Aleron popped his head in the door. Apparently he was back in his high spirits. "Ready to go?"

She nodded with a grimace. She labored to stand up and put her tools away. Aleron was by her side instantly.

"Are you all right?"

She put on a brave face. "I am fine."

Adesina pretended to stumble, and Aleron grabbed her around the waist to support her. "You are not fine."

He sat her down again and held her by the shoulders. "Are you ill? Are you in pain? Tell me your symptoms, and I can help."

Adesina shook her head. "I just need to go home."

He wasn't sure whether he should press the matter of diagnosis or hurry her back to her house. He decided on the latter and helped her to her feet. "Put your arm around my neck."

She felt her cheeks get warm. She frowned at this strange reaction. "No. Just lend me your arm."

She linked arms with him and leaned on him as they walked. People stared as they pa.s.sed, scandalized that a young woman would be so forward as to take the arm of a young man who was unattached to her.

Aleron was careful to keep her from pushing herself too hard, and Adesina was intent on getting home as quickly as possible.

"Would you like to sit here and rest for a while?"

She shook her head. "No, I am fine."

His face was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with uncertainty. "Are you sure? I do not mind."

Adesina resisted the urge to roll her eyes impatiently. "I am sure. I do not want Jelana to worry about me."

They were not far from a park bench. Aleron gestured to it and said, "You could rest here while I run ahead to tell her."

"No, that will not be necessary," she replied firmly.

"I do not mind," he insisted.

"No, Aleron. I just need to get home."

After a few moments of thought, he asked hesitantly, "Would you like me to carry you?"

She hastily shook her head. It was bad enough that people were staring because she had a hold of his arm. If he carried her, there would practically be an uproar. "No, Aleron, I can walk."

He quickly let go of that idea, a little shocked at his own suggestion. "Do you promise to let me know if you need to stop and rest?"

Adesina could not help but smile, even if it was a bit ruefully. "I promise, Aleron."

At long length, they arrived at the house. Jelana saw them coming up the walk and rushed out to meet them. "Adrie! Are you hurt?"

Adesina was touched by the concern in her voice. "No, I am not hurt."

Aleron chipped in. "She is ill. She needs to lie down."

Together they got Adesina upstairs. At this point, she couldn't get a word in edgewise. Aleron and Jelana were talking about possible ailments and how to treat them. Fia was fluttering nearby, constantly asking Adesina what was wrong and if she would be all right.

Jelana went downstairs to brew a cup of herbal tea, with Fia following close behind. Aleron waited outside while Adesina changed into her nightgown and then came in to tuck her blankets around her. He was still talking about possible medications when Adesina firmly took a hold of his hand.

"Aleron, listen to me."

He looked surprised, but nodded readily.

"I have seen this sickness before in my tribe from the north. What I need right now is lots of undisturbed sleep. Could you please tell Jelana to stop fussing over me and let me rest?"

He nodded again. "Of course, Adrie."

She gave a weary sigh and a weak smile. "Thank you."

It was obvious that she had Aleron totally convinced. He reached out tentatively and brushed the hair away from her eyes. Then, as if embarra.s.sed, he cleared his throat and hurried out of the room.

Adesina heard him talking to her hostess just outside the door. After a few moments, Jelana walked in with a cup in one hand and a damp rag in the other. She sat beside Adesina and placed the rag on her sternum like a plaster. It was very warm and smelled of various herbs and spices. The effect was both calming and refreshing.

She handed Adesina the cup of herbal tea. "How are you feeling, Adrie?"

The young woman smiled softly. "Tired."

The worry on Jelana's face sent a wave of shame over Adesina. Jelana's voice was subdued. "You have seen this illness before?"

She nodded. "Yes, Jelana."

"Is it serious?"

Adesina suppressed the guilt she felt. "It can be."

A new idea occurred to Jelana. "Is it contagious?"

She shook her head, and her hostess looked mildly relieved. "What can I do? There must be something I can do for you."

"Just let me sleep. Undisturbed. I should be fine before long."

Jelana agreed to this rather reluctantly. She continued to fret and fuss over Adesina while she drank her tea. "You will call me when you wake up, yes?"

"Yes."

Jelana finally left Adesina on her own. Throughout the evening, Adesina heard the older woman standing outside her door, listening to make sure that everything was all right. Getting out of bed was out of the question with such a devoted watchman patrolling the hallway. Having nothing else to do, Adesina settled down for the night to get some much needed sleep.

She awoke before dawn the next morning. First she listened carefully to make sure that the family was still in bed, then she arose from her own. Adesina looked around the room, hoping to see Ravi sitting there, but she was completely alone. With a quiet sigh, she began preparing for her day.

Adesina sat on the edge of her bed and pinned back her hair. She put on her generic brown dress and tied a square of material around her head to hide the l.u.s.trous silver of her hair. For the hundredth time in her life, she wished for eyes that were less conspicuous. Today, in particular, she needed to blend into the crowd.

She fastened her weapons belt around her slender waist and then tied a large shawl around herself to hide it. Then she arranged her pillows and blankets in her bed to make it appear that someone was sleeping there. When this was done to her satisfaction, she double-checked herself to make sure she had everything she needed and then slipped out of her room and down the hall.

She made no sound as she crept out of the house. It was just becoming light outside, and Adesina knew that she needed to hurry if she was going to beat the sunrise. A quick glance around the street told her that she was totally alone. She hurried through the quiet city streets towards the Square.

Adesina made her way to the shop of the most prominent blacksmith in the city. He was said to be the best weapon smith in the north. People came from all over the world to buy his work. This is where she was to find her target.

There was a small alley in between two businesses across the street from the shop. Adesina hid herself in the darkness of this alley, standing just behind a stack of old barrels. She knew she would be protected from the changing light of day in this position. The young Shimat settled in for a long wait.

Hours pa.s.sed, bringing nothing. Citizens and Outsiders alike strolled by, sometimes stopping at the shop and sometimes only glancing in as they pa.s.sed. All of them seemed nondescript in Adesina's eyes. She looked only for the markers of her target.

At length, the man appeared.

The identifying trait she had been given was the insignia on his tunic. It was a strange symbol embroidered in gold thread on a background of rich crimson material. The style of his clothing was unlike anything Adesina had ever seen. It had a simple and elegant look, which complemented his regal features. He carried a sword, and looked completely at ease doing so. All of these details were lost, however, when Adesina looked at his face.

His hair was a l.u.s.trous silver, the exact shade of her own, and the locks around his face were blonde. More striking than that were his eyes. Even from a distance, she could see that his eyes were a dark metallic orange with a wedge of an equally metallic indigo.

He scanned the street warily as he approached the blacksmith shop. It was clear that he was on his guard even in a city as mild as this one. As if warned by some invisible force, his eyes turned in her direction. They widened in shock.

Adesina ducked out of sight, furious that she had made such an amateur mistake as to be seen. She went to the other end of the alley and out onto the street, blending in with the crowd.

Her mind began turning the problem over automatically. Adesina had never seen that man in her life, but his expression said that he recognized her. How was this possible?

She immediately stopped this line of thought and asked the more pressing question: how could it be turned to her advantage? She had to work quickly now that she had been seen. Her information said that he would be going to the marketplace next, so she hurried there to begin a.s.sessing the environment and what would be needed to draw him away.

It was about an hour before Adesina spotted the man through the crowd. She took a deep breath and moved out into the open. It was a great risk she was taking, but she was convinced that it would work. Placing herself right in his line of sight, she glanced over her shoulder, making sure to meet his eyes. The look of stunned disbelief reappeared on his face.

Adesina then turned her back to him and began winding her way through the crowd. Somewhere behind her she heard him call out.

"Beo themu!"

She picked up her pace, moving quickly but making sure that he could follow.

"Beo themu! Zhuma polo vobethe!"

The crowd began thinning as Adesina moved towards a less populated section of the city.

She could hear the man's steps behind her and broke into a run. He matched her pace, calling out in a voice that bordered desperation.

"Zhuma polo vobethe! Be oser u pol!"

When she was far enough away to avoid any unexpected encounters, she darted into a deserted alley and pulled a dart from her belt. She turned and threw the dart at the man as he entered the alley behind her. The dart hit him in the neck, and he barely had time to look surprised before he fell to the ground.

"E'ria..." he whispered as he lost all consciousness.

Adesina froze in place. Had he spoken her mother's name? Even her unusually sharp hearing had left her uncertain. She approached the unconscious form slowly.

She turned the man over onto his back and removed the dart. Now that she had a closer look of his face, there was something familiar about him. She studied him intently for several moments before shaking herself and putting the unnerving feeling of familiarity out of her mind. Her contact would be waiting for her to take this man off her hands.

After binding and gagging the man, Adesina hid him under an old tarpaulin and hurried off to the location set to meet her contact. The meeting place wasn't far. It was behind an abandoned building in the old business district.

This section of the city was in the process of being transformed into a residential area, but as of now it was empty. Adesina arrived in a couple of minutes, and although she was early, she could sense that she wasn't alone. Her contact was waiting for her.

A slender figure stepped out of the darkness. The full Shimat uniform hid all traces of ident.i.ty, save a pair of cold and calculating eyes.

Adesina was surprised by the full uniform. It lead her to believe that the kidnapped man would be taken out of the city by ways not frequented by High City citizens. Otherwise the uniform would be too conspicuous. Adesina was also a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to ascertain the ident.i.ty of her fellow Shimat.

"Have you fulfilled your a.s.signment, Shimat Falcon?" a voice whispered.

Adesina nodded.

"Where is the prisoner?"

The young woman hesitated. She felt an inexplicable reluctance in turning him over to this faceless Shimat. Something tugged at the back of her mind, but she couldn't figure out what was bothering her.

"Well?"

Her sense of duty as a Shimat took over, and she gave the location of the man she had taken prisoner. The masked Shimat melted back into the darkness and was gone without a sound.

Feeling lost and more than slightly dissatisfied, Adesina slowly turned around and walked home.

Chapter Fifteen: Repercussions.

Getting back into her room was much harder than getting out. By this time everybody was about their daily business. Adesina had to find a way back to the house and into her bedroom without being seen or heard, in broad daylight.

She slipped from shadow to shadow, finding every nook and cranny of the city in which she could duck in and hide. She went through several back yards and hopped over many fences to reach her house.

After that it got tricky. Adesina went around to the side of the house and peeked in the ground level window. It showed her that Ha.s.s and Jelana's bedroom was empty. She climbed up on the windowsill and jumped at an angle to catch hold of the sill on the next floor. Adesina pulled herself up quietly and looked in to make sure that room was empty too. There was no one in the storage room, so she climbed in and shut the window behind her. A quick glance told her the hall was empty, and she darted into her bedroom from there. As soon as she entered, she saw a figure sitting in the center of the floor.

Ravi had returned.

Adesina gave a small gasp. "Ravi! You came back!"

Instead of greeting her with a feline smile, he looked very displeased. "Where have you been, Ma'eve?"

She lifted her chin defiantly, mostly to cover the guilt she felt. "Doing my duty as a Shimat."

She shut the door quietly and stepped behind the screen to change back into her nightgown.

Adesina had counted on Ravi understanding her obligations as a Shimat, but Ravi didn't look very understanding at all.

"You promised you would do nothing but go to school."

Adesina heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She hurried to her bed and settled down in the blankets as if she had been there all morning. Jelana opened the door a crack and looked in on her sick foster daughter. She retreated just as carefully when she saw Adesina's eyes were closed.