The Tattered Lands

by Barbara Ann Wright

  The five monarchs nodded. “Monarch Nimah Pentari,” Wurabi announced.

  Nimah Pentari was dressed like Vandra, though her dark green skirt and tunic glimmered in the light, and her sandals glittered with gold and jewels. She wore gold netting over her black hair, and the point of a crown rested on her brow, dangling a green gem in the middle of her forehead. “Welcome, Lilani,” she said with a smile, “envoy of the seelie, to Citran, our combined kingdom.”

  Lilani supposed that as the leader of Citran itself, this monarch always got to speak first. At least Nimah Pentari seemed glad to see her. Before Lilani could respond, Wurabi continued.

  “Monarch Metran Van Hurans.” The man next to Nimah Pentari was dressed in a coat similar to Lilani’s, but the front hem reached his knees instead of ending at the waist. It was heavily embroidered, and he had tiny jewels woven into his black beard as well as a heavy gold circlet on his dark brow. He glared as if the very presence of the seelie offended him.

  “Monarch Bora Daelsdotter.” A bored-seeming pale woman with hair the color of copper, she wore a dark, heavily patterned skirt that reached her knees and a dagger at her belt. The fabric of her skirt matched a heavy scarf that ran around her waist and up the front of her blousy white tunic, dangling over one shoulder. Tattoos covered the right side of her pale face, bold patterns in dark blue.

  “Monarch Falla Sett.” An olive-skinned man stood next to Bora, his costume similar to hers, except that he wore trousers, and the scarf had been separated into a belt and a matching patch on his shoulder. And he gave Lilani, Vandra, and probably everyone else a slow glance and a leer so bold, Lilani was tempted to chuckle. The pattern of his clothing was softer, a mix of brown and gold. He had only a small beard and a slim circlet of silver on his brow.

  “Monarch Shyn Harra Rhys.” The last monarch was small in stature, and Lilani could not see any obvious signs of their sex. For hair, they had no more than a fine dark fuzz, and the planes of the face were sharp with high cheekbones. Their coloring was a shade lighter than Vandra’s or Lilani’s, and their clothing was simple: a plain tunic and trousers made of maroon fabric. Dark red rubies glittered from both ears, and they sported intricate tattoos that started on their hands and disappeared up their sleeves. They looked on Lilani and the rest of the seelie with a small, welcoming smile.

  “Our august and wise leaders,” Wurabi said. “May their rule last forever.”

  The room erupted in applause, even though they had to know that nothing human lasted forever. Lilani waited for the roar to die down before she offered another bow. “Many thanks from myself and my people for allowing this visit. After so much time apart, I am sure we have much to share.”

  Polite applause followed. Lilani feared saying anything more. She expected the monarchs to whisk her away to some private room, but the music began again. People pushed forward, held back by the Guard, but Lilani heard several people calling her name as well as calls of, “Ambassador!”

  Lilani wondered if she should acknowledge the cries, but Vandra nudged her. The monarchs were staring as if waiting. She looked to Wurabi who nodded for her to mount the dais. She stopped on the third step, unsure of the protocol. Faelyn stayed at her back, leaving the Guard on the lowest step. Vandra shifted from foot to foot before Lilani gestured for her to come, too.

  Falla Sett was the first to approach. “Well, well, a seelie after all this time. You must tell us, Ambassador Lilani, what brings the seelie out of hiding?”

  Shyn Harra Rhys gave him a bland look. “What my esteemed colleague means is, welcome. And I’m sure he would then add a polite inquiry as to the well-being of your people.”

  Nimah Pentari laughed. “I second both of those thoughts.”

  Lilani chuckled, glad they had a sense of humor. “My people are well. And we thought it time to be reacquainted with humanity after the possible trouble on the horizon.”

  They nodded, and the other two moved closer. So, they all knew, but it seemed as if they were waiting for her to continue.

  “The pylons—” she said.

  “There will be time enough to speak of those on the morrow,” Bora Daelsdotter said. She hadn’t lost her frown. “Did your…leader not want to come and speak with us personally?”

  “The empress meant no offense,” Lilani said, trying not to dislike this monarch at once. “She never leaves the Court.”

  “Never?” Shyn Harra Rhys asked.

  Lilani shook her head. Her mother never even went for a walk in the woods or up the Highpeak.

  “What happens if she does?” Metran Van Hurans asked. “If it would not be unpolitic to reveal it.”

  Lilani blinked, at a loss. She had no idea.

  Faelyn cleared his throat. “Forgive me, Monarchs. My name is Faelyn. I am advisor to the empress and Lilani. No magical compulsion requires the empress to remain in the Court. It is simply that she has always been there, and there is little value in upsetting a routine that is so comfortable, just as when one knows one should be working but spends all day relaxing instead.”

  That got a couple of chuckles, as well as a frown from Metran Van Hurans. Falla Sett smirked as if his idea of relaxing involved something incredibly licentious.

  Nimah Pentari gave him a dark look and gestured toward the party. “Please, enjoy yourselves. And feel free to shoo away any pests that seek to monopolize your time.” She didn’t look at her fellow monarchs as she spoke, but Lilani got the feeling she was talking about them. She glanced at Vandra as if wondering about the connection there but turned away instead of asking, towing Falla Sett with her.

  Lilani stepped down, and Shyn Harra Rhys joined her, offering a smile and gesturing toward a table in the corner. The human guards had mostly dispersed, with only one staying at Shyn Harra Rhys’s side. The seelie guards stayed with Lilani and Vandra.

  Shyn Harra Rhys seemed not to notice when their passage disturbed the dancers, who bowed at the monarch’s passing. “How do you like Parbeh?”

  Lilani just kept herself from mentioning the smells. “What I’ve seen of it seems wondrous, Monarch.”

  “Shyn, please. I’ve not yet met your alchemist friend.”

  “Professor Vandra Singh,” Lilani offered, not able to help a smile. “We hope to work together.”

  Vandra bowed, her mouth working as if she couldn’t decide what to say. “A…pleasure.”

  “Do the seelie practice alchemy as well?” Shyn asked.

  “We have herbalists, but I don’t think it’s the same.”

  “Is there a seelie university?”

  Maybe Shyn was as interested in books as she was. “No, though we have a library. We are taught by our elders.”

  “Who never die, yes?” Shyn asked. “They must be fonts of knowledge!”

  Lilani couldn’t help a laugh. If Shyn was only interested in seelie immortality because of the knowledge, they would make a good ally. “Some more than others. And some are only fonts in their own minds.”

  When Shyn threw their head back and laughed, Lilani nearly jumped. She hadn’t expected such an overt display of joy. “The same is no doubt true for many, both seelie and human. Imagine if we bonded over mutual irritation about pretention in both our peoples.”

  That would be better than all of them dying together. Or running from the tattered lands and throwing themselves into the sea. When they reached a table loaded with food, Shyn moved off to speak with someone else.

  “I have never been so close to the monarchs in all my life,” Vandra said. “Even when they congratulated my graduating class.”

  “Did it change your opinion of them?” Lilani asked.

  “Well, I like some better and some worse.”

  “I know you were hoping for a chance to speak about the pylons. I was, too.”

  “Or at least to be alone for a while.”

  Lilani glanced at her in surprise, delighted by the idea.

  Vandra stiffened and covered her mouth as if just realizing what she said. “To�
��talk…that’s what I meant. I didn’t… Oh gods, I’m so sorry!”

  Lilani waved to stop the flow of words. “It’s all right. I know what you meant.”

  Vandra had turned several shades darker. By her own burning cheeks, Lilani had joined her. “I can’t believe I said something so stupid,” Vandra said. “Not that I wouldn’t…I mean, you are very…” She went darker still, verging on purple.

  Lilani felt compelled to lay a hand on her shoulder. She fought her own blush and leaned close. “I think you’re very, too.”

  Now Vandra looked at her with gratitude and admiration as well as something else, a smile that seemed torn between surprised and intrigued.

  Before they could say anything more, Faelyn said, “Perhaps some mingling is in order.” When they both looked at him, he gave Vandra a kindly smile. “Diplomacy is important.”

  * * *

  Vandra quickly grew tired of having to fend off one nosy person after another. She’d been unnerved after meeting the five monarchs, but since most of them acted like ordinary people, she’d lost interest. As for the regular crowd, she’d started without interest. It became harder and harder to keep a hospitable smile plastered on her face.

  If they couldn’t work, she at least wanted to be alone with Lilani, but it didn’t look like she’d get the chance anytime soon. And no one really wanted to talk to her. She let the crowd around the seelie push her to the edge and moved to the buffet, Fieta and Pietyr behind her.

  “This party is boring,” Fieta said. “And my thighs are chafing under this skirt.”

  Pietyr gave her a look. “You aren’t wearing the little shorts?”

  “What little shorts?”

  “The undergarment that goes under here.” Vandra twitched her skirt. “They were in the bag.”

  Fieta’s expression darkened. “No one told me about any shorts!”

  Pietyr barked a laugh. Fieta gave him a shove.

  “Children, behave,” Vandra said. “Hopefully, this ball won’t last much longer.”

  But the crowd around the seelie didn’t seem likely to break up any time soon. Vandra sighed, wishing Ariadne was here to guide her. She’d have known how to excuse herself gracefully and get some work done.

  Thinking about her spawned a wave of dread in Vandra’s stomach. Ariadne could have navigated all the diplomacy with complete aplomb. How was Vandra supposed to do the same?

  “I think those shrimp were bad,” Fieta said, rubbing her stomach.

  “I didn’t even have shrimp, and I feel it,” Pietyr said.

  Vandra frowned at them. “Like a pit of dread in your stomach?”

  They nodded. Vandra glanced around. The feeling was too sudden to be something they’d just eaten. It felt similar to the emanations of the tattered piece of metal. Had someone from the assembly brought it here? Why? She didn’t see anyone flashing it around. The nearest people were two blank-faced palace guards who stood on either side of a door past the table. They didn’t seem queasy, and she didn’t spot anyone else holding their stomachs, but the feeling persisted, growing stronger by the moment.

  The hair on the back of Vandra’s neck stood up. She shivered, every primitive instinct telling her to flee. She backed away from the buffet, tugging Pietyr and Fieta with her. On the table in front of her, a puff pastry rolled off a dessert tower, seemingly blown by the wind.

  Or knocked away by the passage of an invisible hand, one that had been reaching for Vandra.

  “Van,” Fieta whispered. She pulled the scarf from Vandra’s neck. It had been slit in the center.

  Vandra felt her neck and winced at a slight, papercut-like pain. Fear froze her to the spot.

  “It’s a scratch,” Fieta said. “Hardly any blood.”

  “Because she stepped away,” Pietyr said as he moved in front of her. “Otherwise, she would’ve been…” He swallowed and pulled Vandra back farther, knocking into some of the partygoers and causing a bit of a stir.

  “What now?” Fieta asked.

  Vandra could barely speak, fighting the image of Ariadne’s ruined neck. She told her brain to work; she needed to think. “Someone just tried to kill me. Someone invisible.”

  “Seelie,” Pietyr said.

  Vandra swallowed hard and looked for Lilani. All the seelie she’d brought were still with her. And why would they want to kill Vandra here? They’d had better opportunities. Why wait for a crowded ball? So, if it wasn’t anyone with Lilani…

  “Head for the seelie,” Vandra said. “They can tell us what to do.”

  Pietyr frowned hard. “One of them just tried to kill you.”

  “They’re all still there! It had to be a different seelie.”

  Fieta shushed them. “If they know who the killer is, they won’t do anything while we’re standing in the middle of them, and if they don’t know, they can watch our backs.”

  Vandra tried to still her trembling, but the glittering throng seemed sinister, a distraction for murderous intent. Lilani’s guards parted to let Vandra and the twins through, and something in Vandra’s expression made Lilani’s eyes widen. She had a word with Lucian, and he pushed out all the curious humans. Then the guards closed ranks and maneuvered everyone closer to a corner.

  “What—” Lilani started.

  “An invisible seelie cut Vandra’s scarf.” Pietyr thrust it under Lilani’s nose.

  Selgwyn took it instead, examining the hole.

  “Are you all right?” Lilani asked.

  Vandra nodded. “We were standing over there, and we all felt…something rotten, like the tattered metal I picked up at the border, so I backed away, and then…” She gestured at the scarf.

  Lilani paled and looked to Faelyn. He frowned and glanced about. “Someone tried to kill Lilani at the Court, too.”

  Vandra sucked in a breath, afraid for both of them now. Had her would-be murderer followed Lilani to Parbeh in order to kill everyone she knew? Or had they beaten her here and murdered Ariadne, too?

  “The friend I told you about, the one that passed away,” Vandra said. “She was murdered in her bed, her throat cut.”

  Lilani gripped her hand. “Vandra, I’m so sorry!”

  Vandra squeezed her hand. “What do we do now?”

  “This is beginning to sound like a conspiracy,” Faelyn said. “Do we tell the human guards?”

  “Will they believe us?” Lilani asked.

  “If they did,” Pietyr said, “they might think one of you is the murderer.” And by the way he and Fieta frowned, he wasn’t ruling that out.

  Lilani’s eyes had gotten wider, her breaths shorter. She seemed one second away from bolting. Her fear dampened Vandra’s, stoking a protective urge.

  “You’ll be all right, Lilani,” Vandra said. “I’ll…” She wanted to promise protection, but what could she actually do? “We’ll help each other.”

  Lilani took a deep breath and seemed calmer. Vandra admired her so much in that moment, it was hard not to kiss her, a reward for being brave.

  “I don’t feel queasy right now,” Fieta said. “So, if that had something to do with the murderer, they’re probably gone, right?”

  Lilani had another word with Lucian. He strode to the buffet, scanning the crowd, the doorway. When he returned, he shook his head and said something in seelie.

  “He felt nothing,” Lilani said.

  When she and Vandra sighed in unison, they chuckled at one another, though Vandra heard an edge in her own voice. The image of Ariadne wouldn’t leave her, and she rubbed her throat, her heart still thundering.

  “We should leave with a crowd,” Faelyn said. “And hurry back to the guesthouse.”

  They met up with their human guards again and timed their departure to coincide with another large group. Vandra thought it must be midnight or thereabouts. When they reached the guesthouse, should she and the twins stay the night? There was safety in numbers, and Lilani would no doubt want Vandra to be safe.

  And maybe her family would be safer wi
thout Vandra for the time being. That should have made her feel better, but terror still clawed at the edge of her consciousness. She tried to focus on something else, like the fact that she might very well be about to spend the night with Lilani.

  Nothing sexual would happen, of course, not in the midst of a crisis. And they could finally work on a solution to the pylon without distractions. She tried to picture it, tried to morph her fear into something else. They’d work hard, but they’d eventually have to take a break, which would leave them alone together. Finally.

  That was so much more pleasant to think about instead of someone trying to kill them, so much better to picture than Ariadne’s death. Vandra’s adrenaline sought a new outlet in fantasy, and when Lilani’s hand closed over hers, Vandra’s heart raced both from the danger and from the enchanting woman at her side. She met Lilani’s gaze and had a vision of those purple eyes dark with desire. What would that melodious voice sound like as it was crying out in ecstasy?

  Vandra tried to clear her throat and speak about anything else, but her libido wasn’t listening now that it had been roused. She needed a release from all this tension. Lilani’s touch caused tingles all through her, and Vandra clearly did something to Lilani, too. Their gaze hadn’t broken, and Lilani leaned toward Vandra, coming so close that her features blurred. Even with all the danger and pain, Vandra let her eyes slip closed and felt Lilani’s breath on her face.

  “By the elders!” Faelyn cried.

  Vandra’s eyes flew open. Lilani’s did the same. They leaned away, and their hands came loose. The street ahead was lit with an orange glow, and as the wind shifted, Vandra smelled smoke. Cries of alarm drifted down the street. The guards moved them faster, heading deeper into the Garden District. The smoke became denser, the glow brighter.

  “Oh gods,” Vandra said.

  Waves of flame engulfed Lilani’s guesthouse. Bucket brigades tossed water into the blaze and over the neighboring houses. A firefighting machine lumbered down the street, spraying bursts of water from its huge tank, and Vandra heard the sound of another one rumbling nearby.