I wanted to laugh at what she did next, thumping the paperweight on the King's desk and scolding Bel Erland—a Prince—in front of his father.
"These are your new guards," Bel announced. "Because Dad insisted."
"I think they should join us for breakfast," I said, surprised that I'd spoken out of turn.
"That's fine," Queen Lissa smiled at me. "Shall we?"
* * *
"You applied as a cook's helper?" Queen Lissa turned to Zaria—that was her name—as we sat eating breakfast.
"Yes. I thought I'd be whipping up omelets for the King, the Prince and anybody else who came along," Zaria shrugged. "Until I jumped on the Prince in front of his father. I imagined I'd see the door shortly after that."
"It was funny," Bel Erland admitted. "I don't think anybody outside the family has ever told me off like that."
"You deserved it," Queen Lissa rounded on him.
"I know. I was pissed at Dad and worried about Quin at the same time. It was stupid."
"Worried about me, or what I'd think?" I asked.
"Sweetheart," Bel held up a hand.
"I think the scolding Zaria handed you was sufficient punishment," I said. "She has my permission to do it again, if you deserve it again."
Bel and Lissa burst into laughter. Justis smiled; Zaria, sitting opposite us and next to Ilya, ducked her head. I noticed then that he was right-handed, and she was left-handed. She likely had to work to keep their elbows from knocking during the meal.
I was beginning to accept the idea that they'd be my bodyguards; they felt as if they belonged in a way I couldn't explain.
* * *
Ilya
I was invited to spar with Caylon Black when we returned to Avii Castle. I'd offered to transport the five of us, but Prince Bel Erland performed that duty.
I imagined that Caylon wanted to feel us out—to determine how skilled Zaria and I were. I had no doubts about my skills.
Zaria's? I had many.
Bel Erland informed us that we'd begin our duties the following day, before allowing servants to lead us toward our quarters. As expected, those quarters were on either side of Quin's, where the Prince would also be staying when he visited Avii Castle.
Dena, a talkative yellow-winged servant, took us through the castle until we arrived at our suites. I merely wanted to change into sparring clothes in order to meet Caylon.
Zaria, on the other hand, wanted to explore everything. I almost laughed at the prospect of her lifting a blade—I doubted she'd held anything more dangerous than a filleting knife in all her years.
I still hadn't spoken to her; I'd gleaned my information from the conversation she had with Dena. Dena was quite excited and offered to take her about. Zaria accepted. I held back a snort at life's inequities.
I imagined that Caylon Black would find her unsuitable immediately and Bel Erland would be forced to admit the mistake he'd made in hiring her.
* * *
Zaria
Yes, asshole Ironsmith had stuck around to see how long it took Caylon Black to wipe the grass with my remains. If he'd been the least bit polite, I might have assigned a less judgmental name to him.
He insisted on being an asshole, which not only upset me greatly, it made me question—again—why I was and where I was.
"I have not trained with blade or bow, Sursee Black," I said, bowing properly to him in the Falchani way. "All I have is the power granted to me by my race and a sharp tongue, if the Prince is to be believed."
Caylon Black stood, unmoving, on the grass within Avii Castle's great, glass bowl. He studied me carefully. When he moved, he moved swiftly, throwing the knife so it would graze my ribs.
It would have left a shallow, bloody cut behind—if it had hit me.
It didn't.
The knife stopped halfway between us; I'd left it hanging in midair. With hooded eyes, Caylon stepped forward to retrieve the knife, only to yelp and drop it to the ground—I'd heated it, handle included, hot enough to burn skin.
I could have done so much more, including a poison that would have rendered his hand useless from now on, but that I held in reserve.
"What the bloody hell?" Ilya thought to intervene. I slapped a bubble shield about him—one meant to rotate as he attempted to walk closer. Like a hamster in a ball, he walked in place until he realized the trap. I had no intention to hurt him; I only wanted to stop him in his tracks.
"Sursee Black, is there anything else you'd like to see?" I asked.
"You see this?" he held up his burned hand.
"Aww, I can fix that," I declared. Walking forward, I took his hand in mine and healed the burn, leaving pink, healthy flesh behind. He blinked as he flexed his hand—the pain had disappeared.
"Karathian Witches who can heal are extremely rare," he breathed.
"Yeah. I get that," I said. "It's just a sideline."
"I believe Ilya is shouting," Caylon pointed out. I turned toward Ilya, who was still inside his bubble and fighting to get out. "And he's a Fifth-level," I muttered, removing the bubble with a thought.
"When in the bloody history of Karathia were you last tested for talent?" he shouted, once the shield was down.
"Not since I was a child," I snapped. "My mother died in Didge when I was seven. She used the last of her power to send me to safety. I never saw her again, and as I grew up on Tulgalan with an aunt, there wasn't anybody willing to take me back to Karathia for reassessment."
"So Third-level is your assessment after the power was awakened?" Ilya's voice went quiet.
"Yes. It's on my application; that I haven't been tested since."
"There is no need to have this argument where the entire castle can hear you," Caylon warned.
"Shall we sort this out over dinner?" Ilya demanded.
"Not without a referee," I snapped back.
"Ardis has arrived," Caylon announced, breaking up the argument.
"Ahem," the Black Wing Commander began as he folded long, jet-black wings and frowned at us. "I—and every other Avii in the castle—can hear you quite clearly," he said. "While I find it entertaining, I really would prefer that King Justis not discover what polar opposites the Karathian guards for his Queen are."
"Sorry," I apologized.
"My apologies, Commander," Ilya gave a half-bow.
Showoff, I sent to Ilya.
He didn't raise his head for several seconds. It took me that long to realize he was struggling not to laugh.
"Unbelievable," I muttered and folded space to my suite.
* * *
Quin
"I heard there was an argument on the lawn," Justis noted as a plate of food was set in front of him. "Your new guards, if I'm not mistaken."
"They've worked together one day," I said as a plate was set in front of me. "You can't expect perfection in a matter of hours."
"If Caylon hadn't passed on both of them," Justis cut into the chunk of meat on his plate, "I'd have sent them away myself."
"But I like them," I said.
"You like them?" Justis' fork was poised halfway to his mouth as he blinked in surprise.
"I do. Zaria wastes no time in telling males off. If I have her as a guard, I'm hoping to learn from her."
"That doesn't sound promising," Justis muttered before stuffing the chunk of steak in his mouth and chewing.
"If I am forced to have guards, then these are the ones I want," I declared.
"I'm not sure you need to learn anything from Zaria," Justis remarked after swallowing. "I think you have things well enough in hand already."
I didn't reply, I merely rustled my wings, letting him know what I thought of his assessment.
* * *
Le-Ath Veronis
Sun City
Terrett
Berel and I had been out all day, in Sun City. Sun City was the closest large city to Avii Castle, and Justis had asked us to shop for agricultural equipment and supplies for the Avii farmers.
Everythi
ng we'd selected would be delivered by boat the following day; neither of us had the ability to transport ourselves by folding space.
Therefore, we had to send mindspeech to Justis when we were done, thinking that Salidar, Caylon or someone else with folding talent would come for us.
We were quite surprised to see who did come.
"Zaria," she held out her hand. "One of Quin's new guards," she added. She studied me for several moments as we clasped fingers, before turning to Berel and offering her hand to him.
"You're Karathian?" Berel guessed.
"Yes, as is Ilya, the other guard. The Karathian King insisted on two guards for Quin and the Prince."
"I'm surprised you lasted a day," Berel grinned. "Quin doesn't like guards."
"But I'm so likable and nonjudgmental," Zaria grinned back.
I like her, I sent to Berel.
Me, too, he replied.
"Ready to go?" Zaria asked.
"Absolutely," Berel grinned.
* * *
Avii Castle
Quin
"Honey, I'm home," Zaria announced as she landed Berel and Terrett inside my sitting room. Bleek and Barc were there ahead of them; Barc wanted to show me the drawing he'd made in day class.
Ilya, who stood guard by the door, barely lifted an eyebrow, although I read in him that he wanted to laugh—for a second time that day.
"Look," Barc wagged his comp-vid drawing at Zaria.
"What is this?" Zaria took the comp-vid. "Why, it's a reptagator," she breathed. "And a very good one, I might add."
"She guessed it," Barc was overjoyed and clapped all four hands.
"You figured that out?" Bleek said, taking the comp-vid from Zaria. "I didn't get it."
"Here—see, this is his snout, with all the teeth," Zaria pointed at the drawing. "His legs, rubbery hide—it's a reptagator."
"Come here, you," Berel swung Barc into the air, making him squeal with delight.
"Dearest?" Kaldill appeared inside my sitting room, careful not to knock into anyone else. For a moment, he stared at Zaria while a fleeting expression of recognition moved across his features.
"Do we have new guards?" he turned to me then, while ignoring her.
Perhaps I was mistaken, but I could have sworn for just a moment that she was terrified.
Kaldill no longer cared that she was there, so I dismissed it as unimportant.
* * *
Ilya
Zaria excused herself, explaining that she'd spend the next two hours guarding the terrace outside Quin's suite so the two Avii guards stationed there could get a meal and rest.
"It's raining out," I said as she passed.
"I can form a shield," she muttered, brushing past me on her way through the door. I saw it, then.
The sadness. Perhaps it was because of her past—her mother's death and her forced exit from Karathia. I didn't know for certain and at that moment, I dismissed it. I hoped her skills as a witch wouldn't fail us when real trouble came. She had yet to learn what I'd asked about already—those who hunted Quin and Bel Erland.
They'd destroyed an entire planet in their attempts to kill Quin before. Things could get worse from here on out—the very throne of Karathia was their goal and they'd proven that they had no qualms about murdering anyone who stood in their way.
At least I was coming to see Zaria as something more useful than a pretty cook's assistant. She was already turning heads and deliberately ignoring all of it.
Chapter 2
Quin
"We have new information," Caylon said when he and Salidar joined us at the breakfast table. "It appears the Arden twins are taking up Cayetes' old habits and pirating the shipping lanes. Three ships were taken two days ago. The information we have indicates that some of Cayetes' old crew boarded one of the ships before the recording devices were shut down."
"Where are the ships now?" Lafe asked.
"One is missing, the other two's crews were killed and the ships left to drift after everything of value was stripped out of them."
"The one that's missing—was it a freighter?"
"Passenger ship, with a few wealthy people on board," Caylon frowned.
"You think they're looking to ransom them?" Ilya asked. He and Zaria were at the table—with several people between them. I hadn't failed to notice the distance they placed between themselves.
"We don't know, and the pirates have Sirenali, so even the most powerful can't find the hostages—wherever they are."
Terrett hmmphed in his throat, pointing out his displeasure at their use of Sirenali, all of whom were little more than slaves. Like him, they'd had their tongues removed at an early age so they couldn't place obsession—and somehow, they'd been obsessed at the same time, so they'd never be able to fold space.
"So their ID chips have been deactivated? The hostages, I mean," Zaria asked.
"It looks that way. All mundane methods of tracking have been destroyed or neutralized," Caylon replied. "No surprise, really, when you consider that we're dealing with a Fifth-level warlock and a strong, Fourth-level witch."
"These are the ones King Rylend worries about?" Ilya asked.
"Yes." I couldn't help thinking of all the lives lost, because of them and Vardil Cayetes, the master who'd commanded them.
Why they'd taken Vardil with them remained a mystery. I hoped we'd solve before it morphed into something we couldn't deal with. As far as we knew, Vardil was little more than a babbling idiot, even with the dark spells they'd placed upon him.
"So they needed Cayetes for something; that's why they took him with them," Zaria spoke. She'd said aloud what I'd been wondering myself.
"He's little more than a rag doll, according to Karzac," Caylon pointed out.
"Until they need a fingerprint, DNA, an eyescan or something else that only he has," Zaria replied.
"That's disturbing," Lafe sighed. "And could likely prove true."
"It's also a way to keep Cayetes' underlings in line—if Deris and Daris can make them believe that Cayetes is still in charge. Perhaps that's why they've started their pirating business again," Zaria pointed out. "To keep those underlings occupied with their usual duties while the Arden twins work on getting what they want from Cayetes. Once that happens, then the rest of them should watch their steps or they'll be fried—or worse—by those two."
I noticed Ilya staring at her, then; he couldn't understand how she'd gotten so much information in so little time.
As I couldn't read her, still, I was unable to tell him what he wanted to know, although I was just as curious as he was about it.
"You think we should actively hunt them, then?" I pointed my question at Zaria. "The ASD is already hunting them, for the obvious reasons. They've merely had little luck in finding them."
"Oh, we should hunt them, all right," Zaria replied. "I want to see those suckers die."
"Suckers?" Berel asked. It was an unusual term and one most of us wouldn't have used.
"Better than saying fuckers in royal company," Zaria replied, nodding to Bel Erland and me. "Excuse me, please." She scooted her chair away from the library table where we'd met for breakfast.
We watched as she made her plate disappear; I imagined it plopped onto the table in the kitchen, where it would wait to be washed by the Yellow Wings there. Then, she disappeared from our sight.
I understood the need to be alone at times. I imagined she'd return if Bel Erland or I had need of her. That was her job, after all.
Bel Erland, who sat next to me, rubbed my back gently. She'll be back, he sent. I think this is new for her—she expected to be working in a kitchen.
I understand that, I replied. I still like her—there's just some sadness and urgency in her. I can't put my finger on it.
"Those words rhyme in the English language, while they don't in Alliance common," Salidar pointed out. "Sucker and fucker." He spoke in the designated language to prove his point.
"I guess you'd know," Caylon huffed
before turning back to his eggs and bacon. I could tell that Sal knew something Caylon didn't, and that irked Caylon. The trouble was, that's all I could see in either of them. Whatever Sal knew, it was blocked from me for some reason, and I couldn't figure that out.
My talent appeared to be fine with everyone else, so I didn't quibble about it. I'd either learn it in time or I wouldn't. Still, it made me curious; I'd met few I couldn't read and somehow, Zaria was on that list.
"We're set to have a meeting with Justis this afternoon," Caylon said, breaking the tension at the table. "Queen Lissa is scheduled to come, too, to discuss continuing our involvement in the pirating trade. We're holding the meeting in her library."
* * *
I wasn't surprised to see the ones who'd manned the BlackWing ships before. Amos and Flossie Thompson were having tea with Queen Lissa in her library when we arrived.
Yanzi, who'd been visiting his brothers, arrived with two of them—Farzi and Nenzi. Those two had captained BlackWing II, so of course they'd be there. Yanzi gave me a firm hug and kiss before taking my hand and sitting beside me. Bel Erland grinned and let Yanzi have his seat.
Jayna had also come; Caylon was happy with her progress as a trainee and with his permission, she'd volunteered to serve aboard a BlackWing ship. His stipulation was that she continue with her training, and I imagined that someone would be on the same ship to ensure that she received it.
I'm sure he'd say the same to me; I spent two hours each day training with Justis' troops—Caylon now taught hand-to-hand combat while Ardis only taught aerial combat. In fact, Ardis lined up with the others when Caylon held training sessions. Salidar, Drake and Drew assisted Caylon, because of the sheer number of troops they trained.
Once we were all together in Lissa's library, Ilya and Zaria took up positions by the door, to guard us. I didn't imagine that anyone or anything could successfully attack Lissa in her palace, but they were ready, in case that happened.
Zaria had found a better wardrobe for her new position—suitable pants and shirts that allowed for easy movement. I imagined they'd also provide some protection if she were attacked.
SpellBreaker: First Ordinance, Book 4 Page 2
