Jeanne: Out in the Wet

Druce, who had not rushed out of sight as quickly as he had appeared to do, paused to watch the woman return indoors. And where was she off to do? he wondered. Unconsciously he turned one foot toward the hill and Lucius, as Jason had ordered him, and he tore his gaze from the doorway back to the wet, dull land all around them. Part of him was worried for the Guttersnipe and another part was merely curious (if one could say "merely" to the gnawing wish to find out what the spy, if she was a spy, was doing), and still another part knew that he ought to be going to patrol. The latter won out, and he spun around before giving himself a chance to change his mind.

He found Lucius as Jason had suggested, on the hill overlooking the horse pasture, his fishnets spread across his lap and on the ground beside him. He looked up as Druce approached, shaking off the rain that drizzled into his eyes. "So?" Lucius called by way of a greeting.

Druce crossed the remainder of the distance and tried to throw the rain out of his clothing and his hair, but through perseverance the mist had soaked him to the skin. "We're to take the long patrol," he said, wiping a droplet from the bridge of his nose. "Jason is saddling our horses for us."

Lucius, who was already wet, minded the orders less than his companion; he grunted and began gathering up the crisscrosses of rope into his arms, thrusting some on Druce to carry as they tromped heavily through the flat, slippery grass to the stables.