Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [121]
Lewan glanced at their escorts. If the creatures had understood her words, they gave no sign of it.
"No," he said. "This was mostly my master, Sauk, and the trees."
"The… trees?"
"And the vines. It all happened so fast."
"I don't want to be here, Lewan. Let's go. Like you said. Just run away."
The creatures were not close-the nearest of them a few paces away-but still, he and Ulaan were hemmed in. Lewan and Ulaan had not been bound, nor once prodded on the way. But there was no mistaking the creatures' intention. "I don't think that's possible anymore," he said.
"I'm scared."
"Me too."
Shuffling his feet, Lewan felt something under his boot and looked down. They were standing in the midst of the arrows the archer had dropped during the fight. Lewan counted at least five of them within easy reach. He spared a cautious glance at the creatures, then knelt and put his hand over one. Two of the creatures looked at him, then looked away, seemingly unconcerned. Encouraged, Lewan picked up the arrow, then gathered the other four. With the hammer tucked into his belt, he was able to carry the arrows and his master's bow in one hand. Ulaan reached for his other hand, but he pulled away.
"Lewan," she said. "About… what happened…"
Lewan waited, but she could not seem to find the words.
"I… suspected already," he said.
"What?"
"Earlier today, Talieth said something to me. About you. When I bargained for your freedom, she told me, 'Ulaan is still no dryad.' But I never mentioned the dryads to her, nor the Jalesh Rudra. But she knew about them. Which means that either she was watching us-or you told her." He looked down on her, hoping to seem angry and resentful, but he knew his face reflected only his true feeling-hurt. "I'd hoped she was watching-sick as that might seem."
Ulaan looked away. "I… I am sorry, Lewan. Truly."
"I thought…" He looked away, unable to finish.
"What?"
"I thought you had feelings for me," he said, "like… like I had for you. That hurt at first. Hurt me to think of all the other men who'd had you." He looked at her again, and this time he knew the anger was coming through in his gaze, for she flinched back. "This… this hurts worse."
She held his gaze. "You… were not wrong," she said, "about all of it. Not everything I told you was a lie, Lewan. My mother was a slave, and my father could have been anyone. Lady Talieth bought me and trained me. As an assassin. And part of being an assassin is learning the skills to… to get close to someone."
"Like me."
"Yes," she said.
He let the silence hang while he gathered his own thoughts. The creatures around them seemed heedless of the conversation. At last he said, "Back in my rooms as we were preparing to leave, you almost told me then, didn't you? All this?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
She thought a moment, then said, "You weren't wrong. I have been with other men. But none of them looked at me the way you do. They saw me as warm flesh to use. You see a person." She opened her mouth to say more, but then looked away.
"You really were going to go with me?" said Lewan. "Away from here?"
She looked at him then, and looking into her eyes, Lewan saw-perhaps for the first time-the real Ulaan. Nor the meek servant nor even the deadly assassin. He saw strength, courage, and a determination bordering on ferocity-but also a need that looked to him. "Yes," she said. "I will go with you."
The creatures around them went suddenly very still, then a few of them cocked their heads, as if listening. A murmur passed through their ranks, then they were moving forward again, Ulaan and Lewan in their midst.
Ulaan reached out and grabbed Lewan's hand. He did not pull away this time. He could see the fear in her eyes, but still she smiled at him and said, "This was not quite what I had in mind."
A shudder passed through Lewan as they walked through the gate and entered the courtyard. "What's wrong?" said Ulaan. "It's just-"
"Ulaan!" came a cry from above them.
They stopped and looked up. Under the lights and shadows, Lewan could not see clearly more than a few feet into