Shadow's End (Light & Shadow) Read Online Free PDF Page B

leader of the rebellion in Norvelt, but even he had no knowledge of Jacces himself. And here, again, lay the difference between me, and Miriel: I only marked the fact, and looked about to see what the other rebels might think, but Miriel noted it, and played it for what it was worth, turning the minds of her listeners back to her purpose.
    “No. Does it matter? What we must do, whoever he might be, is be true to his vision. This is a movement of the people, not one man. Jacces knows that.” I rather thought that the High Priest might have something to say about that, but the men nodded readily enough, and at length even Jeram conceded the point.
    “Very well. We will shelter you.” He held up a finger, cautionary, when he saw her satisfied smile. “You have half a year,” he said bluntly. “In that time, you will help us draw up a treaty that all of us agree to, and you will get the King to sign it. Your servant will train our men in the use of weapons and in troop formations. If you cannot persuade the King to sign our treaty by then…” He had the agreement of his men. They nodded, gruffly, and for a moment the spell was broken; but Miriel was dauntless in the face of his mistrust.
    “I can do it,” she said. “We will draw up the treaty together, all of us.” As Jeram had done, she included the rest of the men; her brilliant smile warmed them, and I could see them smiling back at her. “We will be a force for good in this nation, Jeram—all of us together.”
    He inclined his head—the gesture of one player to another, and she only smiled back, as if she were not striving to replace him in the hearts of his men, as if she had not played this game day in and day out, against rivals far more sophisticated than he was. He had lost, and he simply did not know it yet. I wondered, with the detachment of a courtier, when Miriel’s chance would come—what moment, what opportunity would present itself for her to cement her triumph.
    We bid them good night, Miriel curtsying prettily to their cheers, and returned to our room. Jeram had promised us lodging with the baker. This would be our last night on the lumpy cots of the inn, and I was glad of it.
    “We’re lying again,” I said glumly, and Miriel tried to mask her discomfort with one of her elegant shrugs.
    “The only lie we told was that we didn’t know who Jacces was.” Her voice was pitched low to make sure no one could eavesdrop. “And do you have a better plan?”
    “It was all a…performance.” The distaste was thick in my mouth.
    “It’s always a performance for me,” Miriel said simply. “You’re in the shadows, you pretend by being unseen. But I’m in the light, so I perform.” Her face softened. “And we’ll give them everything we promised. It’s a performance, but not a lie, Catwin. This isn’t like it was with Garad.” I swallowed down the wave of guilt that rushed over me when I heard his name, and nodded.
    “But aren’t you afraid that he might not sign?” I asked, and Miriel looked down rather than meet my eyes.
    “I cannot think of that,” she said. “I never think of it.”
    She went to bed at once, but I could not sleep. Miriel had announced her presence here, and who might have slipped off to tell the Duke where we were? I no longer underestimated Temar’s spy network; it would have been very like him to send someone to wait for us in the southern cities. If we stayed in one place for long enough, I knew, he would find us.
    I lay awake, watching the door fearfully, but I must have drifted to sleep at last, for in the dead of night, we were awakened by someone scratching at the door. When I approached it cautiously, I heard the voice of the innkeeper’s wife.
    “It’s Allena,” she whispered. “Jeram sent me to take you to your lodgings tonight. He wants you hidden away before the lady’s uncle finds her.” I opened the door and peered out at her, and saw only frightened honesty in her eyes, and so we packed