by Jasmine Walt
“Yes. A whore for him to tumble.” Lynx leapt to her feet, scowling. “Winds! Is he in for a shock.”
Kestrel stepped forward, hands on her hips. “A whore? Really, Lynx, he is the crown prince. I hardly think he spends his time with harlots. Girls are probably lining up to oblige him. You should feel honored he chose you.”
“Honored? That some Chenayan pig wants me?” Lynx laughed bitterly. “Kestrel, as I’ve always said, you and I have very different ideas about honor.”
Kestrel rolled her eyes. “Don’t get me started. And anyway, it’s not like marrying Lukan is news to this family. Norin princesses have been marrying Chenayan crown princes for centuries. And I’d already told Lynx she’d been picked, so I don’t know why she’s acting so shocked.”
A clang of dropping pot lids sounded. “And just how did you know that she had been chosen?” Mother demanded.
Kestrel’s eyes widened. “I—I overheard you talking to Father and Wolf about the letter.”
“So now we add eavesdropping to your other crime.”
Kestrel looked at her hands, unable to meet the anger and disappointment in her mother’s eyes. Mother flicked her dishcloth out, snapping Kestrel on the arm. Kestrel winced. Her sister and her mother were close, so her reaction was even more startling.
“So, in all your snooping, did you hear that Mott wants you, too? For Tao.”
“What?” Lynx and Kestrel gasped simultaneously.
“Dove, please.” Her father stood, a commanding figure looming over the family. “I’ll handle this.” He gestured to the cushions. “Now sit. All of you.” When Lynx hesitated, he added, “That includes you.”
Reluctantly, Lynx sat next to Clay. He took her hand and squeezed it.
“Is it not enough that I had to burn twenty-six of my people today?” her father asked. “Do I also have to deal with insanity in my own family?” He turned to Clay. “Care to explain why you sneaked off to raid without telling me?”
Clay’s face bloomed red.
Her father shook his head. “I’ve known for months you were ready, but I’ve been waiting for you to ask me to sponsor you. Do you think I’d refuse you something so important?” His eyes bored into Clay’s. “Such a waste. You’d have made a formidable raider.”
Lynx’s heart soared with pride as Clay held their father’s gaze, never flinching.
Her father turned his attention to Kestrel. “And you? What were you thinking?”
Kestrel stared into the fire pit. “I hate egg raids and raiders.”
Lynx shot her head around to see her father’s reaction to that heresy, but it was their mother who spoke.
“My child, we know you detest the way we live. The old Norin is where you belong. You would have—”
“Studying painting at one of the universities,” Kestrel burst out, looking at Mother with tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m good enough. But instead I’m forced to spend my time scraping up ostrich dung because I don’t see the point of risking my life in a stupid egg raid.”
“How dare you!” Her father’s hand slapped down hard on his thigh. “It’s thanks to egg raids and raiders that you were spared a place on that funeral pyre today. And as for what you did to Clay? It was malicious and cruel. The only thing saving you from a month of shunning is your marriage to Tao.”
Kestrel gulped. Shunning—an entire month of being ignored by the tribe as if invisible—was no minor punishment. She croaked, “Clay, I’m sorry.”
Lynx suppressed a disparaging snort, wishing she believed her sister’s contrition.
“Can’t he try again?” Kestrel asked.
Hope gleamed on Clay’s face.
It was driven away by a shake of her father’s head. “No, he can’t.”
“But, Father—” Clay began.
“Clay, enough. The law applies to everyone. I will not change a statute that has been in place for centuries to suit my family.” Her father’s face was hard, uncompromising. “You had your chance. These are the consequences of your actions.”
Clay picked at a fleck of dried blood on his trousers. Aloe, sitting on his other side, took his hand. Clay pulled away, obviously embarrassed by her comfort.
It was time for Lynx to start her campaign. Praying to every Wind that blew that her family would not end up shunning her for what she was about to do, Lynx sat forward, catching her father’s eye. “But those weren’t his actions. He’s being punished for what Kestrel did. He’d done the hard part before she destroyed his eggs.”
“I’m painfully aware of that. But there’s a reason for the law. Raiding is dangerous. If a raider fails and walks away with his life, then it’s my duty to protect him from trying again. Next time, he may not be so lucky. You only get one chance in battle against a guardsman. If you are not the best, you die.”
Tears sparkled in Clay’s eyes. He brushed them away. Like Lynx, he, too, seemed to be working on his stoicism and bravery. It made Lynx even more determined not to fail.
Kestrel’s chin dropped to her chest. “I was wrong, so I accept my punishment. I’ll go to Chenaya to marry Tao.”
Only Mother reacted to Kestrel’s comment. She wrapped her arm around Kestrel’s shoulder, squeezing her tight. Time was needed for the rest of the family to forgive Kestrel for what she’d done to Clay.
Finally, Wolf leaned forward and patted Kestrel’s knee. “You’re always telling us we should embrace Chenayan culture, so you should be happy at the Chenayan court. And I’m sure if you’re nice to Tao, he’ll let you paint.”
Kestrel gave him a rueful smile. “What you mean is, if I’m nicer to him than I am to my family, he may let me paint.”
“That’s your interpretation,” Wolf said. “But remember where your loyalties lie, Kestrel. As much as you despise our way of life, you’ll always be a—”
“I don’t hate us,” Kestrel’s voice shrilled. “I just think there is more to life than what we have in Norin. There is good in the empire, too, you know.”
Lynx wasn’t the only member of the family to glare at her.
Wolf cleared his throat. “Stand by Lynx. She’s your true family in that place.”
Lynx took a deep breath before throwing down her challenge. “Not so fast, Wolfie-boy. I haven’t said I’m going.”
Wolf’s mouth dropped, and Lynx knew he hadn’t expected that. He quickly replaced his shocked expression with one of mock outrage—and changed the subject. “Hey, Father, how about scolding Lynx? Look at how she returned our little brother.”
“I’ve been trying to control Lynx’s defiance for twenty years. Never done any good, so why waste my breath now?” Her father’s lighthearted reply belied his steely eyes boring into her, telling her he’d brook no challenge on her marriage to Lukan.
It was now or never.
Lynx swept her feathers and braids over her shoulder. “Surely, after their attack on us, you don’t expect me to go?”
“It’s precisely because of the attack that you will go. You asked why they would sacrifice fifteen guardsmen, yet you see the damage those fifteen men did. The attack was a warning of worse to come if you refuse to marry Lukan. Disobeying Mott would be suicide for all of us. Men, women”—he gestured to Raven sitting next to Lynx—“even children.”
Mother sucked in a breath. Aloe and Kestrel exchanged panicked looks, and Wolf’s hand tightened on Lynx’s. Clay wore a puzzled expression. Lynx wondered if he realized it was all part of her plan to help him.
“I don’t doubt that,” Lynx said. “For weeks now, we’ve wondered about the Chenayan troop buildup at Tanamre. Now we know. If I refuse to go, a thousand guardsmen will arrive at our tent flaps. We will all be dead in a matter of minutes.”
Aloe cradled Raven’s shoulders. “Lynx, I understand you don’t want to marry Lukan. Honestly, I do. But how can you risk our lives? You adore Raven. How can you condemn him to death?”
The accusation in Aloe’s voice made Lynx grimace with guilt. She steeled herself against it
and continued to work her plan. “Death is preferable to a life of servitude. No matter whom one serves.”
Kestrel hissed. “And you wonder why I can’t stand you and the other raiders.” She leaped to her feet, stumbling over cushions until she stood opposite Lynx. “All you can think about is death and honor.” She shoved Lynx in the chest.
A tide of anger engulfed Lynx. She rose and said to her father, “Control your daughter before I do something I won’t regret.”
He shook his head. “There’s a reason I invited the family here tonight. Their anger will be nothing compared to the fury of our people if you break the Unity with Chenaya. You will be declared a traitor. I will have no choice but to put you to death.”
The shock of hearing the word made Lynx’s face flush and then chill. Bluffing her way through this plan was becoming one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
Her discomfort didn’t stop Kestrel. “Yes, you’re so filled with self-righteous anger at me for spoiling Clay’s stupid eggs, but you’re willing to see us destroyed. How does that work, Lynx?”
Wolf stepped between his sisters. “Sit. Both of you.”
Lynx obeyed, settling back on the cushions, eyeing her father.
Kestrel hesitated, then flicked her veiled hair over her shoulder. “What do I care what Lynx does? I’ll be at the palace, married to Tao.” She settled on the cushions and folded her arms.
Lynx snorted. “So, Wolfie-boy, do you honestly believe she’ll support me in Cian?”
Wolf opened his mouth, but Mother interrupted anything he intended to say. “My child, does that mean you’ll go?”
Lynx didn’t reply. She was still focused on her father. He met her gaze, ice on ice. A heavy silence settled on the gathering, broken only by the rustling of the tent in the wind and the hiss of the fire. Still, Lynx and her father stared at each other.
Finally, her father laughed. “Lynx, we’ve had too many arguments over the years for me not to recognize what you’re doing. Be careful. I am not just your father. I am your king, too.”
Lynx’s pulse sped up, but she forced herself to remain calm, her face resolute. “Right now, I am not speaking to my king, to whom I owe fealty. I am speaking to my father. My father, who I believe cares for me . . . and those I care about.”
Her father’s lips quirked. “Death versus servitude.” He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “It’s not your life—or death—you’re worrying about, is it?” He turned to Clay and slapped him on the shoulder. “Son, it seems we are discussing your future. Aren’t we, Lynx?”
“Let him raid again, and I will go to Cian without a fight.”
Clay jumped to his feet. “No!”
Lynx sprang up and grabbed his arm. She ignored his cry of pain. “I made you an oath.”
“But—”
“No buts.” Lynx shoved him, sending him spinning onto the cushion by her father. “Father, that is my condition. Clay raids again, or I refuse to go.” She swallowed hard, thinking of the funeral pyre. “And damn the consequences.” There would be no one left to burn the dead if her father forced her to push through with this.
Her father half-rose to his feet. “As your father, I could say you have no choice, that I will drag you to Cian myself.” He settled back, sighing. “But we both know that will not guarantee a marriage. As your king, I could command you, and you will be honor-bound to obey. I will do neither because I have no wish to condemn my daughter to a life of misery. My conscience would not stand it. Lynx, only you can choose to do this for us.”
Lynx licked her lips. At all costs, she had to keep him wearing his loving father hat because he was right—if he gave her a royal command, she would obey without question. That’s what fealty to the Norin throne meant. It was yet another reason why Chenayan emperors had always hated them. The Norin knew that no man could serve two masters.
“Father, I’m not trying to be difficult. Please, just let him raid again.”
“I’ve told you why that’s impossible, Lynx. Isn’t it enough that your mother and I are giving up both our daughters? Your mother will probably never see either of you again once you go to Chenaya. I’m not willing to risk losing our youngest son as well.” He paused, then whispered, “Work with me here, child.”
Lynx put her hands on her hips. “Death is better than servitude.” She turned to Clay. “Tell him that.”
Clay bit his torn lip, tears glistening in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice cracked. “Please don’t make me trade you off, Lynx.”
Seeing her brother’s anguish, Lynx dropped her shoulders. She sank to her knees in front of Clay and took his hand. “If I go without you trying again, you will spend your whole life dying slowly. Those were your words, not mine. That’s how you convinced me to sponsor you. Remember?”
Sorrow and regret wracked Clay’s face.
“But,” Lynx continued, “if I refuse to go, you will also die—along with the rest of us. Only it will be a swift death at the hands of our enemies. Which must I choose?”
Clay gripped Lynx’s face in his two hands. He rested his forehead against hers. “You had this all worked out, didn’t you?”
“No, I hadn’t. I fully expected you to come home with an egg.” Lynx glared at Kestrel. “Clay, this is our last chance to put this right.” She turned to her father. “Father, I won’t give in until we’ve succeeded. How does that make your conscience feel?”
No one in the tent moved.
Finally, her father spoke. “You drive a hard bargain, Lynx. I wonder if Lukan knows what he’s getting himself into?”
Lynx’s laugh was ugly and cruel. “I will marry him, but he’ll pay every day for choosing me. That’s my revenge for everything they have ever done to us.” She sucked in a breath, realizing she had exposed too much of her hand. To cover up, she skewered her father with another glare. “Am I to be declared a traitor, or will Clay raid again?”
Her father pulled himself up and walked to the open tent flap. He stared out across the sea of tents. Lynx guessed what he was thinking. In each of them lived families, their friends, or blood relatives. Children huddled in their leather homes, wrapped in blankets of antelope and lion skins hunted by their fathers. Teens—both boys and girls—dreamed of love or egg raids, many of them longing for the day they could fight the Chenayans, too. Adults busied themselves with the endless chores that came with caring for a family. They trusted her father implicitly. Up until yesterday, under his leadership, they had found peace—of a sort, given their hostile masters—and now, she threatened that peace.
No, she corrected. Lukan and Kestrel did this to us. Determined to see this through, she waited for him to speak. After an eternity, her father faced her.
Sorrow engulfed Lynx, and she stifled a groan. His eyes seemed to have sunk into his head, and his face had an unhealthy gray cast. Even his back looked stooped under the weight of his decision. These last two days had truly aged him. She wanted to throw her arms around his shoulders and cry that she was sorry, that if she could change it, she would. But that wouldn’t help Clay—and some good had to come of all this misery. She dug deep for her fiercest expression and willed it to remain.
“Lynx, I speak to you as your king,” her father said, his voice firm. “You cannot begin to imagine how difficult it is for me when the needs of my family conflict with the interests of my people. Still, I recognize a compromise when offered.” His eyes roved the tent, stopping to look at each face. “Since the start of autumn, three youths tried and failed to raid eggs. They each have one week to try again, and then the offer closes. Forever.”
Lynx’s shoulders sagged with relief.
A stifled snort escaped Clay’s mouth, but her father held up his hand to stop him speaking. “We will make a celebration of it. It will be our way of . . . of acknowledging Lynx’s and Kestrel’s marriages. As such, it will take place at the same time as those events.”
“But,” Wolf burst out, looking both pleased and confused, “who will
sponsor Clay if both you and Lynx are in Cian for the wedding? I mean, I could, I suppose, but—” His voice trailed off, leaving his doubtful expression to finish his sentence.
“How you survived your raid is still a mystery,” Lynx said with both sadness and joy as she patted Wolf’s shoulder.
“I marvel daily at the miracle of it.” Tension marred Wolf’s laughter. “So, I don’t think we want to risk Clay training with me.”
“And we won’t,” her father said, taking back the discussion. “I will be here to sponsor him. And his mother will provide a feast when he wins.” He fixed his eyes first on Kestrel and then on Lynx. “Mott has not extended an invitation to us to attend your weddings.”
Kestrel burst into tears.
Lynx barely heard her wails. She had won, but at what price? Her father’s sorrow and a wedding to Lukan Avanov she now had to honor.
And what came after that wedding? Lukan would pay in every way possible for what he had done to her king, her family, and her tribe.
5
It had been a miserable day, filled with hugs and commiseration on Lynx’s upcoming nuptials. At sunset, she escaped with her fiddle to the same grove of acacia trees near the northern gate where she, Clay, and Heron had repelled the Chenayans.
Heron had offered to keep her company, but she had waved him off with a sad smile. Her chest ached with sorrow every time she thought of leaving him. He was her best friend, the person she shared her triumphs and disasters with. Spending time with him now would only make parting harder—for both of them.
It was after midnight, and the strains of her fiddle still floated over the camp. She didn’t care. By agreeing to marry Lukan, she had made the ultimate sacrifice for her people. The least they could do was put up with her music.
A week had passed since she and her family had gathered in the council tent. Clay’s wounds were on the mend, and she had no doubt he’d be ready for his next raid by the time she and Kestrel arrived in Cian. Heron and three other raiders would accompany her and Kestrel to the Chenayan military base in Tanamre. A general and a priestess would meet them there, and together, she and Kestrel would travel by train to Cian. Heron and the other raiders would return home.