by Sharon Shinn
“Garnet Reach? That’s an excellent thought,” he approved. “I believe some of the ornamental work still isn’t done, so it hasn’t officially opened. There should be hardly anyone else there.”
“Perfect. Then I will see you there in two or three days. Around this time. If I can.”
I turned to go, but he caught my gloved hands and held me fast. I felt my heart ram against my ribs, trying to force its way out of my body. If he tried to kiss me—
“I can’t stand this,” he said, his voice low and raw. “Just stealing moments with you, terrified that someone might catch us together. Wondering what’s happened to you, who else you’re with, what path your life might take that will lead you farther and farther from me. Never having enough of you, and never being able to stop thinking about you. It hurts me in ways I can’t describe.”
Every word of his speech was something I could have delivered to Jordan. His pain was so unmistakable, and so similar to my own, that for a moment I felt a powerful pulse of sympathy for him. But Elyssa would never have showed such a weak emotion. “Would you rather I didn’t see you at all?” I said in the sweet voice she used when she wanted to be particularly unkind. “Would that trouble your heart a little less?”
He shook his head and tightened his grip. “No. It is only these fleeting visits that give me any strength at all,” he said. “But I want—I want—all I want is to be able to take you in my arms and kiss you in the sunlight. Can you promise me that might happen someday?”
I deliberately freed my hands and smoothed the leather of my gloves, wrinkled from his rough handling. “I can promise you nothing,” I said, picking up my skirts and turning back toward the entrance. “Except that I will do my best. Don’t follow me as I leave. I don’t want anyone to see us together.”
Without another word, I began walking away. I kept expecting him to catch my arm or shoulder, or to come running after me to offer one more argument, but he said nothing. I felt his gaze on my back all the way down that garden path, even after its twists and turns had surely hidden me from his view, even after I had passed through the stone pillars of the entrance and was hurrying down the streets of Camarria, desperate to get back to the one safe place I knew.
I flung the door open upon Jordan’s knock and exclaimed, “He’s going to set the temple on fire. You have to go, now now now, and make sure the echoes are safe.”
“Wait, what?” Jordan slipped inside, quickly locked the door, then took my shoulders in a steadying hold. “Calmly. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I swallowed and started over. “Marco Ross. Elyssa’s rebel friend. He thinks if all the echoes die, then your father won’t have any reason to negotiate for peace, and the war won’t end. He wants to burn down the temple.”
“Ah! A smart plan, though I don’t think it would work,” Jordan said, not sounding nearly as alarmed as he should. “The rest of the nobles throughout the Seven Jewels are already demanding peace. Unless their echoes are all burned up, too, they’ll still insist on a treaty.”
“That’s what I told him! But he’s going to do it anyway.”
“And when did you see Marco to have this interesting conversation?”
“This morning, but that’s not what’s important now, Jordan! He’s going to set the temple on fire! You have to set guards! You have to stop him!”
He pulled me into his arms and pressed a kiss on my forehead. “My dear,” he said. “We have already considered this. There are guards posted all around the sanctuary—visible ones, to scare off looters, and hidden ones, to intercept anyone with more ambitious plans. I hope your Marco does try to burn the place down. We will catch him at last.”
“Thank the benevolent goddess,” I whispered, and burst into tears.
He swept me up in his arms and carried me to an overlarge armchair, where he sat and comforted me for the next ten minutes. I was so overwrought it took me that long to return to a more rational state. It was now dinnertime; I had spent the last six or seven hours pacing my room, wringing my hands, trying to figure out how to get word to Jordan about the tragedy in the offing. But I couldn’t write him a note, I wasn’t sure what I could safely put into a message I dictated to the innkeeper, and I could hardly risk walking to the palace to look for him myself. I was certain that dozens of echoes would be lost to a conflagration and it would be my fault.
“All right. Better now?” he asked as I finally lifted my face and scrubbed the backs of my hands over my cheeks. When I nodded, he continued, “So tell me how this conversation with Marco even came about. Surely he didn’t track you down here at the inn.”
“No—no—I realized that as long as he is still at large, you and Cormac will never be safe. And I thought—Marco and Elyssa used to meet at the garden as often as they could—maybe he would be there, hoping to see her. So I asked the maid how I could find it, and she told me, and I went, and he was there, and—and—”
He drew back to gaze down at me. “All that way by yourself! How brave of you! I’m impressed.”
“Well, I was a little nervous,” I admitted. “But it wasn’t hard and no one paid any attention to me and it was—in a way it was the most exciting thing! Until I saw Marco and he talked about murdering echoes.”
“You spoke with him? You pretended to be Elyssa?”
“Yes.”
“And he believed you?”
I made a sound halfway between a laugh and a snort. “If anyone knows how Elyssa speaks to men, it’s me,” I said. “With Marco she’s always played this game—let him get close, then push him back. Be sweet, then prickly. Never give him what he wants. So that’s what I tried to do. He didn’t seem to know the difference.”
“I would know the difference.”
I looked up at him through my wet lashes. “I would never pretend to be anyone else to you.”
He kissed me quickly. “What else did you talk about, besides killing echoes?”
“We planned to meet at the new bridge in a day or two. I thought maybe you could station some soldiers there and they could capture him.”
“What a clever plan!” he said. “I see you have a mind for tactics.”
“I wasn’t sure which day would be best, so I just said I’d get there when I could.”
Jordan touched his fingers to his eyes, as if they troubled him. I thought he looked tired; the whole household had probably been feverishly working around the clock, trying to come up with plans. But when he dropped his hand, he was smiling. “The day after tomorrow might be good,” he said. “My father left this morning for a summit with the rebel leaders, bringing five nobles from the eastern provinces with him. They believe they have the makings of a deal. If he arrives at the meeting spot tonight or tomorrow, and they all sign a truce, this might be over tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s wonderful! How quickly will the echoes wake up?”
“I’m not sure anyone knows. The minute the contract is signed, perhaps? In which case, the temple might suddenly be full of groggy and confused echoes anxiously looking around for their originals. I know a few nobles who plan to essentially camp out at the temple all day, waiting.”
“What will happen to Elyssa’s echoes? Did your father like the idea of holding them hostage to ensure her good behavior?”
“He thought that might work for a few days. We would never return you to her, of course, but the other two—once the treaty is signed and everything is settled—he thinks we will have to give them back.”
Something in his voice made me straighten up and study his face. “That’s part of it, then,” I said quietly. “A promise that you’ll marry Elyssa.”
He nodded. He looked miserable. “And as quickly as possible. Depending on when Bentam can get here, it might be as soon as next week.” He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and gazed straightforwardly at me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I have to do it.”
“I know,” I said. “And if you refused, I would try to change your mind. Peace in the realm is
more important than our happiness.”
“But I won’t abandon you,” he went on. “And my father won’t. We’ll find a place for you to live—here, or maybe in Banchura, someplace you’ll be safe. We’ll hire someone to watch over you—maybe a retired governess who can teach you to read and write. It won’t be so bad.”
“It will be wonderful,” I said. I would be free of Elyssa, I would be an independent, self-sufficient, real human being. Lonely and heartbroken, of course, pining away for a man I could never have—but maybe one day I would outlive the pain. I had had so many lessons in surviving other kinds of trauma.
“But you’re here now,” he said, tucking his hand under my chin and lifting my head. “And I’m not married yet. And if you’re interested in another—”
I didn’t wait to hear what exactly he might suggest. I just threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with wild abandon. Oh, yes, I was interested. I had so few chances left to be with him, this kind prince, this gentle lover. I was going to cram a lifetime’s worth of loving into the span of days, and regret nothing.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The following day was almost as adventurous, though significantly less terrifying. Jordan had said he would return again at dinnertime, so I had hours to fill. I was staring out the window, trying to decide how brave I felt, when the friendly maid brought in my breakfast.
“Someplace else you’d like to visit today?” she inquired.
I turned to her with a smile. “I’ve heard so much about Amanda Plaza,” I said. “And its beautiful bridge.”
“Oh, it’s a lovely spot,” she agreed. “I always throw money in the grate, too, hoping the goddess will grant my wishes.”
“Could you give me directions? It was so easy to find the gardens yesterday.”
She wrinkled her nose. I guessed she wasn’t more than sixteen or seventeen, but she seemed relaxed and capable. Had probably been working since she was a child. “It’s a walk from here,” she said, “and a confusing one at that. But maybe—” The look on her face was speculative. I could almost see her working it out. This woman is a friend of the prince’s and it’s always smart to do favors for royalty. “I could ask my pa if he’d give me the time to take you there.”
“Your father owns the inn?”
She nodded. “And my grandpa before him.”
“If you could do that, I would be so grateful.”
She flashed me a smile. “Well, let me ask him. But first I have to finish my morning chores.”
I was not at all surprised when, less than an hour later, the girl turned up at my door wearing a thick coat, sturdy shoes, and a cheerful grin. “My pa says I can take the rest of the day and show you anyplace you like,” she said. “So come on before he thinks up something else he’d rather have me do.”
I grabbed my own cloak and my money and followed her out in the hall. “What’s your name?”
“Bevvie. What’s yours?”
“Hope.”
She looked scandalized. “Lady Hope?”
“Just Hope.”
“I can’t call you that! It’s not respectful!”
I had never heard my laugh so loud and carefree. “Oh, if you only knew how funny that was!”
She grinned again, clearly thought about asking me for some of the details of my situation, and then regretfully decided against it. “Well, come on then,” she said, leading the way down the stairs. “Let’s go look around Camarria.”
Bevvie was an excellent guide and an extraordinarily pleasant companion. She not only knew where every famous spot in the city was, and the shortest way to get there, she also knew every bakery and food vendor in Camarria. “But make sure you barter when he tells you what it costs,” she whispered as we approached a cart where a man was selling baked apples on skewers. “He’ll see you’re rich and double the price.”
I took out a fistful of coins and dribbled them in her palm. “You pay for everything from now on,” I said. “See how long you can make that last.”
The game delighted her, and she spent the rest of the day haggling with every small merchant we encountered, from the café owner who gave us lunch to the flower seller who parted with some exquisite blossoms for what seemed an uncommonly low price. There were dozens of small carts set up in Amanda Plaza where people were selling everything from spiced wine to glass figurines. Bevvie bargained with a sour-faced old women to buy two pairs of stitched leather gloves for the price of one, and then seemed astonished when I handed one of the pairs to her.
“To thank you for all you’ve done today,” I told her.
“But I—I was just being ordinary—”
“I think your ordinary is extraordinary.”
We paused at the three statues of the goddess in the center of the plaza, their arms stretched out or down or up. Each of us silently expressed our heart’s desire before tossing a few coins into the grate at the center of the grouping. I had no idea what Bevvie wished for, but my own plea was simple. Please let Jordan remain in my life. Surely the goddess could find some way to grant that request?
“I can’t remember when I’ve been so tired,” I exclaimed when we turned our backs to the statues and began our return journey. “Walking around all day has worn me out!”
Bevvie laughed. “I was thinking it was the easiest day I’ve had in years! But we can hire a wagon to take us home.”
“Do we have enough money left?”
She opened her fist to show a small gold piece and a few silver ones. She was grinning again. “Oh, I think so.”
It took her a little arguing, but she persuaded the driver of a small cart to carry us back to the inn for about half of the remaining money. As we alighted at the front door, she attempted to drop the last coins in my hand, but I smiled and shook my head. “For you,” I said. “For all your help.”
Her mouth fell open, and I laughed again. “I’ll see you at breakfast,” I said, and headed up to my room.
I was fumbling with the key in the lock when the door flew open from inside. Jordan stood there, smiling widely. “Look what I have,” he said, stepping back and making a broad gesture.
I hurried into the room, and there were the five echoes—Jordan’s three and Elyssa’s two. All of them standing and alert, though Jordan’s looked clear-eyed and confident and on the verge of speech, while Elyssa’s seemed nervous and timid and lost. I exclaimed with pleasure and flung out my hands, running across the room toward them, and it was as if they suddenly remembered how to move. They spread their own hands and flew across the room to meet me in the middle. We huddled together, arms around each other’s shoulders, foreheads just touching, and took a moment to catch up on our breathing. I could feel their erratic heartbeats calm to the pace of mine.
I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed them. How wrong the world felt when they weren’t at my side. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I would miss them for a very long time once they were returned to Elyssa—and I wasn’t.
I dropped my arms and turned to face Jordan, an echo on either side of me. “They feel so frail,” I said. “Have they eaten?”
I caught a look of surprise on his face, but he just shook his head. “They wouldn’t. They’ve been very ill at ease since I brought them here.”
“I think they will now if we bring them food.”
“They’re attuned to you,” he said quietly. “How long has that been the case?”
I lifted my shoulder. “I don’t know. A few months. But only when Elyssa’s not in the room.”
“How strange. I wonder if—” He didn’t finish the thought. “I’ll go downstairs and order food. And then we can tell each other how we’ve spent our day.”
My day had been splendid, but Jordan’s had been productive. He and Cormac had met with high nobles, dealt with messengers sent by their father, and helped finalize treaty negotiations. Then they’d been present at the temple when, like drugged sleepers abruptly slipping free of a narcotic haze, all the echoes do
zing on their benches had trembled, gasped, and suddenly sat up. There had been low-level pandemonium as some echoes were frightened and thrashing about, and others were fretful and huddling together on their pews, but soon all the nobles had shown up to reunite with their shadows and the temple emptied out.
“You never saw so many happy lords and ladies in your life,” Jordan said over dinner. The seven of us were crammed around a table much too small to hold that number, but no one seemed to mind. All five of the echoes were eating with the gusto of creatures that hadn’t had a meal in days. “An old fellow from Banchura who has never bothered to speak a friendly word to me smiled so hard I thought his face might crack. I hope each one remembers how terrible it felt to be without echoes and works passionately to keep the peace from now on.”
“I’m so glad they were rescued before Marco could burn the temple down,” I said.
Jordan grimaced. “We thought we had him last night,” he said. “Someone was prowling around the temple grounds, at any rate, looking highly suspicious. The guards gave chase, but he slipped away.”
“You can catch him tomorrow,” I said. “If that’s when I meet him on the bridge. What’s it called again?”
“The Garnet Reach,” Jordan said. He sipped from his wineglass and nodded. “That seems like the best plan, if you’re still willing. I will put soldiers in place, disguised as ordinary men, so Marco is not aware he’s being tracked. As soon as you start speaking to him, they’ll arrest him.”
“Of course I’m still willing. I don’t think you’ll be safe while he’s still roaming the streets of Camarria.”
“Once he’s in custody, we’ll have to assume Elyssa no longer poses a threat to me or Cormac.” He took another swallow. “And then we’ll have to return her echoes to her and start treating her like a guest instead of a prisoner.”