by C. C. York
"Another one then, eh?" Shauna said as she shut the bedroom door. She looked far too bright and cheerful in her soft wheat dress and cherry-painted lips. "Do you think it's a vision?"
Alik shook her head at her maid and best friend and crossed her arms over her silk jumper, still clutching the paper square. "I wish I knew. If I'm a soothsayer, you'd think I would at least know the difference between a premonition and a dream."
Alik drank the water Shauna guided to her, relieved that she didn't have to struggle with her Waterwerk this early. The steady stream of clear liquid snaked across the room like an iridescent ribbon pulled by invisible hands.
Alik teased, "Look at you showing off. It's still dark outside, and not even a drop spilled."
"Perfection doesn't need a clock, Princess," Shauna said as they began the dance of dressing as they had for years. Alik glided in as Shauna pulled the mint and gold embroidered silk around her, the fabric tight enough to smooth out her ample curves but not cut off her circulation. Alik watched the sun's rays race across the dark valley beyond her kingdom while Shauna cuffed the bottom of her loose pants. Rolling her shoulders, Alik forced the unease from her dream and the list of names away for the moment.
Shauna huffed a blond strand of hair out of her eyes as she examined her work. "You really should let the tailor have at your wardrobe, Alik, if you continue to refuse heels. This is getting ridiculous."
"The cuff works fine," Alik said as she turned in a small circle in front of the mirror.
At Shauna's deadpan stare, Alik rolled her eyes and continued. "I promise, one day I'll make time and let you and that horrible man with the needles attack every piece in there. Just not in the same week I have to entertain the Dvarians. I can only deal with so much torture."
Shauna said, "Speaking of which...The ship is scheduled to arrive sometime just before moonrise, so you have plenty of time to prepare. Do you want your first meal here?"
Alik settled into the vanity chair and groaned. "Please. I'm facing an onslaught of small chat and tense negotiations in addition to this," She brandished the list of names between them before returning it to her pocket. "A few hours solo is mandatory."
Shauna rested her hand on Alik's shoulder, but a knock at the door interrupted whatever comfort she might try to offer. Alik glared at the well-formed bags under her amber eyes and tried not to think about the heavy volume of trade papers waiting for her or the square of girls she'd failed jabbing her from her dress. She squished her brown cheeks in her hands, inches from the mirror, and squelched fish kisses at Shauna when she returned to ease the worry from her best friend's forehead.
"Alik, we have to hurry. I just got word that the Dvarian emissaries are waiting for you in the Atrium." Shauna said as she began pinning Alik's thick black hair, ignoring her friend's antics and frowning at the frizzy waves that she had yet to subdue.
"So early? That's odd. The emissary usually times his arrival with the feast. Let's just send more wine to their quarters so I can at least have a meal to myself. I have to be with him for all of Hasateen as it is. Surely a meal solo won't be too much of an insult?"
"Yea...Slight problem there." Shauna said around a mouthful of pins, "It's apparently not the same emissary. He sent his apprentice or his nephew; I'm not sure. The messenger was a little flustered."
Alik winced at the sharp poke of a hastily shoved pin. "Why would she be flustered?"
"Eh...your mother might have beat us there?" Shauna cringed at Alik in the mirror.
"Bokki." Alik pinched her cheeks and pressed the berry stain to her lips. "That will have to do."
The pair rushed through her wing but slowed down as soon as they entered the main Palace corridor. Shauna veered off to the servants' hall and gave Alik an empathetic frown before disappearing.
Alik straightened her shoulders as tall as her short frame allowed. Her foot snagged in the wide-legged gossamer pants, but she managed to right herself before tripping in front of a gaggle of snickering courtiers nearby.
Nothing new there, she thought. You'd think they'd have something better to do than hover around the Atrium. It's as if they're waiting for something to make fun of. She glanced down at the cuff at her ankle threatening to fall, grateful at least that she didn't have heels on. Shauna's probably right about the tailor.
Early morning sunlight splintered into a myriad of colors on the opal floor through glass ceiling panels. The Palace was an onslaught of variations on white, blinding at times in Alik's opinion. According to her tutors, the First Queen kept everything monotone so she would stand out in every room. Alik applauded her long-dead predecessor's vanity when she watched her mother stride through the halls in dramatic jewel-toned saris and silk gowns. Yet, she still loved this room of smattering greens, blues, and gold best.
The Queen was just turning into her private study off the corner of the Atrium but arched a black manicured eyebrow at her daughter's entrance. Queen Firtina's silk pants flowed down her statuesque frame like dark cherry wine from a decanter, and Alik waited for the cutting remark.
"Alik, so nice of you to finally join us," Queen Firtina said through pursed lips.
And there it is, Alik thought.
She brushed down the sides of her outfit before stilling her hands. Alik fought the urge to smooth her hair as well and looked to the group of men waiting. "Please accept my profuse apologies for my tardiness." She walked to the heavyset man in the Dvarian white linen suit, "We are pleased to have you here to mark the end of another successful trade year."
The sun barely poked her head from the sky, but moisture already beaded on his thin upper lip.
He's definitely related to the last emissary then, Alik thought.
Firtina stared at Alik for a few terrible beats, and she panicked for a moment. What did I do now? She glanced around to see what she had done wrong, but her mother disappeared into her study without another word to anyone in the Atrium. The tall wood doors banged shut with the flick of Firtina's hand.
Alik hadn't noticed the young man before he stepped from behind the emissary. A few years older than Alik, he wore the dark leather pants the pirates of Perise loved so much. He even had his shirt unbuttoned to an indecently low point like the Perisiens favored and jangled when he stepped forward, silver necklaces swaying. He was also, undoubtedly, the most attractive man Alik had ever seen in the 19 years she'd been alive.
He held up a ringed fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. "There is no need to apologize, Princess Iktidar. We arrived earlier than expected."
His voice reminded her of the still pool of water in the reflecting pond behind him. I might actually enjoy poetry if it came from those lips, she thought. She caught herself as her eyes began to drift over him, and her resolve hardened when she realized he smirked at her. Focus, Alik.
"And you are?" Alik asked, forcing herself to keep her eyes on his.
"My name is Agnian. I am the fortunate fool sent here from Dvari to discuss the trade agreement."
Alik flushed at his dangerously enticing smile. The men around Agnian, particularly the one still sweating profusely, shared a look behind his back.
Alik paused, still as stone, and quickly scanned the men with her Dua. Her bizarre ability to read auras made up for her horridness at the traditional Dua her countrywomen possessed. The men pulsed with confusion, one with anger. She guided her Dua to the good-looking one, and he radiated disgust. Her practiced smile faltered at the unexpected ferocity.
"Forgive me, I... was expecting your predecessor. You and I will be spending quite a bit of time together then as I'm leading negotiations."
His disgust shifted to an orange tinge of surprise, and Alik managed to restrain an eye roll as her eyes cleared. Leave it to a Dvarian to be shocked at a female negotiator, she thought.
"If you'd follow me, we've set up preparations in the garden." Alik led the way for the group but turned back when only one set of footsteps followed her.
Alik studiously ignored the flip in her belly and stepped back a few steps. Act like you've seen a man before, Alik. She nodded to the silent team of servants waiting in the eaves, and a flurry of movement bustled the emissaries through another corridor.
Alik and Agnian left through the Atrium's massive arched doors to the gardens. A white tent billowed over a long wooden table prepared for ten at the edge of the first terrace. Sea wind snagged at Alik's high braid, and an annoyingly long dark strand slipped out with the pull and danced in her eyes before she could surreptitiously right it. Birds sang in the treetops in the terrace below them, though, and the sweet smell of gardenias permeated the garden.
She braced herself. Now is when this beautiful man remarks on the heat or the view, she thought, but to her delight, he let the silence between them settle as they approached the tent. Alik glanced behind her to see his head on a swivel, taking in the steeply tiered gardens that dropped to the waves far below and the vertical gardens growing up the sun-bleached walls. She tipped her head back for a moment to the early morning sun, steadying herself for an arduous week. His boots crunched pea gravel as he gingerly peered over the edge before turning back to her.
"I've never been to Efendi before, Princess. I'll admit, I was a little weary given the stories of chaos and cacophony passed to me by my predecessor," he said.
“They weren't wrong,” Alik replied. “Efendi is a ladder of compressed life, bound by a high Perimeter Wall rimmed with fire and bursting with frenzy in every pocket in between. Twenty-eight semi-circular Tiers stack on top of each other to make up this kingdom, and the lowest rung is home to the poorest and weakest Efendians.” She gestured behind her, “The Palace squats at the highest Tier, which apparently makes it look like we all live inside a massive, gilded cake if seen from the valley.”
Agnian stopped her. “Wait. You’ve never been outside the Perimeter Wall?”
“Hardly.” Alik snorted. Real attractive, Alik. She turned away to get her composure back and continued. “The grassland valley and the Perimeter Wall are all that separates us from the Batiwood and its monsters at the edge of the world. It isn’t a place we often picnic.”
She peered over the edge of this Tier to the waves below. According to her first tutor, every Tier ended at the seaside bend in the kingdom in order to protect the royal family from scaling invaders. But Alik knew better. My ancestors likely preferred to see and smell the sea when they walked outside instead of our people.
Alik replied, "It’s certainly a lot to take in, but up here, the chaos feels a bit more orderly." She sidled up a few feet from him and looked down at the verdant rows of orchards and vegetable gardens stacked like stairs down to the tumultuous jade sea frothing far below.
"I took the liberty of having Lemon Salt tea prepared for you. Would you care for some?"
Agnian barked a laugh, "I thought only Dvarians enjoyed that tea. I'm glad to see it's taken hold here as well."
Alik bit her lower lip at how much to say and just tried for honesty. "I actually loathe it but thought you and your countrymen would enjoy a taste of home while you were here."
The Dvarian cracked his first genuine smile, prompting her to scan him with a glance of her Dua. The quick swirl of pleasant periwinkle and marigold surprise wrapped around him took Alik aback for a moment.
"Thank you, that is very thoughtful."
He took the chair to her left rather than any of the other eight chairs, and Alik's best friend Shauna began to pour the tea from the far edge of the terrace several paces away. His knuckles turned white as the steaming water floated through the air into his waiting cup, the deep vee of his shirt pulsing up and down with each breath.
Alik raised her hand to stop the flow. "I'll take it from here, Shauna, thank you."
An uneasy quiet hovered between them while she gave Agnian time to compose himself. She debated the merits of calling out his discomfort to her advantage for the negotiations or continuing this polite dance when he said, "Sorry. It's not often that I come across Dua so close. It took me by surprise."
That's odd, she thought as she sipped her coffee. The bulk of Duawielders, women Goddess-blessed with powers found only in Efendi, lived within her kingdom's walls. Yet, some were positioned in places of power in Dvari and the lesser kingdoms outside Efendi. An emissary should run into our Duaweilders stationed there all the time. She made a mental note to ask her brother what his spies knew of the Dvarian court and their mother's vassal tasked with monitoring the Dvarian king. Alik only took on the annual negotiations recently from her mother's advisors. Perhaps I've overestimated our influence there.
"I'll try to remember that. We Efendians tend to use it as subconsciously as a Dvarian swims. If it upsets you, I will have my staff ease its use during your stay." She should tell her mother about his bizarre behavior, but for reasons she didn't want to explore, she felt reluctant to reveal this particular man's weakness.
"No need, but thank you," he said. He sipped his tea and watched Alik over the rim. Sun-kissed chestnut hair tipped into his coffee-colored eyes while he drank.
They passed the time with surprisingly easy conversation over sweetened nuts and split pomegranates. Alik knew she should guide the discussion towards their uneasy trade agreement, but she enjoyed swapping stories about their siblings and childhood instead.
"I can't believe your brother convinced you to eat the eel pie! Was it as awful as it sounds?" She laughed after swallowing her fifth last bite of a honey almond pastry.
"Worse," Agnian confided, "But that is the way of it with him. He has this enthralling ability to convince anyone of anything. It's probably not saying much about my intelligence that I fell for it, but after your story of the Garfu eggs, I had to tell." He winked at Alik, and she gave a full laugh.
I never expected a Dvarian to be this charming, she thought as he leaned closer to tell her another story. Any Dvarian I've ever met seems so guarded or pompous, yet this one is funny and self-deprecating. It was a welcome change from the courtiers doling out ridiculous compliments with dead eyes. She genuinely enjoyed their time and felt lighter because he seemed to as well, despite the earlier reading of disgust from him.
Perhaps this week won't be so terrible, she thought.
Alik idly stirred her coffee and bit her lower lip at the thought of what this man would be like at home laughing with his family. She glanced up to see that he was watching her intently again, but when he caught her eye, he stood up with his cup to face the sea once more. His leather pants accentuated strong legs, and a white linen shirt pulled tightly at corded muscles. Alik let herself imagine for a moment what it would be like to be wrapped up in those limbs.
Get it together, Alik. She cleared her throat, "And what of your parents? Surely your mother had her hands full with two boys intent on out-tricking the other."
He stiffened and didn't say anything for a beat, but when he turned, his enticing smile was back. "She never knew what to do with us. My father is a tradesman of sorts, and she his right hand. The pair often left us to our own devices until we got to a certain age."
Shauna appeared then, face tight with worry. She slipped Alik a note with "27" scrawled hastily on it in familiar writing. The dark maw Alik forgot from her dream flashed in her mind, mouth gaping wide and pitch black. Her cup slipped, and she patted the spill on her pants as she stood.
"Is everything alright?" Agnian asked.
Alik nodded, "I'm sorry. The time slipped from me, and there are several matters I need to attend to before tonight's festivities for the start of Hasateen. My maid, Shauna, will show you to your quarters. I'll see you tonight at the feast."
She paused at the edge of the tent, "Thank you for this morning. And please don't take offense, but this was surprisingly enjoyable."
He laughed at that and gave her an exaggerated bow, "Pleasing you is my top priority, Princess," and winked. Shauna wagged her eyebrows teasingly at Alik from behind his back.
Alik laughed as well. Her heart fluttered, and she had a hard time schooling her grin, despite the note. She turned to leave, but her curiosity refused to abate. She scanned him with a passing glance, hoping to see some sign he felt the same pleasantness and eagerness she did. She walked down the corridor with a practiced indifferent look at the courtiers milling about, but inside she questioned everything they discussed.
The overwhelming emotion he read was maroon, unfettered hatred.
***
Damari waited for her in her study. Her little brother leaned against the wall of glass windows facing the sea, dark hair mussed in a way that made him look every bit of 18.
He asked, "How was the Dvarian emissary this time? Did he try to grab Shauna's derriere again?"
Alik waved him off. "No, fortunately, he sent someone else in his stead. I'll introduce you later as I think the two of you would hit it off dangerously well. Now tell me, how could 27 of our Daughters go missing in a single night?"
Damari told her the numbers his Eyes recorded and how the missing girls were not only from Low Town but up to the Trades now as well. "No one has seen a thing. It's as if they've vanished."
"What does the Canavar Company say? They have their beards in every shady aspect of Efendi, and their numbers have been growing."
"My Eyes are watching them, but they haven't seen anything yet."
Alik chewed on her fingernail while she paced. "Apart from the status level, is there anything different you see?"
"The locations. Before, the disappearances were isolated to the Silos or the docks. Now we have one girl missing from the heavily guarded home of a merchantress and another taken just before moonrise in the middle of the Trades."
Alik's mind whirled. At first, no one thought to tell her about the missing girls. One advisor had the audacity to tell her it was the unfortunate lot of the poor to be susceptible to life's worst crimes. She first heard of it through Shauna and pressed the advisors for all details. Yet they still brushed her off, which is why she sent the Palace's best spy out for news.