"What have you heard, Jeff?" Javes asked, his voice soft.
"It's in the mess, sir. How the king welcomed Rabbit home and then spent over an hour with him, and how he knows all about the mark on Rabbit's hand, sir." Jeff rightly interpreted the look on both captains'
faces. "I didn't tell them, sirs. In fact, I didn't even know that the king knew." He did his own frown.
"Rabbit never tells me anything.”
The two captains were silent. "You know," Suiden finally said, "if the army collected intelligence this well all the time, we'd never lose a battle.”
"Well, I'll be f—a fool," I said. "The troopers were toadying me."
"And I bet you just sucked it up, milord," Jeff muttered.
"Oh, sod you and your horse—”
"That is enough," Suiden said as Javes looked intently out the window, his mouth twitching. "I'm not in the mood for nursery quarrels. Keep it up and I'll assign both of you to Groomer Hedley when we return to Freston. Indefinitely." Suiden stood up and another faint wince crossed his face. "However, you did make an excellent suggestion, Jeffen. We will ask King Jusson for help and hopefully he'll send someone who can guide us through all this—”
A soldier tapped on the open door. In his hands was a silver tray piled high with white envelopes. "I'm sorry, sirs, but this was just delivered.”
With Suiden's threat hanging over our heads, Jeff and I once more declared a trace and sat out in the courtyard (after checking for spiders) on my favorite bench under the pomegranate tree. Springtime was a soft lover in Freston, stealing over the mountains with a gentle touch. In Iversly it was a riot with mobs and looting, and the courtyard droned as the birds fought the bees over the flower petals. I watched the skirmishes as Jeff told me how Groskin stood like an old-fashioned revivalist in the troopers' mess, preaching doom and gloom—and with Slevoic behind the lieutenant the whole time, nodding, his blue eyes gleaming.
"Groskin said that the cat had bespelled you and now both of you were turning everyone into beasts, and that the Border will soon swoop down and enslave everyone until we all forget that we were once human," Jeff said.
"That's stupid, Jeff. The Border has already proved that it doesn't need to turn us into anything in order to wipe us out." Several bright butterflies fluttered by our bench to join the flower melee, and one landed on my knee. Its wings slowly folded and unfolded.
"Well, most of the southies thought it stupid too—talking cat or no, it's all still a bunch of children's stories," Jeff replied, looking out over the courtyard. "And most everybody had a hard time seeing you, the peacock o' the mountain, as evil incarnate." He propped a knee up and rested his arm on it, leaning against the back of the bench. "Besides,
I've been around both you and the ambassador the most, and nothing's happened to me." He shrugged.
"Then the news hit this morning and everyone thought who cares— the king calls you cousin.”
"Everyone? Or most everyone?" I asked, remembering the grumbles and sidelong glances at me during our soggy trek out of the mountains into Gresh.
"Anyone that matters," Jeff said. He saw my look and shrugged. "Royal favor covers a heap of sins, Rabbit.” I didn't reply, placing my hand gently against the butterfly's front legs, and it stepped onto my palm. It slowly flapped its wings as it moved across the rune and climbed to a finger.
"But it's true, isn't it?" Jeff asked after a moment. "As you told the captains, we are—what you called it—translated. Changed from human into the magical.”
"Yes." I turned my hand so that the butterfly moved to the back of my finger and I held it up to eye level.
"It's true, and you know it." I gave him a sideways glance. "Why didn't you back Groskin?"
The butterfly beat its wings, fanning my face.
Jeff shrugged, his eyes angry. "Because I have no desire to put myself in Slevoic's tender care no matter what is swooping down on me." He saw my look and his mouth twisted. "The Vicious did that cheroot thing in another fight. Put it right in the trooper's eye, blinded him. Then he told the poor sod that if Ebner ever found out, his sisters would be next—and he described them both, saying their names.” I blinked, realizing which trooper Jeff was talking about. I'd been told he'd gotten drunk and fell into the fire. He had been discharged from the army as unfit for duty and now worked in the stables of an inn as a groomer, knee-deep in horse muck.
"You're a little odd sometimes," Jeff said, "and you keep too many damn secrets from your mates.”
"I'm not odd—" I began as a second butterfly landed on my wrist.
Jeff spoke over me. "But you don't smile while you're describing the injuries your men sustained while out on patrol with you." His mouth twisted again. "He drools at the thought of getting you alone, Rabbit."
I knew.
It was silent as we watched a company of bumblebees hold a flowering bush against all comers. "So, I'm a badger?" Jeff asked after a little bit.
"Yes.”
Jeff sighed. "All the animals in the world and I get small and furry.”
"I don't know, Jeff," I said. "The ones around my parents' farm were pretty impressive. Even the wolves left them alone." Both butterflies beat their wings together and my hair blew back from my face in the draft.
"What about Ryson?" Jeff asked, and paused.
"Weasel," we said at the same time.
"Though polecat would've come in a close second," Jeff said. "Slevoic has been assigned back to the stables," he added. "Javes is having him clean and mend all the tack." He gave an evil smile. "And Ryson and Groskin have kitchen rota together until Suiden says otherwise. Basel got so mad when he found out that he forgot to call Suiden 'sir' and burnt the toast.”
My eyes got wide as my breakfast turned to lead in my stomach. "Heigh-ho, merry-go. Groskin and Ryson? Does anyone dare eat?”
As Jeff claimed that he waited for the other troopers to take the first bite, both butterflies flew off and the wind of their flight rushed past me, blowing through the tree, swaying branches and rustling leaves. I leaned back against the bench and crossed my ankles. And uncrossed them in a hurry as a spider was shaken out of the pomegranate tree, landing near my feet. He was pale and elongated as opposed to his more brightly hued, muscular brethren, and we watched as he scurried off, making sure that he didn't turn back towards us.
Losing the spider in the shadow of the fountain, I eased back on the bench, again thrusting my feet out in front of me. After seriously contemplating my boots, I sighed. "All right, maybe you're right."
Jeff looked at me and waited.
"Maybe I do keep too many secrets. It's just that—" I tried to smile. It didn't work. "I left the Border running from something that scared me spitless, Jeff."
"What? You being a mage?”
"Not a mage. Not yet. Not even close. An apprentice." I watched the fountain spray sparkle in the sunlight. "My master—I could feel his lust—" I broke off as Jeff shifted on the bench and I scowled at him. "No, not that."
"Oh," muttered Jeff. "Sorry.”
"It was as if he was starving and I was supper. It scared me," I repeated. "Hell, it scared me." I took another breath and shrugged. "So I ran away and came here, hoping no one would find me."
"But they did," Jeff pointed out.
"Yeah," I said. "They did.”
"How did we get lost, Rabbit?" Jeff asked after a moment.
"I don't know," I said. I saw his side glance. "I've asked Laurel again and again, and he denies having anything to do with it." I shrugged. "I believe him." At least about that.
"Your hand is glowing," Jeff said.
I looked down and saw the rune bright in the tree's shade. I held my palm up and Jeff took and angled my hand so that the sun fell directly on it. "What does it say?" he asked. He moved my hand back into the shade so the rune stood out more and bent over it. Another butterfly flew by, the draft of its passing as strong as the wake from Dragoness Moraina's wings. It circled back and landed on my shoulder and I felt the weight of it anchor me to the earth even as the wind whispered to me the secret of flight.
'Truth," I said, as Jeff reached out a finger to the bright lines.
"What the bloody hell are you doing? Get away from him!” Jeff jumped up as Groskin came storming out of the officers' mess. The butterfly beat its wings once, twice, and I felt them brushing against my cheek.
It then took off, a speck of color against the blue sky.
"Groskin!" Suiden emerged from the captains' office. Groskin snapped to attention. 'Trooper Jeffen is exactly where he's supposed to be. You are not. Return to your post.” Groskin, without meeting my eyes, spun around and marched back into the house.
Suiden stood a moment, grimacing in the bright sunlight. He men gave it up as a bad job and turned to go back into his office. "Come inside.” We followed Suiden inside and in the relative dark of the room, I made out someone standing next to the captain.
"This is Lord Esclaur ibn Dhawn e Jas, Lieutenant. The king has sent him to help with your mail.” Figuring that I must be the only lieutenant in the Royal Army with a social secretary, I bowed. As I came back up for air, my eyes adjusted to the dimness and I recognized him as me lordling who made the crack about squirrels. Remembering Lord Gherat escorting me, I realized that my royal cousin had a twisted sense of humor.
"Grace to you, Lieutenant Lord Rabbit ibn Chause e Fla-van," Lord Esclaur said as he bowed back. He was Captain Javes' spiritual brother, down to his quiz glass and brown pomaded curls. "I understand that you have an embarrassment of invitational riches.”
I looked over to Captain Suiden's desk and saw the mountain of mail had grown to a mountain range.
"Yes, my lord, I suppose you can say that.” Lord Esclaur followed my gaze and his mouth hung open for a second. He shut it with a snap and minced over to the white envelopes, lifting his quiz glass. "My word.
All this for you? You are popular, aren't you?”
"As you can see, Lord Esclaur, Lieutenant Rabbit is being swamped. We rely upon you to help us navigate this." Suiden had started to go to his chair when there was a tap at the door. He sighed and waved at his desk. "Just put it there." I watched as the mountaintops grew in height and Suiden moved to one of the guest chairs to sit. He put his head in his hand, massaging his brow.
Lord Esclaur responded by taking off his lightweight cotton coat, rolling up the sleeves of his lawn shirt, and diving in. The folding table was set up for him, tea and sandwiches were requested, and Jeff and I were pressed into service, ferrying the unread invitations to, removing the rejects from, and maintaining the "keeper" piles in front of the lordling. All the while, Esclaur kept up a running patter of commentary.
"What, doing that in this heat? I don't think so. No. Yes. Yes. Oh, no, you will not go there. My goodness gracious, is she ready to come out?" He picked up an invitation engraved with the Flavan crest and gave a genteel sneer. "I suppose you'll have to. Family.”
At the end of two hours, we had sorted through all the invitations, had written acceptance replies to all the engagements that Lord Esclaur had deemed that I must attend, and had entered them into datebooks he produced, one for him and one for me. He indicated a few somewhat smaller piles. "These, Lord Rabbit, are invitations for Ambassador Laurel and I've separated them into 'wise to go,' 'doesn't matter one way or another,' and 'run for the hills.'" He then pointed at other piles. "And these, Prince Suiden, are your and Captain Javes' invitations. Again, I've taken the liberty to sort them." He started rolling down his sleeves. "I am at your disposal, gracious sirs, to accompany you to any and all of these functions." He slipped on his coat, adjusting his cuffs. "Fortunately, I've also been invited to most of these, and I'm sure a word in the proper ears will take of the rest.”
I followed Esclaur to the door, where he turned and, catching sight of my face, grinned at me—and superimposed briefly on the fop I saw a blue-eyed white wolf of the Upper Reaches. "Oh, do not fret, Lord Rabbit. Remember, life always entails change. Yes, indeed. And the alternative is just not acceptable." The lordling bowed, turned back to the door and ran into Laurel Faena, followed by Lord Gherat.
"Well, it's one of the Court's little lapdogs," Gherat said, smiling. "Who let you off your leash, Esclaur?”
"Oh, I'm allowed out on my own every once in a while, Gherat," Esclaur replied. "Especially when there's a full moon out. You know, to howl and chase shadows.” Laurel and I looked at each other and then back at the two of them.
Gherat shrugged. "Be careful. Sometimes shadows hide things that are real. You wouldn't want to crack your noggin by running headlong into one.” Just what we needed, I thought, more cryptic rot. Gherat shot a look at me, his eyes widening a little.
Laurel rumbled. "We should not joke about the moon, honored lords. It marks a time of unpleasant remembrance for the Border." He nodded at Lord Gherat. "But I do have hope to report good things to the High Council. Thank you for bringing me the time of the meeting with the king.” Apparently Lord Esclaur wasn't the only one who was the victim of Jusson's humor this morning.
Gherat nodded back at the Faena, a faintly derisive look on his face. "You're welcome—Ambassador.”
"Well, I'd better be going," Esclaur said. "But I'll be back this evening, Lord Rabbit, to accompany you to the rout. Grace to you, messirs." He did a general bow that yet somehow managed to exclude Gherat, and left.
Which meant we received the full measure of Lord Gherat's attention. He put on an solicitous expression.
"You look a little peaked, Suiden. Too much reception last night?" He smiled. "Though perhaps you should overimbibe more often. I understand you have a rather pleasing baritone, especially when singing the, er, 'yo hos.' "
Suiden sighed. 'To what do we owe the honor of your prolonged presence, Gherat?”
"Oh, I have many reasons." Still smiling, Gherat walked over to the invitations. He picked up the Flavan one on top, read it, and flicked it back on the table. "One of which is to see my cousin, Slevoic. I was told, though, that he's not here." He picked up another invitation.