Ulrech caught her gaze, and Semras stiffened, cursing her carelessness under her breath.
“How? Like she wants to silence me for good?” Inquisitor Velten laughed. “Do not pretend you never give me the same look, var Hesser.”
The knight didn’t answer. His gaze burned into her, raising the hairs on her nape.
That man was hostile to her presence and not afraid to let her know it.
Inquisitor Velten followed his gaze. Mirth fell off his face. “I will deal with the witch, Sir Ulrech. You deal with the fledgling knight and keep him out of trouble.Andout of my sight.” With a wave of his hand, he dismissed his knight.
Chewing her lip, Semras let go of her weave. The wefts around her fingers unravelled back into their previous shape, and the air returned to normal.
Walking away toward the horses, Sir Ulrech kept his eyes on her for as long as he could. His intense, mistrusting scowl sent a shudder of dread through her, but she managed to keep her head held high until he disappeared into the chaotic mass of men and horses.
With feigned confidence, as if her bones hadn’t just been rattled to their core, Semras looked back at the inquisitor.
He was staring at her, head cocked to the side and eyes narrowed—as if she were some odd and interesting creature. Somehow, his gaze unnerved her more than the imposing knight’s had.
Semras straightened her shoulders, discreetly smoothed down her dress, and pushed a straying strand of hair off her right cheek. Then she approached the inquisitor, back straight and head unbowed.
Inquisitor Velten slowly looked her up and down. And then again. “I was unaware I had made such an impression on you,” he said, arching his eyebrow.
Face flushed with confusion, Semras dropped the two bags at her feet. Was the shawl too much? “What?”
“You must have packed your entire house in these bags. Is that your way of confessing you wish to stay with me?” He smirked. “I was not entertaining the idea before, but now that you have changed out of your ugly smock …” He grabbed a pan of her shawl and brought it to his face, examining it.
“Hilarious. Is this what passes for humour in the city-states nowadays?”
Inquisitor Velten studied the gems woven in the black wool. “Are these enchanted? With what magic?”
His instincts were sharp. “Warming charms,” she answered cagily. “That’s all. Why?” With a twist of her shoulder, Semras freed the piece of wool from his hand.
He let it go. “Iolite stones … Good vessels for holding Bleak spells, wouldn’t you say?”
“I wouldn’t know about that, Inquisitor Velten, considering I donotwalk the Bleak Path.”
“That remains to be seen.” He kept smiling, as if his words carried no hint of threat.
Semras answered his obvious provocation with a careful silence. Grabbing her bags again, she tried to ignore their heavy weight. Maybe shehadoverprepared. “Where should I put these?”
“Nowhere before you lighten them. I told you we have to travel fast. We are racing against decay, and this much,” he gestured at her bags, “will slow down the horses. I am sure you would rather examine the corpse before it falls apart, so …”
Huffing, Semras readjusted her grip on the bags. “Fine, I’ll remove a few things. But if I’m missing anything later, I expect you will buy it for me without question.Andwithout looking at the price,” she said. Then she stared at her bags and sighed deeply. “I’ll need a moment to go through these again.”
Semras turned and walked back to her hut, a scowl of annoyance drawing on her face as soon as the inquisitor couldn’t see it.
“Did you find our conversation interesting?”
His voice froze her in place.
“If you have questions,” he continued, “you can ask them directly rather than listen in.”
Forcing a breath out, Semras kept her back turned to the inquisitor, fearing her eyes would betray her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her voice felt flat even to her own ears. He couldn’t possibly have known she had eavesdropped. Howcouldhe have known? She’d been far enough and discreet. He must have been bluffing, which meant she just needed to bluff better than him.
A perfume of musk and wood essence suddenly filled her nose.
“You are lying, witch,” his voice whispered in her ear.
