A Time of Dying (Araneae Nation)

by Edwards, Hailey

  With a faint smile at her husband, Mana sat back and allowed negotiations to continue.

  “Though I can afford to buy your protection,” I offered, “why not barter for it instead?”

  “Barter?” Isolde spat the word as if it tasted foul. “You’ve just admitted your city is dust.”

  “Which is why I require every coin I can gather if I am to rebuild it.”

  “What can you offer us?” Vaughn paid me no mind, focused as he was on Mana’s fingers.

  “I can offer you Lailah.” My goals had been accomplished. I was ready to be rid of her.

  “Last I heard, we owed the Deinopidae for her capture and delivery.” Isolde wagged a finger at me. “That means she’s ours and only a fool pays twice for what they already own. What else?”

  Few options presented themselves to me that would not further indebt me to Isolde.

  “What about her earring?” Murdoch looked to me. “You made one. Can you make more?”

  Vaughn cleared his throat. “It’s a nice bauble, but hardly worth what she’s asking for it.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Mana brought a palm-sized crystal from her pocket. “She is an aural crystalier. Her uncle taught her his trade, and he has supplied crystals to my clan’s spirit walkers since before I was born. Her skill, young as she is, shouldn’t be underestimated or undervalued.”

  “No harm meant,” Vaughn assured me. “Though I thought I understood it was a gift?”

  “My uncle gave me the stone, but I tuned it myself.” I admitted, “It’s attuned to harbingers.”

  Before I could blink, Isolde held my cheek in one hand and my earring in the other.

  She pinched the silk and rang the crystal like a dinner bell. “How does it work?”

  I winced. “It’s a trade secret.”

  “Humph.” She let it fall. “What does it do?”

  “Any aural crystal will amplify a specific sound. In this case, the wearer can hear the song of a harbinger in flight. Far as I can tell, plague victims only rise if they are called by a harbinger. If you cut off their heads, they won’t rise when she sings to them. The bodies must be intact for her magic or whatever it is to work. Risers are impossible to track aurally, but harbingers can be.”

  “If there are only a handful of harbingers,” Isolde asked, “why bother tracking them?”

  “Think of them as generals leading an army,” Murdoch said. “Find one, you find the other.”

  “I see the value in that. Like as not, it was indispensable to you out there on your own, but it won’t make a spit of difference I can see if the risers are as dimwitted as you claim. As many as have died or gone missing, if they have all risen, then the size of the Necrita army means we will have no difficulty locating them.” She tapped the side of her nose as Mimetidae often did. “What need have we for ears when we have noses? We can scent a rotting corpse for miles. So while its purpose is clever, and your offer is generous, it doesn’t compare to the value of the guards who’d risk their lives protecting Titania. I’m afraid I can’t advise my son to accept the offer. I’m sorry.”

  When Murdoch would have argued, I hushed him. “Leave it be. It’s a fair deal we’ve made.”

  Concealing her glee was not what Isolde did best. “It’s as square as any bargain I’ve made.”

  “If we’re all in agreement,” Mana said to Vaughn, “perhaps we can free our new ally?”

  “If you wish.” Whether I was bound or not appeared to make no difference to him. It wasn’t his shoulders wrenched or his wrists burning. His hands weren’t numb. His back wasn’t sore.

  Leaving her husband’s side, Mana approached me with a small knife in hand. She sliced my ropes, which made the Deinopidae who had volunteered them mutter what I thought were curses in his native tongue. A sympathetic shrug was all Mana offered, and I gave him even less. I flung what remained of his rope without apology. It hit the ground, where he kicked it against the wall.

  Mana turned her blade to sawing through Murdoch’s bonds when Vaughn rose.

  “Leave him,” Vaughn ordered.

  I stepped between them. “Release him as a good-faith gesture.”

  “He disobeyed a direct order from me. Neither my goodness nor faith extends that far.”

  “I knew what I was doing.” Murdoch sidestepped me. “I accept the consequences.”

  A grim-faced Vaughn looked to Mana. “I will do as you wish and draft a letter to Lourdes. I will attempt to enlist Henri in this experiment as long as his sister has no objections. If she agrees, then I see no reason why Lailah can’t pay an extended visit to Erania. Let the Araneidae see what their gold has bought.” When Isolde fumed, he pointed at her. “I won’t hear another word on the topic, Mother. You and I will discuss your room and your schemes after I’ve slept. Since you’ve managed to ingratiate yourself to the Deinopidae female, double her fee if she and her clansmen are willing to remain here and tend Lailah until I hear from Lourdes. If she is amenable, I would prefer the Deinopidae escort Lailah to Erania. We need all our clansmen armed and at the ready. Besides, you know as well as I do our clan excels at one thing—killing. This situation requires a gentler touch. The Deinopidae are huntsmen by trade. They understand the keeping of animals. I feel they are better suited to nurturing Lailah, feral as she is. Tell the Deinopidae more gold will await them. I have no doubt my brother will be all too eager to return the care of Lailah to them.”

  “It’s a good plan.” Mana smiled at him. “It’s the safest we can make ourselves tonight.”

  “On the topic of safety,” he said, kissing Mana’s knuckles, “I must speak with the guards.”

  “Their captain is here.” Bram indicated Murdoch. “What about him?”

  “Take him to the grotto.” Vaughn’s black eyes were flat and cold. “I’ll deal with him later.”

  “No.” I wrapped my arm through Murdoch’s and held on. “What he did, he did for me.”

  “Therein lies the problem.” Vaughn’s expression tightened. “I can’t punish an ally, can I?”

  “Yet you’d punish one of your own?” I challenged him.

  “Kaidi.” Murdoch spoke my name softly. “Let me go.”

  I didn’t. Bram ripped him from me. “I will come for you,” I vowed.

  His smile was lopsided. “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Ah, how well your gown fits. Like a glove. Or not. I imagine gloves don’t fit you well, do they?” Stefan tightened the sash at my waist, then walked his fingers over the laces and up my spine. “Very nice. Very nice.”

  “Thank you.” I extricated myself from his constant plucking.

  “I have outdone myself. I truly have.” He twirled merrily while lifting imaginary skirts. “All will see you shine. Now, now. Don’t try to hide, shy thing. You must be brave. You must shine.”

  I dodged his attempt to neaten my high collar. “I somehow doubt that will be a problem.”

  Crystals glinted at my neck and ears, at my wrists and fingers. I cast rainbows when sunlight hit me. My hair was coiled atop my head. My gown flushed pink. I was radiant. I was ridiculous.

  This gilded maven was as foreign to me as the Necrita. I much preferred my ash and cinder. It reminded me of who I was and what I fought for, instead of what no longer was or might have been. This formality was necessary, I supposed. There were witnesses visiting from Beltania and Halcidia, the Salticidae and Deinopidae clan homes, respectively. They were old allies, and they had come to observe the brief ceremony that bestowed the title Maven of the Segestriidae to me.

  All the while I was pampered by Stefan I imagined Murdoch caged in the dank grotto.

  While Cathis strung banners and streamers, while the Mimetidae prepared for a feast fit for a new maven, he was trapped in a cell I had as much right to as he did. His absence made me ache.

  A knock at the door set Stefan’s feet to tapping. “I can guess who that is…” His high-pitched chortling was as bizarre as the rest of him. “Maven Mana, Mana Maven, I k
new it must be you.”

  She touched his arm. “I wanted a word with Kaidi before the ceremony, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” He flung his arm toward me. “She is divine. Good as I can get her. Perfect.”

  A brilliant smile broke across her face. “You look beautiful, Kaidi. Truly you do.”

  She reached for me, and I clasped her hands. “Thank you for your generosity.”

  “My prices are fair, for fairness comes at a cost.” Stefan bumped into a dresser backing from the room. “If you have need of me, I am but a whistle away. You can whistle, Maven of Mine?”

  “I can,” she assured him. “You best hurry if you want a good seat.”

  He bowed his head. “I have a chair saved, if I can but reach it, thank you.”

  Another whirl on his toes and Stefan left us, singing a bawdy tune about a tailor and a maid…

  Assured he was out of hearing range, I still leaned near. “How can you stand him?”

  “He is odd, isn’t he?” she asked fondly. “He knows his trade as few in Cathis do, and he has never disappointed me. Though his sight has left him, his hands remember their way. Besides, he is such an eccentric person that others in the city market avoid him, and his business suffers for it.”

  “I can see how that would be the case.” I saw too how a young maven viewed as peculiar by her new clan might turn to a person also scorned as an oddity for the fellowship they both lacked.

  “Ah, Kaidi.” She tucked stray hairs behind my ear. “You really do look lovely.”

  Praise made me uncomfortable, but I smiled in thanks. “What did you want to discuss?”

  Concern wreathed her face. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  “To be maven?” I smoothed my thumb over Hishima’s signet. “It’s not a matter of wanting, but a matter of what is needed. There are others as suited to this position as I am. I know that, but I feel they would bury their heads in the sand when I feel now is the time to erect watchtowers. I made peace with this life years ago. Though I did stray from this path, I am prepared to walk it.”

  “You will make a fine maven.” She hooked my arm through hers. “Your people are lucky to have you. I thought only to give you a quiet moment to check your heart. Are you ready to go?”

  I put my other hand over my stomach. “As I will ever be.”

  “The ceremony is a short one.” She patted my arm. “You’ll say your piece, I’ll say mine and then the witnesses will be dismissed. Food and drink will be served. Then there will be dancing.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “I’m not much for dancing.”

  “Yet everyone will wish to take a turn with you.” Hers was the voice of experience.

  “I will plead headache and escape at my earliest opportunity.”

  She laughed, but I meant it.

  “Headaches won’t protect you from suitors with two left feet. You must stay and dance.”

  “Suitors?” The word soured my stomach. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am very serious,” she said. “You’re young, beautiful, wealthy, a new maven and unwed.”

  Dread burrowed beneath my skin. “You list more virtues than I possess.”

  Sensing my melancholy, she tried to hearten me. “There will be a mourning period.”

  “There is that.” After today’s festivities, it might grant me a temporary reprieve.

  “I don’t mean to burden you, only to make you aware of what expectations will be.”

  “I appreciate the reminder.” Wearying though it was. “Suitors were never a concern for me. I had Hishima. I suppose I chose to ignore the part where one male left so another must arrive.”

  “It’s the nature of people to want their rulers wed. It shows stability. Just as birthing children shows faith in the promise of tomorrow.” Mana glanced aside. “The politics can be exhausting.”

  The strain of rising to power during a crisis showed on her. “Do you regret being maven?”

  “How can I? The two gods set my feet upon this path when they tied my soul to Vaughn’s. It was always meant to be.” There she smiled at me. “I just didn’t see it until Vaughn showed me.”

  “Do you love him very much?” I asked with a new appreciation for their relationship.

  She worried a hefty signet bearing a canis head symbol. “More than I can say.”

  I touched my own ring. No comfort came to me. There was no well of love or kinship found in cold metal. “How can I pretend interest in these suitors when my heart is otherwise engaged?”

  She didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “Murdoch.”

  A small part of me thrilled to say aloud, “Yes.”

  “He is a good male.” She grew quiet. “He has nothing to offer your clan.”

  “He has a strong back, a warrior’s skill and a good heart. Those attributes are not nothing.”

  “Forgive me.” Amusement threaded her voice. “I should have been clearer when saying that his contributions would be limited to what he himself can provide. He has no personal wealth.”

  “I have coin enough,” I said stubbornly. “What he offers me can’t be purchased.”

  “Peace, friend, I only want you aware of what others will say with less kindness than I have. Trust me when I say the wagging tongues of the gossips will salivate. You know my people. You know we believe in soul mates. I found mine. He and I have both sacrificed much to be together. I would never tell one person who they should or should not love—or marry—it is not my place. I have seen Murdoch with you. Though a male of few words, his aura conveys his feelings well.”

  Curiosity burned me up from the inside, but I resisted asking what she saw. Part of Mana’s gift was the ability to see auras, and by seeing them, she could match her clansmen to their mates.

  I could ask her plainly if Murdoch was my match, but it would have lessened the revelation I prayed he too had experienced, that he and I were stronger, better people when we were together.

  “I haven’t asked his feelings on the matter.” I ventured as far as to say, “I may waste worry.”

  “Hmm.” That was the sum of her response.

  “Do you know what will be done to him?” I dreaded asking, “How will he be punished?”

  “I don’t know for certain.” Her voice lowered. “Though I’m sure we can both guess.”

  Whips. Public humiliation. Pride beaten out of him one lash at a time. That was my guess.

  “Can I prevent it?” I made her hold my gaze. “Is there anything I can do to spare him?”

  “Not if you want his good name preserved.” Her hand clenched in a fist. “Violence is what a Mimetidae knows from birth. It is his friend, his enemy. It is both companion and his nemesis. If you convinced Vaughn to spare him, whatever the punishment, Murdoch would still seek it out.”

  “I don’t understand.” Males were so peculiar.

  “It’s very simple,” she said. “At heart, Murdoch is a guardsman. He knew disobeying Vaughn was a crime when he chose to commit it. We can all see value in what he accomplished. That is not in question. It’s the manner in which he accomplished his task that earned him a cell.”

  “Vaughn refused to see reason.” Why could she not see that? “There was no other way.”

  “Oh, there were ways.” Her secret smile returned. “For example, Vaughn never forbade him to go in search of proof. In fact, discovering evidence was a task we had already set him to. What Vaughn could not approve was Murdoch’s request that he take you along with him on his quest.”

  “Oh.” Desperate to escape Hishima as I had been, I never thought to question Murdoch. His reasons for asking me to accompany him had been sound, made sounder by my eagerness to flee.

  She pulled me up short. “He’s lucky to have caught your eye.”

  Seeing as how I was the source of his current predicament, I doubted that.

  Spit dried in my mouth when I noticed where our walk had ended: the council chamber.

  “Remember to smile.
” Mana straightened her shoulders and donned a bright one of her own. “It’s time we make your title official.” She checked me over, seeming satisfied I would do. “We will finish this conversation later. For now, we must both appear sure and strong for our people.”

  I followed her example. Chin up and shoulders back, we swept into the room with sparkling confidence I was certain neither of us felt. All eyes turned to us as we took our positions before a gathering of allies and friends, family and elders. The person I longed to see most was, of course, locked in a cage far beneath our feet. His absence lent me a somber mood during the ceremony.

  “Step forward, so that you might be recognized,” Vaughn called over the jovial crowd.

  With a final squeeze of my hand, Mana left my side to join her husband. He reached for her in that instant. His hand was steady, his lips curved as if anticipation of her touch consumed him.

  His love for her was no secret to be hidden. With a look, a touch, she bared his soul.

  Envy made my gaze linger long past the point of rudeness. I wanted what they had, a chance for it, at least. I wanted the surety they shared, that no matter how divided their beliefs, there was one absolute, their affection for each other. I wanted that same unshakable foundation, that love.

  “Kaidi of the Segestriidae.” Mana’s voice startled me to attention. “You are the rightful ruler of the Segestriidae people in accordance with those terms your forefathers and foremothers wrote into law after declaring their status as an independent clan within the Araneae Nation. I, Maven Kokyangwmana of the Mimetidae, acknowledge your claim to the title of maven. I welcome you into my home and heart. I accept you as my trusted ally, as does my husband, as do our people.”

  One deep breath and my part of the script tumbled from my lips.

  “Maven Kokyangwmana, I am humbled by your generosity of spirit and by the kindness you and your clan have shown my people. We are honored to be welcomed as your allies.” Her arms opened, and I stepped into them. “Blessings to you and your family, to your clan and your kin.”

  “Blessings,” she repeated against my hair. We drew apart, and she addressed the room. “Let us cherish this pleasant time with old friends and new ones. Please, do join us in the dining hall.”