One Thousand Kisses

by One Thousand Kisses

  It took some time.

  Finally, he heaved himself into a sitting position and glared up at Gangee. “Now you may speak.”

  “Is there anything you need to tell me?” Gangee asked. “You mentioned you were working on side projects instead of sleeping.”

  “Last night was tiring, for obvious reasons.” He’d skipped the energy pill this morning, pleased he hadn’t needed it. “Do continue.”

  Gangee’s thin features revealed his doubt, but he did as Embor asked. “You and the Torvals wouldn’t be the only individuals the truthseekers would scrutinize. Anisette was with Jake and Talista during the time period the amnesia spell was used.”

  “You think it was Jake?” Gangee knew a bit of what Jake was capable of, but not all. Nor could Embor share Jake’s developments, because it was Embor who’d helped expand them.

  “I think, with Anisette unable to provide details, we can’t pin it on the Torvals. The last thing we want is the truthseekers looking into Jake.”

  Whether the Commission became involved or not, Embor knew what had to be done. What would be done. Warran had hurt Anisette, and he would pay. Embor’s conviction in murky situations had helped him and Skythia make correct decisions for the Realm time and again. Except for five years ago, a blip in the grand scheme, he had no reason to distrust his instincts.

  “We’ll keep the truthseekers away from Jake.” Embor dragged himself to his feet, feeling older than his one hundred and fifty years. Whatever extra rest he’d managed last night was gone. “But we know the truth, Gangee. That son of a hag Warran did something to the princess and tried to cover it up. I won’t rest until I find out what it was and how he got his hands on spirit magic.”

  Chapter Six

  The black cat showed up during human studies, causing a commotion. He stared at Ani until she excused herself from the classroom. Whispers dogged her footsteps as she and the cat departed.

  “How did she attract a cat?”

  “She’s lucky. Did you hear? She and the Primary…”

  That comment nearly halted her. She and the Primary? Had they been seen? Possibly. The garden, the hallway, the mineral springs, and topping it off, this morning. They’d transported directly to the healer’s ward, but Embor had knocked on her door as if it were a date.

  Sometimes that was enough to start a flash flood of tattle. It would explain the stares directed at her all morning.

  At least there was a bright side to becoming known as the fairy who’d had the cheek to step out on a Torval—with the Primary. If Warran became so angry he broke up with her, any ostracism she suffered would be a small price to pay.

  Ani sighed, waiting on the cat. Sometimes she hated it here. As a female twin, she’d always assumed her path lay in Elder Court. Tali had cooperated since Court training brought her closer to humanspace. Now Tali had humanspace, and Ani had a facsimile of Court. Politicking, social maneuvering and gossip.

  How soon before Warran heard the rumors? Would he believe them? Would anyone believe rumors like that about Embor? Skythia loved to try new things, especially men, but Embor had that reputation for frostiness.

  In the garden his hormone levels had seemed warm, and last night there had been that powerful moment. No frost anywhere, only heat and blue dye. She’d shocked herself with how willing she’d been to toss custom aside. Who needed a card when she had the man in front of her? Then there was that naughty, delicious, unfulfilling dream that seemed designed to make her seek fulfillment in a more concrete fashion.

  This morning he’d informed her in no uncertain terms everything was forgotten.

  The cat had warned her he was going to lie. Was that the lie? She wasn’t sure if she wanted it to be. No lies were good, but some were more constructive than others.

  Ani glanced at the feline trotting beside her en route to her chambers. “Master Fey, are you feeling more talkative this afternoon?”

  The cat’s tail, which had been level with his body, curled upward like a Spitz dog.

  He was listening. That was something.

  “I was hoping you could elaborate on what lie the Primary told me.” Cats’ predictive abilities had proven accurate more often than not. “There were several possibilities.”

  I should like a blanket.

  Embor hadn’t said anything about blankets. He’d recommended she cover herself last night, but that didn’t correlate unless the cat meant Embor hadn’t wanted her to cover herself.

  But no, Master Fey had indicated the lie would relate to the exam while the secrets could be anything. The cat’s comment was simply a request.

  “I have several blankets,” she told him.

  A fuzzy one.

  “I made a grannie square coverlet last year.” Ani was proud of her dexterity with the crochet hook. Many high-level fairies distanced themselves from crafts, but she found working with her hands therapeutic. Perhaps if she told Gangee she’d make him a scarf, he’d retract his prescription.

  It’s not brown.

  “I see. Hey!” The cat swerved down a corridor. She hurried to keep him in sight. She didn’t want him disappearing on her when he seemed to have such useful information. “Where are we going?”

  Many places.

  They descended several sets of stairs, padded through a kitchen and paused at a window to watch birds. They ended in the hallway leading to the castle laundry. The cat took off like a shot, tearing around the corner before Ani could so much as blink.

  “Is something wrong?” She hastened to the end of the hallway.

  No cat.

  “Master Fey?”

  A cheery voice sounded behind her. “If it’s not the woman of the hour.”

  Ani turned to see her cousin Janelle lugging a load of washing down the hallway. “Fair met. Have you seen a black cat around here?”

  Janelle, her hair more wildly curled than usual, thunked two sacks onto the ground. Together the bags were nearly as big as she was. Ani embraced her with pleasure.

  “Cats don’t like Court. Too many idiots wandering around, likely to step on their tails.” She hefted both haversacks. Ani reached for one, but Janelle waved her off.

  Ani clasped her hands. “I’ve been visited by a cat this morning. He led me here.”

  “Really?” Janelle’s blue eyes widened. “Lucky you.”

  “I hope so.” She could use a touch of luck to survive what could be a perfect storm of gossip. How sad was it that her sexy scandal didn’t involve her actually having sex? Outside her head, that is. “Do you have a minute, Jan?”

  “For you I have an hour. I’ve just finished delivery and pick-up. Why don’t you come into my office for tea?”

  “Sounds wonderful.” She’d meant to visit Janelle anyway, though she’d intended to bring her torn petticoats for a professional opinion about salvaging them. Ani followed the smaller woman into the front room, where several Court members or their assistants waited to deposit laundry with Janelle’s sibs.

  “When are you going to start using globes for delivery and pick-up?” Ani asked.

  “When our little fairy feet stop working. Or when our customers are outside the Court complex.”

  Ani laughed. Some fairies used magic as much as possible. Some used it as little as possible. Janelle wasn’t a fan of globes—other people’s magic—though she was happy to barter for them. “You could hire a transport fairy.”

  “I’ve got two. They work downtown.” Janelle tossed one of her bundles at a man behind the counter. “Follow me.”

  They passed through the foyer into a prep room. Windows bright with sunshine lined one entire wall, and everything inside the cavernous room was white. Ani squinted, shading her eyes. White shelves lined the walls, stacked with twine-tied bundles. Staffers ironed and folded sheets on long tables, using slender boards to get a good crease. The atmosphere was filled with hustle, bustle and the various scents customers had requested for their linens.

  No sign of the cat. Ani peered under tables and
shelves. How was she supposed to choose a blanket for him if he wasn’t around? She assumed he’d led her here so she could beg or buy one from Janelle, whose unclaimed laundry room was a best-kept secret for economical fabric.

  Finally they reached Janelle’s office. While fairies with magical household abilities like laundry and cooking were in demand by those who could afford them, Janelle was at the top of her field. Growing up, Ani had had to do enough cleaning that she knew what a luxury it was to hire a wizardess like Janelle.

  Moreover, Jan’s business accomplishments didn’t begin to touch on her second skill set—the ability to assess inner character based on laundry. It had given her a taste for gossip Ani suspected made more chits than the cleaning.

  Janelle activated a privacy spell so they could converse without being overheard. “So, Ani, tell me about this cat.”

  “He was sleeping with me when I woke up this morning.”

  “Better a cat than a man, I always say.” After shaking the sack into a bin by the door, Janelle stretched her back, popping her vertebrae in a way that made Ani wince.

  She fidgeted with the end of her braid. “Would you like me to adjust your spine?”

  “Nah.” Janelle peered into the shallow bin and scrunched her face. “I’m going to have to do this now. The smell is atrocious.”

  The walls and ceiling in Jan’s office were white, but the desk and chairs were blond wood. Textile art hung on the walls, bright splashes of color in the pale, clean room.

  “Why did you bring laundry on your break?” Ani asked.

  “Rush job, VVVIP customer.” She pulled a huge, brown wad that resembled a chunk of mammoth out of the bin and spread it on the table. A harsh stench filled the room.

  “My goodness.” Ani pressed her hand to her nose and mouth. “What is that?”

  “Not sure.” Janelle closed her eyes and called her magics. Ani felt invisible currents flow toward her cousin. “It’s familiar but I can’t place it. No wonder he paid extra.”

  “It’s terrible.” She wished she had her sister’s ability to transport fragrances from one place to another. Tali had a photographic memory for smells and could always remember where to find one that was nicer. Or more horrible, depending on what Tali was trying to achieve. “Whose laundry is that?”

  “That’s confidential.” Jan waved her hands over the material, fingers dancing without touching.

  Ani held her breath as the odor in the room intensified before disappearing. “I understand,” she said as she exhaled.

  “If I didn’t respect certain laundry-related secrets, I’d be out of a job.” Janelle rolled the bedding into a fat brown tube. “Enough for now. It’s snack time.”

  “I’ll get the cups.” Ani’s water magic didn’t extend to changing the temperature of liquid. She retrieved the tea tray from Jan’s shelf, beside the cookie jar, and set it on the desk.

  On a sideboard, Janelle heated a pot of water with her hands before adding tea leaves to steep. “Have you met your cat before?”

  “I don’t think so.” Several cats haunted the Serendipity clanhome, and Tali and Jake had two unevolved tabbies in Vegas. Master Fey bore no resemblance to any of them. “He’s black and white. Very handsome.”

  “Has he said anything?”

  “A few comments.” Ani, hovering over the sugar and honey, didn’t know how much to confide. The cat had impugned Embor’s honesty, and she didn’t want to implicate the Primary in front of the goddess of gossip. “He wanted a blanket and warned me to beware of dishonesty in others.”

  “That’s all?” Janelle slumped into her ergonomic chair, which Ani and Tali had gifted her from humanspace.

  “That’s all.” Some cats were chatterboxes. Some never uttered a single miaow. Most were oblique. On a scale of cats, her friend was on the low end of loquacious. “Perhaps he’s not comfortable with me yet.”

  “Well, it’s good advice. Assume people are dishonest until proven otherwise.” Janelle took out a battered copy of The Thousand Kisses and fluffed through the pages. “Speaking of information, tell me about you and Elder Embor. Has he really got hands of fire?”

  “There’s nothing to tell.” Ani sat opposite Janelle, and her face heated. Once Embor assured himself she was unlikely to attack his constituents, his focus on her would disappear. “Why don’t you tell me what you think you know?”

  Janelle smirked. “What do I know that I haven’t sold yet or what do I know that everyone knows? You argued with the Primary in the dorm. Word is it was a lover’s tiff. You hussy. You’re practically human, stringing along two men at once.”

  “You realize that’s not true, right?”

  Janelle grinned. “Your visit to Healer Gangee? Pregnancy test.”

  “It was not!” Ani exclaimed. “I’ve been pledged to Warran for months. I can’t take up with anyone else until we decide we don’t suit.” She knew they didn’t, even without a bond test. If these rumors about Embor didn’t take care of their understanding, a parting of ways with Warran was on her list of very unpleasant things to address.

  It had been on the list for some time. In fact, her list was long and contained too many items that bordered on permanent. Ani wasn’t a fan of confrontation, and the idea of rejecting Warran made her want to hide under a bed.

  “I know you follow the rules, sweetie. Everyone knows.” Janelle patted her hand. “That’s why it’s so delicious.”

  A braver woman would pretend she and Embor were having an affair to ensure Warran’s disgust. But then she’d have Embor’s disgust to deal with too. If the Primary had wanted an affair, he’d have done something besides stare at her face last night.

  Janelle slid a string into her book before flipping to the front. “The thing is, I happened to be with our esteemed leader before the quarrel.” Flip, flip, flip. “I asked him who he wanted to date, and he whispered something about you being in trouble. Then he took off. Ah, here it is.” She marked another spot and closed the book.

  “He never.” Embor had confessed to Janelle he wanted to date Ani? Preposterous.

  “He did.” Janelle poured tea into two delicate cups. “That’s the part I haven’t shared with anyone. I haven’t decided what it’s worth.”

  “It’s worth nothing.”

  “What do you think? A week’s indenture? A hundred globes? Once I sell it to the highest bidder, it loses value. Damn gossips.”

  All the white in Janelle’s office was a tad blinding. Ani lowered her eyelids as much as possible without seeming rude. “You must have misunderstood him.”

  “I considered that.” She pushed a teacup at Ani. “When he said your name, he might not have been answering me. But he sensed your situation from afar, cousin, and that’s fascinating.”

  “I don’t know how.” As Primary, was he tuned to the inhabitants of the complex somehow? It could be another Court cover-up, like the sixth arts, the Seers and single-birth fairies.

  “Were you in danger last night?” Janelle asked.

  “I’d had a less than wonderful day, but that’s not unusual.” Chills bubbled through her like glacial thaw. She shivered. “It’s cold in here.”

  “Are you kidding? This place is a steam bath.” Jan drizzled honey, sugar and lemon into her tea, sipped it, and added more sugar. “So you’re telling me there’s nothing going on between you and Elder Embor? I saw his face, Ani.”

  “There’s nothing going on.” Was there? She longed to get someone’s advice, but not Janelle’s. What had happened in Ani’s bedroom would be too much for her cousin to resist selling. “I’m barely acquainted with him. He’s never offered me a card, nor I him.”

  “Not everyone bothers with cards.”

  “In the Outer Territories, maybe. I don’t know anyone here who doesn’t follow The Thousand Kisses.” Except, perhaps, Embor. She couldn’t imagine him giving anyone a card. What would he do if she sent him one? She’d have to break up with Warran first to do it with a clear conscience. She didn’t know if
that was motivating—or daunting.

  “Sweet, sweet cuz. You’re so naive.” Janelle clinked her teacup onto a saucer and opened the book. “If the Primary does do rituals, I have him down as a one hundred. Let me know if that’s not true before you tell anyone else.”

  “You don’t believe anything I’ve said.”

  “I believe you think there’s nothing going on. What was the doctor visit?”

  Ani took her tea with almost as much sugar as Janelle. Sweet teeth ran in Clan Serendipity. When she finished her taste test, she confessed, “The truth is, I had a little panic attack. Elder Embor was concerned.”

  “Concerned like a brother or concerned like a lover?”

  Ani remembered Embor’s protectiveness, his intensity, his touch—and his dismissal. “Concerned like the Primary of the Elder Court.”

  “He’s not sleeping with anyone. He told me so himself.”

  She hid her face behind her warm, fragrant teacup. “That’s hardly any of my business.”

  “You’re not sleeping with anyone.”

  “These things take time,” she murmured, drinking more tea. Prior to today, the most scandalous gossip about Ani was that Warran hadn’t offered a ritual card yet. His actions, or lack thereof, were attributed to the fact he was often away on business so he and Ani hadn’t settled on the perfect number. Fairies had one chance to get a bond test right, and after that it was just sex. Entertaining but futile if one’s goal was to find a bondmate.

  “Speaking of Sir Holdout, Warran isn’t going to be pleased when he hears this tittle-tattle. Seen him today?”

  “No.” And she didn’t want to. The headache that had been tweaking her for twenty minutes tweaked harder. Her scalp prickled.

  Janelle tapped her lip with her quill. “I was paid not to share this, but he buys weekly updates on you.”

  Ani pulled a face. She didn’t need more reasons to dislike him. “Do you give him his chits’ worth?”