She nodded and Kylar squatted against the wall. Elene hitched up her skirts and stepped on his thigh. She scowled as she realized that climbing up on him would drape her skirts over his head, but she didn’t hesitate to step up to his shoulders and finally into his hands. She walked her hands up the wall for balance. Then Kylar stood and extended his hands, lifting her high into the air.

Elene pushed the panel open and slipped inside a crawl space. She had turned around by the time Kylar picked up Uly.

“Can you catch?” he asked.

“I’d better,” she said. The footsteps were almost on top of them.

Kylar tossed Uly up in the air easily. Damn but the Talent is useful.

Elene caught her and started to slip until her own shoulders were sticking out over space. Then she must have braced herself against something inside the crawl space, because she stopped. She grunted, and with Uly wiggling to help, was able to pull the girl up with her.

“Oh, I’ve been here,” Uly said.

Kylar took out a dagger and tossed it up to Elene.

She caught it. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Aside from the obvious?” he asked.

“Thanks. Now come on. There’s room. Hurry.”

Kylar didn’t move. Dorian said, ‘If you do the right thing twice, it will cost you your life.’ Blint said, ‘There are things more valuable than life.’ The count said, ‘You can’t pay for all you’ve done. But you aren’t beyond redemption. There’s always a way out. And if you’re willing to make the sacrifice, the God will give you the chance to save something priceless.’

He looked at Elene. Something priceless indeed. He smiled at her. She looked at him like he was crazy.

“Kylar, hurry!”

“It’s a trap, Elene. If they lose me here, they’ll search the hidden passages. I can’t protect you in the crawlspaces, they’re too cramped. Get out of the castle. Go to Jarl at the Blue Boar, he’ll help you.”

“They’ll kill you, Kylar. If it’s a trap you can’t—”

“I did look,” he interrupted. He smirked. “And you’ve got great legs.”

He winked—and disappeared.

Chapter 63

63

V ürdmeister Neph Dada damned Roth Ursuul for the hundredth time of the day. Serving an aetheling of the Godking was supposed to be an honor. Like all the God-king’s honors, this one came with strings attached. If an aetheling failed his uurdthan, his Vürdmeister was punished with him. And obedience was required. Total obedience, except in things that might displease the Godking.