Stalking Darkness

retorted gruffly.
    Seregil and Alec clattered into the court a few moments later, with Illia perched proudly on Alec’s saddlebow. They were both looking a little pale, Micum noted, but they seemed in good spirits otherwise.
    “So I might have to marry Alec when I’m grown,” Illia was prattling across to Seregil. “I hope that won’t hurt your feelings too much.”
    Seregil slapped a hand over his heart like a troubadour in a mural. “Ah, fair maiden, I shall slay a thousand evil dragons for you, and lay their steaming black livers at your dainty feet, if only you will restore me to your favor.”
    “Livers!” Illia buried her face against Alec’s shoulder with an outraged giggle. “You wouldn’t bring me livers, would you, Alec?”
    “Of course not,” Alec scoffed. “What a disgusting present. I’d bring you the eyeballs for a necklace, and all their scaly pointed tongues to tie your braids with.”
    Shrieking with delight, Illia slid off into her father’s arms.
    “Hey, little bird, what are you doing running off by yourself?” he asked sternly.
    “It’s just Uncle Seregil and Alec. And I wasn’t alone,” she added coyly, shawl askew as she spread her arms grandly over the pack of great shaggy hounds jostled around them, like a general over her troops. “Dash and all the others came with me.”
    “You know the rules, young miss,” Micum remonstrated. “Run in now and tell your mother who’s here.”
    “What brings you two up?” he asked, turning back to the others with a twinge of relief; they were dressed for visiting rather than traveling.
    Seregil waded through the dogs to hand him a stitched packet of letters. “Beka asked us to bring this out to you. Her regiment left at dawn.”
    “What, today? We should have been there to see her off!”
    “There wasn’t time,” Alec explained quickly, coming up beside Seregil. “The orders came yesterday. We gave her and herriders a proper send-off last night, though.” He rubbed his head with a rueful grin. “I think I’m still a little drunk.”
    Seregil ruffled Alec’s hair with playful impunity. “Runcer will be a couple of days clearing up the wreckage. Between that, and the complaints from the neighbors, we figured it might be a good time for Lord Seregil and Sir Alec to lay low for a few days. We thought we’d put up here, if that’s agreeable.”
    “Yes, of course,” Micum replied distractedly, fingering the packet of letters. “Where were they headed?”
    “The western border of Mycena,” Seregil told him. “Word is Idrilain wanted them in place before the Klesin thaws muck up the roads next month. The Queen’s Horse was the first to go, but the city was swarming with soldiers by the time we rode out. Idrilain isn’t taking any chances.”
    Micum shook his head, wondering how Kari was going to take this news. “Ranil, see to their horses. If you two will excuse me a minute, I want a look at these.”
    Seregil laid a hand on his arm as he turned to go. Casting a quick glance toward the door, he said in a low voice, “There’s something else. Rhal tracked us down in Rhíminee about a month ago.”
    Micum tensed. “That river trader?”
    Seregil nodded. “Some foreign-sounding swordsmen showed up looking for the three of us after Alec and I had gotten off. Rhal covered our tracks, and soon after the
Darter
went down under questionable circumstances. We’ve been careful since, and there’s been no sign of trouble so far, but with spring coming on—you never know. That’s another reason we want to move back to the inn.”
    “What’s Nysander say to all this?”
    Seregil shrugged. “He’s keeping a wizard eye out for trouble. So far he hasn’t spotted anything.”
    “They must have lost us in Mycena,” Alec put in, sounding as if he and Seregil had had this discussion before. “Otherwise, we’d have been approached or attacked.”
    “So you’d think,” Micum allowed. “Still, you’re smart to be careful. Go see to your gear. I’ll break the news to Kari.”
    “We won’t hurry, then, eh?” Seregil said, giving him an understanding look.
    •  •  •
    Kari took the news of Beka’s departure more calmly than Micum had feared. Reading over Beka’s letter, and those from Elsbet, she merely nodded and then folded them carefully back into the wrapper.
    Old Arna and the other household servants joined them by the central fire in the hall as Seregil described Beka’s departure in glowing