"Since you will have mindspeech, I expect to be contacted if you find Cayetes. He's turned into a bigger monster than his brother ever dreamed of being."
"He has a mercenary army," Lafe reminded him. "Bleek almost took my arm off."
"Bleek has four arms and four swords," I said, defending Lafe.
"Cayetes has a Blevakian?" Lissa asked.
Terrett nodded—he'd seen other Blevakians, it appeared. I wasn't surprised—he'd seen plenty of criminals during his enslavement.
"They usually don't get involved in someone else's war," Kooper observed. "They have enough of their own to fight."
"You think he may have been coerced?" Lissa asked.
"No idea. I've never heard of him before," Kooper replied.
"I've never seen him, so I can't tell you anything else," I said. "If that changes, I'll let you know."
* * *
Kooper didn't keep us long after that; when we walked out of the library, I found Dena and the others waiting for me. Dena wrapped her arms around me and wept, she was so happy.
Kaldill insisted that we resume our reunion inside his suite, which wasn't far from mine, as it turned out. Gurnil was bursting to tell me about the new information he'd gathered for the library; he'd studied constantly since his arrival on Le-Ath Veronis and was now well-versed on the Reth and Campiaan Alliances. Ordin was overjoyed that he'd been allowed to study with some of the best physicians in the capital city and had learned much, including Alliance common—both written and spoken.
Dena, Wolter, Orik and Deeds ran the tour boats for Jurris, receiving a generous salary for doing so. I didn't say it, but Jurris was so much better, now that Halthea was gone. He doted on his son, too; I learned that from Justis.
Still, Jurris worried that his son might not have red wings when he turned nine. That shouldn't matter, but royalty was royalty, no matter where you might find yourself.
"I hear from Amlis and Rodrik, now and then," Berel said quietly when he was able to get a seat next to mine. "They're doing well. Rodrik's wife is pregnant with their second child."
"I know she's happy about that," I sighed.
"She is. Do you wish to see them, sometime?"
"Maybe. I'll consider it. You understand that we have history, as Terrett is fond of saying."
"I'm astounded that Terrett had mindspeech all this time and none of his captors had any idea."
"I'm grateful they were never able to exploit him further than they did," I replied. "You'll have mindspeech too—soon, if I understood Queen Lissa correctly."
"I look forward to it." Berel's smile illuminated his face. I looked forward to private conversations with him, too.
Too soon, those from Avii Castle had to leave. Perhaps it was just as well; I was nearly asleep on Berel's shoulder by that time.
"Quin?" Justis lifted me away. My arms draped around his neck. He was just as strong as ever as he carried me away from Kaldill's suite. I wasn't surprised to learn that not only Justis would spend the night in my suite, but Terrett and Yanzi, who'd become fast friends, would also stay there. At least they had the other bedrooms inside my suite, although I wouldn't have minded if Terrett had let me sleep with my head on his shoulder.
That didn't happen—I was left alone in my bed. A part of me was glad—it stopped my worry that someone might demand a coupling, when I was concerned about my inexperience in the matter.
* * *
Terrett
I was never taught to read or write when I was young—I'd learned those things with difficulty later in my life by teaching myself. When the shining woman and Queen Lissa visited me early the following morning, I had no idea what they might offer.
It left me stunned, that gift, and I promised both that I would only use it if there were no other choice. I learned valuable things at the end of that meeting, too—and those things only made me more determined to protect Quin's life with my own.
* * *
Quin
When I opened my eyes the next morning, I blinked sleepily at Yanzi's other form. He was a lion snake shapeshifter; his large, triangular head rested on the edge of the bed, where he blinked at me as if he were happy to see me wake.
"Sir Yanzi," I reached out to stroke the top of his head. I could see he took pleasure from my touch—he closed his eyes, begging silently for more.
"Want breakfast?" I asked, sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the bed, taking care not to disturb him.
Breakfast—yes, he informed me in mindspeech. I watched as he dropped his head to the floor and snaked away, heading toward the door.
"I'm not dressed yet," I pointed out.
You fine, he said. Come. I feed.
Feeling somewhat self-conscious by walking through the royal wing of Queen Lissa's palace in what she called pajama bottoms and a backless top, I shook my wings to unkink feathers and followed Yanzi to the kitchen.
* * *
"She want oatmeal," Yanzi directed the moment he became humanoid inside the kitchen. "Milk. Fruit."
He settled beside me at a table, where we were served breakfast. He had sausage and eggs while I ate a slice of the most wonderful fruit I'd ever eaten.
"Gishi fruit. From Avendor. Eat," Yanzi coaxed. He didn't have to convince me—I ate all the fruit first, before dipping into the oatmeal. It was flavored with maple syrup and brown sugar; I hadn't had such luxury in months.
"There you are," Justis' shoulders sagged in relief when he found us at the breakfast table.
"You could have sent mindspeech," I pointed out before placing another spoonful of oatmeal in my mouth and chewing.
Terrett, who peeked around Justis' wings, offered a cheeky grin before stepping around Justis and heading for the chair next to mine.
Did you sleep well? I asked him while we ate.
Very well, he agreed. Although I might have slept easier with your head on my shoulder.
At least there were no tree roots poking your back, I teased mentally.
True, he agreed.
Berel was the next to join us at the breakfast table, followed by Lafe, Kaldill and Bel.
"Good morning, my love," Kaldill leaned down to kiss me. I'd been kissed more in the past day and a half than ever before.
It was nice.
Kaldill's kiss made me want more of his kisses. My eyes followed him as he took a seat across the table, next to Lafe.
"I have it on good authority that a large compound is now vacant on Vogeffa I," Queen Lissa walked in. She was dressed casually, but I still felt self-conscious in my sleep clothes.
"So the bastard has gotten away," Lafe grumbled while thumping his mug of strong tea on the table.
"We'll find him," I said, attempting to pull Lafe away from a darkening mood.
"You can count on that," Kaldill agreed.
"We haven't trained in two days," Lafe schooled his features. My breath caught—I hoped he wasn't one of those who looked to take his anger out on someone else.
"Quin, come with me. Now." Lafe rose from the table. I wasn't dressed for training. I wasn't sure he realized that and I was afraid to decipher what lay behind his expressionless eyes.
Frightened, I followed Lafe as he stalked from the kitchen. We were halfway down the hall leading to the royal wing when he stopped and turned. I stopped two paces behind him, suddenly terrified.
"Quin, when a sursee agrees to teach a student, there can be no personal relationship. Every sursee understands this. Once the training is over, that rule no longer applies. I merely wanted to tell you that for me, this training period will almost be unbearable. Go back to the table before I forget myself and soothe that look of fear from your pretty face."
He whirled and strode away swiftly.
Swallowing with difficulty, I did as he asked and walked back to the kitchen. I believe Terrett was the only one to notice that my hand shook when I lifted my glass of juice to finish it.
* * *
Lissa
"I feel like
we're waiting for a time bomb to go off," I said as I straightened the coronet on my head that I wore to Council meetings. It was lighter and I could forget it while working my way through proposed legislation.
Merrill had arrived to attend the meeting with me; he nodded silently as he watched me settle the thin, jeweled band over my hair. "Kiarra says that taking Quin to Avendor and leaving her at SouthStar may alleviate the Orb's hold on her, but that probably means she could never leave there again."
"I've thought of that, too," I agreed while slipping earrings on. "Kee's right; I think we should only consider that in an emergency."
"We're prepared to help, should the need arise."
"I appreciate that—I have no idea what Cayetes has in his arsenal, other than a warlock strong enough to perform a transference and probably a Sirenali or two to keep him hidden. Let's face it—none of us could pinpoint his location; we could only act on our suspicions where that asshole is concerned. My shield around the palace is likely keeping the Orb at bay for the moment, but when Quin steps outside," I shook my head.
"Are the others making their preparations?"
"I've asked them to. Kaldill passed the message along. Berel now has mindspeech and a ranos pistol; LaFranza has spelled blades made by Grey House and Terrett has been taken care of."
"Kiarra sent something for Justis."
"Huh?" I turned on my dressing bench to look up at Merrill.
"This." He Pulled a box to his hand and gave it to me.
Inside, two items nestled side-by-side—a ring and a cuff. Both were carved to match. Each bore three faceted Tiralian crystals.
"Protection spells?" I blinked at Merrill.
"The best," he agreed. "Each crystal is spelled to activate separately. He's protected for six attacks, should he need it. Ashe made the suggestion."
"Then Justis will need these," I sighed, closing the lid. "Let's find him before we have to go to this infernal meeting."
Chapter 4
Quin
"We believe the Orb sent you to Vogeffa II because Cayetes' Storm was there the night you dropped out of the sky on Lafe's head," Berel explained.
"So it understood that I wanted revenge for Siriaa?" I asked.
"In a way," Kaldill shrugged. I could see he held something back, but I couldn't get past an unusual fog to see what that could be.
At least I was showered and dressed while we had our meeting in Queen Lissa's arboretum. It was beautiful there, with lamps positioned throughout to provide a substitute for sunlight.
No sunlight fell on the half of Le-Ath Veronis where the capital city lay—the planet rotated on its side, leaving half in total or near-darkness. The planet was perfect for vampires, most of whom couldn't step into sunlight unless they wished to die from it.
I sat on a comfortable swing, with Justis' right arm and wing draped around me. Berel sat on the floor nearby, with the others scattered about us. My eyes often wandered to Lafe, but each time, I hastily dropped my gaze and turned away.
Likely, he regretted saying what he had. We had a training session scheduled after our meeting, which would last until lunchtime. Justis would attend, as he was well-versed in training troops. I imagined all of them would come to watch, and that in itself served to embarrass me.
What's wrong? Terrett's voice sounded in my mind.
Nothing.
Quin, I have been alive long enough to know that when a woman says nothing is wrong, then something is very wrong.
I brushed a tear off my cheek that insisted on falling and turned my head away.
* * *
The training session was just as bad as I imagined—perhaps worse. To my eternal shame, when Lafe tossed me onto the mat after I failed to move away from his grasp, I burst into tears, stopping the entire debacle.
Yes, all of them had come to observe.
That made it so much worse.
"There's no crying in training sessions." Someone new had come. "I'm taking over," he announced. "I'll go with you and the others, too," he added, extending a hand to help me up.
I blinked tears away to bring his face into focus. He was dressed in black from neck to boots, had black hair and a crooked grin lighting dark eyes. "Salidar DeLuca," he said, pulling me to my feet. "Lafe has agreed to allow me to take over your training. I warn you, I don't train slackers."
"Or criers, I imagine," I mumbled dryly as I stood unsteadily and wiped my face on a sleeve.
"I've never trained anyone with wings, before," he said, ignoring my statement. "We'll make that work to your advantage."
"Sal was trained by the best," Lafe said. "I'm sorry, Quin. I thought we could work through this. I should have known better. From now on, it'll be you and Sal in training, with no observers unless you give permission."
"Thank you," I whispered, hanging my head in embarrassment. I should have been able to ignore the upset, as he said. I couldn't, and that made me feel weak.
"You don't get to insult yourself—that's my job," Salidar informed me, plucking the thoughts from my head. "Today's session is over. Tomorrow, you answer to me."
"Yes, Sursee," I mumbled.
* * *
"Hold back for now—she's upset," Kaldill advised.
"I fucked this up," Lafe rubbed his forehead. "I shouldn't have said anything."
"I'm glad Salidar volunteered—you didn't have to ask," Kaldill nodded. "The rest of us made it worse by coming to watch."
"Quin doesn't like to make mistakes—all her life she's seen what to do in others' faces. This, though—it's muscle training. That's only gained by practice," Berel offered.
"You'd know—you've spent the last five years training with Lissa's Falchani," Kaldill sighed.
"It's not just that she doesn't like making mistakes," Justis said. "She doesn't like disappointing anyone she cares for. She saw every learning mistake she made with you as a disappointment to you, too."
"That's not—that's wrong," Lafe breathed. "I wish she could see the mistakes I made when I was learning. She always gives her best, and I can't say the same thing about myself when I was taught."
"Then you should say that to her—when she's willing to talk to us again," Justis suggested. "I think Daragar is the only one who wasn't there, and I'm not sure she'd speak to him, either."
"Telling Quin that you cared for her unsettled her, then you followed with a training session where all observing appeared judgmental to her. I heard my name, therefore, I am here," Daragar said after his sudden arrival.
"We made that same determination—afterward," Justis observed.
"We feel like asses for it, too," Kaldill added.
* * *
Quin
I'd hidden in the arboretum, in a corner surrounded by ferns and palms. Wiping the occasional tear away, I hoped I wouldn't be found.
Queen Lissa found me anyway.
"Honey," she lowered herself to the floor beside me, "Nobody expects you to be perfect. A sursee only asks you to learn from him. He knows mistakes will be made. He's training your muscle memory, just as he's training your mental one." She draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to kiss my forehead.
They were all watching, I employed mindspeech; I didn't want the Queen to hear the tremble in my voice.
"I know," she whispered. "They didn't mean to upset you. They only wanted to be as close to you as they could get—remember, several of them have been away from you for five years. They'll take any sort of closeness they can get. They weren't looking for your mistakes; they were looking at the woman who stole their hearts."
"I still feel embarrassed."
"I know. Why don't you come with me? I can have lunch sent to your room."
"I'm not very hungry."
"I understand. You'll need your strength, though, if Sal takes over your training. He was trained by Caylon Black, the best swordsman Falchan ever produced."
"He already told me there's no crying in training," I mumbled. Lissa laughed at my statement.
* * *
Yanzi arrived in snake form to share my lunch. I fed him off my plate, until he shook his head and informed me through mindspeech that I wasn't taking enough for myself.
Terrett stole into my suite shortly after. When I finished eating, he and I sat against the headboard of the bed, where he allowed me to lean my head on his shoulder. Yanzi coiled himself at the foot of the bed and fell asleep.
* * *
Terrett
Daragar appeared not long after Quin fell asleep on my shoulder. He settled a warm blanket over her, offered a smile and disappeared. Yanzi raised his head minutely before settling down again—he wasn't worried about the Larentii. I understood then that anyone who thought to bring harm to Quin would have to deal with him.
I understand completely, brother, I sent to him.
We stand together, he agreed and drifted to sleep again.
* * *
Zephili
"This will hide us well until we find a way onto Vic'Law," Magul explained. "The farming operation is in place and the employees know their jobs. It'll only take the removal of a few managers, then replacing them with some of ours to make it completely legitimate."
"Where will the bodies come from?" Vardil demanded. "I have two left, and I'd reject them if there were any other choice." Vardil studied the spacious plantation house Magul had purchased for him with a critical eye. Zephili, an Alliance world, wouldn't have been his choice either, but as long as he could pass his presence off legitimately, he didn't care.
Provided the bodies he needed could be acquired easily.
"Mar'Dun isn't far, isn't Alliance and the jungles are filled with indigents. They look much like the inhabitants here, Lord Cayetes. Your warlocks have already developed an identity for you—you were born here and worked your way up to the ownership of a very successful nanna plantation."
"When will the first bodies arrive to complete my disguise?" Vardil complained.
"In less than a day. Be patient, this plan is perfection. Neither world is beset by the poison; that has already been determined."
"Any word from Bleek?"
"Not yet—he has several locations to visit. Never fear, those responsible will be dealt with harshly."
BlackWing: First Ordinance, Book 3 Page 5