5. Rahzlyn
Rahzlyn
Circles of people linked by their arms danced between tables around the tavern. Basil fled to the barkeep in search of water as I spotted two familiar figures tucked in a booth against the back wall.
I recognized Ross first, his red waves concealing most of his face.
His shoulders bunched as he leaned over the table in a tense exchange with his white-haired counterpart, Kole.
Normally on such a busy day, Kole and his sister were required to work.
Despite the large crowd, it appeared Kole was free of his shift.
He was quite persuasive, and poor Orlah could never say no to his dimples.
I scanned the room for my best friend, Mel. Though I spotted her white floral shawl—her most recent knitting project—draped across the bench, she was nowhere to be seen. If she wasn’t also working the counter, she was likely locking lips with someone in a broom closet.
The distinguishable voices of Kole and Ross were raised enough for me to catch the tail end of their squabble as I neared.
“For the last time, she won’t accept her without more proof,” said Kole. “Drop it.”
“What more proof does she need? They’re twins. Her hair fits the description,” Ross said. “You said she’s a dancer, right?”
Kole toyed with his tankard. “We don’t make a move until I say so.”
“Time’s running out.”
“I know, but he’s protective and doesn’t want her anywhere near—”
“Ahem.” Their heads swiveled up in my direction. “Proof of what?” I prompted. Kole merely took a long, savory sip of his ale. He wiped away the foam that lingered beneath his pierced nose before flashing me a wink.
“Nothing that concerns your pretty face,” Ross said into his mug.
“Well, this pretty face would love to know what you boys were saying about it,” I insisted, glancing at Kole.
“Politics.” Ross waved a hand in the air, still not looking at me. A smugness settled in his lips though, irking me. “No place for a woman.”
I frowned, not believing for a second that was the true nature of their conversation.
“There he is. Long time no see, Ariti!” Ross exclaimed behind me, addressing my brother by our family name.
“Come on, Ross, that’s Hippogriff shit about women and politics,” Basil retorted as he approached my side with a glass of water in hand. “Women deserve a seat at the table as much as men. Or have you forgotten the six queens that exist? I don’t see your sorry ass wielding any power.”
“Yeah, and look how well that’s working out for Scorpio,” Ross said. “Those women have been too weak to rule. It’s time a man takes over that queendom, like the king of Aries. Talk about power.”
I found it ironic that men from masculine kingdoms boasted about the weakness of women, and yet the territories ruled by queens thrived on equality of the genders.
Not to mention only queens were capable of producing food and water.
But as soon as I started speaking to voice such a thing, my words were drowned out and ignored.
“Just because he wields fire doesn’t make him powerful,” Kole spoke over me. “King Zephyr could smother him in a heartbeat.”
“Yeah, well, maybe it’s time we decide where we want to live and who we want to serve.”
“Shut up, Ross,” Kole snapped. “Not here.”
“That’s not how the world works,” Basil added. “We are all cursed by the same sun.”
“For now,” Ross muttered into his drink.
Kole had a wide, rotating pool of friends he introduced Basil to who all possessed a cynical, bigoted view of life. Basil noticed the same at first, though I’d begun to see his tolerance of them growing. “Cursed by the sun?” I questioned. “What do you mean?”
Kole waved a hand. “Nothing of consequence.”
“What he means, beautiful, is that we are at the mercy of the Astrals and their precious Chosen kings and queens. They have the unstoppable power to tax us to their hearts’ content until we’re penniless and ruined like Scorpio,” Ross lectured me.
“And only those rich enough in the pockets of the Chosens have the freedom to roam the realm as they please. Whereas us destitute souls are stuck in the territory of our Zodiac sign, forever. Trapped.”
Basil chugged his water, then sighed with satisfaction.
“What is the king even doing with all those Irons anyway?” he asked regarding Gemini’s currency, the same for all air kingdoms. Similarly, the Tin coin was used for all water queendoms, Leads for earth queendoms, and Coppers for fire kingdoms. “King Zephyr taxes everything, yet all we get are fancy windstorms?”
Kole pointed at Basil. “Exactly. Corruption at its finest. You’re catching on quick, Ariti.”
Basil rolled his eyes as though this were an inside joke between them. Kole only grinned at my brother, his gaze dropping to my brother’s mouth. Basil cleared his throat. I could have sworn his cheeks were flushed. Mine certainly were from all the alcohol I’d consumed.
My eyes darted between the two of them. “How is that corruption? Taxes are essential for a kingdom to sustain itself.”
“When you start paying your own taxes, beautiful, maybe you’ll understand,” Ross said. My eyes narrowed as his dipped to my chest. “I don’t suppose you have some ideas about how this kingdom ought to be run?”
I didn’t want to fall into whatever trap he was setting for me. “If I did, I’d start with ridding them of pig-headed men such as yourself. Does anyone know where Mel is?”
Ross chuckled into his mug. “See what I mean? Nothing of substance to add. When there’s a lot to see on the outside, there’s not much going on in here.” He pointed to his head. “Just like our king.”
Heat seared my cheeks, anger compelling me closer to him.
“Don’t talk about my sister like that.”
“I’m just messing around, Baze.”
“No one’s laughing,” I ground out.
“Is Ross being an ass again?” a familiar voice admonished. Mel approached the table with smooth grace, her silky hair ruffled.
“What?” Ross asked innocently. “It’s not my fault she’s such a sensitive flower. Like a rose.”
Basil seized Ross by his collar. “You’re going to get a closer look at my fist if you don’t cut it out.”
Ross raised his hands. “No need to get so dramatic.”
Mel looped her arms around my waist, the scent of her lavender perfume calming me. “I leave these boys alone for two minutes!”
Kole wedged himself between the two men. “Let’s calm down.”
“And they say we’re the emotional ones,” I muttered.
“Surprisingly, my brother is the voice of reason for once,” she muttered back. “Who knew that was possible?”
Kole’s speculative eyes watched us. Unlike Basil and me, Kole and Mel could pass for twins despite being separated by a few years. They shared an apartment not far up the road, where my trysts with her brother occurred the most.
Basil released his grip on Ross and shrugged the remaining tension off his shoulders. Ross slid further into the booth against the wall, making room for Kole and Basil. Mel and I took the bench opposite the men.
Mel leaned across the table, her face scrunched with suspicion. Then she gasped at my brother. “Is that… blood? Did you hit him, Ross?”
“What? No!”
Kole brought his hand to Basil’s mouth, swiping away the redness from my brother’s upper lip.
Basil’s eyes widened, catching mine before pushing Kole’s hand away.
“I think we should get going,” he declared after pulling out an unmistakable golden pocket watch from his pants.
For as long as our family had owned the old trinket, it had been useless.
The dial remained stuck, no matter who attempted to fix it.
“What?” Ross protested. “Come on, Baze, you hardly come out anymore. I’m sorry.”
“Rahz and I have an early morning with the shop reopening tomorrow, and I need to prepare for a trip to expand our clientele.”
I kicked his shin beneath the table. “We just got here.”
“You can stay with us,” Mel offered, nudging my shoulder.
“I much prefer the comfort of my bed to that of your floor.”
“Who says you would sleep on the floor?” Kole mused at me. My cheeks heated. I kicked his foot. We’d managed to keep our on-and-off affair a secret over the past few years, thanks to Mel’s assistance. Basil rarely cared about who I spent my time with, except when it came to Kole.
“Anyone but him, Rahz.” It was the first thing he’d said to me after our first night at the Stinky Boot.
Basil was so often in his head, mulling over his dreams, that seeing him with friends made me happy.
I didn’t want to ruin that for him. When Kole had tried something a few years ago, after countless flirtatious quips and lingering glances, I hadn’t told Basil.
Even after we had shaken on it.
I savored Kole’s attention. He wasn’t a man my grandmother was trying to pawn me off to.
He was the opposite, in fact, of her ideal match for me.
A little reckless, like me, with a hunger for physical connection.
We respected that about each other, neither of us committing to anything more than the present moment.
Still, the guilt I carried by continually lying to Basil soured the relationship plenty.
“Basil is the truest friend I’ve had in a long time,” Kole had whispered against my skin one night after a particularly ravenous session.
“If we tell him now, he’ll never speak to me again.
And it’s fun, keeping you a secret. Thrilling, isn’t it? That’s what makes this so good.”
I always nodded along despite the twinge of hurt. I didn’t want to be a dirty secret. We’d treaded this deceitful path for so long, and without any indication that he wanted a future together, I hesitated to ask him for more. So, I pretended to want the same.
“You’re bleeding.” Kole cocked his head at me. “What happened to your hand?”
Four pairs of eyes narrowed on my hand splayed on the table. Basil using Blood Sight had sobered me up plenty. It seemed, though, I was still not in my right mind enough to remember to bandage the cut along my finger. The bleeding had stopped, but a dried reddish-brown color coated my finger still.