Secrets of the Swords, Book 1

Chapter 9: A Small Gathering

Once the spinning subsided, Suthe found herself in a familiar living room, with wooden floors and pale cream walls. She was facing an open window that looked out over the cliffs to the water below, and the air smelled like a mixture of salt and jasmine incense.

Suthe breathed a sigh of relief. She was back in Alaera's apartment, away from the dangerous rogue spy who wanted her for whatever devious plan he had in mind. Even better, she had managed to transport herself somewhere safe, out of sight of anyone who would get suspicious of a Montesian woman suddenly appearing out of thin air.

"Ack!"

Suthe jumped in alarm at the sound, only to freeze when she saw Alaera standing behind her. So much for not being seen.

"You, um...startled me," Alaera said after a moment. For having witnessed someone just materialize in her living room, she seemed rather calm about the matter. Or maybe it was just shock.

Suthe could only stare at her, feeling a nervous sweat begin to break out on her forehead. Alaera knew about her secret. She had to leave, now. But where would she go this time?

"I was wondering when you were going to tell me," Alaera continued slowly. The Sylterran leaned against her walking stick. "But I figured you had a lot going on, so I didn't want to press it."

"Tell you?" Suthe echoed, blinking rapidly. Maybe this was all just some sort of bad dream.

Alaera nodded. "Yeah. About being a druith."

Suthe felt her jaw drop open. "You knew?" Things just seemed to go from bad to worse. How long had she known?

Alaera gave a light laugh and headed to the sofa to sit down. "There were lots of clues," she said. "First of all, I find you wandering the streets of Choraport with only a recipe book, just hours after the International Office received the wire about the druith arrests in Montmyth. You don't have an I.D., and after a week your luggage mysteriously still hasn't been found. You kept asking me to translate books from the library about druiths, and you were always really nervous when I asked you to tell me anything about yourself." Suthe was a bit taken aback when Alaera suddenly let out a loud snort of laughter. "But the most obvious hint was when you told me that your ship was called the Firebird!"

"What's so funny about that?" Suthe defended. It seemed like a perfectly good name for a ship.

Alaera snickered. "The Sinderflynn is a flying ship from Ellerian fairy tales," she explained. "You couldn't possibly have traveled on it."

Oh. Suthe bit her lip. "If you knew, why didn't you tell me? Or report me?"

Alaera shrugged. "You were good at cooking. I haven't eaten this well in years." When she smiled, Suthe knew she was joking. "Okay, maybe that was only part of the reason. Mainly, you seemed alone and frightened, and I didn't want to make you feel any more uncomfortable. I..." Alaera trailed off for a moment, and shook her head as if she was having trouble focusing. "I know how that feels," she said finally. Her voice softened. "I didn't want you to go through that."

Alaera's explanation had quieted Suthe's fears a little bit, but she was still too nervous to sit down just yet.

"You haven't told anyone?" Suthe asked hesitantly. "About me being a druith?"

Alaera shook her head. "Not even Theshtl." Suthe frowned, before Alaera clarified. "The moon, I mean."

"Oh." So she was still safe. The realization of the fact made Suthe suddenly feel very tired, and she dropped into a cushioned blue armchair that had seen better days. As long as Ulsper Speroware didn't find out where she was living, everything was okay.