Guardian of the Night

16

Watching Ranaie feed both the girls left a knot in her stomach. He and Amaini were more important to her than her own life. Her son, Badian, had left for the wonders of Tarkar's Bridge, years before. They received communications, rare letters, but at least he remained safe, far away from The Sprawl and the disaster that loomed. Nishrean wasn't part of the family, but she wanted the girl safe, too.

"Ranaie." She had tapped her fingers upon the table for too long and Ranaie had noticed, though he had not asked what worried her. He looked at her now, awaiting her words. "I want you to pack some things. There's a former sergeant of mine, from the army. He runs a small farm, out to the east. I want you to take Amaini and Nishrean, and go there for a while. I'll have a couple of the Watch escort you."

"Why?" A simple question that Bilain couldn't answer. Not out loud. Not unless she wanted him safe. "What happened at that dance?"

She stopped her constant tapping of the table, turning her hand over, and stared at the healing burns on her palm. The Lady En Lutar's 'governess', the Kannai, Shurivno, had healed most of the burns, but it still pained her. If the attack she feared was to come happened, many more would suffer such burns. Many would die. She could not bear to see her husband and granddaughter among them.

"I can't say. If I say, even to you, and others find out, there will be a panic." She leaned forward, unable to look him in the eye. She had never lied to him and didn't want to start now. "Adrasusk has many twitching ears. Just, please, do as I ask."

Bilain had learned that few things remained secret in this city. She had also learned that some people were not who they appeared. That there were some secrets that people held that even she did not know. Secrets that could tear down the very foundations of the city, but she cared about only one part of that city. She cared only about her family.

The prospect of someone setting the entire Sprawl alight filled her with dread. Nowhere else in the city held near as many people. Within The Sprawl, entire sections housed more people than the entirety of the High Ward, though it occupied far less space. One fire threatened the Ward. Several, lit at the same time, would devour the place in flames and no amount of bucket chains or Weather Mages could hold back the inferno.

"What of little Nishrean? She's a sharp one, despite her injuries." His hand smoothed down the girl's clean hair and she looked up at him with those big, questioning eyes as she ate. "From what I can tell, she wants to help you find those who hurt her."

Nishrean nodded, her strawberry blond, wavy locks bouncing about her cheeks. She bared her teeth, waving her fingers before them, tapping one, and then turned, pointing in the direction of the northern part of The Sprawl. Sharp, indeed, but Bilain had no wish to put the girl in harm's way. She already had a good idea where to look for the Mikinartan man with the missing gold tooth.

Other aspects of the investigation had taken priority, however. She could only assume what happened to Nishrean had something to do with Senator Yiladry's death and she knew it connected to the fires lit only days ago, but there were other ways of finding this Mikinartan, without putting the girl in danger. Without putting her family in danger.

"I want you to leave the city, Ranaie." She didn't want him to go, she needed him to. When he began to protest, she slammed her burned hand upon the table surface. "No! You will do as you're told!"

"Bilain?" Ranaie's voice came as a whisper. She had never spoken to him in that way before.

He and Nishrean had jumped at her outburst, the urchin reaching for Ranaie and clutching at his shirt, those wide eyes flickering in fear. Amaini began to cry, the noise of Bilain's shout rousing the baby from her blissful innocence. With Nishrean clinging to him, Ranaie moved to the crib, making soothing noises to a child that had lost her mother not a year past. Would Ranaie want the baby to lose her grandfather? Her own life? Bilain understood Ranaie's reticence, but she couldn't feed it.