‘I’m not a trained bear,’ I said through clenched teeth. ‘You can’t prance around antagonising people, then clap your hands and have me pop out to clean up your mess.’
This seemed to amuse her, for she laughed as she picked up her pack and carried on. ‘Clearly, I can.’
‘Never again,’ I snarled.
‘Oh, Thorne. Relax. They were disgusting, vile human beings. Trust me on that. I gave them the chance to be nice and they chose to be revolting instead. They deserved a lot worse than you gave them.’
I shook my head, clamping my mouth shut. She didn’t care who got hurt, as long as it was entertaining.
‘Didn’t a tiny part of you enjoy that?’ she prompted archly.
‘No.’
‘Really? How dull.’
‘You had no idea how dangerous they could have been, Finn.’
‘That’s true,’ she agreed. ‘But I do have a fairly reliable way of guessing: I think it’s safe to say that not one of them was ever going to be as dangerous as you are, Thorne.’
I didn’t speak to her for the rest of the day.
Finn
Well, I’d definitely pissed off Thorne, so I gave him a wide berth and caught up with Jonah.
‘Why do you think they were looking for warders and bonded couples?’ I asked.
‘Dunno. Probably bond protesters out for a bit of “bloody justice”.’
I chewed on my lip, thinking about it. His answer did nothing to slake my curiosity. Something had been strange about it.
Jonah elbowed me and nodded towards Thorne. ‘Poor guy looks like he’s swallowed a sour grape.’
I had to agree. We giggled.
‘You should be gentle with him,’ my brother conceded.
‘Why?’
Jonah shrugged. ‘Because he’s gentle with us.’
My eyebrows shot up. ‘Speaking in defence of the dreaded northern brute now, are we?’
‘He’s not as bad as I thought, is all.’
‘I thought he felt off to you.’
‘He’s … nice.’
‘Mmm. Nice is boring.’ But even as I said it, I knew better.
We arrived at the gates of Sancia as night was falling. The crowd waiting in line for entry was enormous. Families were relaxing in or on top of their carriages, men and women lined the road, sitting or lying on the grass. People played music and told stories as we took our spot at the back of the line, settling in for a long wait.
I edged up behind Thorne. ‘Have you forgiven me yet?’
‘Have you apologised yet?’
I smiled. ‘Shouldn’t you get to jump the queue, being royal and all?’ When he didn’t reply I pressed, ‘And how come you didn’t take a royal carriage or something?’
‘I like to walk.’
‘I see. Will you be staying at the palace?’
He shook his head.
‘They didn’t invite you, did they? That seems … rude.’
Dropping his voice so that I had to lean closer to hear, he said, ‘If I informed my aunt and uncle, there would be a problem. I don’t wish to start conflict.’
‘Do you think they’re making a point of it?’
‘They’d better not be, given it’s peace time.’
I found myself feeling extremely curious about it all – the politics of the world he lived in, the complexities of the life he must lead. I could imagine it was pretty complicated, ruling nations. Did Thorne like his role? Did he wish to be King? Would he be good at it? It occurred to me that I didn’t really know much about him. I hadn’t asked.
‘What’s she like?’ I asked. ‘Your aunt.’
Thorne glanced sideways at me. ‘Why?’
I shrugged. I didn’t want to admit that I’d spent most of my life imagining her. She filled my dreams, the half-walker Queen of Pirenti. ‘She’s the most famous woman in the country.’
‘In both countries.’ A pause, and then, ‘You may meet her one day.’
‘I may?’
Hanging there like that in the air between us, the words almost sounded like a threat.
I couldn’t help but give an exasperated laugh. ‘Well, I’ll apologise on behalf of the Emperor and Empress of Kaya, since no one else has. While you are here you should be shown some Kayan hospitality.’
‘Like the kind you’ve shown me since I arrived?’
My eyebrows arched – he had a little more fight in him than I thought. ‘No, like some fun. You’re so serious, Thorne.’
‘A lot is at stake. Someone ought to be.’
Which, I supposed, was fair enough. But just to annoy him I rolled my eyes.
In the end we were picked out of the crowded line-up. Assumedly, Thorne had been recognised and a message was sent to the palace, because royal guards emerged and guided us into the city. When Thorne declined their offer to stay at the palace, we were shown to an inn, where our rooms were paid for by the guards. Thorne was polite of course, but he obviously wasn’t impressed, because he sent them away with a message for the palace: that he was quite content to look after himself upon his first stay in Kaya, and the Emperor and Empress need not worry themselves.
I was impressed by the veiled insult, but kept that to myself.
That night while the others slept I pulled my clothes on to creep downstairs and find mischief.
‘Don’t, Inney,’ Jonah murmured from the bed next to mine.
‘I can’t sleep,’ I whispered through the darkness.
‘Try. I can’t come and rescue you from some debacle tonight. I’m too tired.’
‘I won’t cause a debacle, I promise.’
‘Finn,’ he said more firmly, ‘I’m too tired.’
‘And I’ve got screaming behind my eyes,’ I told him softly, and padded out.
In the end, he did come to find me. I’d had too much to drink and was picking fights with people bigger than me, so he carried me home and put me in bed and kissed my cheeks and held me tightly and prayed for my soul. And I was glad for the alcohol in my veins, because it made it easier for me to close my eyes and force everything to disappear, even my brother, who I loved best.
On the morning of the announcement, we all flooded in together to the enormous city centre. A sandstone square lay beneath the palace and its balconies, and it felt full to bursting with eager citizens. My head pounded and my eyes ached, so I stayed quiet for a change and held Penn’s hand. Along with my hangover, there was fear in my heart, a great bloom of it.
If there was no end to the bond, I might as well lie down and die on these stones.
Jonah smoothed a hand over my forehead and eased some of my anxiety, helping me to breathe. Thorne watched us, and I wished he wouldn’t.
Above, two figures moved out onto the balcony of their palace amidst a cacophony of cheers. Both wore a blindfold. The woman had ebony hair, the man golden. She was small and petite; he was tall and lean. They looked an odd couple, but even from where I stood in the middle of the crowd I could see how they gravitated around each other.
I hadn’t laid eyes on our Emperor and Empress for years, and was startled to find them younger than I remembered. But then I supposed as a child every adult had seemed older and larger and wiser than I.
‘Greetings!’ Emperor Falco called out, and the cheering died slowly to a dull roar. ‘You are here to witness one of the most auspicious days in Kayan history.’
This was it. Jonah took my hand and squeezed it tight. I couldn’t move my eyes from the man above.
‘It has been whispered of for some time. But your Empress and I wish to make an end to rumour. Hear us now, and know it as truth. In this world there exists an end to the bond.’
An intake of breath, and then a mighty explosion of sound. Many cheered, many screamed their horror and dissent, some wept for joy or grief, others moaned aloud. There was division in Sancia, but in my heart there was a single, clear note of joy.
Thorne had turned to look at me. I wanted to know what he thought of this, but didn�
�t think I had much space inside me to even ask.
Because I had a father who was a half-walker, and if I didn’t find this end to the bond then he would perish just as my mother had, and I refused to allow that to happen.
‘We have not decided whether or not this discovery will be put to use in Kaya,’ Falco boomed. ‘And it will remain undecided until we have this end in our possession.’
This caused another eruption of chatter and arguing.
Empress Quillane spoke out over the masses. ‘I’m afraid it isn’t as simple as it sounds. The end, as we shall henceforth name it, has been hidden for thousands of years. We have the very start of what we believe is a map to this end, but I am promising you now – it will not be an easy thing to find, because its very nature was to remain secret.’
‘We want your help,’ Falco announced. ‘You are all entitled to be a part of this search, because you have all been affected by the bond. But we cannot very well let everyone under the sun loose on the world and its dangers unless we know those people are equipped and capable. Your safety is paramount to us, as always. So what we are proposing is this.’
‘A tournament,’ Quillane declared. ‘Any of you may enter, but only the fittest and strongest, the most skilled and courageous among you will come out victorious in this tournament, and then those few shall be given the map and sent on a quest in the name of Kaya. Those who discover the end will be rewarded with land and wealth for them and their families.’
And then Falco, Emperor of Kaya added, ‘You had best gather yourselves and decide how far you are willing to go, because once on the quest you will not be permitted to back out, and the tournament begins this afternoon.’
I looked then at my brother. My favourite person in all the world. And as our eyes met we smiled an identical smile.
Chapter 7
Thorne
It was clever, I’d give them that. They were involving their people in the search and thus removing themselves from the war raging amongst their country. Forestalling the inevitable decision that would have to be made and letting their citizens take ownership over their own opinions.
The tournament would weed out the incapable, and the winners would be perfect to send on the search because they were not soldiers and couldn’t be mistaken as an attack on Pirenti, if the clues did indeed lead them that far north.
The entrants had to put themselves forward in a group of any size. Finn and Jonah gathered us in to discuss it.
It was time for us to work out where we stood. The fact that I had been travelling with Finn, Jonah and Penn was a matter of both circumstance and a measure of manipulation on Finn’s part. But this went beyond simply travelling together to another city. To group together now meant the five of us, including Isadora whom we knew nothing about, would be tied to each other until the day we failed or succeeded at the quest. It meant placing our lives in each other’s hands and really, truly trusting one another.
Which would be no easy feat for Finn and I, given the start we were off to. And given, more importantly, the fact that we wanted two very different outcomes from this mission. She wanted an end to the bond; I was charged with preserving it at any cost. She knew nothing of this; I was finding it difficult to think of anything else.
Finn looked at me, and I looked at her, and everything that had passed between us was there in our eyes. I doubted she wanted to spend the next weeks or months with me – I annoyed her no end, and I brought animosity with me wherever I went. I would make us targets on the road, and the novelty I presented to her would no doubt wear off pretty quickly.
But despite all of this, despite all the reasons to the contrary, Finn kept her eyes trained on me as she murmured, ‘Obviously, we’re a group of five.’
A slow smile found my lips, and I watched her eyes shift azure. An inexplicable warmth flooded me at being included. Because even though there were a million reasons not to bind ourselves to each other, the thought of parting from these kids filled me with an undeniable sadness.
I shared a glance with Isadora. She didn’t look as pleased as I felt. Her red eyes took in the twins and Penn with calculation. ‘I’m not certain I will benefit from grouping with the three of you. No offence meant.’
‘Why would we take offence to that?’ Finn muttered.
‘I will compete with you,’ I told her softly.
‘Thank you, Prince Thorne,’ she replied pointedly to Isadora. ‘You are a man of impeccable taste and judgement, clearly.’
‘Then I too am with you,’ Isadora conceded, eyeing me. She obviously wanted to stick close to me, and I needed to work out why. If she truly did want to help me, then that was great. I just had to be sure she didn’t mean any of us harm. She didn’t smell of it, which was a good thing.
‘Well maybe I don’t want to be grouped with someone who doesn’t want to be grouped with me!’ Finn announced.
‘Finn,’ Jonah sighed. ‘We have a better chance if we’re all together. Isadora is good with knives – that could be useful.’
‘She’s sizeist, is what she is,’ Finn sniffed.
I heard him murmur, ‘That’s not even a word.’
‘Indeed – I’m particularly good at counting!’ Penn announced with an air of scorn and the rest of us couldn’t help smiling – even Isadora.
We’d been given simple aptitude tests to ensure we weren’t sickly, elderly or handicapped in any way. I think what they really wanted to check was that none of us were bonded. Next we were allowed our pick of weapons and tools, but not knowing what awaited us, it was a hard choice. I chose a wooden sword. Finn picked a rope and a sword to tie over her back. Isadora looked pained to part with the daggers she kept over her body, but made do with a few short wooden rapiers. Jonah and Penn didn’t bother with anything, and I wondered if they knew how to fight. Finally we were shepherded to the waiting area of the mighty arena.
Finn was bouncing in her shoes, filled with excited energy. Jonah looked more subdued, while Isadora stood still as stone and Penn drew pictures in the sand as if he had no clue what was going on.
A set of wooden doors swung open and we walked forward, into the arena.
Before us was a vast chasm in the earth, over which hung suspended cages and ropes. The chasm dropped away on one side into sea cliffs, while surrounding the other three sides were the high stadium stands for thousands of screaming viewers. The sound hit me like a tidal wave, and the five of us walked out to stand beside the other groups of contestants at the edge of the canyon.
My eyes quickly took in the height of these cages and platforms – a fall from one would mean death, unequivocally. The ropes joining them all looked thin and frayed, and no less dangerous. It was a nightmare and I felt my heart sink at the sight of it.
Finn’s eyes, however, held a look of absolute triumph, and I couldn’t help thinking she was dangerously over-confident.
Isadora looked spooked. ‘Are you well?’ I asked her softly.
She blinked, letting the haunted shadow pass her. With a quick nod, she turned away from me.
Falco
Quillane and I sat at the top of the stadium behind a thin gauze drape to shield us from view. We’d be able to see the action perfectly, and I sat forward, for once not having to guard what I was feeling – Emperor Feckless and I were both as excited as each other. Quillane was more subdued, worried about the entrants, but I’d told her not to mother them.
‘Half of them are children,’ she pointed out.
‘And if they’re incapable they’ll be sent home to be swaddled by their folks.’
Petir arrived at a run, erupting into our private box. ‘Majesties.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘There is a contestant who has just been tested …’ We both stared at the breathless man, his cheeks red from the exertion of having sprinted up hundreds of steps. ‘It’s Prince Thorne.’
‘What?’ Quillane was out of her chain in an instant, and it kind of looked like she wanted to throttle poor
Petir. My mind started whirling, working out the best course of action. This was not good.
‘We can’t allow him to compete like a commoner! It’s insulting to him!’ she hissed.
‘To deny him at this point would be even more offensive,’ I pointed out. We stared at each other.
‘His aunt and uncle are going to crucify us for this,’ she said.
I turned to Petir. ‘What is his character? Is he reckless? Prone to disobeying?’
‘I don’t know, sire.’
‘Find out.’ I glanced at Quill. ‘If they are used to him acting on his own desires then they might not blame us for this.’
‘We didn’t receive him formally,’ she said. ‘It’s catastrophically embarrassing and entirely your fault.’
I shrugged, taking a big gulp of ale. ‘Well, at least now we’ll get to see what the kid is made of.’
We turned together to see the contestants emerge into the arena.
Despite being quite a way below us, the ‘kid’ was immediately recognisable. And he did not look like a kid. He was tall, straight-backed and very strong. He held himself with an incredible stillness and even from here I could see perfectly the way he embodied that certain sense of regality that only true leaders possessed.
‘Get me the names of the contestants he has grouped himself with,’ Quillane told a page, and the boy rushed off, leaving us alone once more.
We both peered at the prince’s group, four people who were in fact children, by the looks of them. A small red-haired boy. A girl and boy who were tall and willowy, and moved in such a way that I thought they must be related. And finally a small white creature, hair and skin so sapped of colour that she was almost impossible to look upon, for the glare of the sun reflected off every surface of her like she was made of cut diamonds.
‘They don’t look like much,’ I muttered.
‘Imagine the embarrassment if they don’t win.’
‘It will not be our embarrassment, but Pirenti’s.’
Thorne (Random Romance) Page 10
