by Emily L K
“Ho, I’m Adriyn, from Hearth.” He pulled a mug of beer towards himself, then pushed one to her.
“I’m Cori, from... the palace.”
“Oh yeh, I know you. The Karalis’ favourite, right?”
Cori felt her eyes widen in surprise and panic. What did these people know? To cover herself, she took a swig of beer and choked.
“I don’t think so,” she finally wheezed when she was able to catch her breath. “He doesn’t even speak to me.”
“Ha!” Adriyn’s laugh boomed across the table. “And who does he speak to, I wonder?”
Their topic of discussion blended into the conversation around them and Cori sat back to listen in silence. She noticed Quart watching her out of the corner of her eye but she feigned ignorance and drank her beer.
The evening moved steadily into night and the people around the table took turns to buy rounds of drinks. Some returned with beer, as Adriyn had, and others came back with wine. Cori could tell that it was a show of wealth by what they arrived with and how loudly the others cheered and thanked them. She drank everything that was put in front of her. When it came time for her round the table fell into an awkward silence.
“Here, I’ll...” Antoni began but Cori stopped her.
“No, I can get it.” She rose unsteadily to her feet, giving her dress an ineffective tug, and pushed past Adriyn. She was suddenly very grateful for the gold coins that Rowan had pressed on her earlier.
“I don’t want your money,” she‘d told him, somewhat defensively, when he‘d handed her the tinkling purse.
“I don’t care. You’ll take it and you’ll spend it all. Don’t let them win, remember?” So she had reluctantly pocketed the money, promising herself that she wouldn‘t spend a coin.
She pulled it out now, feeling its satisfying weight on the palm of her hand. She’d never even seen more than one gold coin at a time, let alone the amount she now held. It was probably enough to buy the building she was standing in.
“What can I get you, girl?” The bartender slid up the bar towards her. She surveyed the various beers and wines on the shelves behind the counter. Higher up were spirits in dusty bottles, rarely purchased, but of a great quality. She glanced at the purse in her hand then back at the table of Hiram students. Don’t let them win, she thought to herself and turned back to the waiting bartender.
“Your best bottle of rum, please.”
She slammed the bottle down on the table and the group fell silent. Cori felt a moment of awkwardness; perhaps the Hiram didn’t like rum? But then Quart spoke up.
“Way to go Cori!” He cheered and grabbed the bottle by the neck. The others erupted into cheers and excited chatter. Cori sat back in her chair, receiving a slap on the shoulder from Adriyn as she did. Quart picked off the wax that sealed the bottle, pulled the cork and offered her the first swig.
After that, Antoni drunkenly declared that they should all dance and the rest of the group heartily agreed. Quart offered his hand to Cori and, with an unrestrained grin, she accepted it.
Chapter Thirteen
The sword whispered through the air, a downward chop that halted before the point touched the ground. With a grunt, the bearer pivoted, drawing the blade over his head in an arc and bringing it down in a slice on his other side.
Cori sat in the garden chair with her knees drawn up to her chin and her arms wrapped around her shins. The book she had been trying to read lay open and abandoned on the table beside her, along with her empty coffee mug. She watched Rowan at his practice with a hypnotic fascination. He moved fluidly from one stance to the next and it was only his heaving chest and sweat-soaked shirt that betrayed his effortlessness.
“Tell me again why you’re doing this?”
Rowan whirled, thrusting the sword in her direction. “Because you’re getting stronger,” he replied cryptically and twisted again, slicing to his left. Cori stayed silent; she wouldn’t play his game. She did, however, have somewhere else to be. She shifted in her seat and waited impatiently.
“Why are you fidgeting?”
How he knew what she was doing with his back turned, she’d never know, but he spun again now, meeting her with a downward chop.
“I have a date... I was hoping I could leave early today,” she said the words as boldly as she could to cover her nerves at asking him. Rowan had stepped out to the right but at her words he stumbled, wincing when he over-extended with the sword.
“A date? With a boy?” He said incredulously, turning to face her. He let the sword drop to his side and rubbed his shoulder.
“Yes, with a boy,” Cori retorted, unfolding her legs so she could sit straighter. She glared at him. “Is it so hard to believe that boys might like me?”
“Not at all,” Rowan recovered smoothly. He came to the table and placed the sword on it. Cori eyed its naked blade warily. Rowan pushed his hair back from his sweaty forehead and smiled at her.
“Sorry,” he said and Cori thought he sounded genuine. “You just surprised me. You haven’t mentioned a boy before. Of course you can go early but just wait here a moment, I have something I want to give you.” He went inside, leaving Cori at the table with the sword.
It was a nice sword, she thought, watching it gleam in the sunlight. Not that she‘d seen any other swords to compare it to, but this one had been made for royalty. Its hilt had been wrapped in sturdy black leather but the guard gleamed golden and the pommel was wrought into the shape of a dragon head. Its ears were pinned back and it bared its pointed teeth in a snarl. It had two small black gems for eyes and they glittered maliciously. Cori tore her eyes from the blade and glanced up at the door impatiently. Where was he?
Rowan returned ten minutes later, just as Cori was getting to her feet to go and find him. He’d showered and donned fresh clothes.
“Sit down.” He pulled his chair around beside hers and they sat side by side. Rowan smiled.
“What? What is it?” It still made her uneasy when he focused his full attention on her like this.
“Happy birthday,” he told her softly, eyes twinkling. He lifted his hand between them. On his palm sat a red velvet box. Cori stared at it, then glanced up at Rowan. She made no move to take the gift.
“How did you know it was my birthday?” She asked suspiciously. He laughed and placed the box on the table before them.
“Just open it!”
She put her hand out and ran her fingers over the soft velvet lid before prying it open. Nestled on the cushion within sat the most beautiful ring Cori had ever seen. A gold band with a claw setting that held a pale sapphire stone. The stone was smooth and polished, but the edges were jagged and uncut. It reminded her of her uneven Hum.
“Put it on,” Rowan prompted her.
She lifted the ring from its box and slid it onto her left index finger, then held her hand up so they could both admire it.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you, Rowan.”
She felt a lump catch in her throat. Her mother and sister had always made her a birthday cake, but their little family had not been one that exchanged gifts. Never in her life had she received something as precious as this ring, something that suited her so perfectly.
She lowered her hand. She didn’t want to take it off but if she didn’t, people would question its origin. Servants didn’t possess fine jewellery like this. She started to slide it off her finger but Rowan stopped her.
“Don’t.” He had a small crease between his brow and his eyes had caught some emotion that Cori couldn’t read. When he noticed her watching him, the crease smoothed away, and he smiled. “Wear it.”
“People will notice it. What will I say?”
“You’ll think of something, but don’t hide it. You deserve to wear it.” He closed the lid of the empty box and slid it into his pocket. “Now, don’t you have a boy to meet?”
Cori had completely forgotten. She jumped to her feet, nerves fluttering in her stomach as she remembered. “Oh no! I’m going to be late!”
Rowan followed her as she rushed back through the receiving room and to the door. She paused there and turned back to him. “Thank you,” she told him earnestly. “Not just for the ring but for everything.”
He said nothing. He simply smiled and opened the door for her.
QUART WAS WAITING AT the front of the cafe when she arrived, out of breath from her run from the palace.
“Hello,” she gasped, raking her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it.
“Did you run all the way here? If you were busy we could have met another day,” he pushed open the door and they went inside. The cafe was quaint, with booths and tables sized for couples. It was partly full, and at their entrance, a waitress showed them to a table.
“No, no it’s fine,” she told him quickly, allowing him to pull a chair out for her. “I just lost track of time.” He moved around the table and sat opposite her. The waitress brought them two mugs of coffee.
“You look lovely with your hair like that,” Quart told her when the waitress moved away. Cori blushed and looked away. She was wearing the blue dress she‘d borrowed from Annie for her intake ceremony. Antoni had also shown her how to strap her breasts so they sat higher and fuller in the dress.
“How was class this morning?” Cori asked. She took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. Too bitter.
“Yeh, all right.”
“Just all right?”
“Well,” Quart traced a circle on the table top with his finger and avoided her eyes. “I’m not doing very well, you see. We learned differently as children on the Isles. The script you mainlanders use is confusing.”
“Oh.” It hadn’t occurred to Cori at all that others would struggle at school, much as she had. The realisation was comforting.
“You see,” Quart’s fist bunched, his voice suddenly passionate, “we communicate using symbols and markings. It’s just quicker that way and gets the point across. Why do mainlanders have to use so many words?” he bemoaned. Cori couldn’t help but laugh.
“I really have no idea,” she told him truthfully. “The house messengers read our letters to us.”
Quart sighed wistfully and took a drink of his coffee, shuddering as he did. “I wish we had luxuries such as messengers in my uncle’s keep. He has his personal servants and no-one else can use them.”
Cori found that fascinating. She’d always assumed that all the Hiram who got into the elite school were wealthy and didn’t want for anything. She realised now just how well off servants in the palace had it to be able to use and learn from their own community as they do.
“Where did you get that?” Quart asked, noticing her ring.
“Oh,” Cori twisted it around her finger nervously, “it was a gift from my mother... A family heirloom,” she added when she thought Quart might not believe her. He merely shrugged.
“It’s nice.”
A silence fell between them and Cori tried to think of something to tell him about life in the palace but before she could open her mouth, Quart leaned over the table and kissed her.
It was awkward at first, Cori having been taken by surprise, but his lips were soft and inviting and after a moment Cori kissed him back. He kissed her until the rest of their coffee had gone cold and a waiter came to shoo them out of the cafe. They walked back to the palace hand in hand.
“I’m glad I asked you out,” he told her as they walked.
“You are?” That surprised her. She still couldn’t quite believe that he’d wanted to move beyond dancing at the tavern to dating.
“Of course. The best part of pub night is seeing you there.”
They stopped outside the kitchens and he gave her a final, languid kiss goodbye before headed back to his classes.
Cori watched him go, feeling a warm glow spreading from the pit of her stomach. He was so handsome, with his golden skin and curly hair, and he liked her. She pressed a finger to her lips and felt them, swollen from kissing. A small laugh bubbled from within and she ran to find Saahsa..
“WHO IS THIS QUART?” Saasha demanded. They stood close together at Saasha’s workbench, sharing a slice of Cori’s birthday cake. Around them the kitchen was a hive of activity as the cooks prepared for the evening meals. Cori’s cake, only just recently a two tiered creation covered in pink and white sugar flowers, sat in a crumbling mess on her mother’s workbench. Bel worked around it, preparing chicken breast and chilli sauce. The servers picked at it while they waited for the food to be prepared and their shifts to start.
“Just a boy from the school. I’ve told you about him before, I see him when I go with Antoni to the tavern.”
“Oh yes, your weekly night out with the Hiram crowd,” Saasha wrinkled her nose and took another bite of cake.
“Don’t act like that,” Cori sighed. “They’re nice people.”
“Sure. But tell me about this date today, what did you talk about?”
“Oh, school and stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“Well it wasn’t all just talking, you know.” Cori blushed and Saasha’s eyebrows shot up.
“You little harlot!” She gave Cori a playful nudge and they both dissolved into girlish giggles.
THE MONTHS THAT FOLLOWED were turbulent. Cori spent every free minute she had with Quart and their meetings followed in much the same fashion as their first date. They talked and bemoaned that their lives were not as easy as, say, the likes of Olivia, and then they kissed. A lot. She was falling in love.
Her spare time was limited though. Rowan pushed her in her magical training with a fervour that had her worried. But when she tried to confront him about it his responses were aloof and cryptic, which did nothing to alleviate her uneasiness. Nonetheless he kept her back so late most days that even the Advisor was well within his rights to declare it inappropriate.
He’d changed too. No longer did he seem carefree and easy going. Rather, he was anxious and on edge. Often falling into withdrawn silences and fidgeting if he was still for too long.
“We’re slipping,” Cori told Rowan one afternoon that summer. It was only a few weeks out from exams and Cori was doing overtime to study both her magic and the other subjects required to pass the tests. She hadn‘t seen Quart at all that week and she was looking forward to meeting with him at the tavern with the others that evening. If Rowan ever let her leave.
“What do you mean, slipping?” He was bent over an old sheet of parchment with writing so faded that Cori wondered how he could even read it.
“I mean,” she spoke deliberately, but he still didn’t look up from his work, “that people are talking about us. They‘re wondering why I’m spending so much time paging and why you’re spending so much time in your rooms.”
“The world is changing,” he said vaguely. Cori almost screamed in frustration. Instead, she placed the book she’d been studying on the table and stood up.
“Where are you going?” He asked when she had her hand on the door knob of the study. He still didn’t look up but at least he had noticed her, which was something.
“If you’re not going to answer my questions then I’m not going to waste my time here.”
“The world is changing,” he repeated, eyes dafrting to her, “and you‘re at the centre of it. You‘re the pivot point and I no longer feel inclined to hold the world, or you, back. It’s almost time to finish the war. Can you not feel it?” He returned to his papers and added, “sit down, I didn’t say you could leave.”
Cori stood at the door, torn over what to do. What he had told her confused and scared her. And it made her angry. How could he lay burdens like that on her when he would barely have a conversation with her anymore? And what, exactly, was she supposed to be able to feel? She came to a decision. The door clicked open under her hand.
“I’m meeting Quart tonight and -“
His hand slammed down on the table. The sound reverberated around the room, cutting off her words.
“Do you forget who I am?” He hissed and when he
turned on her his golden eyes were feral and whirling.
Cori’s heart stop in her chest. She let her hand slide from the knob and stepped away from the door. Rowan’s attention instantly fell back to the desk. She moved cautiously back to her chair and sank into it.
The room was deafeningly silent for a few moments then Rowan shoved the paper away from him with a growl. He whirled and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. When Cori heard him slam the bedroom door a moment later she let out the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.
She sat back in the chair and a tremor ran through her shocked limbs. Was this her fault? Had she pushed him too far? Despite their friendship he was still the Karalis and she owed him her deference.
She reached out tentatively with her Hum, hoping to call him back. What she met was not his easy, summer-day song but a maelstrom of emotions; anger, fear and sadness. She wasn‘t even sure he felt her presence. She gently withdrew back to herself, and was surprised to find her cheeks wet with tears. She wiped them away in confusion and stood once more. She could do nothing to help him now and Quart was waiting for her.
“HO, CORI! WE WEREN’T sure you would make it!” Adriyn’s booming voice carried easily over the music in the tavern.
The group was gathered around their usual booth and a few bottles of wine, most of them empty, were standing in the centre of the table.
“I was studying for exams,” Cori lied as she slid into the booth beside Quart. He immediately put his arm across her shoulder and pulled her closer. She leaned up to kiss him, ignoring the baleful look that Antoni gave her from across the table. She knew that Cori hadn’t been studying.
Cori’s friendship with Antoni had suffered the past few months. Antoni viewed Cori’s additional time with the Karalis as a threat to her chance at the Advisor role. Unable to correct her without revealing her true relationship with Rowan, Cori had been forced to hold her silence.