by Kel Kade
“Yes, I met Netty and Lus”—he nodded toward the assassin lurking behind Tieran—“in Serret. I invited them aboard. They are aware of my relationship with the king.”
Everyone appeared to relax as they nodded toward the newcomers. Frisha took the initiative to introduce Netty to the other men, and once it became clear that Tieran was not interested in making introductions, Malcius did the same for Lus. Rezkin briefly wondered what the Jeng’ri had said to gain entry to their inner circle, but he was not surprised that the assassin had managed it.
Rezkin nodded toward Ilanet and said, “I see that you were able to acquire your belongings.” She was wearing a green dress with draped sleeves embroidered with gold thread. It was too elegant for travel, but because it lacked the characteristic voluminous bustle of Channerían court dress, it was more practical than anything Shiela donned.
“Yes, Lord Rezkin. Two trunks were delivered.”
She smiled, but her pain was obvious. Under normal circumstances, the princess would be wed in a lavish public ceremony and then sent off in grand spectacle complete with a parade, celebratory feast, and substantial dowry. Rezkin doubted that either of her trunks contained any wealth beyond the value of her apparel.
Tieran narrowed his eyes and asked, “Do I know you? Have we met?”
Ilanet smiled sweetly and curtsied. “I doubt that, Lord Tieran. I have never been to Ashai.”
“No?” He looked up thoughtfully and said, “I visited the castle in Serret with my father once. I think it was about seven years ago. Yes, we celebrated my twentieth birthday. Perhaps I saw you then?”
Ilanet flushed and said, “I am sorry, Lord Tieran, but I had only nine years at then.”
Upon seeing Tieran’s perplexed expression, Ilanet whispered to Frisha, “I am saying this correct, yes? I had nine years?”
Frisha smiled and patted the girl’s back. “It’s fine. We understand.”
Tieran shook his head and said, “No, your Ashaiian is quite good. It is just—you seem so familiar—and you are younger than I realized.”
“Or you are older than you thought,” Brandt muttered with a snicker.
Rezkin stood and said, “I have duties to which I must attend. I will join you all again for the evening meal.” He turned to Tam and asked, “Did you complete your training this morning?”
“Yes, of course, with Waylen, Malcius, and Brandt,” Tam said.
Rezkin looked to Tieran questioningly.
“What?” Tieran threw a hand out toward the main deck and said, “I was busy fielding problems with these insufferable passengers. The Torreli are the worst! You should all be glad I am not king or we would be at war with them already.”
“You have issue with Captain LuDou?” Rezkin asked. He was surprised since the captain seemed even tempered and courteous whenever they spoke.
Tieran pursed his lips and said, “No, and thank the Maker for that. He, at least, seems to have some sense.”
“What, exactly, is your problem with the Torreli?” Rezkin asked. From his studies and limited experience, Torreli culture was not so different from Ashaiian.
Tieran scoffed. “They strut about with nothing but complaints, that Lord Gerresy especially. They come to me—Me!—with demands, as though I am somehow responsible for their comfort. Can they not acknowledge that they were rescued and be grateful? They think they are entitled to the best, and they cannot accept that, so long as we are on this ship, there is no best to be had!”
Rezkin’s lips turned up at the corners of their own volition, and everyone else wore similar expressions—everyone but Shiela. The young woman appeared wrapped in loss and longing as she stared over the water.
Rezkin turned his attention back to Tieran and said, “Since, as far as I know, no blood was spilled, and I have heard of no declarations of war from either side, I think it is safe to assume your performance in my absence was acceptable. Now that I have returned, you will train double to make up for lost time.”
“What? I was planning for a break!”
“The exercise will help relieve your stress, Tieran. You and Tam will be joining the strikers and me on the quarterdeck this evening after the meal.” He looked to Tam for confirmation.
“Yes, I know. I guess I was already expecting it, knowing you,” Tam said with a cheeky grin. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to it, though. You’re always worse when you think we’ve been slacking.”
“Have you been?” Rezkin asked.
“Like I would tell you if I were!” Tam said.
Tam laughed as Rezkin shook his head and walked away with Kai. He then turned, intending to speak with Frisha about how she was feeling since Rezkin’s return, but she was focused on her cousin. Shiela had been acting weird for the past few days. After Palis’s death, she had screamed and moped and cried mostly. Now, she seemed like her ordinary, irritating self one moment, and the next she would become somber and almost mature. He thought it disturbing in a way.
He looked around and found that Reaylin had disappeared, and Malcius and Brandt were tromping away, deep in discussion. They had also been different since Palis’s death, and Rezkin’s absence seemed to have made it worse. Tam thought they had both become more aggressive toward Rezkin, but in a passive kind of way. Many of their remarks were delivered in jest, but it seemed to Tam that they were meant to injure. He felt guilty for even thinking it of the nobles that had deigned to befriend him, but he had begun to wonder if Kai was right. The striker had said that Malcius, especially, felt a strong resentment toward Rezkin. He had said that if allowed to fester, that resentment could turn to contempt. Kai had instructed Tam to keep an eye on them for signs of betrayal.
Tam suddenly had the feeling he was being watched. He turned to discover that he had been left alone with Tieran, and the lord was staring at him. Until now, he had been successful at avoiding Tieran much of the time. It had been simpler when he knew his place with respect to the high lord and the potential consequences of stepping outside of it. Now things were muddled, and Tam did not know how to act. Glancing around anxiously, he said, “I-Is there something you need of me, Lord Tieran?”
Tieran narrowed his eyes, and then his gaze briefly flicked to something over Tam’s shoulder. His countenance abruptly changed, and he smiled. “No, my friend. Nothing at all. I was just wondering if you are well. You looked lost for a moment. Now that your mentor is back, I am sure you will have much to keep you busy.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Tam said cautiously.
“You will be dining with us tonight?” Tieran asked. “I do so love to share a meal with my friends.”
“Well, I expect to sit at my usual place …”
Tieran laughed, and his tone was jovial, but a fire burned in his eyes. For just a moment, Tam thought he had seen the previously elusive family resemblance to Rezkin. “Nonsense, Tam. We have not dined together in some time.”
Tam knew that they had, in fact, never dined together—not at the same table, anyway. The Maker forbid that the great Tieran Nirius share a meal with a commoner. Except, it seemed, that was exactly what he was proposing.
“You wish for me to dine with you tonight?”
“Of course,” Tieran said as he stepped forward. “One should keep his friends close.” He grinned as he leaned in and whispered, “You owe me.” Tieran abruptly straightened and passed Tam with his usual swaggering gait and nose to the air. Tam then heard him say, “Hello, Lady Netty, pardon me.”
Tam spun to see Netty peeking around a stack of crates that had not been moved to the hold yet. He had thought she had gone with the women, but now he wondered if she had been spying on them the whole time. The revelation made Tieran’s behavior seem even more inexplicable. It seemed Tieran had been trying to make him look good in front of the lady, but Tam could not conceive of a world in which Tieran Nirius thought it appropriate for any commoner to approach a noble lady. And, why would Tieran do anything for him?
Netty’s gaze followed Tieran unti
l he was gone. She turned to Tam and smiled. “Hello. You are Tam, yes? You said I should speak with you if I have questions.”
“Oh, right,” Tam said as the wind abandoned his sails. “Yes, Lady Netty. I’ll be happy to assist you with anything you need.”
Netty smiled, and it was as though she had been painted by the Maker’s own hand. She strolled closer and motioned to one of the crates. “May we sit?”
“Yes, of course, but … um … is it appropriate. I mean … you and me alone—not that I’m thinking of anything like that. I mean. I wouldn’t, of course not. I just mean—are you comfortable?”
Oh, smooth, Tam, he thought to himself. She’s going to think you’re an idiot. The crystal bells of Winterfest were not as soothing as Netty’s laughter.
“I appreciate your concern for my comfort,” she said. “We are in the open,”—she nodded toward a dark figure looming in the shadow of the upper deck—“and we are not so alone. Lus is my guard.”
“Ah,” he said as he glanced anxiously toward the shadow.
“What is it?” Netty asked.
“Um, he kind of gives me the creeps,” Tam said. “It’s like he’s ready to put a dagger through my eye at any moment.”
Netty tilted her head and studied Tam curiously. “I do not understand your … I am sorry … I do not know the word. Your place—what you are to the others here.”
“Well, I don’t have a specific role. Not really. I kind of got caught in Rezkin’s wake. We all did, I think.”
Netty only looked more confused.
He said, “I’m Rezkin’s best friend. He keeps me along for the ride, and he’s taken me on as an apprentice.”
“So you are like him?” Netty asked, and he thought her expression betrayed disappointment or, more likely, skepticism.
Tam laughed. “I don’t think anyone is like him. He’s teaching me to fight—to wield a sword and a few other weapons. I’m also learning strategy and things like that. I don’t know what good it’ll do me though.” Realizing he would never have a chance with Lady Netty, Tam decided it was best to be honest. “Before I met him, I was just a carpenter’s apprentice about to join the army.”
“But you are friends with Lord Tieran as well? He is the heir to Wellinven and next in line for the crown of Ashai, yes?”
Tam rubbed the back of his neck. “No, I can’t say that we’re friends, truthfully. I don’t know why he said all that. He’s trying to prove a point or something. Since I’m friends with Rezkin, he thinks he needs to be friends with me too.”
“Is Lord Tieran a hostage, then?”
“What? No! Why would you think that?” Tam asked.
“He is heir to the throne, but Dark Tidings has made claim. Since Lord Tieran is here, I thought he had been captured.”
Tam sighed. He could understand how it would be confusing to an outsider—or anyone, really. He glanced around to make sure no one was within hearing distance and then whispered, “Rezkin is Tieran’s cousin, and we believe King Bordran intended for Rezkin to be named his heir.”
Netty appeared skeptical. “Intended?”
Tam nodded. “Regardless of the intent, though, Bordran gave Rezkin the power to rightfully claim the throne—it’s signed and certified—and Tieran, whom you pointed out was the heir after Thresson, has already willingly sworn fealty to Rezkin.”
Netty followed his lead and lowered her voice. “So Rezkin is the king, and you are his apprentice?”
Tam laughed boisterously. Lowering his voice again, he said, “Well, yes, but I’m not apprenticing to be king. You know it doesn’t work that way.”
“So, you apprentice to his … other … skills?” Netty asked.
“Not everything. Honestly, I think it’s impossible for a single man to be all that Rez is. He’s teaching me to be a warrior, I guess, but not just the fighting. He wants me to be smart, too. He makes me read a lot, and we talk about different cultures and history.” Tam furrowed his brow. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be.”
“It sounds like you are very important,” Netty said, and Tam’s heart skipped a beat.
He swallowed and met her eyes. “Maybe to him, in a way, but I’m still only a commoner.”
Netty nodded and then asked, “You said that Lady Frisha is Lord Rezkin’s girlfriend? This means they are courting?”
“Yeah, well, that’s complicated too. There was talk of a betrothal, but I’m not sure they’re anything now. It’s kind of awkward for me, since Frisha and I have been friends all our lives.”
“You have known Lord Rezkin long?” Netty asked.
“No, only a few months.” When the questions were asked so simply, he began to recognize how strange the truth sounded. “I guess it’s just one of those things. Some people you meet and never care to meet again. Others you feel like you’ve always known. You know what I mean?”
Netty’s smile fell. “Outside of formal occasions, I have not met so many people. It was not permitted.” After a pause, she asked, “You know Lord Rezkin well?”
Tam had a growing suspicion that he was being interrogated. Lady Netty wanted to know a lot about Rezkin, and he was unsure how much he was permitted to say. “No, I guess not. He keeps lots of secrets.”
She tilted her head. “You accept that he keeps secrets from you?”
Tam shook his head. “I don’t think I want to know everything about him. What do you think?” he asked.
She smiled playfully and said, “I think it is strange that you are afraid of Lus but are very comfortable with Lord Rezkin.”
Tam laughed again. “There’s no need to be afraid of Rez. He’s harmless. Well, not really, but he is. I mean …” Tam abruptly ceased his rambling and wondered what in the bloody hells he was trying to say. “What I mean is, Rezkin is a good man. I don’t worry that he would harm me or Frisha or anyone who wasn’t a threat—unless he needed to, I guess.”
He ran a hand through his hair and became frustrated when it tangled in the queue. He had forgotten how long it had grown. “I guess I don’t really understand it either. I just know that if I ever needed anyone for any reason, Rezkin would come through for me.” He looked up and met her eyes. “Me, a simple carpenter’s apprentice. And, I would do the same for him. That’s why I gave him my fealty. I didn't have to. He didn’t ask for it, and sometimes I think he would have preferred I didn’t. But I did, and I don’t regret it.”
Ilanet was having difficulty with the juxtaposition of Lord Rezkin and the Raven. What Tam said made sense. Rezkin had been there for her when she needed him, and he had not even known her. There were plenty of reasons someone would want to save a princess, though, and he had admitted it was to his political advantage. However, her father seemed to have washed his hands of her, and she could not see any advantage to her presence any longer. She knew that she was not practiced in intrigue and politics, though Tam seemed to know much about these things.
She looked to the young man sitting next to her. She thought he was perhaps only a few years older than she, and he was handsome but not arrogant. He smiled and laughed often, and he was friendly with everyone, regardless of station. His manner seemed genuine, so unlike the contrived pleasantries of the people she had known. Prior to absconding with the Raven, the only commoners she had met were the castle staff, and she had not been permitted to converse with any of them. Her father had always made commoners seem like crude half-wits, but it did not seem to be the case with the few she had recently met. She wondered if maybe these Ashaiian nobles had found something special in Tam. For these few moments, while sitting with him, her perpetual anxiety had eased, and she felt calm.
“L-Lady Netty, was there anything else you needed?” Tam asked.
Realizing she had also been silent for too long, she said, “No, not now. Thank you, Tam. I am understanding more.”
Tam smiled and stood, somehow able to maintain his feet as the ship began to roll in earnest. He held out a hand to help steady her as she rose. The
ship dipped on the waves, and although she could feel the deck beneath her feet, it felt as though she was suspended in the air. Then, the ship rose, and she thought her knees would likewise rise to meet her chest.
Tam smiled and said, “It takes some getting used to.”
Ilanet held her stomach as it began to quiver. “I think I should lie down. I fear I am to become ill.”
“Right. I’ll help you to your quarters,” he said. He nodded toward Lus who suddenly appeared, much closer than before.
“I am just escorting her to her quarters …” Tam began.
“I know. You two should be more careful when you speak,” Lus said. “There are many mages aboard who could listen in even if you do not see them. I took the liberty of placing a sound ward around you this time.”
“So you could hear us?” Tam asked, slightly abashed. He had not thought of the mages. He should have known to be more careful. If he found out, Rezkin would make sure he learned his lesson—probably with more grueling hours of practice.
Lus grinned menacingly, and Tam cringed. He turned away quickly and took Ilanet by the arm as he escorted her down to the berth she was sharing with the other women. When they arrived, he led her to the bunk that Reaylin had previously occupied. The pretty blonde was now sitting on the upper bunk reading a book while muttering unhappily to herself.
“Reaylin,” Tam said. “Lady Netty isn’t feeling well. Will you help her?”
A heavy thud sounded on the bed above her. “Anything to distract me from reading that book,” Reaylin grumbled. She dropped to the ground and said, “Did you know there are twenty-six bones in your foot?”
“I didn’t know that,” Tam said as he poured a cup of water from a skin hanging from the bunk and handed it to Ilanet.
“No, and you probably didn’t care to either. Just like I don’t care. But now I have to know, and Healer Jespia expects me to be able to name them all.”
“Well, I guess if you’re going to heal someone’s foot, then you’d best know what you’re healing.”
