by T. K. Perry
Lexi opened her pack and retrieved her shopping bag, now filled with dirty laundry.
"Let me," Beck said, taking the bag from her. "You wait here.” Beck's white wings bounced happily behind him as he disappeared into the overheated room.
One of the laundresses gave Lexi a sour look. “Like to stand around and watch the unfortunate, do you?”
Averting her gaze, Lexi walked a short distance away until the laundress snorted and returned to her task.
Beck reemerged with his hands hidden behind his back. “The laundry mistress likes me. She said she’d get to it sometime today. They’ll be dry in the morning. And she let me take something from the unclaimed pile for today.” Beck held up a faded, long, yellow dress with a shabby lace collar and short sleeves.
“Thank you.” Lexi hid her distaste behind a grateful smile as she tucked it into her pack.
“It reminded me of the kind your mom always wears,” he added, winking, “and it will cover those knees.” He nodded at her bruises.
Lexi shifted her bag to hang in front of them as she gave Beck a polite smile. She let him prattle their way to the pool, enjoying the monologue. Beck hesitated outside the door.
“Haven’t been in there in eight months.”
“Will it attract attention if you go in there now?” Lexi asked.
Beck made a face. “It won’t be inconspicuous. I can take you to the Governor’s bath instead, but we’d need to get the key from his steward.”
“I’ll take her in,” Van offered, landing beside Lexi and letting his long fingers brush her arm.
Beck considered for a moment before he nodded, then extracted the whistle from his pocket and held it out to Lexi. “Want my whistle?”
Van shook his head. “We won’t need it.” His caressing fingers found her hand and lightly grasped it as he opened the door.
Lexi’s hand tingled at his touch, the cabbage scent seeming more pleasant than before. The room was surprisingly warm and stank of sulphur. A large pool with bright green water dominated the space, with little trails ringing its rocky edges. Protrusions from the floor that looked like broken stalagmites were cluttered with clothing and bags. Their owners crowded the pool with lively conversation, and the occasional shout bounced off the water in strange echoes. Van walked her the length of the room, leading her to a small empty space of water. He released her hand to remove his shirt, then slid off his pants. Lexi looked away in startled discomfort, realizing for the first time that some of the bathers were naked. She could hear Van stepping into the water, and her face flushed with embarrassment as she carefully averted her gaze. Letting out a ragged breath, Lexi steeled her expression and set her bag on one of the strange blunted stalagmites. Removing shampoo and soap, she turned back to Van, grateful that the semi-opaque water hid him from the mid-chest down.
“You’re going to wet your shirt?” Van asked as she took a first step into the pool.
Lexi hesitated, then decided it was better to expose her bruise for a few minutes now than to expose it all night in the yellow dress. Handing Van her soap and shampoo, she turned away and unbuttoned her shirt quickly, remembering Psyche’s words about the allure of undressing in public. Sliding it off, she tucked it quickly back into her bag, then hurried into the water. She winced as the water bent her wings and forced her to slow down.
“That’s a bad bruise,” Van commented, gently touching Lexi's arm beneath the surface of the water.
“Talan didn’t tell you?” Lexi asked, moving her arm out of his reach.
“Talan did that?” Van’s face was incredulous.
Lexi swallowed uncomfortably before meeting his eyes. “He thought I was a servant. He pulled me off my horse.”
Van let out a low whistle. “No wonder you won’t have him.”
Ignoring his comment, Lexi unwound her braid. “What did he tell you?”
Van ran his fingers through her long hair as it floated on the surface of the water. “That my grandmother approves of you,” he replied, his large mouth twisting up into a v-shaped grin.
Lexi suppressed a groan and dipped her head under the water, keeping her eyes tightly shut. When she opened them, Van had moved up close to her, tentatively sliding a hand around her waist.
“Shampoo?” Lexi asked, her voice sounding deceptively calm as tingles ran up and down her spine from his gentle caress on her lower back.
Van retrieved the shampoo without releasing her, and her hands trembled as she poured the shampoo into her hand.
“You are making me uncomfortable,” Lexi reproved him.
Van flashed her a charming grin and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “This is how I negotiate my own marriage contract.”
Lexi groaned inwardly, deploring Limen's lack of discretion. She was still searching for an appropriate reply when something splashed into the water beside them, quickly followed by another splash. Van’s clothes were slowly sinking into the emerald water.
“Dina,” Van chided, quickly exiting the water to lead a furious brunette away.
Lexi stared after the brunette's beautiful pink and blue wings, at the same time relieved to see that Van was still wearing underwear. They stopped near the door, Dina yanking her elbow from Van's grasp and casting a venomous glance back at Lexi. Dina gestured angrily, her pink lips moved rapidly, but Lexi couldn’t make out her words. Turning away, Lexi lifted Van’s clothes from the water and laid them near the path. She returned to washing her hair, resisting the temptation to watch the argument. As others began to notice the altercation, a hush fell over the room which made Dina’s invective audible.
“Fine! Then go tell her I’m your mate! Walk over with me right now and tell her!” Dina yelled, then let out a noise of disgust at Van’s soothing reply. “That’s what I thought, you...” Dina muttered a string of obscenities, then spun on her pink slipper and stalked from the room. The conversations in the pool abruptly resumed with an amused tone, everyone commenting at once.
Lexi folded her lips tightly as her vision of bringing Van home and pleasing her mother evaporated. Shaking her head slightly, she submerged to rinse her hair. When she came up, cabbage scent met her nose, and Lexi was tempted to keep her eyes shut. Soft fingers pushed a tendril of hair back from her face, and Lexi leapt backwards, bumping the wings of a man behind her.
“Hey, watch it!” the man growled without taking his eyes off the girl in front of him.
Lexi murmured an apology, and dragged her eyes to Van.
Van gave her a once-charming smile. “Sorry about that. We had a little misunderstanding.”
“Oh?” Lexi was no longer interested in the lies she knew he would tell.
“She has feelings for me I can’t return. I try to be kind to her, but she’s become so demanding...even delusional.” He shook his head sadly. “I wish I knew a way to truly help her. I’m afraid my kindness has given her the wrong impression.”
Lexi washed herself carefully, letting her eyes travel around the room. It was unpleasant to listen to Van’s genuine tone as he lied, but more so to watch the face she had thought so charming sully itself with false expressions. She groaned inwardly that Limen had obviously told him of her interest, and hoped he would be easier to repel than Talan.
“What will you do?” Lexi asked as she stepped out of the water.
Van followed her out, touching her back lightly. “Tell her I’m marrying you,” he grinned.
Lexi suppressed her rising irritation with slow, deliberate movements as she repacked her bag before turning to face him. “Van...” she began.
Van’s grin faded quickly. “I’m sorry. That was presumptuous,” he interrupted. “Forgive me.”
His repentant expression seemed so sincere and sorrowful that Lexi doubted for a moment, caught up in his beautiful green eyes.
“I would like to spend more time with you. May I escort you to your room?” Van asked, taking her hand between his, his long bony fingers pressing hers gently.
Lexi exhaled slow
ly as she removed her hand from his grasp. “There's a guard waiting for me outside. Two escorts will look odd.”
“I can send him away,” Van suggested.
“So can I, but I’m not going to." Lexi summoned an artificial smile before she turned and walked away. "Goodbye, Van.”
Near the door, Cam intercepted her path, dripping heavily in his bathing shorts, his eyebrows arched high in question. Lexi grinned.
“Hello, Cam.”
Cam nodded behind her where Van stood watching them. “Is that the Cretin?”
Lexi squelched a soft laugh. “No, that’s his best friend.”
“Is he any better?” Cam asked, the heavy shadows beneath his dark lashes looking pitiable.
Lexi shook her head slightly. “Probably not.”
Cam’s features settled into a soft scowl. “He’s coming.”
Lexi sighed and edged around him.
“You want me to stop him?” Cam asked as she passed him.
A curious smile stole over Lexi’s face. “No,” she decided, reaching back to take Cam’s hand and pull him along with her.
“I could make him leave you alone,” Cam insisted, eyeing Van’s tall, lanky frame.
Lexi glanced back at Cam, eyeing the tightly-defined muscles of his chest and stomach as she pulled him through the door. “Yes, you could, but you’re not going to.”
Beck jerked out of his awkward strolling as he saw them, alarm rising in his face upon seeing Cam, but cooling again as his gaze settled on their entwined hands.
“Didn’t you go in with somebody else?” Beck teased as they approached him.
“Beck, take Cam back to his room, and make sure he stays there. He needs to rest,” Lexi ordered, shaking her head pleasantly when both men protested.
“What? I’m guarding him now? I mean...” Beck faltered, recognizing his error.
Lexi smiled. “He knows who I am.”
“Yes, and he doesn’t want to rest,” Cam asserted.
Lexi gave him a patient smile. “You’re exhausted,” she told Cam, giving his hand a squeeze. “I want you to sleep.” Releasing his hand, she pushed him along to Beck, who regarded her with a sulky expression. “I’ll make sure Limen knows you were following my orders,” she assured Beck.
Smelling cabbage, Lexi spun around. “Van, go put your clothes on. I’ll talk to you later,” she said dismissively, heading down the hallway in the direction she hoped her room lay.
Van stood dripping in the hallway, a startled yet obedient expression on his face. “Meet me for dinner?” he called after her.
“I have plans,” Lexi answered without turning. A look of satisfaction flitted across her face as she heard the pool door shut behind her.
Chapter Seven
Psyche groaned when Lexi opened the door, flipping one wing closed to glare at Lexi. “Are you going to do this all afternoon?” she demanded. “I’m trying to sleep.”
Lexi took a long breath before answering, her face carefully blank. “I haven’t decided my schedule as yet,” she quipped, hesitant to change while Psyche stared at her.
“Lovely. You’re making a puddle on the floor,” Psyche groused, dropping her wing to cover her face.
Lexi took another long breath as she began to change. Perhaps roommates had been a bad idea. She cast a glance at the slumbering form on the other side of the room. Peaceful snores kept time with the slow rise and fall of the creamy, black-barred wings. The heavy patter of rainfall hit the balcony just beyond and seeped into the pungent, mildewed rugs beneath the doors. Lexi breathed through her mouth as she pulled on the yellow dress, hating it even before she stepped in front of the mirror.
Psyche snorted, lifting her wing just high enough to get a good look at the dress. “Unclaimed laundry?”
“Yes,” Lexi answered, frowning as she buttoned the blue shirt over the top of the dress, futilely attempting to make the lace collar and puffed sleeves sit flat beneath it.
Psyche erupted in a dry laugh, her blue wings shaking with mirth. “The laundry mistress only gives away the most hideous clothing. That thing is only fit for rags.”
“I agree with you, but I haven’t anything else to wear.”
“Rip off the sleeves and collar, then put the shirt back over it unbuttoned and tie it in front,” Psyche directed, flopping her head into her pillow and muffling the last couple of words.
Lexi removed her shirt and stared at the dress for a moment before ripping off a sleeve. A slow grin spread across her face at the satisfying sound. She reached for the other sleeve and tore it away.
Her other roommate lurched up, mid-snore, to stare at her. “What are you doing to your dress?” she asked in sleep-dampened horror.
“I’m sorry to wake you,” Lexi said smoothly as she yanked at the lace collar.
“Don’t!” the girl interceded, leaping from her bed, her perfectly-tanned skin paling.
Lexi paused as the girl approached her. “I don’t like the lace,” she explained.
“I do! Can I have it?” the girl asked, her soft blue eyes never leaving Lexi's collar.
“The lace? Yes. I just need to get it off.”
“I’ll do it,” the girl offered, retrieving a tiny pair of scissors from her bag that looked dwarfed in her calloused hands. At Lexi’s nod of permission, she snipped at the thread that attached the lace, then unraveled the seam. Holding her breath, she gently detached the lace undamaged and let out a great sigh.
“My mom would love this,” she said reverently, folding the lace and stowing it in her bag with her scissors. “I’m Clodi,” the girl announced, her pretty face bright with enthusiasm. “What’s your name?”
“Raven,” Lexi answered, tying the shirt over the modified dress and nodding at her appearance.
“You’re as tall as I am!” Clodi chirped happily. “Maybe we can share clothes.”
Lexi glanced quickly at Clodi’s solidly-built figure. “Maybe,” she said, politely.
“Could I wear that sometime?” she asked, nodding at Lexi’s clothing as she quietly collected the discarded sleeves from the floor and tucked them into her bag.
Lexi’s eyes traveled over the men’s clothing that Clodi wore, the fabric and buttons straining at her curves.
“Brother’s hand-me-downs,” Clodi explained, her already rosy cheeks warming to a deeper blush. “He’s a minute younger than me, but he’s always been bigger, and we didn’t have a lot of money for clothes.”
“After today, the dress is yours,” Lexi assured her.
Clodi hugged her with a delighted giggle. “We’re going to be just like sisters!”
Psyche covered her ears with a noise of exasperation.
“Sorry, Psyche!” Clodi shouted to be heard past Psyche’s futile hand barriers. “She’s just a little grumpy because she’s tired,” Clodi explained in a loud whisper. “But you can be our sister, too!” she shouted again, beaming at Psyche’s twitching wings.
Hiding her amusement, Lexi gave Clodi a warm smile as she moved out of reach. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome, Clodi.”
Clodi waved her calloused hand dismissively. “Of course! We’re sisters now!” she declared grinning.
Lexi nodded uncomfortably as she looked down at her bag, then picked it up. “I need to go now, Clodi, but it was nice meeting you.”
“I could go with you,” Clodi suggested. “I’m wide awake now. We should explore, have some fun. They give tours here, you know. Want to take one?”
“Perhaps later; I have something I need to do,” Lexi explained, backing towards the door.
“But you’ll be back before dinner?”
“I think so,” Lexi replied, opening the door.
“Can we go on a tour then?” Clodi asked, stepping towards her.
“If I’m back.” Lexi felt a pang of guilt as some of the light went out of Clodi’s pretty face. “But I should be,” she added hastily, gratified by the bright smile that returned. “See you then,” she said, hurrying out the
door and shutting it quickly.
Lexi had flown halfway down the corridor before she heard the door open behind her.
“You promise?” Clodi leaned out to ask.
Lexi winced slightly. “If I'm back,” she called without turning. Roommates had been a bad idea. Frowning slightly, she increased her speed, deftly dodging a few solitary men and two nervous, tittering girls as she flew through the stone-lined halls. Landing, she glanced quickly both directions before she stepped into the officiant’s small office.
Erynnis sat behind his desk, frowning at the page in front of him while his wings twitched.
“Erynnis,” Lexi said, “May I go in?”
“Of course!” Erynnis exclaimed, jumping up with an obsequious flourish that knocked over his stool. He stumbled across it as he moved to open the door that adjoined his office with the Governor’s. A blush rose to his pale cheeks as she passed him.
Limen was irritably pacing around the room when she entered, and Lexi softly cleared her throat to attract his attention. She watched his eyes flick over the length of her then travel back to her face with an expression that made her uncomfortable.
She quickly drew the wad of cash and her father’s signature from the outer pocket of her bag. “Could you store this some place safe? My father gave me too much, and I don’t want to risk my roommates finding it.”
Limen crossed to her, touching her fingers as he took the bundle from her hand. “Of course. How much is it?”
Lexi gave him an embarrassed smile. “I haven’t counted it.”
Limen unwound it to count the money, then held up the slip of paper she had tucked inside. “The King’s signature?”
Unable to stop the color rising from her cheeks, Lexi met his eyes. “Could you store that, too?”
Limen flipped it over, examining the grain of the paper. “From a marriage certificate?”
Lexi swallowed her panic as she watched the warring emotions on his face. “I didn’t sign it, Limen. There was no ceremony. Talan brought it when he followed me.”