For Want of a Fiend

by Barbara Ann Wright

  Lord Vincent hadn’t come with him. Katya had to wonder if he was hiding from her. “Our parents want us at dinner. It’s just the four of us, by their order.”

  Reinholt lazily scratched the exposed skin of his chest. “Do tell.”

  “They want you there by hook or by crook, so either get dressed and come with me, or our parents will descend upon this pigsty. Do you really want them to see it?”

  Reinholt’s nostrils flared. She bet his pyramid necklace was burning. So, he had some pride left after all. “As my sister commands. Will you give me a moment to dress or will you step inside and make sure I get the job done properly?”

  “I can fetch you a servant.”

  “Don’t. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Katya waited in the formal sitting room; Reinholt must have been used to being dressed by Lord Vincent. That or he had learned how to properly dress himself. How long had he and Lord Vincent been lovers? How many more might there be? Reinholt loved Brom; Katya knew that, but she was starting to learn just how selfish a man he was, how selfish a man he’d always been. Their father was right; Reinholt had been getting everything he’d wanted for far too long, and that had taught him no respect for those around him, for his family, for his wife. How much of responsibility did he know at all?

  When Reinholt emerged, dressed in an immaculate black coat and trousers, hair neatly combed, Lord Vincent still didn’t show himself. Katya didn’t bother to ask. Instead, she just escorted Reinholt toward dinner. He stared straight ahead for the most part, eyes darting toward her occasionally, mouth smug, as if daring her to comment. Katya kept her bored court face on. She’d leave it to her mother to dispense disappointment.

  To Katya’s surprise, her mother didn’t turn a frosty eye on him. Instead, she welcomed him with a warm smile and open arms, a move that stopped him in his tracks; his smug face fell to something like sorrow. When she embraced him, he trembled as if he might burst into tears.

  He recovered quickly and broke from her embrace, but the smile he had was strained.

  Da simply said, “Let’s eat.”

  After the servants served the initial helpings, they withdrew from the private sitting room. No one seemed willing to fire the first volley. They ate and talked of unimportant things, though Reinholt’s responses were monosyllabic at best.

  The servants didn’t reappear with dessert. Skipping sweets was an old tactic of her parents, a prelude to a “serious discussion.” Katya wondered if Reinholt remembered that. He blinked around slowly as if just waking up, clearly waiting for either the dessert, so he could resume the wooden way he’d eaten dinner, or some other cue.

  “The fall festival is in a few weeks,” Ma said. As opening salvos went, it was a gentle one.

  Reinholt frowned. “I know.”

  Ma continued to stare at him. Katya copied her father and watched the walls.

  Reinholt pushed back from the table and crossed one ankle over his knee. “Waiting for me to say I’ll dance for the populace like a good little puppet, Ma?”

  “You’re the crown prince of the mightiest nation in the world,” Katya blurted.

  Da cleared his throat and gave her a warning look, but not before Reinholt turned his scathing eyes on her. “Care to step into the breach, Little K? Want to duel me for the position?”

  Katya almost said she would if she had to, but Ma said, “Enough.” Her calm wasn’t shattered, wasn’t even chipped. “You have responsibilities, and being seen is one of them.”

  “You don’t have to explain my position to me.”

  Katya resisted saying, “Could have fooled me.” She pinched her own knee under the table and tried to keep the scowl from her face.

  “I know you’re hurt,” Ma began, and before Reinholt got a chance to eat his foot once more, she hurried on, “but long, emotional sabbaticals are something we cannot afford, not if we’re going to maintain control. We have to be seen, and to be seen doing well and being obeyed.”

  Reinholt stared at the table, face red, the picture of a sulky child. These were lessons they had learned from the cradle. Did he remember them at all?

  Da nodded as if they’d worked everything out. “I’ll have one of my clerks deliver you an itinerary.”

  Reinholt sighed long and loud. “Fine.”

  Katya supposed it was the best they would get. She had to put in appearances at the festival’s myriad activities and plumb her contacts for any threats to the crown. The king’s Guard would be out in force, and any time an Umbriel made a public appearance, he or she would be protected, but it was the job of the Order of Vestra to make sure no secret villains like Roland waited in the shadows.

  Reinholt knew all that. And all he had to do was show up.

  When her parents finally excused them, Katya left in a hurry, both to avoid another walk with Reinholt and to get back to her rooms fast. She wanted to have a few words with the Order, and that meant a few moments to see Starbride before they gathered. She grinned even as she thought of all the trouble that was to come.

  When she came back to her room, though, Averie had a pinched look upon her face. Katya stopped in the doorway. “What is it?”

  “Nothing too bad.”

  “That’s not very encouraging.”

  “It’s just…I heard a rumor that she’s back…for the festival.”

  Katya’s first thought was of Maia. Her heart seemed to skip in her chest. “Her?”

  “Castelle Burenne.”

  Katya’s heart beat again, and it took a moment for the name to filter through the walls she’d built around it. Castelle, she of the soft black curls and eyes like a summer sky, with her quick fingers and light laugh, the woman who’d taught Katya so much about love and life.

  The woman who’d broken her heart into pieces.

  “She’s…here?”

  “At court. That’s what I’ve heard, and I’ve heard it enough…” Averie spread her arms as if to ask what else there was to say.

  Katya felt her blush and hated it. Castelle was only three years her senior, but when they’d known each other, when they’d been lovers, Katya had been seventeen and Castelle twenty. She’d seemed decades older, eons even. She’d always made Katya feel like a child, even when she’d been taking Katya to passionate heights. Castelle had been the only woman besides Starbride that Katya had invited to meet her family. Ma had said no, had somehow been able to see through the spell Castelle had cast.

  Castelle had made it clear that she wouldn’t have gone even if she’d been approved of. She’d laughed and waved the invitation away, too much of a free spirit to be tied to one person, too much of a rascal to care about one person too long.

  “It’s all right, Averie. She’s not come to steal my heart again, and even if she tried, it’s already spoken for. I suppose I should even thank Castelle. Much of my rake persona I based on her.”

  “She shouldn’t have hurt you.”

  “Jewel of my heart, you are forever loyal.”

  Averie’s mouth twisted to the side, and she bowed. “If she gets flirty, I can shoot her.”

  “If she gets flirty, I have to see if I can out-flirt her. That would be quite a challenge.”

  “Don’t. You’ll wind up in bed together, neither of you wanting to admit defeat.”

  “If she tries to take me to bed, then shoot her.”

  “Are you going to introduce her to Starbride?”

  Katya almost tripped on her way around the settee. “Now there’s someone she’ll flirt with mercilessly.”

  “I’ll bring two arrows in case I have to shoot her twice.”

  Katya chuckled. “Will you ask Starbride to come here?”

  “You have to tell her about this right away. She can’t hear it from court gossip.”

  “Who are you? Elody? Could it be that I’m talking to the incarnation of the spirit of love?”

  “If it helps you to think so.” She hurried from the room and returned a few moments later with Starbride before
she made a discreet withdrawal.

  “How was dinner?” Starbride asked after Katya kissed her hello. She had a bit of starch in her voice, no doubt due to Katya’s note.

  “I protested leaving you out, but now I’m glad. You didn’t have to see my brother acting like an ass.”

  “To tell the truth, I’m not really angry. Having dinner with your brother is something I’d rather skip.”

  “I don’t ever want you to feel left out.”

  “Please, he can leave me out all he wants. Besides, I got to spend the time practicing with my pyramids. Are you gathering the Order?”

  “I’m surrounded by spirits today. Averie is Elody, and here you are, Marla, spirit of perception.”

  “What advice did the spirit of love have for you?”

  Katya half turned, one leg crossed over the other. She decided to deal with the news of Castelle’s return the same way she dealt with all things, by blurting them out. “One of my old lovers has returned to court.”

  Starbride straightened. “My, my. I’ve never asked, but I thought you had, well…”

  Katya resisted the urge to grin. “A lot of lovers?”

  “And still at court.”

  “This one, well, we were…in love.” Katya laughed softly. “I was in love.”

  A soft touch on her cheek brought her back to Starbride’s sympathetic gaze. “She didn’t love you back?”

  A stab of hurt wandered through Katya, surprising her. She thought the feelings of three years ago gone and dealt with. “No.”

  “Well, I was going to be jealous, but I won’t now that I know she’s a fool.”

  Katya wrapped her arms around Starbride, and Starbride met her halfway, surprising her with some heat behind a long kiss. When Starbride’s tongue snaked gently into her mouth, Katya moaned, shifted closer, and pulled Starbride into her lap, over her leg. Starbride caressed her, fingers brushing her cheek, her hair, her ear. Katya slid a hand up Starbride’s bodice, making her moan in turn.

  Starbride kissed her way to Katya’s ear. “Does the Order have to meet right now?”

  “No, no,” Katya said, half a whisper, half a moan as she traced Starbride’s ear with her tongue.

  Starbride pushed Katya backward, cutting off all conversation.

  Chapter Six: Starbride

  In Katya’s abandoned summer apartment, Starbride sat at the table with the rest of the Order of Vestra. She couldn’t help but think of how her life had changed in such a short while, from law student to princess consort to member of a secret order, protecting the crown of a nation many in her homeland considered an enemy. But those Allusians who thought of Farraday as an enemy hadn’t fallen in love with its princess and taken her responsibilities to heart.

  Katya began with the itinerary for the fall festival. “It’s mostly following my family and keeping an eye out. Standard stuff.”

  “The old wait-and-see-what-happens.” Brutal leaned back in his chair. “My favorite.”

  “I’ll have my own troubles just getting Reinholt to go,” Katya said. “I’m tempted to have you carry him over your shoulder, Brutal.”

  “If the crown prince wants to start down the path to enlightenment via my chapterhouse, I will be happy to teach him.”

  “I’d pay to see that,” Starbride said.

  Brutal glanced at where Maia had sat. “Maybe…” He gave Starbride a look.

  She took his cue. “Maybe we should put someone there.” Her stomach hurt at the thought of replacing Maia at all, but if Brutal was ready to fill that empty chair…

  “Who?” Katya asked.

  “Hugo,” Brutal said. “He knows our secrets, and he seems capable.”

  “Have you been talking about this behind my back? All of you?” Katya touched her chest, and Starbride knew she was missing the burn of her pyramid necklace.

  Pennynail made a motion across his throat as if he hadn’t been speaking about it. Katya barked a laugh. “You’re excused.”

  “There’s nothing to be angry about,” Brutal said. “You just need time to consider it.”

  “We talked about it before the fight this morning,” Starbride said. “Horsestrong preserve us, was that only this morning? It’s been a long day.”

  “My bruised ribs confirm it was only this morning,” Katya said. “I’ll think about Hugo. He did volunteer to listen to gossip for me.”

  Starbride smiled a little and caught Brutal doing the same. Before Katya could catch them, they both hid the look.

  All of them turned as the door to the secret passageway clicked open, and Crowe limped inside. Pennynail helped him to a chair, but everyone else tensed as if ready to give aid.

  For once, Crowe didn’t wave Pennynail’s help away. He clutched a cane that King Einrich had given him, another thing he rarely used.

  “Crowe,” Starbride said. She wanted to follow with, “You should be resting,” but no doubt he knew that.

  Katya filled in the gap. “You should have sent a message rather than come yourself.”

  He sighed, too tired to argue it seemed. Starbride counted the heartbeats until he got his breath back. She shook the thought that he’d be gone soon before it could bring tears to her eyes. He was there now.

  “A contact of mine in Dockland has sent word,” Crowe said. “He’s seen Maia.”

  The room seemed to have less oxygen as they all took a breath. “He’s certain?” Katya and Brutal asked on top of one another.

  “My contact is not a man who makes mistakes with identity.”

  “Where is she?” Starbride asked.

  “The Warrens.”

  Katya rubbed her temples. Brutal squeezed his eyes shut.

  “What is it?” Starbride looked from one pained face to another. She remembered how poor Dockland was, though plenty of money passed through it from the docks to Marienne, but that hadn’t made everyone look so anxious before.

  “The Warrens holds the poorest of the poor,” Brutal said. “A refuge for thieves and criminals and the only sanctuary for the lame and the mad.”

  “I’ve heard that even the city Watch doesn’t go there,” Katya said. “I’ve never been.”

  “No,” Crowe said. “The kind of criminal we usually deal with considers himself above that place.”

  Starbride grimaced as she remembered the opium dealers and kidnappers the Order had once had to associate with to get information. “What would Maia be doing there?”

  “It’s the perfect place for Roland to hide,” Crowe said. “Unlucky for him, Maia showed her face, and a face like hers stands out in the Warrens.”

  “Maybe she was trying to escape,” Brutal said. The words hung in the room like a haze.

  “We go in tonight,” Katya said.

  Starbride opened her mouth to protest the long day again.

  Before she could say anything, Crowe said, “We cannot devise disguises that will fool the people who live there. We can’t pretend we belong.”

  “Someone who only visits, then,” Brutal said.

  Crowe shook his head. “Who does?”

  Katya rubbed her chin. “Not even the Watch.”

  They were getting out of hand; no one pointed out that night had already fallen, that they should give up on their plans until the next day. But Starbride felt the thrill of adventure pull at her, something she’d only read about before the Order. The only people who would visit a rat’s nest such as the Warrens were… “People looking to exploit the residents. Do prostitutes live there? They’re certainly exploited. We could pretend we’re looking for a good time.”

  Katya grinned slowly. “A good time?”

  Starbride blushed. “I read that once.”

  “Exploited as prostitutes are,” Crowe said, “they don’t frequent the Warrens. The streetwalkers who don’t work in brothels tend to stick together in the better areas of Dockland.” At Starbride’s quizzical look, he smirked. “I don’t have to read. I know people.”

  “I’ll bet,” Brutal said.

>   While Crowe glared at him, Starbride snapped her fingers. “We could pretend we’re looking to hire thieves. Do people hire thieves?”

  Pennynail shook his head. Crowe echoed the gesture. “One would hire a burglar if he wanted something stolen, which is just a higher class thief. I don’t think people would go to the Warrens to hire a burglar.”

  “What if it’s something darker and more sinister?” Starbride’s eyes fixed on the table as she became lost in her own manufactured adventure. “What if we’re rogue scientists or pyradistés, something like that, and we’re looking for poor unfortunates to experiment on?”

  She glanced up to find everyone staring at her. “What?”

  “I think you read too much,” Brutal said.

  Crowe shrugged. “It’s different. It could work.”

  “It is good,” Katya said, “but I wouldn’t know how to dress for that part. And if someone did ask us what we were doing, we could hardly blurt that out. We’d get mobbed.”

  Pennynail shook his head again. He took a purse from his waist and shook it, making the coins jingle. “He’s right,” Crowe said. “More likely we’d be awash in offers as the residents tried to sell one another to us.”

  Starbride’s bile rose. “That’s awful. Maybe the way to do it is to simply not be seen.”

  Pennynail clapped at the idea.

  Brutal snorted. “That’s fine for him, but I’m not exactly unremarkable and neither is Katya.”

  “I can be stealthy when I need to be,” Katya said.

  “When hiding in the forests or sneaking through abandoned houses in the country,” Brutal said. “City skulking is not your cup of tea and you know it.”

  “Peace,” Crowe said before Katya could rebut. “You can all go to Dockland and then wait outside the Warrens while Pennynail reconnoiters.”

  Starbride frowned. “You’d normally go with him, Crowe, to back him up.”

  “And I’d do it now if I could.”

  “I’ll look after him for you,” Starbride said.

  “Everyone, ready your things,” Katya said. “We meet by the servants’ stables in fifteen minutes.” She gripped Starbride’s arm and waited until the others filed out.