“Yes, High Lady. Um, Gavin and I were selected for guard duty last night. We’ve been short-staffed, and even though we’re new, there were more experienced Blackguards down the hall guarding your room and down at the lifts, so it was allowed. The Prism arrived an hour before midnight. He greeted us and made some jokes with us—”
“Typical,” Karris said under her breath. “Charm the new blood.”
Gavin Greyling looked away. “I don’t know about that. Anyway, he said something about… um, having been on a long trip with a woman he wanted and couldn’t have.” He licked his lips and studiously didn’t look at Karris. “And he asked after his room slave. Gill and I talked about it this morning, and we couldn’t remember exactly what he said.”
“You interpreted that to mean what?” the White asked.
Gavin cleared his throat again and shifted from foot to foot. “That he, uh, wouldn’t be averse to some, erm, companionship. So when the girl Ana showed up, we figured he’d sent for her. She certainly acted like he had. The Blackguards at the lift said they got a story from her that you’d sent for her, Mistress.”
“So she lied. It’s not the first time she’s tried,” the White said. “Go on.”
“We let her in. We thought maybe it was a common—”
“Not interested in your thoughts on the point,” the White said. “What happened?”
Gavin Greyling shifted again, glancing at Karris. “She hadn’t been in there five minutes when Watch Captain White Oak came up. She said she had important business. We, uh, tried to dissuade her, but she seemed in a hurry, like she didn’t want to be seen in the hall…”
“Tell the whole truth, you bastards,” Karris said. Wooden, but even.
“She was wearing cosmetics, and perfume. Her hair was done, I don’t know, all beautiful. Like a woman coming for an, an, what’s the—” Gavin shot a look at his brother.
“Assignation,” Gill said.
Gavin Greyling shifted from foot to foot.
“Back to when you let her in,” the White said.
“When we opened the door, it was clear that the Prism had… uh, been woken enthusiastically by Ana. And that the watch captain was surprised by it. Watch Captain White Oak ran out, and the High Luxlord Prism called after her. He seemed shocked. He ran after the watch captain and went down the lift to follow her before we could join him. We didn’t know what to do, so we went back to our station, and he returned a few minutes later.”
Orholam. Karris had a sick feeling in her stomach.
“He was absolutely furious with the girl, Ana. We, um, saw her when he went back in, and it was like she thought that they’d pick up where they left off. But he was having none of it. He shouted at her—”
“What did he say?” the White asked.
Gavin Greyling didn’t look at Karris. “He said that Ana had cost him the woman he loved. That he’d thought she was Karris—er, the watch captain—and he wouldn’t have touched Ana if he’d known who she was. That she disgusted him. The girl said some, uh, vile things about Watch Captain White Oak, and the Prism threw her out onto his balcony.”
Oh, Orholam have mercy. Gavin had murdered that stupid girl because she’d insulted Karris? Karris felt like weeping, for Ana, for herself, for Gavin, for the whole stupid world and shipwrecked love.
“We saw…” Gavin swallowed and looked over at Gill, who nodded at him to go on.
“He was shouting and furious, and the girl was so frightened, she jumped off the balcony.”
It sent a bolt through Karris. “She jumped?!” she asked.
“Yes, Watch Captain,” the young man said. “He… he looked mortified immediately. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the look on his face. He said something like, ‘Orholam have mercy, I’ve killed her.’ And then he told us to go report it, and that he would be there when we got back. He looked so stunned that we believed him, Mistress. We didn’t know what to do. One of us should have stayed with him. I’m sorry.”
“Wait. He didn’t kill her?” Karris asked.
“No, sir. She jumped,” Gill said.
“And you are both completely certain of this?” the White asked.
“Yes, High Lady,” they said at the same time.
“Certain enough to tell this tale to the Spectrum itself?”
Gavin paled, but Gill looked confused. If he was a liar, he was the better one. “Yes, Mistress. Why would we lie?”
The White said, “You would not be the first Blackguards to believe that their duty to protect the Prism extended beyond the duty to protect his life.”
Gill blinked. “I understand, Mistress. But we barely know Lord Guile. We just started.”
“And anyone who searches your belongings will not find any large gifts among them?”
His face hardened. “We’re new to the job, Mistress, not to honor.”
“Very well,” the White said. “You’re dismissed. Go get some sleep. You’ll likely be wakened rudely for more questions from others, but you deserve what rest you can find.”
She dismissed them and they left, grateful.
Karris turned to the White. “You seemed like you expected that.”
“Of course I did. I already interviewed them earlier. I wanted to see if they’d changed their story. And… I wanted you to hear that the man you love was somewhat innocent of both crimes.”
Karris blinked. The man I love? Both crimes? “What? What?!”
“He’s rebuffed that girl at least twice before. And apparently he had good reason to believe you were coming to his bed last night, seeing as you did.”
Karris squirmed, but had nothing to say.
“You know that Blackguards are forbidden to make love with their charges, don’t you, Karris?”
“Yes, Mistress.” She swallowed. She’d been stupider last night than she could believe. She was normally so rational!
“Have you spoken with Commander Ironfist about this matter?” the White asked. “Help me scoot down here, will you?”
Karris helped the White shift from sitting up in bed to lying down. “Um, no, Mistress. I—I’m afraid I acted impulsively last night, and before that I never thought it would be a, um, temptation.” She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The White lay back. “Well, dear, if you had, Ironfist would have told you that he and I had a discussion about this very matter long ago. And then another much more recently.”
“You did?” Karris asked.
“Don’t interrupt, dear. We did. And we agreed that it’s a good rule. Keeps lines clearer. Keeps waters from being muddied.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Karris said. She straightened her shoulders, took a breath. Her head was still a whirl, but this was the life she’d chosen. She was a Blackguard, through and through. It wasn’t easy, but that was why she’d chosen it, because she’d known it was hard. Rules existed for a reason.
The White said, “And we also agreed that sometimes the exception proves the rule. And that you are that exception. If you wish to pursue a relationship with that impossible man, you may.”