Unlit_A Kingdoms of Earth & Air Novel

by Keri Arthur

  “And that is as it should be.” He paused. “However, either of us bedding anyone willy-nilly would not only muddy our purpose here, but would also be unseemly.”

  Trepidation stirred through me, and it wasn’t helped any by the sudden glint of amusement in his eyes. “And why is that?”

  “Because you and I are an informal item.”

  “Meaning we have sex on an irregular basis?”

  This time, he laughed. It was a warm, rich sound that sent delight skittering across my skin. “Not exactly. It means we are sexually together, but have made no promises nor undertaken the committal ceremony. It means that if others wish to lie with one of us, permission must be sought from both parties. It is a means of protection for us both.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “And why would you need protection, Commander?”

  “Please, you need to call me Trey for this charade to have any chance.” His amusement faded, only to be replaced by something much darker—something that spoke of old ghosts. “I may be the black sheep of the family, but I am nevertheless a firstborn son of a powerful ruling house. It’s not an understatement to say there will be those present tonight who’d think such a liaison would be worthwhile, for both their own status and that of their family.”

  “No one would ever think that about me, though.”

  “Perhaps not, but I think you’ll gather much attention and more than a few propositions before this night is over. And I believe such interest will only increase once your mask comes off.” Something of a wry smile touched his lips. “If there’s one truth about the twelve ruling houses, it’s the fact that none can resist chasing the unattainable and the different, especially when it comes so exquisitely packaged.”

  This time, the wry smile was mine. “I’m well aware that my stain will draw attention, Commander—”

  “Trey,” he cut in.

  “—but I don’t think it’ll be considered such a prize once I’m introduced as Nightwatch and therefore unlit.”

  “Oh, I think you underestimate the allure of the unknown. Besides, you won’t be announced as Nightwatch. Kiro agrees it would not be beneficial.”

  “You won’t confide in your own family, yet you confide in him?” I couldn’t help the edge in my voice, or the distaste that lingered on the word him.

  Trey’s eyebrow rose. “And why would you have formed such an opinion of the man in the brief time he was with you?”

  I hesitated then mentally shrugged. He’d brought me here to be honest, so honesty was exactly what he’d get. “There’s a darkness to his energy that I don’t like.”

  “Perhaps what you sense was nothing more than his suspicions about your dishonesty.”

  I was shaking my head even before he was finished. “It was more than that. More than just his ability to read people, too.”

  “Interesting that you caught that when so few are even aware he’s a reader—and it totally verifies my belief that your help will be invaluable.”

  Perhaps. I hesitated. “Who is Lord Kiro, exactly? He doesn’t wear the color of any house, and yet he bears the moniker of Lord.”

  “He was born Kiro Vaun, and is the second son of a healer of some repute. The Forum tithed him both the title and a house at the entrance of the plateau for services rendered to the ruling houses over the last thirty-five years.”

  “So he’d be what? Sixty? Seventy?”

  A smile touched his lips. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But he is, in fact, much younger—fifty-one.”

  I blinked. “He’s been in the service of the Forum and the ruling houses since he was sixteen?”

  “Yes. He is both a forecaster and reader of incredible strength, but all magic, even personal, has its costs. His ages him.”

  I remembered the dark restlessness of his energy and a shiver ran through me. “I rather suspect those are not his only gifts.”

  “No. But many readers are also sexually alluring. It is often the best way to ferret out secrets.”

  “So does he seduce only with his words and energy?”

  Trey raised an eyebrow, his expression one of amusement. “What do you think?”

  “I think it is a combination of words, aura, and physicality. But why would the lords of this place turn a blind eye to the bedding of their own women?”

  “It’s not just women, and it would depend on the circumstance and information required. There are certainly a few who are extremely unhappy about Kiro’s methods.” He glanced at the window and abruptly sat forward. “We near the secondary gate, and there are a few formalities you need to know.”

  “Only a few?” My voice was dry. “I would think that is something of an understatement.”

  He acknowledged the statement with a twist of his full lips. “First and foremost, you curtsey to everyone you are officially introduced to, be they upper or lower house. No lady ever serves herself from the outside tables—she either accepts such things from the trays serfs carry around the room, or requests such from one of the men who are in attendance of her.”

  “Which will only be you, so be prepared for a lot of walking back and forth.”

  That eyebrow winged upward again. It was truly amazing how much one could discern from such a movement—like the odd mix of amusement and irritation currently evident—even if little otherwise showed on his expression. “Perhaps we should have a small wager on who is right on that account?”

  No, we should not. But I nevertheless found myself saying, “That would depend on the stakes.”

  He hesitated, his gaze challenging as it pinned mine. “If I win, you tell me the truth of what happened out there in the Tenterra desert.”

  Such a bet would be nothing short of foolish, and yet I could almost hear Ava in my head, egging me on, telling me this was a golden opportunity that shouldn’t be missed. But I couldn’t in all conscience ask for anything that might further my placement in the watch or even secure something for my retirement fund. Not when all he wanted was the truth.

  But the refusal of the bet would all but confirm that something had gone on. That I was lying.

  And he was aware of the position he’d just placed me in, damn him.

  “If I win,” I said slowly, “I want the truth about the break with your family and why a first son would cede his rights to a younger brother and take a position at Blacklake.”

  He didn’t react for a moment, then a slow smile spread over his face. “I am so glad, Neve March, that it was you who was sent to rescue Lady Rossi that day.”

  A statement I had no idea how to respond to. He stuck out his hand. “Agreed.”

  I hesitated, then gripped his fingers. And wasn’t surprised that the indefinable something surged between us again. His eyes darkened fractionally, and I had to wonder if what he was feeling was even more sexual in nature than the mix I was receiving.

  “Agreed,” I said softly, and then pulled my hand from his. “Is there anything else I should be aware of?”

  “While the Rossi house is hosting this year’s Harvest Masque, all six upper ruling houses provide accommodation for the lower ruling houses and their entourage. Because I was a late and unexpected inclusion in this year’s festival, we are being hosted at Rossi, as my suites had already been allotted.”

  “We?”

  Again that smile ghosted his lips. “As my informal lover, it would be considered a breach of etiquette to house us separately.”

  “Except that Lady Saska knows the truth of our relationship.”

  “Actually, she doesn’t.”

  I studied him for a minute, listening to the wind, hearing her tales of the machinations that had begun from almost the minute he’d saved us. “That’s why you took me back to your suites for an informal chat.”

  “Yes. The wind was watching us that night.”

  “What the wind witnessed wouldn’t exactly have led Saska to believe we were in a relationship.”

  “Except for the fact I dismissed my maidservant and we spent much time i
n companionable silence. That is the province of old lovers, not new.”

  I wondered what he would have done had it been any other Nightwatch officer who’d been sent after Saska. But maybe it wouldn’t have mattered, given all he really wanted was a fresh pair of eyes to view those from the twelve houses?

  “The masque itself lasts for two and a half nights,” he continued, “and it is in this time most of the political and committal alliances are made.”

  “Why just then? Why not over the whole five days?”

  “Because just as the equinox signals the end of summer days and the slip toward winter, it also brings to an end any formal entreaty and marriage negotiations between the houses for another year.”

  “So the other two and a half nights are just a party?”

  “Yes. We will keep to our rooms during the day. The official revelation of identity comes at midnight on the night of the equinox, which is when we will officially be introduced and thanks given.”

  I frowned. “So how are we introduced before that?”

  “Merely as Lord T and Lady N.”

  “Which, combined with the colors you’re wearing, will tell everyone exactly who you are, mask or no mask.”

  “Yes, but it will heighten the intrigue of who my consort might be, because your colors offer no allegiance other than the green that denotes our liaison.”

  Which explained why he was wearing the knot of lavender gray at the end of his belt. “That intrigue will only last as long as the official introductions.”

  “I think not.” He glanced out the window as the carriage began to slow. “Our bags will be taken directly to our quarters. Don your mask, Lady Neve, for the game begins.”

  The carriage came to a halt. I looked out the window as we waited for the door to be opened, butterflies gathering in my stomach. What little I could see of Rossi House was a vast white stone and silver structure that was both imposing and beautiful. It was a house designed with impossible angles and sweeping curves, and one that would fall in an instant if our enemies ever got this far.

  But if they ever did, the ruling houses wouldn’t be here to see it. They would have already retreated, leaving Winterborne a deserted wasteland in much the same manner as they had Tenterra, to start anew somewhere else. Such an eventuality had even been factored into the building of this place, with the creation of a sea canal that divided Winterborne from the rest of Gallion. Vast earth and stone bridges might now connect us, allowing easy movement between the two, but none would be hard to destroy. Not for a combined attack from the ruling houses that were responsible for their existence in the first place.

  The door was opened and Trey, his mask in place and revealing little more than the glitter of his eyes and the fullness of his mouth, stepped out. He immediately turned and held out his hand. “My lady?”

  A smile twisted my lips, one that seemed to be echoed in his eyes, but I nevertheless place my fingers in his and stepped carefully from the carriage. He released me but remained close, and as a young page bowed and asked us to follow him, pressed his hand lightly against my spine to guide me. My attention, whether I wished it or not, was both on him and the impact his touch was having on my body rather than all the wonders that had been built onto this plateau.

  “Rossi House,” Trey murmured, as we climbed the long, sweeping stone staircase, “like all other ruling houses, cedes the entire top floor of their home to entertainment. Guest suites and private wings are on the second, while the ground floor consists of kitchens, washrooms, and serf accommodation.”

  “It would be nice to have the leisure of such space.”

  “Do not judge by surface appearances,” he said. “It can often be deceiving.”

  “I somehow think your upbringing contained a whole lot more freedom and choice than mine ever did.”

  “Perhaps,” he said, his tone heavy. “And perhaps not.”

  A liveried footman met us at the heavily ornate double-width silver doors atop of the stairs and led us through a vast open space of glittering white-stone walls and high-vaulted ceilings. The colors of all twelve houses adorned the left side of the long room, and a multitude of tables filled with food and wine lined the right. We moved past two large parlors that were fitted for comfort and ease taking, before finally stopping on a landing that looked out over a ballroom that was even bigger and grander than the hall. There were no flags or adornments on these walls; there was no need for them when the guests themselves provided a rainbow.

  The footman stopped, and then said in a loud voice, “The lord T and the lady N.”

  Just for an instant, conversation ceased and the weight of all their stares hit. I trembled under the force of it, my skin cold and stomach churning. I didn’t smile. I didn’t react in any way; unattainable was the word Trey had used, and that impression was what these people were going to get. It was, I suspected, the only way I was going to get through the evening.

  After an altogether too long a pause at the top of the steps, Trey lightly pressed me forward. I was glad of his steadying touch as I concentrated on moving gracefully and not falling. The murmur of conversation started up again, and some faces turned away from us. Most did not.

  The next five hours became an almost dizzying array of introductions and small conversations. He didn’t leave my side in that time, giving me the chance to fall into my role. And while it didn’t become any easier as the hours passed, I did at least feel better once my nerves were under control. But I certainly wouldn’t go as far as saying I was enjoying myself. Not when I kept waiting for the moment someone would denounce me as the fraud I was.

  Trey captured two glasses from a nearby drink boy, and handed me one with a smile. We were standing in one of the quieter corners of the room, a shadowed and half-hidden nook.

  “How do you feel about circulating by yourself for a little while?”

  “Terrified.” I took a sip of the dark wine. It tasted of blackberries and plums, and though it was slightly more acidic than the one Trey had served, it nevertheless tasted damn fine to my palate. “But I’m not here for my looks.”

  He gave me a quizzical look. Or, at least, that’s what it appeared to be given the constraints of the mask. “Why are you so harsh on yourself when it comes to appearance?”

  “Because when it comes to appearance, it’s all I’ve ever been judged on.” My gaze met his, and I could feel the old anger stirring. “Have you any idea what it feels like to know, from a very young age, that while you might be considered beddable, no one will ever commit to you?”

  “No, but—”

  He paused, and part me wanted to retort, but what? That it is the reality of my life and position, and I should just accept it?

  But there were footsteps approaching, a heavy sound that spoke of a man rather than a woman, and it snatched away the moment. Such bitterness shouldn’t be aired at a celebration or place like this, anyway. So, as ever, I tried to pretend there was nothing wrong, that it wasn’t there deep inside, eating away at me like a canker.

  Trey smiled and leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips across my bare cheek. Surprise rippled through me, but before I could react in any way, he whispered, “And so it begins.”

  Someone cleared his voice behind us. Trey turned and studied the rotund figure in the sand-colored robes for a few seconds before saying, in a rather dismissive tone, “Lord V, how may I help you?”

  I frowned, running rapidly through all the colors of the houses, and the names of everyone I’d been introduced to. Trey had filled me in on their backgrounds after each introduction and this man had certainly been one of them—I remembered his rather odd mask, which was more an ornate helmet with eye shields. After a moment, I placed him—Lord Vaseye, from the non-ruling earth house Myrl.

  Vaseye cleared his throat again, looking very ill at ease with Trey’s coolness. “I wonder if I might speak to you privately for a minute or two?”

  “Is it of great importance?” Trey asked. “Because I’m r
ather delightfully occupied right now.”

  Vaseye’s gaze flicked to me—or rather, to the breast the dropped shoulder of my dress was barely covering—and his cheeks grew even redder. I hadn’t thought that possible.

  “I believe it to be so, yes.”

  “Then I will come. Sorry, my sweet.” Trey turned back to me and leaned in, as if to kiss. And indeed, his warm lips did brush my cheek, but only because he murmured, “Meet back here at three. We can retire and compare notes.”

  “Don’t be one second late,” I murmured in return. “Or the knife that sleeps in my bag might just find a home in your heart.”

  He laughed, a rich sound that drew more than a little attention. “Warning heeded.”

  He stepped back, gave me a bow, and then walked away with Vaseye. I resisted the urge to gulp down the rest of my wine and wandered out of our nook, ignoring those in my immediate vicinity who sought to catch my eye as I walked around the edge of the vast room and studied the crowd.

  This masque was not, in any way, what I had expected. Yes, there was some flirting, some caressing, even the odd stolen kiss or two, but it was not the alcohol- and sex-fueled indulgence that most of us in the outer bailey had believed it to be. Maybe that would come after the equinox, when all the maneuvering and alliances had finished for another year, but right now, it was positively restrained. Hell, the watch parties would shock more than a few highbrow sensibilities if Vaseye’s reaction to a barely covered nipple were anything to go by.

  There were plenty of shadowed nooks inset into the white walls around this vast room, as well as more brightly lit seating areas. Most of the former were surprisingly unoccupied—although given the restraint in the room, maybe that wasn’t such a surprise. The latter were filled with serious-faced men or older women whose bodies were adorned with all manner of bright jewels, chains, and bracelets, and who chatted animatedly as they cooled themselves with ornate fans.

  The bright silver bracelets two of those women wore looked from a distance to be very similar to Saska’s, but there was something about the countenance of the older woman that made me wary about approaching her.