by Elise Kova
“You’re the best.” Ellene threw her arms around Jayme’s neck. “We’ll see you out there soon.”
Jayme left first, noru reins in hand. Gormon was a fairly gentle beast, so Vi didn’t worry too much for her handling him. Ellene was right: he was faster than her noru, but only because he was younger. Vi watched as his long tail swayed back and forth with the sort of prowling sashay that marked all noru.
She looked away quickly, reminded of the last time she found herself on the receiving end of one of the beast’s paws.
“Well, it is a good thing I’m here then,” Andru reminded them of his presence.
“How are you so quiet?” Ellene nearly jumped out of her skin. “I’d forgotten you were there at all.”
“I am not sure if I should take offense to that,” he muttered, then continued, louder, “You two will need an escort through the market, now that your guard is gone.”
“We could easily get a warrior.”
“Do not be silly. It is no trouble.” Andru smiled.
“Thank you,” Vi said, earning a look from Ellene. “That is kind of you.”
“Is it?” Ellene murmured under her breath.
It was Vi’s turn to give the girl a pointed look. She hadn’t received Romulin’s missive about the importance of Andru. Vi hastily returned her attention to the man in question, hoping he missed the nonverbal layers of communication. Fortunately, he was staring off at the noru in their pen.
“You have yet to properly see the city, right?” Vi dared to ask.
“I have been out a few times.”
“Well, allow us to show it to you from our point of view.” She didn’t know when, exactly, he’d been out.
“Is it very different? Your point of view?”
Did he want to come or not? Vi plastered on a wider smile. “I shall let you reach that conclusion on your own.”
With that, they started off with Andru in tow into the city proper.
They wound around the many unorthodox structures of Soricium. Some short, some as tall as tress. Some made of masonry, others of carved woods, and most magicked into existence with the help of Groundbreakers. Vi did her best to point out things along the way to Andru. In the back of her mind was her brother’s letter—he was important, and she had to be on her best behavior. She’d done an admittedly poor job of it so far, so perhaps she could recover some ground today.
There was an amphitheater to the north of town where most of the performances and lectures for the solstice would take place. The area around it was mostly residential, unused for most of the year, but built with wide roads and space to accommodate the city converging on the spot for those special times. That made it a logical place to pop up the market for the solstice.
“It’s even larger than last year,” Vi appraised.
“Mother says it’s the biggest year yet. The merchants filled all the open space here, they’re overflowing—some are even forced to stay back by the main road. I can’t imagine how full the city will feel when others come in for it.” Many of the smaller towns and cities in Shaldan poured into Soricium for the solstice events.
“What do you think?” Vi asked Andru as they started down the makeshift market stalls.
“It is very different, indeed.”
“Different… in a good way?” She tried to lead him along.
“I think so. It is a shame your brother will not arrive before this festival is over. I do think he would enjoy seeing the collection of so many cultural notes.”
Vi folded her hands before her thoughtfully. She’d never thought of what her brother would think of the market—of anything in the North, really. It had always been such an impossibility for him to be present that she never even considered what he’d enjoy about the life she’d lived.
“Does my brother enjoy learning of different cultures?” Vi knew the answer already, but she was curious what Andru would say. How closely had he positioned himself to the royal family?
“Oh, incredibly so. He practically bounces off the wall when a new batch of texts arrives from the library in Norin, Hastan, or sent from you. Especially if it’s sent from you.” As Andru spoke, he looked nowhere in particular, eyes darting from stall to stall. His words were fond, but his eyes were distant.
Did he care for her family or not? Vi couldn’t put her finger on the answer.
“Do you spend—”
“Oh, look at that,” Andru interrupted her. More like, hadn’t even realized she’d started speaking. “Now that is something Prince Romulin would find fascinating.”
Andru wandered off toward a leatherworker’s wares. Vi started in his direction but was stopped by a hand on her sleeve.
“There’s a Western spice seller.” Ellene pointed in the opposite direction. Vi looked between the two locations. “Unless you’d rather go with him?”
She was curious what Andru thought her brother would find so fascinating. There was an uneasy feeling about the notion that Andru might know things about Romulin she didn’t, merely by virtue of his usual proximity to her brother. That fact soured her stomach.
“No, no… he’ll be fine on his own for a moment. Besides, I want to get Uncle Jax something.”
“I thought you might.” Ellene hooked her arm with Vi’s leading her toward the stall.
A woman sat in a folding chair, surrounded by baskets that Vi recognized as Northern make, but filled with the bright colors and smells of the West. There was a pile of what looked like sand, next to small hard black nuts. Vi didn’t know what half of it was for, but she did know that Jax loved almost all of it; whenever he prepared food with these spices, it had the most magical taste.
“Hello, young princesses.”
“I’m not a princess,” Ellene insisted. “I’m a future Chieftain.”
“Good day.” Vi gave a small nod of acknowledgment, ignoring how, exactly, the woman had identified her as a princess. She wasn’t wearing any sort of circlet or other royal regalia, though perhaps proximity to Ellene was enough. “May I have a scoop of this one?” Vi pointed to what appeared to be a coarse-ground, reddish spice blend.
“Do you have your own bag, or will you need one?”
“I shall need one.”
The woman took a metal scoop from a small bucket at her side and filled a tightly woven satchel with Vi’s selection. The bag plumped and their nostrils were assaulted with the tangy aroma. She tied it off at the top with a short length of twine.
“How much?” Vi fished out a few coins from the pouch at her side.
“For the Crown Princess, nothing.” The woman handed her the bag and sat back in her chair, a thin smile on her weathered lips.
Vi continued to ignore the slightly unnerving feeling she was getting from the merchant, focusing instead on extending out a thin silver coin. “I can’t possibly take something without payment.”
“Seeing you is payment enough.” The woman’s beady black eyes looked her over from top to toes. Vi’s arm went slack. “I heard the stories, but had to see it with my own two eyes. You really do look just like her, our dear, late princess Fiera.”
“My grandmother?”
The woman nodded. “You have her hair, her voice, her blood, and her fire, too, from what I hear.”
Vi bit back a correction. One of the reasons she needed to learn the magic of light from Sehra and Taavin was to keep that illusion alive—that she was a Firebearer like her predecessors. It gained her far too much favor in the West to allow the perception to slip.
Still holding out the coin, Vi tightened her elbow and extended it further. “Truly, I insist.”
“Very well. I shall consider it a boon from our princess returned.” The woman leaned forward and took the coin from between her fingers. “Do you have her tastes as well? Do you like Western spices?”
“I enjoy cuisine from all across the Empire.” Romulin would be proud of that response, Vi decided. She’d have to tell him about it in her next letter—but no, there would not be a next
letter. She would merely tell him in person. An odd rush overtook her.
The woman hummed and Vi got the distinct feeling that she saw the response for the politically approved statement that it was. “Well, perhaps when you are in the West enjoying our cuisine, you will enjoy other aspects of our culture.”
“I am sure I will.” Vi made a motion to leave.
“Perhaps a curiosity shop.”
“A what?” It was Ellene who paused now, clearly intrigued.
“A curiosity shop,” the woman repeated, answering Ellene but continuing to stare directly at Vi. Her eyes felt like they would never leave her for the rest of her days. “In the West, the Firebearers among us with the power to peer among the Mother’s lines of fate and look into the future will sell this ability to those who seek them out. The places they use their future sight for profit are called curiosity shops.”
“Can you see the future?” Ellene asked eagerly.
“We should go. Darrus is waiting.” Vi stopped the conversation there. She’d had enough talk about future sight. She still hadn’t told her friends, or Uncle Jax, about her visions. Vi was juggling too many things—too many secrets—for her taste, and didn’t want to stand here and be reminded of them.
“Right, right.” Ellene gave a small wave to the elderly woman, clearly not as unnerved as Vi was. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” Her black eyes stayed stuck on Vi. “Should you ever decide to go West, seek me out at my curiosity shop in the Crossroads. It has been passed down in my caravan for generations, the key to it said to have been gifted from Lady Fiera herself. You may find it enlightening, princess. The lines of fate are wound so tightly around you that they could strangle you if you’re not careful.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper, but Vi heard perfectly. The day suddenly felt far, far colder.
“What is it, Vi?”
“Nothing.” If she insisted it firmly enough to Ellene, perhaps she’d believe it as well. Vi plastered a smile on her face. “Nothing at all. Let’s get to the noru races. We don’t want to keep them waiting, and there’s only so much talking up Jayme can do.”
Just as they were leaving the stall, so too was Andru leaving his. He also had a small satchel in his hands, though it was canvas, not leather. Whatever he had purchased was concealed within.
“What did you buy?” he asked.
“Some spices for Jax. What about you?”
“A little gift as well, for when I return home.” A gift for whom? Vi wondered, but didn’t get the chance to ask. “Shall we continue to these races?”
Without another word on fate, future seers, or gifts, they did.
Chapter Twenty
Expectedly, they were the last to arrive at the noru races, and Ellene seemed to relish in it because it meant all eyes were on her for her grand entrance.
“I wasn’t sure if you were really going to come.” Darrus wasted no time in crossing over to them.
“I would never abandon you,” Ellene said smoothly.
His emerald eyes drifted over to Vi. She braced herself, remembering him in his mask from the night before. Would he out her now? A tiny, knowing smile crossed his lips, and then he carried on as though nothing was out of the ordinary. “I heard you were racing?”
“Well, I’d fully planned on it.” Vi rested a hand on her stomach, hunching slightly. “But I think I ate something in the market that didn’t agree with me. It’s coming on quickly.”
“What, no!” Ellene gasped, bringing her hands to Vi’s cheeks.
Jayme rushed over to Vi’s side, resting a hand on her back. “The same thing happened to me last night. Was it something from the cheese stall? The wheel with all the bright colors marbled underneath the wax?”
“Yes, that one!” Vi leaned into her friend.
“I do not remember you stopping at a cheese stall,” Andru murmured.
“We must have gone when you were distracted,” Ellene said with a glare.
“I only remember the spice stall.” He shrugged.
Vi gave a loud groan of mock pain, trying to bring the attention back to her. “And after I’ve saddled my noru and everything.”
Did this sound as fake to everyone else? Vi couldn’t help but wonder. It was a good thing they were all born nobility or in service to nobility, for none of them were about to win any acting awards. Even still, Darrus seemed to be believing it, and that was all that mattered. Then again, he hadn’t taken his eyes off Ellene for more than a minute and the two gravitated closer together with every second.
“Should we get a cleric for you?” Darrus asked, concern coating his words. “I may have some potions on hand. One of my friends is a Groundbreaker with a gift for healing and I think they—”
“No, no. I’m fine, or I will be.” Vi made a show of wincing.
“It passed quickly for me as well,” Jayme affirmed. “But, as your sworn guard, and in the interest of your safety, I must insist you do not race. Doing so could agitate things, and the unsightliness of being sick astride a noru…”
“But Jayme, my noru is all saddled and ready to ride.” As Vi finished, she glanced at Ellene from the corners of her eyes, waiting for the girl to jump in and be the hero she wanted to be… any second… But Ellene was too busy making looks of adoration at Darrus. Looks he was returning, so at least he didn’t consciously hear the conversation running head-first past awkward. “If only someone could—”
“I could ride the noru for you!” Ellene returned to the realm of the present at the last possible moment. “If you do not mind, that is, princess.”
Vi fought a blurt of laughter at Ellene’s display. “Are you certain you don’t mind?”
“Princess, for you, anything.” Ellene gave a low bow.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try?” Andru asked.
Vi looked at him sideways. They’d all but settled the matter. This was overkill even by the most histrionic standards. Unless he was that dense and hadn’t figured out what they were doing?
“No, I think it is best I don’t.” Vi straightened, trying to make sure she still looked appropriately ill in the process, as though standing tall was a struggle she was willing to endure for the sake of her station.
“But you have given your word, princess,” Andru continued to press. “Prince Romulin has said that a royal should always keep to their word.”
“It is very unfortunate, yes,” Vi ground out. “But I think I must sit out.”
“But—”
Vi outright interrupted him this time. “Ellene, if you are to race for me, then I must command you to win.”
“It would be my honor.” She turned to Darrus. “If this last-minute substitution is accepted…”
“Of course it would be.” Darrus didn’t miss the chance to take Ellene’s hands. Vi couldn’t fight a smile—a smile that quickly vanished when she remembered Taavin’s nearly identical motions the night before. As though he too hadn’t wanted to miss a chance to… Focus. Vi forced her mind only on the present. “For the Chieftain’s daughter, for you, anything.”
“Thank you, Darrus. I really don’t know what I’d do without you…” Ellene was saying, as the two walked off toward the noru along a starting line drawn with gravel in the barren dirt.
“They are so cute, it is a little disgusting, is it not?” Vi murmured.
“He is certainly cute,” Andru said so softly under his breath that Vi wasn’t certain she’d heard it. She looked in his direction, but her thoughts were near instantly diverted when Jayme let out a large snort.
“We’ll see if it lasts a season this time.”
“Must you be so cynical?” Vi laughed at Jayme’s remark. “Let the girl have her romance.”
“I’m being reasonable. Is he of a good family? Will her mother approve? What marriage must she make for the sake of alliances?”
“The North is not as concerned with such things as the South,” Vi reminded her. Jayme might look Eastern, but she’d grown up in the Sou
th. Her concerns and sensibilities were distinctly Southern as a result.
“They must not be,” she murmured.
“Are you concerned with such things?” Andru asked.
“I know that when it comes to my romantic life, it is best if I am not concerned. My opinion of my match will be the lowest rung on the ladder of considerations when the time comes.”
“Spoken like Prince Romulin,” he said softly. Vi turned, catching his icy blue eyes. It was spoken like her brother, because he was the one to have given her those words. “Do you find your brother’s counsel wise, princess?”
“More than any other’s.”
“He would make a fine ruler, had he been born first.” The words were said like agreement… but there was something that felt akin to a knife twisting in her.
A similar sensation to the one in the market returned, sweeping across new corners of her. Andru clearly thought Romulin was more fit to lead. He knew Romulin better—the whole of the South would. Romulin was their darling child and she was…
Vi swallowed.
She was the faraway heir no one knew anything about and likely no one wanted. Vi opened her mouth to speak again, though she didn’t know what she wanted to say. Did she want to confront him about the sentiment surrounding her and her brother? Did she want to somehow try to see if the Senate was keeping tabs on Romulin as they were her? Was the Senate trying to pit them against each other?
Whatever she might have asked was cut short by a man walking along the center line. He stared up at the different noru, all shoulder to shoulder.
“This preliminary heat will be one lap around the outer circle,” the man boomed. “The first two will advance to the finals to be held during the winter solstice festivities. There is no attacking, or intentionally bumping into other noru. Claws to anything but the ground equals immediate disqualification. Are there any questions?”
The riders shook their heads.
“Good luck, Ellene!” Vi cupped her hands around her mouth and called.