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.His voice was low and urgent.” There’ssomething I want to do, but it requires time and concentration.I cannot be constantly interrupted.Tell Commander Durne to keep the bucket line moving and do what he can to keep the fire fromspreading.I will be back.”“Where are you going? Let me come with you,” she insisted.“Not this time.I won’t be long.” He gave her arm a slight squeeze, and as the guards rode towardthem, he faded back into the milling crowd of helpers and onlookers.Vanduran turned around to say something more to the governor.“Lord Bight, I—Where is he?”Linsha, aggravated that she couldn’t follow the governor, pretended not to hear him.The roar of the fire was increasing by the moment, making any conversation difficult.Commander Durne and his men rode over to where Linsha and the guild merchant stood across thestreet from the fire.A flush of pleasure warmed Linsha’s face and took her by surprise.For two days, she had been gonefrom Sanction and inundated by the magnetic presence of Hogan Bight.She had deliberately triednot to think about Ian Durne in the hope that she could forget her senseless infatuation for him.But the moment she saw his long, lean figure sitting so easily in his saddle, the yearning came washing back, and she caught herself staring at his face.To hide her discomfort, she didn’t give the commander a chance to start demanding answers.Shesaluted to him as he dismounted and focused on the emblem of the burning sword on the chest ofhis uniform coat.She brusquely said, “Sir, Lord Governor Bight asks that you organize the firefighters as best you can.He will return shortly.”Durne nodded as if used to such requests.“Good evening to you, too, squire.I am pleased to seeyou returned safely.”An unexpected warmth in his voice pulled her gaze back to his face, and their eyes met in a briefmoment of silent union.He lifted a devilish eyebrow and grinned.“Commander Durne,” an insistent voice demanded loudly.“Lord Bight has slipped off again!Would you please do something before the other warehouse goes? There’s a street of apartmentbuildings right next door.” Vanduran waved an agitated hand in the general direction of theconflagration.“And the sick house,” Linsha added, having to shout now over the noise of the raging fire.Her words were lost in a sudden roar as a section of the roof collapsed into the building in anexplosion of sparks and flames.Burning debris fell on buildings close by and threatened new fires.She heard the rumbling groan of tortured timbers in the dying warehouse.“Let’s go,” Commander Durne bellowed.Swiftly he organized his men into two more bucket linesand commandeered the use of every barrel, bucket, box, or container he could lay his hands on.Spectators were pressed into service, either manning the public water pumps or carrying buckets.Other volunteers wielded shovels to put out ground fires or to smother burning debris.Another crash signaled the fall of the rest of the roof in a shower of burning embers.The smoke and the heat grew worse.Suddenly someone shouted and pointed toward the roof of the winestorehouse.The eaves on the corner nearest the fire were scorched and smoldering.As peopleturned to look, the roof burst into flames.Guild Master Vanduran gave a horrified shout and swiftly led a small group of helpers into the smaller warehouse.Moments later they were rolling barrels of wine out of harm’s way.Linsha found herself in the bucket line, frantically passing buckets back and forth to douse theflames of the second fire.She wondered briefly where Lord Bight had gone and why, then her mindreturned to the threatened building and the desperate need for water.“Lynn, thanks be, You’re all right.Where have you been?” a familiar voice murmured beside her.Linsha glanced sideways.Lady Knight Karine Thasally stood in the line beside her, her facebegrimed with sweat and soot, her pale hair speckled with ash.She exchanged an empty bucket forthe full one in Linsha’s hand.Linsha turned her head so only Karine could hear.“Lord Bight took me to see Sable,” she answeredas softly as she could over the uproar of the fire.Karine nearly dropped her bucket.“What?”The expression on her leader’s face was worth the trip under the mountains.“You’d better report this in person.The Circle is starting to question your silence.”Linsha ignored that.“Are you doing well?”Karine grimaced.“So far.But we’ve lost two others.Good men.Lynn, be very careful.There areugly rumors spreading in the outer city that blame Lord Bight for this catastrophe.The citizens here are outraged about the closing of the city gates.They fear the city council is leaving them out here to die.”“That’s preposterous,” Linsha snapped, passing on a bucket.“You know that and I know that.But everyone is terrified.They want someone to blame.Rumorsare rampant.”Linsha remembered the man who incited the boys to throw bottles at Lord Bight and the crowd.“Isthere a possibility these rumors are linked to one person or a group of persons?”Karine was surprised by the suggestion.“Not that we know of.Why?”“Just a thought.” She started to ask Karine to have someone look into it, but an ugly thoughtstopped her.The three leaders of the Clandestine Circle wanted Lord Bight discredited.What was to stop some of their other operatives from making a few well-chosen comments, opinions, or hearsayrumors in some busy tavern or crowded street? No one would know the source of the rumors.Shewondered if Varia had had any luck finding the man with the strange gait.A talk with him could bevery interesting.Another thought, a safer one, occurred to her, and she asked, “Have you heard anything aboutElenor? I’m worried about her.”“Not yet,” Lady Karine said.“If I can, I’ll send someone to check on her.”They worked in silence side by side, passing buckets until their arms and hacks ached and their eyes and throats stung from the smoke.“ ’Ware the walls!” someone shouted.Everyone turned to stare at the first warehouse.Its roof gone and its interior gutted with flame, the warehouse looked like a burning shell, and the outer walls, weakened by heat and a lack of support, began to sag [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]