Her chest was tight, and her cheeks felt tingly. She felt dizzy, and she was grateful to not be moving. It was a feeling that she used to, although she couldn't figure out what it was. That was the problem; no one knew how to tell her what to do to feel better. She often just played her cards and hoped it didn't land her in the hole.
Nathaniel sat across from her, watching her intently. Her eyes shot up to his, expecting criticism, or perhaps anger. He was always so angry, and he seemed to make it clear that he wanted to be elsewhere.
Now, though, she saw a different look on his face. She saw concern, something that she hadn't seen in the entire time she had known him.
“Okay?” he asked, in Jeffroian, and her eyes widened. She knew that he must have a few words, but she didn't think he would actually communicate with her in it.
“I don't know,” she replied, and he paused.
“Apples?” he asked, at last.
“No,” she said, confused, “You didn't let me have them on the ship.”
That took him a very long moment, and he missed half the words. So, instead of trying to understand, he skipped to another theory.
“Oranges?” he asked, remembering the dessert. She nodded.
“Yes?”
Nathaniel shook his head, his mind whirling. “That's something about you and natural food,” he said, mostly to himself in Basic. “Every time, I've noticed, you feel sick, and your magic tries to escape.”
Sienna watched him, trying to strive for understanding. The truth was, she got the feeling Nathaniel didn't want her, and it didn't make it easy to talk to him.
“Why is that?” he asked, and then sighed. “Why am I doing this? Wait a moment.”
He got up, striding toward the bedroom door. She noticed the fact that he didn't knock. He simply strolled into Eliza's chambers. There were a few moments of silence, and then their gentle voices. Within minutes, Eliza came out.
Sienna was surprised to find that she looked almost nothing like the grand queen on the platform. She was beautiful still, but she looked much simpler. Her hair was in a knot at the back of her head, and her eyes were free of makeup. She wore a white nightgown, and she looked almost plain, nonchalant. She even held herself differently – more simply – as she stood beside Nathaniel. Eliza clearly had no qualms with Nathaniel strutting into her bedroom, or seeing her in this state of undress.
“Sienna,” Eliza said in Jeffroian, dropping down to her knees, “were you fed apples and oranges at school? Things like that, before you came to Nathaniel?”
She nodded. “Yes, of course. Not apples, but lots of fruit. They said we needed to be strong.”
Eliza paused, looking back to Nathaniel. “And your magic always danced, like this?” she asked, picking up the girl's hand. It was cold and sweaty underneath Eliza's long, cool hand, her nails perfectly manicured. By contrast, Sienna's were broken and cut, her nails bitten.
“Yes,” Sienna replied, and Eliza sat back on her haunches.
“You could be right, Nathaniel,” she said, at last. “It's a sound theory.”
“But how do I test it?” he asked. “Aside from deny her anything that grew?”
“Well, that's what you do,” Eliza replied, as Sienna leaned forward.
Nathaniel saw it first, the slight slump of the shoulders. He dove forward before he even processed what was happening, preventing her from knocking her head on the floor. He caught her tiny body in his arms, drifting to the floor in one smooth motion as if it had been planned all along.
Her eyes were already fluttering open, and he suspected that she had just fainted. Her life force was as strong as it always was, and he could feel her heartbeat under his hands, always weak, but there.
“She's all right,” he said to Eliza's immediately concerned face. “She's all right.”
“What was that?” she asked.
“They told us that she faints frequently.” He looked up to Eliza. “Magic can do that to you if you can't keep it under control, which hers clearly isn't. It gets to your head, and you just pitch forward. That's why we train so hard.”
“I just thought you were all strict,” Eliza tried to smile at him. Here, away from the public and the harsh judgment of her governors, she was soft, quiet, and kind. “Are you all right, little one? Can I get you something?”
“Water?” Sienna managed, and Eliza nodded, getting up to go back to her chambers. In the silence, Sienna looked up at Nathaniel and managed a single word. “sorry,” she said.
“Sorry?” he replied, in shock. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
She gestured around, and he shook his head.
“This isn't your fault,” he answered. “Don't worry about it.”
She said a stream of words, and he looked to Eliza, who returned to the room just then, a water glass in her hands.
“She thinks she's going to ruin this quest,” Eliza said as she handed over the water glass. “Which–”
“Is not the case,” Nathaniel said quickly. “Tell her, Eliza, that that is not a concern. Desmond and I can take care of you and Sienna at the same time.”
Eliza translated to Sienna, who looked calmed by the words. Switching back into Basic, Eliza looked up to Nathaniel. “Look at you, acting like a protective Maestro.”
“Nonsense,” Nathaniel answered. “Anyone would do the same.”
“Anyone would catch her,” Eliza answered. “But not everyone would offer her comforting words on top of it.”
Nathaniel looked away, considering this. She was right, of course. Eliza was always right.
‘Maestro.’
“What?” he looked down at Sienna. Eliza scolded him.
“She didn't say anything.”
“No, she…” He met his Tiro's eyes and realized what had just happened.
She hadn't said anything with her mouth, but with her mind. She had spoken in his mind, which was rare. Usually, the only time such a bond was found was between a Maestro and Tiro.
‘But we aren't bonded,’ he thought quickly. She and Desmond were getting there because he could clearly understand her more than Nathaniel could. But Nathaniel hadn't even tried to form a connection with her.
A small smile came across her face, and she knew he had heard her.
‘I can sit up?’
The bond didn't operate in any particular language. It was just a knowledge, a certainty, of what the other was thinking. Neither of them needed vocabulary in the other's language to communicate.
‘Yes,’ he said, hesitantly. ‘Sit up slowly.’
He had never spoke to anyone but Desmond with his bond. It felt odd – different. But it didn't feel wrong like he thought it would.
He wasn't sure yet, but he thought it might feel right.
Chapter 10
It was mid-afternoon when Nathaniel woke up. The all-night guard duty had taken most of his energy. He was used to going for hours on end, but the six a.m. wake-up call had gotten to him. He had sent Sienna back to her rooms, knowing Desmond might disapprove. Desmond always encouraged his Tiros to train harder than they were comfortable with and to push past what they felt they could do. But, Nathaniel realized, she was his Tiro, too, and he got a say.
He splashed his face with water from the tap, reveling in the cool feel of it. Jeffrorian water always felt cooler, crisper, and purer than the water back home. The whole planet felt like a soft, spring day, often relaxing.
Today wasn't relaxing, though. The palace felt anxious, and everyone he saw was walking around with their shoulders tensed as if they were waiting for terrible news.
As soon as he was dressed, he headed to the throne room. He knew he wasn't late for the meeting; they would have come to get him if he was. But he had no idea what time it was, and that threw him off.
Desmond was waiting for him in the antechamber of the throne room, having sensed him waking up. And at Desmond's side, looking a bit stronger than yesterday, was Sienna. Today, she greeted Nathaniel with a smile, which Desm
ond raised an eyebrow at. That was certainly different than yesterday.
“Good morning,” Nathaniel said. “What did I miss?”
“Nothing yet,” Desmond replied. “I have asked Sienna for the nightly report, but she said there was not much, especially since you sent her to her room early on.”
Nathaniel picked up anger on Desmond's side and quickly deflected it. “No, it wasn't like that,” he said. “She wasn't well, and I thought it best that she went to sleep at a regular time. I wouldn't disobey your orders unless I thought…”
Desmond actually smiled, which just confused him.
“Good,” he said, and Nathaniel stopped.
“What?”
“Unless you thought you had a reason,” Desmond said. “Which you should do, as a Maestro. My rule is not law in this case, although I know that you are used to that.”
Nathaniel chuckled. “That's for sure.”
“So, the rest of the night was uneventful?”
“That's correct,” Nathaniel answered. “Eliza was safe.”
He made the mistake of thinking about the night before. Yes, he had sent Sienna back to her room for her health. But as soon as she was gone, he couldn't help but take advantage of the situation.
He was awake all night, but it was not in Eliza's outer chambers. His mind flashed to the memory for a little too long, and Desmond sighed.
“Nathaniel…” he started.
“What? I…Oh, creator damn it,” Nathaniel realized that Desmond had seen his memory. Sienna squeaked, her eyes widened, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. Nathaniel groaned. “Double creator damn it.”
Luckily, Sienna's reaction distracted Desmond.
“You saw that, too?” he said, in surprise
“She started doing that last night,” Nathaniel quickly tried to divert Desmond's attention to her new bond. “We couldn't communicate, and she was ill. And then all of a sudden, her thoughts were in my head.”
“Huh,” Desmond replied. “That is surprising, especially given your attitude earlier.”
“Can it happen that fast?” Nathaniel asked.
“Of course,” Desmond said, lost in memory. He shook his head after a moment, clearing it from the memories of the past. “Just be careful. We should get inside.”
‘Water,’ Sienna suddenly thought in Nathaniel's mind, and he looked around for a pitcher of water that was usually kept there. To his dismay, he saw it was filled with lemon slices. Eliza and her fancy water was killing his Tiro, and it frustrated him.
“We'll have to see if there are refreshments for this meeting inside,” he said, not touching the water jug.
“You're set on that theory?” Desmond said. “I'm not opposed to trying it. I just want to make sure we aren't depriving her for no reason.”
“There isn't exactly a manual for this,” Nathaniel replied. “We should get her a chair, though, just in case there is a repeat of last night.”
“Good idea,” Desmond replied. “Oh my…”
They had not expected the throne room to be so crowded. It appeared the rebels had brought half the planet with them to back them up. They were standing in the center of the marble floor, and no one looked happy.
Eliza hadn't entered yet, and Nathaniel stepped up onto the platform behind the throne as she liked them to be. She always wanted the display of power that she had to be clear.
Whenever he stood on the right side of her throne, he couldn't help but notice the empty throne beside her. It was meant for a queen, slightly smaller than the other one. Because Eliza was a female sovereign, she sat in the larger chair, the one meant for kings. If she married, he knew she would likely choose to make her husband the consort, sitting in the smaller chair. Eliza had no intention of giving up her power.
There had been a time when he was convinced Eliza only had to say the word and he would leave the witches forever; he was so in love with her. But she had told him in no uncertain terms that she would never ask that of him, that he had a duty as much as she did. And so, she never uttered so much as a single word to indicate he should sit in that throne beside her.
If she did, he would be there instantly. At least, he would have been before all of this. Now, he thought if she asked, she would have to wait until he was done with Sienna.
The thought startled him.
“All hail Queen Eliza!” came the cry from the footman, and everyone's head snapped toward the door.
Eliza was in full regalia, and Nathaniel thought she looked beautiful. She cast her eyes to the throne, and then gave him a little nod to indicate that she approved of him being there. Her jaw was set, and Nathaniel could tell just by looking at her that these were not going to be easy talks.
“Nathaniel is king?” Sienna whispered to Desmond,
Desmond choked. “No,” he said, in no uncertain terms.
“Oh,” she replied, and he sighed. How exactly was he supposed to explain what was proper behavior, when neither of them followed the rules.
For a change, Sienna could actually follow the conversation and negotiations that were happening. In Jeffrorian, with a translator for those who spoke Basic, Sienna watched as they went back and forth. Her eyes darted between the two parties, and she stood stock still. Desmond knew that the best way for her to learn was to watch and to see things first hand. Classes could never quite teach the same things as a hands-on quest.
“Enough!” After an hour of intense negotiations, Eliza stood up. “We will consider your offers in private.”
“My lady,” one of the rebels said, bowing. He had a smirk on his face that Desmond didn't like, and he locked eyes with Nathaniel, who returned them from the throne's platform. Eliza glanced to Nathaniel, who nodded, indicating that she was probably safe to go. Neither of them took their eyes off the rebels' movements for a moment.
“Well, that was tense,” Nathaniel said when he got within speaking range.
“Unfair,” Sienna spoke up, and both of them turned to her.
“How so?” Desmond asked, and she fought for the Basic words.
“They…” She indicated where the rebels had been. Nathaniel raised an eyebrow, and she closed her eyes.
‘Nothing benefits Eliza.’
Nathaniel glanced to Desmond to see if he got that bit. Desmond nodded, and Nathaniel felt relieved. This was certainly going to be easier going forward. However, she really did need to learn Basic, as most negotiations were conducted in it.
“That is true,” Nathaniel replied. “They aren't leaving her in an easy situation. Eliza will do her best, though.”
“We should attend to her,” Desmond said. “She feels uneasy to me, like she is worried they will go behind her back.”
“It wouldn't be the first time Jeffrorian rebels said one thing and did another,” Nathaniel mused, as they exited the throne room. Desmond's com-link buzzed just then, and he pulled it out to see Mariah's ID on the screen.
“Take it,” Nathaniel escorted Sienna a little farther down the hallway. “You can meet us later.”
“Nathaniel,” Sienna said, catching his wrist. “Homework?”
“Homework?” Nathaniel asked, and then realized what she was asking. When the Tiros were this young and away from the school, it was recommended they keep up with their classes. Most of the homework was about fake quests anyway, so they simply geared them toward the quest they were on if needed. “Yes, they should be loaded onto your profile if you check.”
“But war?” she asked, and he shook his head.
“No, no war,” he replied. “At least, I hope not.”
Desmond rejoined them, looking troubled, and Nathaniel tensed.
“What is it?”
“It's nothing,” he said. “We should focus on the quest at hand.”
“Desmond,” Nathaniel replied. “You're clearly distracted.”
Desmond sighed. “Mariah is just worried. Sybil hasn't reported in since yesterday.”
Nathaniel stopped cold. “What?” he asked. “
Where is she? Can't Mariah feel her?”
“Their bond is no longer as active,” Desmond assured him. “I'm sure it will be all right. How many times have you or I gone days without reporting in for various circumstances?”
“This is different,” Nathaniel replied. “Sybil is always on top of reporting and of making sure everything is done by the book.”
“I'm sure she's all right,” Desmond tried to assure him. Both of them were distracted by yelling voices down the hallway. He looked past Nathaniel to see guards rushing into the royal chambers.
Neither of them needed to even glance at each other. They ran down the hall at breakneck speed, Sienna hot on their heels.
Nearly every guard in the palace seemed to be in Eliza's room, frantically moving around. It only took Nathaniel a moment to realize that they were all there because she was not.
“How could she just vanish?” Nathaniel demanded of the captain. “She doesn't just vanish.”
The captain blinked. His face was frantic, but it was clear that he didn't understand. Nathaniel realized with horror that the man spoke no Basic.
“Eliza?” Sienna spoke up, her Jeffro accent coming through. The captain turned to her, and spoke rapidly. Nathaniel only caught one word out of three, but Sienna reached out, strengthening their bond.
‘She went in, but is nowhere to be found.’
“This is ridiculous,” Nathaniel said, storming toward the bookshelf. The guards looked only mildly concerned that he knew all the hiding places and secret passages within the room. “Desmond?”
“Did anyone come into the chambers with her?” Desmond demanded. “Sienna, help.”
Their bond was still shaky, but between the bits and pieces of conversation that everyone could make out, the details came out. Eliza said she was going into her room for a private moment. No one else had been with her. It had only been moments ago, and the guards stood at the door to the outer chambers. One of them had heard a crash, and then they burst in.
“Someone was waiting for her,” Desmond surmised. “Someone knew she would come back here.”
Hunting the Rogues (Shadow Claw Book 8) Page 19