Page 51 of Court of Talons
I reach Nazar and Caleb, and the priest continues to smoke his pipe, indicating for me to stand at his side as if at my leisure. I do this, breathing in the soothing smoke as I turn to watch the farce of the final bard. Nazar pauses in his draw only briefly, long enough to pull the pipe from his mouth and murmur to me, “Consider what you have learned tonight. The right man, with the right sword, can be as ten thousand men if he follows the way of the warrior.”
He goes back to smoking his pipe, and I scowl into the empty air before me, hoping that my expression isn’t being taken for the blind panic that it is.
Consider what I’ve learned tonight?I’ve learned that I have no allies outside this room. Councilor Miriam had seemed toseek me out…but only to hold me in place long enough for Fortiss to intercept me. Fortiss appeared likable, even friendly—yet had served to hem me in when the bard began speaking of the eastern borders and, far worse, when Rihad announced the next day’s battle. The women of the First House were beautiful, sure, and yet they trapped me as effectively as Fortiss had. And warriors of multiple houses had seemed visibly uneasy about my participation in the Tournament of Gold. Especially those from the Second House.
Is it because they’re the ones who slaughtered the Tenth House retainers, and who then witnessed a much larger Gent rise up in outrage against them? Are these the men who thought they’d killed Merritt and now don’t know what to think about his return from the dead with an even more powerful Divh? And if those murderers are from the Second House, not the First, why was Fortiss so close by?
Too many thoughts race through my mind, twisting around on themselves.
I’ve also learned that I’ll be pitted against the largest man I’d ever seen. Rough skinned, beefy, and dressed in heavy sand-colored silk, the warrior Kheris has a broad, open face and a booming laugh. He’s laughing again now, gathering the women close as they simper and fawn over him and his men. Watching him, I realize I’ve made a tactical error in abandoning my own female companion.
Just then, as if reading my mind, Gemma sways into my vision. “It’s tradition for a favor to be granted from a warrior to his favorite of the court,” she says, dimpling. “I would be honored to receive your favor.”
Nazar’s quick brush against my hand is the only warning I have, and then I’m lifting the sash, as surprised as Gemma, who stares at it, then me, as if I’d just conjured the cloth into being. It’s a long slender strip of green silk, painted with a thin silvertree branch. At the top of the tree branch is a fat little bird, nestled into its own feathers.
I cock a glance at Nazar but can only spare a moment before I have to start apologizing. Gemma stands stock-still, gaping at the cloth as tears pooled in her eyes.
“Gemma—I am sorry,” I stammer quickly. “Forgive a fool who doesn’t know the ways of such a large house.”
“No—no—” She looks up at me, and her eyes are mirror bright, the smile blooming on her face as fresh as a new flower. “It’sbeautiful. It reminds me of a long-ago time. You could not—” She shakes her head. “You couldn’t have known. Forgive me.”
She holds the cloth to her breast. “I’m grateful for the honor,” she says, and her voice has a strange aspect to it as well, the same as her smile. This is the same girl I’d watched smile archly at me across the room, clearly targeting me, but now her face is open, her lashes blinking too quickly. She bows once, then again, and she turns away from me slightly, then whirls back to kiss me on the cheek. The movement is so fast, I can barely track it, and her words in my ear are equally rapid, as rushed as a moth’s wings.
“You willwin,” she says urgently.
I smile wryly as she pulls away. She has to know by looking at me that I’m a long shot against the powerful Kheris. But Gemma’s face is resolute, her eyes shining. She bows again, and I bow in return.
I watch bemusedly as she turns and flees back across the room, clutching her favor close.
“So, can you explain what that was—” I stop as I turn to the side. Nazar is gone.
“That wasunexpected, is what that was,” Caleb says instead, snapping his fingers in front of my eyes to refocus me. I scowl, batting his hands away. “But I’ll tell you what I saw—that priest had three different sashes at the ready and pulled out the silkone only after it was clear which girl had latched on to you. He’s a sly one.”
I stare at him. “Three?”
“Three,” Caleb nearly crows, bouncing on his toes. “And I hope you’ve gotten caught up on your sleep, because you’ll have precious little tonight. Nazar told me you’ll have to practice in the barracks for tomorrow’s fight, where no one can see.”
“The barracks.” I blow out a breath. “That won’t be enough, Caleb. That can’t replace practice on a real open field.”
He shrugs. “It’ll have to be enough. You’ve already given Gemma your favor.” He grins at my glare. “You don’t want to make the girl cry twice.”
I open my mouth to offer my thoughts on the subject, but the flicker of Caleb’s attention stops me, and I stiffen as his eyes go wide and urgent. I don’t have to turn to know who’s approaching us with his long-legged stride.
I turn anyway and greet Fortiss with my best, most confident—and hopefully most Merritt-like smile.
“I thought we could talk at last, Lord Merritt.” He nods to Caleb, then me. “Alone.”
He turns on his heel and keeps walking. I meet Caleb’s wide-eyed stare, then follow.
Here we go.
Chapter 20
Fortiss leads me along the outer wall of the feasting hall and through a set of double doors that empty out onto a wide terrace. He stops only long enough to pick up two goblets of the-Light-only-knows-what, some kind of drunken brew. I accept it when he offers and down a sip with him. I’m glad to have something to do with my hands.
He finally pauses at the far end of the terrace, setting down his goblet on the thick, waist-high wall. It’s all that keeps an unwary reveler from pitching over into open sky. This terrace is oriented to look out over the same empty marshland we’d ridden through to wind our way toward the castle. Ostentatious preening or not, there’s no denying how well positioned the First House is against attack.
“So, how do you find the First House?” Fortiss asks abruptly, as if he’s having as hard a time as I am coming up with conversation. He stares out over the nearly empty marshland while he speaks. “Are your accommodations adequate? Your men have all they need?”