Chapter 7
Chapter
In the days that followed, I managed to arrange a single timber shipment for the Family Mermont. I had the feeling Lord Gavin Mermont agreed because it amused him that I had broken young Magnus Dorthal’s nose.
The lords Mermont and Dorthal had pretended friendship for years, yet I suspected Gavin had enjoyed seeing someone, at last, take that spoiled Dorthal prodigy down a notch. Who would have thought my brutality might finally serve a purpose.
The palace, of course, still seethed with rumors.
I was, so they said, a rough island savage.
At least none could claim I “spread my legs freely”, as I’d heard a lady in the halls say sarcastically earlier.
I gave her only a cool smile. For if I must choose between the name of a savage and the name of a common whore, I would wear the first.
I was in good spirits as I made my way toward the practice room. I had just sealed the last terms of the agreement and felt that a small step had been taken toward rescuing my Family’s trade. The brothers were to join me later, but I hurried ahead, eager to spend the edge of my temper in a bout.
As I neared the hall, I heard the bite of steel and the muffled grunt of effort. Nothing unusual, though I preferred an empty room.
I pushed open the heavy door.
In the center, amid the ring of blades, Aidenar Cavareth was training.
He was bare to the waist and shining with sweat, his body lit by sun pouring in through the high windows.
The muscles of his arms worked with each cut, his chest rose hard with breath, and drops fell from his hair to the flags of stone.
I had usually seen him in loose shirts and courtly doublets, surrounded by ladies who laughed at his slightest joke. I had never seen him thus, intent, severe, all in motion.
They fought with true steel. Four men pressed him by turns, attacking in pairs, and he handled them as if he had done nothing else since boyhood.
Half turns, a flash of edge, another sure stroke.
At one point he drove one opponent back with a sharp kick that sent the man down with a groan, and to the other Aidenar set his blade at the chest, stopping a hair before it would have been a blood cut.
“Enough for this day,” he said, breathing hard, and I—gods help me—could not look away from the sweat drops sliding down the line of his neck.
He turned slowly toward me, a mocking smile on his lips. “You may breathe now.” He lifted a brow, a pale strand of hair falling over his forehead. Did he ever look ragged?
“You don’t need to stare. I am not going anywhere,” he added.
Heat flamed in my cheeks. The last thing I wished was for Aidenar Cavareth to think I simpered for him.
I blinked hard, turned on my heel, and went to the table where I set down my swords. I gave my hands any task at all, braiding my hair into a thick plait, counting the heartbeats until Kael and Brenn would enter and pull his gaze from me.
He, of course, would not let me slip away. He came unhurriedly, still bare-chested, and leaned a hip to the table beside me.
“Had I known you would train at this hour, I would have stayed longer,” he said in a light tone edged with pride. “Regrettably, duties await.”
Naturally he was pleased with himself, and naturally he was soaking up the attention. He wiped his face with a cloth and watched me from narrowed eyes.
On the islands I rarely thought of such matters.
The boys treated me as a sister or a sparring mate.
When I was younger I was not comely at all.
Only as I matured did my body take on a woman’s shape, and even then I had more to boast of in muscle than in soft curves.
As a lord’s daughter I stood beyond the reach of most lads, but also most of them were scared of me…
Yet standing beside sweat-drenched Aidenar Cavareth, my own body betrayed me without shame. It thought of everything it shouldn’t think. I was mortified with myself.
I took up a long, wooden practice staff and began to warm my limbs. I did all I could to wrench my mind and flesh from those forbidden thoughts.
“Think nothing of it,” I said, meeting him with a cool glance, though my voice held a perilous thread of tension. “I have no wish to be part of your displays.”
I heard whispers as his companions gathered their gear.
“She broke Magnus’s nose?” one hissed, thinking I could not hear.
“And he bragged he would have her easily.”
“That is why Aidenar chose Jasmine instead. He leads now.”
“A wise choice. Though with a temper like that, she might be worth the risk. Imagine her in bed…”
Spoken low, with a coarse little laugh, the words struck harder than any blade.
“Shut the hell up!” Aidenar snarled.
My mind snatched the heard fragments and set them together. The meaning was plain.
“What the fuck did you just say?!” I asked.
Before I could think any longer my body lunged, with my full force, intent on taking the half-wit’s head with my staff.
The blow sliced the air past his nose, for Aidenar caught me about the waist and pulled me against him. The squire’s eyes widened, he had not even noticed how close I had come.
At that same moment Kael and Brenn entered the room. They tightened at once, hands slipping to the hilts of their swords. They couldn’t draw them, the Regent’s son stood too close to me, yet their eyes were keen and ready.
“Let me go, Cavareth,” I growled through clenched teeth. I trembled with fury, and at the same time I felt the heat of his body, the scent of sweat and iron. It was absurdly intimate, and my blood boiled even more. The air around me began to churn, unruly beneath my anger.
Aidenar glanced calmly at my guards. “She is safe.” Then he bent to me, his voice low for my ear alone. “I will let you go. But I beg you, do not move.”
“I will take his head, do you understand,” I hissed. “Maybe in your household these ways are normal, but in my code, knocked-out teeth are the least punishment for what he said.”
His silver eyes held mine, stubborn and steady. “Can you trust me, just for a moment?” he asked softly, and there was something in his voice I hadn’t expected.
I drew a deep breath and let my muscles ease. He felt the change, gave me the smallest nod, and let go of me.
Then, before I could speak, he turned and drove his fist into the squire’s face with all his might. The crack of it rang in the room. The lad crashed to the stones, choking on blood.
“Speak so of a Lady from a Family again, and this will be your last day at court. Do you understand?” His voice was as cold as winter.
The squire lay on his side, wiping his mouth, and nodded his head frantically. The rest stood frozen in silence.
Aidenar turned to me. “I apologize for that. You will not hear such talk again.”
I stared at him as though he were a complete idiot. I was impressed, yes, he had punched his own man for my sake. Yet the earlier whispers rang on. Did he not play in their depraved contest of bedding the court ladies?
“You are still a pig. Congratulations on your lead.” I said and left. I had no more will for training. Kael and Brenn followed without a word.
The next day brought another Gathering meeting, one more in a weary chain, some long and some short, all dull in the same fashion.
I dressed as I always did for formality, leather trousers, a shirt, and a short coat, all in our deep blue with the Family arms. I pinned my hair at the sides and let the length fall. Most ladies wore gowns. For me, dresses were too impractical and costly to change daily.
Before we took our places, while the palace arcades filled with voices and the rustle of silk, Aidenar came to me. He stood as he always did, sure and easy, yet in his gaze there was a plainness that did not belong to his usual demeanor.
“I wish to apologize again for yesterday. It was unacceptable,” he said quietly.
For a moment, I wanted to believe Aidenar thought differently, but let’s be honest. He was the main character of amorous excesses.
“Your men speak the thoughts you keep. Spare me,” I said.
A sly smile touched his lips. “Oh, I think of far more pleasant things,” he murmured, and his look was full of sinful joy.
I nearly laughed outright. “You are impossible. Leave me be, or I will treat you as I did Magnus.” When I said it, I saw his face twist.
“He behaved disgracefully. I am glad he didn’t hurt you.”
Then Velena appeared, the bright needle of the palace, ever perfect, ever at the center of gossip.
She dipped her head with feigned kindness.
“Oh, are you hunting another Lord? I doubt your rough methods will serve.” She took Aidenar’s arm and drew him toward the benches. “It is time to begin, Lord Cavareth.”
He slipped free with grace and set her aside. “I will join shortly. Leave us.”
Velena cut me with a murderous look and sailed off with her chin high.
Out of equal parts boredom and curiosity, I asked him outright, “Do you keep wagers with the other Lords on who lies with whom?” I was tired of backstage plays.
He had not expected a blow so direct. “Yes… no… not exactly,” he stammered. “It is more of a harmless contest. Magnus, it seems, cannot lose gracefully, nor court properly.”
“You are repulsive,” I said, and as I was turning to leave his hand closed gently yet firmly on my arm.
His voice came low and warm, unlike the one he wore for company.
“Had he harmed you, he would not be sitting here with us now. And despite my banter, you don’t need to fear anything more.
My father does not run such a court. We do not tolerate it.
Unless…” he added, with a wicked smile. “You come to me of your own will. Then it is another matter.”
“Release me, or I will smack your face,” I said, and went to my seat.
Aidenar sat beside his mother, Cassandra Cavareth, who had already taken her place, stern and unbending, her gaze sweeping the hall with the ease of command.
His silver eyes sought me still, following as I sat upon the stone bench.
His stare made my skin uneasy, and I did all I could to ignore it, letting my eyes climb the vaulting, the columns, the rows of lords, anywhere but those silver eyes.
The council dragged on. They chewed the old bones of administration, levies, and quarrels of trade. The Regent did not appear. Rumors, growing ever grimmer, now spoken openly: “He lies in deep slumber.” It did not help Cassandra to gain support for the Election.
In the midst of Cassandra’s lofty address, something fell with a crack upon the marble between us.
A raven. It croaked in misery, twisted, as if the bones of its wings were bent at unholy angles.
Before we could so much as flinch, another plummeted and burst upon the floor, staining the white stone with blood.
Consternation erupted.
From overhead came a rising cacophony of caws. We looked up. Above us advanced a black mass. At first it seemed like a storm cloud, but soon it proved neither mist nor smoke. It was thousands of birds. A vast flock of ravens, flying straight for the palace.
The first dove downward. They struck heads, tangled in hair, pecked at faces and hands. Screams arose. Lords who moments before had argued over taxes now fled in panic, seeking cover under the arcades. Guards tried to beat them off with swords, only heightening the chaos.
As one of the few, I remained in the open. I began drawing water slowly from the fountain, gathering it around. I needed power at the ready, though I didn’t know yet what to expect.
Only one person stood utterly still. Cassandra.
She held the center of the Inner Court, tall and calm, though tension lined her face.
She did not flinch when the first bird brushed her shoulder with its wing.
Slowly she raised her hands skyward, both heavy with rings and bracelets.
With her necklace and diadem it was an arsenal of Elementars, gleaming with living force.
The air around us stirred. A gentle breeze at first, then stronger, until the wind tore strands from my hair and made breathing labored. Cassandra looked like a white witch from legend. Her hair whipping, eyes fixed on the oncoming swarm, body taut as a bowstring.
Suddenly power blazed from her. A howl of wind pierced the court.
From her hands burst a surge of air so mighty it seemed to shake the palace walls.
The blast swept across the city and tore into the black cloud, rending it and driving the flock to all directions.
Ravens dispersed like leaves in a gale, falling dead onto streets, roofs, and gardens.
I watched in stunned awe. We all did. Never had I seen such might unleashed by an Elementar. Whatever my opinion of Cassandra Cavareth—and the list was long—in that moment, I had to grant her my respect.
When the wind died, Cassandra sank to the ground. Aidenar appeared at her side with servants. He knelt, clasping her hand, murmuring as she slowly regained her senses.
I released the gathered water, letting it fall back into the fountain. I hoped no one had noticed amid the tumult. Besides, it could be blamed on the Elementar’s work… if anyone had paid attention.
The chaos ebbed gradually. Guards killed the birds still writhing on the ground, while wounded lords summoned healers. The Inner Court resembled a battlefield: bloodied avian corpses lay everywhere.
“Every bird found must be killed and burned to ash!” Lord Mermont thundered. His voice cut through the din, and guards moved to obey.
I glanced at a raven that had fallen near me. It looked grotesque, yet it was only a bird. Strange that plague-stricken creatures flew in such a vast flock, and straight for White City.
All were shaken. The meeting ended, but no words could drown the questions that hung in the air, louder than the clamor of hundreds of ravens.