Masquerades - Kate Novak [92]
Alias is in good hands, the paladin signed. Lord Victor is an honest, valiant, and worthy young human.
"She's spent most of her life in the Lost Vale with your people."
And now she should spend time with her own people.
"You can't just throw her into this society alone."
You didn't have any of these objections when Giogi Wyvernspur married her sister Cat.
"That's because I knew Giogi well enough to trust him. He was a really nice boy."
I've looked into Lord Victor,the paladin signed, the closest the hand cant could come to expressing his shen sight. His intentions are good.
"Well, we all know what road good intentions pave."
Alias can take care of herself,the paladin signed hard and fast, and the halfling could detect the chickenlike scent of his impatience.
"Physically, yes," Olive agreed, "but emotionally? She's still just a child."
Her feelings have grown more quickly the last few years.
"Even worse," Olive retorted. "That would make her a teenager, impulsive and reckless." Why does this worry you so?
"I do think of her as my friend, you know. I don't want to see her get hurt making the same mistakes I did when I was young."
Lord Victor could be as nice as Giogi Wyvernspur.
Olive looked doubtful. "Even so, that leaves us with another problem. I don't know how it works among your people, but among the fur-bearing races of halflings and humans, love wreaks havoc on us. It's like pouring sand into the fine gearwork of the mind. When you should be thinking about your enemies' position and your defenses and where to strike, your mind is wandering off and
you're thinking about his eyes, or his smile, or what he said last."
The paladin thought of Alias's own comments about the lovers by the fountain on the day they arrived in Westgate. With eyes only for each other, they were sitting ducks, she'd said. Alias knows enough to guard against that, he signed.
"Hah," Olive declared. "Shows what you know. 'I'll never be that stupid' is what every woman thinks until it happens to her. Then, too, something could happen to Lord Victor. He could be hurt or kidnapped. Alias wasn't all that rational when she thought Finder was threatened. What would she be like if something happened to someone else she'd grown attached to?"
The halfling's warnings were cut short by the sound of horses' hooves on the cobblestones outside.
The halfling and saurial exchanged glances, then Olive padded over to the window. Standing in the shadow of the curtain, she looked down onto the street. After a moment, she waved Dragonbait to approach.
The saurial sighed and ambled forward, but the halfling grabbed his tunic and jerked him to the side. "Stand in the shadows," she hissed. Feeling a little foolish, and a little guilty, but also a little anxious, the paladin did as instructed before looking down on the street. He shifted nervously, made uncomfortable by the sight below.
Victor's carriage stood outside the hotel door. As Lord Victor helped Alias down, she slid into his arms, threw her own around his neck, and pressed her lips against his. The pair remained embracing, lips locked against each other for an embarrassingly long period to witness.
Dragonbait pulled Olive away from the window, back to the chessboard and made her sit down opposite him. They both stared at the chessboard without seeing the pieces, waiting for Alias's return.
*****
When Victor finally released her, Alias drew in a deep breath and giggled.
"You make me feel so good," Victor whispered. "Good as in virtuous?" Alias teased, gently nibbling at his ear.
"Lucky, happy, fortunate, fated, delighted," the young noble burbled. "I've never had anyone I could really talk to. Knowing you understand, that you're with me-" He faltered for words. "Are you sure you have to go?"
The swordswoman nodded. "It's late. We both have a lot to do tomorrow."
"It's already tomorrow," Victor murmured, sliding his hand up and down her back.
"Exactly," Alias retorted, and she slipped gracefully from his grasp and