It took Kyra a moment to get over her surprise, but she waved Darylene in and motioned for her to sit down. Kyra offered her a cup of tea, and Darylene accepted.
An awkward silence stretched between them then, and Kyra was grateful that she could busy herself with the stove. She knew by now that she’d been unfair in her initial animosity toward Darylene, and she was also well aware of the girl’s role in Willem’s overthrow. But still, old impressions were hard to get over, and Kyra didn’t know what to say to Darylene, much less why she was here.
“I trust you are well?” Kyra asked when the tea was finally poured.
Darylene nodded. She still moved and held herself like an elegant lady. Kyra could see why she might have caught Willem’s eye. “Things progress well. I no longer work in the Palace. There’s too much talk. Half the nobles deem me a traitor, while others treat me like a former trophy of Willem’s to be won and flaunted,” said Darylene. “As for my fellow servants, they’ve never had much use for me, and turning Willem in wasn’t enough to earn their good opinion. It all grew to be too much.”
Kyra could imagine.
Darylene brushed a stray curl from her face, then continued. “It probably won’t surprise you that Willem provided for my material needs while I was his companion. And it was a big reason why I hesitated to say anything about Willem’s crimes. It was selfish of me, I know, but I had a brother and sister who depend on me, and what I made as a servant in the Palace was not enough.” She gave a sad smile. “Why worry about the fate of the city when my own family was fed?”
“You have siblings?” asked Kyra.
“Yes.” Darylene’s eyes softened when she spoke of them. “Ava is ten and Derek is eight. We’re very close, since my ma and pa passed.”
Kyra thought of Idalee and Lettie. “They’re lucky to have you.” And she found that she meant it.
Darylene smiled then and looked down at her tea. “It’s…hard for us to stay in the city after all that has happened. I think I need to take my family and leave, at least for a while. James said you could help me with supplies, coin, and arrangements.”
At first, Kyra thought she’d misheard what Darylene had said. “James?” Kyra asked. “The Head of the Assassins Guild?”
Darylene nodded. “When he escaped from prison, he came to speak with me. He’d somehow found out that I had proof of Willem’s misdeeds. He said…that if I ever decided to turn Willem in, I could ask you for help getting back on my feet.”
Kyra stared at Darylene, unable to respond.
Someday I’ll call in a favor from you, and I’ll hold you to it.
So he’d decided that Kyra was the best person to help Darylene. Kyra supposed he was right. Compared to Bacchus or even Rand, she was the one most likely to see Darylene safely off to a new life.
“I’ll need some time to make arrangements and call in some favors,” said Kyra. “But I’ll see it done. Come back in three days, and we can talk further.”
Darylene took Kyra’s hands and squeezed them. “Thank you,” she said.
Kyra looked down, wondering if Darylene had any idea how deeply Kyra’s distaste for her had run before. “Thank you for what you did,” said Kyra. “Who knows where the city would be now if you hadn’t come forward.”
“I should have done so earlier, but I didn’t have the courage.” Darylene paused. “I know you must hate him, but Willem was kind to me. I’m not sure I can say I loved him, but I respected him. He was a proud man, with a vision for Forge to be a beacon to the surrounding cities. Willem had the kind of ambition and foresight that few men ever dreamed of, much less acted on.” Darylene’s gaze went distant for a moment. “But James was persuasive when we spoke. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t stay silent.”
“He was a very persuasive man,” said Kyra.