Heirs of Prophecy - Lisa Smedman [10]
Before she could begin her prayer, something hurtled down from the rooftop. Larajin spun to meet it, then heard a familiar sound.
Brrow?
The tressym landed in the alley and stared at Larajin with eyes that were twin pools of reflective gold, her head cocked slightly to the side. She folded her wings and padded toward Larajin, then.butted her head into Larajin's leg through the stiff fabric of the gown, purring loudly. The tressym sat down and looked up, as if expecting to be scratched under the chin.
Her heart still pounding, Larajin let out a heavy sigh. Instead of patting the tressym, she flicked both hands at her.
"Shoo! You already got me into enough trouble tonight. Go away!"
The tressym's ears swiveled back, but she refused to budge.
Larajin didn't appreciate the tressym following her. She could ruin any disguise Larajin might adopt with one affectionate rub against her leg. Larajin might as well wave a banner with her name on it over her head. If the tressym hadn't been sacred to Hanali Celanil, Larajin might have tried to cast some sort of spell upon the creature.
A door opened behind her, spilling light into the alley. The scent of baking bread wafted out, making her mouth
water. From inside came the clatter of pans and the squeaking of a water pump.
"Larajin-is that you?" an older woman called. "By the gods, it is-and in a noble's gown! What brings you to my shop in the middle of the night? Is something wrong? Are you in danger?"
Embarrassed at having her disguise seen through so easily, Larajin turned to face Habrith. The baker was in her late sixties, older than Larajin's adoptive mother, but unlike Shonri Wellrun, she was hale and hearty for her age. Her face was wrinkled, but her dark brown hair, bound in a simple braid down her back, had yet to see a single strand of gray. A large apron covered her clothes. Against it, on a thong around her neck, hung a silver pendant in the shape of a crescent moon.
"You know me too well, Habrith," Larajin answered, "and you're right, I am in trouble. The wizard I told you about-the one who attacked me in the Hulorn's Hunting Garden a year and a half ago-has discovered who I am and where I live. He's threatened to… to 'silence' me." She swallowed nervously and glanced up and down the alley, then shifted the strap of her bag slightly. It was biting into her shoulder. "The Hulorn's men are looking for me even now. I need to leave Selgaunt as quickly and as quietly as possible."
Thankfully, Habrith didn't argue, though her forehead crinkled with concern.,
"I knew this time would come," she said quietly. "Where do you intend to go?"
"North, to the Tangled Trees."
That got a nod of approval.
"I don't know how to get there or how to introduce myself to the elves," Larajin continued. "I thought you could help."
Habrith glanced at the tressym, which was rubbing back and forth against Larajin's legs, rustling the fabric of her dress.
"Isn't that the creature you rescued from the Hunting
Garden? Are you taking her with you?" "Not if I can help it."
That brought a wry smile to Habrith's hps. "I see. I think the tressym might have other ideas."
Larajin dropped her voice, even though the tressym was just an animal and couldn't possibly understand her words. "Perhaps you might offer her a bowl of cream in a room without windows and a lock on the door…
As Habrith started to chuckle, the rubbing against Larajin's ankles suddenly stopped. Larajin looked down-just in time to see the tressym stalking away down the alley. An instant later she spread her wings and launched herself into the night. Larajin watched her disappear behind the rooftops.
Habrith shrugged, then gestured with a flour-dusted hand. "Come