For Want of a Fiend

by Barbara Ann Wright

  “No, I’ve been with—”

  “How could he have gotten past everyone?”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Reinholt…” Katya’s face was flushed and tears stood in her eyes. “I don’t know whether to shout or cry.”

  “Suicide?” Starbride whispered.

  Katya paused before she choked out a laugh. “Star, you have more honor in a lock of your hair than Reinholt does in his entire body. No, he ran away.”

  “Ran away?” Starbride said the words, but she couldn’t believe them. No, she reminded herself, she couldn’t believe a prince would run away; she absolutely believed Reinholt would.

  “He got away from me and Vincent, and now no one can find him. I’m having the stables watched, and I’ve sent letters to everyone I know in the countryside, asking them to write if they see the prince on his ‘sabbatical.’ Spirits above, Star, I’ve never seen my parents so sad.”

  Starbride wrapped her arms around Katya from behind. She rested her cheek against Katya’s nape, Katya’s fingers linked with hers.

  “What am I going to do, Star? Everything is falling apart.”

  Starbride nodded against her back. Katya’s life had been changing yet unchangeable for so long. Reinholt’s disgrace, his leaving must have been like stars falling from the sky. “We’ll weather it together. You, me, your family…and my mother.”

  Katya turned and wrapped Starbride in an embrace. “I think we’ll have to postpone your mother’s welcoming tea.”

  “She’ll get over it. Though her caressing the objet d’art and not-so-subtly asking how expensive they were might cheer you up a bit.”

  When Katya leaned back, Starbride wiped her tear-stained cheeks. Uncertainty danced in Katya’s eyes, so Starbride leaned forward and kissed her deeply. “I will never leave you.”

  Katya held her for a long time. “I’ll tell my parents your mother is here, and they’ll think of some suitable way to welcome her.”

  “The dungeons spring to mind.”

  Katya smiled softly. “I’ll have one cleared out for her.”

  *

  Starbride took her mother to meet the royal family in a muted luncheon the day after she arrived. If she’d heard rumors about the murder or Reinholt’s disappearance, she wisely didn’t mention them.

  To Starbride’s surprise, her mother also secured a room in the courtiers’ quarters. “You and the princess need your space,” she said with a knowing smile. Starbride blushed to her roots. “Don’t worry. I’ll be around during the day so you won’t miss me.”

  Dawnmother said that Starbride’s mother mixed easily with the courtiers and nobles. They couldn’t afford to ignore her; she was the crown princess consort’s mother. Every opportunity Starbride passed up, her mother pounced upon like a hungry hawk. She appeared at every party and met every person of even remote importance. With Dawnmother as her guide, she explored every path to power in the palace and used Rainhopeful to gather information about the maids and valets of the powerful. She was a fish that had finally found its way home to the sea. Starbride was more than relieved that she only had to hear about her mother’s adventures.

  Starbride had expected thousands of suggestions on how to get ahead, but her mother waved those expectations away one afternoon. “Whatever you’re doing for the princess seems to be working.”

  “Mother!” Starbride said, feeling her face go hot. “Don’t speak like that.”

  “I’m making connections so you can go on doing what I’m evidently not allowed to speak about.”

  Starbride wadded the bottom of her blouse, a nervous gesture she thought she’d kicked in childhood. “As long as someone doesn’t come to me looking for the things you promised them.”

  “I promise them nothing but empty air.” Her mother sat at Starbride’s desk and bent over several sheets of paper; a pencil bounced in her fingers as she read, ready to make notes.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Oh ho, nosy, do you care all of a sudden? Well, you may have won the princess over with honesty, but that won’t work on the rest of them.”

  “What do I care what the rest of them think?”

  “You’re so naive. The more the court loves you, the harder it will be for the princess to cast you aside.”

  “Katya would never ‘cast me aside.’” When her mother only snorted, Starbride stood. “I’m serious, Mother. And being liked by the court wouldn’t help. Look at Baroness Castelle.”

  “I have. She’s a good-looking woman. If she puts her mind to having the princess back…”

  “She could put her mind to it all day long and still wouldn’t have her way.” Starbride stalked over to the table and poured herself a glass of wine.

  “You should call Dawnmother to do that.”

  Starbride only frowned. Arguing with her mother was like fighting with bricks. Still, she couldn’t keep a small jibe inside. “Putting oneself above others begins the surest path to evil deeds.”

  “Horsestrong wasn’t royalty. If these Farradains think I can’t play their games, they’re wrong. They think their royalty is above them, so as royalty, we shall be above them.”

  “We?”

  Her mother didn’t comment. “Countess Nadia seems fond of you.”

  “You’ve spoken to her?”

  Her mother gave her a look, as if to say she’d spoken to everyone. “A countess is good, but you’ve been neglecting these duchesses and dukes and earls and so on.” Before Starbride could object, her mother said, “Don’t worry, you can’t hurry after them now. That would seem too eager. I’m splitting them into groups for you, those you should make casual contact with and those whose parties and such you should make an appearance at.” She tapped her pencil against her lips. “Maybe you should host a party yourself, invite the princess…or not. Then all the focus would be on you.”

  Starbride gripped her wine glass and wondered if she could squeeze it hard enough to break it. “I’ve got my own life, Mother.”

  “How? You spend all your time with the princess or the royal family or their aides. Your little law project is all sorted out since your friends are coming to the Halls of Law in a few weeks.”

  “Little law project,” Starbride said, nearly a growl.

  “You’ve already got the princess’s affection, so why are you wasting so much time—”

  Starbride slammed her glass on the table. A shard of it streaked along the varnished surface. She couldn’t tell her mother about the Order, but maybe she could let something else slip.

  “Well,” her mother said, “if you’re going to be childish—”

  “I’m an adsnazi. A pyradisté.”

  She didn’t hear so much as feel her mother rise and cross the floor to stand behind her. “You’re…How?” As if Starbride could unravel why she had the gift when her parents did not. “This is your father’s fault!”

  “In Farraday, pyradistés don’t have to leave town and congregate in the hills. Katya’s fixed it so I can be trained by the king’s pyradisté, but still, not many at court know, and even if they did, it’s an honor here.”

  Her mother’s eyes resumed their calculated gleam. “Oh. We could announce it at the party, maybe. Then they’d see you as powerful both politically and in your own right.”

  “Mother,” Starbride said with a sigh.

  “I don’t know much about pyramids, but I’ve heard they can be used to convince—”

  “That’s not only unethical, it’s illegal.”

  Her mother dropped it, though Starbride didn’t think it was the ethical part of the quandary that convinced her.

  “Plan your party,” Starbride said with a sigh. She thought of everything the Order had yet to do. Now she knew why Katya resented parties so much. They took up so much time and did so very little.

  Her mother’s knowing smile dropped. “My Star,” she said softly, “why so sad?”

  “There’re some family issues I’m not looking forward to.”
>
  “I’ve heard the prince has become a bit of a churl after all that’s happened. Don’t let him upset you too much. Just smile, nod, and inside curse him as a diseased pig.”

  Starbride burst out laughing, remembering her mother’s indulgent smile when talking to some of the courtiers. She wondered how many might wake tomorrow as diseased pigs. Still, her mother had the right road but the wrong end, as Horsestrong said. Starbride didn’t correct her, couldn’t let her find out that the prince was not only a churl, but a coward as well. “I’ll try.”

  “And I’ll be busy with the servants planning your party. Maybe I’ll throw a brunch.” She cupped Starbride’s cheeks. “Don’t worry, my Star, it’ll be an affair to be proud of.”

  Starbride smiled indulgently, but inside, she hoped the entire endeavor would fall apart.

  *

  Starbride listened to the prattle at her mother’s brunch and wished she could strangle someone, maybe all of them.

  Someone made a joke, and Starbride made herself smile. “Would you like a scone, Princess Consort?” Baroness Jacintha Veronda asked.

  “No, thank you, Baroness.” Starbride smiled, but it was more for the remembrance of a similar tea party where everyone had hung on Baroness Jacintha’s words instead of Starbride’s. Then she’d found it tedious but amusing. Now she barely avoided pacing, understanding the pressure Katya felt. She needed to be up doing things, helping Katya. She could have been out searching the countryside for Reinholt. It didn’t seem fair that both she and Katya were caught in the palace putting on brave faces and pretending that the Umbriels had everything under control.

  She was truly royalty now, she supposed, or near enough; she only had to look around to confirm it. Some watched her with open simplicity, just hoping she’d notice them. These were the ones who couldn’t play the game. Better players gave her shrewd glances or amused smiles as if making fun of the game with her.

  Someone settled next to Starbride and displaced Baroness Jacintha. Starbride smiled at the newly arrived Countess Nadia.

  “Careful,” Countess Nadia said. “Your face is almost screaming, ‘I’d rather be anywhere but here.’”

  “I thought I was hiding it rather well.”

  “As the consort to the crown princess, you can be as bored as you want. At least, that was how things used to be. As they are, it might be wise to cultivate as many friends as you can.”

  Starbride wanted to ask why, but too many people in the room were paying too much attention; they leaned toward her and Countess Nadia as if trying to puzzle them out. When Starbride met their eyes, they smiled and offered slight bows. A cold feeling bloomed in Starbride’s gut. If the nobles didn’t like how the Umbriels dealt with the death of Appleton, they could cause problems, including stirring up their connections in town.

  Starbride tried to drink her tea, but it felt like drinking lead. Would someone stir up the people enough to cause a civil war—where people would die by the thousands—just to roust the current monarch?

  Countess Nadia’s soft touch on her arm reminded her to school her face better. She couldn’t afford to be naive. Of course these people would start a war. They wouldn’t be the ones dying, and they could win a kingdom. “Who should I meet?”

  “That’s the crown princess consort I’ve come to know.” Countess Nadia stood. Starbride followed her lead. “Let’s start with the duchess holding court in the corner.”

  After an hour of half-promises and guarantees that the Umbriels knew what they were doing, the brunch ended. After all, it was still fall festival time, and the nobles had one commitment after another. Dawnmother hung behind Starbride and made note of different parties and gatherings, no doubt to help sort through them later with Starbride’s mother.

  After the last guest had left, Starbride’s mother hugged her from the side. “You did beautifully. I was worried that you were going to spend the entire party on that settee.”

  “Thank Countess Nadia. I need to go see Katya, Mother.”

  “Something else has happened, hasn’t it? Something besides the murder.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “You and the princess are as busy as bees. The prince hasn’t been seen in days. Everyone is in a tizzy.”

  Starbride sighed. Her mother could keep a secret as well as anyone, especially in the nest of intrigue that was the palace. “The prince has left.” She dropped her voice even though they were nearly alone. “I don’t know what the family is going to say publicly. They may say he’s gone into seclusion or on a sabbatical.”

  “I expected more from the prince. No wonder the king took his position away.” She leaned forward and kissed Starbride’s forehead. “Go. See what you can do to help. I’ll take care of the thank-you notes.”

  Starbride threw her arms around her mother, suddenly taking back every mean thought, though she knew she’d think them again later. “Thank you, Mama.”

  “Go on. I’ll start with the countess. I think she and I will get along very well.”

  With their elder child gone, Starbride found the king and queen’s apartment open to her again. Queen Catirin stood up from a settee and greeted Starbride with a smile and a nod. Starbride bowed in return.

  “Katya is in her father’s office,” Queen Catirin said. “They should be back soon.” She had the same frosty elegance as before, the same grace, but dark circles under her eyes spoke of too many late nights. If she were anyone else, Starbride would have asked that she unburden herself. But she’d come to know that Queen Catirin loved all things to be in their proper places, people included.

  Starbride sat and kept herself from fidgeting. If Queen Catirin were any other noblewoman, small talk would be the expected route, but the queen was privy to the same secrets as Starbride; she knew the depth of every situation. Starbride had to offer her something real.

  “I’m not sure about the…etiquette of what I’m about to say. I wanted you to know that I’ve seen many bad mothers in my lifetime, and you aren’t one of them.”

  Queen Catirin smiled softly but lifted a hand toward the corner of her mouth as if to tuck the expression back where it belonged. “It may help you to know that the ‘etiquette’ for such a statement does not exist, but thank you.”

  Starbride nodded. “Any advice you have for me would be welcome.”

  “As far as your duties in the Order go, you’d be better advised by Katya or Crowe. As for being a consort, your life will change now that Katya is the acting crown princess. The court has a way of being both long- and short-termed in their thinking. They know Vierdrin will eventually replace Katya, but they also acknowledge that anything can happen. Some of them will want to groom you to be a queen at Katya’s side.”

  Starbride’s stomach went cold, as much from that possible scenario as from Queen Catirin’s matter-of-fact tone. How could she speak so calmly of the elevation of her second child above her first and of the possibility of her grandchildren dying? Starbride tried to banish such uncharitable thoughts. Queen Catirin was only letting her words reflect the attitudes of the court.

  “Well.” Starbride fought not to stammer. “My mother is already helping me decide who to spend time with.”

  “Your mother works quickly.”

  Katya emerged from the office a few moments later, paler than Starbride liked to see, but resolved. When her eyes hit Starbride, her shoulders relaxed a little, as if the mere sight of Starbride took some of her tension away. She took a chair and held Starbride’s hand as if it were an anchor.

  “We’ve got most of the duties sorted,” King Einrich said. “Katya will open the hunt tomorrow morning, and then she’ll go straight to the redberry tasting and meet us.” He touched Queen Catirin’s knee as if to forestall the argument. “Everything will be tasted before we eat it, just like always. If we don’t eat the redberries, it’ll support the notion that we don’t care about the populace.”

  Queen Catirin turned her face away, a sure sign that she disapproved
. “Mother,” Katya said, “that’s not the bad news.”

  “We’re going to hold Appleton’s funeral before anything else,” King Einrich said. “I met with Magistrate Anthony today. The man’s a ruin. He and this Appleton fellow were closer than kin, from what I gather. Hopefully, our offer to give him a state funeral will help smooth things over.”

  Queen Catirin frowned, but Starbride didn’t think she would argue. If keeping the peace meant that the Umbriels had to share some of their perks, so be it. “What else?”

  “We’re coming to the end of our grace period with Yanchasa,” King Einrich said. “After Yanchasa reabsorbed Katya’s Aspect at the last Waltz, we need to do it again.”

  Katya’s grip tightened.

  “We had planned to use the two of us, Reinholt and young Hugo,” King Einrich said. “But now, well, I don’t want to use Vierdrin or Bastian. If neither of them is mature enough to open the hunt, they’re not mature enough to have the Aspect.”

  “Oh spirits,” Queen Catirin said. “A child whose Fiend can present?”

  “Children can get very angry,” King Einrich said.

  “Or they could just forget and take their necklaces off,” Starbride added.

  “Or take them off on purpose.” Katya shrugged as they all stared at her. “I don’t think of my niece or nephew as malicious, but I’m sure we can all remember a time in childhood when we wanted revenge. It’s easy to not think of consequences when you’re four.”

  “There is Brom,” Starbride said.

  “Right after we sent her away?” Queen Catirin asked.

  “She’d do it if the only other option was her children,” Katya said. “She betrayed Reinholt for them, after all.”

  “So she claimed.” Queen Catirin sniffed. “I think she refused out of fear for herself, which means she’d never agree to help.”

  “There is one other option,” King Einrich said. “My mother.”

  Starbride blinked several times. She almost blurted, “Your mother is alive?” but kept that contained.

  “Your mother is nearly seventy, Einrich,” Queen Catirin said. “The transformation is a strain.”