She turned her back to him as, what she hoped would be, an insult and waited.
There was a long pause. All she could hear was his heavy breathing and Darien�s shuffling feet.
Then, �Shyra.� Quivern�s voice spoke of a strength of another sort. A dignity she didn�t know he had.
She remained were she was, her back to him.
�I mean to apologize.� Darien gasped in shock. �I was mistaken to call you out. Obviously our different cultures have made it difficult for us to communicate with the proper etiquette. I hope you accept my sincere request for forgiveness.� Quivern finished calmly.
Silu slowly began to feel foolish. She was not given to elaborate displays of strength. With shame she realized that she had over-stepped her bounds and become to prideful of her abilities. A Shyra is a servant to the earth and its children. She thought. I should have humility. I should have turned the other cheek.
�It is I who should apologize.� She turned to face him and kept her eyes down cast. He was a man, and her fellow Shyra would have beaten her for doing it, but Silu�s heart told her the apology was necessary. �It has been so long since I have been with my people that I have forgotten our basic principles.� At the mention of her people she felt a few stinging tears gather behind her eyes. Her quest had been an excuse to get rid of her. Even the people she loved were frightened of her power. Was her arrogance and intimidation the reason they had sent her away?
She felt someone take her hand and then her shoulder in a warm comforting grip. Silu looked up through watery eyes and found Quivern wearing a ridiculous smile. She prayed he could not see her tears. �Do you accept mine?� He said.
�Yes, I do.�
�Good. Then I accept yours.� He let go and stepped past her down the hall towards the exit. �Now we don�t have much time. You ready to hear my plan?� A bit of awe and appreciation for this man wiggled its way into her thoughts. He had been so regal so formal. He is the son of a Duke.
Despite herself she said yes.
Quivern gathered them into a huddle and quietly explained his simple but thoughtful plan. It became apparent to Silu that he was more of a match for her then she had originally presumed. He had been instructed in the ways of war and espionage. Well, it was the type of war and espionage that would be used here, in the Middle Kingdoms. The Tan U Tae form of battle was a bit more sophisticated and, in her opinion, more intelligent then Quivern�s way. Several times during his explanation he made references to the importance of honor and fairness. The emphasis he placed on them was a little more then augmented.
Basically, the plan was this: Quivern and Darien go ahead into the mansion together as they had entered. Silu�s presence in the kitchens outside the dungeon entrance would definitely be noticed so she would have to wait for Quivern to create a distraction for the kitchen maids. Silu suggested he knock them out or call the guards down on them, but he insisted that these women had done nothing wrong and would, as all women should, be dealt with carefully considering their natural �delicacy.�
Silu had struggled at that point not to burst out laughing.
While Quivern was clearing out the kitchen Darien would find her a disguise. The rest was obvious. Quivern would tell his father he was going on a hunt. No one would question the Duke�s son in the stables or at the estate gates.
S ilu thought it was a sound plan but was still hesitant about trusting the men. She had only known Quivern a little more then an hour. Darien on the other hand had assisted crossings in the past. The Tan U Tae was already in his debt and she disliked thinking of him as an enemy.
She couldn�t turn down their offer either way. Her only other option was to kill them and take her chances alone. There was no way she could justify killing so many living creatures though, even if it was their fault for getting in her way.
