“And many outpourings of love to Katya as well, Redtrue. How are you?”
“Finally, someone asks how I am. Very well if a little chilly. If you’ll hold on, I’m going to try reaching into Katya’s mind, though the thought abhors me.”
She seemed to hesitate until Starbride said, “Is something wrong?”
“Adsnazi do not believe in this so-called mind magic that the Farradains use so often.”
“Even with the person’s permission?” Starbride could almost feel her flinch. “Isn’t that what dream-walking is?”
“A dream walk is a connection between two pyramid users, like you and I. A hand is offered and accepted. No one’s mind is invaded. As a pyramid user, you can deny me. For you to speak to Katya, I would have to enter her mind, and she could not stop me as you could. Do you see?”
“I think so,” Starbride said. “Still, it’s not invasion if she wants you to do it.”
Redtrue gave another one of those mental flinches. “I will not invade deeply. Just enough to pull you and then you may muck around her mind to your heart’s content.”
Starbride found that phrasing repugnant. If she were to meet Redtrue in person, she wasn’t certain they would be friends. Still, for the chance to feel Katya again, she would stand any language.
After a few moments, Redtrue said, “Katya’s mind is stubborn. She’ll invade all the other minds she wants, but she seems to think her own is sacrosanct.”
Starbride frowned at the tone…and then she realized that her irritation wasn’t solely hers. She felt herself drawn forward, the strangest feeling tingling through her temples as if her brain stretched through her skin. She let herself be drawn with it, felt anger give way to confusion, a stubborn unwillingness to hope, and then the timid beginnings of joy.
“Katya?” Starbride breathed.
“Star?” The voice was faint, but emotions surged from it, love and concern, fear and admiration, all of them so passionate they wrapped Starbride like a thick blanket.
“Calmly,” Redtrue said, and this time, it was her voice that was faint.
“Oh, Star,” Katya said.
Starbride managed a breathless laugh at the love she felt. She’d known that Katya loved her, but to feel it was so different, so marvelous.
“I love you,” Starbride said, “I love…” And for a while, all they did was exchange emotions with half said words more felt than heard. “I’m so happy… I’m so glad… Are you… Yes, and you… I love… I miss… Remember when…” They were lost in the past, in deeds and emotions felt but unsaid because there just weren’t enough words.
Starbride recalled stolen moments spent on the settee, in their beds, in the bath. Katya returned the memories, and Starbride felt such heat gathering within her that she moaned. Sweat beaded on her forehead and aches rushed through her body at the remembered touches and caresses and kisses.
“Ah, Katya,” Starbride groaned as passion surged within her. She felt Katya reach the same heights nearly at the same time, repeating her name as they became lost in each other.
“Horsestrong preserve us,” Redtrue said softly, and she sounded as exhausted as Starbride felt.
Keen embarrassment heated Starbride’s cheeks. “Redtrue, I’m so sorry!”
“Yes, um, sorry about that,” Katya said.
So softly Starbride almost didn’t catch it, Redtrue said, “Don’t ever be sorry about that.”
“Well,” Katya said. “I guess we have missed each other after all.”
Starbride laughed, feeling giddy and tired, just as if they’d really…
“Please, not again!” Redtrue said.
Starbride pulled back from the thought. “I’m just so happy we can speak.” She took a deep breath. She wanted to say, “Tell me what to do,” but then she remembered Freddie’s words. Still, she had to ask Katya’s advice on at least one matter. “I’ve found Reinholt.”
Katya listened, and Starbride felt her shock. “I can’t believe he came back,” Katya said. “I’m glad you didn’t take any of his guff.”
“After dancing around Roland and his henchman, Reinholt is about as threatening as a stiff breeze.”
Katya laughed, and Starbride felt her pride as well as her fear. “You’ve risen to the occasion as I always knew you could, Star. I’m just so sorry about all that’s happened.”
“Did you invite Roland in? No, so don’t take the blame. How are my mother and father?”
“I thought your mother formidable on her own. Together they’re unstoppable, and they’ve been a huge help.”
Starbride grinned. “I’m glad they’re helping instead of pestering.”
“Pestering can be helpful, never doubt that. If any noble doesn’t fall in line, I send your parents. With Brutal at their backs, they’re usually obeyed quickly.”
“And how is everyone else?”
“As well as can be expected. Tell Reinholt his children are fine, if a little lost. Lord Vincent’s taken very good care of them. Did you know he reads to them?”
Starbride shook her head before she remembered Katya couldn’t see her. That didn’t matter; Katya would feel her surprise. “I suppose I’ll have to change my opinion of him, if only a little.”
“Maybe information about the children will make Reinholt more pliable. You’re the only way he has to get news. If his guilt is pricking him, and I think we’re past due for that, it might make him cling to you. Still, he might also run, given the chance, either to exact vengeance on Roland or to build his own army, not trusting yours.”
“His own army…”
“I felt that curious twinge. What are you thinking, Star?”
“Well, he was very good at speaking to people, right? Rallying the crowd?”
“Oh yes, he was always good at getting people to fall in love with him.”
“I’m better at running missions, freeing people’s minds, the kinds of jobs the Order used to do. We need someone who can sway people with words. Who better than a black sheep? A rebellious prince who’s come back to save his people from being overrun by evil, living as they do, fighting as they do.”
“Is that from one of your books?”
“If it works…”
“Star, you are perfection.”
Starbride curled her toes and remembered kissing Katya, trying to pass that feeling on, a spiritual kiss. She nearly felt Katya’s lips brush her own as Katya focused her own memories.
“We dare not go further,” Katya thought, her voice a silken whisper. “We’ll embarrass Redtrue again.”
“I’m too tired to be embarrassed,” Redtrue said.
That was their cue to break contact again. Starbride nearly wept as she tried to hold on to the feeling of embracing Katya and being held in turn. She could almost smell Katya’s scent of lavender and leather, could almost see a ghost of Katya in her mind’s eye.
“Good-bye for now, Star. I love you. Always remember.”
“I will. I love you, too, Katya, I love—” The connection dissolved, and Katya was gone. Starbride frowned at Redtrue’s rudeness. She’d have to make a pyramid of her own and experiment with it so she could be the one making the connection. Maybe then it would be up to her when it was severed.
Chapter Twenty-five
Katya
Katya wiped her forehead. It was warmer in Redtrue’s tent than outside, but still not warm enough to make her sweat. Then again, it wasn’t that kind of heat. Katya glanced across the furs that she or Redtrue had kicked into a wad. Redtrue leaned back in them, more than a little sweaty herself.
She watched Katya with a hungry look that made Katya’s stomach swirl. She still had more than a little desire left after her encounter with Starbride, but Redtrue unsettled her rather than brought her embers back to fire.
“I should go,” Katya said. She stood, but Redtrue stood with her, blocking her exit.
“I…would very much like to feel such passion,” Redtrue said.
“Even if we were to…indul
ge,” Katya said, “I can’t make you feel it. Starbride and I let ourselves go with each other. It’s nothing special about me. It’s something special about us.”
Redtrue tilted her head as if not certain that was the case.
“If you want to experiment,” Katya said, “there’s always Castelle.”
“She doesn’t know how to let go any more than I.”
Katya ducked past Redtrue and out the door. As she expected, Castelle waited there, thunder on her face, no doubt at some of the things she’d heard. Katya didn’t try to argue. She was too tired. Instead, she threw her head back and laughed.
“Have you gone mad?” Castelle asked.
“I spoke to Starbride without using Redtrue as a proxy. Anything you heard was Starbride and me, though I’m afraid we might have caught Redtrue in the middle without meaning to. Oh, Cass, I’m so happy.”
Castelle smiled crookedly, though she still appeared confused. “I’m…happy for you, Katya, but—”
Katya waved away whatever she’d been about to say. She pointed behind her. “Get in that tent, don’t hold back, and tonight, I think you might find something wonderful.”
To her credit, Castelle saluted and nearly dove into the tent. Katya strode away, not caring if they fought or fornicated. She felt energized; nothing could stop her. Half of her wanted to run the length of the camp, and the other half wanted to sleep until the world melted down around her.
She settled for sleep, knowing she’d need that more. She wrapped herself in thoughts of Starbride as she lay down, trying to recall every word. Starbride had done well keeping Roland off balance. She’d even thought of a task for Reinholt, but could she convince him to rally the people on his own, or would she need some pyramid help?
Could Starbride even bring herself to do such a thing? It was against Crowe’s credo and smacked of Roland. Needs must, Katya supposed. The spirits knew Katya and her father had been making promises hand over fist. Not all of them could be kept, probably not even half. But all of that could be settled when the smoke cleared. They’d have a foot in the door, and everyone could argue it out, nobles and commoners, Farradain and Allusian alike.
*
First thing in the morning, Katya reported to her parents that Starbride had discovered Reinholt alive and free.
If they’d had cups of tea, she imagined they would have dropped them. “When?” Ma said.
“How?” Da asked.
Katya told them the tale.
Ma stared at nothing for a moment. “He was concerned about what happened to us?”
“Apparently,” Katya said. Secretly, she hoped her mother wouldn’t forgive all the hell Reinholt had put them through after one bout of caring.
Ma caught her look. “I’m not a fool, Katya, but it does count for something.”
“What the deuce is she going to do with him?” Da asked.
“Do with him?” Ma asked.
“He’s not exactly stable, Cat,” Da said. “Is she going to keep him locked up?”
“If he won’t comply with her orders, she’s going to have to,” Katya said.
“Orders,” Ma mumbled.
“She’s leading the rebellion, Ma,” Katya said, fighting the urge to pace. “If not for her efforts, Roland would have Marienne completely under his boot.”
Ma arched a brow, and Katya forced herself to breathe. Even though she didn’t have to wear a pyramid necklace to keep her Fiend contained, that was no reason to lose her temper.
“No one’s doubting Starbride’s contributions, my girl,” Da said, “and I’m thrilled beyond belief that she’s not only alive but willing to help us. And I wouldn’t blame her if she chained Reinholt to the floor.” When Ma gave him a sharp look, he returned it with a steady one. “Both to keep him out of her hair and for his own safety. His Fiend is unlocked, Cat. Roland could easily turn Reinholt into a copy of himself.”
Ma’s eyes widened in horror. They were alike, Roland and Reinholt. Both were rebellious, both had a temper, and both wanted things only done his way. If Reinholt merged with his Fiend, Katya had no doubt that he’d turn out exactly like Roland. Of course, they might also destroy one another.
But Reinholt could still be saved.
“Redtrue enables you to speak to Starbride directly?” Da asked.
Katya nodded.
“Maybe she can do the same with me. I want to speak to Reinholt.”
*
That day’s ride brought them to Castelle’s barony, not as close to Allusia as Katya once thought. But all the nobles in Marienne thought anything even remotely close to Allusia might as well be in its yard.
From the blank stares she received, most of the villagers in Castelle’s barony didn’t know who she was. Katya held in a smirk. Castelle had spent too much time away from home, having her “adventures.” Still, she gathered them together, determined to make a speech.
She spoke of her father, and by their happy smiles, it was apparent they remembered him. He’d spent a great deal of time at court but every winter in his home. By the time Katya’s father made his speech, most of the villagers were primed and ready to march.
“Any feelings popping up?” Katya asked as Castelle looked at the land that had been her home when she was young.
“Only a few small ones.” Castelle pointed to a large oak near her family’s estate, a place she hadn’t wanted to go into. “My first kiss was there. Just kid stuff.”
Katya didn’t press. Castelle had been quiet all day but friendly. However things had gone between her and Redtrue, neither of them was raging around the camp. “How’s your wound?” Katya asked.
“Mending. Brutal was right. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. It just felt like I’d been stabbed with a thousand red-hot knives. How’s the shoulder and neck?”
“Mostly whole. Are you going to switch from thief-catcher to Fiend-catcher when this is all over?”
Castelle barked a laugh. “Not likely.”
The new recruits were folded in with the rest, and the army marched on, still slower than Katya would have liked, but gaining speed with each passing step. As they set up camp before sunset, Katya nearly ran to Redtrue’s tent. She cleared her throat loudly, not wanting to catch Redtrue in the middle of anything intimate.
“Time already?” Redtrue asked. “You aren’t in such a rush with all things, are you?”
Katya barked a laugh. “You’ll never know.” But Redtrue would know every little detail of her relationship through their link within the pyramid. In the afterglow of the night before, it hadn’t mattered. Now, sitting in Redtrue’s tent, waiting for contact, Katya fidgeted, embarrassed to share so much with someone she knew so little.
When Starbride made contact, Katya held back her emotions, even after Starbride poured hers through the link.
“What’s wrong?” Starbride asked.
The ferreter of secrets never missed much. “Nothing, my love.” She let a little of her feelings out but kept the rest restrained, using the techniques Crowe had taught her to resist a mind pyramid.
She could feel Starbride’s skepticism. Alarmingly, she felt Redtrue’s, too.
“Starbride,” Redtrue said, “excuse us a moment. A situation needs my attention.” Before Starbride could protest, Redtrue cut their connection.
Katya glared at her. “If you keep doing that, she’s going to get annoyed.”
“Should I fear her?”
“Someday soon, you will have to face her in person.”
Redtrue threw her braid over her shoulder. “You are holding yourself in check.”
“I wasn’t—”
“And you were doing it because you feared my reaction.”
Katya sighed. “It’s not your fault.”
She snorted. “Fault is not my concern. Neither of us wants to make the other uncomfortable, but what you two shared with me…I…” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be the reason you stop.”
“Are you and Castelle in love?”
&
nbsp; “What does that—”
“Yes or no.”
“I…wouldn’t know.”
Katya smiled. It wasn’t a no. “What if she were here, holding you? Then you wouldn’t feel so left out.”
“Are you suggesting she and I… While you and Starbride…”
“I just meant that she could be here for you. She wouldn’t be privy to the conversation, but you could feel her presence, her body next to yours.”
Redtrue looked away. “We’ll try it.” She unfolded and ducked out the tent flap, returning a few moments later with Castelle.
Castelle grinned sheepishly. “What is it I’m supposed to do, exactly?”
“Keep your trousers on until I leave. That’s the most important point.”
Castelle glared at her. “Thank you, Highness.”
“Sit.” Redtrue patted the blanket next to her. “And if you wouldn’t mind…”
“Wouldn’t mind what?” Castelle asked.
“Oh, for spirits’ sakes,” Katya said. “Hold her, Castelle. She’s going to need comfort. This mind communication is more draining than we thought.” A little truth, a little lie, but it got the job done. Castelle plunked down at Redtrue’s side and put an arm around her shoulders.
Redtrue focused on her pyramid again. When they found Starbride, the first thing she said was, “I’m making my own pyramid so you can’t walk off on me.”
Redtrue seemed startled. “You can make this pyramid without my direction?”
Katya could almost picture Starbride throwing her hair over her shoulder. “Of course. I have Dekken’s to study.”
Katya could feel how impressed Redtrue was—and a little alarmed—but she said nothing, and in another moment, Katya felt her presence withdraw slightly, all the privacy Katya and Starbride would get.
“What was it that drew you away?” Starbride asked.
“Nothing of importance, my love.” This time, Katya put feeling behind the words.
Starbride sighed as if relaxing into Katya’s embrace. They let their love surround them until Katya had to break the mood. They couldn’t afford to make love all evening, perfect as that sounded.
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