by Abby James
“I cannot say. You will have to ask Miss Tule. But mind, she rarely panders to people’s whims. You’re best to forget your connection and focus on your training.”
“Do you have family?”
“Did. They are gone now.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“I speak from experience, child. Have your memories, they tell you who you are, but believe me when I tell you at some point they will cease to cause you pain. Now, you have spent time enough with me. Miss Tule will be waiting.”
Marnena led me down the stairs and skirted the pool in the opposite direction to the dining room. Such was her speed, I didn’t get much of a chance to gaze longingly at the pool. Soon we left the main building, heading down a glassed corridor toward a smaller building, a miniature of the one we’d left behind. On either side of me, beyond the glass, plants thrived in the balmy weather.
At the end of the glass corridor, Marnena pushed open the wooden door and stood aside. “You go in alone.”
I spun and gave her a hug in one of those spur-of-the-moment actions, then my throat thickened. It had to be all the recent wild emotions.
“Gracious, child.” She patted my back. “Now off you go.” She gave me a little shove inside and shut the doors behind me.
There were no walls on the opposite side of the room, just large, fat pillars and open space. From where I stood, I could see the grounds spreading before me. A gentle breeze ruffled the bottoms of the sashed curtains as it swirled inside. Miss Tule stood on the portico, her back to me, in conversation with a young man, dressed smart in a dark suit. His hair was gelled back off his face and his mustache trimmed to a neat line across his top lip. He glanced my way for a brief moment, said a few more words to Miss Tule, then left.
Miss Tule spun. Her eyes walked over me before she came back into the room. She left nothing on her face for me to read. “I assign Marnena all the hard cases. It is good to see she succeeded once again.”
That was probably a compliment.
The door burst open. I turned to see Maya bounce into the room. Her face lit up when she saw me. “Oh, wow, you look different.” She looked to Miss Tule, inclining her head. “Miss.”
“Something has come up, so I am altering your schedule for today. I will be away for the rest of the day, and so, Maya, I would like you to show Malachi around Fortescue.”
“Of course, Miss Tule. Is there anything in particular I am to show her?” By her expression and tone, I could tell the simple question hid deeper layers, but I couldn’t fathom the underlying secret.
“Just keep her out of trouble. And don’t draw attention to yourselves. I am not yet ready for her to be noticed,” Miss Tule said with a quick glance at me.
“You know me, Miss Tule.”
Miss Tule’s face tightened, none too impressed by Maya’s cheeky tone, but she didn’t respond. Maya leaned in and whispered to me as Miss Tule left the room, “She loves me, really.” Then she jumped back, grabbing both my hands. “But, wow, this is great. Lessons can be so tedious, at least the first are. But not this. I’ll take you to the open-air baths and the colonnade.” She pulled me to her side, wrapping an arm around my waist. “We can eat at the temple markets. The food’s wickedly delicious there. Have you ever sunbaked topless?”
“I’ve never sunbaked.”
She pulled up my sleeve. “Yeah, I can see that. You’d burn. The open-air baths is where the rich go. Riffraff is kept away because it offends their delicate sensibilities.”
“And we’re not riffraff?”
“Miss Tule’s students are not riffraff. We’re allowed anywhere. One thing you’ll soon learn is how much influence Miss Tule has in this city. She has a lot of enemies, but she is backed by powerful people. One in particular.”
“Who is that?”
Maya winked at me, her smile a combination of sinful delight. “Someone you’re bound to see at some point. Perhaps only from afar, but that’s good enough.” Then she pulled on my arm. “Come on. Your questions are wasting our day.”
Chapter 11
Picard reclined against the limestone wall and eyed the site before him, bare breasts tanning in the temperate heat. The view from the broad steps, which led down to the open-air baths, was always magnificent. But he rarely had the chance to savor such a view because his presence prickled the attention of the street guard. Men like Picard weren’t welcome in the affluent areas of Fortescue. But he was good at blending in.
Picard was a big man. As a child, he’d constantly drawn attention from those wanting to assert their place in the pecking order before Picard grew too big to listen. The punishments and lessons didn’t work, however, and when Picard turned thirteen, backed by amping hormones, it was his turn to teach lessons. At sixteen he decided he wanted to be free from boundaries and escaped into the world.
He’d found what he was looking for, but it hadn’t come easy. New skills were required, such as how to fight smarter and faster. Kids brawling was one thing, but nothing compared to men fighting in the streets. He found himself at the bottom of the pecking order again and the bottom was not a place Picard sat well. Being good in a fight got you so far, but not all the way to the top. Being cunning and smart was how the successful thrived.
Picard pushed his hat low on his forehead and settled back. The limestone, warmed from the sun, heated his back, ironing out the kinks he’d developed from last night’s ring fight. While not overly lucrative, they were a guaranteed income. The rest of his activities were more lucrative but not so easy to pull off and sometimes prone to failure. Besides, he kept the ring fights going because they were the perfect training ground for the ultimate prize. The Arena.
People with money could pay their way into the Arena. Wealthy fathers would pay a small ransom to gain their sons a place in the lineup. If he won his fight, he would find himself a place in the military, a highly respected and coveted place. In the military he would gain great privilege and prestige and earn himself a pick of the best courtesans. And of course his family would benefit from their son’s high ranking. Lowborns could still find their way inside, but without the money, they were forced to win a place by skill alone.
But of course, the highest prize of all for those in the Arena was a chance to fight the commander-in-chief or one of the two closest to him. Unlike the council, whose positions were elected, the most powerful position in the territory of Turmenian was won or lost in the Arena. No one was willing to follow someone who’d not proven himself able to withstand the toughest competition.
Picard aspired to enter the Arena. While he wasn’t interested in the top position—he’d had enough of fighting to keep his place and earn respect on the streets—he was interested in a place in the military, a good position, which would afford him a good home and a chance to pick from Madame Lorraine’s famous courtesans. Maybe something close to Sargon. From his vantage point, he knew a lot about the undercurrents of this city. There was a lot he could tell the leader. But by far, equality was the biggest attraction the military held for Picard. His background would mean nothing. Those he worked alongside, fought alongside, would see him as an equal.
At twenty-five, Picard was at a good age to try his luck. Sargon had been his age when he won his place, being the youngest CIC in Turmenian’s history. And now at twenty-eight, he proved undefeatable. As with most of the population, Picard greatly respected the man. His skill was as legendary as his leadership.
Picard shifted in his place and surveyed the line of bodies before him. He usually chose the top step, which gave him the perfect view of everyone below. The open-air baths were surrounded by an amphitheater of limestone steps, each wide enough for someone to lie down on. There were two baths, big enough to accommodate hundreds of people, and two smaller spas. The baths were for the wealthy. The beach was for the poor. But Picard had rarely been to the beach as his work kept him at the baths.
And today, while lying back and appearing relaxed, Picard kept a tight watch on a particu
lar banker’s wife. Cecina was twice his age but turned up here once a day to tan her sagging breasts. She was also fond of pulling her bather bottoms up her crack to keep her cheeks just as brown. She was doing all right for fifty, but a lot of that was due to dollars spent on expensive therapies. But with her husband busying himself with his latest courtesan, Picard wouldn’t judge the woman’s need to look young.
Keeping his ear to the thread of gossip, Picard knew the banker had gotten himself in a lot of financial trouble. He also knew the wife hated him and would do anything to teach him a lesson for all the times he took a woman younger than her to his bed. As Picard sat monitoring Cecina’s movements, he formulated a plan on how he could turn the banker’s misfortune and his wife’s loathing into a lucrative scam that would benefit both him and the banker’s wife.
Closer to the sea, the streets narrowed for walkers only and wound, forming a labyrinth with no clear direction. The ocean, I discovered, had a distinct smell, fresh and clean, but Maya said we weren’t going that far.
“The open-air baths are where all the interesting people will be. Only the poor go to the beach.”
“I’ve never seen the ocean, at least not that I can remember. I left here when I was five.”
“I didn’t know you were from Fortescue.”
“I don’t remember any of it. We left when my dad died.”
“Geez, sorry about that. I didn’t know people from Fortescue were moved.”
“Maybe Mum asked to be redistributed. I don’t know. She never talked about it and my brother and I never asked.”
“So you never knew your father.”
“I don’t remember him at all.”
“Tough blow. But I’d be dead curious if I were you. I’ll ask Miss Tule about it. She’s bound to know something about your family. What was your father’s name?”
“Hamish.”
“I’ll do some digging. You should at least know something about your father. Even if it is only to find out he was a tailor or something like that.”
“Do you think you could ask Miss Tule about my grandparents? They have to be here somewhere. It would be good to know someone…not that I know them, I guess…but they are family. They would want to meet me…wouldn’t they?”
Maya nudged me. “Of course. You don’t have to explain.” But her brows creased up in a frown.
“What is it?”
“She may not tell me.”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“Let’s just say Miss Tule is a complicated woman. But if not her, I’m sure to be able to dig something up.”
“Where would you look?”
“Just you leave that to me. Besides, let’s not worry about that. We’re here.”
Before us spread a vast sea of near-naked bodies. At the bottom of a spread of steps were pools of deep blue. The sight was enough to stall every word or thought I’d gathered for the day.
“Can we go for a swim?”
“Not unless you want to go in your jumpsuit. But I think you would draw too much attention doing that. And since Miss Tule wants you kept in the shadows for now, I suggest you keep dry.”
“Why is that?”
“Beats me. But I’ve learned never to question Miss Tule’s motivations. She never does anything without good reason.”
Maya sunk down onto one of the steps and rested back on her arms, lifting her face to the sun. I joined her. No one sat in the sun in Ladec. Two minutes and you’d be toasted. Judging by the amount of mostly women spread out on the steps, sun tanning was a favorite pastime.
“I’ve never seen so many idle people.”
“It’s a surprise, isn’t it? In Katanning—that was my village—if you weren’t in school, you were working. Geez, I was glad to leave that place.”
“You wanted to go?”
“So did my parents. They all but lined me up at the back of the harvest truck.”
“Didn’t they like you?”
“That’s a stupid question. Of course they did. That’s why they wanted me to leave. They didn’t want me stuck in our dead-end village for the rest of my life. I would’ve been forced to marry Malsta because he was the only guy my age, and he’s a pig.”
I stared down at the baths, feeling a growing ache in my chest. Maya nudged me. “What’s your problem?” She beamed one of her broad, inviting smiles.
“I loathed the soldiers and the harvest. I always saw it as a crime the capital committed on its people, a way to sever families.”
“God, why would you think that? It’s a gift.”
“Mum lost two husbands. My dad and my younger sister Marion’s father. To me the harvest was just another way for her to suffer more loss. And Marion too. She lost her father and now she’s lost me.”
Maya snaked her arm around me. “It sounds to me like you’re the one who lost. It’s understandable you didn’t want to leave your mum or your sister, but one day, you will see this for what it is.”
“And what is it?”
“An opportunity. Something you didn’t have in, what was it? Ladec?” Without waiting for me to reply, she slapped my thigh. “But that’s enough. We’re here to have a good time. Believe me, Miss Tule will not give you a free day very often, so we need to make the most of this. Come on, I heard there is to be a tournament.” Maya leaped to her feet. I was willing to spend the entire day sitting here and gazing at the blue pools, but the incentive of a mysterious tournament drove me to my feet.
“What sort of tournament?”
“The most brutal kind. You’ll love it. Hot men with bare chests fighting against each other. Lots of violence and blood. Come on. We don’t want to miss any of it.”
I jogged up the steps, trying to keep up with her enthusiasm. “Where are we going?”
“To the only place really worth visiting in Fortescue. The Arena.”
“I’ve seen plenty of fights before and none of them were worth watching.”
“You haven’t seen the fights in the Arena. I’m not talking about two drunks fist fighting in the street. Only the best enter the Arena, and they use weapons. All different kinds. Their skill is worth watching, but also their bodies. These aren’t ordinary men, believe me. These are the military and they’re something else. Women fight as well, you know. They allowed women into the military three years ago. Since then you see them more and more in the Arena. I prefer watching the men, of course, but the women are just as fierce and equally skilled.
“From what I heard, the bouts today are just the first-level recruits. The bottom of the rung in skill, but they are still worth watching, but boy, you should see the regular military.” She grabbed my arm, her eyes wild with enthusiasm. “But of course, nothing compares to the military elite. The commander-in-chief, Sargon. Jesus, if you ever get a chance to see him in the Arena… No one comes close. He and his close cohorts are undefeatable.” She let go of my arm and pulled her sleeve up, lifting her arm for me to see. “Look, I’m getting goose bumps just talking about it.”
“I’m not into this sort of thing.”
“That’s because you haven’t been in Fortescue long enough. Everything in this city revolves around the tournaments. The people thrive on a good fight. They get restless if the gap between tournaments is too long.”
“Bloodthirsty lot.”
She giggled. “You’ll grow to love it.”
I doubt it.
Maya reached the top of the stairs and hurried off toward the street. I took a moment to gaze down at the pools. Given the choice, I’d rather stare at the water than watch men fight, but I didn’t think Maya would listen to me.
I spun to follow and collided with someone. Strong arms grabbed me around the waist before I ended up on my ass. The guy was tall, forcing me to crane upward to look in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted out.
“Don’t be.”
The first thing I noticed was his deep green eyes, which were a shade darker than my own. I was the only person I’d known who
had green eyes, but coming from a small place like Ladec, that wasn’t saying much. The next thing I noticed was the wild spray of dark, wavy hair that fell down to his chin. “I’m fond of holding women in my arms. So I’m grateful for your clumsiness.”
That was the slap I needed to realize his arms were still wrapped around my waist. I shuffled myself back out of his embrace, but the curve of his smile was seductive, so rather than flush up with awkwardness, I flushed up for another reason. He swooped and retrieved his hat, then ran his hands through his hair to clear it off his face before placing his hat back on.
“Picard.” His hand all but swallowed mine in a firm grip. Recent cuts grazed his knuckles. He caught me looking and withdrew his hand and put it in his pocket.
“You haven’t told me your name.”
“Maybe it’s wiser if I don’t.”
His lips quirked again and a small dimple formed on his left cheek. His eyes roamed over my jumpsuit. Although it covered every inch of my body and was loose enough to hide my curves, his gaze left me feeling naked.
“Miss Tule is a lucky woman.”
Huh? Weird thing to say.
“She has the pleasure of teaching you.”
And he seemed able to read my mind. Or maybe it was my facial expressions, which Seb always told me were transparent.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Maya, finally discovering I was missing from her side, came over with her hands on her hips.
“The lovely Maya.”
“Forget it, Picard. We’re in a hurry. Come on, Malachi.” She dragged me away by the arm.
“Malachi.” He rolled my name on his tongue as if in a caress.
Maya stopped dragging me along and stared at him.
“I didn’t tell him my name. I thought Miss Tule would rather it that way.”
He prowled toward the two of us. “Hmm…so Miss Tule is hiding you?” Said like he’d discovered a nugget of valuable information.
Maya pushed him away. “Don’t you dare. You’ll get me in a world of trouble.”
