‘He saved Staz?’
‘Too soon to be sure,’ Piro told him. ‘Are the kressies all this pretty?’
‘I only got a quick look, but some were prettier.’ Miron crawled over to the stove. ‘This is where we kept them.’ The great cast iron stove sat in a tiled sand-box to prevent the heat from the stove scorching the deck. The cabin boy pointed to a chest with a distinctive symbol on the side. ‘It was filled with straw to stop the eggs from breaking.’
Now it was filled with eggshells.
‘It’s very deep. Are there more eggs underneath?’ Piro went to dig her hands down into the straw, then thought better of it. Taking a knife, she carefully parted the broken eggshells and straw. ‘There’s a rock.’
She put the knife aside and removed the rock. There were veins of something pretty running through it, and when she touched these, she sensed...
‘Affinity?’ It all made sense. ‘The mother would have kept the eggs warm, but they needed both heat and Affinity or the babies wouldn’t mature and hatch.’
Piro placed the Affinity stone on the table and dusted off her hands. Siordun would want to see this. ‘We should take the body up. I’ll need a big pot with a lid.’ She spotted just the thing.
Behind her, Miron whimpered.
Piro slowly turned. Three kresatrices had climbed over the cook’s body. They perched on the cook’s broad chest, their tiny mouths stained with blood. Serpentine tongues tasted the air.
Two of them had red chests with iridescent blue markings on the neck and legs. The third was emerald green with red markings. Three sets of jewel-bright eyes fixed on Piro.
‘They’re so colourful,’ she whispered. ‘They should have been easy to find.’
Miron dug into his pockets. ‘Where did I put me...’
The kresatrices began to whine. Piro found the sound annoying, but Miron swayed in time to it, sinking to his knees. She caught his arm. ‘What are you...’
He gave her a dreamy smile.
The kresatrices made a soft noise, and she looked up. They were now less than a body-length away, eyes bright with malice.
No time to call for help. Piro knew her Affinity was good for only one thing. She concentrated on gathering her power, felt it slide down her arm until her fingers throbbed with each beat of her heart.
On sensing her Affinity, the kresatrices’ whine became higher-pitched and eager.
‘Come here, kressies,’ Piro crooned, edging to one side so that the empty roasting pot was between her and the creatures. ‘Come taste what I have for you.’
They came, scattering food and pans. She held one hand over the roasting pot, reaching for the lid with the other. The kresatrices reached the edge of the pot. Intent on the treat, two climbed into it while the third struggled to climb in.
The first two reached Piro’s hand. Their tongues flickered out, tickling her skin. They stopped whining and Miron gasped as if waking.
‘Don’t move,’ Piro whispered. The third kresatrice tumbled into the pot and she slammed the lid down fast.
‘You did it!’ Miron marvelled. ‘But how did you do it?’
‘I offered them my Affinity,’ Piro said. She might not be able to make Siordun’s stupid stone glow, but surely this proved she was worth training. ‘I’m the Power-worker’s apprentice.’
‘What are you doing down here?’ Siordun barked from the doorway. Behind him were Nikoforus and the ship’s captain.
‘Catching kresatrices,’ Piro said, coming to her feet with the big roasting pot in her arms. ‘There’s three in here. With the dead one, that leaves five still to catch.’
‘We have three dead ones laid out on deck,’ the captain said.
‘There goes my commission,’ Nikoforus muttered.
Piro ignored him. ‘That leaves two for us to find.’
‘You lured them with Affinity?’ Siordun asked.
She nodded.
‘I don’t need your help, Power-worker,’ Nikoforus said. ‘I have it under control.’
‘Like you did when you left an Affinity stone in the same chest as the eggs?’ Piro asked, pointing to the chest.
Siordun went over and inspected the stone. ‘Look at the size of it. It’s no wonder the creatures hatched early.’
‘The breeder assured me they needed it.’ Nikoforus sent Piro a look of loathing. He beckoned the cabin boy. ‘There’s a chest in my cabin with the same symbol as that one. Go fetch it.’
Miron ran off, and Nikoforus swept everything off the galley table onto the floor. The loud clatter of pots and pans made the kresatrices panic. Piro heard their little claws scrabbling around inside the metal pot. The lid rose slightly. She put the roasting pot on a chair and sat on it, which gave her a good view of the table when Miron returned with the second chest.
Nikoforus opened it and felt around in the packing straw. ‘These are talismans. When a child is given a pet kresatrice, they’re also given a talisman to tame it.’
He pulled out an object the size of his fist, tied up in cloth. The captain and the cabin boy watched, fascinated, as he untied the cloth to reveal two stones, one much larger than the other. The large one had been worked so that the small one slotted into it neatly. He displayed the two stones. ‘The large one is to chastise and the smaller is to reward.’
‘A pair of sorbt stones?’ Piro guessed.
‘Sorbt stones,’ Siordun agreed.
Piro frowned. ‘I don’t see—’
‘The larger one absorbs power. It would sting a kresatrice,’ Siordun said. ‘The smaller one is a sealer stone. As long as the two stones are in contact, the small one stops the larger one from absorbing power.’
‘Then why would the small one reward the kressies?’ Piro asked.
‘Because, over time, the small stone absorbs the power stored in the big stone. Think how good a fire-warmed stone feels on a cold winter’s night when you crawl into bed. That’s how it would feel to an Affinity creature.’
Piro held out her hand. ‘Can I see?’
With reluctance, the merchant’s agent gave her the joined stones. She hissed, dropping them.
‘Stupid girl,’ Nikoforus snarled. ‘You’ll break the talisman.’
‘It burned my skin.’ Piro licked her palm and blew on it.
‘That’s not right. Show me.’ Siordun held out his hand.
‘Careful,’ Piro warned.
Siordun tucked his sleeve over his palm, then tested the talisman on his bare skin. He grimaced. ‘You’ve been had twice over, Nikoforus.’
‘The absorber stone works. I saw you flinch.’
‘That’s true. But the sealer stone doesn’t.’ Siordun put the stones on the table. ‘Turn up the lamp. I’ll need the sharpest knife you can find.’
Miron adjusted the lamp.
‘Here.’ The captain handed over his dagger. ‘Best steel there is, and I sharpen it every day.’
‘The absorber stone is obsidiate,’ Siordun said. ‘It’s rare, but not as rare as jadian, the sealer stone. Jadian is harder even than steel. If I can scratch this piece...’ He removed the smaller stone from its niche and scraped the tip of the knife over the surface.
The blade left a mark. Siordun expelled his breath. ‘Just as I thought. Soapstone.’
‘Stone made of soap?’ Miron muttered.
‘No, a stone that looks like jadian but is softer and easy to carve. Unscrupulous gem merchants will sell it as—’
Nikoforus bristled. ‘One poor quality stone does not mean the rest—’
‘Then give me another to test.’
‘Pick one yourself.’
‘I’m not putting my hands in there. I could be burnt.’
‘Miron.’ Piro nodded to the cabin boy, who dug around in the straw for another talisman. ‘Now take the jadian out of the absorber stone.’
While he was tipping the jadian out, Siordun asked for a hair. Intrigued, Piro supplied one. He tied the hair tightly around the sealer stone, then lit a taper.
&nbs
p; ‘If this stone is pure jadian, it will absorb the heat and the hair won’t burn. Come closer.’
They all obeyed.
The hair burned.
Siordun blew out the taper. ‘You were cheated, Nikoforus. The breeder was glad to get rid of the kresatrices, and the talismans are cheap fakes.’
The merchant’s agent dropped into a chair, head in his hands. ‘What will Master Yarraskem say?’
‘Tell him he’s lucky the creatures hatched early,’ Piro suggested. ‘Imagine what would have happened if they’d hatched after you’d sold them. The talismans would have made the kressies really angry, and the rich merchants and nobles would have—’
‘Tell Yarraskem he shouldn’t be dealing in Affinity if he doesn’t know enough about it. Tell him that Agent Tyro confiscated the kresatrices and the useless talismans.’ Siordun gestured to the chests. ‘When I get back to Ostron Isle, I’ll be having a word with my master. Mage Tsulamyth doesn’t condone the breeding of dangerous Affinity beasts, or the sale of fraudulent Affinity talismans.’
At the mention of the mage, the captain sucked in his breath and the merchant’s agent went pale.
‘Please assure the mage that Merchant Yarraskem doesn’t want any trouble,’ Nikoforus said quickly.
Piro glanced to Siordun. So much rested on him. It was just as well no one knew Siordun was really the mage. She realised she was proud of him.
Siordun wiped his hands. ‘Now we must catch the surviving kresatrices.’
Piro handed the roasting pot to the captain. ‘I’ll help. The kressies will come to me.’
Chapter Nine
FLORIN TUCKED THE bundle under her arm and ran off to find Varuska’s sister. Fortunately, she knew just where to look for Anatoley.
To discourage licentious behaviour, the castle-keep separated male and female servants. Scullery maids and the like bunked down in the castle laundry.
Heart pounding, Florin paused at the laundry door to catch her breath. She could hear the women singing a sentimental song, and glanced inside to see them mending clothes by candlelight. The aroma of starch and lye hung on the air, reminding Florin of washdays back home at the tradepost. That was one thing she did not miss.
Two dozen pallet beds fanned out from the great copper where the castle’s laundry was boiled. As the most recently hired servant, Anatoley would be most distant from the warmth of the copper’s brazier.
One bed was empty. She was too late.
Stunned, Florin pulled back, closing the door after her.
Why hadn’t she been suspicious when Cobalt told Amil to send Old Mirona and Anatoley home with a bag of coins? How could the castle-keep be so blind? Or was the woman willing to overlook anything her darling Illien did?
A noise made Florin turn. Varuska’s sister came around the corner. The poor girl was almost asleep on her feet.
Florin ran to meet her.
Frightened, Anatoley backed up into a doorway. ‘I wasn’t slacking off. I only just finished scrubbing the floor.’ She held up her reddened hands as evidence. ‘See.’
‘...have some fun with the juicy young bird,’ a rough voice said.
The thugs had gotten rid of Old Mirona’s body and now they were coming for Varuska’s sister. Desperate, Florin pushed the girl into a doorway.
Anatoley went to protest.
‘Quiet.’ Florin felt for the door catch. Locked. Where could they hide?
Too late; the men were upon them.
More than once today, Florin had been mistaken for a manservant from behind, thanks to her broad shoulders. Desperate, she cupped the girl’s chin and kissed her. Anatoley gasped.
Florin made sure her larger body hid the girl’s as the thugs offered her some crude advice before carrying on past them. Dimly, she heard the men asking at the laundry for Anatoley.
Varuska’s sister froze.
A woman told the thugs that the girl they sought was scrubbing the kitchen floor. As the men went the other way, Florin kept up the pretence, shielding Anatoley.
The moment the thugs rounded the corner, Florin broke the kiss, grabbed Anatoley’s hand and ran. The dark corridors quickly swallowed them.
After only one false turn, she found the door to the stable courtyard. A froth of stars filled the sky, and the night was bright enough to cast sharp shadows. Florin drew Varuska’s sister onto the landing.
‘Why were they looking for me?’ Anatoley gasped. ‘Did the castle-keep send you?’
‘Varuska sent me. Here, take this.’ She thrust the bundle into the girl’s arms.
Anatoley eyed it suspiciously. ‘This is my sister’s. What’s happened to her?’
‘She’s all right, but you...’ Florin had no practice at lying. ‘Your sister is doing a special job for Lord Cobalt. She told me to send you away.’
Anatoley hesitated. ‘Those men—’
‘Were sent to kill you. They’ve already killed Old Mirona. Anyone who knows Varuska’s true identity has to die. Cobalt wants her to impersonate the kingsdaughter. She looks a lot like Piro.’
‘Does she?’ Anatoley asked, then gave a little crow of laughter. ‘Of course she does. I must tell Granna. How she’ll laugh.’
‘Why?’
The girl rolled her eyes. ‘Granna is King Byren the Fourth’s bastard. Cobalt’s father was not King Byren’s only by-blow.’
Florin felt her jaw drop.
‘When he was seventeen and still only the king’s heir, Byren the Fourth killed an Affinity beast that had been preying on our village. The elders gave him the prettiest girl. She wasn’t supposed to fall pregnant, but she did. The village elders married her off to the blacksmith’s son and Granna was born. She is King Rolen’s half-sister, it’s no wonder Varuska looks like King Rolen’s daughter,’ Anatoley announced triumphantly.
She looked so pleased that Florin shook her by the shoulders. ‘You can’t tell anyone. If word gets out, Cobalt will have Varuska killed.’ It occurred to Florin that once the girl had provided him with an heir, he would have her killed anyway. But she wasn’t going to let it get that far.
‘Leave tonight,’ Florin told Anatoley. ‘Run away. Don’t go home. Sail for Ostron isle. You’ll be safe there.’
‘But Granna and Varuska are all I have.’
‘If you want to protect them, go away.’
Anatoley stared at her. ‘I’ll be all alone.’
‘You’ll be alive.’
‘And my silly sister will be queen. It’s not fair!’
‘Look, we don’t have time for this. Go to the stables. Hide in one of the carts that goes down to Rolenton tomorrow. Work your passage on a ship. I promised Varuska I’d help you escape. Now it’s up to you. Promise me you’ll go?’
The girl looked more aggrieved than frightened, but she nodded.
‘Good.’ Florin gave her a shove. ‘Keep out of sight. Those men, or others like them, will be looking for you.’
With that, she shut the door on Anatoley and made her way back to Piro’s chambers, where the man-at-arms waited.
He glanced to her empty hands. ‘What took you so long, and where’s your bundle?’
‘Someone nicked it.’ The lie sprang from desperation. ‘I spent ages looking.’
‘Well, what d’you expect? Besides, you’re serving the kingsdaughter. You’ll want for nothing.’ He opened the door for her.
Florin thanked him and ducked into the chamber. It was dim, lit only by the fire.
Varuska sat up. ‘Is—’
‘Just me,’ Florin said. Was the guard listening at the door? She shivered. ‘I c-couldn’t find my bundle, someone had taken it.’
Varuska looked confused, but didn’t say anything.
Florin bent down to unstrap her boots. Then, without invitation, she climbed into bed with Varuska. Under the covers, she whispered, ‘Don’t worry, your sister’s safe.’
‘Why wouldn’t she be?’
Hearing the edge of panic in Varuska’s voice, Florin decided not to revea
l Old Mirona’s fate. ‘I gave Anatoley your bundle. She’s going to leave tomorrow.’
‘Thank you.’
Florin swung her legs out of bed. The floor was cold.
‘Where are you going?’
‘You’re a kingsdaughter. I’m a mountain girl who’s masquerading as your servant. I sleep on the floor.’
Florin curled up on the rug in front of the fire and dreamed of Byren, who laughed as large as life. She woke with tears on her cheeks.
PIRO ENJOYED WORKING alongside Siordun. They captured the kresatrices and returned to the Wyvern’s Whelp, where the creatures were placed in a cage in the hold.
Piro sat with Siordun, watching the five kresatrices explore their temporary home. She was ready to soothe them with Affinity if they needed it, but they curled up together on the blanket.
‘They’re falling asleep.’ Piro hugged her knees and sighed with satisfaction. It was nice down here, away from everyone else. Her Affinity no longer troubled her. This reminded her... ‘You’re wrong, you know.’
‘No. But I’m sure you’re about to tell me why.’
She grinned. ‘You said Affinity beasts could never be tamed, only contained. But Resolute loves me.’
‘That’s because you shared your Affinity with him.’
‘What about Isolt? Loyalty loves her even though Isolt has no Affinity. Why did you tell us to take Loyalty with us if she couldn’t be tamed?’
‘The wyvern is the symbol of Merofynian royalty. I thought she might be useful.’ Siordun cast Piro a quick look. ‘You might recall I also told you to bring the sea-fruits to keep the wyvern quiet.’
But Piro had already thought of something else. ‘Back on Ostron Isle, when the Utland Power-worker’s men abducted Isolt, Loyalty tried to save her. The wyvern would have died, if you hadn’t healed her. Why heal her if...’ Piro’s eyes widened. ‘You lied to Nikoforus and the captain!’
‘I said what I did to prevent them importing Affinity beasts.’ Siordun shrugged. ‘Who knows if Affinity beasts are ever truly tamed? Is a cat truly tamed, or does it just put up with us?’
Piro laughed. ‘That’s something Lord Dunstany would say.’
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