Ten Arrows

Chapter 16

My subsequent exit from the palace was delightfully awkward.

I lost track of the number of confused looks I received from various palace staff as I walked by them, silently led by my escort down the various hallways leading to the main stairs. Guards on patrol would stop momentarily and stare, looking puzzled once they realized who I was. Then they would glance at my wrists, notice that I wasn't cuffed, and then would somehow manage to look even more puzzled than before.

Doubtless they were wondering what the heck I was even doing inside the palace at that hour in the first place. I did my level best to look serene and calm, throwing an occasional smug look to wide-eyed guards as I walked by. For some reason, doing that seemed to help with some of the aches and pains I was feeling.

As I walked I also pondered, something I'd begun doing the instant I left Tenarreau's room. There were many, many new things about this whole situation that I'd have to take into account, not the least of which were the various revelations the prince had imparted during our last conversation.

I mean, the Dynast. The freaking Dynast - the mythical King of Thieves from stories of yore - was real. What's more, I'd just spoken with a man who routinely met with the Dynast every two years . . . if Tenarreau wasn't actually Dynast himself, that is.

It had occurred to me several times in the past fifteen minutes or so to wonder how much I actually trusted Tenarreau, or if I should actually believe anything he'd told me. Surprisingly, each time I asked myself this, I'd recall some expression he'd made, or the tone of his voice when he'd said something unexpected, and I'd immediately dismiss any suspicions I had. My gut simply refused to believe he'd been anything but sincere and forthright that whole entire time.

And if he waspulling some sort of fast one, well . . . if he was capable of lying that convincingly, I doubted I had much of a chance to foil whatever he might have planned anyway.

The 'flori'-whatever crystals had been a rather unexpected development, however. Once I was back at my keep, I would have to do some experimenting with the one I'd palmed . . . figure out if there was some way to manipulate them without seeming to. I already knew that it couldn't pick up conscious omissions, since I was able to successfully leave out any mention of Connor's role in my escaping from the palace jails.

Stealing something like that right under Tenarreau's nose had been hugely risky, and I wasn't even exactly sure what I was going to do with it yet. However, considering it was truth that I was after, something that could actually detect lies would likely come in very handy at some point.

Eventually, my tight-lipped escort and I made our way through the more public areas of the palace and to the doors that opened to the main stairs. I was about to thank my escort for his trouble and leave, when a voice I didn't recognize interrupted me mid-attempt.

"Lord Tucat," said one of the ever-present guards standing by the front entrance, bowing slightly at the waist as he did. "I've been instructed to ask if you would please remain here a few moments, ere you depart."

I stopped mid-stride, and my thoughts immediately went to the small crystal in my pocket. My guts lurched unpleasantly.

Crap . . .

Okay, this wasn't the time to panic. What I needed to do was act exactly as I normally would.

I gave the guard a curious look, glanced at my silent escort, looked back to the guard and shrugged. Then I found myself a nice patch of stone wall to lean up against as I waited, like there was nothing particularly special or terrifyingly anxious about being stopped just as I was leaving the palace. My escort made no move to leave, which probably meant that he had been specifically ordered to actually walk me out of the palace, not just see me to the door. Though many considered the palace staff haughty, stuffy, and humorless, their absolute attention to detail was never questioned.