Six of Clubs (War and Suits Book 5)

by J. A. Armitage

  I waited to see what she would do, half hoping she would cry herself out and leave me be. When five minutes had passed, and she still hadn’t left, I knew I’d have to show myself. I could hear the others getting closer, and truth be told, I didn’t want to spend the whole night in the tree. I swung myself down and landed deftly by Lilac’s feet, making her jump.

  “Oh, there you are,” she said, wiping her eyes. She couldn’t have sounded less pleased to see me if she tried.

  “Are you ok?” I asked her, ignoring her attitude with me.

  “Yeah, if you count being the oldest unbonded girl in the whole village as being ok. It’s embarrassing Iris. You are five years younger than me. Why did Mali pick you and not me?”

  “Honestly? I think it’s because I declared my undying love for Mali, and he wanted to get me bonded and out of his hair,” I replied glumly.

  Lilac burst into shrieks of laughter and only stopped when she saw that I wasn’t joking.

  “You’re being serious?”

  “Yep.”

  “You’re in love with Mali? That’s gross.”

  “It’s not gross; he’s amazing.”

  “He’s decrepit. My parents are younger than he is.”

  “He’s not that old,” I replied. “He’s mature, unlike the rest of the boys around here. I’ll probably be bonded to Basil.”

  “At least, Basil is your age.”

  “He’s a total weasel, Lilac.”

  “Well yeah, but at least, he likes you.”

  “If I find out I’m going to be bonded to Basil, I’m leaving. I’d rather live out my life in a normal marriage to a boring Club that I can divorce when I want or better still, remain single than bond with Basil.”

  “He’s not that bad...ok, he is that bad, but you’ve got a four in five chance of not getting him. Maybe you could appeal to Mali if he chooses Basil.”

  “I don’t want to look at Mali right now. I think he’ll pick Basil out of spite if I beg him for affection one more time. Monsatsu, I sound pathetic.”

  “Just a little,” agreed Lilac, “and since when do you pray to Monsatsu?”

  “It’s just a figure of speech. I’ll pretty much pray to any deity if it will get me out of this.”

  “And I’d be a Born Again Monsatsuian just to get chosen.”

  I hugged her. The ridiculousness of our situation did not escape me.

  “If only we could swap places, huh?” Lilac said.

  “You know we can’t. Once Mali has chosen a girl to be bonded, there is no turning back. Come on; let’s get back to the village. I’m going to have to face my fate sooner rather than later.”

  “Will you really leave here?” she asked me as we headed back to the village.

  “I don’t know. How can I be bonded to one person and work so closely with another one that I’ve been in love with for three years? I don’t know how to turn that off.”

  “You really do have it bad, don’t you?” she asked. “Gross!”

  I went straight to my house, keeping my head down, as I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I left Lilac to tell the other villagers where I was. I’d only get the same reaction from them that Lilac had given me—that being in love with Mali was disgusting and that I was somehow strange for not being overjoyed with being chosen to be bonded.

  It wasn’t only the villagers that I was avoiding. I couldn’t bear to see Mali in the state I was in, blotchy-eyed and hair full of twigs. I’d embarrassed myself in front of him enough for one day.

  Luck just wasn’t on my side. When I opened my door, I found Mali sitting in one of my chairs. My first instinct was to offer him a cup of tea. It was something I’d done for him every day I’d known him. The absurdity of it made me laugh out loud. Let him make his own tea. Better yet, let him go to his own house and have tea there.

  “It’s rude to break into people’s houses,” I said snarkily and somewhat pointlessly. He’d been coming into my house without waiting to be invited since I met him. The villagers in Yelpish all had an open door policy. It was meant to be great for community spirit, but it was a bitch if you just wanted to be left alone.

  “Sit down Iris,” he said. I almost did as he asked before remembering that it was my house, and he was the guest if you could call him that.

  “I don’t want to sit down.”

  “Iris, I know you are not happy with this, but it is the way it is meant to be.”

  “It is the way you want it to be. How am I supposed to work alongside you whilst being bonded to someone else? The magic of bonding would kill me before the bonding ceremony was even over. You know you are not supposed to have impure thoughts about others when you are bonded, but no one tells you how you are supposed to stop them.”

  Talking to him in this way was excruciating. I wished he’d just leave me to my misery.

  “Iris, you are a young beautiful woman. It is your time.”

  “Why can’t you pick Lilac? She’s older than me.”

  “It isn’t her time yet. Her time will come.”

  “Please stop with the bullshit. We’ve already had this conversation today, and I’m not inclined to have it again. Do whatever you have to do. I’ll go along with it.”

  “I’m sorry you are having a difficult time with this, but fate is fate. I also do not wish to carry on going around in circles. That is not the reason I am here. I’m here to tell you what the next week will hold for you. Tonight, the elders and I will consult the stars and read the runes regarding whom you shall be bonded to. As soon as the young man is picked, he will have to retire to his house where he will stay for the rest of the week. Neither of you will be permitted to leave your houses for the following five days and nights. During that time, a bond helper will be chosen for you and will prepare you for bonding. You will not see another man until the ceremony.”

  “I know how it works Mali. I’ve seen them before.”

  “I know you know how it works. I’m here to see that you adhere to the protocol. I understand why you ran away today. You were upset, but you can’t let your emotions get the better of you. If you leave the house again before the bonding, it will make a mockery of our traditions.”

  “So you came to tell me to behave?” Marvellous! Just bloody marvellous. “Fine. I’ll stay in the house, and I’ll be bonded to whomever you like, just get out and leave me alone.”

  He looked at me for a second then stood. He was so much shorter than I, even with his yellow hat on, that I now had an urge to knock it right off his head. He was nothing to look at; every single one of the unbonded boys was taller and better looking than him, even Basil whom I found repulsive. What on Vanatus did I see in him? At this point, I was so angry with him, I was struggling to think of an answer.

  He left and I slammed the door behind him, flopping onto the chair he’d just vacated. It was still warm, and I could still smell him on the fabric of the cushion, a mixture of incense from the temple and the mint he liked to chew. I breathed him in and then threw the cushion clean across the room.

  I pottered around until bedtime when I lay on my bed and thought of anything but what was coming tomorrow. It was completely impossible, though, knowing Mali was outside somewhere, looking up at the sky and deciding my fate. I clamped my eyes shut tight and stifled a scream. It was long into the night that sleep finally came.

  30th January

  I awoke far too early, but sleep was elusive. My stomach churned, but I couldn’t eat. I knew that Mali had already decided whom I was to be bonded with by now, but it wouldn’t be he that came to my home and told me. I was not permitted to see any men for the next few days, and that included Mali. One of the village girls would be appointed as my bond helper for the coming week. She would serve the same function as a maid of honour would in a normal wedding, but I would not be allowed to choose who it was any more than the boy to whom I was to be bonded. Not that I cared very much. I was friendly with most of the other girls in my village, but I couldn’t honestly say they were g
reat friends of mine.

  I’d spent all my time with Mali since joining the Village three years previously. Of course, that would have to stop now. There was no way I could continue helping him in the temple once I was bonded. I’d have to find some other function in the village, although I wasn’t sure what I could do. I wasn’t particularly skilled in anything. I made my mind up to try really hard to make friends with my bond helper, whoever it may be. My intended mate would also get a bond helper to help him get through the week. The bond helpers were always picked from young girls (or boys), who hadn’t yet been bonded. This particular setup meant that resentment could run high. I was pretty sure it would with me. I was one of the youngest girls in the village, there were plenty that had been here longer and were older and, quite frankly, deserved it more than me. I would imagine they all wanted it more than me, seeing as it was usually the main topic of conversation at any get-together. I pulled out a futon for my bond helper, who would be arriving at some point today. They would be expecting to stay with me for the full week, and I had to get ready for them. I found a spare blanket and pillow and threw them on the bed. With the futon out, my tiny house was even tinier. This week was going to be fun—not!

  As I was up so early, I decided to make a cake for my bond helper. I had all the ingredients for a basic cake. I tried to be vegan most of the time, but occasionally I’d have an egg or butter as a treat. I whipped up some butter-cream for the frosting and was just about to make a start on the cake itself when there was a knock on my door.

  I ran and opened it, surprised to see Bryony in tears on my doorstep. Misery was catching it seemed.

  “Come in.” I didn’t even enquire as to why she was here. She’d been chosen as my bond helper, there was no other reason for her to be here. She’d never called on me before. I didn’t even ask her why she was crying. Like Lilac, she was, more than likely, upset because she hadn’t been picked to be bonded. She’d have to wait another year, at least, to be with Aspen. I put the kettle on, picked up the buttercream and offered her a seat. Once she had sat down, I passed her a cup of coffee and a spoon.

  “What’s this for?” she asked between hiccupping sobs. I thrust the bowl of buttercream at her.

  “I think we are going to need this,” I said and then dug my spoon into the sugary goodness.

  “Go on,” I said. “Hit me with it. They chose Basil, didn’t they?”

  There was no doubt in my mind I’d end up with that cretin. I had a feeling that Mali was punishing me somehow. Punishing me for being stupid enough to fall in love with him. When Bryony told me who had been chosen, it turned out to be infinitely worse than I had imagined.

  “Aspen,” she said between hiccups, tears streaming down her face.

  I was so shocked that I didn’t even comfort her. I just sat there open mouthed.

  Bryony and Aspen had been best friends ever since I’d first moved to Yelpish. You never saw one without the other. Everyone knew they were secretly dating, although I was pretty sure they hadn’t gone beyond kissing in respect of the laws and traditions of Yelpish and The Bonding Ceremony.

  What was Mali playing at? If I was allowed to leave my house, I would quite happily have murdered the guy.

  We obviously didn’t have enough cake frosting for this level of shit!

  “Ok, first job as my bond helper. Once this buttercream is gone, go and get me the largest bar of chocolate you can find. Then we’ll spend the afternoon eating it and cursing the elders.”

  She snorted loudly and began to laugh. Her beautiful face was now a mess of snot and tears, but at least, there was a smile under it all. It was nice to see I was good for something. I handed her a tissue and waited for her to mop her tears.

  “I’m sorry about all of this. I didn’t want to pick Aspen. I never thought in a million years…”

  “I know it’s not your fault. The elders consult the stars. Maybe you and Aspen are better matched than I was with him.”

  “Fuck that!” I said, and she looked at me with such shock on her face I might as well have told her I’d married an alien. To give her, her due, I didn’t swear. Ever! Ok, sometimes when I was with people that didn’t live in Yelpish, but generally, as a rule, I kept the swearing to a minimum. It was just something that we Yelpish folk didn’t do. Not outside of our homes anyway.

  “Fuck that shit and the horse it rode in on!” Oh well, I’d already started, may as well carry on with it. Bryony burst out into a fresh round of giggles that turned into guffaws. I couldn’t help myself, it was catching. I began to laugh too.

  Maybe spending the next week with Bryony wasn’t going to be as bad as I had expected, that is, if we could get over the fact I was going to be spending the rest of my life with the love of hers.

  An hour later, and the frosting was gone completely. I’d eaten so much I felt physically sick, and Bryony was laid out on the sofa, looking a bit green herself. Her long auburn hair fanned out on the sofa behind her

  Most women would be dieting on bonding week, but who cared if I had a bit of a belly on my wedding day? The size of my waistline was not my main concern. Perhaps if I got fat enough, the dress wouldn’t fit.

  “He’s a great guy,” Bryony said, the well-licked frosting bowl still in her lap.

  “I know.” What else could I say? I didn’t know him particularly well, but he came across as an amiable chap.

  “I mean it, though. He’s special. There is something wonderful about him.”

  I hated Mali right now.

  “I’m sorry, Bryony.”

  I had a feeling ‘sorry’ was going to become my mantra over the next few days.

  “Just look after him.”

  “I will.” It was so easy to say, but was it the truth? I had no idea how to look after a man, well except for Mali, but he didn’t really count. All I did for him was bring him endless cups of tea and listen whilst he talked about the stars in the sky and their positions in relation to other stars and what it all meant. I listened to him when he talked of ghosts and warlocks and vampires and a whole host of magical beings, some of which were definitely real and some which may or may not have been made up. I never mocked him, though, even when he was talking about something so far out and crazy that no one else would have believed him. Of course, he was so wise that mostly everything he talked about turned out to be true. I mean who would have thought that there was really such a thing as a Joker, and that had turned out to be true. Only last week, we discovered that much. My mind had wandered right back to the place it usually rested—Mali. I wondered if he would find someone else to bring him tea. I certainly wouldn’t anymore. He’d have to get his own. I snorted at the thought of Mali actually knowing how to brew a cup of tea. He’d be so busy looking up at the night sky or with his nose in a book that he’d probably forget the tea bag.

  “What?” asked Bryony.

  “I was just wondering who would bring Mali his tea from now on. I can’t see him getting his own. He wouldn’t know where to start.”

  “I’m sure he’ll find another assistant,” she replied, sitting up and taking the now empty bowl to the sink where she washed it up.

  Another assistant. Is that all I was? Some of the villagers called me the Divine Goddess, thanks to my position with Mali. How could they call me that and think of me as only an assistant? The truth was, that’s all I really was, his assistant. Although I was also his confidant and his only real friend—at least I’d thought I was until now. I’d also thought of him as my lifelong partner, so what did I know?

  Bryony seemed to have cheered up slightly after eating all that frosting, so I thought I’d better send her out for supplies including the chocolate I’d mentioned earlier.

  The only shop in Yelpish was more of a village market stall than anything else, and some of the villagers took turns manning it. We didn’t use money, but bartered our wares with each other; therefore, Yelpish was a cashless society. Great if you wanted to feel like a real part of a community, a cog in
a giant wheel, not so great if you wanted to buy chocolate or anything to eat other than vegetables or grains. The ingredients I had in the cupboard to make the buttercream were brought back with me from my last visit home to Mistdale, and even then, they had to be smuggled in. It wasn’t that things like sugar and eggs were against Yelpish law, but they were very much frowned upon.

  I didn’t want to send Bryony to the shop in Yelpish for three reasons: One, I wanted something more substantial than grains; two, I needed time to think; and three, the most important reason, the market stall was right next to Aspen’s house.

  I dug out some money that I kept for when I went home to Mistdale and handed her a whole wedge.

  “I want you to leave Yelpish. Take one of the horses and go to a nearby village for supplies.”

  “Can’t I just go to the market stall?”

  And spend the rest of the afternoon moping about Aspen? Nope!

  “I want chocolate, and you want chocolate, and we both know you won’t be able to get it here.”

  “But…”

  “And wine. Get a bottle of wine. Actually get a few. It’s going to be a very long week!”

  “Iris!” Wine was the biggest no-no of all in Yelpish. If chocolate was frowned upon, alcohol was completely forbidden. Not that it ever stopped Mali with his hip flask of whiskey, but no one knew about that. I think the villagers thought it was some kind of mystical medicine. Ha, if only they knew!

  “You and I are completely in the shit, and if you say ‘Iris’ and put your hands on your hips one more time, I’m going to drink all the wine myself. I’ve spent the last three years not swearing and not drinking. I think we both deserve a last hurrah, don’t you?”

  The look of shock on her face gave way to one of frightened glee. She took the money and a large bag and went to open the door.

  “You’d better buy some other stuff too, you know, sensible food!” I supposed we’d better eat something other than chocolate unless we wanted to feel sick all week. Well, sicker than I already did. She grinned but looked nervous as she left my house. I watched out of the window as she walked down the path and could see her looking furtively left and right as if she was going to be caught doing something wrong. When she disappeared round the side of the temple, I closed my curtains and picked up a book to read.