31. Tempest
31
TEMPEST
I wanted to run after Reyla, but Brenna clung to my hand as if she couldn’t walk by herself over to the quaint chair where she liked to sit in the sunshine while we prepared her bath. I helped her settle and gently laid a light blanket across her lap, something else she adored. I offered her a book, a drink of water. A song, though I was fresh out of ditties. I even suggested I dance for her, which brought on a scowl.
“Make my bed with fresh sheets,” she snapped, though not unkindly. Brenna was fluffy, a true princess who was raised to believe things should be handed to her before she asked. But she wasn’t mean. She was completely unaware of how the rest of the world lived. “Stop puttering around.”
If I didn’t putter, she’d complain that I wasn’t paying enough attention to her.
“Very well,” I said .
Reyla returned from the bathing area, floating into the room with her blank gaze pointed at the far wall. Without being asked, she helped me strip the bed and make it with fresh sheets, but that wasn’t new. Despite lacking her usual self, she’d been able to initiate simple tasks from the start. She’d just done it without speaking or interacting.
Delaine arrived as we were tucking in the fresh blankets. She stood at the foot of the bed like a supervisor, watching as we gathered the soiled linens from the floor to place them in the basket for the sprites to take to the laundry.
When Reyla rounded the bed, Delaine stuck her foot out, tripping my friend. Reyla, predictably, fell forward, smacking onto her knees. The laundry she was carrying tumbled from her arms, fluttering onto the floor in front of her.
Drask flapped his wings, smacking the back of my head, and cawed. I wanted to let him loose on Delaine, but then Brenna would send him away and forbid him from returning.
Brenna sighed. “There she goes again. Reyla’s so clumsy. I asked Ivenrail about her, but he doesn’t know her history. Neither does Zayde, though he claimed her. He said she worked at a fortress, but he doesn’t know much more than that. He’s quite concerned about her. Protective, which I like.”
Fuming, I helped Reyla back to her feet. I gathered the laundry and stuffed it into the basket. Whatever I’d found in my friend’s earlier response appeared gone now. She stared forward blankly, her arms limp at her sides.
“I think you’re right, my queen,” Delaine said snidely. “Reyla’s useless. We should tell the king you need a different lady-in-waiting. He can put this one from the castle. Toss her over the cliff.”
“What?” I growled.
Drask flapped his wings again, as agitated as me.
Delaine chuckled. “I was only teasing. I’m sure that never happens to anyone.”
“Come now, Delaine. That would be much too harsh,” Brenna said. “While Reyla is a challenge to work with at times, I don’t mind a quiet lady-in-waiting.” She slanted a long look at Delaine, her expression suggesting beware, before looking back at Reyla with a hint of sympathy I found reassuring. “I’ll see what Ivenrail suggests. Perhaps there’s a village in need of a laundress or someone who needs a cook, assuming we think Reyla won’t burn herself or something like that.”
“I worry she’d be taken advantage of if we sent her away.” I was already worried about that. Can we reinforce Reyla’s ward or add another protective barrier around her? I barked at Vexxion. I don’t think it’s working like it should. Delaine’s doing mean things to her, and if she keeps it up, I’m going to stab her.
I’ll add another spell.
Delaine’s purposefully trying to hurt Reyla. It was all I could do not to snarl.
Delaine watched me too intently. She couldn’t be listening in, could she? No one can hear our conversation, can they?
Who’s with you?
Brenna, Reyla, and Delaine.
Don’t speak further, he snapped.
Fuck.
I tightened my guards, but I worried it was too late .
Despite Vexxion’s reassurance, I stayed close to Reyla, but Delaine didn’t try anything else.
Sadly, Reyla didn’t show any more evidence that she was clearing. I hadn’t imagined it earlier. She was there, and I was going to bring what was left of her back. I kept pulling power and casting the spell, leaning close to whisper it in her ear when no one else was looking in our direction.
We took Brenna to the dining room, but she shooed us away rather than encourage us to join her, stating she was dining alone with the king this morning. “As always, come to me in time to help me prepare for dinner,” she added. “I won’t need you until then.”
I gave her a curtsy and grabbed Reyla’s arm, grateful when she didn’t tug out of my grip. “Let’s go.”
She placidly walked with me, up the stairs one landing after another, all the way to my suite. Inside, I dragged her over to the sofa and sat, urging her down beside me. I lifted the dragon book and plunked it on her lap.
“Here’s your book about a Nullen woman falling in love with a fae lord,” I said. “Read it.”
She dutifully opened the book and started scrolling through the pages. Was she reading?
“Out loud,” I said.
She muttered the words found in the chapter, Deadly Plants of the Plains and How to Avoid Them , but I couldn’t tell if she understood what she was reading or not.
“Louder.” Rising, I rounded the table and stood in front of the crackling fire. Because it magically burned, we never needed to feed it wood. It threw heat all day and night at our request.
The dragon Vexxion had carved in the middle of the table was unmoving, though I swore its eyes watched me. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Had it shifted its leg that one time? Vexxion said such a thing wasn’t possible, that it was a carving and nothing else. I wasn’t convinced. Anything was possible inside this castle.
Finally, I couldn’t stand to listen to her recite the book in a monotone voice any longer. “You can stop now.”
She did, staring down at the page.
“What can you tell me about the story?” I asked. “Do you think the couple will end up together or will tragedy tear them apart?”
She said nothing.
“It’s a romance. You love them. You must believe they’ll end up together.”
Still nothing.
“Reyla,” I sighed. “Come back to me. Please. I miss you and Brodine so much.” I rounded the table and sat beside her, taking her hands. “Tell me about Kinart. No, I’ll tell you about him. He was the nicest guy. I loved him so much. He was tall. Skinny, though he ate like a youngling dragon. He loved to tease both of us. He adored kissing the back of your neck. He used to scoop you up and spin you around until your laughter rang out. Then he’d tumble you onto the ground and kiss you until you were a moaning wreck.”
Seeing her staring forward blankly gutted me, as if the asshole of a king took the blade from the sheath on my thigh and stabbed it into my heart and twisted it.
“You and Kinart were going to have ten children, and I was going to be their auntie,” I croaked. Damn, I missed him. He was the best. “You were the one who wanted ten children. No, twenty! And I was going to move in with you two and cook all your meals. I’d sing all day long, and you’d encourage me to do it.”
She hated my cooking. Hated my singing even more. Not hated, but I was a horrible cook and only a halfway decent singer. My singing was fun, and it made people laugh, but that was about the only good things I could say about it.
Rising from the sofa, Reyla placed the book on the table.
While I imagined the king twisting my blade in my chest some more, she left the suite without saying a word.
“I’m not giving up,” I called after her as she pulled the door closed. “Never!”
Since I couldn’t wrench the king’s imaginary knife out of my chest and turn it back on him, I might as well shovel shit.
“Want to come with me to the aerie?” I asked Drask. “Vexxion would want me to take you.” Sitting on his perch, he gave me a long look before turning to gaze out the window. Before I could cross the room to lift him and place him on my shoulder, he soared out the open window. “Alright, I’ll see you later.” I wasn’t sure why I felt sad that he didn’t want to come with me, but it would be easier to work without him bobbing around by my head.
I flitted to the interior of the shed beside the aerie. There was something satisfying about working with beasts. Sure, they tried to bite me every now and then or smack me with their tails. And I had to watch out for their claws and fire, but they showed me with a head nudge or a rumble in their throat how much they appreciated me treating them with kindness. I knew where I stood with them. No subterfuge. No conniving behavior. And no manipulation.
“Hey,” Airia said, coming over to me as I was backing the cart out into the sunshine. “Stay out of Prenton’s way today. For some odd reason, he’s in a snit. Snapping at everyone.”
I’d have no problem believing it of Will, but Prenton? He’d seemed like a nice enough guy. “Why’s he upset?”
She shrugged. “Who knows or cares? Not my problem unless he sends it my way. Just thought you’d want to know.” She tugged on one of her braids and swiped her hand across her face, adding dirt to it. Soon, mine would look the same, and I welcomed it.
“Thanks for the warning.” Leaving her, I pushed the cart toward the aerie entrance, the shovel handle clattering against the metal. I entered the dark interior and started down the hall, stopping short before I ran into someone standing in the middle of the aisle.
“Oh, hey, Prenton.” Normally, I’d chide him. Tease him. Now I just waited for him to get out of the way—which he didn’t.
“Why are you here?” he snapped.
“To shovel shit.”
“I mean, why are you here ? Why don’t you leave? It would be safer for all of us if you did. ”
With that, he stomped his boots around the cart, gouging my shoulder with his bony one as he passed.
I glared after him but lifted the handles of my cart and continued down the aisle to Glim’s stall. Prenton must be having an off day. He’d apologize tomorrow.
In no time, I was singing a ditty about a girl named Betty and a guy named Carl and how they kept meeting up in the sandpile for fun. Glim seemed to enjoy the tale, nudging my butt with his snout and showering me with sparks.
After finishing with his pen, I continued down the row. I lost count of the number of carts I wheeled out of the aerie and dumped onto the growing pile to the side of the long building. Someone else would load it into larger carts and spread it in fields where they grew the crops they’d serve in the dining room, something I didn’t like to dwell on too much.
Finally, I reached Madrood’s stall. Would he let me work with him today or would he be in the same foul mood as Prenton? For a snarly dragon, he’d been fairly cooperative before. I’d treated him the way I did all the dragons, and they universally liked me. I missed Seevar so much, but working with dragons helped soothe the ache in my heart.
Madrood let me clean his stall. Since few of the stable hands were willing to work with him, I grabbed a basket and filled it with supplies, then strode down the hall to give him another solid grooming. I was opening his gate when movement down the aisle caught my eye.
Prenton stood there, leaning against the wall.
Should I call out ?
If he was still in a bad mood, I had no interest in drawing his attention; he wasn’t even looking my way.
I stepped inside Madrood’s pen and was soon lost in grooming and singing to the dragon.
Finally, his scales were polished, his claws gleamed, and I’d cleaned out his eyes. I’d even scraped his fangs, though he’d snarled when I did that.
“You’ll be happy later when you’re eating,” I told him, giving his snout a long rub. I added a kiss, though I stepped back fast, closing my eyes when he showered me with sparks. He might be the king’s hench-dragon on the outside, but he was a sweetie where it counted. “I have to go, but I’ll try to come see you tomorrow.”
Soon, I’d have to tell him goodbye.
Actually . . .
“Goodbye,” I whispered. I never knew which day would be my last. From now on, I would tell him this each time I worked with him.
I gave him one last kiss and stepped toward the gate, opening it.
Someone rushed toward me, uttering a guttural groan. I caught the glimpse of a raised blade roaring down toward my chest. Instinctively, I lifted my arm to deflect it.
Everything happened so fast.
With his inner lids sliding closed, Madrood snarled and shoved me to the side with his snout. He followed the bump by snatching me up in his claws and tossing me toward the wall. While I righted myself against the metal, he shot fire into the hall, blasting whoever had tried to stab me .
Madrood’s flames winked out.
Smoke swirled in the hall.
With a grunt, Madrood tossed me a look I couldn’t define. Backing up, he shifted toward his feed bin and delicately plucked some food and started chewing.
My heart aflame and my legs wobbly with spent adrenalin, I hobbled toward the gate. I kept my eye on Madrood, and honestly, I quivered like a blade of grass in a stiff wind. The air had been knocked out of me when I hit the wall, but it was him burning someone that had done me in completely.
“You . . .” I swallowed; my throat as scorched as whatever might remain of the person who’d just tried to kill me.
“Tempest?” I recognized Airia’s shrill voice in the hall. “Are you alright?”
“I, um, yeah,” I croaked, pressing my back against the wall beside the gate, watching Madrood placidly chew his food and gather up another bite. He didn’t look my way. As far as he was concerned, it was over.
“What did you do?” I asked him in a whisper.
Only now did he look at me again, and the expression in his eyes suggested . . . Nah, I couldn’t be reading him right.
“You defended me?” I asked softly.
“Tempest?” Airia called out again. “Are you sure you’re alive? Because Madrood . . .”
“I’m alright,” Thankfully, my voice held more strength than the rest of my body. “I’m coming out.”
“You need to. Right away.” Horror lifted her voice to a screech. “Look what he did. That dragon is terrifying. Unpredictable. ”
That was an understatement.
I walked over to him, tentatively stretching out my hand. Would he bite it off or . . . I didn’t know what, but I felt I should acknowledge whatever he’d done in some way, not limp from his stall and lock the door behind me.
My leg nearly gave out, and I swore he frowned as he glanced down at my thigh, though dragons didn’t frown. His brow tightened. Was that a dragon scowl? You’d think by now I’d know something like that.
I was so wound up, I was rambling within my own mind.
“Thanks.” I ran my fingers down his snout.
As I reached the tip, he nudged my fingers up and released a shower of sparks that rained down the front of my leathers like golden stars showering across a dark sky. They winked out when they hit the sandy floor, and he returned to grab another bite of food.
I backed to the gate and slipped through the opening, closing the latch behind me.
The taint of scorched flesh hung in the air, but only a smoldering pile of ashes remained of whoever had attacked me. Oh, wait, no. That wasn’t exactly right. A blade lay among the ruins, a long, silver thing with a black hilt. It had been seared clean, blazed anew, and I kicked it out of the pile. It hit the wall with a thud, falling to the floor. I left it there, looking toward Airia standing near the entrance to the aerie.
“What happened?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I was . . . I can’t imagine why. If I wasn’t here, I . . . I still don’t believe it. ”
“Did you see who it was? Because there’s no identifying them now.”
“I knew he was upset, but why would he do something like that? He had no reason. No reason!”
“Prenton?” I guessed.
“I saw him standing outside Madrood’s stall. I thought he was waiting to speak with you. He was fidgeting, but like I said, he’d been weird all day. I didn’t think he’d ever . . . I’m sorry.”
“Why?”
“He attacked you. If I’d known he was going to do something like that, I could’ve . . .” She shrugged, and her voice cracked. “I could’ve helped you.”
“Madrood did it instead.”
“Yeah, and why? He only does stuff like that for the king and when he’s commanded.”
He also did stuff like that for me, apparently. Today, at least. Tomorrow, I might be the pile of ashes coating the sandy floor of the hall.
“Who collared Prenton?” I asked.
“The high advisor.”
Shit. Lots of shit in this place, actually. Delaine had wrapped a collar around Will’s neck. Would I have to watch out for him as well? Actually, I had to keep my eye on everyone. I needed to remember I could only trust Vexxion.
“Who collared you ?” I asked Airia.
“I, um . . .” She backed out of the aerie and fled before giving me a reply. If she was wise, she’d pack her bags and beg whoever had claimed her to take her to the opposite end of the continent. Even better, beg them to put her on a ship and take sail for a place where no one knew the fae existed.
I scooped up the knife that was half the length of my forearm and held it by my side. I’d examine it later, see if it had any markings, though I didn’t need to identify the source.
I wasn’t surprised that High Advisor Adwarin was also trying to kill me.