“Don’t expect any sympathy from me,” Lexie laughed. “If you insist on volunteering for these things, you can’t complain about them afterwards.”
“Can’t I? What’s the point then?”
“You complain all you want, Reithan,” Tia consoled him. “Nobody’s going to listen to you anyway, so what difference does it make?”
“You’re a heartless fiend, Tia,” Reithan accused. “Now I know where Mellie gets it from.”
“What about you, Dirk?” Lexie asked. “You appear none the worse for the wear.”
“Well, I’m younger than Reithan,” Dirk replied with a grin. “I suppose when I get to his advanced age, I’ll be feeling it, too.”
“Hey! You’re supposed to be on my side!”
“I am on your side,” Dirk assured him. “I’ll fetch your cane and your shawl any time you’re ready for them.”
Tia watched them joking and laughing, feeling like an outsider. She wondered for a moment if that was what she really distrusted about Dirk. No matter what she did, Tia would never be truly a part of Johan’s family. She was not blood—not like Dirk and Mellie and Reithan. She was the lost child taken in because her mother was a coldhearted bitch and her father was a wasted drug addict.
“Very droll,” Reithan said with a scowl. “I’ll remember who thinks he’s younger and fitter the next time we have to reef the mainsail in a storm.”
“If you had any brains, Reithan, you wouldn’t have the damn mainsail set in a storm in the first place,” Porl Isingrin remarked as he came up behind Tia.
“I can’t win. They’re either younger and fitter or older and wiser ...”
“Life’s like that,” Porl agreed. “Nice game, by the way. Although I think someone should check on Holen Baker.”
“Why? The little weasel didn’t even look like getting hit.”
“That’s my point,” the pirate laughed. “There’s something wrong with that boy. Nobody should be able to move that fast.”
Their conversation was suddenly halted by a high-pitched scream echoing across the beach. Everybody froze at the unexpected sound.
“That’s Mellie,” Tia said.
She had barely uttered the words before Reithan and Dirk were running in the direction of the screams. Without even thinking, she raced after them, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Mellie screamed again. They followed the sound, crashing through the scrubby undergrowth that fought to survive near the beach. Dirk streaked ahead of Reithan and she could hear Porl Isingrin’s labored breathing behind her.
They found Mellie in a small clearing. She was lying on the ground, with Eryk sitting astride her, his hand over her mouth as he tried to stop her screaming. Tia arrived in time to see Dirk haul the boy off her. Then he hit him so hard that Eryk’s feet left the ground and the boy flew backward, landing on his back several feet from Mellie. Tia raced to her and gathered the child into her arms. Mellie was sobbing uncontrollably.
“What in the name of the Goddess is happening?” Porl bellowed as he reached them. He took in the scene with a glance and paled. “Did he? ...”
“I don’t think so,” Dirk said, panting heavily.
Eryk tried to sit up, but Reithan turned on him savagely. “You stay right where you are, boy!”
“Reithan, get Mellie up to the house,” Lexie ordered calmly as she stepped into the clearing.
Tia marveled at her composure. She wanted to kill someone, starting with Eryk. And then she would probably strangle Dirk Provin next, for bringing him to Mil in the first place.
“Porl, would you see to Eryk, please?”
The pirate nodded and looked at Dirk. “We’ll take him up to the longhouse.”
Dirk bent down to haul Eryk up by his shirt. The boy’s face was streaked with tears, his expression stunned, his nose dripping blood unheeded down the front of his shirt.
Lexie turned to address the rest of the crowd that had followed the screams. “The rest of you, get back to the party. The excitement is over.”
Through force of habit as much as anything else, the villagers complied with her orders. Dirk shoved Eryk in front of him, wearing that same icy expression Tia remembered from the night he killed Johan. She shuddered at the recollection as she helped Reithan scoop Mellie up into his arms.
“It’s all right, Mel,” she whispered soothingly. “It’s all over.”
Reithan glared at her for a moment then turned to watch Dirk and Porl escorting Eryk away. “It’s not over, Tia. Not by a long shot.”
Lexie and Finidice put Mellie to bed, leaving Reithan and Tia with nothing to do but anxiously pace the balcony. When Lexie finally emerged from Mellie’s room, her expression was grim.
“She blames herself,” Lexie told them, as she sank wearily down onto a chair.
“That’s ridiculous!” Tia cried. “She’s fourteen!”
“Keep your voice down,” Reithan warned.
“It’s ridiculous however loud you say it, Reithan,” she snapped.
They heard footsteps on the veranda and turned to find Porl Isingrin and Dirk had arrived.
“How’s Eryk?” Lexie asked.
“Confused,” Dirk said. “He’s not sure what he did wrong.”
“Well, you would defend him, wouldn’t you?”
Dirk seemed quite offended. “If I thought for a moment that Eryk seriously wanted to hurt Mellie, Tia, I’d kill him myself.”
“Settle down, both of you,” Lexie ordered impatiently. “Mellie says Eryk tried to kiss her. She got a fright so she screamed, he tried to shush her, they fell over and that’s when we found them.”
Porl nodded in agreement. “That’s much the same story we got from the boy. He’s quite distressed that he might have hurt her.”
“He can afford to be,” Tia remarked sourly. “He was the one on top.”
“Tia, please!”
She turned away from Lexie’s accusing stare only to find Mellie standing on the veranda in her nightgown.
“You’re talking about what to do with Eryk, aren’t you?”
“Mellie, you should go back to bed ...” Lexie began.
“You shouldn’t be mad at Eryk, Mama. It wasn’t his fault.”
“Don’t worry about him, Mel,” Reithan told her. “We’ll take care of it. Go back to bed.”
“No! Not until you listen to me. It wasn’t his fault. It was my fault. Eleska and I went up to visit Eryk the other day and we were fooling around, talking about who was going to marry who and ... I said I wanted to marry Eryk.”
“And he believed you?” Lexie asked.
Mellie nodded. “He doesn’t understand, Mama. He didn’t realize we were joking. He’d carved a doll for me and when he gave it to me, he said it was my betrothal present. He said all this other stuff too, about loving me, and being so happy that I wanted to marry him, too ... Then he tried to kiss me. He didn’t even try that hard, and I didn’t mean to scream like that ... I just got such a surprise, we fell over, and you found us. It looked a lot worse than it really was. Please don’t hurt him.”
“Nobody’s going to hurt him, lass,” Porl assured her.
“Dirk hit him pretty hard.”
“He’ll get over a few loose teeth,” Dirk said.
“You have to promise me. It truly wasn’t his fault. He’s not mean or vicious and he wasn’t trying to hurt me. He’s just ... different.”
“You have my word that no harm will come to him, Mellie,” Lexie promised.
Mellie studied their faces in the red sunlight and then nodded and left the balcony without another word.
Porl Isingrin broke the uncomfortable silence. “Despite what it looked like, I believe Mellie may have the right of it.”
“How can you say that?” Tia demanded. “She’s a child!”
“In his head, at least, Eryk is probably younger than Mellie,” Reithan pointed out.
“Aye, but that child’s mind is in the body of a young man,” Porl reminded them. “How old is he now? Fifteen?”
“Sixteen,” Dirk corrected.
“Even worse. We look at him and see the child in his mind. We forget about the fact that he’s almost a man, with a man’s wants and needs ...”
“Oh, please! Spare me!” Tia cried. “If he’s old enough to have urges, then he should be damn well old enough to control them.”
“You can start lecturing us on control when you learn to control your temper, young lady,” Porl retorted impatiently. He turned to the others before she could add anything further. “I agree Eryk probably meant Mellie no harm this time, but if he thinks he’s in love with her, that could cause problems in the future.”
“What do you suggest we do, Porl?” Lexie asked. “I can hardly post a guard on Mellie on the off chance that Eryk might one day decide to pursue her.”
“No, of course not. What do you think, Dirk?”
They all turned to look at him. “Send him out to sea.”
“You callous bastard,” Tia accused. “You’d set that boy afloat on the open sea?”
“Tia, what goes on inside that head of yours?” Reithan asked, shaking his head. “He meant putting him to work on one of the ships.” He turned to Dirk and added cautiously, “That is what you meant, isn’t it?”
“I meant find him a berth on a ship. That way he’ll be away from Mil a good part of the time. It will give him time to get over his obsession with Mellie.”
“Oh,” Tia said, feeling like an idiot. “That’s not a bad idea, actually.”
“It’s an excellent idea,” Lexie agreed. “Can you arrange it, Porl?”
The pirate nodded. “He can come with us to Nova. I’ll find him something more permanent when we get back. Perhaps the Orlando could find room for him.”
“You’ll take him to Grannon Rock for Landfall?” Lexie asked thoughtfully. “Then perhaps you should go, too, Dirk.”
Dirk shrugged. “If you think it will help.”
Tia looked at Lexie. Why did it make any difference ... and then she realized why Lexie had suggested it. If Dirk went with Porl and Reithan to Nova for Landfall to meet with the queen, then he would be isolated on the Makuan and unlikely to hear about his mother until it was too late. A part of Tia was uneasy with the decision to conceal the truth from him. If it was her mother about to be burned, she would want to know.
“I’ll go, too,” she offered, thinking that if Dirk was going to cause trouble, she would see it coming before anybody else did. The rest of them trusted him far too much for her liking. “Is that all right, Captain?” She deliberately did not ask Reithan’s permission, certain he would have denied it.
“This voyage is starting to take on the air of a damn pleasure cruise,” Porl complained.
“I won’t be in the way,” she promised.
Porl shrugged. “Aye, I suppose you can come.”
“Just don’t let her near the galley,” Reithan suggested with a sour look.
“Then we’ll leave it at that. For now,” Lexie announced. “And hopefully that will be the end of it.”
Tia nodded her agreement with the others; unable to shake the feeling that Lexie’s statement fell into the category of famous last words.
Chapter 13
The High Priestess left for Elcast on the Calliope with Prince Antonov the day after Troitsa. A Shadowdancer named Marika Torna had been left in charge in the Hall of Shadows and the High Priestess had left quite specific instructions about what was expected in her absence.
The Landfall Festival was the busiest time of year for the Shadowdancers, and everyone had work to do. The Avacas Landfall Festival was a huge event, involving every Shadowdancer still in the city. Marqel’s role was minor, a fact that was even harder to stomach knowing that while she suffered through the raging lust of some minor noble out of his mind with the Milk of the Goddess, that conceited, loathsome ... she-goat, Caspona Takarnov, would be wrapped in the arms of Kirshov Latanya on Grannon Rock. Although the knowledge gnawed at Marqel, she could do nothing about it while Ella or Prince Antonov was in the palace nor while the High Priestess was still in Avacas, for that matter.
She had a plan, but for it to work she needed to set the wheels in motion at the very last minute.
Prince Misha was out of danger, although the overdose had left him even weaker than normal, and there were real fears that he would never completely recover. Marqel checked on him the night before Caspona and the others were due to leave, although her attention was not really required. Olena Borne was still in the palace, and Yuri Daranski, Antonov’s personal physician from the Hall of Shadows, always tended Misha during Ella’s absence. Marqel was still an apprentice, and the care of someone as important as Misha Latanya would never be left solely in the hands of an inexperienced acolyte.
It was late when Marqel visited the Crippled Prince. The red sun flooded the room, making his complexion appear much healthier than it did in the harsh light of the second sun. Misha smiled wanly at her as she placed a cool hand on his forehead. He was much more lucid these past few days, and obviously in pain now that the worst of the drug had worn off.
“You’ve been watching over me, haven’t you?” he asked weakly.
Marqel got along well with Misha. He was easy company and appreciated the attention of a beautiful young woman. In different circumstances, were he not a cripple—were he not destined to die in the High Priestess’s grand scheme—she might be quite interested in fostering his obvious attraction.
“I’ve just been doing my job, your highness.”
“I remember you being here ... at odd times. I think you’ve done more than duty calls for, Marqel.”
“If I have, it’s because you’re worth it, your highness,” she replied with a coy smile.
Misha was not fooled. “Now you’re trying to flatter me.”
“Is it working?”
He forced a smile. “Yes.”
“Good,” she declared, taking a seat beside him on the bed. “My evil plan to win you over with my beguiling charms is working.”
“And once you have me, what are you going to do with me?”
For a fleeting moment, the thought crossed her mind that maybe Misha would not die. Suppose Belagren changed her mind? Suppose something happened to Kirsh and Misha lived to inherit the throne of Senet? She could have Misha with a snap of her fingers if she wanted him. His left side was weak, certainly, but she had nursed him for long enough now to know that the rest of his anatomy functioned quite normally. What would he give, she wondered, for the chance to feel like a real man? What would he be willing to pay?
She placed her hand on his thigh, making it appear accidental as she turned to smile at him.
“What would you like me to do, your highness?” she asked softly.
Misha stared at her. He was in too much pain to act on her invitation, but he knew it was there. She recognized the look, the need, the desire ...
Then sanity returned and she jumped to her feet, assuming an air of professional concern. Dear Goddess! What am I thinking?
“I’m sorry ... I really have to go now. Yuri is here in the palace if you’re in need of anything.”
Misha looked rather disappointed, but he nodded in understanding. “I’m still tired. I’ll probably just sleep.”
“Then sleep well, your highness,” she said and hurried from the room before the Crippled Prince could think up a reason to ask her to stay.
After she left Misha’s rooms, Marqel headed for the kitchens, then a little while later, bearing a tray and three cups of steaming tea, headed back upstairs to Caspona’s room. She knocked and waited until the other girl opened the door.
“I’ve come to apologize,” Marqel said, with a tentative smile. “I shouldn’t have said what I did the other day. Will you accept a peace offering?” She held up the tray. Steam rose off the cups, scented faintly with peppermint.
Caspona stared at her warily. “Why?”
“Because you were right. We’re not whores. I’m just disappointed, that’s all. I so
wanted to see Grannon Rock.”
Although she was clearly suspicious of Marqel’s motives, Caspona stood back to let her in. Marqel smiled wider and entered the room placing the tray on the table near the window. She schooled her features into a pleasant expression and turned back to the other Shadowdancer.
“Did you want some help packing?”
“I’m almost done.”
“You should be getting to bed soon. You have an early start in the morning.”
“Your concern is touching,” Caspona remarked with a frown.
“To be honest, Caspona, it’s not you I’m thinking of. Ella ordered me to make sure you and Laleno got away on time.” That explanation should satisfy her. Caspona knew her well enough to doubt that anything Marqel did came from any innate generosity of spirit.
Picking up one of the cups, Marqel pretended to sip the tea, and then placed it back on the tray. “Come on. Drink it before it cools.”
Caspona stared at her for a moment, and then reached for her tea, quite deliberately taking up the cup that Marqel had just put down. Marqel smiled at the gesture.
“Do you distrust me that much?”
“I wouldn’t trust you to throw me a line if I was drowning in a puddle,” the other girl told her pleasantly. “Now, why don’t you drink it before it cools?”
Unconcerned, Marqel picked up the untouched cup and took a small swallow of the peppermint tea. The two girls stared at each other over the rims of their cups, the silence thick between them. Caspona drained hers and placed the cup on the tray with a thump.
“Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you, Marqel. Now if you don’t mind, I need to finish packing.”
Putting her half-finished cup down, Marqel picked up the tray. “Don’t stay up too late.”
Caspona opened the door for her. “I won’t.”
Marqel did not look back as she left the room and headed down the broad tiled hall toward Laleno’s room. The older girl was already in bed when she knocked, and did not appreciate being woken.
“What do you want, Marqel?” she snapped as she opened the door.
“I just came to check that you’re all ready to leave tomorrow.”
“I am,” Laleno replied. “Was that all you wanted?”
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