by Nicole Adamz
“So did Caelum Greerson.”
“I was Caelum Greerson’s Tyro before he left. I hope my performance was pleasing, and a tribute to his training.” The words were heavy in my mouth but saying otherwise would cause rumors. It only took one whisper. Like last time. I knew I’d taken a misstep in the conversation when Pearl’s smirk returned.
“Oh, I heard he sought a private encore, but couldn’t take his favorite toys.” Pearl’s laughter trilled around the hall.
Bile rose in my throat as buried images rose to the surface, haunting me. Don’t let her get to you. She’s another toy to him. I swallowed, burying the sickened feeling inside, and laughed with her. Surprise lit her eyes, and I snapped my fingers in delight.
“Caelum Greerson did forget to bring his favorite toy with him, didn’t he? Or did he forget you?” I smiled wryly.
“I’m not his toy. I’m part of his plan!” Pearl spit out furiously.
“And what plan is that, Pearl?” I asked sarcastically.
Pearl’s nostrils quivered in rage. “You think you’re superior, don’t you? The Second Born in a Century.” Pearl spat words out like filth. “We’ll see whose name is remembered in the end,” she ground out between clenched teeth.
“What are you talking about?” I said.
Pearl took a deep breath, visibly reigning herself in, and purred. “I’ll let him have you until you’ve served your purpose, but it’s me he loves.”
“Okay,” I said with forced cheer. “He’s yours.”
Pearl’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “He’s always been mine. He only wants you as a means to an end.”
My jaw clenched, “I’ll never be his.”
Pearl laughed delightedly, “Oh, but you already are.”
“Whatever story you’ve heard is a lie.” I shot back, barely hanging on to my control.
“You don’t even know what the story is. Doesn’t that mean you’re the liar?” Pearl said.
“I don’t want rumors spread around Summit,” I said desperately
“Did I give you that impression? I wanted to compare notes,” Pearl said, winking suggestively.
Bile slip up my throat. Disgusting. She and Greerson deserve each other.
“There’s nothing to compare, I don’t have time to argue with you,” I said firmly.
“Ah, yes. Another grand Ambire family meeting?” Pearl said mockingly.
A jolt of unease skittered across my skin, and I stared at her suspiciously. “What will you tell them this time?” Pearl jeered.
“The truth.” I said stiffly.
Turning my back and walking away was hard. I couldn’t control the damage she could do while I was gone. I shouldn’t have stopped. Any conversation with her is a waste of time.
“Oh, I highly doubt you’ll tell the truth.” Pearl called after me.
My gait didn’t pause when her words hit my back. The chill midmorning air kissed my cheeks, blowing away the stench of our conversation when I walked onto the balcony. I took a deep breath. Pearl is wrapped up in her own delusions. I need to focus on the next few hours.
Bracing myself, I leapt into the air.
∞ ∞ ∞
The sharp sting of my mother’s hand rushed across my face, snapping my head to the side.
“Fool!” she said furiously.
My cheek throbbed painfully, but I refused to lift a hand to massage it. That would be a sign of weakness. I’m lucky mother’s nails didn’t mark me. I hope it doesn’t bruise. It would be hard to explain to Ari, and I’ll have to wait until it heals before I can accept another Revue.
The family dais was a pristine, sprawling estate of quartz and glass. There were no welcoming hugs or triumphant grins. Only silence and condescension. My stomach was still a ball of lead half an hour later when I’d finished my account of the Autumn Feyle’s events.
Mother paced the room while father sat with calculating eyes in a chair across from me. He brushed a strand of dark hair from his forehead before calmly waving at mother to sit down. She hissed agitatedly but did as he bid.
“The infernal competition you and Castia have has cost the family a great deal, daughter,” father said slowly. Each word was measured. “The edge we had with you is gone, and our entire plan for the Heir has collapsed. Surely you understand how distressing the situation is?”
The elders in the room angrily ruffled their wings, hissing in lowered voices. I looked at the corner of the room, where my raven-haired siblings stood, regarding me with shuttered eyes. The youngest fledgling’s eyes were wide in panic and fear. Fear for yourself, little one, I thought pitifully. You’ll be an expendable pawn before long and will have no freedom from it.
My parents didn’t allow their children to be in contact with each other unless it was for a social function. Then we were brought out like achievements and paraded around. Because of their control, I knew one thing about each sibling: their name. My mind flitted to an old lesson of my mother’s on controlling an individual versus a group.
Mother’s voice purred in my mind. It’s easier to catch the eye of a single male and make him feel he’s in control. It’s far harder to control a group of men. Once you have a man in your thrall, you’re free to subvert his cohorts. But be careful. Men have their little quirks.
I blinked, jerking my attention to the present. My parents sat in high, narrow chairs covered with dark violet velvet and silver. Violet was the family’s insignia color; an attempt a few generations ago at being more like the High Family we wanted to be and less like the Merchant Class we were. Being one of the wealthiest families in Summit wasn’t enough—my family wanted more. Contentment isn’t a word in the Ambire vocabulary, I thought despairingly.
“I wasn’t competing with Castia, father. I didn’t see her at the Autumn Feyle after receiving the tickets she procured for me and Ari. Heir Talon wasn’t there, so I thought securing the High Lord’s interest where she had failed was the right thing to do,” I said.
“You thought? Who asked you to think? Like you, Castia thought the family wanted her to do something stupid. Thoughtless girl got herself pregnant! As though that would procure a Life-Bond with High Lord Bera!” my mother spat between clenched teeth.
My eyes flitted to Castia’s parents; their faces pinched in disapproval. Castia’s pregnant? With High Lord Bera’s fledgling? That means…she’s carrying the next heir! My heart thumped excitedly. I…I can be free. They won’t need me anymore.
I beamed. “That’s wonderful! If Castia is carrying the direct heir that means the Ambire family will be in a prestigious position at the Aerie!”
A long, strained hush followed my statement, stretching thin. The moment was broken when my mother rose, poised to strike again. My father raised a finger and she stilled, quivering with suppressed rage. But it’s not mother I need to be careful of, I thought with dread. Her veins might be fueled by fury, but father’s icy calculation is buried in the marrow of his bones.
“Premine, stop hitting her where it will show,” father said quietly. Obeying his instructions, mother pinched the skin of my arm so hard it brought tears to my eyes. I clenched my jaw, refusing to cry out at the pain.
“Castia isn’t carrying the direct heir, you idiot offspring. She’s carrying a—”
My father interrupted smoothly. “There’s no heir without a Life-Bond, Maewyn. At your age you should realize that’s what Rascette Cuffs are for. They prevent the unwanted conception of fledglings outside of Life-Bonding.”
My mother’s iron grip released itself, and the throbbing pain almost made me cry out. Having spent her anger on me, my mother sat calmly next to my father, smoothing her beautiful face into an inscrutable mask. I chewed my lip to keep from rubbing the stinging spot.
“I know that conception outside of a Life-Bond is frowned upon by the Aerial Prelate, but surely he could make an exception for the fledgling of High Lord Bera. It’d be the only direct heir!” I said, confused by the unruffled demeanor of the family.
Isn’t it a good thing that Castia is pregnant with the High Lord’s fledgling? For all of us? It would immediately raise the social status of the entire family and I’d be free to choose my own Bond. Wouldn’t I?
“Without a Life-Bond no fledgling will matter. Castia played her hand the wrong way. Once she is closer to term she will be sent to a small dais in the Private Holding where arrangements will be made to send her to the Sanatorium when it’s time. Until then, she will be locked in this dais without visitors.” My mother said coldly.
“I don’t understand.” I said lamely. The fledgling will still be High Lord Bera’s direct heir, and they’re going to lock Castia away? I could be pregnant. Fear washed over me at the thought, and I refrained from putting my hand on my stomach. Will they lock me away too?
My mother sighed exasperatedly. “Do you think Castia is the first pretty bird High Lord Bera has taken? The first he shared a Mate-Bond with? How many fledglings do you think he has sired? Not one of them will matter unless he enters into a Life-Bond again.”
I blinked at this information. “Again? High Lord Bera had a Life-Bond before?”
My father waved a hand carelessly. “We directed you toward Heir Talon. Why didn’t you pursue him?” he said pointedly.
“I didn’t see him at the Feyle, and he didn’t seem like the best target. He’s only the Heir.” I said meekly, shifting uncomfortably.
My father’s jaw clenched at my pitiful answer, and I jerked. Whatever punishment he decides on will be far, far worse than anything mother does. I quickly continued.
“But it doesn’t matter now, does it? If Castia is pregnant, then I can make High Lord Bera want a Life-Bond in her place!” I burst out desperately, avoiding the retribution swirling in my father’s frigid gaze.
“He’s only the Heir? Talon will be the next High Lord if Bera doesn’t initiate another Life-Bond. High Lord Bera is content with the way things are, and no one offers their daughters for a Life-Bond after what happened to his first wife.” My father explained slowly, as though talking to a fledgling.
I didn’t know High Lord Bera was in a Life-Bond before. “What happened to his first wife?”
My father shrugged. “That’s not your concern. We placed Castia there to change his mind. There was no rush. High Lord Bera has some time left before he’s ash. You, however, were to get the attention of Heir Talon. Instead, you both failed.”
I winced, anticipating the moment penance would rain down on me for my failure. The entire Ambire family would witness it. A standard theme of inferiority for the one seated, I thought resentfully.
Pale, slender fingers stroked father’s chin while his dark green gaze weighed me. “Still, all may not be lost. You can still catch the attention of the Heir. Rumors say his taste in women runs to the…unusual.”
The invisible strings of my family’s expectations tightened, and I tried not to fidget. My father silently calculated the advantages of having me dissolve the Mate-Bond I’d created last night to create a new one with the Heir. I noticed the stillness of the gathered family members, and I calmed my racing heart. Everyone listens to father. Even mother. He’s the only one she’ll listen to—because she knows how badly it will be if she doesn’t.
“Your Tyro.” My father said abruptly, changing the topic and snapping my focus to him. “Her Talent still hasn’t manifested?”
I kept a frown from marring my expression. “No, it hasn’t.” One breath in, one breath out. Stay calm, stay focused.
My mother’s face lit with sly understanding and she nodded. “Yes, that could work, Bastian. But she’ll need to act fast.”
What could work? My confusion must have leaked onto my face because my father looked at me sharply. “Don’t even think about acting on your own judgement again. You’ve proven how faulty that is; however, you’re still of use to me. Instead of enticing the Heir with a Caelum who is untouched, we’ll entice him with one who has a Tyro without Talent.”
Father’s earlier word rang in my mind. Unusual. What does that mean? Niles warned me about Dani, and he’s friends with Talon. Does Dani have unusual interests too? My stomach tightened uneasily.
“Both of you should pique the Heir’s interest. Once you have his attention, I’m sure you can do the rest.” An arched eyebrow in my direction was the only acknowledgement my mother gave of last night’s failure.
“Ari has nothing to do with this. She wouldn’t go along with it.” I said, the unease in my stomach tightening. I hadn’t told my parents my suspicions concerning Ari’s True One worship. She won’t understand. Please, don’t make me involve her.
“You misunderstand. We don’t want her to go along with anything. Reports of her odd appearance and lack of Talent are appalling.” A delicate shudder of revulsion racked my mother’s body.
“She’s merely a means to an end, Maewyn. Currently she’s an asset, however revolting she might be.” my father said.
“How?” I said, stemming the flood of panic washing through my veins at trying to convince Ari to go along with whatever scheme my parents concocted.
“Because she’s basically an Anomaly, you fool!” my mother hissed agitatedly.
My father’s mouth crooked up, but I was too busy trying to figure out their convoluted plan to worry. How are Ari’s bi-colored eyes and lack of Talent an asset that will catch the attention of the Heir? Davin’s last letter flashed into my mind.
Davin also asked about her at the Feyle. Is he interested in Ari? My eyes widened, and a pang of jealousy darted through me. No, that can’t be possible. Fingers snapped in front of my face, jerking me out of my thoughts. I stared at my father’s outstretched hand. His green eyes regarded me coolly as he settled into his chair.
“What are you thinking, Maewyn?” he said in a deceptively calm voice.
I shook my head, figuring out my thoughts. Davin can’t be interested in Ari, but it would explain his questions about her. Should I tell my parents she’s a True One worshipper before they somehow find out and think I’ve ruined their plans again?
Thwack! A cane cracked against my legs, and I screamed. Blinking tears from my eyes, I stared at father. He impassively held a thin, metal stick in one hand, and no one breathed a word of protest; if someone sat in this chair, they were lucky if they didn’t get hit.
“Don’t make me ask again.” he said quietly.
I stared emotionlessly at the stick, masking my loathing. A brief debate warred in my mind whether to mention the information, but father knew I was withholding it. I could tell him I was thinking about Castia’s current replacement, Willow. But he’ll know. He can always tell when I’m lying.
“I was thinking about Davin.” I said succinctly.
My father’s eyes narrowed. “Heir Talon’s closest friend? What about him?”
“I’ve had contact with him, but there was no fruition. I was thinking of how to use him to get to the Heir.” There. Not a complete lie.
“What else?” my father prodded.
Claw-like fingers stroked my mother’s chin as she considered the information, and her cool blue eyes weighed its importance. My father’s lips pursed, but the thin metal stick softly tapped the side of his chair. Please, I don’t want to drag Ari into this. She shouldn’t be a pawn in this family’s social climb.
My calf burned when father struck me for staying silent, and I bit my lip to keep from screaming. The metallic tang of blood slid onto my tongue. Will he lash my back again? I thought in panic, remembering my refusal of a Life-Bond with Caelum Greerson and my father’s wrath.
My calf felt brittle when he hit me a third time. “What. Else.” he said.
“I th-think…” I stuttered, rushing to get the words out against the building pain, “I think Davin might be interested in Ari.” And that Ari could ruin everything if she follows the Old Traditions.
“Why do you think so?” my mother said.
“He…he’s asked about her.” I said, shame suffusing me at my parents cunning look
. Please…please don’t make Ari a part of this.
“Hmmm, it seems the abomination is already an asset. Good. However, we need to make sure she isn’t more of an asset than Maewyn. We don’t want the Tyro catching the eye of the Heir in Maewyn’s place, Bastian.” my mother warned.
My father stood silently, his green eyes surveying me critically. “The Heir has many tastes. A package deal, with both women offering something unusual, might be more interesting for him.”
My mother let out a low hiss. “You would take that risk?”
“No, Premine. Not a risk. The Tyro is bait, but she won’t be part of the final deal.”
My stomach churned in horror. “Ari won’t agree to something of the sort.” I said, trying to stem the flow of the conversation.
“She doesn’t need to go along with anything. Just make Davin think she is. We don’t need her knowing family secrets.” Father said brusquely.
The common room walls shrunk as I realized the lies I would have to tell Ari. One breath in, one breath out, I reminded myself. She won’t know…but it’s wrong…isn’t it?
I nodded. Not daring to make a sound that was too loud. If they think I’m weak or unwilling to do what it takes for the Ambire family, they’ll find a way to ruin me. Lashing me wasn’t the worst they could have done when I refused Caelum Greerson. I shuddered at the memory of a cousin standing against the family and returning on her knees in rags begging for help.
“Good,” my father said with finality, “Keep Ari’s role simple. She’s currently an asset, but she’s an unknown factor. We aren’t counting on her cooperation, but we don’t want her revealing information to anyone.”
“We’ll arrange an appointment for you to see Aerial Prelate Ragnor to dissolve the Mate-Bond you assert was created with High Lord Bera. You’re positive the Bond was with him?” my mother said.
My lips tightened at the tinge of doubt in her voice. “Yes.”
“Very well. We’ll send a letter when the appointment is settled.”
My heart leapt happily, but I hid it. This was my chance to dissolve the Mate-Bond with Greerson. With a decision made, father ended the meeting by walking out of the room. I didn’t dare glance at the metal stick when he passed, or flinch when mother brushed too close. Show them strength and confidence. I kept my gaze leveled on their vacant chairs until the family shuffled out of the room.
