Free Bloodwitch by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Page B

closed.
    “Where are we?” I asked Jaguar.
    “You don’t know?” he asked. As if to himself he added, “I suppose you wouldn’t. You’ve always been in Midnight, but now you’re in Midnight
proper
, as some people call this building to distinguish it from all the lands and properties that make up Jeshickah’s empire. Jeshickah had planned to bring you here soon, but the debacle with Obsidian and the market hastened our plans.”
    “So … I’m going to stay here?”
    Twin emotions warred in me. Lady Brina didn’t want me in her greenhouse; Mistress Jeshickah wanted me here. Was
she
here? Obviously Taro was. But this place was so different from what I was used to. There was no sunlight, no scent of fruit trees, no twittering of birds above.
    “I had intended to tell the boy
gently
,” Taro chastised Jaguar as he emerged from one of the back rooms. He shut the door firmly behind him and twisted a bolt to lock it in place.
    “I think you underestimate him,” Jaguar replied. “He doesn’t seem to need coddling. Do you, Vance?”
    Put in the middle of the two men, I wasn’t sure how to respond. I wanted to agree with Jaguar, but I could see the disapproval on Taro’s face already.
    “Why Mistress Jeshickah thinks you will be a good influenceis beyond me,” Taro sighed, before turning to me. “Mistress Jeshickah thinks—”
    “I’ve already informed the boy of Jeshickah’s plans,” Jaguar interrupted, with a sidelong glance at me that convinced me he was intentionally baiting Taro. “You can think of me as a confidant, Vance.” He stretched out on one of the long sofas in Taro’s sitting room, much to Taro’s obvious annoyance. “For example, you can ask me all those pesky questions that our mutual friend here would say were presumptuous or offensive, like ‘Why is the sky blue?’ and ‘Why does Mistress Jeshickah occasionally smell like a stable?’ ”
    A startled laugh escaped from my throat. I clapped a hand over my mouth, only to realize that Jaguar was looking at me with a conspiratorial smile. Even Taro looked more resigned than horrified.
    “The answer, by the way,” Jaguar said, “is that Jeshickah is diligent about caring for her horses and does much of the work herself, despite having plenty of slaves to help. It is not wise to point the odor out to her, or to get between her and her bath. The woman does not tolerate filth, on herself or anyone around her.”
    This time I couldn’t help but laugh—partly in horror, yes, but partly because I had never met anyone like Jaguar. Despite my first impressions, and my better judgment, I was starting to like this bold newcomer to my life. A confidant, he had called himself.
    “Very well,” Taro said, shaking his head. “Vance, youare always welcome to visit me here if you have any questions that this irreverent fool isn’t able to answer, but you are officially Jaguar’s charge from here on.”
    Malachi’s words about Taro came back to me unexpectedly, giving me a chill:
They call him the gentleman trainer, because he can be oh-so-polite while he strips an individual of all hope and dignity. He is careful and methodical, which I’m sure is why they assigned him to you
.
    If Taro was the gentleman, what was Jaguar?
    “Come, Vance,” Jaguar said with a smile. “We should let Taro get back to his work, and I’ll show you around the building.”
    I glanced at Taro, anxious at the idea of being sent away so abruptly, but he gave me a gentle smile and waved me off. “You’ll be fine,” he assured me. “You know where to find me if you need me.”
    The slave who had gone to get me breakfast returned just as we were walking out. Jaguar handed me a pastry from the tray and informed me that I could eat while we walked. The light fare wasn’t filling the way the squirrel stew had been, but that was actually comforting. It meant no one was expecting me to trudge through snowy forests for hours.
    “This is the west wing,” he