by Ada Haynes
Shona nodded, munching on a piece of toast. Better to concentrate on her food than let the familiar old anger get to her.
“Can I ask you something, Lass?”
Shona nodded.
“Is it true?”
Shona smiled bitterly. That particular aunt had never been listening to gossip, as far as Shona could remember. But listening was different from hearing.
“Is what true, Aunt?”
“That you’re going to marry Ekbeth, the Akeneires’el of the Na Duibhnes. To finally settle that feud between our families!”
Shona choked on her toast. So badly that her eyes started running. It took her some time to get over it, and be able to say, “Pardon?”
“Ekbeth told us so two days ago. It was a bit of a shock to us. I may have misunderstood. Sorry.”
Well! Shona had certainly not expected that!
Rumors about her were most of the time about drug use, thievery, craziness, danger, eventually about the money she had accumulated over the years… but marriage? She could not help herself, she started chuckling. And with Ekbeth, of all men!
She shook her head. Wait till that bodyguard of his heard about that! She took her cup of coffee. Time to change the topic. “I never heard you talk about Sarah-Lysliana. She’s my cousin, isn’t she?”
Her Aunt hesitated. “Yes. Alasdair’s daughter. She was born after you left home. That’s why you probably never heard of her.”
Shona forced a smile on her lips. “Left home,” indeed. It was one way to put it. But she did not want to discuss her past right now. “Ah, so she’s Andrew’s sister?”
“Yes. But the girl has not been in our family for long. I told you the Na Duibhnes were not happy about the fiancée changing her mind. Her betrothed especially. He was a sorry piece of shit, forgive my words. A pervert of the worse sort. Dead now, but he lived long enough to steal the newborn baby girl and was never willing to reveal what he had done with her.”
Shona was not sure she wanted to hear this story. It brought too many memories of what had happened to her own babies. But she had to know. “The clan probably thought the baby was dead, then.”
“Exactly. So it was a bit of a surprise to us when she entered our hall four years ago. Everyone was glad, of course. Sally really is a nice girl. And a very talented singer. She’s producing music records.”
Shona did her best to maintain an inexpressive face. It was very hard. Her description of that little cousin could fit her as well. Only she was not entitled to a warm welcome back. As for her singing talent, well… she could only blame herself for what had happened to it.
“She seemed very nice. Is there more coffee?”
Aunt Fiona refilled her cup, looking at her attentively. “I know what’s on your mind, girl. But don’t be jealous of her. It’s not been all rosy for the girl either, Shona. Apart from not having known her own parents, she’s been married to Ekbeth’s cousin. The man is a brute. He almost killed her.”
Ah! A bit of information Shona should have realized she had already. Because she had investigated the Na Duibhnes extensively. And had known Ekbeth’s cousin, Lyrian Farrill, had been married once.
She had just not realized it was to a McLean. “Wait a second. If Sally was married to Ekbeth’s cousin, it kind of solves the feud between our families? Or am I completely stupid?”
Fiona shook her head. “Not stupid, Lass. I wish it was so. But see, Farrill only married his neighbors’ daughter. He was not aware she was a McLean. Nobody was at the time. Besides, Farrill was not living in the Valley. He’s related to the Na Duibhnes by his mother, but his father is not As’mir. So it does not count.”
“And he tried to kill her when he discovered she was a McLean?”
Aunt Fiona pinched her lips disapprovingly. “No. He actually only found out about us after the separation. No, the man is just a brute. He had no reason to beat her, but he did it nonetheless.”
Mmh. That was too easy an explanation. Shona had seen Lyrian. She had also studied him. He was not an easy man. But a woman beater? That was difficult to believe.
She would have to ask her cousin for more information, apparently.
She had just finished her second cup of coffee when Sally entered the kitchen, a gorgeous young man in tow.
“I think this is the worse room of the whole house,” Sally said to him. “We’ve tried to clean it, but that rotting smell is not going away.”
The young man walked around the room, with a supple gait. It was difficult to ignore his presence. Even Aunt Fiona was looking admiringly at him, Shona noticed.
He stopped in front of a wall and started touching it. “The smell is stronger here. If I’m not mistaken, there must be a shaft hidden behind this wall. A shaft to the sewage. It clogs easily. We have the same problem in our house. Let’s try to find the opening…”
“Najeb! What are you doing here?”
Shona did her best to ignore the newcomer. But the others all turned toward him.
And the young man did not look so sure of himself anymore. “Father…”
Kalem, Ekbeth’s favorite bodyguard, growled, “We’ve been through this before. You’re a bodyguard, not a plumber!”
Shona had trouble hiding her amusement. That hunk was Kalem’s son?
Cousin Sally put herself between the two men, no matter that she was a full head smaller than them. The girl had some guts, no doubt about it. “I asked for his help, Kalem. He’s the only one who knows how to repair anything here.”
It was obvious Kalem had trouble with the situation. Still, he managed a short bow to Sally. “Miss McLean. I’m sorry but you’ll have to find someone else for this task.”
Duncan entered the room at the very instant, scowling. “What’s going on here?”
Both Kalem and Najeb bowed to him. Shona concentrated on her cup of coffee. The old bastard did not deserve their respect.
Sally relaxed a tiny bit. “Gramp. Can you please explain to Kalem that we really need his son’s help? Even if it’s only for an hour?”
If she had hoped Duncan would be of any help, she was to be disappointed.
Duncan’s frown deepened. “We don’t need the Na Duibhnes’ help with our house, Sally.”
“But…”
The old man shook his head. “Inviting their Akeneires’el here was already bad enough, though it was my decision. Take your son out of our house, Kalem.”
Kalem’s face was neutral, but no doubt he was raging at the not-so-subtle insults to his family, even though Duncan had just agreed with him. He only bowed. “Akeneires’el, I actually come with a message from the Na Duibhnes’ Akeneires’el. He’d like to see you and your relative Kimiel.”
Duncan grumbled, “If Ekbeth wants to see me, he can come here.”
Another short bow from Kalem. “The Akeneires’el thinks his house will be a more appropriate setting.”
Shona noticed how both men were carefully ignoring her. Highly irritating. She left her chair and walked to her grandfather, careful not to show her emotions.
“Come now, not so grumpy, Seanair. I’m sure Ekbeth means well. Kalem? Can you show us the way, please?”
Duncan did not seem to hear her. Ekbeth’s bodyguard was slightly more responsive. He glared at her, but nodded, before turning his back on her. She then noticed her cousin’s expression. It was difficult to read. Was it pity?
Great. Shona had no idea why Ekbeth wanted to talk to her, but she was now pretty certain she was not going to like the conversation.
*
The house of the Na Duibhnes was not so far. Just a few flights of stairs away.
By the time they got there, Shona was out of breath, doing her best not to show it, and totally disoriented. This city was a maze. A crumbling maze, but still a maze.
When entering it, the main hall of the Na Duibhnes’ place made her pause. She had not expected such a grand hall, after the rather simple doorway. That stair along the wall! It seemed to go on forever. In compa
rison with the McLeans’ house, this was a palace.
She saw Kalem’s smirk at her reaction. But she let it pass.
What was Ekbeth’s game, though? Had he asked them to come to impress them?
She kept a perfectly neutral expression. She was impressed, but she would be damned if she was going to show it.
Kalem brought them—more stairs—to a suite of rooms at the very top of the building.
Ekbeth was waiting for them in a cleverly decorated little room, standing next to the window.
“Morning, Duncan. Kimiel.”
That name. She would get used to it, eventually. She put a smile on her face. “Morning, Ekbeth.”
Ekbeth was looking at her with an expression she found strange. As if he was having trouble with his digestion, or something like that. He was probably still mad at her about what had happened in Zurich, she thought. Why had he asked her to come, then?
“You wanted to see us?”
He nodded, but still did not speak.
Apparently Duncan knew already what the issue was, because he growled. “Get it out, Lad. She won’t bite you.”
Shona almost laughed. She actually had bitten him already. In a very sensitive place. She crossed Ekbeth’s gaze. He was also remembering the moment. She could tell.
He sighed. Then reached for her hands. Looked into her eyes. “Kimiel Keh Niriel. Will you marry me?”
That was unexpected! Even with Aunt Fiona having asked her about it. She was speechless for a minute. He sounded like he meant it. “You are joking, aren’t you, Ekbeth?”
He shook his head. Slowly.
She took one step back, extracted her hands from his grip. “Hell, no!”
Then she stormed out of the room before any of them had time to block her way.
24
Ekbeth hated to have been so correct about Kimiel’s expected reaction to his request. She had not even given him time to explain. There was nothing personal in her refusal. He knew it. Maybe, he should have phrased his request a bit less directly, he now realized. From her reaction, she had not expected this at all.
“Hmm. This did not go very well, Lad!”
Ekbeth glared at Duncan McLean, who was still sitting comfortably in his chair.
“I need to convince her to accept, Duncan. A bit of advice would be welcome, instead of sarcasm.”
“This is not my idea. Ask the Aramalinyia for help. Not me.”
“It may not be your idea, but neither is it mine. You have to help me. She’s your kin!”
The old man scowled. “No need to remind me.”
Then he left the room.
Damn the man. Ekbeth thought furiously for a moment. But nothing came to his mind.
He had until nightfall, the Aramalinyia had said. Maybe he should just let her banish him. He was wealthy enough on the Other Side, even without the community fortune.
He looked outside, at the Lake in front of him. Of course, he would miss the place. But he also had a home on the Other Side. A home where he was respected, where he was the one making the decisions, where he was in control of his life.
He sighed. There was just a slight problem. There was no one to take his job over.
His own mistake, mainly. He had troubles trusting his family. Lyrian could have been an option, a difficult one, as he had not grown up in Kse’Annilis as Ekbeth had, but still an option. Only his cousin had got himself banished.
Ekbeth knew leaving the community to their fate would end in a disaster. And the Aramalinyia would probably recognize her mistake too late, if ever.
If it came to that, Ekbeth could always try to make her aware of the danger in which she was placing the community. But that probably would not help. She had never showed any interest in the financial aspect of his responsibilities. And she had also voted for the ban on his niece Akalabeth, when, surely, she could surmise the consequences. No Caller was just as bad as no money for Kse’Annilis.
No, he could not let the community down. No matter how ungrateful they were. It was his responsibility.
“What’s going on, Ekbeth? I just saw the Oyyad and Duncan McLean leave our house.”
Ekbeth closed his eyes for a moment. Speaking of ungrateful and very annoying As’mirin. A nosy relative. And, of course, it had to be his Es’ael.
Ekbeth turned to face the old man, telling himself for the hundredth time that Es’ael was not the worst of the lot. For all his irritating, incessant recriminations, Es’ael sometimes surprised Ekbeth by giving sound advice during the family council. Not that Ekbeth was going to tell him that.
Es’ael was resentful. He had been refused the title of Akeneires’el four times by the Council.
The fourth time had been especially painful for the old fool. Ekbeth, as the third son of the Akeneires’el Maher na Duibhne, had never expected to take over the responsibilities of his father. He had studied finance and had helped with the bank management from early on, but Akeneires’el? No, he had not been prepared for that.
No, no one had foreseen that his two older brothers would die so young. Kas’el’s death had been inevitable when the extent of his crimes had been discovered. But Arkel… Arkel had been unlucky enough to fall down the stairs one day when he had had a bit too much to drink, and broke his neck.
A stupid accident. But one that had left only Ekbeth as a direct heir of Maher. Well, there had been Alyasini as well, Arkel’s daughter. But she had only been five at the time, far too young to inherit the title.
The Akeneires’el title was not hereditary. But it tends to go to the most directly-related family member of the previous Akeneires’el. Es’ael was not even a brother of Maher. He was a cousin of the third degree through his mother. So, to the council’s way of viewing the options, Ekbeth had been a better choice.
Ekbeth had accepted the position and was doing his utmost to do the job correctly. Thankfully, the main responsibility, at least—the banking part—he had mastered.
Es’ael just thought he would have done better, of course. And he criticized Ekbeth’s decisions at every step of the way.
And right now, expecting an answer to his question, his frown quickly turned into a full scowl. Well, Ekbeth would have to announce the news at some point of time, anyway.
“The Aramalinyia has asked me to propose to the Oyyad, Es’ael. That’s the reason why I asked Kimiel Keh Niriel to come here, with her grandfather.”
That bit of news took Es’ael completely by surprise, if his stunned expression was any indication. He stammered, “Propose? You mean… you intend to marry her?”
Ekbeth nodded. It did not seem to quiet the old man.
“But… she’s a McLean!”
Ekbeth sighed. “Ara’s will, Es’ael. According to the Aramalinyia. There’s not a lot I can do about this. And I have to at least admit that it would be an honorable way to put an end to our feud with the McLeans. Even though it is not the way I would have chosen if I had had a say in the decision.”
Ekbeth had hoped the news would be too much and would prevent further questioning, and was disappointed when Es’ael continued pressing him for information.
“I met the Oyyad in the hall, Ekbeth. She did not seem to me blissfully happy with your proposal.”
Ekbeth could only nod. “Shock, mainly. She was not prepared. She’ll get over it.”
Es’ael snorted loudly. “She’d better. We are actually doing her a great honor in accepting her into our family.”
Ekbeth refrained from commenting on that.
Es’ael’s next question was not totally surprising. After all, he had a habit of seeing conspiracies everywhere—another reason for not being chosen as Akeneires’el.
“Is this something you’ve planned with the Aramalinyia behind our back, Ekbeth? Kalem, your own bodyguard, brought Kimiel here. I don’t believe that nonsense about a letter. Is she your lover?”
Ekbeth would never qualify a woman he had spent an hour with as a lover. And it was none of this old fool’s business
.
“Uncle, I did not lie to you. A week before the start of the Aras’arisidz, I had never heard of Kimiel Keh Niriel. And think for a moment. Manipulate the Aramalinyia into this? Really?”
Not that he had not tried it before during the High Council sessions. But the woman was better than anyone at the game, and Es’ael knew it just as well as Ekbeth. Still, the old man did not believe him.
“But surely, the presence of the McLeans, considering this last development, is suspect. We know you’ve been to their place.”
Ekbeth knew very well who the “we” were. He shook his head. “Coincidence, Uncle. True, the Aramalinyia informed me of her wedding plans before the start of the ceremonies. But I’m asked to wed a perfect stranger. Duncan McLean seemed to know the woman. I tried to get some information from him, that’s all.”
Es’ael’s curiosity took over. “And, what did you learn about her?”
Nothing you need to know, you nosy old fool, thought Ekbeth. Certainly not the bit about her being a murderer. But Duncan McLean had been really loud during his confrontation with the Aramalinyia. Es’ael was bound to hear some rumors at some point of time.
But not from him.
“Only that she has an unconventional past. But that could be expected. She’s an As’miri. I’m sure you’ll manage to ask her about this yourself. After all, she can’t go anywhere in the coming days.”
That seemed to satisfy the old man for now. Ekbeth was left alone, to his depressing thoughts. No doubt the whole family would be informed of the latest developments within an hour—and the whole community before the end of the day.
He cringed when thinking how Kimiel was going to react to everyone’s good wishes and questions. He needed to talk to her first. Explain. But he could not go and look for her himself. That would certainly raise questions from his family, especially if he could not find her. Kalem was not a much better choice—he, also, was too visible.
Ekbeth pondered for a moment.
Ah. Maybe…
He asked a servant to find his niece Alyasini for him. No one was paying attention to his niece, most of the time. She would find Kimiel for him.
