Linnet and the Prince

by Alydia Rackham

  I yelped, frightened, and whirled around. But his eyes were fixed on the far door, and as he stood panting, his face went pale. He pulled me toward him, crushed me to his side, and wrapped his arm around me. I looked to the door.

  Down in the doorway at the other end of the tall, white, empty hall stood a black-haired, armored man, a helmet under his arm. The left half of his face had been badly burned long ago, which made his hard expression look stretched and grotesque.

  “Commander Thanatos,” Rajak called, wiping water out of his face. The man strode toward us. His boots clicked on the marble. Rajak’s arm tightened around me.

  Commander Thanatos’ eyes fell upon me, and I went cold. He had a visage like a hawk, as if he was incapable of smiling. His eyes ran up and down my whole frame, then he stopped in front of Rajak and inclined his head.

  “My prince,” he said, and his voice was low and smooth. “Your father wishes me to inform you that he is but half a day hence, and expects the household to be ready for his arrival by midday.”

  “Thank you, Commander,” Rajak nodded. Thanatos looked at both of us again, and his hard brow creased. Then he bowed once more, turned and left the hall.

  No sooner had the edge of his cape disappeared around the corner than Rajak pulled me through a side door, straight through the darkened marriage hall and through another side door. My stomach sickened as he urged me faster—my feet slapped the stones, and his grip clenched my arm.

  We sped down the corridor, into the one I was most familiar with, and stopped in front of my door. He shoved it open, then grabbed me by both shoulders.

  “Listen very carefully,” he hissed, eyes burning. “Bathe, wash yourself with the most beautiful-smelling oils you have. Wear the Highland gown that most flatters you and all your jewelry. Wait for me and I will come to you at midday. Eat nothing. And for your own sake, put on that ring.” He pushed me through the door, and pointed at me. “Do not leave this room until I come for you.” And he shut it in my face. Silence fell. My stomach turned over and a great shudder ran through my whole body.

  Niro was coming.

  Chapter Eleven

  I was sitting on my vanity bench wrapped in a towel, trying with shaking hands to brush out my hair. A knock came at the door.

  I sprang up and backed away. It was far too soon for Rajak to be back. What if it was—

  The door swung open, and Ayah poked her head in.

  “Oh, Ayah!” I cried, rushing toward her and grasping her gnarled hand. She straightened in surprise, but she did not pull away.

  “King Niro is here,” I gasped. “Rajak told me to wear best Highland gown I have, and to look my best, but I really cannot…I don’t know…I mean, what should I—”

  Ayah’s jaw became resolute. She nodded.

  “Do not be afraid, madam.” She squeezed my hand and her dark eyes blazed. “We will dress you. Come with me.”

  LLL

  At midday, I stood in the middle of the room wearing a scarlet gown that came down to my ankles. My beaded slippers matched my gown, my hair hung down in waves and I wore my circlet, necklace and gold rings. I had tried to put Rajak’s snake wedding ring on my left hand ring finger, but it was too big, so I slid it onto my forefinger. Ayah also had put a little rouge on my cheeks and lips, because I had gone ash white.

  Now, I bowed my head and ran through the breathing exercises I had learned as a fighting student, which were designed to slow a racing heartbeat and clear the mind. It was only starting to work when the door opened again. I lifted my head.

  Rajak stood without, wearing all black, and a black robe embroidered in gold. He wore khol around his eyes again, which made him look so fierce I almost recoiled. But he held out his arm for me to take, palm up, and I stepped forward, slid my arm through his and pressed my hand down on his palm. With that, we swept down the hall.

  Neither of us said anything as we walked just slower than a run. We passed the entrance to the feasting hall and Commander Hashim stepped out of a door in flashing dress armor. He nodded to Rajak and fell in just behind his other shoulder.

  “Maharaj,” he said. Rajak just inclined his head. We twisted through a hallway I had never encountered, then leaped up a narrow staircase. Rajak pushed a door aside, and suddenly—

  Blinding light struck my eyes. I flinched and ducked my head. Rajak pulled me tight against him. I blinked rapidly as we stepped out on some sort of balcony. I opened my eyes.

  We stood high over a huge courtyard full with bright overhead sun. Heat pressed down on me, and the roar of a vast crowd rose up beneath me. I gulped.

  Thousands of Badi filled the space beneath us. All cheered and clapped and waved banners. The sound of them seethed and thundered like a churning ocean. And then they split at the sound of a sharp trumpet.

  My head came around. Fifty Badi soldiers dressed in black and scarlet marched in straight lines bearing flags. And behind them…

  Behind them trudged dozens of women, all in chains, barely clothed. Their hair was torn and dirty, they were barefoot, with lash marks on their shoulders and on the backs of their legs. I sucked in a hard breath, a shiver starting deep inside me that I could not stop.

  After them rode fifty horsemen, and after them clattered the carts full of plunder. This line went on and on—I could not believe the riches piled on riches there. And atop some of the carts stood cages full of animals—and wailing children.

  And then…

  Then strode fifty foot soldiers, carrying tall pikes—pikes with slack-jawed heads impaled upon them. My eyes fixed. I could not look away. My knees went weak and my gut twisted. Heads on pikes…just like Gar’s ghost story…

  “Rajak,” I mumbled, swaying as my vision flickered. He stepped closer to me so I could lean on him, but said nothing. I looked up. His face was blank, and he gazed down at the swollen streets without blinking.

  Music arose—driving drum beats and blasting trumpets. Some Badi handed ribbons or flowers to the soldiers. The roar of the masses overwhelmed me—I could not think.

  And then my mind was wiped clean. A massive litter, carried by four horses, made its way into view. A man riding one of the horses was the one we had seen earlier: Commander Thanatos, with the terrifying burned face. He glanced up at us. Rajak went stiff. But I looked to the one atop the litter.

  A broad-shouldered man reclined on a lavish chair, glancing back and forth at the people to either side. He had dark skin and hair like Rajak, and wore scarlet and gold robes that flowed down to his feet. But the features of his face were brutish but cultured, he had keen eyes that captured every movement, a distinguished nose and a mouth that almost sneered at those he passed. His hands were adorned with rings and his wrists with bracelets. And a white jewel in his forehead just above his right eyebrow caught the light and glimmered brighter than any of his other treasures. He lifted his eyes to our balcony as well. He nodded at Rajak. Rajak nodded back. And the man’s eyes found me, and narrowed.

  King Niro.

  My blood turned to ice and the only thing I wanted to do was turn and run as hard as I could. The litter passed. Niro looked away. I forced my almost paralyzed neck to turn to the left so I could see where the procession led.

  And there it was: the entrance to Nazre.

  Doors twice as tall as the mead hall at Hilrigard hung ajar, swallowing the foot soldiers and captives and slaves and carts, and then Niro’s litter. But that was not the end of the parade.

  More captives followed, mostly young women, with a few young men and children dragging along. All were chained, with drivers behind them cracking whips over their heads. My vision blurred but my mouth locked shut. Rajak tugged on my arm.

  He pulled me around, back toward the door and the stairs. Rajak said something to Hashim in Badi, and Hashim answered. We went back down the stairs, and through several other corridors. I could not track our progress—my mind was in a haze.

  Rajak strode toward two huge red double doors—the doors to the throne roo
m. Slaves heaved them open. I gasped. I had only glimpsed this room from a side door. I had never seen its true height—nor had I realized that the towering walls were gilded with gold, and the mosaics glimmered with jewels. Inside stood the Badi army, seething and clattering like those black scorpions. They shouted to each other, pulled off their sweaty helmets and shook their fists in the air. The captives knelt on the ground in the center of the floor, heads bowed. The foot soldiers bearing the severed heads set the pikes in stands, so that the dead eyes leered over the crowd.

  The side doors opened. The men of the court spilled in, greeting the soldiers and straining to see the captives. Purses jingled in their hands, and they pointed to the captives and muttered to each other.

  Rajak and I strode forward, the train of his robe trailing behind us. Hashim stayed just beside Rajak. Neither Rajak nor Hashim glanced to either side. Rajak looked cold and regal and so fierce it almost burned my eyes to glance at him.

  The soldiers and courtiers bowed low as he passed. The captives stared, until their keeper barked at them and lashed the whip across several of their backs. Then they threw themselves forward and pushed their foreheads against the marble. I did not dare lift a hand to swipe at my eyes. What would happen if one of my tears fell? For I realized as I walked, my trembling hand closed inside Rajak’s, that this is what would have happened to my people.

  The soldiers parted as we approached the head of the room. And there, on a lavish gold throne atop a dais, sat King Niro, the gem in his forehead gleaming. His eyes found me. I looked down.

  Rajak stopped us, and bowed his own head. I sensed Hashim kneel.

  King Niro spoke. His voice was booming and resonant. I could understand nothing—he spoke Badi. But I heard him say Rajak’s name.

  Rajak straightened. I did not. Rajak took a breath and replied to his father in the common tongue.

  “It is good to see you home safe, Father,” Rajak said. “In your absence, I have been made a most blessed man. I present Linnet, daughter of the dead king Peliar, my wife.”

  I glanced up. I should not have. For Niro’s eyes burned into mine—icy and terrible, like a coiled snake. He addressed Rajak again, his tone flat with disbelief, but never moved his gaze from me. He spoke Badi again, and I caught a word I had heard before: “kelb.” It was what Rajak’s sparring partner had shouted at his wife. Rajak’s face did not change.

  “Yes, Father,” he said. “And she is my only wife. My jaaneman.”

  Niro sat for just an instant. And then he flew to his feet. The army cringed back. Crushing fury radiated from the king, and I squeezed Rajak’s hand so hard my knuckles went white. I could not look at the king.

  A cold presence whispered past us. My eyes flicked up to catch Thanatos, clad in a black robe now, gliding up past Hashim to King Niro’s side. Thanatos watched us, and whispered something in Niro’s ear. Niro listened, and nodded. Then, he waved at me dismissively.

  “Take her from my sight.”

  My throat caught. Rajak did not budge.

  “I will,” Rajak said. “But I will have to go with her, and I would be so disappointed not to watch the trading and toast your victory at the feast.”

  Thanatos’ eyes narrowed and his lip curled. Niro’s face hardened.

  “Very well. We will talk later. For now, stand here and oversee the bidding. Thanatos, bring me our best water—I am thirsty.” And he sat back down. Thanatos arched his good eyebrow, but inclined his head and slithered off through the crowd. Rajak bowed again, and led me even closer to the king. My stomach clenched and I had to force my legs to work, but we climbed up the dais and stood to Niro’s right hand. Rajak turned and we faced the throne room, then motioned to Hashim. Hashim stepped to the front of the dais and beckoned with his fingers, and two soldiers grabbed the closest woman captive, jerked her to her feet and turned her toward the courtiers. Her chains clanked as she tried to lift her hands to cover her face. The soldiers pinned her hands down to her sides. Hashim shouted out in Badi, pointing to her. The courtiers raised their hands, shouting back, holding up coinage or lengths of silk. Hashim considered all of them, then pointed out a courtier and called his name. The man stepped forward, laid his payment down on the floor before Niro, and then took the weeping girl by the hair and dragged her off.

  This went on and on—they sold the women first, then the young men, then the children. The soldiers and courtiers treated the children just as roughly as they did the adults. The little ones wailed for their mothers—some were torn out of screaming women’s arms—and they were struck in the face or the head and ordered to be silent. Emach time this happened, I felt Rajak flinch—just a little—but he did not open his mouth. I stood on Rajak’s right, so Niro could not see me. I turned my face into Rajak’s shoulder and let his robe absorb my tears.

  At last, they came to selling the inanimate goods, which allowed me to breathe again. When this was finished, Niro stood, spread his arms and made a declaration that rang through the hall. The soldiers and courtiers let out a deafening cheer, then headed for the doors. Niro turned to Rajak.

  “Put her in your room and feast with me,” he said. Rajak met his eyes.

  “To dismiss her is to dismiss me. And I will not miss the celebration of your victory.”

  Niro’s gaze smoldered. Thanatos lurked behind him. Niro nodded once.

  “We will talk later,” he said again. “Come to the feast.”

  He turned and stepped off the dais and headed toward the feasting hall. Thanatos watched me for another moment, then followed his king.

  “Please,” I gasped to Rajak as he started to step down. “Please, may I go to my room?”

  His gaze never left Niro’s back.

  “Only if you wish to die.”

  LLL

  Rajak’s words haunted me for the rest of the day. Though the banqueting hall was packed with courtiers and soldiers, fire jugglers and bustling slaves, along with hundreds of platters of food, all the activity could not distract me from Niro, and from the piercing gaze of Thanatos, which followed me everywhere I went.

  Rajak never left my side. We paced up and down between the long tables, greeting the courtiers and congratulating the officers. Rajak held tight to my hand, and introduced me to every man in common tongue, as his wife, his jaaneman. And he waited until they inclined their heads to me before continuing the conversation. I sensed the soldiers’ confusion, their disconcertion, and their disdain when they looked at me. But when faced with Rajak’s unyielding gaze, they bent and extended me a strained courtesy.

  When we sat down behind the great table to eat, Rajak placed himself to the king’s right, and sat me down on his own right. He pulled me close and wrapped his arm around my waist—I was practically sitting in his lap. Various formalities ensued, concerning toasts and blessings and greetings, in which we had to pass a goblet, and rise and sit repeatedly, and wait for the entirety of certain foods to be served before anyone could eat. Each time, Rajak leaned over and whispered what I ought to do. His voice was tight, his words succinct, and he never loosened his grip on me. But I would not have had it otherwise. I felt his protection as surely as I would have felt a shield in my hand. And I knew he was constantly deflecting invisible arrows from Thanatos, and from his father.

  At long last, when Niro’s attention was captivated by a dozen beautiful dancers and loud, clanging music, Rajak arose, took me with him, and withdrew. I did not know if anyone saw us—I did not turn back to see. It was only Rajak’s hold in my arm that kept me from running out of there.

  When we burst into the dark hallway, I sucked in a gasping breath, suddenly lightheaded.

  “Keep walking,” Rajak said, let go of me and pushed me forward. I stopped and whirled around.

  “Wait, what?”

  “Keep walking,” he repeated, glancing back the way we had come. “I cannot be missed. Go back to your room and lock the door. I will come by later this evening to see you.”

  “But—”

 
“Go!” he barked, and I dared not disobey. I turned on my heel and hurried away from him, down the corridor, past the torches and toward my room.

  Several times I stopped, my heart thundering, certain that I had caught a shadow of a soldier, or Thanatos, in a doorway or rounding a corner.

  Finally, I arrived at my door, opened it and darted inside.

  “Princess?”

  I nearly hit the ceiling.

  “Ayah?” I choked, my eyes focusing. She came over from lighting a lamp and nodded to me.

  “How was it?” she asked. Breathing heavily, I leaned back against my door.

  “It was horrible,” I shook my head, trying to control my voice. Ayah only nodded, her brow tight.

  “Come,” she said, taking my hand and pulling on me. “You need to sleep while you can.”

  “I can’t sleep,” I shivered. “That’s impossible.”

  “You must try.” She turned the covers down and urged me to lie on the mattress. When I had kicked off my shoes and climbed in, still dressed in my scarlet gown, she tossed the covers over me and tucked me in. I looked at her.

  “Ayah?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you worried about something?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “Yes. But I will not tell you.”

  “Who will you tell?”

  “I will tell the prince.”

  There was a time when I would have fought that. But at the moment, I did not think I could bear one more worrisome thing. I only nodded, bit my lip, and listened as Ayah padded out of the room and shut the door.

  LLL

  I was staring at the ceiling, concentrating on keeping my breathing even, when my door opened. I sat up, my hand flying to my throat. Three lamps were still lit, but it took a moment for me to see—

  It was Rajak. I sucked in a breath, relief washing over me. He stepped inside, no longer wearing his robe, but clad in black. He glanced at me, then around the room. He glared at me.

  “I told you to lock this door,” he growled.

  “What’s wrong?” I whispered. He did not answer. He closed the door behind him, then stepped further into the room and turned back toward the entrance, his head lowered, as if he was braced for an attack. Silence fell. Nothing happened.