Blood Mercy (Blood Grace Book 1)

by Vela Roth

  He was a Hesperine. He had answers to all Cassia’s questions.

  Of course their encounter had been worth the risk. Worth so much that she did not even regret admitting the name she bore.

  This was not a simple matter of a cloak she could use to rid herself of a bothersome suitor, no matter how much she had tried to justify it to herself thus. She would be a fool to fall for her own excuses in that regard as well.

  This was the farthest leap she had taken beyond each day’s careful steps to preserve herself. Ensuring the king brought her to Solorum contrary to his wishes was more dangerous than anything she had attempted since fourteen years ago.

  Why had she ever allowed herself to walk away from the Hesperine with such a meaningless answer, after everything she had risked to get it?

  It had been, in the end, so easy to meet with Deukalion. Much easier, in fact, than negotiating with her goal once she had reached him. And far easier than asking one of the questions she had harbored all this time. She was so accustomed to them being inside her, unanswered. They were thorns in her heart, but she was used to them.

  What would it feel like to know the answers? Would they be sharper thorns? Or poison?

  Or an antidote?

  Just as Deukalion’s answer had not been enough for her, her question had not satisfied him. She had clearly surprised him and piqued his curiosity. He would be a fool if he did not try to determine what she meant for his embassy: a threat or an opportunity. He would appear if she went to meet him again. If she could get away—if Perita did not stay in tonight to make up for lost sleep. Ah, but Cassia raced ahead of herself.

  She returned to her rooms after dusk rites and a hearty, fresh meal with the Kyrian mages, her back aching and her basket full of cuttings they had given her in return. The syrupy stench of Perita’s favorite scent oil filled the room. Cassia tried not to breathe and hoped her handmaiden would use up every drop so she didn’t have to. She went straight to her bedchamber to hang a fresh and fragrant wreath the mages had newly bespelled to drive away vermin.

  Knight flopped down on the opposite side of the room and began scouring his paws with his tongue, as if he could lick away the tingle of magic left over from the herbal bath he’d endured at the temple. Better a day of that than a miserable season scratching flea bites. Cassia told him again what a good dog he was. Soon she couldn’t smell the oils over his paws.

  But she could still hear them. A bottle clinked on the top of the dressing table, and there came the wet sucking sound of the girl rubbing the viscous liquid over her arms. She always took her time, obviously luxuriating in the activity with great delight. She would definitely be seeing her guard again tonight.

  Cassia would have her chance.

  Tonight she would press Deukalion for the full meaning of that one word, which was all he had given her, besides his name.

  Diplomat Errant

  Memory ambushed Lio’s first coherent thoughts, while the Slumber still trapped his body. He lay with his eyes shut and limbs frozen and relived the scene again.

  Torchlight. Silent, empty body. Blood slowing there, rushing faster in those around. Blood. On a furred flank, a homespun tunic, a glimmering length of steel.

  At last Lio’s eyelids responded to his frantic efforts. He forced them open to fill his sight with something, anything besides the visions in his mind’s eye. Rough stone blocks overhead. He dragged in his first breath of the night. Damp rock. Old wool.

  Lio was in Tenebra.

  A pang shot through his stomach, and he winced. He pried his tongue from the roof of his mouth. The Thirst was a powerful distraction from his thoughts, at least.

  Thank the Goddess he had not dreamed. She had given him respite in the Dawn Slumber. If the rising sun hadn’t banished him into sleep, he might have been haunted all day by what he had witnessed last night. How did humans ever rest, with so much to trouble their minds and no irresistible Slumber to give them relief?

  Did Lady Cassia ever rest, or did she spend all her nights seeking forbidden company in the woods?

  Now that was no mere distraction. Lio focused on the puzzle of Cassia Basilis to drive out all other thoughts of the night before. He must decide how best to proceed in regard to the lady.

  When he tried again to move his unwieldy limbs, they finally complied. He succeeded in rising from his bunk and took the two steps necessary to cross the chamber to his washstand. The basic appointments of his room gave him no cause to complain. The gnawing pit in his stomach was another matter. Lio doused himself at the wash basin. The water’s chill served to refresh him but did nothing to assuage the hot ache in his veins. Hespera’s Mercy, but he thirsted. And he still had to get through tonight’s negotiations before he could do anything about it.

  He braced his hands on either side of the washstand and shook his head, letting the water drip from the ends of his hair. He was stronger than this. He could do this.

  He could also see the logic in sending diplomats to Tenebra who were already Graced and could start the night with a thorough feast upon one another before they left their beds.

  And that was truly useless thinking on his part. He had no time for a second cold bath, and he would need one if he kept thinking about how he might have started this night, if circumstances were different.

  Lio grabbed the rag beside the basin and worked himself over, as if that could drive regrets from his mind. The purpose of this journey was to build on his successes as a diplomat. Not dwell on his utter failure in love.

  Lady Cassia might prove to be his greatest diplomatic success yet. Or his most spectacular failure. It was up to him to determine which.

  By the time he was dry and attired in his formal robes, his thoughts were clear. Lio could no longer deny what he must do.

  He lifted his veil from the room and gathered the working about himself, adding yet another unseen layer to the power that cloaked him. The others would not notice he had strengthened his personal veil again. They would be too busy bolstering their own against the nearby mages, and Lio had been trained too well.

  Lio went out into the corridor, narrowly escaping a knock on the head from the door frame. This time no unsettling flames blinded him. The torches had burned down to blackened, odorous shafts. There was no doubt the whole embassy now awaited him in the common room. He felt their silent greetings through the Blood Union, from Javed’s friendly warmth to Basir’s brief acknowledgment of Lio’s presence. Even if it wasn’t Lio’s fault he was the youngest among them and last to escape the Slumber, he didn’t want to arrive any later than necessary. He stepped to the common room on a bit of power.

  He found the others already seated, as he had expected. The table, typical of hierarchical Tenebra, was a rectangle, but Lio’s aunt and uncle had pulled both their chairs to the head of it. To their left, Basir and Kumeta sat with their shoulders touching, focused as ever on the work at hand. Lio couldn’t remember the last time he had seen either of the Master Envoys smile.

  “Lio.” Uncle Argyros gestured to the empty chair nearest the door. “Please join us.”

  “Thank you, Uncle.” Lio’s veil felt heavier than ever as he took his place. It was the seat at his uncle’s right hand.

  “Don’t look so apprehensive.” On Lio’s other side, Javed laughed. “I won’t subject you to an examination here and now. We’ve no time before the negotiations for a proper evaluation of how your diet of deer is affecting your health.”

  Lio had not imagined an occasion when the Thirst would have its advantages. If the others detected any sign of tension in him, let them dismiss it as malnourishment. “I can spare you the time now and later. I’ve never felt better.”

  “I never said you could escape me later. I promised your mother I’d keep an eye on you.” Despite his threatening words, Javed relaxed back in his chair, twining a hand in Kadi’s.

  “Don’t be stubborn.” Kadi leaned around Javed and subjected Lio to a brilliant smile. “I wouldn’t like to have to c
oerce you.”

  “Of course you would, Cousin. But there is no need for violence.” He put on a grin. “You may both take my word for it. I’m fine.”

  “Are you?” Uncle Argyros asked.

  Lio met his uncle’s gaze. “I am. I will have no difficulty waiting until after the negotiations are over to drink again.”

  Aunt Lyta fixed Lio with a warm but level gaze. “Are you sure? Now is the time to speak, if you feel the Thirst may give you difficulty during the Summit.”

  “I cannot say I approve of this schedule,” Basir said to Uncle Argyros. “Now is not the time for such risks.”

  Kumeta frowned. “This is too rigorous a test of one so inexperienced. It would be better if Deukalion drank first and arrived late.”

  Join the negotiations late and miss the beginning of the proceedings? Certainly not. Lio gave a slight bow to Basir and Kumeta. “You can have confidence in me, Master Envoys. I will not allow my thirst to affect my performance.”

  Even as he said it, his belly knotted. Let it gnaw on all he left unsaid. His growling stomach was the least of what his veil would conceal tonight.

  But it was not upon him that everyone turned their gazes. Under their scrutiny, Javed appeared amused. “His color is no worse than I would expect. Since he came out of his room, I’ve been listening to his pulse, and it remains steady and strong. You can all sense there is no confusion over his mind. I believe we may rest assured he is not in bad condition.”

  Aunt Lyta smiled at Lio, and his uncle nodded in satisfaction. Basir and Kumeta said no more.

  Kadi narrowed her eyes at Lio. “Don’t think this means you’re excused from a thorough exam later.”

  “As long as I don’t miss any of the negotiations, I shall submit to Javed’s ministrations as docilely as a lamb. Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “Hmph.”

  Trust Kadi to be in good spirits, even after last night. Or at least to appear so and make an effort to lighten everyone’s moods. She was so much like her younger brother. Not for the first time, Lio wished Mak were here to jest with him. And now more than ever he needed Lyros to give him an honest opinion.

  What would they say if they knew what he had done?

  Uncle Argyros cleared his throat. “Now then, let us continue. All of us know the terms of the ancient treaty established between our people and Tenebra over fifteen centuries ago. I suspect we dream the Oath’s tenets in our Slumber. They are written on our hearts. Tonight we shall remind the humans who have, perhaps, forgotten. This is our last hour of preparation before the negotiations commence.”

  “We must make good use of this time,” Kumeta cautioned.

  Basir nodded. “The humans accept that we Slumber under a ward throughout the day, but now that night has come, it will alarm them.”

  “We must not maintain our shield much longer,” Aunt Lyta agreed. “Kadi and I will bring down our protections as soon as we conclude our discussion.”

  “You can all feel it.” Kadi gestured at the stones around them, no teasing in her voice now. “There isn’t a scrap of magic on the fortress, unlike the temple and the palace. This is the domain of warriors, and there aren’t centuries of leftover magic muddying the water. It will be easy even for a mage of Amachos’s skill level to sense spells we cast here, especially those like wards that require a noticeable expense of power.”

  “And yet, not all magic is a spell,” Basir reminded them. “Now is the time to take full advantage of that fact.”

  “We must rely almost solely on our innate Gift, rather than on active castings,” Kumeta advised.

  “As I need hardly remind everyone,” Basir said, “one wrong move by any of us reflects on every one of our people. To the mortals here, we are a faceless force, a threat with only one name: Hesperines. If the embassy antagonizes the Tenebrans, we will put every Hesperine errant who walks Abroad in immediate danger of retribution from mages and warriors alike.”

  “On the other hand,” said Kumeta, “making a good impression could make Tenebra safer for all our Hesperines errant.”

  “We are fortunate the Charge can spare you,” Aunt Lyta said.

  “Is willing to spare you, rather.” Kadi frowned. “I don’t think they really can.”

  “Rest assured the envoys in our service carry on our work in force,” Kumeta replied. “They will keep our Hesperines errant well informed in our absence. Basir and I are prepared to give our undivided attention to making the Summit a success.”

  “Or at least mitigating the damage it could cause.” Basir’s frown deepened. He added to Uncle Argyros, “You know that is no reflection on my faith in you, my friend.”

  “And you know I have the greatest respect for your fears,” Uncle Argyros replied.

  Lio began to wonder just how much his uncle shared the Master Envoys’ fears.

  Kadi sat straighter in her chair. “Mother and I did not come Abroad to see it become more dangerous for our Hesperines errant. Whether at home in Orthros or here in Tenebra, the Stand keeps our people safe.”

  Lio sent up a silent prayer for Nike and for Kadi. Although Kadi seldom showed it, they all knew the toll her elder sister’s absence took on her.

  Javed squeezed Kadi’s hand. “At last, we have our chance to do some good Abroad. I can only hope the king will not close his heart to my offers of medical aid for his people. The gifts we’ve brought could alleviate so much suffering.”

  Uncle Argyros arranged the documents in front of him. “Let us once more review how we will discuss our aims with King Lucis and what facts we shall present in favor of our terms.”

  As the conference proceeded, anxiety took hold of Lio anew. Or perhaps it was just the restlessness brought on by the Thirst. He had studied all of this, pored over it. The only thing he lacked was experience. All those nights he had spent in Orthros searching for answers to the dilemmas that compelled him had revealed to him the path he wanted to walk in his future. He was taking the first steps on it now.

  He would prove to everyone their confidence in him was not misplaced.

  It felt as if far less than an hour had passed when Kumeta warned, “The royal house will soon finish their evening meal. It is nearly time to join them on the greensward.”

  Hours were shorter in Tenebra, Lio reminded himself, and there were twenty-four of them instead of sixteen. Even the way humans counted the passage of the night was different from Orthros.

  “Does anyone have any additional questions or points for us to discuss?” Uncle Argyros asked.

  Perhaps Lio was mad. But he needed more information if he was to proceed with proper caution, and he possessed information he owed to the embassy.

  Besides, one of the best ways to keep a secret was to wear it in plain sight, as if it were not a secret at all.

  “I wish to present a fact for our consideration, if I may.” Lio looked to his aunt and uncle.

  “Something we neglected to discuss last night?” Uncle Argyros questioned.

  “Our conversation turned to other subjects, Uncle. Also, I think we would benefit from Basir and Kumeta’s counsel on this matter. Something came to my attention last night that may be of concern to us.”

  Aunt Lyta’s gaze sharpened. “What is the matter, Lio?”

  “As I’m sure everyone noted, one member of the king’s family was not present at the welcoming ceremony.”

  Uncle Argyros raised his brows. “His son and heir, Prince Caelum, was much in evidence. There are no other surviving members of the royal family, as you know.”

  “Sadly, yes,” Lio answered. “The king has already buried two queens and a princess. However—”

  “He lost two wives and his daughter?” Kadi shook her head. “For the first time, I feel some sympathy for the man.”

  Javed’s gaze was full of regret. “What befell them? If this subject ever arises, I would not wish to appear ignorant or disrespectful before our hosts.”

  Uncle Argyros held out a hand toward Lio. “You wrote
your initiation treatise on King Lucis’s reign.”

  Lio cleared his throat. “Lucis’s first queen suffered a long series of disastrous pregnancies trying to birth a son, and she ultimately gave her life in the attempt. She had one healthy daughter, however: Princess Solia Basilinna, the king’s only heir. When Princess Solia was seventeen, rebel free lords captured her and held her for ransom. Although Lucis fulfilled their demands, they did not honor their agreement to spare her life. Widowed and without a successor, Lucis had to remarry in haste. His second union produced the coveted male heir, Prince Caelum Basilarion, but the second queen did not survive her son’s birth.”

  “So much tragedy in one family,” said Kadi.

  Lio nodded. “The kingdom still mourns Princess Solia especially. She was beloved among Tenebrans of every station. But Lucis has one surviving daughter. A member of the king’s family who is not royal. She was not there last night.”

  “You are speaking of his daughter by his concubine,” Uncle Argyros said.

  “What do we know of her?” Lio asked.

  “I confess to a preoccupation with the royal line.” Uncle Argyros spread his hands. “It’s possible you know more about her than I do.”

  A great deal more. Lio knew she had a wealth of freckles and enjoyed the bath. He tried to put those distracting details out of his mind. “The recent chronicles I was able to obtain provide little more than a confirmation of her existence. You know human historians. They write almost exclusively about children born within marriages and focus their accounts on the male line. We probably know more about Lucis’s living daughter from rumor than records.” Lio looked to Basir and Kumeta. “Have you heard talk of her?”

  In Basir’s gaze there was no evidence of suspicion or censure. He appeared interested. “We know the king did acknowledge her, which means he provides for her. How well, we can only guess.”