Shield's Lady

the only oddity there. It’s of no use to me. It looks like the mysteries of the weapon kits are just another idiotic legend.”
    Gryph kept his mouth shut. If the man didn’t realize that the real value of the kit was in the prisma lock, far be it from Gryph to remind him.
    “What next?” Sariana asked uneasily. She glanced from Rakken’s face to Gryph’s as she quietly scooped up the contents of the kit and dumped them back inside. Then she closed the pouch and released the lock.
    “If I’m going to do anything about Targyn,” Gryph pointed out, “someone will have to let me out of this twist. What about it, Rakken? Have we got a deal?”
    Rakken glowered at him. “Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll decide in the morning. I want to talk to Sariana in private before I do anything drastic.”
    “I’ll need the kit,” Gryph said persuasively. With the kit in hand his limited set of options would broaden considerably.
    But there was no chance to talk Rakken into putting the weapon kit within reach.
    The three of them went still as a faint shushing sound announced the opening of the metal door. Targyn stood in the hall, a blade bow held casually in one hand.
    “Something tells me dinner is over,” Targyn said. He glanced at the weapon kit on the table. Then he looked at Rakken. “You’re a fool, banker. The first thing Chassyn would do if he got hold of the kit is kill you. The fact that you’re still around tells me he didn’t get a chance to get his hands on it. Even in a twist he could do the job if he had access to some of the tools in that pouch. All things considered, that might not be such a bad idea. I’m not sure how useful you are anymore.”
    Rakken regarded Targyn with acute disdain. “I thought I would test the legend which states that a Shieldmate can open her husband’s kit. Sariana was about to show me the truth of that tale.”
    Targyn grinned humorlessly. “Fool is not the word for you, banker. Stupid is a more appropriate term.” He walked over to the low table and picked up the weapon kit. I’ll get rid of this so the banker won’t be tempted to explore any of its secrets. Or tempted to give it back to you, Chassyn.” He jerked the blade bow at Gryph. “Get up. I’m taking you back to your chamber.”
    Gryph started to rise, moving even more slowly and awkwardly than the twist required. He made a show of trying to extricate himself from the low bench and table arrangement and deliberately fell into a painful sprawl in the process.
    “Keenshee guano,” Targyn muttered, not moving. “Get up, you clumsy bastard. Sariana,” he added sharply as Sariana jumped to her feet and came to Gryph’s assistance, “get away from him.”
    “How do you expect him to get to his feet wearing this awful contraption?” she retorted as she crouched beside Gryph and took his arm.
    “I said get away from him,” Targyn gritted. “If you don’t I’ll put a blade in him right now and be done with it.” Sariana nodded and stepped back quickly.
    But not before Gryph felt the tiny palm knife slide into his hand. He kept it concealed in his own palm with a practiced movement as he turned slowly and moved toward the door. He didn’t look back but he could feel Sariana’s eyes on him as the door closed.
    A stray, fleeting vision floated through his mind. It was a picture of an infant. He had seen that particular image before, on the night Sariana had seduced him beside the river.
    This time he had the strangest impression that, although the infant was definitely his, it wasn’t a boy. It was a little girl who looked up at him with blue-green eyes.

Chapter
    18

    WHAT kind of deal did Rakken offer you to kill me?” Targyn asked in amusement as he thrust Gryph back into the small chamber.
    Gryph tried to regain his balance but staggered again as the twist straps jerked in response to the quick movement. He wound up slamming against the cold metal wall. “About what you’d expect. My life and a cut of the prisma. Not bad, considering the alternative.”
    Targyn’s eyes glittered as he lounged in the doorway. He touched Gryph’s weapon kit. “Not a bad deal, true. Unfortunately, we both know you won’t be able to keep your side of it. I’d like to keep you alive for a while, Chassyn. My goal now is to get one of the weapons out of the ship. I want to test the old theories. But when that’s finished I’ll want to practice on you.”
    “The minute you start playing with prisma the whole