Green Wild (Thrones of the Firstborn Book 2)

by Chrysoula Tzavelas

  The air shimmered and the howl dropped to a groan. Voices shouted in alarm and horses screamed, but Tiana stared as the highlights and shadows of a shape of dazzling complexity unfolding in the sky. The last time this had happened, back at the Citadel when the monks had tried to bind him, the Logos had stopped responding. She knew she should say something, apologize, calm the fiend down before disaster struck a second time.

  But her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth and her desire to see what was behind the sword overwhelmed her. She realized that she drew a distinction between the blade and the voice in her mind that seemed like so much more than a... weapon. In the phantasmagory, he had silver eyes.

  Somebody tugged insistently on her sleeve, and a voice intruded on her thoughts. It slipped under the grinding noise of the world stretching open to arrive at the forefront of her brain. “Very good, very good, but now is not a good time, you see? Look up in the sky.” Tiana looked down, instead, into Minex’s intense eyes. The little earth fiend pushed her chin up. “See, beyond the prince. You see?”

  Tiana saw. She shouted, “No, Jinriki, he’s up there.” High above the facets and shards of Jinriki’s shadow on the world drifted a frighteningly familiar shape. “It’s the dragon!” It couldn’t be the dragon we fought at the Citadel, that one flew into the mountain. Does he have more? Lord of Winter!

  Last time she saw the dragon while they were traveling, she had wanted to fight it in the sky. This time, she keenly felt the absence of Jinriki from her hand. “Please, come back to me.”

  The shape Jinriki had become trembled and then, with a sound like a thousand doors banging one after another, the faceted edges collapsed. The sword fell from the sky into Tiana’s waiting hand.

  **Something touched me. From that thing.**

  Tiana ran her gaze over the blade worriedly. “An attack?”

  **No. A probe. Lift your gaze again.** The heated growl of Jinriki’s voice had become chilly steel.

  The dragon circled, rainbows shimmering off its obsidian scales. Then it rose higher, vanishing into the clouds.

  **A watcher, a spy. Observing us. Perhaps he wishes to claim me as he’s claimed my younger siblings. But he never, ever will.**

  Tiana sighed, and gave up on going to visit the knight’s marshal. They’d just have to find another way to deal with him and his forty men.

  Chapter 27

  The Regent’s First Choice

  LISETTE WENT BACK to her horse and watched the County soldiers as Tiana argued with her fiend. When he vanished from her hand and something out of a forgotten dream started unfolding in the sky, she glanced up once, then returned to watching the County soldiers.

  They shifted uncomfortably, drawing closer together. At one point the plumed knight leading them—Lisette recognized his arms as being from the minor family of Colvax, serving the Count of Wexin—trotted forward trying to get somebody’s attention. Then, when nobody responded to him, he backed up miserably.

  When Tiana stalked up beside Lisette, she looked down and said mildly. “Next time you might try arguing silently. Just for decorum’s sake.”

  Tiana laughed humorlessly. “How do we deal with them, Lisette? Without fighting them? Their leader seems like a brave idiot.”

  “Invite them to escort us to Sunasin,” Lisette suggested. “Don’t let them make any other choice.”

  “I don’t want to threaten them,” said Tiana, her voice anguished. “I’m not good at threats. People call my bluff and then I have to kill them.”

  Lisette shrugged and pulled her cloak close around her. “Ask nicely.”

  Tiana took a deep breath. “Can you—”

  “I don’t think I should talk to them, Tiana,” Lisette said carefully. “They’ve already seen enough... strange things. If they see my arm, it’s only going to make them more nervous. If they’re dubious that you’re the Blood, they’re not going to believe I’m a Regent. Not with this.”

  Tiana gave her a sad, sober look. “I know. I was going to ask if you could talk to Jozua. Even if I manage to convince Sir Plumes, Jozua might run off like a frightened rabbit.” She made a sour face. “Apparently he doesn’t like knights.”

  Lisette brightened. “I’d be happy to. We were chatting yesterday. He tells very amusing stories.”

  “I noticed,” said Tiana and gave her a little smile in return. “Thank you. If you can keep him entertained and here and not picking fights with people because of their bad taste in helmets, it would help so much.”

  The chance to do something, do her job, pleased Lisette. Jozua was the only person who didn’t seem to care what about what had happened to her. But that same cool made her uncertain she had the sway over him as Tiana expected from her. He was, in technical terms, a tough nut to crack.

  She turned Dustling and rode back to the end of the column, where Jozua huddled with his remaining men. As she approached, he shook his head at them and pulled away.

  “What do you want?” he rasped, looking up at her.

  “Tiana’s not going to visit the Marshal after all,” Lisette said lightly. “So we’ll be riding on.”

  “Yes, I gathered that.” He glanced up at the sky, and Lisette couldn’t guess whether he was thinking of the dragon, or of Jinriki’s half-unveiled form. “The question, m’lady, is what’s going to happen with yonder company.”

  “They’ll be escorting us, of course. To Sunasin. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Hah,” said Jozua. “We’ll see about that.”

  Lisette glanced over to where Cathay and Tiana spoke with the Colvax knight. The knight looked stubborn and noble. Tiana radiated irritation while waving Jinriki around absently. Then Cathay put his hand on her back and said something that made them both of the others relax.

  “Can I ride with you again once we start moving again?” Lisette smiled at Jozua.

  “I’ve clean run out of funny stories, my Lady,” he said. “I won’t be good company.”

  Lisette let her lower lip jut out in a small pout. “Kiar’s avoiding me, too, and Tiana’s always distracted. She’ll be even more so now.”

  Jozua sighed. “As pretty as that pout is, and as true as your words probably are, I think it’s a bad idea. But how can I stop you?” He looked around what was rapidly becoming an impromptu camp and checked his gelding’s girth.

  Lisette’s smile returned, but her mind worked behind it. Tiana had picked the right words; Jozua felt like he was getting ready to run.

  She stroked her horse’s mane. “I heard Tiana offered you a small fortune to keep us safe.”

  “Yeah. Not as small as she thinks, either,” he grumbled, “It was supposed to be while she rode off to have tea with the knights, but I should probably charge her even if that plan’s canceled, just for putting up with them.”

  “You should,” Lisette agreed. “I’d authorize it. You deserve it for your help in the forest. You were so very brave.”

  Jozua gave her a suspicious look. His eyes started twinkling. “You’re trying too hard, my lady.”

  She twinkled back at him. “I don’t think I am, actually.”

  He turned and shouted something at his men, then swung up onto his gelding. “I wonder if I ought to go hurry things along.”

  Lisette cast her gaze once again to the front of the column. The soldiers had lowered their crossbows but not stowed them. Cathay laughed at something the knight said, while Tiana glowered at both of them.

  “I suppose they must arrange a marching order or something,” Lisette said vaguely.

  “Hmm,” said Jozua. “That knight isn’t a happy man.” He turned his horses and trotted over to his handful of men, still standing around Fai’s travois. Cleaving to her duty, Lisette followed him.

  Cinai knelt beside her brother, her hand on his, oblivious to her surroundings until Jozua said her name. Then she looked up, blinking. “Is it time to go?”

  “Soon,” said Jozua gruffly. “We’ve got some new friends joining us. Don’t introduce y
ourself. If anybody asks who the two of you are, you’re to present yourself as Petern’s youngsters.” He nodded at one of his men.

  The man in question was not quite as big as Jozua but he was significantly hairier. He guffawed and scratched his beard. “Hell, they could be for all I know. C’mere, Cinai, give your daddy a kiss.”

  “Petern,” murmured Jozua. Just the man’s name, quietly, calmly, and all of the men stopped laughing.

  Petern shuffled a bit, then grinned and spat. “You know I’m a good ‘un, Harken. Tell you what, I’ll treat her like she’s your daughter. Well, your sister, anyhow, nipper.”

  “Smart man,” Jozua said and nodded at Cinai. He turned his horse and almost bumped into Lisette.

  “Just making some arrangements,” he told her.

  “You think the knight would make trouble if he knew she was Cinai of Sunasin? I can emphasize that to Tiana, if you’d like.”

  “Hah,” he said. “That one. The boy’s all right, I suppose but—why you put up with the Blood is beyond me.”

  Question number 52 in the Regency’s official question and answer book. But she didn’t use the suggested answer. “They start us out so young. I barely remember life without the Blood. They’re my family.”

  “Family, eh? That doesn’t mean you have to put up with them.” He leaned forward. “When your Princess lets me get on with my life...” He trailed off, meeting her gaze. “Well, no matter what any authority tells you, you don’t have to stay someplace you don’t want to be.”

  “I have always wanted to be with them,” Lisette protested. “My parents didn’t make me go to the Regent trials. They offered the opportunity and I volunteered. I remember that.”

  He snorted. “And how old were you?”

  “I was seven,” she said, with dignity.

  “Nobody knows what they want at seven. Nobody knows what they want at fourteen, either. Hell, you’re probably just figuring out what you want right now.” He gave her a speculative look.

  Lisette shook her head. “I have a fairly good idea of what I want right now.” She glanced down at her arm.

  He didn’t, because he never paid any extra attention to her arm, like it was no different than any other scar to him. But his eyes narrowed and his horse backed up restlessly.

  “And before that? Had everything you wanted out of life?”

  Lisette looked down at her horse’s mane. “It doesn’t matter. I swore an oath.”

  “Bugger oaths,” said Jozua flatly, and when she jerked her head up, shocked, he added, “Especially oaths made by children.”

  She sputtered. “How can your employer trust you?”

  “Employers,” he said. “I’ve had a few. And they trust me because they’re paying me. If I don’t do as I’m asked, I don’t get the rest of my money. It’s a powerful incentive, my Lady.”

  “But not everything,” she said, looking up at his face. “Not your only incentive.”

  His hazel eyes met her own. “No,” he agreed casually. “There’s sex, too.”

  That should have shocked her, too, but instead it made her heart pound and her body warm. She bit her lip, noticed how his gaze moved to her mouth and his hand tightened on his reins again. The coals inside became a small flame.

  Then she recognized the noise ahead and smiled at him impishly. “I’ll keep that in mind. But... later. I think we’re about to start moving again.”

  He shook himself, then said, “Are you still so sure you want to ride with me?”

  “Oh yes,” she told him. “Especially since you’re asking that.” She confided, leaning toward him. “I’ve always been very curious.”

  His mouth twitched under his beard. “I’m not sure curious is the word I’d pick myself.”

  Slater shouted a command and Jozua moved his horse forward in response. There was a moment of chaos as the knight’s company rode down the little column, positioning themselves behind and before Tiana’s company.

  The Colvax knight-captain rode behind his men, accompanied by two others and studying the guards reorganizing themselves. When he got to the huddle of Jozua’s men, he reined his horse to a stop. “Who’s in charge of this lot? Did she bring wild men in from the forest?”

  One of the men with the knight laughed, but the other one continued studying the hired swords. He had a red tabard, and metal roses wrought onto his shoulder plates. A quiet word from him had the Colvax knight turning his horse and riding back up to Jozua.

  “Your men?”

  “Yeah,” said Jozua. “The Princess did hire us in the forest, as a matter of fact.” He bared his teeth at the knight. “Grr.”

  “Hmm,” said the knight. Lisette studied him, searched her memory and concluded, based on his age and the Regency genealogical records, he was Rufus Colvax, third son of Baron Colvax, who was in turn the first cousin once removed of the Count of Wexin.

  “”Well,” said probably-Sir-Rufus. “I congratulate you on your sense of grooming. Maybe you can impose it on your men.” He started to turn away, then stopped, staring hard at Jozua.

  “Alezander,” he said to the man with the roses on his shoulders. “Doesn’t this fellow look like the man you were telling me about?”

  Alezander, who Lisette decided was another knight, but not in charge and not prone to plumes, rode closer. “Good afternoon, sir. Have we met? You do look familiar.”

  “No,” said Jozua shortly. His horse flattened his ears at Rufus Colvax’s horse.

  “Ah,” said Alezander. “Well, perhaps it’s just that you’re so big.”

  “That must be it,” agreed Jozua. “The beard, too. It confuses people. Especially the easily confused.”

  “Ah,” repeated Alezander and nodded at Jozua with a sort of sad, calm acceptance. “Yes, Rufus. I’m sure the tales I told you were inspired by just such a man as this fellow. But let us return to the Prince and Princess now.” And the two men rode off.

  “Did you know him?” Lisette asked. When Jozua gave her an unfriendly look, she added, “I did say I’ve always been curious.”

  “Hah. No, I don’t know him. That he hasn’t seen me before I can’t say; people tend to notice me more than I notice them.”

  “I doubt that. I think you notice a lot more than you let on.”

  Jozua laughed humorlessly. “Also true, but trust me.... No, never mind.” He went back to an earlier discussion. “So, they expect people to abide by oaths they swear when they’re seven in the Regency Court? How often does that work?”

  Lisette let him change the subject, although she would rather have talked about almost anything else.

  “It always works,” she said with a sigh. “But it’s not the oath that keeps us there.” She eyed him, and when he didn’t ask, she told him anyhow. “It’s love. The Regent trials are a playgroup, really. And we’re appointed based on our rapport with the Blood. And then we grow up beside them. Tiana is my best friend.”

  He scoffed. “It’s not just friendship. Look at you, dutifully flirting with me because she told you to keep me here. How far would that go?”

  Heat rose to Lisette’s cheeks. “Duty and desire aren’t always contradictory.”

  “And when they are?” His gaze was steady. She knew suddenly he’d had this conversation before.

  “Duty wins,” she conceded reluctantly, and looked down at her glowing hand again. Then she glanced up the column where Tiana rode shrouded in her own dark mood. “Duty wins and I don’t think I regret it.”

  “You’d lose your arm for duty?” he pressed. “You’d sleep with me for duty?”

  “For love,” she said, and he recoiled as if she’d spat poison. Apologetically, she added, “If you don’t know what that’s like, I don’t think I can explain it. I could recommend some good poets who have tried, though.”

  “Poetry’s as bad as knights,” he grumbled, as he settled back down again. He shook himself all over, then gave her a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Well, my lady, if you did come t
o my bed, I think you’d enjoy yourself whether that was your goal or not. But you needn’t do it at your Princess’s command; I’ll stay the course until Sunasin.” His smile turned grim. “As long as the knights don’t come after me with shaving implements.” And he made to kick his horse into a trot, made like he was done with her.

  She leaned over and caught at his coat. When he looked back at her impassively, she said, “It isn’t fair for you to leave with the wrong impression. Tiana would never ask such a thing of me. If it happened, you can trust that it’s my idea.”

  He gave her a long, slow look that once again kicked off a fire in her belly. Then he lifted her hand from his coat. Too late, she realized she’d grabbed him with her light-numbed hand. It didn’t hurt him, though, and—her heart thudded against her chest—she could feel the touch of his hand on hers like she’d never donned the Starcatcher Hand. When he brought her hand to his mouth, the white light reddened his beard. He kissed her knuckles slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

  “You make your own choice, then.” He pushed her hand back in her cloak, pulled his horse around, and rode away.

  Lisette smiled after him until the tingling in her hand faded away. She’d been trudging along for weeks, grimly doing her duty, always determined to do her duty. She’d forgotten each day was a choice, and the foundation of her duty was love.

  It amused her, though, that it took talking to Jozua to remind her. He was so violently repelled by any of the higher emotions, so crass and selfish and mercenary. So disturbingly attractive.

  She watched him as he moved up next to Berrin and began to chat easily with the big guardsman. Then, because sometimes duty and desire weren’t contradictory after all, she rode forward to join Tiana.

  Chapter 28

  Chain Reactions

  KIAR SPENT THE next day and a half doing her best to convince Lisette that her Starcatcher Hand wouldn’t be necessary to heal Fai. She studied her books, she studied both Fai and Cinai’s bodies, and she tried hard to avoid thinking about the hummingbird that kept pace with the company.