Bloodkin (Jaseth of Jaelshead) (40 page)

“I trust you will be discreet.” I couldn’t look away from those clear eyes, and I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just nodded.

She laughed suddenly as if I had said something funny, and took my arm, leading me back inside. “We had best not disappoint our distinguished hosts, yes?”

Back inside, Sallagh caught my eye as the Queen drifted away, her face a mask of pure fury, but I didn’t care. Thaelique had trusted me with something. Me!

Whatever Sallagh thought, she could shove it.

It wasn’t until I was safe in my room later that night that I pulled out and examined what the Queen had given me. It was a piece of paper, tightly folded. Inside was written a single word.

Jeetz

efore I could organise any sort of meeting between Jeetz and the Queen, something happened that almost made me forget clean about it.

We had finished class for the morning and were wandering back across the quad to the Hall for lunch when Anna rushed out of the Solast’s wing of the Academy. Her face was drawn, her skin ashen – if that’s possible for someone already grey – and she looked as if she hadn’t slept.

“Ϛaioћ!” she called.

“Aӣấ, what—” He noticed everyone had stopped to look and he gestured them away. Lolitha shrugged and turned, leading the others back to the Hall, but Anna reached out and grabbed Thomas’ arm, and I stayed with them.

“Oh Ϛaioћ, it’s… Something very bad has happened. It’s Фyѫea. They—” She coughed suddenly, covering a sob. “They broke into her shop last night, just after she closed and… And they beat her.”

“What?” Charlie reached forward, but Anna stepped back. Thomas stood rigid, his face leeched of blood. “Who is “they”?”

“I don’t know!” Anna’s voice was sharp with frustration and impotent rage. “And they stole all her Black.”

Charlie’s mouth fell open in horror. “
What
? Фấ ςanaл, oh that’s
bad
.”

Anna sniffed quickly and jerked a nod, the tendons in her neck taut with tension. “Фyѫea is… She’s still unconscious. The Solasts think she’ll pull through, but…” She looked down and scrubbed at her face.

“How much did they take?”

“All of it!”

Shit, this
was
bad. I didn’t know how much of the Black moss Fiona stored in her locked room, but it would be enough to… Hell, I didn’t even know!”

“But, but, how did they get in?”

“How do you think?” Anna said flatly.

“But who would do that? No one with enough Hầұeӣ would steal, or attack someone! What would they want with the Black?”

Anna wobbled slightly and Charlie rushed forward to gather her up in his arms.

“I don’t know. I just… don’t know.” I had never heard Anna sound so pitiful, so out of control. The whole thing gave me a sick feeling in my stomach. And poor Fiona…

Charlie looked over Anna’s head at me.

“Um, Jas, maybe you should go back to the Hall. I’ll take Anna home.”

“No, no!” Anna twisted in his grasp. “I have to stay with her!”

Charlie kissed her tenderly on the forehead and I looked away, embarrassed to be privy to this private moment

“I’ll stay with her,” Thomas grumbled, the first words he had spoken the whole time.

“Yes Aӣấ, you need to sleep. I’ll come back and stay with Toѫen, I don’t think there will be classes later on.”

I didn’t need to be told twice, and when Charlie nodded at me I took off towards the Hall, as Charlie led a broken Anna away to her house for some Blue and the oblivion of sleep.

The attack on Fiona rattled everyone in the Hall, but it seemed to hit Lolitha hardest of all. When we had been attacked on
Samhain we had been in the Human area of the city, so we felt safe in the Quarter. But now that safety had been shattered.

When I told the others they asked, predictably, if anything had been stolen. I surprised myself when I found myself telling them it had just been some moss and a few pipes. I don’t know why I didn’t tell them about the Black, perhaps it just seemed like something Anna wouldn’t want broadcast. Lolitha found me in my room later that afternoon, practising my visibility cloaking – it somehow seemed incredibly urgent that I master it quickly. After I confessed to her about the theft of the Black, she was silent for some time.

“Jas, do you get the feeling that something’s happening?”

She didn’t have to explain, I knew exactly what she meant. All the things, the weird, horrible things that had happened, right back to those guards on the bridge, even before we arrived in Lille, left me feeling something akin to dread.

She left me then, to worry on my own until Charlie came back, looking exhausted.

“How is she?”

“Still the same.” He sighed. “The Solasts are keeping her under so her body has a chance to heal, but… They really did a job on her, Jas. Those bastard ςuӣßts. Anna found her, you know. Late last night. Any later and they wouldn’t have been able to save her.”

I gave him a quick hug, but he shook me off.

“I’ve got to get back to Anna’s. You’ll be alright, won’t you?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Good. I’ll see you later then.” And he was gone, leaving me to wait, alone.

Two days later Fiona woke up and Lolitha and I went straight after class to see her.

“I feel like I should get a bunch of flowers or something. Do Nea’thi women even like flowers?” Lolitha asked me.

“Um, well, Fiona probably does, being a horticulturalist and all. Maybe a box of chocolates?”

“Ooh, yeah, much better idea. Want to go halves?”

So, box of chocolates in hand, we went to the Solasts’ wing. Fiona was sitting up in her bed but she looked as if she’d been run over by a steam-carriage. One eye was so badly bruised she could hardly open it and her nose was broken, swollen and purple. Her left arm hung in a sling and she turned her head stiffly as we entered her room.

“Oh hi! How are my favourite Bloodkin?” She sounded remarkably chirpy, considering, but then again, Fiona was always chirpy.

“We’re fine! More to the point, how are you? We brought you some chocolates.”

“Oh yum, my favourite! Crack them open will you and we’ll share them around. Hanniash and Jeetz have just popped out, but they’ll be back soon.” Oh shit, Jeetz. With everything that had happened I had forgotten completely about the Queen’s assignment. “And oh, you know, I’m fine. A bit sore and all that, but the Solasts here really are marvellous. Fixed my arm and nose right up, and the Psych lot took a look at my brain, so there’s no lasting damage, thank Lilbecz, so now I’ve just to wait for the swelling to go down and I’ll be right as rain!”

Really, she seemed far too chipper for a woman who had been unconscious for three days. She rummaged around in the box of chocolates.

“Ooh, peppermint, my favourite! Do you mind?” We shook our heads and she popped the chocolate in her mouth. “Yum! Aren’t you two just the sweetest?”

Hayoum popped his head round the door. “Oh, hullo you two, keeping Fiona company, I see! How’s the Academy going? Jimmy keeping you out of trouble, Lolitha?”

“More like the other way round,” she muttered and the apprentice Solast laughed.

“Heh, yeah, he’s a bit like that eh? Now I’ve just got to give our patient here a quick check up…” We got the hint.

“We’ll be back to visit later on, okay Fiona?”

“Okay dears, thanks for stopping by. And for the chocolates!” Her smile lit up her bruised face.

As Hayoum shut the door behind us, I paused. “Hey ‘Litha, you go on without me, I’m just going to wait for Jeetz.”

She shrugged. “Righto, see you at dinner then.”

I didn’t have to wait long as Jeetz and Hanniash came down the hospital corridor carrying a huge bunch of flowers. I hoped Lolitha hadn’t seen them.

“Um, Myr Jeetz? Could I please have a word?” Hanniash glanced at me curiously but didn’t comment, and waited outside Fiona’s room while Jeetz and I strolled back down the hall.

“So what’s this about then, young Jaseth?”

Shit, I hadn’t even thought about what I was going to say to him when I got the chance. Okay, be discreet.

“I, um, have a friend…”

“Yes, that’s a good start. What does this friend want?” he helped me along.

“Well they – she – wants to meet with you.”

The big man chuckled. “Oh ho, an assignation! May I know the name of this friend?”

“Um, I’m supposed to be discreet.”

Jeetz raised one big, caterpillar eyebrow. “Well this friend of yours sounds very interesting. Very interesting indeed. You know where I live, yes? Good, I’m there every evening. Bring your friend whenever you like.”

“Okay, thanks,” I let out a rush of air.

“See, that wasn’t so hard! Now how is our dear Фyѫea doing? Bad business with the Black, that.”

“She seemed… fine. Surprisingly fine.”

“Well that’s Фyѫea for you. I’d best go catch up with the fair High Priestess. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon.”

Jeetz nodded at me and strode off, and I escaped the hospital, my head full of my next problem – how to contact the Queen.

Turns out I needn’t have worried; because when I entered the Hall Myn Eve waved me over.

“Jaseth, dear, you have a letter. A courier dropped it off this afternoon.” She handed me a plain envelope with
Lord Jaseth of Jaelshead
written in neat, plain script on the front.

I waited until I was alone in my room before ripping it open. Inside was a brief note.

Jaseth

I trust the arrangements are in place. Meet me at the bridge at sundown tomorrow.

Y.M.

The next day I was hopelessly distracted, completely failing with the Hầұeӣ exercises Myr Billy set. When class finished I hurried home for a quick bath, and as the sun was dipping in the sky I dashed out of the Hall, leaving Charlie a brief note to say that I would be back soon. I walked briskly through the Quarter and down to the lakeside promenade to the bridge to the castle.

When I got there, however, I saw only a Nea’thi woman sitting on a bench by the bridge. I scanned the area for the Queen, but the woman stood and walked over to me. She was wearing a plain black robe with the hood pulled up and she had dark grey skin. It was only when I looked closely at her that I could see that her eyes, heavily rimmed with kohl, were a clear, slate-blue, and I realised with shock it was Thaelique.

“Oh, ah, your majesty, didn’t see you there!”

“And a good day to you, Lord Jaseth.” The slight emphasis on my title and the twitch of her lips made me think she was definitely laughing at me.

“Shall we go?”

“Please.”

I offered her my arm and she took it, her long fingers, hidden inside gloves, resting lightly on my elbow. I could have walked with her for hours. She played her question game with me, and by the time we reached the bottom of the gondola I had told her all about Jaelshead; what my parents were like, my tutors, even some basics of viticulture. She laughed frequently and I relaxed. In the cable-car we got out at Jeetz’ stop and I led her across the two bridges and through his gate. Jeetz himself opened the door when I knocked, ushering us quickly inside.

“Ah, Jaseth’s friend, please come up to the library and we’ll have a little chat. Jaseth, go find Lux in the kitchen, it’s just through there, she’ll fix you up some refreshments.”

Jeetz guided the Queen up the stairs, leaving me to find Lux. Jeetz’ kitchen was a warm, cosy space, and Lux was perched on a stool, hunched over the paper which was spread out on an informal dining table. She barely looked up as I walked in.

“Aww, don’t get to play with the big kids this time, eh Jaseth?” she needled me, but I refused to rise to the bait.

“Jeetz mentioned something about you fixing me some refreshments.”

“Oh did he just? Well there’s wine in the cooler and glasses up in that cupboard, help yourself.”

“Er, okay,” I opened the lid of the cooler and pulled out a bottle of nice Jaelshead Pinot Gris. “Do you want one?”

“Go on then,” she told me, still reading the paper.