Whisper

by Christine Grey

  This is where it gets weird. Jacob stood up and asked the Tiger guy what his son’s name was again. Well, those two great big Breken guys looked at Jacob like a hound looks at a flea, and I thought that was the end of him right there, but Mili asked why he wanted to know, and distracted the Breken from killing Jacob, darn her. So then Jacob said that a young Breken warrior, named Darius, was captured by the Maj, and eventually he sort of became one of them. Well! The Tiger guy got really pissed—I mean, mad. Sorry, Father. The Falcon guy started questioning Jacob…loudly, and Mili got this kind of funny look on her face, like…like she thought of something that made her happy and excited at the same time.

  About the time they all get calmed down again, Mili asked Jacob if he was sure Darius was really on the side of the Maj, and Jacob said, oh yeah, he was sure, because Darius was helping them try and get me back, and also because he’s in love with Dearra, the lord’s daughter. Wow! And I thought those Breken guys could yell! They haven’t got anything on Mili.

  I don’t know why Jacob would lie about something like that, especially since that Tiger guy and the Falcon guy don’t really have much of a sense of humor, but he must be lying. Dearra and a Breken in love? It just doesn’t make any sense. Next thing you know, you’ll expect me to believe in fairytales! Nope, there must be something else going on; I’ll figure it out. Eventually.

  Chapter 18

  The next few days were spent close to the inn. Though they were all relatively sure Tebreh had taken Dearra’s warning to heart, no one wanted to test that theory, at least, not until Darius had a chance to heal a bit. Dearra hovered over him anxiously until Daniel assured her there was nothing broken, and the boy just needed rest.

  Carly was the one person who seemed able to go pretty much wherever she chose, unbothered by anyone. Khan was quite the deterrent in his own right, and most people needed no more than the threat of being trampled by the horse to maintain a healthy distance. Also, the sight of such a tiny woman controlling such a huge and dangerous animal and without saddle or bit was enough to announce Carly’s close ties to the fairies, and no one was willing to incur their wrath.

  Dearra spent a lot of time talking with Kyoko, Hachiro’s daughter. She was sweet tempered and hard-working, but not very bright. Dearra was often amused by Kyoko who had a fondness for desserts (as was evidenced by her ample waistline) and how she was forever on the lookout for a cookie or sweet left unattended. Hachiro would firmly scold his daughter if he caught her in the act, but he also had a soft spot for his only child. This was verified by the fact that Dearra had seen the man leave a sugared treat where his daughter would be sure to find it on more than one occasion. The revelation disposed Dearra to feel more kindly toward the man than when they had first met.

  It was the very hottest part of the day, and Dearra and Kyoko lounged in the inner courtyard, beneath the leaves of a tree Hachiro had watered himself, morning and night. Kyoko said it was the only thing her father had to remind him of home, and he cared for it as he would care for a beloved child, trusting no one but himself to see to it. Dearra found that if she closed her eyes and blocked out the sounds of the city around her, she could almost imagine she was sitting beneath the eaves of a gnarn tree on a hot summer afternoon. The dream was invariably shattered by the clanging of pots or the squawking of merchants in the streets as they competed for prime space to sell their wares.

  “Kyoko! Kyoko, child!”

  At the sound of her father’s irritated call, Kyoko sighed and heaved herself from her comfortable position at the base of the tree. “Coming, Papa.”

  Dearra smiled as Kyoko ambled off. A few minutes later, however, Kyoko returned looking flushed. “Miss,” she panted, “two Breken men are here to see you. They look very…” Kyoko trailed off as she tried to find the right word.

  “Breken?” Dearra asked trying to help.

  “Yes, miss. That’s it exactly. They look very Breken. What should I do?”

  “Show them in to the main room, Kyoko. I will see them there. Then you go and get my father and Darius.”

  “What about them other two?” she asked referring to Daniel and William.

  “Stop them if you can, but I imagine they’ll come whether I want them to or not,” Dearra said.

  “I don’t suppose I can stop two grown men, but I’ll do my best if you say to, miss.” Kyoko pushed her sleeves up as if preparing for a difficult job, not realizing Dearra had only been joking.

  Dearra held back a chuckle. She said, “On second thought, Kyoko, maybe we should just let them join us as well.”

  Kyoko’s face pinched into a look of profound concentration as she considered the wisdom of Dearra’s new plan. When, at last, her face smoothed out, she said, “All right, miss, if you think it’s best. My Mama used to say them red-headed ones are the very children of demons.”

  “Best not let Carly hear you say that, Kyoko,” Dearra warned.

  “Oh, no, miss! Only one thing’s worse than demons and that’s an angry fairy. Wouldn’t want no fairy storms in the house.”

  That was the second time Dearra had heard the term “fairy storm”, but before she could ask any questions, Kyoko had left on her mission, and Dearra stood alone in the garden once again.

  She was reluctant to meet with the two Breken men before her father and Darius had a chance to join her. She paced just outside the entrance to the main room and chewed at her lower lip debating with herself on the best way to proceed.

  Coward.

  Dearra needed no more encouragement than that one word from Brin to send her into the lion’s den, head held high, and one hand resting confidently on the hilt of her sword.

  The two Breken warriors who waited in the room were dressed completely in black, their Breken braids adorned with teeth and claws. Dearra noticed that some of the teeth looked human, and her body shuddered involuntarily. The Breken were young, maybe only sixteen or seventeen by the look of them. They were both taller than Darius, though perhaps not as broad across the chest or as heavily muscled.

  “Look, Behrouz, they sent us an appetizer,” the taller of the two warriors said to his companion. He stepped forward, completely unafraid of the slight girl before him.

  Oh, goody, Brin said almost giddily.

  “YazAn, don’t be stupid. You would kill a female? What a waste of time,” the other Breken said.

  “Kill? No. But if they sent a sweet to me, would I not be rude to at least taste the delicacy?” YazAn reached out a hand to stroke the side of Dearra’s face. Dearra snatched the hand up in her own and she twisted it down and up as she had with Jacob so long ago. But before she could snap the fingers as she had on that previous occasion, the young Breken thrust out with the heel of his other hand and made contact with Dearra’s chest. The impact sent her back a good six feet, where she landed hard on her rump.

  Dearra sprang nimbly to her feet, her eyes blazing like fire. Behrouz stood laughing while YazAn simply glared at her. A small growl built in his throat. Dearra heard a second growl a split second later, this one louder and fiercer than the first, and she knew she would have to act quickly before Darius arrived to steal all of her fun.

  She drew Brin swiftly from his scabbard, but she was too late. It was not Darius that had moved to take control of the situation, however, but Hugh. Dearra was so used to seeing her father as the calm leader and diplomat of her island home, she had forgotten how imposing the man could be. As he stood there with his sword drawn, the wrath of a father protecting his child shining in his eyes, not even the Breken would be stupid enough to escalate the situation further, and their laughter and growling ceased abruptly and simultaneously.

  “Dearra, are you all right?” Hugh asked without lowering his weapon even one inch.

  “Yes, Father,” she said. She looked for Darius and when their eyes met, Dearra nodded so he would also be reassured.

  Darius smiled back at her and he relaxed his stance, but only slightly so. Then Dearra saw his eyes narrow again
when he looked back at the two Breken before him.

  Hugh sheathed his sword and said, “Sit, everyone.”

  Dearra wondered where William and Daniel were, but said nothing. Maybe Kyoko had managed to keep them away after all.

  “Greetings from House Falco. I am Behrouz, and my companion’s name is YazAn. We have been sent to bring you a message.”

  “Get on with it then, boy,” Hugh said irritably.

  “My name is Behrouz, most noble Lord of Maj.”

  Behrouz was clearly annoyed at being called a boy, but he managed to hold his temper fairly well. It reminded Hugh of another young Breken who had taken offense at being called a boy. A quick glance in Darius’s direction, and Hugh could see by the small grin on his face that Darius remembered it as well.

  “I was sent to tell you that my master has come across a small boy who claims to be one of your people. We are, of course, most anxious to see that he is safely reunited with his family.”

  Hugh was well prepared for the twisted story the Breken told. Darius had coached him on how the game was played.

  “Yes, we noticed one of the children had wandered away,” Hugh said, sounding almost indifferent. It was all so preposterous, pretending that Phillip had simply been misplaced, but Darius had been most adamant about how this needed to proceed. To flatly call the Breken thieves would demand they defend their honor, which could lead to outright war. The fact that the Breken had no honor was irrelevant. It was all about perception in Breken society, and to let such a slight go unanswered would be a serious sign of weakness.

  YazAn had clearly had enough of the pleasantries. He slammed a gloved fist upon the table, causing a small crack to appear in the wine-stained wood. “We know you want the brat, so no more games. If you expect to get him back, you’ll pay.”

  Behrouz seemed annoyed and amused at the same time. He leaned back in his chair to enjoy the proceedings. If YazAn wanted to open the negotiations, that was fine with him.

  “I don’t remember asking for your input, boy,” Hugh said, never taking his eyes from Behrouz.

  “My name is YazAn, and you will look at me when I speak to you, old man!”

  This one was clearly not as calm as the other. Hugh surreptitiously lowered his hand nearer his sword in response to the outburst.

  “Anyone who takes liberties with a woman of Maj deserves no courtesy from me. You are no man until you can control yourself. Now, sit still and keep quiet while I speak, boy.”

  YazAn may have been a boy, but he was also a trained Breken warrior, able to move with speed and deadly accuracy. Dearra and Hugh were aware that YazAn was becoming more and more volatile, but neither had expected him to attack. Darius, however, seemed wholly prepared, and before YazAn could take the killing blow against Hugh, YazAn’s head was cleanly separated from his foolish shoulders. Hugh and Dearra were both taken aback. Prompted by YazAn’s grizzly end, Daniel and William came out from their hiding places.

  The silence that ensued lasted only a moment, before Behrouz shrugged and said, “Excellent. I shall inform House Falco the negotiations are progressing well.” Behrouz paused at the body to remove a small, onyx carving of a falcon from a pouch at YazAn’s waist, and then sauntered, almost leisurely, out the door.

  “Can I come in and clean up now?” Kyoko asked from the doorway.

  “Yes, please, Kyoko,” Darius said, as he wiped the blood from his sword. “You’ll find a bit of silver waiting for you later, Kyoko.”

  “If it’s all the same to you,” Kyoko said slyly, “I’d rather have one of them cinnamon sweets they sell down by the docks. Papa won’t let me go down there.”

  “You shall have three,” Darius said winking at her.

  Kyoko giggled with pleasure.

  “Darius?” Hugh said, staring at the beheaded body at his feet.

  “Yes, Hugh?”

  “If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?”

  “I was going to tell you earlier, I really was, but I was worried you would want to try and do things differently, and I couldn’t take the chance that anything would happen to Dear…to anyone.” Darius saw Dearra glare at him, but she held her peace.

  “Tell me what, boy?”

  Darius could tell by the use of the word “boy” that he was on very shaky ground, and he hurried to explain. “This was the first stage of negotiations. The Breken send two young warriors to speak on behalf of the family who has the hostage. If they can, they kill one of the group they are sent to negotiate with, thereby proving their superiority and putting them in a better position for bargaining later. The alternative is that we kill one of them, putting us in a slightly stronger position.”

  “And your people send two children to their possible deaths? What kind of barbarians are they?”

  Darius winced but continued. “The ‘children’ are Breken warriors, and they begged for this opportunity. Whichever of them had killed one of us would have been adopted into the house they serve. True, as only a lesser son, but no longer a common soldier. Since we remain unharmed, there will be no adoption, but still, the one who returns will move up a rank within the house soldiers, bettering his position.”

  Hugh, Dearra, Daniel, and William were silent. Every time they thought they were starting to understand this place, something happened that turned everything upside down again.

  Darius couldn’t understand why they were all taking this so hard, although he had suspected they might. He continued to grow closer and closer to these people every day, but some of their ideals eluded him, and he struggled to adjust to his chosen life.

  Patience, Darius. You’re doing just fine, Brin said, speaking only to him.

  Completely oblivious of the effect the Breken’s death was having on everyone else in the room, Kyoko hummed to herself while she scrubbed the blood from the floor. As she cleaned, her mind wandered not to Breken politics, or rescue missions, not on the shocked faces of her Maj guests or the almost gloomy face of Darius, but to dreams of warm cinnamon and honey. All and all, Brin thought Kyoko had her priorities clearly in order.

  Chapter 19

  “Dearra. Dearra. Dearra!” Carly shouted.

  Dearra tumbled out of bed and landed in an undignified heap on the floor. “Huh? What is it? What’s going on?”

  “Very nice, Dearra. You promised to go see Aesri with me today, and here you are lounging about.”

  Dearra opened her eyes a bit and peered through sleepy lids at the window. “Carly, what time is it exactly?”

  “It’s morning. Now quit complaining, and get dressed. Darius brought us new outfits to wear on our visit. Come on, come on. Hurry up!”

  “Morning, you say? Look, I may not be the brightest gem in the crown, but doesn’t morning usually mean daylight? I may be missing something, but it looks pretty dark out to me.” She got to her feet slowly, and stood there, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “It’s dawn, Dearra. Or it will be by the time you get ready. It’s so much cooler in the morning that I thought we should leave early.”

  She’s just anxious, Dearra. I remember a girl who had to be sung to sleep on several occasions because she was so excited about a certain Breken warrior.

  “Humph,” Dearra snorted.

  “What, Dearra? Did you say something?” Carly asked turning in her direction.

  “No, nothing, dearest. Where did you say the clothes were?”

  “I put yours over there, across the big chair in the corner.”

  Dearra made her way to the chair and lit another lamp so she could see what she was doing. “Oh, my,” she whispered as she lifted the first piece for closer inspection.

  “Yeah, he really outdid himself, didn’t he?”

  Dearra’s fingers lifted the luxurious blue fabric and traced the golden threaded dragons that had been embroidered at the neckline and sleeves. She set the garment down again and slipped out of her sleeping gown. She quickly donned her undershirt, enj
oying how the white cotton felt cool and soft against her skin. Next, she slipped on the pants. They were white and light weight with no adornment except at the gathered ankles where, again, tiny dragons had been embroidered in golden thread. She put on the blue under gown that had so captured her attention a moment before. Next, she held up the outer gown. It was the most beautiful thing Dearra had ever seen. It was the same bright white as the pants, but the fabric had been richly embroidered with silk in the same gold and the blue of her under robe. The dragons that had been painstakingly stitched into the outer robe were almost like miniature works of art, each one seeming to have a distinct personality of its own. The sash she tied at her waist was a wide band of gold silk, plain, but nevertheless stunning in its own right. Dearra decided she would leave her hair down on a whim, and from a small bag, pulled the filigreed ornament Carly had given her to wear at last year’s Harvest Celebration.

  “Well, what do you think?” Carly asked.

  They stood staring at one another.

  The styles of the two garments were very similar. Instead of blue, white, and gold, Carly’s outfit was a mix of black, white, and silver. Instead of dragons, Carly’s robes were adorned with horses.

  Dearra let out a low, unladylike whistle.

  “Just what I was thinking,” Carly said. “Come on, Dearra, let’s get going.”

  “Okay, just let me stop and let my father know we’re leaving.”

  Carly sighed and rolled her eyes.

  “What?” Dearra asked.

  “Your father and William and Daniel are going scouting today. They are probably already gone by now.”

  “Really? When was that decided?”

  “Last night at supper. You may have missed it because you were so focused on Daaaariiiiiuuuuussss.” Carly sighed and batted her lashes.