Countess Nadia thumped the table, a noble’s applause. The others followed suit while the commoners clapped for her.
Duke Robert stood. “I must apologize for my zeal in this matter. I thought Lady Hilda a maligned woman.”
“No need, old fellow,” Da said. “Yours is a family recently beset by tragedy, as is mine. After my son’s unfortunate actions, I can see how one might begin to lose faith.”
Duke Robert bowed deeply and sat. Magistrate Anthony cleared his throat from the gallery. “Majesty, may I speak?”
Murmurs echoed through the ballroom. With Lady Hilda dead, they no doubt hoped that the council would be dismissed. The nobles looked scandalized, but Da waved him forward.
Katya kept her eyes glued to Anthony as he stood, not daring to look to his side, to his “assistant.”
“By your son’s unfortunate actions, Majesty,” Magistrate Anthony said, “I assume you mean the murder of my former assistant, my dearest Georgie Appleton.”
“I am as sorry for your loss, Magistrate,” Da said, “as I am of Duke Robert’s daughter, my old friend pyradisté Cimerion Crowe, and of course, my mother.”
Katya almost smirked. So the magistrate wanted to play a game of hurts, did he? Let him challenge those.
Magistrate Anthony simply bowed. “If you will, Majesty, I have a solution as to how you might win the faith of the people as completely as you have won that of the nobles.”
Da inclined his head and gestured for Anthony to continue.
“Let us have a government where we have a voice, Majesty. Let us have a parliament.” He waved at the assembled party. “An august council such as this one, to have a voice in the ruling of this kingdom.”
The council erupted into impassioned voices. The nobles, even Duke Robert, shook their heads. Some of the commoners nodded, most at least appeared thoughtful. One of the baronesses stood. “Do you really think that would be a good idea, Magistrate? Most of the common people don’t even know how to read.”
Magistrate Anthony gestured to those gathered around him. “I challenge you to find a man or woman here among us, Baroness, who does not know.”
The baroness blinked for a moment, her mouth working. “Well, of course yourselves, but…”
“Even a man or woman who cannot read should have a say in the course his or her life takes. Such people could elect someone to represent them, just as the people have elected me to judge them in matters of law. These representatives would form the parliament.”
With a shake of his head, a viscount rapped on the table and gave Magistrate Anthony a pitying look. “You may have learned the law, Magistrate, but how could you know anything of politics, of war, of how to shape a kingdom?”
“Forgive me, Viscount, but did you know such things when you inherited your title at birth? A person may learn.”
The nobles fell to angry murmuring again. Da raised his hands. “Peace, fellow councilors, please.” After a moment, they all fell silent. “Do I take it, Magistrate Anthony, that you have a particular problem with how our kingdom is ruled?”
Anthony bowed again, the slippery eel. Katya saw right through his fawning. “I believe all men and women should be subject to the same law, Majesty. That cannot happen unless we all have a say in how we are governed.”
“You would have had my son arrested and tried.”
“No, Majesty. I do not believe one man is wholly under the control of another. I would have the champion arrested and tried.”
Lord Vincent didn’t bat an eyelash, though the rest of the room murmured. Da gave Magistrate Anthony a friendly smile. “I will take your words under advisement, Magistrate.”
Most of the nobles seemed aghast that Da hadn’t shut the man down completely. They were probably aghast that Da didn’t order Vincent to chop off Magistrate Anthony’s head. But Da never shut anyone down. He had no wish to be a tyrant and, “take your words under advisement,” never closed a door. It never made people unhappy.
Even Magistrate Anthony smiled. “Thank you, Majesty.”
“Shall we declare this council closed?” Da asked. “Unless there is any other strange business this day?”
Heads shook, and people stood and bowed as Da prepared to exit. Katya stayed on his heels and finally did what she’d been avoiding, what she’d been desperate to do: she let her eyes rest on Roland. His eyes met Katya’s, and for a moment, they locked. He bowed, his face surprised, almost in awe. Katya barely avoided a snarl and looked away.
She didn’t say a word to her father on the way back to the royal apartment, but he whispered in her ear, “If you want to duck away and go look for her…”
Katya shook her head, not trusting her voice. When they entered his apartment and Starbride was waiting, Da stopped in surprise.
He glanced at Katya. “Would have thought this was one of the first places you’d look, my girl.”
Katya let the story tumble out of her. When he’d been informed of everything, Da turned nearly as red as she felt.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
Katya nodded. “That was almost exactly what I said.”
“The swine was in the same room with me, under my very nose!”
“And that.”
“It isn’t funny!” He nearly roared, and Katya took a step away. She looked to her mother who stared at her father as if she’d never met him. Starbride faded to the back of the room. Ma made a shooing motion, and Katya started for Starbride while nodding at the door to the secret passageway.
“Where are you going? Where is she going?” Da shouted.
“I can fill in the gaps for you,” Ma said. “I’ve heard all sides of the story, now.” Ma touched Da’s chest over his pyramid necklace. Katya opened the door to the secret passageway, waved Starbride in, and then turned to stare again at her mother.
“Einrich,” Ma said, “you must calm down. Your daughter is waiting to see if your head bursts open.”
Da stared at Katya for a moment before he rubbed a hand through his beard and closed his eyes. “Go, my girl. But come back in an hour to check on me.”
Katya smiled and left, giving Ma room to work her magic.
As soon as the door to the secret passageway was closed, Katya wrapped her arms around Starbride, not caring that they were still feet away from her parents. “I was so worried for you, Star.”
“Does this mean you aren’t angry with me anymore?”
“I’ll likely be angry for a long time, but not at you. Even when I’m angry, I love you.”
“I heard you punched Lord Vincent.”
“He laid his hands on you.”
“My savior.” Their kiss lasted only a moment. “Roland seemed very confident his plan would work. Makes me wonder if he has a backup plan up his sleeve.”
Katya led the way down the secret passage. “Where has Dawnmother gone?”
“To warn Averie that we’re coming.”
“I wish I could just not think for a few moments.”
“No time, I’m afraid.”
“What now?”
“Ursula and Castelle. They’re in the thick of this, Katya. We have to decide how much to tell them or if we should warn them off.”
“I, um, I already told Castelle some of it. She knows about the Fiends and about Roland.”
Starbride’s eyebrows shot up. “You told her without me?”
“We needed the help, and I didn’t know what else to do. She wanted answers, especially after one of her friends had just died. And she saw Lady Hilda as a Fiend.”
“So did Captain Ursula, but you didn’t rush away to tell her.”
Katya took a deep breath. “There wasn’t time.”
By the twist of Starbride’s mouth, Katya could tell she wasn’t happy, but she nodded.
Katya wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hoping to turn anger into humor. “Should I take it personally that you’re not jealous enough to forbid me from working with my old flame?”
“Tsk, I trust you,
and if I can’t trust her, I can always have her killed.” Starbride paused for a moment before she said, “Why didn’t you ever tell her about the Fiend or the Order before now? If I hadn’t stumbled onto them, would you have told me?”
“Or course,” Katya said, and even though the words came easily, part of her doubted them. “I love you.”
“You loved her, too. Don’t deny it.”
“Ah, but she didn’t love me like you do. Castelle has always been more worried about herself than she could ever be about someone else.”
“And yet, she’s gone to great lengths to help you recently, including putting herself in danger.”
“But was that for me or for the adventure?”
“Can’t it be both? I’m not saying I know her better than you, Katya, but time changes people. Maybe you couldn’t share your secrets when you were lovers. If she hadn’t been able to join your life as I have, it would have hurt you. But now, as an adventurer, she’s ready for the responsibility that comes with being your friend.”
Katya mulled that over for a moment. “You are the spirit of wisdom. And you are an absolute ferret when it comes to hunting secrets.”
“Isn’t that a rat?”
“No! It’s more like a…” Katya couldn’t think of the word.
Starbride slapped her lightly on the shoulder. “It is a rat!” She laughed, but when she tried to slap at Katya again, Katya ducked, and then wrapped Starbride in her arms.
“If I’m a rat,” Starbride said, “that makes you a pervert rodent fancier.”
“So that was what I saw in Castelle.”
“Ha! So now we just have to tell Castelle about the council? What about Captain Ursula? How much do we tell her?”
“I don’t know her well enough, and she puts the city first. If she discovered that the Umbriels carry part of Yanchasa, she might decide it would be better for the city if we weren’t on the throne.”
“Then we don’t tell that part. We simply say our opponent is a…friend of Yanchasa’s, a half-Fiend that wants to let Yanchasa loose.” Starbride shrugged. “It’s partly true.”
Katya kissed her long and soft. “I don’t know why we need two spirits of wisdom and intellect when we have you.”
*
They met with Captain Ursula and told her what she needed to know about Roland, leaving out the history of the Order and the Umbriel Fiends, as well as Roland’s true identity. Shocked though she was, Ursula concluded in the end that everything Katya and Starbride said made sense. The only thing she wanted to know was why Katya had bothered to keep an opponent like Roland a secret.
“Though ‘Foe of Yanchasa’ has always been a title of the ruler of Farraday,” Katya said, “it’s mostly symbolic. Occasionally, we have to face allies of the great Fiend. It’s traditional that the royal family takes on this task themselves, along with a few trusted friends. However, a few of my trusted friends are no longer with us.” Maia’s face flashed in front of her mind’s eye, but she shook her head to clear the image.
Ursula nodded slowly. “And now you’re looking for more trusted friends?” Her brows were down, skeptical, as if she didn’t want a special relationship with the crown.
“Allies, with the city’s best interest at heart, would be nice.”
Ursula smiled at that and promised she would make inquiries into Magistrate Anthony and his assistant, especially after Katya and Starbride told her that Fiends might be manipulating the magistrate for their own ends. She still seemed suspicious, but that might come in handy.
The tale for Castelle took less time. Since she already knew about Roland and the Fiends, all they had to tell her about was the council.
Castelle rubbed her chin. “So Roland’s plan to get the nobles on his side has failed, and now we have to try and guess his next move. Do we know his location?”
“Pennynail is looking for him. As Anthony’s assistant, he can’t hide,” Starbride said. “We need your thief catcher skills.”
“I’ve learned a lot in my years away from the palace. Sounds like we’ll need your pyradisté skills, too. So what do you need from me right now?”
“At the moment…” Katya’s words tapered off as she heard a slight scratching from her private sitting room door. Someone had arrived through the secret passage. “Nothing. But I have a feeling we’ll have news soon.”
Castelle nodded slowly. She’d heard the slip.
“I’ll see you out,” Katya said. When Castelle stood, Starbride stood also, nodding at the two as Katya walked Castelle into the hall.
Chapter Thirty-six: Starbride
Starbride waited for the door to the hall to close before she rushed to the other. There was only one person who’d wait at the door instead of coming through the regular halls. Pennynail bowed when he saw her.
“Katya will be right back, so don’t take anything off.”
He pressed the mask’s cheeks as if hiding a blush. Starbride laughed. Why was it so much easier to relax around him when he had the mask on?
Katya slipped inside a moment later. “Is there news?”
Pennynail nodded, but then plucked Starbride’s sleeve.
“Who could you possibly be that you can show her and not me?” Katya asked.
He fidgeted. Starbride shook her head. “Please don’t force this. Let some secrets lie.”
Katya gave her a wry look. “Who are you again?”
Starbride turned to the private sitting room door. “Promise you won’t peek?”
“I’ll be awaiting your news.”
Once inside the sitting room, Starbride leaned against the door. She didn’t want to lock Katya out of her own room, but she had to prevent any surprise inspections.
Freddie pushed his mask on top of his head. “I guess I’m lucky I don’t have to keep my voice down.”
“What news?”
“Roland isn’t hiding at Magistrate Anthony’s house. They’ve rented a warehouse at the edge of Marienne, near the road to Dockland. I watched it overnight, saw quite a few people coming and going. I think we may have our first dissident hideout.”
Starbride clenched a fist. Just like the attack on Lady Hilda, they had an opportunity to get ahead of their enemies, maybe even surprise them. Pennynail gave her as many details as he could, and then they let Katya into the room.
Her dark looks vanished when Starbride filled her in. “Finally! We’ll get Captain Ursula to clean out the warehouse while we wait for Roland to show himself.”
“Katya…”
“I’m going, Star.”
“This isn’t some jaunt outside the city; this is going after Roland himself—”
“Jaunt? You’re calling hunting Lady Hilda a jaunt now?”
Pennynail saluted them before hurrying toward the secret passages again. Starbride waited for the door to close before she rounded on Katya.
“Is this what you felt like all the times I insisted you be protected?” Katya asked. “It’s hard to breathe.”
“Thank you for understanding that.”
“Good, since I understand, it’s settled. I’ll take care of any courtly duties before we go. I’ll send Castelle to collect Ursula. Get all you can from Pennynail, then we’ll all meet here with Brutal and Hugo. We can fill Averie and Dawnmother in later.”
Starbride closed her mouth on her argument. The comment about knowing how she felt did her in. Protection could be suffocating, especially when she could take care of herself. She supposed Katya could do the same, but she had to try one more tactic.
“What would your father say?”
“Are you going to tattle on me, Star?”
“Crowe said I would have to develop a closer relationship with Einrich, reporting to him and so on. Would he have you locked away?”
Katya’s face tensed for a moment before she seemed to see the teasing in Starbride’s face. “I didn’t know you wanted to bring chains into our relationship. If I die, my family won’t have you thrown into the dungeon.” She put a fi
nger to Starbride’s lips, sealing in a protest. “I know that’s not what you’re really worried about, but you do realize that you’d be safe, don’t you?”
Starbride nodded, swallowing her vehement denial that she was worried for her own skin. “As long as you trust me to guard your back, I won’t go tattling to your father. But I will insist on disguises for all of us, convincing ones.”
“I don’t do them any other way.”
*
Starbride had been researching everything about how to contain a Fiend. She didn’t want to be surprised by Roland again. The next time she encountered him, if he let her get close, she was going to hit him with the kind of pyramid Crowe had been using for years, the kind that siphoned off a Fiend’s energy, that turned the Umbriels back into their human selves. The kind that had let Starbride drain Katya’s Fiend in the first place.
She made several. One for Roland, her most powerful, but another for Maia if Roland unleashed her Fiend. After what had happened with Lady Hilda, Starbride had little doubt that he’d already done that. She hesitated to bring it up to Katya, but suspected Katya knew already. The only reason Maia hadn’t come back to them was because her Fiend didn’t want her to.
That led her to how Roland was unlocking Fiends in the first place without the owners performing the Waltz. Not only unlocking, she reminded herself; he’d taught Lady Hilda how to control it. Lady Hilda’s pyradisté might not choose to answer, and she couldn’t use a mind pyramid on him. She left him in Freddie’s capable hands. Crowe hadn’t been fond of torture, but Freddie would know whatever tactics he’d used to get information out of an uncooperative pyradisté.
Lady Hilda’s body was another story. Freddie helped her bring it to the dungeon where they laid it on a slab of stone that seemed made for holding bodies. Starbride didn’t want to ask.
For Want of a Fiend Page 29
