Bitter Wind (Death's Handmaiden Book 2)

by Niall Teasdale

  Nava stepped forward to stand beside Zackery, aware that Rhianna had also moved up as Nava’s sponsor. Concentrating, Nava shifted her expression into a smile. It was not much of a smile, but the corners of her mouth lifted because it was appropriate for someone in her position to smile at a time like this.

  ‘Speech!’ someone called out. This was followed by a number of repeats from various places around the room. One of those places was behind Nava and it was Mitsuko’s voice. Nava vowed to make Mitsuko’s punishment swift and terrible, but not just now. She moved over to the microphone Zackery was using, lowering it quite a lot before starting to speak.

  ‘Hello,’ Nava said. ‘I’m Nava, as you just heard. Let me get the stiff and formal stuff out of the way first. I am very grateful to the Greyling family for adopting me and to the Trenton family who accepted me as their daughter’s escort and partner without reservation. I promise to uphold the honour of the Sonkei clan, and I hope I’ll live up to Zackery Trenton’s glowing introduction of me.’

  There was some clapping and cheering, but the audience were obviously waiting for the less formal stuff, whatever that might be. Nava got on with it. ‘Okay, so a few pointers on dealing with me, because I’m sure Mitsuko would tell you that I can be difficult to handle.’

  ‘It’s true!’ Mitsuko called out. There was laughter.

  ‘I did not grow up within the culture of the Clan Worlds. I get things wrong once in a while. I have attitudes to some things which you will probably disagree with. I have a personal dislike of duelling, for example. That doesn’t mean that I won’t win a duel if I really have to, but I don’t like them.’ There was a slight rumble of laughter then, presumably from those who had caught the ‘win a duel’ part. ‘I am very difficult to read. I don’t express my feelings and I speak in this same, flat tone most of the time. No one can tell when I’m being sarcastic.’

  ‘That’s a true Greyling speaking,’ someone called from the back. Nava suspected it might be the same one who had started the calls for a speech. It seemed inappropriate to murder any new relatives at her welcoming party.

  ‘If I threaten violence and it seems like a joke, just assume it is. Strangely, people can usually tell when I’m really being serious.’ Nava paused briefly, as though considering her words. ‘I’ve gone from nothing to being part of the most prestigious clan in the Alliance. To be part of one of the highest-ranking families in the Alliance. To be honest, it’s something of a shock and the full ramifications of this haven’t really hit me yet. When I came to Shinden, all I wanted was a normal life. I wanted to go to school and learn. Events have conspired to make my normal life more interesting than I’d have liked, but I’ve made some good friends and now I have a family. And now I’d like to get on with celebrating that last part. I don’t think I should keep you from the free booze any longer.’

  There were cheers. Fairly loud cheers. Nava was unsure whether they were for her or the booze. Really, it did not matter.

  ~~~

  ‘Have you noticed the weather?’ Melissa asked. The trio had stepped outside for some fresh air. One of the various patios around the mansion had been opened up and there were space heaters across the area to keep the guests warm. ‘It’s actually cool here.’

  ‘Welcome to the clan,’ someone called out as they walked past.

  ‘Thank you,’ Nava replied. She had no idea who the man was. There had been a lot of people like him tonight. Mitsuko mentioned names when she thought it was important but was not that often. Nava turned back to Melissa as the man wandered off. ‘Yes, it’s definitely cooler here. It was just as hot in Alliance City.’

  ‘We’re a fair way north,’ Mitsuko said. ‘The heaters are keeping the cold off though. It’s actually quite nice out here.’

  ‘Nice enough for some people to be swimming,’ Nava said.

  ‘In the n-nude,’ Melissa added.

  ‘Well, they probably didn’t bring a costume,’ Mitsuko said.

  ‘You’re just justifying the fact that some people stripped off and went swimming in your pool.’

  ‘It’s kind of expected.’

  ‘A little early, I’d say,’ Nava said. ‘It’s normally closer to midnight before this happens.’

  ‘This usually happens?’ Melissa asked. ‘I didn’t see any of it at the other party.’

  ‘You probably didn’t go near the pool or the sento.’

  Melissa frowned. ‘You know, I think you’re right. We weren’t near those later in the evening.’

  ‘Probably for the best. You know, there are two young men following you around.’

  ‘Th-there are? Are you sure they’re not following you or Mitsuko around?’

  ‘No,’ Nava said. ‘I’ve been watching them, and they’re definitely more interested in what you’re doing. They’re hiding behind a planter about ten metres back.’

  Mitsuko glanced casually that way before Melissa could. ‘Ah, those are the twins. Al and Phil Paris. Well, Alain and Phillippe. They’ll be seventeen next month which will probably be a great relief.’

  ‘A… relief?’ Melissa asked.

  ‘Uh-huh. They have something of a breast fixation. It’s relatively rare that they see a girl they really like their age.’

  Melissa said, ‘Eep!’

  ‘I never knew people actually said “eep,”’ Nava said. ‘I knew that dress was a good idea.’

  ‘Sure was,’ Mitsuko said.

  Melissa shook her head and started heading for a door. ‘Well, I’m not so sure…’

  ~~~

  ‘We need to get you over to Castle Grey at some point,’ Rhianna said.

  ‘Castle Grey?’ Nava asked. ‘You have a castle?’

  ‘That’s we have a castle. Also, no, we don’t really have a castle.’

  ‘It’s a nickname,’ Nobuyuki said, ‘for our main training camp.’

  ‘A secret place the location of which is known only to the Greyling family,’ Mitsuko said in as mysterious and spooky a voice as she could muster. ‘Rumoured to be high in the mountains, or in caves buried deep beneath a volcano.’

  Nava raised an eyebrow. ‘Shinden has no active volcanoes and only limited tectonic activity. Most of its mountain ranges are fairly worn down.’

  ‘I did say they were rumours.’

  ‘And the location is actually fairly well known,’ Rhianna added. ‘We do keep everyone else out of it, but it’s on the maps.’

  ‘You’re demystifying the Greylings,’ Mitsuko complained.

  ‘We’re not that mysterious.’ Mitsuko gave Rhianna a look. ‘Really, we’re not. Not… very. Stop looking at me like that.’

  ‘We have our secrets, just like every other family,’ Nobuyuki said. ‘One of the reasons for you to visit Castle Grey, Nava, is so we can reveal some of them to you. It’s mostly operational stuff. A couple of days during your autumn break should do it. Initially.’

  Nava nodded. ‘I expected there to be some training. Let me know when and I’ll be ready.’

  ‘It will be interesting to get you in a dojo and see what you can do.’

  ‘I’m not going to be up to your standard, but I’ll do my best.’

  ‘How,’ Nobuyuki asked, ‘do you know what my standard is?’

  Melissa answered, which was something of a surprise. ‘W-well, just l-look at you! I bet you can crack nuts between your th-thighs. You’re l-like one of th-those super-ninjas from the vids brought to life.’

  ‘She has a point,’ Rhianna said. She grinned at Melissa. ‘He doesn’t run with his arms stuck out behind him and I’ve never once heard him shout out his attack techniques before he uses them.’

  ‘I never thought that was realistic,’ Melissa replied. ‘Uh, I only saw those vids because my b-brothers used to watch them.’

  ‘Sure. We believe you. Don’t worry, we’re Greylings. We’re very good at keeping secrets.’

  235/10/4.

  Dancing with Mitsuko in public was a novel experience. Nava was a little embarrassed at f
irst – not that it showed – but that faded quickly. Everyone around them knew that they were a couple. No one had appeared to consider that a problem. No one was laughing behind their hands at the height difference. The top of Nava’s head just about came up to Mitsuko’s nose. It was not as though there were no other couples in the ballroom with similar differences in height, but they were usually a man and a woman. Maybe it did not look as stupid as Nava had thought it would.

  ‘You’re quiet,’ Mitsuko said, quietly.

  ‘I’m enjoying being able to openly acknowledge that we are together,’ Nava replied. ‘I never wanted to hide our relationship because I didn’t like it. I may have even misjudged how silly we look like this.’

  ‘A truly amazing admission. We’re still going to get some people who don’t like us being together.’

  ‘I know. Some will see me as a gold-digger. Some will think I only got the adoption because I was with you. Some will still believe I’m beneath you.’

  ‘And the latter will probably think the worst of me for that rather than you. I don’t care.’

  ‘They could use it as a hook to get us into duels.’

  ‘To get me to duel them,’ Mitsuko replied. ‘At least within the school, no one is going to challenge you. They haven’t seen me in an arena.’

  ‘I never asked. Have you ever been in a duel?’

  ‘Not one. No one has ever had the nerve. That doesn’t mean I’d lose if I had to take part in one. I have practised.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it.’

  The music transitioned into something else and, despite the fact that they were enjoying themselves, Mitsuko led the way off the dance floor; they had set themselves a limit and they had not seen Melissa in a while.

  ‘Perhaps she strayed too near the pool,’ Mitsuko suggested.

  ‘I can’t see Mel frolicking among the orgy crowd,’ Nava replied. ‘There she is.’ They had moved out onto a corridor and, sure enough, Melissa was heading their way. She had an odd sort of expression on her face: smugness combined with bemusement. Maybe she had been frolicking. Her hair looked damp too…

  ‘Sorry,’ Mitsuko said as they closed the distance, ‘we left you on your own for a little while longer than expected.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Melissa replied. ‘I found Glory and had a short chat.’

  ‘That doesn’t explain why your hair is damp,’ Nava said.

  ‘Uh, well, I ran into the twins.’

  ‘Oh really?’ Mitsuko said. ‘They plucked up the courage to talk to you?’

  ‘Yes. They, uh, suggested we might like to go to the sauna together.’

  ‘Oh did they?’

  ‘Yes, but I was way too nervous to do that. S-so, I gritted my teeth, metaphorically, and said I couldn’t but I had a room…’

  Mitsuko’s eyes widened. ‘With both of them? Melissa Connelly, you naughty girl!’

  Melissa’s cheeks were glowing, of course, but she was grinning so hard it looked like her face might split in half. ‘I know! I couldn’t believe it myself.’

  Mitsuko’s face straightened. ‘They didn’t ask you to do anything–’

  ‘Nothing I didn’t enjoy. Honest. It’s not an experience I plan on repeating often, but I haven’t come so hard… since last night, actually, but that’s not the point. I mean, I’m single and they’re both hot. I may not get a chance like that again.’

  ‘Part of your shyness training?’ Nava asked.

  ‘I think,’ Mitsuko said, ‘that if our Mel can steel herself to do something like that, she can no longer call herself shy.’

  ‘It’s a good point. Things are going to be wrapping up soon. What do we do for fifteen minutes or so?’

  ‘Mingle. And then we take Mel back to our room to remind her that women are best.’

  ‘Eep!’ said Melissa.

  ‘I still don’t believe people actually say “eep,”’ Nava said.

  ~~~

  ‘You’re walking a bit funny,’ Nava said. They were heading for breakfast with the family. Mitsuko’s family, anyway. Melissa was, indeed, walking a bit funny.

  ‘Mm,’ Melissa said. ‘At least my jaw is working again.’

  ‘You want me to cast Active Recovery on you? That’ll even regenerate lost limbs.’

  ‘Somehow, that feels like it would be abusing your sorcerous powers.’ Pause. ‘I’ll keep it in reserve.’

  ‘Good morning, Onee-chan. Good morning, Nava and Mel.’ Michiko almost seemed to have been waiting for them to arrive. ‘You missed my birthday, you know?’ Maybe she had been waiting for them to arrive.

  ‘I know, Michiko,’ Mitsuko said. ‘I did say I was sorry.’

  ‘Friday, right?’ Nava asked. ‘I’m afraid I was becoming one of your clanswomen that day. Your sister had to work.’

  Michiko pouted, just a little. She was terminally cute, a miniaturised version of her older sister at a little over one hundred and thirty centimetres. Whether her face would thin as much as her sister’s as she aged or retain some of her current youthful roundness was unclear, but both of the younger daughters were taking after their mother, so Michiko was likely to be dangerously attractive in the future. Now, her pout could reduce grown men to tears.

  But not Nava. ‘When you get older, you’ll realise that you can’t always have what you want. Even when you pout.’

  ‘I already know that,’ Michiko replied. ‘But this is the first year Onee-chan was not with me for my birthday, so I noticed it more.’

  ‘Well, I’m here now,’ Mitsuko said, ‘and we don’t have to fly back until after lunch. Mel is missing her Flight Club to stay a little longer.’

  Michiko made an O shape with her mouth and her eyes widened. ‘Thank you, Mel.’

  ‘It’s my pleasure,’ Melissa replied, smiling. ‘And good morning to you, Zackery and Yuzuki.’

  ‘Good morning to all of you,’ Zackery said.

  ‘I hope you enjoyed yourself last night, Melissa,’ Yuzuki said. ‘I know those two did.’

  ‘Yes,’ Melissa replied. ‘I had a good time.’

  ‘We were… sorry to see that Rochester wasn’t with you.’

  ‘Mm. Well, we broke up and it hurt. But we seem to still be more or less friends and, um, I don’t think he’d have had as much fun as I did at the party. So, that’s a good thing.’

  ‘I’m quite sure he wouldn’t,’ Mitsuko said, smirking as she took a seat at the table.

  ‘For sure,’ Nava added.

  Melissa just blushed.

  Shinden Alliance School of Sorcery, 235/10/5.

  ‘That’s all I have to talk about this morning,’ Luca Newton said, ‘but one of your fellow students has an announcement to make.’ She nodded down the classroom to Nava, apparently unwilling to use a name and give the game away.

  Nava got to her feet. She had decided that, now that her new clan all knew she had joined them, getting it over with to class 12C was the next step. So, she had messaged Luca on returning to the school saying that she wished to announce her name change in homeroom. The reply had contained a note of congratulation and confirmation that Nava would be called to make the announcement. Now she just had to say what she intended to.

  ‘As you probably all know, I was out of classes on Friday. Some of you may even know why. Since you are my classmates, I feel it appropriate that you should be the first of the student body to hear this. I spent Friday going through the laborious process of being adopted into a clan.’ There were a few gasps around the room. None of them sounded hostile, which was a good enough start. ‘My name is now Nava Greyling Sonkei…’

  The noise which caused Nava to stop speaking actually began when she was about halfway through ‘Greyling.’ That was apparently enough for several members of the class to work out the rest. The volume grew noticeably once she had finished her family name; there were few families named Greyling in the Clan Worlds, so the clan name was basically a given.

  Nava looked around the room and took stock. Melissa had turned in her seat a
nd was not saying anything, but she was smiling a lot. Rochester looked surprised and pleased. Actually, that was representative of a lot of the reactions Nava saw. There was some envy, but it seemed like it was good-natured envy. She was the only Ward in the class and none of this group were going to deny her such a meteoric rise in position, even if they were jealous. She had expected few really negative reactions from her classmates, and there seemed to be none of that, but that did not mean she would not get them from others.

  ‘I’m Nava Greyling Sonkei now,’ Nava said when the noise had died away, more or less, ‘but I’m still the same person I was. Most of you probably know me well enough by now that you’ll realise that my suddenly elevated social status is not of any real importance to me. There’s no need to treat me differently. I have a family and a clan and that is important. I’ll be able to afford to buy some new clothes now which is nice. But I’m still me. I’ll still kick your butts in tactics classes, just the same as I always have.’

  There was the expected laughter. Nava sat back down. Luca took over her class again. ‘I’ve been asked to offer the faculty’s congratulations on your adoption, Nava Greyling,’ Luca said. ‘There was a note in this morning’s staff bulletin about the change. Everyone should know, even if doesn’t sink in for a while.’

  Nava nodded. ‘I will be answering to “Nava Ward” for an appropriate adaptation period. I think that you are the first person to call me Nava Greyling in a normal conversation and I admit to not being used to it myself.’

  ‘I’d imagine it will take some getting used to, but you’re adaptable. I’m sure you’ll be used to it before all the teaching staff are.’

  ~~~

  ‘I’d like to offer my congratulations, of course,’ Rochester said. It was the first time he had joined Nava, Melissa, and Mitsuko for lunch for a while. He had been encouraged by the fact that he had not been told to get lost, and possibly emboldened by the fact that Courtney and Kyle had appeared to join the table.

  ‘And we’d like to do the same,’ Courtney added.