But … she was an icarus. She could enjoy herself with a handsome decatur, if she wanted. Pyke would be upset, but it would only be offended pride, and he’d get over it. Alister would be fun, she had no doubt, and she expected he’d end an affair quietly and kindly.
She closed her eyes. Was that what she wanted?
The announcement of dinner saved her from having to make any difficult decisions.
She was seated at the long table between Caster Octavus and another senior decatur, across from Viera, and she hardly had time to think as the dinner conversation buzzed around her. Cassi had been right— she couldn’t imagine doing anything more than nibble at the meal while she was locked into her corset, even if she hadn’t been terrified of spilling something on her dress. But nobody seemed to notice that she wasn’t touching the dishes that were served in a dizzying array. The conversation whirled around her at an alarming pace, and although Taya did her best to keep up, more often than not it dealt with topics like paintings and novels and operas that she’d never had the time or the money to enjoy. She fell silent, listening and marveling over how little she knew about the world.
Flight, languages, armature repair, geography, cartography — she understood those subjects. She knew which gesture would offend a Cabiel merchant but amuse a Demican child, and how to tell when a storm was approaching, and where the most popular assignation house in the city was located. But none of that knowledge would serve her here.
“Taya, what is it like, soaring over Ondinium Mountain?” Viera asked, catching her eye. “Is it true that icarii have flown through clouds?”
“Have you ever seen any of the Lady’s spirits up there flying with you?” asked another guest, laughing.
Taya smiled gratefully at Viera as she replied. When the talk veered to the next subject, she relaxed, glad that she’d been able to say something interesting, at least.
Alister caught up with her after dinner as the guests left the table.
“I’m here to claim the first dance,” he said, sliding his arm under hers.
“Is that proper?” she asked, suddenly breathless.
“Who cares?” He pulled her closer, tucking her arm under his as they walked. His silk robe was soft and cool against her bare flesh. Taya forced herself to exhale. “You look beautiful, little bird. I’ve changed my mind about the flight suit. It doesn’t do your figure justice at all.”
“You look very nice, too,” Taya said, taking the opportunity to gaze at him again. “That green suits you.”
“I fear that next to you I’ll make people think of a tree, but I shall have to live with it. I should have chosen to wear sky blue, instead.”
“Are exalted dances the same as other caste dances?” she asked as they entered the ballroom. The musicians were playing. The remainder of the evening’s guests were trickling into the room, their faces flushed from the chill night air.
“Much worse,” Alister confided. “They’re very stately and slow. It’s difficult to develop a graceful carriage when one is accustomed to being weighed down by ten pounds of gold and silk.”
“Shouldn’t you be that much lighter on your feet once you’re free of your public robes, then?”
He smiled down at her.
“I’m afraid you are rather too optimistic. But tell me about your dances, Taya. Do icarii dance in the air? Do you carry out secret winged ballets over the mountains when no other castes are watching?”
“Uh-oh. Somebody’s been telling you our secrets.”
His green eyes widened in playful surprise. “May I watch? Will you take me dancing in the air with you?”
“Maybe.” She turned away, amused by his persistence. Sometimes groups of icarii would fly out with extra ondium counterweights on their harnesses and engage in aerial acrobatics that were impossible in a normal rig. It was a dangerous sport, since their lighter weights made them more vulnerable to sudden gusts of wind, but every young icarus did it at least once. Taya was considered one of the better skydancers.
Too bad she didn’t have a set of dancing wings here.
“The music’s starting.” Alister released her and bowed. “May I?”
She took another deep breath and held out her hand. He took it and pulled her out onto the dance floor.
He had exaggerated, of course. As far as Taya could tell, exalteds danced just as well as anyone else, and the steps weren’t very different from those in the dances at icarus parties or her sister’s famulate wedding. After the first few minutes, Taya relaxed and stopped thinking about what she was doing, letting Alister sweep her across the floor. The hand holding hers was very proper, but the thumb of his other hand stroked the feathers on her waist as he deftly guided her through the steps.
Lady, it would be easy to fall for him, Taya thought, as he pulled her closer to sweep past another couple. It would be just like a story, an exalted and an icarus loving across caste.
Just don’t forget how those stories end, she reminded herself. It never works out well for the icarus. Alister Forlore is a charming flirt. Don’t lose your heart to him, and you’ll be fine.
“What’s wrong?” Alister asked. His grip tightened. “You looked very stern all of the sudden.”
“Nothing,” she said, becoming aware of the scent he was wearing. It reminded her of the spice markets of the foreigners’ quarter, exotic but appealing. “Just … a thought.”
“Are you worried about my brother?”
“Huh?”
“He’s staring at you.” Alister swung her around. Taya caught a glimpse of a dark figure in the middle of all the extravagantly dressed exalteds, and then they turned again and he was gone.
“You said he never came to parties!”
Alister chuckled. “I believe you’ve made a conquest, Taya Swan.”
“I doubt that! Although I would like to talk to him.”
“After this dance,” he promised, pulling her close again. “Right now you’re mine.”
Still, she couldn’t help glancing over his shoulder, seeking out Cristof’s slim, severe figure every time they turned. Why was he here? To celebrate Viera’s survival?
She hoped so, for the family’s sake.
After the dance Alister waved off the other young exalteds who tried to break in.
“Back, back. The icarus will dance with you as soon as she’s had some refreshment,” he scolded them. “Give the guest of honor a chance to rest.”
He steered her toward Cristof, who was holding a glass of wine and regarding them gravely. He really does resemble a crow in a flock of fancy songbirds, Taya thought, remembering Gwen’s characterization. His somber clothes and sharp-featured face made the comparison even more apt. Anywhere else in Ondinium, she might have thought that he looked striking. Up here he just looked out of place.
Maybe as out of place as me, she admitted to herself as they approached.
“Why, Cris, what a delight to see you at a party at last,” Alister said with mock surprise. “I noticed that you were staring at Taya while we were dancing. Could it be that my big brother’s mind is finally turning to something other than clockwork?”
Cristof scowled, looking away. “I was studying the architecture of her dress.”
“Architecture? Is that what they call them down on Tertius?” Alister teased.
Color rose in Cristof’s cheeks.
“I was trying to figure out how the dress was fastened,” he elaborated with stilted dignity. “Dressmaking is as much a feat of engineering as bridge-building. More so. A bridge doesn’t need to be comfortable.”
“My dress isn’t exactly fastened,” Taya admitted. “It was sewn on.”
Cristof choked in mid-swallow and set his glass down. Alister roared with laughter, making heads turn.
“Oh, Lady save us! That leads to all
sorts of interesting lines of speculation, doesn’t it?” He grinned at his older brother. “Are you all right, Cris?”
“I’m fine,” Cristof said in a strangled voice. “Excuse me.”
Alister watched him go, then turned and swooped Taya up and kissed her on the cheek.
“What was that for?” she gasped, holding on to his arms as he swung her around and set her back down again. His eyes danced.
“That was for flustering my brother. I don’t get to see his gears slip nearly often enough.”
Taya shook her head with mild disapproval, but she didn’t try to break away from his grip as he held her. Instead, she leaned on his arm and searched the crowd for his brother.
She spotted him at once, because he was so tall and dark. He was still coughing into his handkerchief, and light gleamed off his wire-rimmed spectacles. She remembered how carefully he’d held Alister’s toy bird and how he’d given her half of his poor lunch. Suddenly she felt sorry for him.
“Don’t make fun of him, Alister. It’s not nice.”
“Nonsense. I’m only teasing. Cris takes everything so seriously. Sometimes I think his heart is nothing but springs and gears. I’d be the first to approve if he ever got his mind off his machines and started thinking about something as wholesome as a pretty woman.”
Taya sighed. As she was about to turn away, a footman approached and murmured something to the clockwright. Cristof’s shoulders tightened, and he strode toward the ballroom door.
“I don’t know,” she said, troubled. “I have a feeling he thinks about a lot that doesn’t have to do with machines.”
“You like to believe the best of everyone, don’t you? Now, tell me, was that what you wanted to say to him? That your dress was sewn on? I presume it will have to be dismantled before it’s removed.” Alister stroked the feathers over her shoulder and down her back. “What lucky soul will have that privilege tonight, Taya Swan? I hope your dressmaker was female.”
She moved away before his finger could descend too far. “He’s not, but he thinks I’m too boyish to be attractive.”
“Only a madman would call you boyish.”
Taya smiled, glad to hear it, even if it was blatant flattery. “Will you excuse me? I need to … check my hair.”
“Of course. Over there.” He pointed and she slipped away.
The foyer was empty of guests, although the candles and endless rows of reflecting mirrors made the room seem crowded as soon as she walked into it. The front door was open. Taya glanced at the door to the ladies’ parlor, then turned and stepped outside. She just needed a little solitude to think about what she wanted before Alister’s flirting became any more suggestive.
The stone walls and iron gate blocked any light from the street, but the mansion’s broad front porch was lined with small lanterns that provided a festive air. Taya shivered in the cold air and took a deep breath, leaning against the low porch rail. Tension uncoiled from her back and shoulders, and she realized how uneasy she’d been inside, despite Alister’s charming company.
Or maybe because of it.
She looked up, hoping to see an icarus silhouetted against the stars or moon, but the night sky was empty.
This isn’t me, she thought, looking up at the stars with a touch of regret. I’m not meant to wear elegant dresses and flirt with handsome exalteds. The Lady forged me to wear leather and ondium and ride the wind.
There was nothing to stop her from enjoying herself with Alister Forlore. Nothing but her own vague sense of unease. Maybe it’s because he outranks me, she thought, testing the idea. Despite what Cristof had said, icarii didn’t really stand outside of the caste hierarchy. Not as long as exalteds ran the city and owned their wings.
Perhaps she should borrow a pair of wings and take Alister into the air. Caste differences wouldn’t matter once she was in her own element.
Or maybe I’m just getting too old for casual affairs. She’d never been as carefree as Cassi and so many of the rest of her peers. That’s why she hadn’t been able to sleep with Pyke. He’d been kind enough, but it hadn’t seemed worth the effort of starting something that was doomed from the start.
“…got them from Pins,” someone murmured. Taya looked toward the voice and saw three men standing in the garden shadows next to a small marble bench. Lamplight reflected from a small metal packet that changed hands. The man who took it shoved it into his jacket, and Taya bit her lip as she saw the silver circles around his eyes.
“You shouldn’t have come. You could comp—” Cristof halted as one of the men looked up at Taya and made a warning noise.
“Excuse me,” she apologized, stepping back from the rail. “I — I was just getting some fresh air. I didn’t know anyone was out here.”
“You see?” Cristof asked his companions, in a low, annoyed voice. He shook his head, waving the other two men aside. Taya caught a glimpse of their faces as they backed off. No masks. They weren’t exalteds, then, but somebody lower-caste. It was too dark to discern their castemarks.
Cristof looked up at her. “Wait a moment, Icarus.”
“I’m sorry. It’s cold,” Taya said, feeling nervous. “I’d better get back inside.” She caught a glimpse of his frown and turned, hurrying back to the safety of the house.
What was that? she thought in a panic, torn between fleeing to the sanctuary of the ladies’ parlor and seeking the safety of Alister’s company. What did I just see? The packet — it had looked like a stack of punch cards, the kind used to program analytical engines.
Like the engines that ran the wireferries. Or that switched refinery furnaces on and off at specific hours.
Chapter Seven
Taya smiled graciously, if somewhat absently, at the young exalted who escorted her off the ballroom floor. Her eyes searched the crowds, hunting for Cristof’s angular face. She’d flung herself back into the dancing as soon as she’d re-entered the ballroom, using her partners to protect herself. During the first two dances she’d spotted Cristof watching her from the sidelines. Then he’d vanished, and now she felt safe enough to plead exhaustion.
Alister appeared at her side as she sank into a chair, her feathers rustling. The decatur held a glass of wine in one bejeweled hand.
“Allow me,” he said to her partner, handing her the glass. The younger man bowed to him, smiled at Taya, and took his leave.
“You didn’t need to shoo him off.”
“If he surrenders you that easily, he doesn’t deserve your company,” Alister said, dismissing her concern. “I’ve been waiting for a chance to reclaim you.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” She looked up. “Would you mind if I asked you a strange question?”
“Of course not.” He looked intrigued. “What is it?”
“Have you ever heard of someone called Pins?”
Alister’s pleasant expression vanished, and his gaze became intent.
“Yes. Why?”
“Just a conversation I overheard … in passing.” She craned her neck, studying him. He didn’t look happy. “Who is he?”
“She. She’s a fence and a suspected smuggler. The Council keeps its eyes on her, but she’s a very clever woman, and so far she’s avoided arrest.” Alister touched one of the feathers in her hair. “You don’t know her, do you? Have you carried any messages for her?”
“No, it’s nothing like that.” Taya gazed into her wine. He hadn’t given her the reassuring answer she’d been hoping for. “You don’t suppose she’d be involved in terrorism, do you? Like … the wireferry accident? Or the refinery explosion?”
He was silent. She glanced up. His face had grown even more still.
“Do you have any reason to suspect her of terrorism, Taya?”
“No! No, I don’t. I was just wondering. I saw something strange, and I heard her name, an
d … well, a lictor asked me to keep my eyes open for anything suspicious, and Viera is worried about her husband, so of course now I’m reading sinister undertones into everything I hear.” She forced a laugh.
“Maybe.” He leaned over, putting a hand on her shoulder. His fingers combed through the feathers, caressing her bare skin and sending tingles down her back. “But if you know anything that could help the Council keep Ondinium safe, you can tell me. I’m in better position to order an investigation than a lictor or Viera.”
“I don’t know anything yet.” She looked away, sipping her wine to avoid his eyes.
Viera joined them, gold gleaming in her hair and on her fingers. Alister’s hand slid off Taya’s shoulder.
“Taya! How are you? You look tired.”
“I am, a little,” Taya admitted. “I don’t usually stay up this late.”
Alister slipped his ornate watch from his sleeve and glanced at it. “Why, it’s only after midnight.”
“After midnight!” Taya fought the urge to yawn. “No wonder I’m tired! I’m usually in bed by ten.”
“I refuse to believe you’re serious. The evening has only begun.”
“Not when you have the morning flight shift. In fact, Exalted Octavus, if you’ll forgive me, I should be heading home now.”
“Of course,” Viera said. “I shall instruct the servants to bring around a carriage for you.”
“I would be happy to take her in mine,” Alister offered. “I should be heading home, myself. I’m supposed to run tests on an engine prototype tomorrow, and they want me down at the University by nine.” He pretended to shudder, smiling at Taya. “A Ladyforsaken hour, indeed.”
Ride home with Alister? Taya felt a surge of temptation. “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you,” she said shakily. “The eyries would be out of your way…”
“I know Cliff Road. It’s not that far out of my way,” Alister said, the smile still hovering around his lips. “And this will be my last chance to see my swan queen. After tonight, you will be transformed back into a metal-winged hawk.”
“Al, hush,” Viera scolded him. “Taya must consider propriety. What sort of impression would it make if she returned home in your carriage?”
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