Free Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith Page A

she was a kid. Played with cats and rats. Actually, I kinda like the sound of that! Anyway, she’s gotten locked into the Salfmatta sorority, so you can bet she’d keep her lip zipped.”
    Salfmatta sorority—the Salfmattas were the ones who were kind of like healers and kind of like mages, near as I could tell. My grandmother’s old governess, Tante Mina, was one. I’d stayed with her after I escaped from Tony, and she’d clued me in about the Blessing, among other things.
    â€œI’d also trust the married sister,” Nat went on. “But the mother is a businesswoman. I’m sure she promised you. I’m sure she even meant whatever she promised. But my guess is she couldn’t resist telling her sister. They have this sort of rivalry thing going. The sister owns the laundry at that end of town—you know how electricity has been. Even with the dam, few people have washers and dryers. The laundry is like a social center. That goes back about ten centuries. And Madam Waleska’s sister has the fastest mouth east of Frankfurt.”
    â€œSo what should I do? I’d better get on the first vehicle I can. I do not want Alec to find out I was here. Not with his wife barely cold. It’s way too sickening.”
    â€œSafe bet he already knows,” she said and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “Kim, I would agree normally. But this isn’t a normal situation.”
    â€œDo you mean politics, or something else?”
    She grimaced and looked around her cluttered room as if seeking clues.
    â€œOkay,” I said, striving to sound reasonable. “So tell me this, Wikipedia. What would be worse: For me to go away without seeing him, or to see him?” And when she hesitated, still not meeting my eyes, I asked, “What did Alec say when I left last summer?”
    Nat faked a surprised look. “Alec? Say anything?”
    I rubbed my knuckles across my burning eyes. “Oh, crap, I thought I’d cried the last tears in September.”
    Nat yanked a box of tissues from among her welter of pillows and blew her nose defiantly. “Twit!” She eyed me, her own face flushed, eyes pink. “Yeah, it was bad. For about a week. He was here every day, ostensibly in case you sent a message, but I knew it was ol’ Mama Nat’s American accent he wanted to hear. Then he stopped coming after the wedding, and I’ve only seen him once since—public appearances don’t count—when I was lunching with Beka and he showed up at her place.”
    â€œBeka?”
    â€œRidotski. I told you about her.”
    I remembered now. During the summer, Tony’s mother, on the pretense of being the loving aunt welcoming the new niece, had controlled my social schedule, making sure I never met any of Alec’s friends. I knew three things about this Beka Ridotski: that she was the granddaughter of the Prime Minister; she taught at the Temple School; and, at one time, she and Alec had been an item.
    I squashed questions I had no right to ask, and said, “I left so Alec wouldn’t be forced to make a choice.”
    â€œVery honorable and noble, but it didn’t occur to you that he might not want it made for him?”
    â€œTony said that, too.”
    â€œ In- teresting. Well, there’s no knowing what’s going on in Tony’s pointy little head, so we’ll forget him for now. I’ve got five minutes left before my next patient. Kim, I think, all things considered, it would be better if you get the straight scoop directly from Alec. Since you’re here.”
    â€œSo what’s the protocol?”
    â€œGet your keister over to the palace. Oh, it’s already too late today. He usually leaves there by this time, and I have no idea where he goes these days.”
    â€œYou mean he’s not in the hospital?”
    â€œAlec?” She threw up her hands in mock surprise. “Take R&R like a normal