Free Betrayals by Sharon Green

claimed not to know where my groupmates were, but I still had to find them….
    The part of me that never seemed to touch the power quailed at the idea of such an impossible task, but it wasn’t really all that impossible. Someone had to know what had been done with the others of my group, so the first thing I had to do was find that someone. It occurred to me that I could ask Eltrina Razas, who might not be very interested in answering my questions. I would then have to make her interested, and there would be no losing her the way I’d lost Lanir—at least not until she answered my questions.
    Thinking about Eltrina Razas became planning a way to reach her, which brought me to the subject of a coach or carriage. I’d have to hire one, of course, even if Lanir had his own stables and coach house. Women just didn’t go driving all by themselves in that city, and doing it anyway would simply get me noticed. But I had no money …
    After putting my cup down, I rose and walked over to Lanir where he still sat on the carpeting. The stain on his trousers—added to the terrible smell that seemed to be all around him—suggested he’d lost control of his bodily functions, but his wallet still lay securely around his waist and untouched by any effluvia. I bent carefully and unbuckled then carried it back to my chair. Since the former Seated High had brought me to a place I never wanted to be, he could just pay to have me driven away again. His wallet contained a really fat purse, which in turn contained quite a bit of gold and silver. Discovering that sent me on a search of the room, to see if I might find any sort of handbag. The wardrobe was empty of everything, including the dress I’d worn earlier in the day, which I found rather confusing. If I’d been meant to live in that room, why would there be nothing of clothing for me? The possibility I eventually came up with made me sneer in Lanir’s direction. He could well have meant to keep me in a nightdress—or naked—to be certain that running away was impossible, possibly as women before me had done, That said quite a lot about him as a man, making him some-one who held women with restraints rather than with kindness or enticements. Was there anyone—other than his cronies in the government—who would mourn his passing? I thought it unlikely as I turned away from my search with nothing to show for the effort. There was no handbag and nothing to use in place of one, which meant that I would have to tie the purse to my underskirts after taking out a few silver dins. Showing gold would bring trouble of its own if the wrong people saw it, and I’d certainly have trouble enough without adding to it. Anxiety to leave that place had begun to grow inside me, but I forced myself to have one final cup of tea before making the attempt. It had been at least two hours since Lanir had brought me back to that room, and by now all the servants should have retired. I’d find out soon enough if they hadn’t, but that final cup of tea would lessen the chance of an unpleasant encounter.
    When the time finally— came to leave, I took one last glance around the bedchamber and then walked to the door. Lanir hadn’t looked it, I’d noticed at the very beginning, but I’d still taken a small ring of keys from his wallet as well as the gold and silver. If the servants were all in bed, the house ought to be completely locked up. I had no intention of creeping heart-stoppingly all the way to the door, only to find it locked with something other than a slide bolt. And I did end up virtually creeping through the dark halls, my heart pounding heavily in my ears. I felt certain that no one in that house would have been able to stop me, but the idea of running into someone still caused my heart to pound and my mouth to go dry. Most of me wanted to run to get out of there, and only the knowledge that I’d certainly have a long distance to go before I found a coach or carriage kept me from