Thorne (Random Romance)

by Charlotte McConaghy

  ‘So what will you do?’

  I shrugged.

  ‘You know what the answer is,’ she murmured gently.

  I met her golden eyes and felt the bond pull at us both. An ache in my skin, in my bones and my gut.

  ‘Send soldiers in to control them.’

  ‘If I send soldiers they’ll see it as an act of warfare, which means there will be an ocean of blood shed. They are too many and too savage for us to expect any other outcome. I don’t want violence in my country.’

  ‘You will have it anyway, Quill. Making the proclamation to have your people seek out the end to the bond will excite everyone. And if you let the rebels grow in numbers and strength, if you fail to show yours, they will bring the war to you and the bloodshed will be much worse.’

  I closed my eyes, resting my head against the chair. ‘I can’t make that decision on my own.’

  ‘You may have to,’ Radha told me gently. ‘What help will you get from Emperor Feckless?’

  ‘He’s not feckless,’ I muttered, without much conviction. Radha didn’t dislike anyone, but if she did, I believed it would be Falco. They’d never met, but she’d heard enough about him to be equal parts amused by his antics and exasperated with his failings.

  I heard a rustle of silk and then she was upon me, her small frame sliding onto my lap, her lips tracing the shape of my jaw. ‘You’re a brave woman, Empress.’

  My hands went to her hips. ‘I’m not. If I was, you’d live with the country’s eyes upon you, as you deserve, instead of hiding in here as if I’m ashamed of you.’

  She made a soft sound. ‘You’d lose your throne.’

  It shouldn’t matter, but it did. There were too many things I wanted to achieve. I wanted a new life for Kaya. I wanted peace. And I couldn’t fight for that unless I sat on the throne. ‘I want you out of here.’

  ‘I won’t be apart from you.’

  A conversation we’d had every day for years.

  ‘How do you breathe?’

  ‘I think of you and it’s easy,’ she said, and then kissed me. A powerful hurricane consumed us; this was how she and I loved each other, with obsession and need and an impossible desperation.

  But when those things waned, when we chipped away at them until they broke, what would we have left? Unbreakable, the bond was said to be. Some days I felt the untruth of this. Because when the day came that this life was too much for her, when she forgot who she had once been within the confines of this prison cell, and when she finally grew to hate me, what would the bond mean then? What would it be worth?

  It was in moments like these that I wished my kingdom were a different place. In this different place, there would be no law against the Emperor and Empress having bondmates, and there would be no law against two women ruling together. And in this different place, Radha would walk free, and our eyes would turn gold, and everyone in the kingdom would see and rejoice instead of sending our corpses to sea.

  Falco

  I gazed at the row of naked women, all blindfolded. They sported various lengths of blonde hair; all had perfectly shaped bodies with perfectly unblemished skin. I grew bored just looking at them.

  ‘That one,’ I said, pointing to a girl with a birthmark on her thigh – the only girl with something remotely remarkable about her. My page led the others out and I waited in silence until the girl and I were alone in my chambers.

  ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Eliza, Your Majesty.’

  I moved closer, looking at her mouth, the pert little shape of it. Regardless of what I did to her tonight, she would never be allowed to look at me, lest our eyes meet and we bond. So the blindfold stayed on, and I bedded yet another copy of a woman, and we felt nothing for each other, and connected on no level at all.

  For a moment, I turned my head and gazed at the chamber my parents had once shared. There on that same bed was where I’d found them, throats slit, bleeding onto the marble floor below. And in the room next door was where I’d found my brother and sisters, all slain, too. I could have another room if I wished it, but this was where I stayed, because I saw the blood and the bodies each night, and they reminded me of why I had to be this way.

  A simple man was less of a threat. A foolish, incompetent man was underestimated and overlooked, even when he was an Emperor. He became an easy target, the kind of man enemies thought to erase without much concern. Enemies like the Sparrow.

  Emperor Feckless they called me. When you walked your city streets blindfolded, your ears grew sharp and you heard things you wouldn’t otherwise. I heard all the whispers, all the rumours, all the stories about Emperor Feckless and his reckless narcissism. And because Emperor Feckless drank far too much and bed faceless women, that was what I did.

  ‘What do you wish of me, Majesty?’ Eliza asked.

  I tilted my head, banishing a momentary desire to tear her blindfold free and lock eyes with her. ‘Tell me something interesting. Or clever. Or funny.’

  ‘I … I beg your pardon?’ she stuttered.

  ‘Tell me anything.’

  ‘I’m not sure … I understand.’

  A sigh escaped me. I started to undress. ‘Forget it. Just lie down on the bed.’

  Chapter 3

  Thorne

  ‘The what?’

  ‘The Siren Nights,’ Winn repeated excitedly.

  I gazed at him from the end of my bed. After the debacle in the square this morning I’d been shown to a large townhouse in the city where I would be staying while I was in Kaya. That was, until the truth of why I was really here became apparent to the Kayans.

  The house was full of servants, which I found uncomfortable after having lived my life with only Ma. Every room buzzed with them as they rushed around to make sure everything was perfect, and I found myself wishing for quiet. Winn, who was the head of the household – despite the fact that he couldn’t have been much older than me – had bloody well tried to take my boots off for me before I’d forbidden him from such tasks.

  ‘What are the Siren Nights?’ I asked him, watching the way he drew back the curtains and used a lever to unwind a window in the roof with so much fervour that he nearly broke the handle off.

  He paused what he was doing and eyed me. He was literally about half my size, with shoulder length, dirty blond hair and brown eyes that kept turning green. And he was the first person I’d met since arriving who didn’t look like he was about to wet his pants at the sight of me. All the other staff in the house had been stiff with terror and very, very small. ‘I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it, sire.’

  I could feel mischief afoot and smiled. ‘Go on. I won’t say a word.’ In truth I’d gladly keep things from the general, the informants and the warder priest, none of whom had been particularly kind to me. I had yet to meet the Emperor or the Empress, who had not invited me to their palace in Sancia, which would really offend Ava if she were to find out.

  ‘It’s a secret that belongs to the youths of Limontae,’ Winn explained. ‘Something that was started a couple of years ago by the twins from the cliffs.’

  I waited for him to overcome his wariness.

  A grin spread Winn’s mouth. ‘If you’d like, I could show you … I fear my description might be unworthy.’

  I stood up. ‘Lead the way.’

  I’d spent my life by the sea, but it was different standing at the headlands of Limontae. The sight below was beautiful and dangerous, and I couldn’t take my eyes from it. The cliff itself had been built into – there were hundreds of houses within its face, spreading from the very top all the way down to the sand of the beach. These flickered with glowing lights, and from this distance they looked like fireflies in the darkness. Beyond lay the ocean, and as we stopped to survey the view I realised that I had never known the sea as I thought I had. This was a creature as savage and unquiet as wolves’ teeth tearing at the shore. The water I lived beside was quiet and calm and glistened silver in the moonlight. Here there was barely any moon at
all, and the surf was an enormous throbbing mass of black.

  Although the cliff and the sea would have been enough to satisfy my wandering soul for one night, there was more beauty to behold. Along the headland, exploding out of the water, were seven enormous towers. Each was slender and straight, rising dozens of levels into the sky, and their surfaces seemed to be made of glass, winking in the starlight. I could imagine what they would look like under the sun. In all my life I’d never seen such feats of architecture. I’d thought Ambrose’s fortress to be tall, but it was as nothing compared to the shining towers of Limontae.

  ‘I’d heard of them, of course,’ I murmured. ‘But I never imagined them to be so grand.’

  ‘Aye, they’re a wonder,’ Winn agreed. ‘One for every subject of the academy.’

  ‘Do you go to the academy, Winn?’

  ‘No, sire – I look after your house.’

  I looked at him, abashed. ‘Forgive me.’

  ‘Of course not, sire. Shall we continue? We need to hurry or we’ll miss the betting, and that’s the craziest bit.’

  ‘Where are we headed?’ I asked softly, for some reason feeling like I had to whisper. Winn pointed towards the first tower, but before we reached it he led me off the edge of the cliff. I couldn’t see anything below except rocks.

  ‘Are you any good at climbing, my lord?’

  I shrugged. He led me over, climbing agilely down the rough surface to an invisible path, overgrown with shrubs and long grass. I followed far more slowly. I didn’t want to tell him that I had a very real discomfort with heights. I even struggled being near windows on the top level of Ambrose’s fortress. The darkness tonight helped me to trick my mind into believing I was not high on a rocky cliff. And facing the rocks made it marginally easier to concentrate on my feet and hands, taking each step at a time. I stumbled a few times, but soon made it lower into the grassy hills.

  ‘Are you well, Majesty?’

  ‘Yes, sorry. I’ve slowed you down.’

  ‘Not at all.’

  We rounded a final corner, dropping out of view of the rest of the world. A huge sea cave opened up before us. We climbed over slippery rocks to reach the mouth, the ocean slapping dangerously close to our feet. If the tide were any higher, there would be no way to get into the cave.

  Noises reached me over the crashing surf. Voices shouting. Winn grinned and led me further in. Just inside the mouth I stopped, stunned. The cave was vast – deeper and wider than I could see – and the roof was so high that I could barely make out the stalactites that hung from it.

  There were at least fifty youths standing on the rocks; they looked like they ranged from between about fifteen to twenty-five years old. They were all yelling and gesturing at each other with a heady, frenzied chaos, but as I watched I realised there was actually method to their shouts. Standing on a big rock above the rest were two people. The boy was slim and wiry, with messy yellow hair and a lazy grin. He was watching the crowd of excited kids and occasionally murmuring something into the other person’s ear.

  And that was when my heartbeat jerked out of time. Because I saw the girl standing next to him, and it was the same girl from the square. My wild girl with the bright yellow hair and the matching yellow eyes. And Gods, if I’d thought her wild this afternoon then it was nothing to how she seemed now. Animated and powerful and utterly gorgeous, standing up there on the rock like the queen of the ferals. She grinned with lazy enjoyment, unfazed by the manic surge of kids all trying to gain her attention. She’d been born here in this cave, on that rock, with people swarming at her feet.

  As I watched she called out numbers and everyone would scream and shout their names until she chose someone and jotted his or her name down on a small piece of parchment. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but I knew I’d never seen so many people my own age before.

  Winn had gone to join the crowd, but I remained in the shadows, unwilling to ruin their fun with my presence.

  Once the process of picking names for numbers, or whatever they were doing, had been concluded, the kids all moved to stand around the edges of the ever-increasing tide. Each new wave was more violent and higher than the last. If they didn’t finish and head out soon they’d all get trapped. Once everyone was positioned, two boys moved to the edge of the rocks. That was when I noticed that there were ropes hanging from the sharp stalactites above. They hung at intervals leading out over the water, two rows of them, few and far in between.

  The boys readied themselves and then the Wild Girl shouted for them to start. They each leapt up to grab hold of the first ropes. Then they swung themselves back and forth, gaining momentum until they were flying high enough to launch themselves through the air and catch hold of the next rope in the line. My breath caught in my lungs, thinking the space too wide and assuming they’d fall into the churning death water below, but they didn’t – they caught the second rope, then the third, fourth, fifth and so on. Their hands had to be burning and their shoulders would be aching, but there were looks of such determination on their faces that I doubted they would feel anything until tomorrow. If they lived that long.

  The kids on the rocks were screaming and cheering and passing wagers between them, while the two boys swung and leapt, swung and leapt, coming nearer to where I stood at the mouth.

  ‘Crazy, right?’ a voice asked me and I looked down to realise Winn had returned.

  ‘What are they doing?’

  ‘Racing,’ he shrugged.

  ‘But … why?’

  ‘Because it’s fun, sire.’

  ‘They could die.’

  Winn nodded.

  ‘Have people died?’

  His smile faded and he said, ‘Yes.’

  ‘Who thought of all this? And fastened the ropes?’ I didn’t know why I was asking – I knew the answer.

  ‘The twins.’

  I looked at them. They wore identical grins, watching the race with anticipation. He said something to her and she threw her head back and laughed with such glee that it hit me in the stomach – I didn’t think I’d ever seen anyone laugh like that before.

  ‘This is where it gets tricky,’ Winn informed me. The racers had reached the final two ropes at almost the same time, and were looking at each other as they steadily changed the direction of their swings.

  ‘Do they go back now?’

  ‘Yes, but they have to swap lines.’

  My heart lurched with alarm, and I started to prepare myself for a swim. If one of those boys fell into the water this far out, they’d be dashed against the rocks, or else they’d drown from the violence of the waves. And there was no way I could stand here and watch that happen.

  The boys had to time it perfectly, letting go of the ropes at the same time and twisting themselves through the air in such a way that they wouldn’t smash into each other. They avoided hitting very narrowly, and both managed to grab hold of their ropes. One of them caught it with only one hand and looked like he would fall, but managed to haul himself up. The other boy was faster, turning and heading back along his opponent’s line of ropes.

  I didn’t let my breath out until they were both safely on the rocks. Although ‘safely’ was a loose term, given any wave could wash the whole lot of them off their feet. I cast a look up at the ropes.

  ‘Are they secure?’

  ‘Sometimes the stalactites break. That’s when it gets interesting.’

  I stared at him in disbelief. ‘What’s with all the numbers and shouting at the beginning?’

  ‘That’s how they decide on the order of the races. Finn – that’s the girl – pairs people according to their best times. The numbers are the order in which people race. Finn and Jonah decide based on ability. The later you go in the night, the more dangerous it is because the tide’s risen. It’s safer to go at the start, but there’s more respect if you go at the end.’

  Two more people lined up. This time it was two girls and I closed my eyes in horror. I realised quickly they were
better than the boys as they were more nimble. One of the girls pulled out in front quickly, reaching the end and launching herself over to the other line. I watched as they approached each other, sure one of them would have to stop and turn around, but the girl in front swung herself over the slower contester, making it apparent that this was commonplace.

  ‘Do the twins ever race?’ I asked.

  ‘Sometimes. They mostly coordinate the whole thing, plus the other events.’

  ‘Other events?’

  ‘There are pegasis races on the planes, and they do skirmishes and battle contests with the students of the academy.’

  I folded my arms. ‘Why? Why do all of this?’

  Winn looked at me. ‘I don’t know. They just … do what they want. I think they’ve dedicated their lives to enabling the youth of Limontae to have fun.’

  ‘And the adults let them?’

  ‘About a year ago they made the whole thing illegal, so now it’s done in secret.’

  There was a small boy with ginger hair jumping around the boulder, and I watched as he climbed up next to the twins. Jonah said something that made him giggle hysterically.

  I couldn’t help but feel like this whole thing was a foolish waste of time. And if kids got hurt or killed, it was hardly worth the cheap thrills they got from it. The twins seemed high on their own power, elated with the craze they’d started.

  ‘Have you met them?’

  ‘No, sire.’

  ‘Do you know why they don’t race?’ I asked.

  ‘Maybe they got bored.’

  I looked at him questioningly.

  He smiled. ‘The twins haven’t ever been beaten on the ropes. They’re hellish quick. Finn especially. Not even her brother can catch her.’

  I looked again at her brilliant white smile. It seemed careless, somehow. I still thought her beautiful, but now her beauty seemed edged with something else. A disregard. There was no merit in amusement if it was at the sake of someone else. And there was nothing I disliked more than selfishness. I longed to take away this new knowledge, longed for the girl I’d seen in the square, who was brave enough to stand still when everyone else ran. Now I thought that perhaps she wasn’t brave after all, just reckless.