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Ben chuckled. “Anyone would tell you I am nothing if not a stray.” He readjusted my weight again. “But might I ask leave of you? My burden is beautiful, but not as light as my arms can hold for long.”
Edouard jerked his head toward the gate. “Go ahead, but remain within the city limits for the time being.”
Ben bowed his head and hurried us out of there. The locals parted for us and we found Ferox parked fifty feet down the street. Ben helped me into the carriage and climbed in himself, and with a knowing glance Ferox took off. We approached the cemetery and found Edouard standing beside the open gate. He followed us with his eyes as we passed. I couldn’t help but hide myself a little behind Ben.
My breathing didn’t return to normal until we were well away from the boneyard. Ben draped an arm over my shoulders and drew me close against his side. “You did well back there.”
I snorted. “It’s easy to be a dummy in someone else’s arms.”
“A lesser person would have bolted under the scrutiny of the commander of the emperor’s city guards.”
I leaned my cheek against his shoulder and closed my eyes. His heady scent glided around me. “Not if that lesser person had you.” A thought struck me and I opened my eyes to look up at him. “But should you have given him your real name?”
Ben chuckled. “I’m too well known among the upper classes to have done otherwise. Many of the commanders of the guard are invited to the same galas, after all.”
I frowned as I again leaned my cheek against him. “I wish I could have done more to help you. . .”
Ben squeezed my shoulder. “There’s no need for regrets. You’re inexperienced in combat, and even less so against creatures of magic.”
“I could do without the experience of black magic,” I mused as I wrinkled my nose. I looked up at my companion whose pensive face stared ahead of us. “So what now?”
He pursed his lips as he shook his head. “I’m afraid we haven’t any leads. That is, not until the soldiers leave the Meager. Then we might be able to inspect the graves and find a commonality among them.”
I lifted an eyebrow as a smile curled onto my lips. “So maybe a little late-night stalking by the Thief and his sidekick?”
“Sidekick?” Ben repeated.
I laughed. “It means ‘lesser partner’ where I come from. The one who needs saved more than does the saving.”
Ben looked down at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “Then that title suits you quite well, though in time you may surpass me and I would become the ‘sidekick.’”
I snorted and gently elbowed him in the arm. “I don’t think I’m going to be picking up any magical curses any time soon. At least, I hope not.”
Some of his good humor failed him as he stared ahead again. “Let us hope not. . .”
I was glad when we reached Ben’s home a few minutes later. The afternoon had waned and a tinge of the chill of evening hung in the air as Ben helped me down from the carriage. Tully waited for us, and he tapped two fingers against his lips before he swiped one across them.
Ben smiled at his servant. “What would I do without you?” A slight grin touched the corners of Tully’s lips as he tapped his stomach. Ben laughed. “Yes, I would starve.”
“You two have quite the communication system,” I mused as Ben led me inside.
“The secret to it working comes from its simplicity,” Ben told me as he used a hand to gesture to the stairs. “But might I suggest we first clean the filth from ourselves?”
I looked down at myself and realized my front was covered in the dirt from the graveyard. “As soon as possible.”
Tully had prepared warm water for both of us, and I reveled in soaking my aching muscles in the hot bath. I finished my washing and slipped into some clean clothes before I went downstairs. The door to the study was open and an inviting light streamed into the hall.
I found a warm fire in the hearth and a table situated between the pair of high-back chairs. A tray of fruits and cheeses with a small assortment of meats lay on the table, along with a decanter and a pair of wine glasses. Ben stood to one side of the fire with his hands clasped behind his back.
I plopped myself down in the right-hand chair with a heavy sigh. For a moment I just lay my chin against my chest and watched the flames dance over the logs. “What a day. . .”
A glass of wine was lowered into my view, and I looked up to find Ben with a pensive expression on his face. “This will make the day more palatable.”
I smiled up at him as I accepted the glass. “I hope there’s more where that came from.”
A crooked grin slipped onto his lips as he took his seat in the other chair. “More than you could possibly drink. The cellar is a veritable museum of fine wines.”
Both of my eyebrows shot up. “Really? I didn’t even know you had a cellar.”
