Bane of the Wild Hunt (Heart of the Tithriall #2)

18. A TRIP TO THE ROOKERY

Chapter eighteen

A TRIP TO THE ROOKERY

Amira

“ S o skinny,” muttered the seamstress again as she shook her head. She was recording my measurements in the little notebook that she carried into my room with her in the front pocket of her utility belt of tools and supplies.

“A good and loyal servant would refrain from making such disparaging commentary,” my new handmaid spoke up unexpectedly.

My eyes widened at her in the mirror where I could see her standing behind me. But her golden gaze remained narrowed on the reflection of the seamstress who looked about as startled by her words as I was.

“Of course! My apologies,” the seamstress said to me, bowing her head. “I… forget myself sometimes.”

Satisfied with the apology, Sofia strode over to my bed where an array of materials had been laid out by a child who was probably an apprentice to the seamstress. I had not been able to stop myself from looking at her little wings, still covered in white down, and wondered if the children I hoped to have with Riordan would have wings.

Sofia reached down to test some of the fabrics between her fingers, and I could see the seamstress watching her worriedly while still trying to take my measurements.

“These will not do. I said to bring me your finest silks, and these are barely fit for a royal servant,” Sofia berated the other female. She did not raise her soft voice or speak harshly, but the reprimand made even me wince in a bit of sympathy for the seamstress who was flabbergasted.

“Well I thought—”

“You are dismissed,” Sofia told her, her tone still low and calm but ringing with absolute authority.

“But I have—”

“I will not repeat myself,” Sofia interrupted, a sharper edge entering her tone, and the seamstress blinked as if still in shock. Once her surprise had dissipated, however, she glowered at my handmaid before gesturing curtly for her apprentice to follow as she stalked from my chambers, slamming the door behind them.

“Good riddance,” Helena advised Sofia in approval.

My handmaid nodded in agreement before turning to begin tidying up the silks that were apparently subpar. Although they still looked stunning to me.

“My apologies, my lady. She always served my other mistresses well, but clearly she is not above prejudice. Perhaps we will seek outside professionals. Someone who is eager to prove themselves,” she mused aloud.

“ Wow ,” I muttered, still trying to process the fact that Sofia had just dismissed someone on my behalf simply because they were rude and underhanded.

“I hope I have not upset you. But if you are to be taken seriously here, then I am afraid we need to unabashedly demand their respect,” Sofia admitted.

“No… Thank you for that,” I assured her. “I cannot say if I’ve ever actually had someone defend me like that. Aside from Riordan, of course,” I added when I recalled how he stood next to me in defiance of his mother.

Sofia merely bowed her head and continued her work tidying up the seamstress’s things.

I stepped down from the stool in front of a mirror that had been erected in my room and came over to help her. Sofia looked surprised, but she did not deny me.

“You said earlier that you… grew up on the streets,” Sofia recalled hesitantly as if she were unsure whether she should bring it up.

“I did. I am not ashamed of it, you can ask,” I told her.

“How… did it come to be? I thought witches lived in covens where they protect one another,” she admitted.

“Oh. Well, my mother was… assaulted. She became pregnant with me against her will and apparently decided to run away rather than face my father and her coven with an illegitimate child. I’ve never even been inside a coven, but I doubt they are very protective of one another if she chose destitution over them,” I pointed out.

Sofia was thoughtful as she continued to fold fabric.

“That does not happen among the Imítheos. Our males do not feel such inclinations to harm us,” she clarified.

“I gathered. Does it… What about the Ktínos?” I asked Helena tentatively.

“It is rare, but it does happen,” she answered sadly.

“So you never knew your father?” Sofia asked me as she took the materials from me and began to stack them with those that she’d collected.

“No, and I don’t think I’d want to. He was obviously cruel and entitled if he could hurt someone like that.”

Sofia was quiet, but I could tell that she had become rather pensive.

“You can say what is on your mind,” I told her. I liked Sofia, there was something more genuine about her that was missing with Rhea and the other Imítheos.

“Forgive me for asking such a question but… how do you know that she was unwilling?” she asked me.

“What do you mean? She told me so,” I reminded her, reminding myself that she was probably biased since the males of her kind would never hurt someone like that.

Sofia merely looked at me as if she were willing me to understand her point.

“I never knew my father either,” she began to explain when I refused to entertain the idea that my mother could have lied. Not because my mother was an infallible saint, she had been cruel and unkind, but because I was not sure I could handle that kind of shift in my world. “My mother mated with my father in spite of her father’s wishes for her to accept someone of a higher status to increase our family’s prospects. After my birth, my mother and I were taken away from my father, and he died trying to get us back from my grandsire. My mother became a shell of herself after losing her heart’s mate, and I was raised by the very people who destroyed my family,” Sofia told me. “For a long time, I was told what you were told, that my sire was a Ktínos brute who attacked an Imítheos lady. And I hated him unfairly. Now I know the truth about him and… I wish I could have met him. I have made every effort to know everything about him that I can, and I even retook his surname of Ariti. I am ashamed that I held the male who died to protect me in such disregard merely on the word of someone who hated him. He deserved better.”

I was shocked, stunned into silence as I watched her face tensing in a mixture of conviction and uncertainty of whether to press the subject.

“I only want to caution you against casting villains in your mind without adequate proof,” Sofia advised me.

“ Was your sire Ktínos? You do not smell like a Ktínos, although you do have… You have our people’s bearing,” Helena told Sofia, and I was sure there was no higher compliment she could have uttered.

Sofia bowed her head as if she knew this, accepting the praise rather than being offended as I was sure most other Imítheos would have been.

“My father admired the great honour and courage of your people, and I have been told I… reflect many of his noble qualities. He sought to tear down walls between our two peoples to live in peace.”

“And your mother’s elitist sire disapproved of that. Which was why he urged her not to choose your father,” assumed Helena, and Sofia inclined her head.

“I’ve done what I can to honour his memory. It is why I wanted… to serve you,” Sofia admitted, looking at me. “Very few know of my father’s affiliations or I might not have been allowed to serve here. While I do not wish to dim his memory, my mother says it is more important for me to carry on his work. I can only do that if my origins are kept secret. So I will ensure that you are cared for and respected while you do the work my parents could not see through,” Sofia told me with a slight tremor of her lip.

I was not sure how to properly convey the immensity of my gratitude and awe of her when Imítheos were so impartial to touch. So I opted for inclining my head to her in what I hoped would convey my deepest respect.

“And I am very glad to have you with us.”

There was a rather sudden and loud knock at the door that startled us before either Helena or Sofia could speak. Sofia shook her head as if to clear her thoughts, and then strode for the door to open it, revealing Ares standing in the hallway. His wings and tail were shuffling and curling in the way I recognized that signalled agitation.

“Are you going to come inside?” I asked him when he merely stood across the threshold looking into my room.

“I have been told, most fervently by Orion, that I am not to enter your bedchamber again,” Ares reassured me. “But I am here to escort you down to the Rookery.”

“Orion is about as cuddly as a viper on his best days, but that is hardly new to you,” observed Helena with her head tilting in interest as she observed Ares.

“These godsdamned Imítheos seem to think that I have defended them with my life all these centuries just for the opportunity to kill them all myself,” Ares snarled. He shot a sharp and disapproving glance at Sofia, but to her credit, she didn’t even blink before turning to retrieve my cloak.

“Please don’t snap at Sofia. I am really sorry that the other Imítheos gave you a hard time, but she really is here to help,” I informed my guardian sternly.

Ares merely grunted, and I could tell he did not fully believe me as he glanced moodily away down the hall.

“Do we have to walk down or are we flying?” I asked as Sofia helped to arrange my new cloak over the dress that she had helped me put on before the seamstress came. One that had a full back, thankfully.

“There is a landing dais in the hallway,” said Helena in reassurance. “I will carry you down.”

“I was almost skewered for using it and told never to do so again,” Ares told her, his shoulders tensing again, and I realized he was probably glaring at the guards.

“Then we will use the one in my room. Orion can piss off with his rules,” I informed them, but I was met with silence and widened eyes. “Just get in here! Orion is gone with Riordan and won’t know the difference,” I insisted.

“My lady, I… I gave my word to the king to ensure no other males entered here,” Sofia protested.

“I take full responsibility. Riordan will have to either have a little word with the guards or allow Ares to use the dais in my room. Either way, he will know that this was not your decision today,” I reassured her.

Sofia hesitated with an uncertain glance at Ares who narrowed his eyes on her, but then she nodded grudgingly, and he swept through the door.

“I will direct Orion to you as well. I suspect he will be less inclined to beat his skiá senseless for disobedience,” Ares declared with a wicked grin as he prowled toward the dais behind Helena.

“Valiant of you,” she muttered at him.

“Orion is not, nor will he ever be my skiá , thank you,” I said as I followed him.

“Uh huh,” the smug warrior smirked over his shoulder, confidently striding onto the narrow stone ledge before he spread his wings. He leaped into the air like he was diving into a pool and not off the edge of a fucking mountain.

“Let us go quickly,” Helena advised me, pausing long enough for me to nod before she scooped me up with the same ease that Riordan carried me. She too waltzed across the ledge with nimble steps despite the way my stomach somersaulted in terror when I looked down thousands of feet to the earth below. And then she was simply stepping out into the open air unexpectedly, her wings flaring as we instantly started to plummet straight downward.

A scream ripped from my throat, and Helena scoffed at me as her wings caught the mountain drafts so we began to glide more smoothly.

“Oh, shush,” she chastised as if offended. I couldn’t even muster the will to tell her that I was not worried she would drop me. My knee-jerk reaction was a completely natural human response to the sensation of free falling.

Flying with Helena was not nearly as pleasant as it had been with Riordan. My mate’s mere proximity seemed to set my whole body at ease somehow, and he was careful to fly in a way that made me feel confident and safe.

Ares was above us, watching over our descent to the waterfall where we passed between two watchtowers on either side of the river. My stomach wanted to dip again at the sensation of diving more sharply over the edge and into the valley, but I managed to repress the urge to wrap myself around Helena.

We reached the wall of the city nestled at the bottom of the waterfall, and my relief was instantaneous when I was set back on my own two feet on solid ground.

Ares landed next to us, and then Sofia touched down right behind him. She untucked her skirt from her belt to drop it back around her legs and then glowered at Ares when she saw he had noticed that her legs were exposed. My guardian smirked at her before he stalked forward to meet with the gate guard who had come out to greet us.

“I’m going to need to learn to speak Aeolian,” I said, listening to their lyrical conversation.

“I will arrange for a tutor,” Sofia assured me as she came to stand at my side.

“I also… I think I should learn to fight,” I added. I did not want to be left behind anytime that Riordan was called into battle. I wanted to be able to stand beside him the same as Orion did. To support him wholly.

“Riordan has expressed a hope that you would consent to train with me,” Helena admitted, offering me a smile of the greatest approval. “So we shall begin at your leisure. But you must be fairly warned, thárrosi , that mate of my king or not, I will endeavor to train you with the same ferocity with which I train all my recruits.”

“Oh… Good! Thanks,” I said, even though I was sure I would come to regret this decision.

“Is there a part of the day you would prefer to pursue this endeavour? I will need to make time,” Sofia advised us.

“Is my schedule that busy?” I asked her in surprise.

“Princess Rhea has indicated that she intends to ensure your social calendar is as flourishing as any Imítheos lady should ever hope,” she admitted.

“I see,” I muttered as Ares and the guard turned to walk back toward us. They were chatting and laughing as if they were great friends before reaching our position. “We’ll discuss it after, I suppose.”

“ Thárrosi ,” the guard greeted me with a deep bow that bent him dramatically over at the waist. His wings flared wide enough that one of them knocked into Ares who smacked it away. “We are truly honoured to receive you here,” the guard continued seamlessly.

“Thank you! I cannot wait to see the city,” I admitted, smiling at the sight of Ares so flustered.

The guard held out his arm in invitation, and I walked behind Helena who spearheaded the way toward the open gateway. Ares took up the rear behind me, falling into stride with predatory grace next to Sofia.

“Not too afraid to dirty that pretty silk skirt in the mud with the dogs, hmm?” he taunted.

I looked at them over my shoulder but quickly saw that my intervention was completely unnecessary. Sofia was dragging her eyes over my guardian, deliberately taking her time to consider each and every gorgeous inch of him. She did not look like a chaste Imítheos handmaid but a Ktínos warrior who was calm and confident.

“Muddy my skirt, brute. I dare you,” she retorted.

Ares looked so pleasantly surprised that he was not even offended by her slur. He swayed a little closer to her, invading her space completely, and then snapped his sharp canines down at her in a mock bite. I couldn’t decide if it was meant to be flirtatious or threatening, but either way, Sofia was unphased.

Ares continued to eye her with that strange intensity and a crooked grin which was at once teasing and slightly hostile before he turned back toward the guards. I stopped walking so Sofia could catch up, but her head turned over her shoulder to watch Ares shouting commands.

“I think his bark is worse than his bite,” I advised her, but she did not look rattled by him the way that Rhea had been the night before as she faced forward again.

“I know perfectly well why he would dislike me. I am at peace with it,” she assured me with a shrug.

“Ignore him,” Helena suggested, surprising us both when she fell into stride on my other side. “Ares is a bully and a shameless flirt. It is a most vexing combination.”

I snorted a laugh and turned my attention to the city around us. The squat, mudbrick buildings and cobblestone streets were filled with griffins who were dressed simply and humbly in cotton and linen.

Ares maintained some distance from us all morning, overseeing the guards that tracked us through the city from the rooftops. It was distracting at first to be followed like that by many soldiers, but soon enough, we entered the marketplace which was teeming with people. Not just Ktínos, but fey as well, too many kinds for me to name. There were musicians playing in courtyards and children in rags darting through everyone’s legs. I was reminded of my own childhood pickpocketing unsuspecting people, and I could not help wondering how many coin purses were being snatched off belts. The scent of the fresh fish, flowers, fruit, and perfumes in the market stands that were manned by both griffins and fey was incredible.

Sofia hooked her arm with mine to keep me close and began to shop the vendors. She had said her father was not Ktínos, merely a sympathetic Imítheos, but she was so comfortable in the Rookery, she could have fooled me. She’d brought some money which she kept in a coin purse under a heavy bag where it would be almost impossible for someone to get at it. She seemed to know the proper costs of things and where to go to get them.

“You have been here lots before,” I observed after a while, and she shrugged.

“The Metropolis is a great hub of commerce, but there are rarely fey items sold there unless it is repurposed by an Imítheos vendor. I know a fantastic seamstress here,” she admitted with a glance at me as if nervous that I’d disapprove. “She is fey. I would never bring another lady to her, but I suspect you will not mind her?”

“Not in the least!” I reassured her. “I trust you.”

And I was astonished to realize that I did, or at least I wanted to trust her, which was remarkable for someone like me who had spent their life mostly distrusting others. Perhaps it was her genuine kindness and acceptance of me and the Ktínos whom I’d already come to like. Or perhaps it was the fact that she would not be intimidated by Orion or Ares despite all their best efforts. More likely it was that I felt a kinship with her thanks to our harsh pasts.

It reminded me of Ornella, and my heart ached.

“You say that Orion won’t be your skiá ,” Sofia stated, cautious about prying even after we’d spent the morning getting familiar and comfortable with one another.

“Correct,” I told her without taking my eyes off the delicious snack in my hand made of yogurt and berries.

“May I ask… why? I am sorry to be nosey, it is just usual for skiá to share their female mate so I am curious,” Sofia admitted with a wince.

“For an Imítheos, you are shameless and outspoken,” Helena informed her approvingly. Another compliment which Sofia accepted with a smirk and a shrug. It was as if being out from under the confines of the Metropolis had made her freer and more comfortable.

“You can ask me anything. I am not afraid to tell either of you that he is a spectacular arse who hated me before he even met me,” I shrugged.

“He is jealous over the king,” Sofia guessed, and I did not miss the way Helena’s head jolted in her direction.

“You know that?” I gasped at them both, and Helena snorted at me.

“I practically raised those boys. Of course I know how Orion feels. Everyone but Riordan knows it.”

“Well, then you know why he could never be my skiá ,” I pointed out and shrugged as I returned my attention to the melting treat in my hand.

“Then he is one of the Ktínos who prefer only males?” guessed Sofia, looking at Helena who shrugged.

“I have yet to see or hear of him taking a female into his bed,” she admitted, and then she glowered at someone. “Not like that one who cannot seem to keep the females out of his bed,” she muttered, shaking her head.

Sofia and I turned to where Ares was chatting with a pretty Ktínos woman.

“Imítheos males do not have any such preferences,” Sofia told us, facing forward as we continued to walk. “They do not feel desire until choosing a mate or being bound by the taíri bond, so they typically feel desire for both their male and female companions.”

“That makes sense, but Helena, are you saying you’ve actually seen Orion… with men in his bed?” I verified with heated cheeks and wide eyes as I peered at her from around Sofia. “Or do you just mean you have observed his relationships?”

Helena laughed rather loudly at me.

“Ktínos are not shy about such things. We all do try to restrain ourselves for Riordan’s sake when he is nearby, but rest assured that there are few secrets in the army.”

Well… damn.

I was quiet as we walked, mulling over all that they had revealed, and I began to debate with myself on whether to bring up my questions from the night before. It occurred to me that Riordan might not know the romantic inner workings of the relationships of other Imítheos because they were all so prudish in public. But as a handmaid, Sofia was undoubtedly privy to much more information.

“Does that mean… Could Riordan start to feel desire for Orion even if Orion and I never get together?”

“It is… possible,” Sofia admitted with an intrigued tilt of her head. “Once the king’s desires are awakened, it will undoubtedly cause their bond to flourish in new ways.”

Well, fuck . I had not thought about that, and I had no idea how to feel about it.