by R. J. Price
“Ahahaha, don't whisper to me you cunt—you aren't one of them, you can't fool me.”
“One of who?” Aren whispered.
The stone sparked around her, slowly at first, then more quickly streaks of light worked their way through the walls, ceiling and floor of the cave, threading through the stone. Veins of light split into all the shades of blue Aren knew, and then some she had never seen before. An iridescent sheen swept over the veins and outward.
Lord Worl was thrust back as if he had been shoved. Aren watched, watched him struggle to his feet, shouting angry things at the cave entrance, stomping about once he straightened. Taking a deep breath, Aren looked at the stone and watched it throb again. She ran as the iridescent rolled towards the cave entrance. As Lord Worl was thrust back, Aren slammed into him, screaming in rage.
Chapter Eighteen
Jer walked into the sitting room as if he hadn't a care in the world. He grinned when he spotted Av, crumpled on the floor. Chewing his bottom lip stopped Jer from outright chuckling. The girl had given as good as Av had tried to give. As Jer walked up to Av, saw the tossed-about furniture, the books ripped apart and thrown around the room, he had to wonder if perhaps his brother had done something that the throne would call a crime.
He poked Av with the toe of his boot, eliciting a groan. Jer kicked Av a little harder.
“What did you do?” Jer said, his voice caught between stern and amused.
Av's eyes fluttered open then closed with a renewed groan. “My head hurts. Where's Aren?”
“I thought she was with you but obviously....” Jer motioned around the sitting room. “Why did she rip pages from books? What did you say to her to make her that angry?”
“She's a queen.” Av pushed up on an elbow, wavering as he blinked quickly. “She's a damned queen Jer. We have to find her before Em does.”
“I came to get you because the steward returned,” Jer said. “Lord Worl's signature is on the withdrawals of various accounts. He has property a few hours ride away. We're going to head out and investigate.”
Av got to his feet. “I'm going to find her. She hit me over the head. All I did was kiss her.”
Taking the cue from Jer, Av moved away from the topic. Mentioning things in the palace was a good way to draw Em's attention, and right then was not a good time. She already suspected that Jer had tipped off Aren. He had done just that, walking into the ball Jer had found Aren and gave her warning. After giving her a head start he had given Av a warning as well. He owed his brother that much, and he strongly suspected that Av's interest in Aren went deeper than the secrets the woman kept.
They would leave palace grounds under the assumption of looking at a piece of land. Away from the palace the two of them could talk openly without being overheard. Striding out of the palace, the brothers turned to the stables where the stable master strode towards the palace.
“Lord Av, Lord Jer, I was coming to find you.” The stable master pulled to a stop. “Two horses were taken almost an hour ago. Now normally folk will go out during a ball, but on one horse with an overnight bag, if you catch my meaning. These two were on separate horses. Neither with a pack, woman dressed in servant clothing, man in formal wear.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“The woman, no.” The stable master shook his head. “The man was Lord Worl headed for his land out west. If it had been daylight I would think he was taking her to see the land.”
“He has a cottage on the land,” Jer said to Av. “He might have been headed out for a night of pleasure with a servant.”
“There's no cottage on that land,” the stable master said with a shake of his head. “He's complained about it loudly, and often, enough that I know as much.”
Jer's blood ran cold.
He looked to Av who made a face and said, “He could just be trying to drive up the payment price of the land.”
“Did you see anything about the woman, what she looked like, anything that might identify her?” Jer asked the stable master.
“Tell you the truth, in the dark like that, I go by feel more than anything,” the stable master responded. “Until she spoke I thought she was Lady Em.”
“Aren,” Av growled through gritted teeth. “We're going to need two horses saddled to go after them.”
“I had the boys start saddling before I left the stables,” the man said, motioning over his shoulder. “Now that you mention it, I think it was Lady Aren, if she were clouded with fear.”
“Why did you think she felt like Lady Em, then?” Jer asked.
“I've seen enough queens come and go, to know. The boys should have the horses ready. You can't run them hard, but you take a pace and you'll catch up with the other two,” the stable master said with a nod. “They'll have an hour or so ahead of you, but there's a shortcut to the spirit cave. Take the main road and there's a big rock painted with a symbol, just beyond is a path. The path will take you almost to the cave, nearest landmark to the lake. When the horses refuse to go any farther, go by foot, it's at most a five-minute walk from there.”
“What do you mean the horses won't go?” Av asked.
“You never been that way?” the stable master snorted. “Suppose you've had no need to investigate the area. Horses won't go up to the spirit cave. Spooks them. You try to take a horse beyond that point, it'll buck you off and run like mad in the other direction. I've had to send my boys a time or two, to retrieve palace property that Lord Worl forgot.”
Av grumbled under his breath and moved past the stable master, heading for the stables. Jer thanked the man for his time before following his brother. They mounted the horses and urged them to a trot. Jer knew the way and changed their direction when needed.
His brother did not speak as they rode, simply stewed in his own thoughts. There was something very dangerous about how quiet Av had become. Normally Av couldn't keep quiet for more than a few moments, he didn't like the silence. Yet there they were, riding for hours and not a word from Av, not even to ask which way to turn at a road. Just a grunt and a motion to either way. What concerned Jer more was how Av kept reaching for a blade that was not on him. All lords and ladies had to enter balls without their weapons, and the brothers hadn't stopped long enough to arm themselves.
At the rock, Av's agitation rose to a bristling anger. The sun was up, warming the air yet Jer did not feel warmed by its light. When the horses came to a sudden stop Av was on the ground before Jer could grasp what was going on, his face a mask of rage. Jer slid off his horse and tied it to a tree, then tied Av's as his brother paced, teeth clenched and a low, constant growl coming from him.
“Calm yourself before you hurt someone,” Jer said.
“She is mine.”
“Fine, she's yours, do with her what you please, but if you kill her, you'll have nothing to do it with,” Jer said pointedly. “Relax a little.”
He took a breath through this nose, a deep one, and held it as he looked at Av. Making a face, Av eventually did the same. As Jer let out the breath, he relaxed tense muscles and a weary mind. Out among the trees it was easier to relax, without the constant grating feeling of Em's instability wearing away at him.
A scream broke the quiet of the forest. It was impossible to tell whether it was a battle cry, or one of pain. Jer rushed towards the sound, Av right behind him. When they broke through the brush, Jer didn't stop to think. He grabbed the first body he found and yanked it towards him, away from the one on the ground.
“She's mad, she's mad!” Lord Worl shrieked as Jer struggled with the fighting body. Blood flowed freely from several puncture marks on Lord Worl's arms and legs.
Av came to a sudden stop between Jer and Lord Worl, anger obvious as he turned ever so slowly to Jer. The body in Jer's arms stopped struggling.
“You. Are. Mine,” Av said before he turned to Lord Worl. “You will be brought before the throne on crimes of whatever type we find on this land.”
“I've done nothing wrong,” Lord Worl sputtered out
. “I brought her to show her the land and she just went mad for no reason, started attacking me. If you hadn't shown up, she might have killed me.”
Av shifted his weight, and there was a crack under his foot. Both Av and Jer looked down at the stick that had snapped. Jer hesitated, looked at his own feet. As he did, he saw what Aren held in her hand, what she had been attacking Lord Worl with—a bone, broken off about midway. Jer reached and pulled it from Aren's hand, turned it over and then dropped it when recognition set in; a human leg bone.
“Av.” Jer said, looking up at the trees.
A wind brought the scent of rotting flesh to his nose. Av growled and reached out, catching Lord Worl by the wrist to drag him to their horses. Jer glanced at Av who snarled at him viciously.
“I'll take her to their horses and meet you back at the palace,” Jer aid to Av.
“Fine,” was all Av said.
“Av,” Jer said, raising his voice, putting an edge to it. The other man stopped, turned slowly to Jer. “As mate to the throne, I command you to take that man and hand him over to the palace guard. Do you understand me?”
“Perfectly.”
“If you don't,”—Jer gave Aren a light shake, figuring the woman could use a jolt to come out of her stupor—“I'm handing her over to Em.”
“Fine. Fine!” Av shouted at Jer, giving Lord Worl a hard shake, as if the two of them were fighting over toys. “I'll take him to the stupid guard.”
“Good, then we're in agreement then,” Jer said.
“Good.”
“Good.”
Both stood, watching the other for any sign of betrayal. Jer decided that Av was angry, but would keep his word. Lord Worl would be delivered to the palace guard in relatively the same condition he was in then and there. Av could wait to take his anger out on the man. If Jer were to go against his word, Av would bring his anger down on both Lord Worl and Jer.
“Where are your horses, Lord Worl?” Jer asked. “And remember, participating in an investigation could mean the difference between a hanging and being handed over to Av there for target practise.”
“Th-th-that way,” Lord Worl mumbled, pointing down another path, away from the cave.
Jer looked at the path that moved around a bend and disappeared. The wind came up and, mixed with the rot, he smelled fresh water. “That leads to the lake.” He looked at Aren, who was staring dimly at nothing. Looking around he saw only one other path. “Guess we're going this way.”
“Jer, be careful,” Av said, “We haven't got weapons and he may have an accomplice.”
“Likely not,” Jer muttered. “Only two horses and no shelter out here except the cave. I'll see you back at the palace.”
Jer pulled Aren down the path. A long walk to two horses, who looked rather annoyed to see him. They made a sound each, and then lowered their heads to forage from the forest floor. Jer untied the horses and helped a numb Aren onto one. He climbed atop the other and urged on the horse, leading Aren's by the reins.
The woman was clearly out of her mind. She stared blankly, head bobbing with the motion of the horse. How she managed to sit a horse in her condition, Jer simply did not understand. When the palace came into view, Aren seemed to recognize the structure, but the recognition was like that of a person in a dream. She reached out, then dropped her hand, shook her head. Suddenly drunken, she tried to get off the moving horse and fell instead, hitting the ground with a thump that made Jer wince.
Stopping the horses, Jer dismounted, pulled Aren up off the ground, and tried to get her back up on the horse. She simply would not get up, slapping at him like a drunk would a person who tried to stop them from drinking more.
“Fine, I don't have time for this.” Jer picked Aren up and threw her over his shoulder. He walked toward the palace, nickering to the horses that trotted along behind him.
“Puh,” Aren grumbled against him, hands batting ineffectually at his back.
Jer made the walk to the palace, and watched as a group of palace guard rode out with their captain to investigate the lands and holdings of Lord Worl. Normally the captain of the guard would not leave the palace, but the incidents in question involved wards of the throne, which meant it was the role of the captain to lead the investigation.
On palace grounds, Av stood by the stables, waiting for Jer's return. He looked calmer, now that Lord Worl was apprehended and in the hands of the proper authorities, leaving Jer to keep his word to hand Aren over in relatively the same condition that Jer had found her in. That promise, however, had not included the happenstance that Aren decided to take a nose-dive off her horse of her own free will. Jer winced when Av spotted him.
Av strode up to Jer, glancing at Aren, still over Jer's shoulder, with her backside to Av, and then gave Jer a head shake. “Not every woman needs to be man-handled.”
“This one does,” Jer said, setting Aren on her feet. “She's got a dazed, kind of confused look on her face. Almost adorable when she's all wobbly like this.”
He gave Aren a poke to the shoulder, and doing so made her sway back and forth.
“Lord Worl said she went into the spirit cave and came out screaming,” Av said. “She could actually be mad.” He reached for Aren, took hold of her arm gently. “I hope the spirits were kind, and she's only dazed temporarily. Aren,” he said, pulling the woman to him, and setting a hand on her face. “Aren.”
The woman stiffened sudden. “You!”
“Why good morning to you too darling. I believe I owe you something,” Av reached without warning and backhanded Aren, knocking her to the ground. “It's not nice to kiss then hit.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mar winced at the sight of Aren.
“At least you aren't in chains,” Mar tried to offer helpfully. “Lord Av is even allowing you to participate in my mating ceremony.”
Aren huffed out a breath. “But then I'm his, he says. Whatever that means. And the whole court will see this.” She motioned to the bruising on her cheek, caused by Av's slapping her. It went well with the bruising across the bridge of her nose and forehead, which was obtained when she ran straight into the wall of the cave. The court was talking about either one bruise, as Av actually striking a lady, or the other, as Aren stopping a madman. In the latter case many were wondering the details of said bruising. Some few thought Aren had stopped Lord Worl with her face, an idea that made Mar giggle at the mere motion to the bruise.
The scathing look Aren gave Mar didn't stop the giggle, but spurred it on. Aren knew exactly what Mar was giggling at, and might have found it funny on any other day.
“You did give him a lump on the back of his head. He was walking funny at breakfast this morning, like he was drunk. Lord Jer assured me he was not, that it was a balance problem, and sometimes head-blows can do that.” Mar tried to smile, then made a face. “I can't believe my mother doesn't suspect a thing.”
“I'm good at hiding it,” Aren said.
“I can't believe the whole court doesn't know,” Mar said, shaking a finger at Aren. “After what you did at the ball with Lord Av. Everyone else is just too focused on my mother. Or me. The servants knew all along, which was a surprise, let me tell you. Means Lady Telm knows, and she's sworn to the throne. I'm surprised Telm hasn't told my mother.”
“Lord Av didn't notice anything,” Aren muttered glumly. “Not until he had to get stupid and kiss me. Never kissing a man ever again. No matter how good it felt.”
“No, Lord Av did notice; ever since I arrived at court he's been chasing you like a dog with a bone. I don't think he could sort his own feelings out of the nagging that the woman he wants keeps secrets from him,” Mar said, reaching out to touch Aren's cheek, stopping herself at the last moment. “Does it hurt a good deal?”
“Yes, and the healer said that if anyone but Lord Av had done it she would help me be rid of it, but Av's got his fingers in just about everything, hasn't he?” Aren muttered. She was silent a moment, then sighed loudly. “I'm sorry, Mar, this
is your day. It is about you. I'm so wound up in my own problems.”
“Today was supposed to be your day of freedom,” Mar said, smiling weakly. “But instead you're exchanging one cage for another. Sort of amusing, if you think about it, because so am I.”
Aren didn't laugh with Mar; instead she sat in silence, watching her friend for any sign of an actual jest. “You don't really believe that Mar. He's adorable and kind.”
“He plays nice at court, but that doesn't mean he will once we are alone. And he tried to court me before he knew I was me,” Mar said. “Who knows how many bastards he has speckling his land?”
“Jer and Av have known Lord Perlon a good long time. As much as I want to say bad things about the two of them, I doubt that they would subject you to a man who was not going to treat you kindly,” Aren said, motioning to Mar's mating dress. “He even paid for your dress to be made when your mother wanted you to use that old, dusty thing she was mated in.”
“I wouldn't have had a problem with that,” Mar shook her head.
“Except it was literally dusty, with a stain down the back, tears on the front,” Aren muttered.
“Was for a woman not as curved as I am,” Mar added.
“One sleeve was missing,” Aren said.
Both women sighed and shook their heads.
“I did ask what Lord Av meant by his words to you,” Mar said. “Lord Jer went a funny sort of colour, and Lord Perlon choked, said it wasn't my place to ask what a man like Av meant when he said someone was his. I think they mean the sex thing.”
Aren frowned at Mar. “You're about to be mated. You don't get to call it, 'the sex thing,' especially when you will soon be having it.”
“Oh.” Mar paled just slightly. “I never actually considered that. See, my mother never told me about those things. I haven't a clue how it would work.”
“Blind leading the blind here, I've never partaken either,” Aren said. Quiet for a moment, an idea occurred to her and she smiled ever so slightly. “It's the job of the father to explain this sort of thing. I know just the man who wants to be a father.”
