by Forthright
Eloquence opened his mouth, a bitter protest ready to be flung. But he’d overheard so many of the conferences that had led to the Emergence. So he saw the trap in time. Argent was shading the truth, giving his own slant to the facts. The only way to set the record straight would betray clan secrets. And an ill-worded denial might imply that he didn’t support Dad’s policies.
“Some will believe that you are the perfect opportunity. Coming from the first clan to be tamed, you would grasp the need for close observation and careful documentation. To prove that your younger brother is no fluke, you and your human will agree to breed in captivity.”
Fear and fury spiked in terrible tandem, and he drove his claws into the flooring to keep from lashing out.
“Tsk.”
And then Dad was there, hugging him from behind, holding him back. “Easy, now. Stand down, son. Although I’d have throttled him myself for that last one.”
Argent sniffed. “You would have attempted far worse.”
“I daresay you’ve heard far worse,” said Hisoka, who dropped into a crouch at Quen’s side. “Forgive Argent’s impudence. He is acting a part … at my request.”
Quen stilled and felt quite sick. Was this mockery? Or worse? He wouldn’t have expected these people capable of so much ugliness. To his shame, tears flooded his eyes.
Someone swore. Probably Gingko. Someone began weeping. Poor, sweet Kyrie. Someone was railing against Dad. Definitely Adoona-soh. And someone gathered him up. At first, Quen thought it must be Laud, and he went limp with relief. But when his vision cleared, he realized he’d mistaken silver for white. He was in Argent’s clutches, and the fox was strong.
“Leave him to me,” ordered Argent, hand slicing through the air, which soon blazed with complex sigils.
A barrier, but not the kind Quen knew to make, for the world vanished. Fox magic. A mild voice alerted him to the presence of a third person within an otherwise empty space.
“Thank you for including me,” said Hisoka.
Argent rolled his eyes. “The whelp feels betrayed. Make it right. Now.”
The cat slunk into view, reached for Quen’s limp hands, and bowed low so that his forehead touched them. “I am sorry for distressing you. I would much rather spare you everything—slights, slander, spurious assumptions, and scandalous speculation. As it is, we can only prepare you for their inevitability.”
Quen’s gaze swung to Argent’s face. “You lied?”
“No. I told you what some will believe, what some will say.”
Argent offered no apologies. Then again, he owed none. Eloquence eased out of the fox’s arms, but he didn’t make it far. Silvery tails fanned out and around. Propriety prevented Quen from touching them, which made them an effective prison. Even so, Quen felt more on equal terms, seated so close, all their knees were touching.
Hisoka said, “When your ‘engagement’ to Kimiko comes to light, the press will be no more gentle than Argent has been.”
“Worse,” muttered the fox. “You will face demands—not requests—for information every bondmate would consider intensely private. And that is just the public sector. The merry band of reaver researchers will ply you with questionnaires, schedule physical exams, and issue tactful pleas for genetic samples.”
“Has Dad been dealing with this stuff?”
“Only since the announcement of Ever’s birth,” said Hisoka. “And Harmonious has been fierce in his protection of Anna. She’s never been photographed or interviewed.”
Quen touched Argent’s arm. “What does Lady Mettlebright do?”
“Tsumiko is similarly elusive, by her choice and my enforcement.” Argent’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I am regularly approached by those who—for the good of the In-between—want access to the crossers who have found safe haven at Stately House. Our priority has always been their protection.”
Hisoka said, “Argent is one of many sheltering those without clan or crest.”
The cat probably also had a paw in. That would explain Inti’s presence at New Saga.
“I understand that I need coaching.” Quen had been so enamored of the future he’d imagined, he’d been blind to the accompanying battle he was ill-equipped to wage. “But why are you telling me this now?
Argent and Hisoka exchanged a long look.
“There is no hurry.” Quen leaned forward, keeping his voice low. “Our courtship is meant to be conducted in secret. Over the course of years.”
“Tsk. Tell him.”
“There is a chance that I will need to use you and your ‘engagement.’”
That creeping sense of betrayal was back.
Hisoka’s smile was all sympathy, but no apologies were forthcoming from his quarter, either. “Recent events in Keishi are causing concern at the highest levels. Those most resistant to accommodating our existence are actively seeking proof that our intentions are less than honorable.”
Hardly news. The debates had raged ever since the Emergence.
“The kidnappings?” asked Quen. They’d begun about the same time a large contingent of trackers had arrived, led by the Elderbough clan. “Boon trailed the culprit here and was injured trying to rescue one of the girls.”
“Yes.” Hisoka ran a hand over his hair. “Their presence here is part of an ongoing international investigation. The Elderbough pack has been in pursuit for nearly four years.”
That was a long time to elude a pack famed for their skill in tracking.
“They’ve uncovered evidence of killings and kidnappings going back decades.” He cut a look at Argent, who inclined his head. “Over the last several years, he has refined his technique. We know what he’s after, but that hasn’t helped us to stop him.”
Quen was beginning to see the scale of this problem. “The kidnapper is Amaranthine.”
“Yes.”
Argent huffed impatiently. “He is a monster with discriminating tastes—only females, only reavers. Because they are the only ones who can give him what he wants.”
Hisoka sighed. “That was an unexpected upshot to the investigation. I’m not sure anyone realized before.”
Quen didn’t ask them to hurry along. He could see the trail, and he wasn’t eager to deal with what waited at its end.
“While humans and Amaranthine have always been compatible, not all couplings are the same. Just as a human bondmate must be a reaver in order to receive the tending necessary to extend their lifespan, a human woman must be a reaver in order for the coupling to result in offspring.”
Argent put it bluntly. “He rapes the girls he takes in order to breed.”
“Why haven’t we stopped him?”
“Ah.” Hisoka’s smile was wan and weary. “Our trackers have succeeded. We’re certain they’ve cornered our culprit more than once.”
Quen finally wearied of waiting. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“That part should be yours to tell, Argent.”
The fox beckoned for Quen’s hand, which he brought to his own heart. Holding it there, Argent touched his fingertips to Quen’s chest. A request for secrecy and support.
Heart racing, Eloquence placed his hand over Argent’s, pressing and promising.
“We are dealing with a rogue dragon,” Argent said grimly. “And he is my son Kyrie’s sire.”
FORTY
Guest List
Kimiko overslept.
She swung her feet to the floor and considered the cluttered hush of her room, trying to remember why this was significant. Books were strewn everywhere. Oh, yes. Isla had been reading to her long into the night. Because Kimiko couldn’t sleep. Recollection crashed into her, refreshing her half-forgotten jitters, just as a tap sounded on her window.
Was that what woke her?
Noting Isla’s absence as she shuffled to the window, Kimiko drew aside the curtain, squinting into the midmorning brightness. Akira grinned and waved, gesturing for her to open the window. He looked totally at ease with both the height and the cradl
ing hold of his nestmate.
Kimiko opened the window and was immediately assailed by noise.
Two vans were being unloaded near the base of Kusunoki, where a graceful canopy had been erected. Banners fluttered on stands—Kikusawa’s red chrysanthemums alongside the celestial copper of the Starmark crest. Furs and heaters. Tea urns and tapestry rugs. Everything you’d expect for an extravagant human wedding. Only this ceremony would be Amaranthine. And it was hers.
“How did I sleep through this?” She pulled Suuzu and Akira in out of the cold.
“A barrier,” said Suuzu.
Kimiko leaned out, trying to get a sense of what had changed. Something was definitely there, but it didn’t feel like the crystal-based warding Isla’s father had used along the boundaries. With a long last look at the box-laden people hurrying back and forth along their front walk, Kimiko shut out the cold. Immediately, the hubbub outside her room vanished. “Did Lord Mettlebright do something?”
Suuzu hummed. “No, this barrier has a wolvish feel to it. Several trackers arrived during the night. One of them must be responsible.”
“Very considerate,” she murmured. Maybe Dickon would know which of the wolves had gone above and beyond by protecting her sleep. “But why are you guys here? You’re late for school.”
Akira beamed. “Special permission to skip. Argent said so, and nobody argues with Lord Mettlebright.”
Suuzu said, “I will remain by your side throughout the day, as your go-between.”
With a sharp elbow to the phoenix’s ribs, Akira added, “And as your friend.”
“Hmm.”
Any doubt on that score vanished when Suuzu frowned and reached for Kimiko’s hair. Glad of their presence, she bowed her head and submitted to a little friendly preening.
Akira spent the rest of the morning pitching in where he could, with regular pauses to take pictures with his phone. The shrine had plenty of interesting nooks and niches. He’d just zoomed in on a squat jar with a long neck that looked to have been carved from crystal when he received a heavy rap on the head.
“Security breech located,” drawled a vaguely familiar wolf clansman with bandages everywhere. “No pictures, Akira.”
This guy knew his name? Akira checked the three crests on his armband, the first of which designated him as an Elderbough. “Boon?”
“You know it!”
He’d only seen this son of Adoona-soh’s once before, at a whelping feast for the child of her eldest, Naroo-soh. Gingko had introduced Akira to more wolves than he could hope to remember, but Boon stood out. Not so much because of his carefree manner, though he seemed like a friendly guy. But Suuzu had kept a wary eye on the wolf all through the festivities.
Boon bent until they were closer to the same level. “Seriously, kid. Today’s doings need to stay under wraps. Let Eloquence and his lady have some scrap of privacy.”
Akira extended his phone. “Sis was feeling left out.”
The wolf snatched it out of his grasp, scanned the exchange, then pulled Akira into a headlock before taking a selfie. With surprising delicacy, he tapped out a message, adding a full range of emotes. “Not every day I get to scold a beacon.”
“Not many to scold.” Akira checked to see what Boon was saying to his sister. “So how’d you get hurt?”
Boon scratched absently at the edge of gauzy wrappings. “Nothing to worry about.”
Akira guessed Boon had been part of the rescue effort. “Would you happen know anything about Suuzu’s brother and … and his partner?”
The wolf’s yellow eyes narrowed, and he delivered another smart knock to the top of Akira’s head. “You really are a security breech.”
“Not for knowing stuff,” protested Akira. “Only if I tell what I know to someone I shouldn’t.”
Boon was back in his face. “And what makes you think I know Juuyu and Sinder?”
“I knew you knew! Is Sinder okay?”
“Patched up and perky as ever.”
Jigsaw details slid neatly together. Sinder had said he was part of an elite taskforce, and Juuyu had mentioned in passing that a wolf had helped him create his necklace. “Are you one of Juuyu’s teammates?”
“Here’s the thing, kid. I am not a security breech.” Boon deposited the phone in Akira’s coat pocket. “The less said, the better. Savvy?”
With exaggerated solemnity, Akira said, “Your secret’s safe with me.”
That earned him another rap on the noggin, but it was light enough to count as affectionate.
Another possibility occurred to Akira. “Are you the one who added a barrier to Kimi’s room?”
“What’s it to you?”
Akira carefully adjusted his posture, trying for gratitude. “Kimi was glad. You did good.”
“Look at you, flashing etiquette. Seems they teach something useful in that school.” Boon gently adjusted the set of Akira’s shoulders. “You totally have an avian accent, though.”
Was that possible? He’d been living with a phoenix for a long time, but he’d never taken any notice of what Amaranthine didn’t say until Kimi brought it to his attention.
Boon chuckled.
“You made that up!”
“Nah. That joke’s older than tides.”
An idea sparked, and Akira considered the impulse to trust. He needed a little help, a little advice, but he hadn’t really decided who was close enough to trust, but distant enough to make secrets possible. He slowly reached out and touched the wolf’s wrist. “Can I ask about something kind of personal?”
Boon immediately lowered himself to the floor. “Anything you need, little bro.”
He laughed. “Gingko calls Kyrie that—little bro.”
“Probably because I’ve been calling him that since he found his way into our pack.” Boon’s big hand closed around Akira’s wrist. “He was as scrawny as you back then. And just as determined to be a security breech.”
“Really?”
Boon made him sit and draped a companionable arm around his shoulders. “Haven’t you ever seen him with Kel? Those two were close as two moonbeams. Couldn’t train, tussle, or nestle the one without the other, so they got a double dose.”
Best friends. “Like me and Suuzu?”
“Couldn’t say for sure. Juuyu’s not exactly chatty.” Boon made a show of sniffing his hair. “But you smell enough of feathers and fraternity to convince me.”
“Do you know about Juuyu’s necklace?” he asked softly.
“His nest.”
Akira was more than a little relieved. Boon knew, which meant he could help. “Did you help make it?”
“Not so much. My partner is the thoughtful one. It was his idea.”
“Oh.”
“That’s not to say I don’t know what’s what.” Boon pulled up the leg of his jeans, revealing his ankle accessories—colored cords, complex knots, and beads carved from different types of crystal. “Learning to make them is part of our lore. Comes standard for every whelp and weanling.”
“Is it hard?”
“Want to learn?”
Akira nodded. “Suuzu needs one, and I wasn’t sure where to start. I mean, how do you find nice enough things? And how do you make sure nothing falls off?”
“You’re in luck, little bro. First step is confiding in a packmate of superior years and skills—me.” Boon touched his bandages and grimaced. “Boss wants me in reserve until I heal up a bit, so I have time on my hands.”
“Are you sure?”
“Better than sure. I’m prepared.” So saying, Boon slipped the tip of a claw into one of the complex knots and coaxed it loose. He unwound a glossy black cord that had been wrapped three times around his ankle. Its only ornamentation was a small chunk of orange crystal with a hole bored through its center, affixed at the midpoint by two ornamental knots. The wolf said, “It’s braided from Juuyu’s hair. That’s why it’s so long.”
Akira took a longer look at Boon’s ankle and easily picked out a looping br
aid that stood out from the rest. Springtime green against Boon’s tanned skin.
With a snort, the wolf slid the cuff down to hide the rest.
“That’ll do for the foundation of the nest you want to build with Suuzu. He’ll like having a token of his brother. And the tuning means he’ll always know what direction Juuyu’s in.”
Tuned crystals. Akira rubbed the pad of his thumb over the stone’s rough edge, but all he could feel was its weight. To him, it was just a pretty rock.
Boon said, “Juuyu is important to Suuzu, which makes a gift like this the right kind of shiny. But before handing it over, you should add something of your own.”
Akira smiled crookedly. “My hair’s too short.”
“Go with a crystal, then.” Boon smirked. “Don’t suppose you know anyone with a knack for tuning the things.”
“Michael.”
“High end. You have good taste. Wheedle a pretty rock out of him, and I’ll make it secure.”
“What about the other things?” Akira let the silky length of hair slip between his fingers. “Juuyu had way more than two items.”
“Probably took him years to collect them all.” Boon shrugged. “You in a hurry?”
Akira wrestled with a sense of urgency. “I’m human.”
“I noticed.”
“Just an ordinary human.”
Boon’s gaze softened. “I get it kid. Okay. I never did get a good look at Juuyu’s nest. Can you tell me anything about his treasures without getting too personal?”
“A nest is home, so they were reminders of home—stars, scents, seas, songs. And there was something blue to remind him of the sky.”
The wolf smiled. “It would be blue skies. Rainy days put him in a mood. Right. There’s your mission right there. Bring me either the tuned crystal or something blue, and you’ll have yourself a good start.”
Akira gave back the crystal on its cord.
Boon didn’t keep it. Knotting the ends, he settled it around Akira’s neck. “Wash this next time you bathe. Birds are less fussy about scent than wolves, but your nestmate won’t like it if you seem to be treasuring something of mine. Wear it close to your skin. Make it yours before you give it to him.”
