12. Kianthe
Chapter twelve
Kianthe
I t was incredibly easy to ditch Bobbie in Koll. Mostly because the constable was literally swaying on her feet, so coaxing her into a room at the local inn while Kianthe “continued the search” for their culprits proved shockingly simple.
Searching for Reyna was even easier. All Kianthe had to do was step into the river, and it told her exactly where they’d gone. A few perplexed sailors squinted at her as she hauled herself out of the harbor, and in answer to their unspoken question, she called, “I’m keeping up on current events.”
She thought it was a funny river pun, but they clearly didn’t get it. Tough crowd. With a wave, she magicked the water out of her clothes and strolled off towards the inlet, whistling.
It was well hidden, all things considered. It spoke volumes to Serina’s knowledge of the river that she found it at all. The inlet ended in a little stream that made its way through a sparse forest, but it was hidden almost entirely by leaves. Unless someone was really squinting, the masts would look like two more trees.
Kianthe followed a small dirt path right to the water’s edge. She smirked at the cart left by the shoreline, at Serina hauling a black sail up the mast. Diarn Arlon was going to be furious when he discovered how she’d defaced his property, but for now, Kianthe was just excited to see Reyna.
“Carry me,” she instructed grandly, and stepped onto the water. It did the water-equivalent of sighing, but the Stone’s magic made an impressive argument and the water reluctantly solidified to ice under her feet. The current wasn’t intense enough to wrench it away, so her footsteps left little patches of ice bobbing in the water. Kianthe strolled right to the ship’s edge and hauled herself up the rope ladder left there, acting like she was coming to tea instead of intruding on a pirate’s vessel.
“I’ve arrived!” Kianthe tipped onto deck and swept her hands out. “Please, hold your applause.”
From her spot by the crow’s nest, Serina snorted. Her eyes roamed behind Kianthe, squinting out towards town. “Are you alone?”
“For now. Your girlfriend was about to fall over, so I put her to bed. Hopefully this time she actually sleeps.”
“My girl—” Serina cut herself off, spluttering. “Listen, I don’t date constables. Especially not ones who commandeered my farm. Twice.”
“Twice?” Kianthe tilted her head.
Serina hopped into the crow’s nest, tying knots swifter than Kianthe could follow. “Well, Bobbie specifically didn’t commandeer the farm the first time. We were only thirteen. But the second time, whoo, you should have seen how she marched onto my property. As if a friendly face delivering shit news would make it stink less.”
“That’s a great line. I’ll save it for my future novel.” Kianthe crossed her arms. “Would you be so kind as to direct me to my fiancée?”
Serina rolled her eyes and pointed at a door on Kianthe’s left. It was carved with very pretty northern designs, more geometrical than the nature-based art of the south. Anticipation racing through her veins, Kianthe shoved the door open and proclaimed, “Rain, my dearest, I’ve come to rescue you from the fearsome pirate!”
High in the crow’s nest, Serina said, “Oh, for the Stars’ sake.”
At the windows, Reyna offered Kianthe a brilliant smile. “That took a bit longer than I expected. Where’s your charge? Surely you didn’t lead her right to us?”
“No, no. I put the kid to bed, just like you wanted.” Kianthe had no idea if Reyna wanted that, but it was fun to pretend. She strolled into the lavish room and swept Reyna into a hug. Then, as an added flourish, she dipped her low, kissing her deeply in the colored light of the stained glass windows.
Romantic shit, right there.
Reyna snickered when Kianthe righted her. “My, my. Missed me that much?”
“You’re far better company than the constable. She’s going through some things.” Kianthe squinted at the glass behind her. “What are you doing?”
“Replacing glass. But now that you’re here, we can get to work.” Reyna patted her arm, then stepped to the door and called, “Serina, we’re going to take a few moments of privacy. Is that all right?”
High overhead, Serina sounded exasperated. “Trust me, I won’t be bothering you.”
Reyna smiled and closed the door. At the windows, Kianthe hesitated. “Here? I mean, I guess we can check ‘on a ship’ off our list—” She slipped out of her heavy cloak.
“Darling, as attractive as you are, Diarn Arlon’s old bedroom is absolutely killing the mood.” Reyna squeezed her arm and tugged her towards the wall. “However, an elemental mage would be extremely useful in identifying secret compartments.”
“I feel used,” Kianthe deadpanned.
Reyna pulled her into a passionate kiss, one that made Kianthe lose track of time for a moment— several moments, maybe longer—and sent shivers all the way to her toes. When the ex-Queensguard pulled back, she seemed utterly amused. “You know I’ll make it up to you. Now, the compartments?”
It took Kianthe a moment to place herself, and then she muttered a complaint and stomped to the wood. The magic within it pulsed under her hands, spider-webbing away from her. Chopped wood was much less interesting than a planted tree, where the magic of each intertwined deep below ground with a root system so complex it’d boggle normal minds. Here, the magic was dulled, the wood set in a state of dormancy.
She pressed her magic into it, brightening the dull yellow into brilliant gold. Tiny sprouts began edging away from the hull, growing little leaves.
“Is this why you stole this ship? Because you’ve caused quite a stir amongst the constables,” Kianthe said as her magic prodded around the room.
Reyna watched her work with fascination. Magic always impressed her. “Well, it certainly wasn’t to live out a pirate fantasy.”
Kianthe shot her an unimpressed look.
“Not only to live out a pirate fantasy,” Reyna corrected, grinning. “But yes. I don’t trust Arlon to hand us incriminating documents. It’d be silly to cease our investigation on his promise alone. Someone ordered those dragon eggs stolen, and this ship was commissioned right around the same time period—it stands to reason that he might have hidden records here.”
“Assuming he didn’t burn them instead.”
Reyna sighed. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but it’s a thread worth pulling.”
The wood told her that there were two compartments in this room—one on the underside of the roll top desk, and one carved under the floorboard beneath the lavish rug. Both glowed with magic, and she relayed the location obediently. Reyna quickly stepped to the desk while Kianthe moved to the rug.
It took a few moments of finagling to get access to the floorboards. The rug was nailed down, and her magic only barely extended to metal. She could lift nails, but it took a lot more concentration.
Which meant she was distracted when Reyna, feeling along the underbelly of the desk, said, “Key, you don’t feel like I left you behind, do you? When I fled with Serina?”
“Well, you warned me, so… no?” Kianthe replied distantly. Then the full implication of Reyna’s words hit her, and she paused in her ministrations, rocking back on her heels. “Why?”
“I just—” Reyna cut herself off, huffed, and tossed her ice-blonde hair over her shoulder. Normally, it was pulled in a loose bun, so she must have wanted something more casual for the evening. “I think all this travel has reminded me of my old life. Of the adventure behind it. And I don’t want you to think that I’m… pining, I suppose… for something I don’t have anymore.”
Kianthe had noticed that. It was impossible not to—Reyna was built for motion, and even last summer had a difficult time settling into a more mundane lifestyle. The way she inserted herself into dangerous situations, the way she observed Bobbie and Serina, the way she handled Arlon…
“Are you unhappy?” Kianthe asked.
Her fiancée smiled, warm and content. “I’m always happy with you. And I love Tawney, and our bookstore, and our friends. But I don’t think I realized how much I missed an active lifestyle until this trip.”
“Well, duh.”
“Pardon?”
Kianthe snorted. “You train with that sword every day, even though you haven’t had to use it in a season. Someone content to sell books and make tea wouldn’t do that, Rain.”
Reyna glanced at her sword, which was propped by the door. She sighed, poking around one of the desk’s drawers. “I suppose that’s true. I expected I’d find enjoyment in smaller things, but when life is all small things, it’s easy to get distracted by the bigger mysteries.” At that, she pressed a button inside the drawer, and a click echoed across the room.
And almost immediately, a flash of magic blinded Kianthe. Alchemy, screeching white against the sunshine yellow of her own elemental blend. It slammed into Reyna with all the force of a diving griffon, and she crashed to the ground.
Kianthe was at her side in a breath. “Reyna!”
Her fiancée flashed bloody teeth, then swallowed and grimaced at the taste. “Huh. Should have expected there’d be a protective barrier over his things.” She wiped her mouth, pushed upright, her ash-brown eyes dazed.
Blood smeared on her hand.
Kianthe pulled her into an aggressive hug. “Fuck.” She buried her face in Reyna’s hair, then drew several breaths to slow her trembling. “Okay, new rule. You wait for me before poking around anything on this ship.”
“Key.” Reyna laughed against her. “I bit my tongue. That’s all.”
She massaged her jaw, gently extricated herself, and pushed to her feet as if to demonstrate that she was, indeed, fine. And although she wobbled a bit, she stayed upright. Kianthe still ached to touch her, but that felt ridiculous when she was clearly okay, so the mage forced her hands to her side.
Reyna noticed. Of course she did.
“I won’t touch anything else on the ship without you around,” she said softly. “I admit, I didn’t expect him to have such a defense in his own quarters. But considering how they guarded the dragon eggs in Tawney, the spellwork Feo had to disable, perhaps I should have.”
Kianthe drew a trembling breath, then reached out with her magic to test the drawer. She wasn’t skilled in alchemy, but she knew enough to identify that a spell was indeed still present on this drawer. Whatever was inside would have to wait until she could get a mage skilled in alchemy to disarm it.
And honestly, Feo was the only person she trusted to tackle this.
“It’ll keep smacking you back until we counter it.” Kianthe squinted into the drawer, noted the circular spell work burned on the inside. “I can try burning that symbol off, but depending on how the spell originated, we might just make it worse.”
“Leave it, then. I won’t touch it for now.” Reyna rolled her shoulders, wincing.
Relief slid through Kianthe’s veins. “Thank you.” She kissed Reyna’s forehead, then pulled up the remaining nails on the rug and slid it back, revealing a small latch in the floorboards. A quick inspection proved that there wasn’t any alchemy spell work here—just a normal lock, and one eager to please the Arcandor. All she had to do was glance at it, and it popped open under her magical influence.
Reyna peered over her shoulder as she tugged open the compartment to reveal…
“Paperwork.”
“Shipping records?” Reyna asked optimistically.
Kianthe sifted through it, then shook her head. “The commission paperwork for this ship. He must have a copy at home, and a copy here to prove ownership.”
“Hmm. I’ll confiscate that, then,” Reyna said, plucking the papers from Kianthe’s hand and rolled them in a tight spiral. She tucked that into a fold of her trousers, well-hidden by the draping cloth of her shirt.
“Is this a big enough mystery for you?” Kianthe asked before she could help herself.
Reyna paused, studying her. Whatever she saw must not have been comforting, because she tilted her head. “Key, you’re my priority. We’re obligated to find the dragon eggs, but if investigating this way is going to cause you stress, I’ll stop. I don’t need to play pirate—we can leave Serina and Bobbie to their lives and ransack Arlon’s estate ourselves.” She tugged the roll of parchment from her trousers and offered it to the mage. “Just say the word.”
Kianthe didn’t want that. Reyna stole this ship for a reason, and it seemed bigger than investigating Arlon’s secrets. The mage scrubbed her face. “No, it’s okay. I just… didn’t expect alchemy here. Those spells can be dangerous.”
I don’t want you hurt .
Reyna kicked the rug back over the floor compartment, repocketed the scroll of paperwork, then wound her arms around Kianthe’s waist. “I’ll be careful. I promise. And if my calculations are right, we won’t be separated for long.” She paused, glancing at the windows and the dark night sky. “Speaking of, how long can you stay here?”
It was a welcome change in the conversation. Kianthe held her close, their bodies pressed together as she mused, “Before Bobbie, the woman who hasn’t slept in at least two nights, wakes up? Probably all morning and a bit of the afternoon.”
“No, Key.” Reyna smirked. “How long before Bobbie, the overly-stressed constable who will hunt a pirate to the edge of the Realm, who goes multiple nights without sleep to follow a lead, realizes you’re gone?”
Kianthe winced. “Ah. Quite possibly until the sun comes up.”
“That’s a bit more appropriate. All we’d need is her finding Serina now, when we’ve just gotten started.”
“I’ll keep her away from you both.” Kianthe was having a hard time mustering up the enthusiasm to leave. Reyna was a warm certainty in her arms, and all she wanted was to curl up in that nice bed together and sleep until midday. “Is Serina going to need a crew for this ship? It seems big for just you two.”
Reyna brightened. “We found the greatest bartender. His name is Judd, and he’s getting Serina a crew. His wine is exquisite, Key. You truly can’t even fathom.”
“Considering I’ve never had a drop of alcohol, that is accurate.” Kianthe smirked. “But wine is a big export for this region. I’m sure Arlon makes a fair bit of coin off this town alone.”
A dark shadow crossed over Reyna’s face. She pulled away, tucked the papers in her trousers once again, and crossed her arms. “Actually, I wanted to ask about that. Did Bobbie say anything to you about how Arlon manages his lands?”
“Nothing I remember.” The mage frowned, foreboding prickling along her spine. “Why?”
“Serina tells me that Diarn Arlon owns all the land… And the tools the farmers use, and the buildings, and the ships, and the crops. The farmers are given salaries, and it’s not enough.” Reyna’s expression was troubled. “People are starving here, but it’s not because of Serina.”
Kianthe tensed. “I’ve never heard of that.” She wasn’t denying it was true—Reyna was rarely wrong. It just took her by surprise. “Sheparan law is that diarns manage the land, but it’s owned by the citizens lucky enough to inherit, or rich enough to buy some for themselves. Feo certainly has no claim to our bookstore, after all.”
“Lord Wylan does, if you examine Queendom law.” Reyna wrinkled her nose. “But he gifted us the land and building, which was unconventional. Regardless, Diarn Arlon’s practice seems far closer to Queen Tilaine’s rule than the Council’s.”
That sat before them like a sour apple, rotting from the inside.
“Can we do anything about that?” Reyna asked.
“Possibly an intervention, either with the Council, or—if things get nasty—the Magicary. But we’d have to prove it with a paper trail. And Arlon isn’t just going to hand that over.” At that, they both stared at the rolltop desk, at the alchemy spell keeping its contents a secret. Kianthe swallowed a groan. “All I wanted was a vacation.”
“We’ll get one, love. Just not now.” But that excited gleam had overtaken Reyna’s eyes again. “One way or another, we need to solve this pirate problem—and rather than hauling in the one person bold enough to stand up to Arlon, I think we should be creative here.”
Kianthe sighed. “You always do.” And with a final kiss, they parted ways.
Kianthe took the long way back to town, just in case Bobbie was awake and watching the direction she entered. The leisurely stroll through the hillside vineyards was a pleasant place to clear her head—and it meant she was out in the open to see two shapes flying her way. Griffon shapes.
“Visk,” Kianthe called, waving her arms.
The griffon screeched hello, landing in the field nearby. Ponder flapped busily alongside him, her mischievous eyes already scanning the vines for something to eat or play with. Kianthe snatched her before she could take off again, snuggling her close, kissing her tiny, feathery head.
“By the Stone, I forgot how cute you are!”
Ponder chittered displeasure, nipping Kianthe and flexing her claws. She could easily break skin, but she’d learned at a far younger age that it hurt the humans—and as much as she threw fits, Ponder never wanted to hurt them. Her beak left light scratches on Kianthe’s arm, but it was more for show than anything.
“Oh, sorry.” Kianthe laughed, letting Ponder go. “I didn’t mean cute. I meant fierce. A vicious beast.”
Ponder chirped agreement, puffed up her chest, lion tail swishing.
Standing over her, Visk leveled a look at Kianthe that clearly said, uh huh. Keep telling her that.
Kianthe scratched under his chin. “Hey, buddy. It could be worse. You could be supervising three of them, like your mate is right now.”
Visk shook his entire body, as if to rid himself of the thought.
Kianthe cackled, patting his neck. “I’m glad you found me. We still can’t have you lurking around—if Bobbie thinks I can fly again, she’ll send me ‘searching,’ and Reyna isn’t ready to be discovered just yet.” At Visk’s questioning purr, she shrugged. “She’s living out her pirate fantasy. It’s a lot less kinky than I expected.”
Visk stared at her impassively.
“Anyway,” Kianthe stroked his beak, paying a bit of mind as Ponder explored the nearby vineyard, “I need you to do something. Can you fly back to Tawney and get Feo? We may have a situation here, and I’m going to need their help handling it.”
Visk didn’t love the idea. Eagle expressions weren’t very identifiable, but Kianthe could tell in the way he lowered his head, how his talons dug into the dirt. “I know, bud. But it shouldn’t take long. You always know how to find me. And now you can go visit your other kiddos.”
The griffon reluctantly spread his wings. Even Visk couldn’t deny the desire of visiting his mate again. He and Kianthe would have an entire lifetime together, but his mate had no interest in leaving the imposing mountains that flanked Tawney—which meant he visited her , not the other way around.
Ponder had found the grapes and plucked one into her beak. It sliced open, spilling juice, and she squawked and dropped it like it burned her.
Her father sighed with his whole body, then turned a questioning gaze to Kianthe.
“Take her with you. I bet she’s missing her siblings.” The mage sighed, thinking of how Reyna had slammed against the floor, the blood that smeared the back of her hand. “That ship isn’t exactly safe right now.”
Visk chirped, regaining Ponder’s attention. They conversed in their griffon language for a few breaths, and then Ponder spread her tiny wings and launched into Kianthe’s arms. She nuzzled Kianthe’s chest, nipped at her ears.
Kianthe laughed, feeling better already. “Mamakie will see you soon, Pondie, okay? Be good.”
The baby griffon promised to do no such thing, if the snide look on her face was any indication. She nibbled Kianthe’s hair fondly, then fluttered into the skies. Visk bumped his head against Kianthe’s chest and took off after her.
Retrieving Feo was a start, at least. With a heavy sigh, Kianthe trudged back towards Koll.