what she knows - where Mydogg’s hiding his army, in particular - and Lady Fire is the person most qualified for that job. And,’ he said, raising his eyebrows to stop Clara’s objections, ‘the lady knows what she’s capable of. If she says she’ll go through with it, she will.’
Archer wheeled on Brigan then, snarling, for his mood had found what it was looking for: an outlet that was not Fire. ‘Shut up, Archer,’ Clara said blandly, cutting him off before he even began.
‘It’s too dangerous,’ Nash said from his desk, where he sat gazing worriedly at Fire. ‘You’re the swordsman, Brigan. You should do it.’
Brigan nodded. ‘All right, well, what if the lady and I did it together? She to get them to a private place and question them, and I to kill them, and protect her.’
‘Except that I’ll find it much harder to trick them into trusting me if you’re there,’ Fire said.
‘What if I hid?’
Archer had been approaching Brigan slowly from across the room, and