Tears of War (40 page)

Bahar nodded. “Yes, I suppose it will be. But it won’t help your cause to alienate them. And it won’t help you if you can’t ever trust them.” He smiled slightly. “Not all of us are like the rulers of Trilene. In fact, you may be surprised how many in the High Houses of the Trilene District aren’t the way you think they are.”

Sure they weren’t. A life of stealing all manner of things for many of the High Houses and waiting to have one of them kill him told him all he needed to know about those who resided in the Trilene District. He nodded anyway. Bahar didn’t have a clue, but he had gained enough respect for the man to refrain from telling him he was a moron to his face.

“Is that your advice then?”

“It is.” Bahar stopped and faced him in the hall. “Make sure sense overcomes childhood conditioning. Learn to trust, even those you aren’t sure deserve it. And try to keep from pulling every one of their strings the first time you meet them. Give them a chance to get to know you before you throw sarcasm in their face.” Bahar clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re a good man. You should let more people see that side of you.”

Kellinar stood in silence as Bahar walked back the way they had came. Slowly he turned and walked the opposite way. He would go sit with Shryden for a while and think some things over. Tomorrow, he would take Sehlas to Markene and then it would be time for them to leave for Trilene. He tried to think of those in the Trilene as anything other than the underhanded, back stabbing, worthless rats that they were. He knew of only one who wasn’t. Maybe Bahar had a point. He was a Guardian of Galdrilene now, perhaps it was time to put away old prejudices and move forward. Somehow, he didn’t think it would be that easy.

K
irynn tapped her foot impatiently. Around her, the ladies of Shadereen gossiped and carried on with inane conversations. She’d been stuck with them and their endless chatter all day. In Shadereen, it was apparently the custom for the ladies to gather in the castle to prepare for feasts and festivals. If that wasn’t annoying enough, it was also the custom that the men and women didn’t mingle until whatever they were celebrating began.

She sat to the side of the large dressing room and avoided the massive skirts of the ridiculously confining dresses the women wore. Kirynn had taken one look at the offered dress and made an excuse to leave for a moment. It took her no time at all to Slide to Galdrilene and get her own. She’d go to this event naked before she put on one of those frilly high-necked monstrosities.

One of the many ladies swirled past her in a cloud of perfume. She paused in front of Kirynn. One of the wives of the Council of Seven, she thought the woman’s name was Eranya, though she didn’t remember which man she was attached to.

Eranya smiled down at her. “Are you going to get ready? Are you sure you don’t want to borrow the dress I offered?”

Kirynn shook her head; not in a thousand years. “I will get dressed in a moment.”

Syrakynn chuckled in her mind.
“Those women are going to have a fit when they see you.”

“They are going to have a bigger fit when their men see me,”
Kirynn sent back.

After three days of talks with the king and the Council, Shadereen had accepted Galdrilene as an ally. Now, three weeks later, many still weren’t sure how they felt about Vaddoc. She got the impression they felt they were choosing the lesser of two evils.

One thing she could say about the Shaderians though, once they decided on a course of action, they jumped in with both feet. Within days they had announced to the nation everything that transpired and then this gala, ball, thing, whatever they wanted to call it had been planned to celebrate their new found allies and hope for a future not ruled by Shadow Riders.

Slowly the room emptied. Kirynn waited for everyone to leave before collecting her dress and slipping into it. She wasn’t shy about changing clothing in front of others, but she didn’t want to listen to their scandalized remarks while she dressed.

In the fashion of Boromar and the dress she had worn to her introduction ceremony after Syrakynn hatched, this dress’ silky material clung to every curve of her body. Unlike the dress she wore to the ceremony, this one didn’t have a high collar. Instead, the front swooped low in a deep V, revealing a considerable amount of her breasts and the Di’shan pendant that nestled above them. Though ankle length, it had slits up both sides that bared her legs nearly to the hip when she walked.

There was a practical reason behind the slits. In case of a need to fight, it freed her legs from the constraints of a full skirt. Kirynn also would not be piling her hair up on her head in a ridiculous bunch of curls. Her braid kept her thigh length hair neatly contained and out of her way. It would be fine like that just like it always was.

Kirynn rummaged in the sack she’d brought for several small containers. Another thing the noble ladies here lacked—besides a decent brain between them—was a good knowledge of face paint. She rarely ever used it, but it was something her mother insisted she learn. Kirynn smiled at the thought of her mother. She hadn’t completed more than the first two rounds of weapons training as a child, but she had been proud of Kirynn for finishing it all and becoming a valuable soldier.

Her mother’s voice echoed in her thoughts as memories of her mother sitting her down to learn face painting filled her mind. “
You are a great warrior and have excelled well beyond your age-mates. But there are times when battles are not to be fought with zahris or other sharp weapons. Sometimes, they are fought on the battle grounds of the mind. The weapons for these wars are far more subtle.”
Her mother had opened a case full of powders and vials.
“You are stunningly beautiful, my daughter, and these will enhance that. Men can be conquered with the right visuals. Their minds are easy to manipulate when they aren’t thinking with the right one. Women will either despise you or want to be you. Either of the scenarios can be manipulated to your advantage.”

Her mother was a hard woman and even though she chose not to become a Defender of Boromar, she still had little room in her life for silliness or things that were a waste of time. She smiled, thinking of her mother among the ladies of Shadereen. There would have been little tolerance for the gossiping and preening.

Kirynn settled in front of a mirror. She didn’t have the extensive case her mother had, but it was enough. In short order her eyes were enhanced. Without it looking like she applied much of anything, her lashes were darker and thicker, her eyes drew attention and appeared larger and greener. Her lips held a touch of color giving them a fuller look and her cheekbones were highlighted.

She observed her handiwork. Yes, her mother would be proud. Subtlety was the key her mother had always said. Highlighting everything that was already there while making it look completely natural. Kirynn smiled, thinking of the member of the Council of Seven she had her eye on. Something about him made her think he would make a good bed partner. From the gossip in the dressing room, she gathered her assumptions were right.

Kirynn stood, placed the items back in the pouch, and left the room. Music floated down the hall from the big open double doors at the end. It sounded like the party had already started. That suited her just fine. She walked forward, swaying her hips so that her legs flashed through the slits in the dress.

The doors opened onto a large balcony with two sets of sweeping stairs leading down from either side. Kirynn descended the stairs, glancing across the huge room where people crowded around the edges at various tables and dancers already moved about the middle of the floor. As Kirynn passed two men she smiled at them and watched shock fill their faces while their eyes roamed over her body.

The looks and expressions were as she expected. The men’s jaws dropped and their eyes widened as they tried to look and not look at her at the same time. The women’s expressions ranged from shock, to envy, to outrage. She glided past them all and into the middle of the room where the dancers were. Several men faltered over their feet and received glares from their dance partners.

Kirynn strolled up to where Vaddoc moved across the floor with a beautiful young woman. She smiled sweetly at the woman who gaped back. “Excuse me honey, but I would like a moment to dance with my fellow Dragon Rider.”

The girl-woman backed off with a dirty look. Kirynn ignored her and slid into Vaddoc’s arms. He rolled his eyes slightly. “You did not have to do that.”

She laughed. “It’s good for her to be reminded I have first claim on you, even if I don’t plan on making that claim tonight.”

He glanced across the room and then looked back at her. “Still planning on tripping Lord Deslin into bed?”

“Unless you think he will be able to resist me.”

As they danced he moved an arm’s length away and eyed her up and down with an appreciative light in his eyes before pulling her close again. “I doubt there is a man in the room that could say no and more than a few who will be sorely disappointed that they aren’t your intended target.”

Kirynn smiled. “Surely you don’t plan on spending the night alone.”

He chuckled. “I have no intention of spending it alone.”

She turned her head as they swirled past the crowd and looked at the gathered women. “Who is your target?”

“You interrupted my dance with her and likely destroyed her sense of self-beauty.”

Kirynn couldn’t help laughing. “It isn’t my fault the women of Shadereen have no idea how to properly dress.”

“I used to think it was quite attractive,” he said, humor flashing in his amber eyes. “But then some woman from Boromar ruined it for me.”

“I don’t know how you can see around those awful dresses.”

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “Easy, I imagine them without the dresses.”

This time she roared with laughter. “I think either I’m wearing off on you or you’re spending too much time with Kellinar.”

He laughed with her and then grabbed her hand. “Go catch your target.” Kirynn made a half-spin and stepped away from the dance with him.

She made it halfway across the dance floor before Lord Mannoc stopped her. Tall, with dark hair to his shoulders and golden eyes, he was a standard Shaderian man. A cocky smile lit his face as he asked her to dance.

Irritated, Kirynn took his hand. She didn’t like him much. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way. He looked at her as they moved through the steps together. “So what are you and Vaddoc to each other?”

Ah, he wanted to test the waters with her. She smiled slightly. “We are fellow Dragon Riders, good friends and occasional bed partners. Why do you ask?”

For a moment he looked taken back by her blunt reply. “You do say what you are thinking.”

She shrugged. “Why play games? Might as well get to the point don’t you think?”

He nodded, a thoughtful look in his eyes and said, “Then I will get to the point with you. I would like you to join me tonight in my quarters.”

Kirynn laughed and his eyes narrowed. “What do you find funny?”

“Lord Mannoc, it isn’t going to happen.”

A scowl knotted his brows together. “May I ask why?”

“Of course.” She smiled sweetly. “Number one, you have a wife, or have you forgotten her? Apparently you have, if the conversations I listened to all day are any indication. Did you forget I spent the day with all of the ladies? Gossip seems to be their favorite past time and according to the gossip tree,” she leveled a look at him, “you couldn’t find it with both hands and a map.”