Lara’s lips pressed together, and her brow furrowed. “Just might be. The wigs are getting more elaborate these days. But I would bet every penny in my pocket she was wearing a fancy wig. Especially with all them pearls hanging from her hair. No one is going to have patience to sit for hours while a maid does all that.”
“Where might I find her?” Rager inquired. Yet perhaps it didn’t do so well hiding the hint of threat from his voice. A male—a huntsman—was daring to join with his triad’s mate. Fury burned in his stomach relentlessly. The women shifted warily, exchanging uncertain glances. Rita gently nudged Lara.
Lara licked her lips nervously. “Well, that’s the thing. No one really knows where she is. The First Elite is keeping everything secret, but what is certain is that she’s not there at his mansion. The family is apparently very private, and the details are being concealed until the day of the joining ceremony. Even then, only those who are invited will know.”
“Who and what is the First Elite and where might I find him?”
“Oh, you don’t want to confront him on his own turf. That would be suicide. The mansion sits on a large estate on the grounds of the Order of the Huntsmen. He is the head of the entire organization, and so they protect him more than they would their own fathers.”
Her eyes flickered as Kyx and Warol crouched beside him. No doubt his brothers had also heard the discussion among the females and had decided to join them. The females seemed to shrink in the face of Warol’s fury, as his ears lay flattened against his skull and his four yellow eyes focused on them with a burning, single-minded intensity. Even his lips were drawn back from his teeth, lending a certain ferocity to his features. Unfortunately, Kyx, as badly scarred as he now was, no longer possessed a cheerful, comforting visage.
The females smiled as Cyrus inserted himself among them. Kyx glanced up at the male.
“Do you think that there may be a way for one of your number to find out the location of this ceremony?” Kyx queried in a soft voice.
“Maybe,” Lara said slowly. “None of the Guild has direct access to the grounds of the Order, not since the incident that occurred on their land twenty-five years ago. We had a maid in another mansion further back on the property—the ancestral house. She helped a young woman, the daughter of the woman she served, escape and she died with her mistress. Since then, measures have been far more rigorously enforced.”
Cyrus’s eyes sharpened. “But you have something, correct?”
“I do have an older sister who works in the mansion who could probably keep her ear open for information as long as we guaranteed her safety. She won’t help if she believes there is any way this could come back on her. The Order has a long, vindictive arm as you know, Cyrus.”
“Consider it done. I will personally guarantee it. Have her see what she can find, but avoid notice. If, for whatever reason, she believes she is in danger, I will protect her here in our Court.”
Lara smiled with relief. “I am certain she will be grateful to hear that, Cyrus. Working for the Order, and especially First Elite Edwar, isn’t a joy for anyone. Your personal guarantee will be all she needs to help us.”
“This means we still must wait,” Warol pointed out irritably.
“Yes, my dear furry fiend, it means we wait,” Cyrus said with a chuckle.
“I hate waiting,” Warol said as he pulled at an ear in frustration. Kyx laid a companionable arm around their brother’s shoulders and, surprisingly, Warol did not shrug it off. Instead, one side of his mouth upturned, and he leaned into Kyx.
32
After the party, Maddi continued to visit every day. Their grandmother approved, believing she would teach Arie appropriate behavior for entering her place in society. She had no idea what the women were conspiring. They couldn’t go far, and were always watched, but they walked together, heads bent, as they passed through the garden, whispering to each other.
They never raised their voice above a whisper, regardless of whether they were in the gardens, lounging in the parlor, or secluded in Arie’s private chambers. Even then, they often changed the inflections in their whisperings to make it seem as if they were exchanging meaningless gossip, randomly giggling as they did so. Whenever they laughed the guards relaxed and smiled. Even their grandmother didn’t seem to suspect anything. In fact, she seemed to go out of her way to avoid them whenever they were together, as if she couldn’t abide their silliness. The more effort they put into the performance, the more Lady Vera stayed far away from them.
“I suppose she thinks we are silly, brainless women,” Maddi said with a laugh as she cracked a walnut and handed the meat to Arie.
“I hope so. We’ve worked hard to give her that impression,” Arie returned, popping the morsel into her mouth. “By now, she believes I have resigned myself to my fate and have taken you, my dear cousin, as my bosom companion. She no longer pays any attention to where I go—not that it has helped much. I have been walking all through this mansion and have yet to find any place where I might sneak out unnoticed.”
“I did tell you that plan was a long shot,” Maddi said, sighing.
“What we need is a diversion. Like an explosion, or an attack.”
“Lovely idea, and just where are we going to find that? I’m afraid I left my explosives and arsenal in my other skirt.” Maddi tapped her finger on the table beside her. “Actually, a distraction is not a bad idea, if only we can get word out among the right circles.”
“Right circles?” Arie arched an eyebrow at her cousin.
“Whether you want to believe it or not, you are in a distinct position. The people will rally around you, and many are not happy at all with the power of the Order. It is, as I am sure you understand, an unpleasant yoke for the people of our Citadel to live under. People tolerate it because they know no other way and are uncertain what direction they should take. If you stand against them, the people will follow… and you will be lacking no little aid from one quarter specifically.”
“Why would they help me and not you? Surely you could have accomplished this long ago if it was such a certain thing?”
“I am not of the blood. My father was born from grandmother’s second marriage. For all the good I would wish to do, I am not a symbol that the people will rally around and risk their lives for.”
“I do not want anyone risking their lives for me,” Arie said. “I just want to return to my mates.”
Maddi’s face tightened. “You cannot so casually dismiss the needs of the many when you are in position to do great good.”
“No, of course not, but to ask them to stand against the Order and risk death… It is not right, Maddi.”
“What people suffer every day is not right. I want to make this world better. Our people are dying, we have less children born every year, and women are starving on the streets. How do we counter this when the Order and the system as it currently exists binds our hands? Not everyone is so fortunate to find what you did, and those of us who would try would be punished far more severely than you’ve been.”
“Do you think being forced into marriage and the threat of the murder of my child is not severe?” Arie demanded.
Maddi’s face softened. “Of course, it is terrible, cousin. I do not mean to make light of your situation, but in many cases if a woman did not find a benefactor or had family to take her in, one found cavorting with Ragoru would be put to death.”
Arie’s chest tightened as she recalled the words of Huntsman Merik. At the time, she’d thought he was just unhinged, or perhaps wanted to scare her, but at Maddi’s words her perspective changed. She could easily have died, murdered in the cave or after facing sentence from the village. The huntsmen would have killed her without hesitation if it hadn’t been for the matter of her lineage.
Even if it meant nothing to Arie, it meant something to the people. It was all that stood between her and death.
“I do not tell you this to frighten you, cousin.”
“But you are ri
ght,” Arie replied. “I am being self-serving when my particular position is the only thing that keeps me from joining the fate of other women who would have dared to love as I have or dared at all to break free from the Order.”
“Those who dare are outlaws,” Maddi said. A steely look of determination filled her cherubic face. “I must get word to them. If anyone can help us, they will,” she muttered as she turned away and gathered up her cloak around her.
“Maddi, wait. They are criminals. You don’t know what they will do to you!”
Her cousin gave her a sad look. “No less than what the guard might do if they catch me.”
“What? No! We will think of another way… if you are caught…”
Her cousin leaned forward and pressed her lips against Arie’s cheek. “I will be careful. Chances are I won’t be able to go home again after this, but with your joining ceremony tomorrow I will do everything I can to get you out of here.” Maddi pulled up the hood on her cloak as she stepped away from the settee.
Arie watched her cousin leave, and her hands, concealed within the folds of her skirt, tightened into fists. Maddi was right; there was more at stake here than just Arie’s upcoming nuptial. For days, all Arie had been doing was skulking around the manor, looking for any possible way to slip off and escape, never giving any thought to the people of the Citadel, or even to her own cousin, much to her shame. That was ending now.
She would find a way out of the house and she would help her cousin. It could no longer just be about her escape.
Grandmother wanted her to stand as a symbol to bring the people together? Well, she would do just that, but not in favor of her grandmother’s plans or those of the Order. The Order of Huntsmen was coming down. She would not be able to live with herself otherwise, nor did she imagine she would be able to pass the rest of her life knowing the Order would be forever hunting after her and her children. The Order needed to be brought down, and if she helped even in a small way, standing as a rallying point, she would do everything in her power to accomplish it.
All through the day she nurtured that spark of rebellion within her, reminding herself that not even the village had been successful in defeating her. When night fell, she threw on her dark knit cape, pulling the hood low over her face. She could feel the fabric catch on the stubble of what remained of her hair, but ignored it. She glanced at the door before proceeding to the window. The guards would be half-asleep at their posts at this late hour but Arie wasn’t going to chance trying to slip by them when she could descend through her window into the gardens below.
Tying together every bedsheet she could find, she made a long rope that she tied off around the metal radiator. She’d turned it off hours ago, and though the room was now chilly, the radiator was safe to touch. She slid open the heavy window with a groan and threw out the length of knotted material. Even in the low light, she could tell it didn’t quite reach the ground, but she wagered it was close enough.
With a muttered prayer, she hoisted one leg over the windowsill, her fingers clenching tight around her makeshift rope. It wasn’t until her other leg was out and she was dangling precariously that she was attacked by a wave of panic. Swallowing, she braced her feet against the wall and slowly began to inch her way down.
When she came to the last foot of fabric, she looked down nervously at the drop below her. It had to be at least six feet. She willed her fingers to let go, but they seemed to have a mind of their own as they tightened with instinctive self-preservation. Arie cursed as she dangled in the air, swaying from side to side. She looked around, trying to work out a safe way to get down, when a tearing sound drew her attention. She scrambled, attempting to swing closer to the wall to get any kind of finger hold, but her rope went slack with a loud rip, sending Arie hurtling to the ground.
She crashed into the bushes below, the tiny branches scraping her skin raw. Wincing, she crawled out of the bushes and pushed herself to her feet. She didn’t bother to brush off the loose dirt and bits of leaves clinging to her as she took a furtive look around. The garden was dark, illuminated only by the weak moonlight above. Not too far away, a guard leaned against a decorative pillar. She saw a flash of light as from a match strike as he brought it close to his face, lighting what she guessed had to be a tightly rolled cigarette. He stood slightly in profile, his back mostly turned toward her, increasing her odds of escape.
She skirted around the perimeter, crouched by the side of the building, keeping watch on the guard who’d begun pacing the width of the property gate where he was posted. Arie hunkered down low beside a marble statue, her eyes narrowing on her target. If she crept close enough without being detected, she might be able to bring a rock down on the back of his head and…. she blinked as she realized that the guard had disappeared from sight and had not yet returned.
Where could he have disappeared to?
“Stand up and keep your hands where I can see them.”
A man growled at her from the shadows at her right. Cursing her lack of luck, Arie stood with her hands upraised and held out from her sides. She was so close to her freedom. She felt someone step up behind her and reacted, fueled by desperation. She threw her head back and heard the sickening crunch from where her skull collided with the guard’s nose. He roared in pain, his hands dropping away to clutch his nose. She did not so much as spare the guard a glance. Pulling her skirts up in one hand, she dashed for the gate.
She panted, excitement rising up in her belly as she neared the open gate. She was nearly there! Her feet passed over the edge of the property line just as a large guard came into sight as he stepped around the corner on the other side of the wall, lifting his rifle high as he swung it into her face. Color exploded behind her eyes before she plummeted into darkness.
Arie woke with her jaw throbbing. The faint light from the nearby street lantern streamed through the window of her bedroom in between iron bars that had been put up while she was unconscious. She winced as pain shot through her head, but it was nothing compared to the heaviness of her heart.
She had failed.
“I see you are awake,” her grandmother snapped with impatience. “That was a stupid stunt. I don’t know what you two girls have been conspiring, but you have failed. Once we catch up with Maddi—wherever she disappeared to—she will be dealt with. You are lucky we have enough pigments to conceal that terrible bruise. Though it is no less than what you deserve, I do wish it wouldn’t have happened on the day of your joining. A bruised bride is an embarrassment.”
“So sorry, Grandmother, for being a terrible inconvenience,” Arie said, a mocking smile curling her lips despite the pain shooting through her face.
“Do you have no shame for leading your cousin into such betrayal?”
Arie leaned back against her pillow. “Maddi did as she felt was right. I had little to do with it.”
Her grandmother sneered. “Before you came into this house, that girl was meek and did as she was told. She never would have plotted to run away from her family and disgrace us in such a way.”
Arie fell silent, unwilling to discuss anything further with Lady Vera. She had no way of knowing what could be used against Maddi. It was better to say nothing. Arie had failed to escape and assist her cousin. She could only hope that Maddi fared well on her own.
She moved her hand and felt it jerk against resistance. With a startled yelp, she looked up at her left hand and found a metal cuff binding it. Leading from it was a strong length of chain secured to the bed with just enough line to allow her a short range of movement. She yanked against it, her movement furious, to no avail. The chain was strong. The brittle laughter of her grandmother assaulted her ears.
“I’m afraid you won’t be enjoying the freedom that I so graciously allowed you before. Until it is time to prepare for your joining ceremony, you will be confined to your bed. You won’t get run of the house, nor will you enjoy any meals as you contemplate the errors of your ways. I will leave you to your thoughts. If you ar
e wise, you will make peace with your situation. I guarantee that Edwar will not treat such attempts lightly or with much forgiveness.”
Her grandmother turned to walk away, pausing at the doorway only when Arie shouted at her back.
“Hey, what if I need to piss? Do you want me to just soil the bed?”
“The guard and maid will assist,” her grandmother said, brushing her hand irritably through her skirt as if she were swatting at a fly. With a snap of fabric, her grandmother left Arie alone to helplessly vent her anger. She screamed as she attempted to pull on her restraints. She even turned so that her feet could kick at the headboard, hoping that if she kicked it hard enough that the wood would break, and she would be able to slip the chain free. She even beat the cuff on her wrist against the side of the bed.
She didn’t manage to do more than painfully bruise her wrist.
The guard now stationed in her room—instead of outside of her door—watched every attempt, every scream, and the free flow of her frustrated, desperate tears dispassionately. He might as well have been made of stone. After a time, he was replaced with another guard.
Every now and again a maid was allowed entrance, but the entire time she was in the room she was carefully watched. Even if Arie could have garnered the sympathy of the maid there wouldn’t have been anything she could have done for her. The maid was checked thoroughly upon entering and leaving. Not even a crust of bread would have gotten by the guards to slake Arie’s hunger against the orders of their mistress.
As the day drew on, the fight slowly left her, and she found herself staring morosely out the window. She hoped that Maddi had found safety, wherever she was. Despite her cool words to her grandmother, she worried about her cousin. She hoped that Maddi’s optimism wasn’t misplaced.
33
Among their triad, Warol was usually the impetuous one, and the one who disobeyed orders. It was not like Kyx to act rashly, and yet he found himself doing just that as he slipped unseen out of the tunnel. The Court of the Thieves Guild had been hospitable and given them shelter over the last several days but as far as he could see, it brought them no closer to finding Arie. He’d hoped that the bit of gossip among the females would have born results by now, but there was nothing.
Red: A Dystopian World Alien Romance Page 25
