Gatewright (18 page)

With
bows and courtesies, Julip led me through the marble halls, carpets soaking up any
sound of our passing.  She (I
think
it was ‘she’, so hard to tell
with young fey) was barely my height, with gorgeous blond hair that flowed with
her gait.  Her English was very poor, I discovered quickly.

“How
old are you, Julip?” I asked.  I was dying to know why all the servants
seemed so young.

“I
15 in summer.”

“Why
are so many young fey servants?”  I hoped I didn’t offend.

Julip
brightened.  “Fey no ‘school’.  Elders teach.  Here best.” She
lowered her voice.  “Becot no elder serve.”  I could hear her
disdain.

“I
see.” Did Riven have to serve?  I could just
imagine
it and it made
me smile a little.

We
walked for a long time through the quiet halls, other fey openly staring at us in
shock and curiosity.  I encouraged Julip to switch to speaking in Anowir,
which she did with obvious relief.  She introduced me to the guest chamber
that was to serve as my bedroom; it was larger than my entire apartment. 
Rich reds and yellows echoed from the curtains to the bed canopy to the
embroidered rugs and tapestries.  Remembering what I had learned in the
Weaving House in what felt like another life, I knew this must have all cost a
fortune.  The curtains opened to the sunset, and the room glowed with
golden light.

Julip
excused herself to fetch water and other amenities.  I took off my shoes
and rubbed my newly-calloused, aching feet into the rough, wool-like carpet.
 I lay back on the surprisingly soft bed and closed my eyes… just for a
moment.

When
I opened them, a pitcher of water and a teapot sat on a silver tray on the
dresser. The sun had entirely disappeared, the room lit only by a pair of oil
lamps.  I appraised the drink with apprehension.  The fey had been
very careful on my trip to find food that wouldn’t mess up a human too
badly.  I’m pretty sure Julip was treating me just like she would a fey
guest, which I suppose was a good thing, but I would need to remember to be on
my toes.  I chose the tea over the water, since the boiling process made
it marginally safer, so long as the herbs didn’t have any odd effects.

Julip
returned shortly later with a large book and fresh clothes.  The tome was
an English version of
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare,
rather
worn.  I smiled. Riven had been thinking of me, and knew I couldn’t read
Anowir.  Ok, maybe that part didn’t fill me with joy, but at least I had
something to distract me that was in my native tongue.  Speaking in Anowir
all the time was exhausting.

The
outfit was the standard fey style: baggy linen trousers and a long, belted
tunic that reminded me of something a Jedi would wear. Except that the tunic
was a very un-Jedi-like pastel blue, with a bright yellow sash, and brown
pants. Soft as cashmere, flexible enough for easy movement, though not nearly
warm enough for the weather. That gave me an excuse to wear my coat, and have
pockets in which to hide Jack’s knife.  Hopefully I wouldn’t need the
knife indoors.  And I wasn’t about to turn down the fey clothes.  Isabel
had been right… we did need
more fey
style in the
human world.

Isabel. 
Now that we were back in Azry, Riven and I needed to find out who murdered
humans… and tried to start a war between the realms.  I considered waiting
for Riven to check in on me, but the light was poor enough that I simply
crawled into bed and passed out again.  I didn’t sleep for long, of
course… my nightmares jolted me away several times.  Each time, I found
myself staring into the blackness of my bedroom, desperately willing my body to
relax.

I
slept in to the point where Julip, concerned that I was in a coma or something,
woke me with many apologies.  “Breakfast is much,” she tried in English.
Kudos
to her for trying.

She
was accurate, if nothing else.  The dining room arrangement was clearly similar
to Emor’s, but for some different design elements that I was sure Isabel would
have been able to point out and categorize.  Arched windows let in
plentiful light, and I realized it must be later in the morning than I
thought. 
More of a brunch than a breakfast. 
Three fey were
already eating heartily at the table, dressed in the blues and greens of the
Kusay clan.  They struck me as older and experienced, nodding a brief
welcome to me that felt distinctly
un
welcome.  Riven was picking at
his food, and I suspected he had been waiting for me.  While his appetite
seemed to have subsided, he looked refreshed, better than I’d seen him
yet.  His red hair shone in the morning light, and I knew without a doubt
Jack had been absolutely right to cast his binding.  He very clearly, to
my eyes, was not the same brand of fey as his fellows.  Stronger, more
solid, less graceful.  More human.  Very attractive.  Sexy,
even.

Riven’s
smile when he saw me touched his eyes more than his mouth and only reinforced
my conclusions. “Jan, pleased you could join us,” he greeted me warmly.

A
lance of fear speared me.  Had I given myself away?  I need to check
myself, STAT.  I wasn’t sure which was worse: if he wasn’t interested in
me, I’d be horribly embarrassed and potentially creating an interdimensional
incident.  If he was, we were doomed from the outset.  At least one
of us had to be sensible, and I couldn’t trust him to do that right now, not
with all the changes flooding his system and his occasional lack of self-preservation.

He
offered me a seat to his right, but I detoured to the buffet table to collect
myself and filled my plate full of fruits, cheeses, and breads.  Only then
did I join them.  Once I was settled, he introduced the other fey as
Dulien, Tanhem, and Salth.  “Pleased to meet you all.”  I replied in
the most courteous Anowir I knew.

That
did catch their attention a little.  Now that I was present,
Riven
began his meeting, yet I was mystified why he’d waited
for me.  As I powered through the fresh fruit and a multigrain muffinish
munchie, I tried to follow along.  The harvest had gone well, except for
some crops in the valley that had succumbed to flooding. 
Amayi
were on schedule making deliveries of perishables, and
elohi
were busy
rebuilding some damaged roads and bridges from last month’s rains.  The
Oradim had been quiet so far this year, just setting a few fires in the north
when they were feeling unloved.  Snow had fallen in the higher elevations,
but hadn’t stuck around for more than a day or so.

“Who
do you think sent the attack on the humans?” Riven finally asked them outright,
and my eyebrows shot up.

They
exchanged a look.  “You said they looked like outcasts,” Dulien spoke,
cocking his head to the side like a bird.  Feathers, woven in his pale
hair, only reinforced the similarity.  “The temple would never condone
murder.”

“No,
but the temple’s left much to be desired in regards to keeping outcasts in
line.” Tanhem’s voice was gravelly for a fey.  Brown hair streaked with
white hung in waves far past his shoulders.  His frame seemed heavier than
the other fey, and I wondered if he had human ancestry.

“Let’s
consider the possibilities,” Salth mused, her voice light and sweet.  One
side of her light blue hair was divided into four thin braids.  A relative
of Riven’s?  “If the outcasts did not act on the temple’s orders, then
whose?  News of our visitors remained fairly secret.  The outcasts
would not have obtained this information without help.  Moreover, the
bodies of the attackers were burnt after Riven left.  Which indicates a
larger conspiracy, and not independent actors.”

I
sucked in a breath.  No evidence.  Either the gate collapsed on its
own, or another gatewright was involved.  I should have put that together
sooner.  Too bad it didn’t shed any helpful light on the situation.

Riven
noted my reaction but misinterpreted.  “We
will
protect you.”

I
glared at him.  I was not a helpless princess.

“What
I find interesting,” Salth continued, “is that you said that they raced to
catch up with you since you left early.  For some reason, they chose to
chase you down instead of waiting to catch you on your return.”

“So
someone didn’t want the humans at the Citadel of Fountains,” Dulien
concluded.  “That certainly points the finger at Becot.  They had the
most to lose by a Kusay-human treaty.”

“But
Becot wouldn’t have known the details of the trip without help from Kusay or
Toran,” Tanhem countered.

“Who
would benefit from Kusay?” I protested. “Riven’s one of your own.”

A
heavy silence followed.

“Do
you think…” Salth whispered.

“I’ve
considered the possibility,” Riven growled through clenched teeth.

“Ashki
wouldn’t do that,” Dulien scoffed.

“Jetay,”
Riven almost spat the name.  “Jetay would do something like this.” 
He clenched his hand on the table, and there was a small hiss of scorching
wood.

His
team looked positively shocked.  “Riven, I highly suggest you rest some
more.  You must be exhausted,” Dulien pleaded with him.

Before
he had a chance to reply, the door swung open, and Riven’s advisors shot to
their feet to bow to the woman who entered.  I scrambled to follow suit;
I’d recognized her instantly.  Jack was right… Riven did have his mother’s
lineage written all over him.  Irvad had gorgeous blue hair, smooth skin,
and piercing eyes the same indigo as her son’s.  The simple style of her
finely embroidered dress suited her graceful figure, the neckline a deep V that
showed off her porcelain skin and collarbones.

“Be
seated,” she commanded us, and we all instantly obeyed.  Riven was very
still.  Could she see through the spell?  Could she sense anything
was wrong?

“Mother,
this is Jan Leeman, the human I spoke to you about.”  He had a slight edge
to his voice.  What was that about?
 
Had I already managed to
put myself on her shit list?

“Greetings,
Jan, to Peregare,” she welcomed me politely and took a seat at the opposite end
of the table, beckoning to one of the servants to bring her food.  “I hope
you will find your short stay here amenable.”

Short
stay?
 
I looked to Riven, questioning, but he avoided eye
contact.  Did he sell me out, day one of being back in Azry?

“I
am truly impressed with the beauty of your estates,” I replied cautiously in my
best, most respectful Anowir.  “I hope not to impose on you any longer
than is warranted.”

Irvad
smoothed her gown before replying.  “Riven and I discussed your stay at
length last night.  Azry and Earth would think you dead, if we said
nothing.  Today is Tuesday on the American calendar, and Toran will have
to announce that there was an attack before Sunday.  We sent a bird to
Emor early this morning announcing that you are here and well.”

“Thank
you.”  That gave my brain something else to worry at besides the usual
death, murder, fire, etc.  But why would Riven have an issue? 
We
knew that my parents and Jack knew the truth. 

“We
need to be on our guard.  Now that our foes know we are alive and well,
they may target us again,” Riven explained coldly.  “As sworn protector,
it troubles my oath to put you in harm’s way.”  He focused hard on his
breakfast, but I could feel the heat simmering under the surface, in a very
literal way.

“Except
if you hadn’t told them I survived, there could be war,” I pointed out as
politely as I could in front of his mother.  “If humans get angry, they’re
going to start attacking the Exiles.  Remember the violence when the gates
first opened?  There are so many Exiles who are now known that weren’t
known before.  They’ll be lynched.  They’ll be murdered for no other
reason than humans are crying out for blood.”

Riven
practically had steam coming out of his ears.  “Humans are
-“

“Humans
are like what?”  I asked, pointedly, hoping he would get the
message.  He was acting
very
un-fey like. 

He
closed his eyes, and slowly, the anger drained out of him.  I realized
everyone was watching us, and I flushed with embarrassment.  I prayed I
hadn’t publicly embarrassed Riven, as short as our exchange had been.

Irvad
chuckled, breaking the tension in the room.  “I apologize for my son’s
behavior,
he is often very narrow-minded when it comes to
oaths.  I appreciate your understanding of the situation, and rest assured
we will do our best to protect you.  We expect word shortly outlining the
conditions of your return to Earth.”

“Thank
you again, Lady Irvad.  I am looking forward to returning to my home soon,
but I gladly accept the generous hospitality you have offered me.”

Irvad
nodded to Riven to continue, and started to work on her breakfast. 
Instead of continuing the conversation, he rose to his feet.  “Dulien
recommended that I rest earlier.  I still have not recovered from my
journey.  Jan, may I escort you back to your room?”