“Why should he be insulted? You just said he wasn’t hers.”
“You don’t know what it’s like to live under a bad Queen. I believe you would be a better Queen for Dena Nehele, but Cassidy has been making an effort to help the people, and the Queens and Warlord Princes are paying attention. They aren’t interested in parties and concerts, Kermilla. They’re interested in a harvest that will feed everyone through the winter.”
“You just don’t want to have any fun.”
“Fun is a luxury we can’t afford yet.” He took her hands again. “And there are some other things the people can’t afford yet. I got the bills from the merchants today.”
“Oh, Theran. You’re not going to grumble about that too.”
He released her hands and moved away from her, needing some distance. “I told the merchants I would pay what was on these bills and nothing more.”
She stared at him, clearly hurt and insulted.
“I’m sorry, Kermilla, but the shops you’ve been patronizing have fulfilled their tithes until next spring. All the tithes. Not just what would have come to me as income, but also what should have gone into the town’s treasury to pay the guards and maintain the basic necessities of the town itself.”
“Can’t you pay it?” she asked in a small voice.
“With what?” Thank the Darkness she didn’t know about the treasure Cassidy had found in the attics here. “I have enough money from my family to pay for the servants and start doing some repairs here.”
“But you live in a mansion.”
“This spring was the first time I set foot in this house. My family hasn’t lived here for generations.
Couldn’t live here because the Territory Queen had claimed it for herself.”
She looked around the room, as if casting about for something she could understand.
For a moment, he thought she was going to ask him to sell off some of the furnishings in order to pay for another damn dress. But she looked at him with a tiny frown. “Can’t you raise the tithes?”
“And give more people a reason to leave?” He raked his hand through his hair. “Have you paid any attention when we went driving around the town? Have you noticed all the empty houses and empty shops?”
“Yes.” Her frowned deepened. “Grayhaven is the important town. Why aren’t there more people living here?”
“Because they’re dead.”
Her eyes filled with tears. Her lower lip quivered.
He closed his eyes for a moment to regain control.
She’s young, inexperienced. She’s lived in a safe little village her whole life. Sweet Darkness, please let her understand this time.
“Half the Blood in Dena Nehele were destroyed by that witch storm that ripped through the Realms a couple of years ago. Then the landens rose up against us, and half of the survivors died. Do you understand, Kermilla? For every four Blood who were alive three years ago, only one of us is left.”
She stared at him, her face wiped clean of all expression.
Returning to the footstool, he sat and faced her again. “I can’t give you what I don’t have. I think you can be a good Queen, but you’ve let a few questionable companions persuade you into making bad decisions. You’ve lost the respect of some powerful men because of it.”
“Theran, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know how bad it’s been for all of you.”
Why not? he wondered. I’ve been telling you since the first time we took a drive around the town.
“I guess I didn’t understand that things would be so different here. That ruling would be so different here.”
Theran’s heart pounded. She sounded regretful, almost apologetic.
“I’ll do better,” Kermilla said in a subdued voice. “I promise.”
He kissed the back of her hand, then said with all the conviction he could put in his voice, “We can have a good life, Kermilla. It’s just going to take time and work.”
Nodding, she pulled away from him gently and left the room. She didn’t join them for dinner that night, which he didn’t think odd, but he did regret that her door remained locked to him when he tapped on it later that night.
And he tried not to think about the sounds he’d heard a moment before he knocked. Sounds an aural shield could have politely hidden if she hadn’t wanted anyone to hear.
Sounds that indicated she’d found consolation with someone else that night.
S
tanding in the doorway of the dining room, Dryden announced, “Princes Ferall, Rikoma, Elendill, and Hikaeda have arrived. I have put them in the visitors’ parlor.”
Ranon almost spit a mouthful of coffee across the table. “They’re here already?” When he’d suggested they come in the morning, he hadn’t expected the four men to arrive this early.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he pushed away from the table. “Thank you, Dryden. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“It will be fine, Ranon,” Powell said. He was the only other person left at the table.
“Will it?” Not knowing if Ferall now served Kermilla and was here as her eyes and ears made Ranon edgy.
That uncertainty had gnawed at him ever since he’d agreed to this visit.
“They’ll see what they want to see. Show them the village. Show them the people. That’s all you can do.
I’ll inform Maydra that we will have four guests for the midday meal.”
“Where is Cassie?” Ranon asked.
“I believe she went upstairs to change clothes.”
Ranon hurried to the visitors’ parlor. The four men hadn’t taken a seat. When he walked in they were doing a slow prowl around the room, looking a little baffled.
“Good morning,” he said.
Ferall nodded, as did Rikoma and Elendill. Hikaeda smiled and said, “Have we come to the right place, Ranon? When we arrived at the landing web and asked for the Queen’s residence, we were directed here.”
“Used to be a boardinghouse, so it has a big dining room and kitchen, several parlors, and sufficient bedrooms and bathrooms for the Queen and some of her court, as well as rooms for special guests. Also has enough land for a big kitchen garden, herb garden, and flower gardens, plus some ground Gray says will suit the honey pears.” Ranon shrugged. “It’s not a typical building for a Queen’s residence, but it pleases Lady Cassidy.”
As they took another look around the room, Ranon felt his shoulders tighten, even though feeling defensive was foolish. The furniture was old but clean and polished. The room had the scent of a place that was cared for. And the fact that the Queen wasn’t buying new furniture to impress visitors while the people were still struggling to have enough clothes and a decent pair of shoes was something her court would not apologize for. To anyone.
Footsteps. Female voices.
Cassidy suddenly appeared in the doorway wearing shortened trousers and a shirt that looked like she’d rescued it from the rag bag. Probably the same rag bag where she got the cloths that were stuffed into the bucket she was holding.
“Ranon, Dryden said . . .” She looked at the other four men in the room and her hazel eyes widened.
“Oh, Hell’s fire. Is that today?”
“It appears we have come at an inconvenient time,” Ferall said stiffly.
“No, you haven’t,” Cassidy said, stepping farther into the room. “No. My apologies, gentlemen. We’ve had several families come to the village, and we’ve been working to get them settled into their new homes.
Between that and the work in the shops and trying to get the Healing House and Shira’s residence set up, I lost track of the days.”
“Cassie, if we’re going to get the last rooms in the Healing House cleaned out properly so Shira can start working there, we’re going to need—Oh.”
Another tall, big-boned woman with a long, plain face, freckles, and red hair stepped into the room.
“Gentlemen, this is my mother, Devra.”
Four Warlord Princes tipped their heads in a respectful bow.
“We are honored by the introduction,” Ferall said.
“Cassie, give me the bucket.” Devra wrapped her hand around the handle. “You’re needed here. Besides, you’ve been working too hard lately.”
“I have not.” Cassidy tightened her own grip on the bucket.
“Yes, you have. Even your father thinks so.”
“Haven’t been working any harder than the rest of you.”
Devra narrowed her eyes. “Daughter, you fell asleep in the middle of drum practice last night. That should tell you something.”
“We promised to work only half a day today,” Cassidy protested.
Devra gave him a stern look. “Ranon.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “No. With all respect, Devra, I am not getting in the middle of this.”
“When we made this appointment with Ranon, he did tell us that the Queen may not be available,”
Hikaeda said.
“See?” Cassidy said, trying to tug the bucket out of Devra’s hand. A futile effort.
Ranon sent out a psychic call for help. He’d already learned that when Cassidy and Devra squared off to argue about something, there was only one person in the house who was willing to step in and deal with two stubborn women.
*Cassie? Cassie!*
Vae appeared in the doorway and looked up at Cassidy’s back. Or more likely, at Cassidy’s ass since that was Vae’s preferred spot to nip.
*Ranon will talk to the other males and show them male things.*
Cassidy pressed her lips together, and her face turned bright red. Devra just looked interested. All five Warlord Princes squirmed.
*You will work with Shira and Devra. Then you will eat. Then you will not work. It is time to work now.
Shira is waiting for you.*
Vae trotted off, no doubt to wait at the back door.
“If you will excuse us,” Devra said tightly, “it is time to work now. The Sceltie said so.” She walked out of the room.
“It was a pleasure to see you, gentlemen,” Cassidy said. She hurried to catch up to Devra.
No one said anything for several moments.
“You called the Sceltie to deal with the Queen?” Elendill asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Ranon replied. “Some days I think if we’d had Vae planning tactics, we could have defended our people even better than we did.”
Ferall laughed softly. “Well, let’s get on with these male things we’re supposed to do.”
“What would you like to see?” Ranon asked.
All the humor in their faces faded away. Ferall said, “Whatever you choose to show us.”
A careful phrasing, but Ranon knew that what wasn’t shown would be as important as what was shown.
In Ferall’s place, he would have paid attention to both. “Are you all comfortable with doing some walking?”
Ferall nodded.
“Then let me show you what the Queen’s presence has done for Eyota.”
He began with the Queen’s square, introducing them to Shaddo’s wife, who was standing outside the family’s cottage with a look of grim amusement on her face.
“Shaddo already left to do a circuit around the village,” Soli said. “Do you need him?”
“No,” Ranon replied. Since she looked like she was edging toward a hissy cat mood, he added, “Anything I can do for you?”
“Thanks, but it’s been taken care of.”
Since he knew what that meant, he led a retreat that didn’t look hasty for all its speed.
“Problem?” Ferall sounded amused.
“Not for us,” Ranon replied.
“Then who?” Rikoma asked.
The answer came trotting up the street.
“For Eryk and Eliot, Shaddo’s sons,” Ranon said.
The boys were moving smartly, with Darcy trotting right behind them.
“Ranon!” Eryk rushed up to the men. “Tell Darcy we weren’t doing anything wrong! We were just playing at the pond in the park!”
Darcy growled and lunged at Eliot’s heels, giving the boy good reason to scramble past his older brother.
*Soli wants you home. Now.*
“Did your father give you permission to go to the pond—or the park?” Ranon asked, already knowing the answer.
“He didn’t say we couldn’t,” Eryk said.
“Your mother wants you home,” Ranon said. He owed it to Shaddo to keep his expression stern and his voice firm, but damn, he wanted to laugh.
*Home!* Darcy said.
Eryk glared at Darcy. “Just wait until I have my Birthright Ceremony. You won’t be so bossy then!”
*I will still have sharper teeth.*
Hard to argue with that, Ranon thought. But he would have to mention that comment to Shaddo tonight.
He wasn’t sure Eryk’s Birthright Jewel would end up outranking Darcy’s, but the boy couldn’t be allowed to use power to hurt someone in his family—even if that family member had four legs and fur . . . and sharper teeth.
He and the other men continued down Autumn Road, passing the house where Lord Rogir and his family were settling in. Several girls were in the front yard, jumping rope. Or more precisely, two of the girls were swinging the rope and Keely was jumping over it.
He didn’t stop. The girls were still uneasy around strangers, and Keely, despite looking like a live furry toy at the moment, had appointed herself the Protector of Young Females living in the Queen’s square and wouldn’t hesitate to attack if proper introductions weren’t made. And he really didn’t want to take time for the kind of proper introductions—with thorough sniffing—that Scelties deemed necessary before letting an unknown get close to their humans.
“That was another Sceltie?” Hikaeda asked. “How many are there?”
“Feels like hundreds some days, but there are twelve of them, plus Vae,” Ranon replied. And in a village that only held a few hundred people, the odds were not in the humans’ favor.
He took the men down a few other streets. The occupied houses were carefully tended. Not many people visible, but there was still a sense of energy and purpose, of work being done with good heart.
His people had always had heart. Now there was also joy.
“You lost people,” Ferall said quietly, tipping his head to indicate the empty houses.
“Here in Eyota, most of the families who are gone were lost before the purge and the uprisings,” Ranon replied. Meaning most had been slaughtered by the twisted Queens who had been encouraged to eliminate the Shalador people.
“I’m sorry,” Ferall said.
“We survived, and now we have hope.”
Ferall gave him an odd look, but they turned onto the main street, and his guests stopped. Just stopped.