I entertain myself by watching her as she walks. Her brown and green leathers fit her in a way that mine do not fit me, and I enjoy the curves that are revealed. She is taller than I am, almost as tall as Alexsi, and her tawny hair is braided up the sides but loose down her back. The top of her hair is pushed up a bit, maybe by the braiding; I don’t know much about hair but I notice how it sets off her cheekbones and those same amber eyes that Alexsi has, although while his are warm and almost brown hers are more yellow and quite angry.
My assassin’s instincts tell me we are in no physical danger from her but emotionally she is cutting through Alexsi like a whirlwind of razor blades and malice. Everything she says is a lie in some way and Alexsi looks back at Zair and me, anguish on his face. I’ve had enough.
“It’s time for a break,” I say, and set my travelsack down on the ground. Zair and Alexsi sink down gratefully next to me and I glare at Zair until he moves closer to Alexsi. Their fingers reach for each other on the ground. I turn my attention to the woman - on closer look, I revise my estimate downward - young woman, and I know I must be firm with her. “It’s certainly nice of you to join us but please sit and let’s have proper introductions. I may be new to this place but where I am from, I like to at least know the names of my companions.”
She hesitates, her simmering anger holding her upright, and then she sits cross-legged on the ground, all in one motion, with her bow across her lap. I draw my dagger and set it on the ground next to me and give her bow a meaningful look until she sets it on the ground as well, the universal sign that we will not break companion law while we are traveling together. I decide to start with the truth.
“I am Alinya, an assassin from Hinshalla, the City in the Sky, a member of the Hand of the Gods guild in the city below. I am traveling with Zair and Alexsi to return Alexsi to his family and to complete a quest given to me by one of the gods.” I do not repeat the lie that I am glad she has joined us. This is not a time for lying.
I wait for her to complete the ceremony. If she does not, companion law does not apply, and I will rid us of her troublesome presence and continue on my path with the two princes. Alexsi’s eyes widen as he realizes what I’m doing, and Zair clenches his jaw with the effort not to smile.
The young woman’s yellow-amber eyes harden as she catches on as well. Her nostrils flare for a brief moment and then she clears her throat.
“I am The Archer of the Forest; I am the Protector of Nevel. My name is Kjiersten and I have been betrothed, against my will, to Prince Alexsi since I was eight. I threatened to kill him at our betrothal ceremony and his family sent him away to the Winter City to protect him from me. They refuse to break the binding. I will travel with you to Nevel and we will resolve this once and for all.”
CHAPTER 16
We share food to complete the ceremony. We only have bread and travel meat and she produces another apple from a pouch at her waist. I find some cookies stashed in the box from the Old Master and I bring those out as well; they are white and chewy with pieces of dried cranberries and white nuts. The meal is silent except for the sounds of chewing and drinking and we are all fine with that, except for Zair who wants Alexsi to talk to him. Alexsi is closed up like a clam and he clearly isn’t going to talk to anyone after Kjiersten’s introduction.
I, of course, have a million questions.
“Is ‘The Archer of the Forest a title?” I ask Kjiersten. She squints at me.
“Yes.”
Ok.
“Why won’t they break the betrothal?”
She glares at me and then turns her angry yellow eyes to Alexsi. “The Undying told the Queen that I am the key to Nevel’s future, so of course she decided that must mean he and I should be wed. Maybe it means I’m supposed to kill him so someone less cowardly can take the throne.”
It makes sense why Alexsi has not wanted to return. This woman is a viper. “You are hurting him with your words,” I say in a low voice. “Do not break the spirit of Companion Law, or it will be revoked.”
She looks like she wants to fight me, then she turns and apologizes to Alexsi.
“He doesn’t deserve your hatred,” I tell her. “He didn’t choose this either. You are angry with the Queen, and maybe with the Undying; it’s not right to take it out on him. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to marry you either.” Underneath my words I am also incredibly curious about the Queen’s logic; who even gets married anymore? You don’t need the law to stay with someone you love. That’s what love is; staying with someone even if they make you mad. What is a law that tries to be greater than that?
We finish our small meal and make sure we haven’t left any trash and then we continue our walk. Kjiersten takes the lead; Alexsi and Zair walk together behind her, finally talking, and I follow. I don’t much like her yet but at least there is someone else here who can help protect the princes. Whether or not she will is another story.
The trees get bigger and closer together as we walk, and the path meanders a bit. I was expecting a straight path but it curves and winds. Alexsi falls back to walk with me and I ask him about the path.
“There are dark places in the forest,” he tells me, “places where humans are not welcome. The path keeps us safe.”
“Who made the path?” I ask, but I’m expecting his answer.
“The gods,” he says. “The path does not fade, or get overgrown, and nothing dangerous can walk across it.” His eyes stray up to look at Kjiersten. “Nothing inhuman,” he clarifies.
“Did you have to cut down trees to build the City here?”
He just laughs and shakes his head.
The Forest is dark on its own but I can tell the suns are leaving us. They lasted longer than I expected.
“We are much further west here,” Alexsi explains when he sees me looking up. “The suns set hours later. The long days are part of the beauty of the Forest.”
The suns are done for the day now and I hope we are close to the City; I believe Alexsi about the path but I don’t want to put it to the test by sleeping on it in the dark of the night. What if one of us rolled into the Forest in our sleep? I shudder, thinking of what inhuman things might be out there, thirsting for us. One of the pink-eared cats winks at me from a tree branch and licks its mouth with a forked tongue. Cats.
The trees are moving farther apart now and Killen stops and turns to us. “We’re here,” she says, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. I look around but don’t see anything, and then a horrible fear comes over me. I look down.
“Is the city underground?” I ask Alexsi. He just shakes his head and points up. I look up into the trees...and up, and up. The city is in the treetops, all platforms and fairy lights. Some of the trees are thick enough that I can see rooms in the trees themselves. On the ground, there are ladders set into - or maybe carved into? Grown into? - every other tree. The platforms have rope bridges or swing lines between them. I start humming with excitement and I look at Alexsi with wide eyes and his face lightens as he nods and then I’m scampering up one of the ladders and climbing around the platforms in the trees and this is basically my favorite place I’ve ever been.
◆◆◆
Once I’m in the trees I find more levels above. The City goes across and up and the people here are a little longer of limb and leaner in the body than the people of Hinshalla. They naturally leap and climb around their City and I believe to my very bones that I have finally found my people.
Kjiersten disappears and Alexsi drops Zair and me in a guest house. A guest treehouse. I can’t stop thinking stupid thoughts in this place and I don’t even care. This is my idea of magic; fairy lights and treehouses and bridges in the forest.
Alexsi says he has to go see the Queen and I’m happy not to go. I’m still not over my last Queen.
Zair falls into the padded hammock and I set out to explore the city after taking care to hide my travelsack in the room. I’ve never really had anything valuable before but I can’t lose that box.
> It’s night in the city of Nevel and I can see the three moons through the leaves, bouncing cool light down through the branches and coloring the fairy lights that wrap around every platform and arching bridge and doorway. Everyone here has amber eyes and dark hair like Alexsi and I wonder where Kjiersten’s tawny hair came from. I see a few jewel-toned cloaks; visitors from Hinshalla.
The ropes and bridges lead me to a night market in the tree city. I have a money pouch and I’m not afraid to use it as I walk purposefully into the market, looking for whatever is making that delicious smell. I find a vendor selling sticks of roasted meats and vegetables; the chunks of meat are alternating white and red and they taste like the sun, hot and burning and crackling with fat on my fingers and mouth. I don’t recognize the vegetables but some taste sweet and some taste bitter and some must be peppers because they burn hotter than the spiced meats. While I’m still licking my fingers I find a stall with beads for my hair and I buy all the colors, and then I get my arms painted with gold glitter in swirling, unfamiliar designs. At the next stall someone sells me thimbles of a sweet liquor that burns all the way down, down, down.
The weapons stall has small throwing knives and other tiny edged weapons shaped like birds in flight or rounded like ground mice and I buy them all and then I go back and drink more thimbles. The thimble-vendor has eyes like crystal balls and he tells me to slow down while I try to see the future in his eyes. All I see is myself. It doesn’t work and I hear music so I go skipping off and find the middle of the market where a band is playing and everyone is dancing and I am dancing too, twirling and hopping and spinning in a close imitation of what I see everyone else doing.
Everyone is faceless and the edges are blurring as I dance, spinning in my assassin’s leathers and no one stares, no one is afraid of me, we are all just dancing and I feel like I can’t stop and then Kjiersten is there, all curved hips and muscular waist and a smile full of knives. “Kjiersten,” I whisper, out of breath from dancing and not at all because of how lovely she is under the moons and the fairy lights in the canopy of trees. I slide my hand along her waist and then she is in my arms and we are dancing together, spinning, drunk on fairy liquor and moonlight.
“Alinya,” she says, and for once she doesn’t sound like she wants to stab anyone. Her bow isn’t with her and she is all contradictions as we dance, soft and hard at the same time, hair flying out behind her as I spin her around and catch her in my arms again. She is taller than I am but she lets me lead, she doesn’t care who leads, she’s as lost in the dance as I am and we are under a spell until I lean in and try to kiss her dangerous lips and the spell is broken.
She shakes her head. “It’s not like that for me,” she says, and part of me is embarrassed. She looks sad for a moment before her walls go back up. “It’s never like that for me.” She kisses my hand instead and tells me it’s time to go. I don’t want to go, I want to stay and dance and I tell her that but she’s still holding my hand and she tugs me gently away from the dancers.
“If you don’t leave now you may not be able to later,” she whispers in my ear, and my blood runs hot at the smell of her, like cinnamon and fire. I would follow her anywhere and I do; fortunately she leads me back to the guesthouse and tucks me into a hammock and kisses my cheek and leaves me there. As I fall asleep I notice Alexsi isn’t back yet and Zair is gone.
CHAPTER 17
When I wake there are hammers pounding at my skull and my mouth feels like something died in it and I tried to cover the taste by eating a bucket of sand. There’s a jug of water with lemon slices on the floor and I reach down and fall out of the hammock and stay there for a while until the trees stop spinning.
When it’s safe I get the jug and drink directly from it, not trusting myself to pour into a glass. I can tell how smart I am because the jug is shaking and I spill as much water on my chest as I get in my mouth. I rinse my mouth because I’m not convinced something awful didn’t happen in there and then I drink, deeply, until half the jug is gone. I pour some on my face as well and blink away the water on my lashes. After that I can breathe without wanting to die and I look around the room. The guys are gone but my travelsack is still here so I crawl over to it and pull out the box.
I rifle through it and find a cookie and eat it, hoping it will settle my stomach. I find a vial of something that’s supposed to be an antidote for most common poisons and I down it. Some things happen after that, things that I’m not proud of, but eventually I feel better and I’m pretty sure the stains will come out.
I stand, wobbly but mobile and I sling the travelsack over my shoulder. I have no idea if I’ll ever see this guestroom again and I’m not sure I want to. When I step outside Kjiersten is waiting for me and I can’t make eye contact with her.
“Not much of a drinker?” she asks rhetorically.
I attempt a chuckle and immediately regret it.
“What was that?” I ask. “The thimbles.”
Her eyes widen and then she laughs. “Gods, you drank that? That is called fairy fire and you’re only supposed to have one, maybe two sips of it. It’s basically poison that feels good while it kills you. How much did you drink?”
I hold up five fingers and her mouth does something strange. Then I do it again. I’m pretty sure I had ten. Maybe 12.
She shakes her head. “And then you joined the solstice dance as well. Do you have a death wish?”
“I don’t know,” I croak. “Felt good.” And it had. It felt like the first taste of spring. It felt like dancing while the world ended. It felt amazing. The only thing that it would have made it better would have been to have not messed things up with Kjiersten.
“Where princes?” I ask, hoping my brain and my tongue will start working together soon.
“They’re with the queen.” She picks up her bow and slings it over her shoulder. “Let’s get you some food on the way there because you look like something an owl threw up.” I don’t really get her analogy but I’m pretty sure it’s the hangover.
I follow her through the trees, moving much slower than I did last night. I slip on a rope bridge and she sighs and holds my arm until we get to the market.
“No, no,” I try to say. “No market.”
She sounds thin on patience. “It’s different during the day; no tricks. We can’t take you to the queen like this, she’ll have you killed or thrown out and that won’t help anyone. Come on.”
She leads me to another food vendor and gets me a piece of light, springy flatbread smeared with a tart cheese, drizzled with honey, and sprinkled with toasted pine nuts. “Eat fast, but not too fast. It won’t do you any good if it comes back up.” I try to eat slowly but it tastes like the heavens and it’s gone in a minute. I look longingly at the stall but she shakes her head. “If you have another it will just come back up. One more stop.”
We head to another stall and she hands me a tall cold glass filled with clear liquid with bubbles in it. I shake my head as soon as I see it.
“It’s not alcohol,” she promises. “The bubbles will help.”
I drink it carefully; she’s right. The bubbles feel good going down and it’s basically fizzy water with something sweet and hot to it. “Ginger,” she says at the puzzled look on my face. “And a little more honey.” I finally feel almost human. She sprays some minty water on me and hands me a twig and tells me to chew on it. It tastes minty too and I’m glad, because I’m pretty sure my breath could kill a small animal if it came too close.
She looks at me and lets out a small, helpless laugh. “You still look like shit, but this will have to do. Gods above, I cannot believe our fates are in your hands.” She smooths my hair and we walk along the arching bridges I saw and climb up to the highest level and we get to the Palace of Nevel.
The thing that surprises me the most is the water. Hinshalla has waterfalls that go nowhere. Here, there are tinkling streams of water that seem to appear from the very leaves themselves; the water is silver and it runs down leaves
and drips from branches and winds down the tree trunks. It’s warmer up here but the water itself seems to cool the air and a breeze carries the singing of the bells and the sweet, refreshing feeling of mountain ice from far away as it wanders over us. Tiny forest creatures and moths and butterflies flit around freely in the air. I see some of the tiny cats but here they don’t chase anything, they just drape themselves lazily on branches and try to catch our hair in their claws as we walk past.
There are white jewels in the tree trunks, and what looks like pearls and more of the twinkling lights from last night. Everything sparkles and glows and even the leaves are silver over gray. The gentle beauty is everything I know about Alexsi; this place is in his walk, in his heart, it is in how he lives and everything he says. I feel like I know him much better now and I understand Kjiersten’s hatred for him even less.
We walk closer to the largest tree I can see. The trunk is so big I can’t see around it. There is a doorway in the tree and as we walk up to it Kjiersten leans close and whispers and her cinnamon breath tickles my ear. “Be careful in there,” she warns me. “Once we’re inside I cannot help you.”
I nod and thank her for what she’s done for me this morning. If it weren’t for her I probably would have fallen from my tree and I certainly wouldn’t be in any condition to face the queen.
She squeezes my hand and then lets it fall and we walk into the Hall of the Queen.
◆◆◆
I don’t really understand how trees work but this one is definitely bigger on the inside. We walk up a marble aisle for at least 50 feet or so. The queen is seated on a large throne up on a dais and Alexsi stands to her right, facing us. Zair is to his right but instead of facing us he is talking to the Priestess of the Sky.
Empire of Sky Page 11
