The Argent Star

by Emerson Fray

  Chapter 18

  Abetha apologized to Sheridan before leaving with Ren. She took it, maybe understanding Abetha’s feelings more than Ren could, but she didn’t look any more comfortable with them going alone. Ren had to sneak out of the manor to get here, which was surprisingly easy once Elian had locked himself in his room; he’d been in there for hours already. Whatever he was working on made Ren nervous but maybe it was for the best; she’d rather he work on his cloaking device than anything Garret wanted him doing. Every hour he spent working on his projects was another hour he wasn’t hunting down insurgents.

  Ren wished Kian would show up. She hadn’t seen him since the abduction, and his father had retreated to one of the outer villages. Or maybe he was a rebel as well and was off in the forest with his son. Ren couldn’t see him “slumming” it out there with the others.

  Ren and Abetha walked along the cobblestone, trying to stay in the shadows to ensure no one noticed them. The hood on her dress stayed up, hiding her face from anyone that might pass by. Nobody could know she was going to this dinner, and part of her didn’t even want the society to know until her arrival.

  “Try to appear sympathetic to the rebels cause,” Abetha had suggested before they left. “But talk about how their tactics are wrong. And speak as much as you can about the Monarchy and how wrong they are for coming here.”

  Ren realized quickly that she wasn’t going to have to lie much to impress the Sisterhood. Moving into an alleyway gave Ren’s chest a tight flutter, and soon Abetha revealed a hidden door. There wasn’t anything in front of it to shield it from prying eyes, but unless you were looking for it, you wouldn’t see it. The wooden exterior of the house matched perfectly to the door. Abetha pushed it open.

  Walking inside, Ren had expected some kind of resistance; a guard to watch for anyone that might interfere with the Sisterhood’s dinner, but she found the place to be inviting. Much like the manor, everything was accented in mahogany, or what passed for it on this planet, with lots of open space. The main difference, Ren noted, was that the people looked her in the eye without hesitation. For a moment she wondered if they even recognized her.

  Moving forward Ren trailed behind Abetha, waiting for instruction. They turned and walked down a dim hallway with red paint and elegant art draped on the walls. Everyone that passed by wasn’t dressed in formalwear as Ren expected, and all of them were women. In fact, they dressed much like the Sotarians Ren had seen all over Mahendra; black cotton, with small patches of leather. As another woman passed her Ren spotted a dagger on her hip made completely of jade. It didn’t look like it was just decoration.

  There was a door at the end of the hall. The closer she got to it the more she understood that she didn’t know what to say. She didn’t think that her anger at the Monarchy alone would suffice, and with only a couple of hours to impress these women she wasn’t sure she could do it.

  Even impressing Abetha lately was hard. Ren had to remind herself that Abetha taking her to the dinner was proof enough of the change on Novae and that there was more to come. Because of her. Ren felt her hands begin to sweat. She wiped it away on the cotton dress, anxiety flaring. The hallway seemed to be so much smaller now than when she’d first entered.

  “Take a breath,” Abetha said, her hand on the doorknob. Ren hadn’t noticed they’d stopped in front of a green door, long swirls carved into its surface. Ren did as she was told, and took in gulps of air. “Are you ready?”

  Not at all, Ren thought. An entire planet weighed down on her. “Yes,” she whispered.

  Abetha pushed the door open.

  A rush of cool air rushed against Ren’s face, a slap compared to the normal warmth she’d become accustomed to on Novae. She’d forgotten what it felt like to walk into a temperature-controlled room, since she rarely spent time on scows, and Earth never needed any. This cold pocket was refreshing, lifting Ren’s spirits.

  Stepping inside with Abetha, Ren thought there would have been people gawking at them; at the Princess and the girl that dared to bring her there. But the women inside went about their business, a few sitting at the long dining table, and others standing with flutes of what appeared to be some kind of sparkling wine. Some of them glanced over, giving Ren and Abetha a once over but it wasn’t threatening or judging. It was just…a glance to see who’d come in.

  “So, who is everyone?” Ren asked. Were these women of power in Novae? Or did they conceal their abilities and wits to live quietly on the planet?

  “They are like me,” Abetha answered, “the newest members of the Sisterhood. The rest are potential Rushes, like you. Come, let’s take a seat.”

  Ren had thought that she needed to be introduced to someone, because wasn’t she there to impress them? But if only the newest members were coming to dinner, how did she gain the invitation she so desired?

  As she sat down Ren inspected the artwork, the walls, and even the ceiling. Anything that might tell her how she was being judged and watched. The other girls might not care, but she did. It felt strange.

  And it bothered her that she couldn’t see any sort of camera or transmitting device. Even at the university she’d been able to spot the “hidden” cameras. This must have been more of Novae’s secret technology. If there was anything at all.

  “What are you searching for?” Abetha asked. She sipped at her water, a small cut of cucumber bobbing towards her lips.

  “Transmitters,” Ren admitted. She peered up at the ceiling again, certain there must be something there.

  “There would be no such thing here,” Abetha said. She set her glass on the table and watched the other women talk, not interested in doing so herself. Nothing seemed to interest Abetha, and Ren knew exactly why. She worried about Ross. Maybe doing this might help pick up her spirits and convince her that he would be okay.

  “How will they judge us then?” Ren asked. “If they aren’t watching then what are they doing?”

  Abetha didn’t answer and took another sip of water. Ren copied her movements, if only to buy herself some time and to hide yet another revelation. If they weren’t watching the dinner, then the women of the Sisterhood were participating.

  Those casual glances suddenly became much more calculating. Opening her mouth to say something, anything that might give her a chance at earning an invitation, Ren found no words. Nothing. It was as if her brain had turned off and all she could think about was the fact that she had once liked the Monarchy. She had believed in them, trusted them.

  And now they had killed her father and had begun to corrupt her brother. Her grip on her water glass tightened.

  “Careful,” a voice said, “those are fragile. They were made by the best glassblower in Vellen.”

  Ren whipped her head to the right to find a woman sitting there. She looked older than most of the other girls, with fine lines travelling across her face, and streaks of grey in her otherwise dark hair. Ren thought she could be a veteran member.

  “My apologies,” Ren said shakily. “I was just thinking of something.”

  “Yes, I’m so sorry to hear about your father,” the woman said. “He must have been a skilled fighter to be able to take down a Sotarian.”

  “He was.” Ren nodded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

  “I’m Tansy Vark, first daughter of Allen Vark.” She said the names as if they meant something so Ren tried her best to act as if they did. With as much control as she could muster Ren stuck her hand towards Tansy, who took it with grace and poise.

  “It’s an honour to meet you,” Ren said.

  Tansy nodded. As their hands parted Tansy began to spin her own glass of water on the table; not too fast as to spill anything, but quicker than Ren would have been comfortable with. “So much has fallen onto you and your brother,” she said quietly, “it must be a relief to know that your fathers assassin is dead, and the conspirator imprisoned.”

  “No
t at all,” Ren said back. “I don’t believe either of them are guilty.” She debated adding in something about blaming the Monarchy, but thought it was too soon. She didn’t want to look too eager to impress them.

  “Then who do you suppose is?”

  Ren shook her head, realizing that she didn’t know exactly who was to blame. Of course Garret and the Monarchy had arranged everything, but who actually killed her father? She didn’t know. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Well,” Tansy said with a deep breath, “perhaps you’ll find out soon.”

  Some time passed and they were served their meals. Novaean delicacies covered the table, and the chatter was pleasant and light. Nothing like what Ren thought. They discussed fashion over politics, art over war. Ren never got any more opportunities to discuss the Monarchy or her father’s unjust passing. The rebels never came up in conversation.

  By the end of dinner she found herself embedded in a conversation about the Sotarians, and how there were fewer women joining.

  “Do you suppose it is harder for a woman to pass the tests?” one girl asked. She looked younger than Ren.

  “What do you mean?” Tansy said loudly. “A woman can pass the tests just as easily as any man.”

  The girl blushed. “I’m sorry, I just mean…is there prejudice because of our gender? Do you think that we are marked harder than men?”

  The guests all thought. “Perhaps,” Tansy mused. “We should work on encouraging more women into the Guardship, and perhaps more will wish to join.”

  “I looks very hard to me,” Ren blurted. She looked away, questioning where those words had come from. She checked the pink liquid in her fresh glass, and wondered if there was alcohol in it. It had been fizzy and sweet, she hadn’t expected there to be anything other than juice in it.

  “Are you suggesting that women are not capable Sotarians?” Tansy questioned. She turned her entire body towards Ren, waiting for a response. It was a test, Ren knew.

  “No,” she replied, “I just thought…I’ve seen Sheridan do some amazing things—just the way she moves is amazing. I could never do something like that.”

  It sounded stupid, and Ren felt stupid. Of course they wouldn’t value her opinion on Sotarians, and maybe talking so highly of her own personal one wouldn’t get her the invitation she needed but she didn’t want to lie about Sheridan.

  “But you have,” Tansy said, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Abetha told us of how you defeated the arenthrope, and took its tooth as trophy.”

  “That was a little different,” Ren said with a shrug.

  “No, it isn’t,” Tansy said, “you risked your life to save another. That is what a true Sotarian does. And you’ve done it more than once.”

  Ren felt her face redden as everyone around the table began to nod. They weren’t even looking at her, and quickly continued the conversation, but Ren still felt that wiggle of embarrassment in her stomach.

  Abetha rarely spoke, and by the time it was announced that dinner was over, and the guests began to leave, Ren wondered if she’d even said a word. Ren had been so focused on everyone else, she felt guilty, as if she’d abandoned Abetha.

  The small heels on their boots clicked as they walked down the cobble path, not a single soul in sight. “If the Rush is tonight,” Ren whispered, “shouldn’t I have been invited already?”

  “I am not sure how the invitations work exactly,” Abetha said with a yawn. “We will just have to continue as we normally would.”

  There was still no invitation by the time they arrived at the inn. Nobody had stopped them, and no magic piece of paper had fallen from the sky inviting them to the Rush. Ren wondered if speaking so highly of Sheridan was what had done her in. Was it worth it? Was it—

  Thunk!

  Ren and Abetha jumped as a blade stuck into the wood of the front door. Glinting in the moonlight, the jade dagger had a slim piece of paper wrapped around its handle, swaying in the light breeze.

  “Go ahead,” Abetha suggested, nudging Ren to move forward. Carefully, Ren searched for where it had come from but the street was quiet. Whoever had thrown it wasn’t trying to kill either of them; the blade had landed too far away.

  Ren was still nervous to pick at the paper. It was warm in her hands, and unwrapping it she found herself elated. “It’s the invitation!”

  Abetha peered at the note. “You can read Novaean now?”

  The tiny letters were scrawled perfectly, and though Ren only knew a few words she understood what this note was. “I’ve been practicing a bit.”

  “We should hurry then,” Abetha said. “It is a long walk.”

  The door opened. “I’ll join you,” Sheridan said.

  Abetha shook her head. “I cannot show you the way. You’re not invited.”

  “Halfway then,” she suggested. Her tone was so much looser than Ren remembered during their first meeting. When had she begun to let her guard down so easily? Especially when a knife had been hurled from places unknown.

  Abetha looked into the trees, and Ren guessed she was thinking about every horrible and deadly creature that lived there. Soon she nodded and said, “Only halfway.”