Healer's Touch (26 page)

“I trust you met no problems,” Lord Tovias said.

“None that we couldn’t handle, no.”

He raised an eyebrow at this, but Aris’ demeanour must have satisfied him because he asked no more and instead looked over to his guests.

“Anyunca.” He walked through the riders to the blonde girl, and held a hand out to guide her down the carriage’s small steps. He kissed the hand she presented him. “Your portraits did you no justice. I am stunned by your beauty.”

Anya flushed at the complement but maintained her poise, merely nodding politely.

Lord Tovias turned back to those standing on the steps.

“Well, let us not dally. Show our guests to their rooms. You must all need to rest– for tonight we celebrate!” He beamed, and leaned toward Aris. “I hope you don’t mind, old boy,” he said. Aris shrugged.

Grooms stepped forward to take the horses to the stables and the house staff waited patiently for the guests to follow them inside. One of the soldiers broke ranks.

“Jonas!” The soldier ran down the steps to join the new arrivals. He had the same dark skin as Jonas but wore his hair shorter, and his uniform looked pristine. Somehow Llew couldn’t imagine Jonas wearing such a thing. She suspected that if he wore a uniform at all, there would be something about the way he wore it that would appear very non-uniform.

“Hisham!” The Syakaran beamed and threw his arms wide to envelop the other in an enthusiastic hug. “I didn’t see you in that get-up. What are you doin’ here?”

“Aris thought you could do with some back-up here,” Hisham said. “And someone’s got to keep you out of trouble.”

Jonas laughed and the two walked together into the mansion.

“Who’s that?” Llew asked.

Alvaro shrugged.

“Hisham. Jonas’ friend from the Quaven army,” Aris answered. “I thought you kids might deserve a break once we reached Rakun, so I arranged some help. Hisham’s the one Karan that Quaver would let me have.”

Llew raised an eyebrow and Aris replied with a wry twist of his lips. “Individually, they’re experts at finding trouble. Together, they somehow keep each other on the straight and narrow. Put it this way, he’ll find less trouble here.”

Inside, the house was overwhelming. The ceilings were extraordinarily high and the doorways not much lower; their feet echoed on hard marble floors as they walked between fine, intricately designed rugs that would muffle their foot-falls again; magnificent ornaments made of precious metals and stones lined the hallways. Llew was no connoisseur of art – but she knew she was surrounded by wealth.

Anya was shown to her suite of rooms first. She glowed amongst the finery, and gushed politely over every detail. Then the others were taken to their rooms in the guest wing and allowed to settle in for an hour or so before a servant invited them to the dining hall for lunch. As with the rest of the estate, this was a huge room with artworks glowing with age on the walls and sculptures in every alcove.

A smorgasbord was presented in silver platters along the middle of the table at the head of which sat Lord Gaemil Tovias. Anya was guided to sit by him and the two talked quietly throughout the meal. Llew smiled to see Anya warming to the man.

When the lids were raised from the hot food the room filled with delicious aromas that set Llew’s mouth watering; all other details were forgotten.

After the lunch, of which Llew ate too much, they were free to do as they pleased. Alvaro and Cassidy took the chance to visit their family in nearby Kas. Aris and Emylia went for a walk around the estate, and Jonas headed off somewhere with Hisham. Anya grabbed Llew, beckoning her back to her rooms before Llew had a chance to come up with her own plans.

“Did you hear? Gaemil’s hosting a ball, with dancing and everything, in our honour tonight. And he’s filled my wardrobe with beautiful dresses. You
have
to help me pick one, and you’ll need one, too, of course.”

“I think a dress is the least of my worries. I’ve never danced before.”

“Oh hush. How you look will be the most important thing tonight. The dancing is secondary. Your partner will lead you anyway.” Anya strode ahead of her in the most unladylike way. “Your job is to look ravishing. His job is to make sure you have a good time.” She spoke over her shoulder.

“Whose job?”

“How am I supposed to know? You’re the one with the men falling over themselves for your attention.” Anya grinned over her shoulder.

Llew felt her cheeks flush. She turned the questioning on Anya.

“Do you like Gaemil?”

“Of course I do,” Anya replied, almost too quickly. They had reached her suite of rooms and she pushed the door wide open. Inside was a huge bed, covered in pillows and luxurious cream sheets and blankets. Llew only had a single bed in her room; Anya’s could have slept five.

At the sound of the door opening, a maid appeared from an adjoining room.

“I am going to give Miss Llewella one of my dresses to wear tonight, so let’s find her something gorgeous,” Anya instructed the woman, who smiled and crossed the room to another door that opened into yet another room that appeared to be filled with nothing but dresses and shoes and undergarments.

Hold on.
Llew thought she’d been coming to help Anya pick a dress. She realised now she’d been ambushed.

“Isn’t this fabulous?” Anya’s eyes sparkled. “All I could ever want and more. I am such a lucky girl.” She riffled through the garments her maid brought out and, after a moment of focused study of fabric and form, she returned to their conversation. “I admit I was disappointed.” She spoke quietly so only Llew would hear. “But he’s lovely, isn’t he?”

Llew nodded and smiled as reassuring a smile as she could manage.

“He has nice eyes . . . ” It was almost a question, and Anya’s eyes pleaded with Llew to agree.

“He has lovely eyes.” Anya pressed a dress under her chin, her head tilting as she assessed its colour against Llew’s skin.

“Hmm.” She put the dress aside. “I just hadn’t pictured him . . . like that.” She bit her lip. She turned away to grab another dress to hold up before Llew. After brief consideration, she waggled the garment, gesturing for Llew to try it on.

Llew looked for somewhere to dress and Anya laughed. “It’s not like you have anything I haven’t seen before. You’ve been passing as a boy too long, Llew – happy to share a room with the men, but too shy to dress in front of me.”

Llew turned away to shed her dress, which she needed Anya and her maid’s help with anyway, what with all the clips and ties. “I suppose ‘balding’ and ‘portly’ aren’t the first words that come to mind when you dream of your future love, are they?” She started to pull the new dress on, but looked over her shoulder when a reply failed to come from Anya.

Anya was almost beet red and she flicked her head towards the maid.

“But he does seem very nice. And you’re right about his eyes.” Llew whisked the dress over her body and turned to face Anya’s critical inspection.

“No, this one won’t do. Let’s try another.” Anya turned back to the pile of dresses. “So who will you go with?”

Llew pulled the dress unceremoniously over her head. She would go with Jonas if he would have her, but she didn’t know if he was the dancing type. Then again, neither was she. Alvaro seemed like the simplest choice, but something held her back from saying so.

“Jonas must really like you.”

“What makes you so sure?” Llew asked, laying the dress on the bed.

“Well, you’re still alive for a start.” Anya held yet another dress up to Llew. “You really don’t know anything about the history of the Kara and Aenuks, do you?”

Llew shook her head.

Anya signalled Llew to try the dress on. “Let’s just say, the animosity between the races goes back further than recorded history,” she said as Llew took the dress and began pulling it on. “The exact details were lost centuries ago. The story of how it started would depend on which side you talk to. But it’s been that way since the days of the Immortals.”

“Immortals?”

“They were an immensely powerful race. Powerful and cruel. Just because they could, they took control of nations and treated ordinary people like animals. Worse. They were like Syaenuks and Syakara combined . . . Well, they
were
Syaenuks and Syakara combined. Until someone discovered the magic to bind their children as one or the other.”

“How do you know all this?” Llew asked as she finished pulling the dress over her head and let it fall around her.

“I read, Llew.” Anya smiled. “That one’s nice. Turn.” She wiggled her finger in a circle and Llew did as she was told. “Gosh, I wonder if Immortals could return. For instance, if you and Jonas were to have children.”

“Anya, do you know where babies come from?”

Anya’s cheeks coloured and she nodded.

“Well, it’s messy, noisy, smelly, and people make the silliest faces.”

Anya paled.

“Jonas and I are friends. I mean, I like him, a lot . . . ” Llew almost lost her train of thought, but mentally shook her mind clear. “But just the thought of seeing him like that . . . ” She made a face and Anya looked sick. Llew realised she was probably picturing Lord Tovias in the throes of passion . . . Oh, why did Llew have to think it, too? Still, Anya was to marry the man and would likely be expected to bear his children. “Sorry. I didn’t mean– I’ve heard many girls say they like it. Usually when they’re being paid to . . . But I’m sure it’s different when you love the man. I mean, there was this Cat I knew in Cheer who said a woman’s enjoyment had less to do with how the man looked and more to do with how he made her feel . . . And since Gaemil is just lovely, I’m sure . . . ” She let her voice trail off. Anya’s maid stood there staring at her, mouth half open.

* * *

Stepping from Anya’s room, back in the dress she’d arrived in and carrying the one Anya had decided upon, Llew could hear Jonas’ raised voice from down the hall. Aris’ rose in reply.

“You go find out what’s going on,” Anya whispered. “I’ll have this dress put in your room.”

Anya took the dress and shooed Llew along the corridor.

Llew stopped outside the door to Aris’ room, raising her hand to knock.

“It will be safe enough. The security around this estate is second to none,” said Aris’ voice through the door. “And I brought in those Quavens especially.”

“We don’t know what he’s capable of. I won’t leave it behind.”

“Let Hisham keep it for you. I was going to have him stick nearby, but I can have him stationed outside the ballroom.”

“Braph is stronger than Hisham. I won’t risk it.”

“You know Hisham usually carries his own knife.”

There was a pause as Jonas gathered his thoughts. “I know you think it’s a bunch of mumbo jumbo. But my father, my ma, Kierra, our baby . . . 
My
knife, Aris. I just– I can’t.”

“Then you can’t go.”

“What do I need to be goin’ to a dance for, anyway?”

“For some well-deserved fun with your friends.”

“They’re not my friends.”

“Jonas . . . ” Aris’ exasperated voice trailed off as Llew knocked on the door. “Come in.”

Llew opened the door quietly and poked her head in.

“It’s just me.” Both men looked at her, expressions set to neutral, with the animosity of moments earlier simmering just below the surface. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help hearing your voices up the hall. I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“Everythin’ is fine,” Jonas stated flatly. He was leaning against an ornately carved desk, his arms folded. “I won’t be goin’ to tonight’s dance.”

“But why?” She failed miserably at disguising the disappointment in her voice.

“They have a no-weapons policy.”

“Jonas has decided that it is more important to baby-sit his knife than have fun with his friends.”

“Then I won’t go either. I’ll keep you company.”

“No. You go. You’ll have fun,” Jonas urged.

Llew wasn’t sure about that. If Jonas didn’t go, could she really enjoy herself? He was the only one in whom she had any real confidence should Braph show up. How could she relax if he wasn’t nearby?

“And you will go, too, Jonas. I know why you think you can’t leave it. But you have no family left. There is nobody else it can take away from you. The knife will be safe here.”

Jonas looked at Aris with fury burning in his eyes. He stormed to the door and flung it open.

“Have a nice night.” He strode through the door, pulling it behind him. Llew grabbed it before it slammed. She looked at Aris before following Jonas out. The man’s face was a mix of disappointment and pity.

“You know what that knife means to him. He doesn’t need your pity.”

“Or his guilt.”

Guilt? Why did he have to bring that up? The girl was behind them. Aghacia was behind them. Or was he talking about something else?

Llew pulled the door shut behind her.

* * *

Jonas had disappeared by the time Llew left Aris’ room. She smiled politely to another guest coming along the hallway and asked if he had seen the angry long-haired man leaving. He pointed her back the way he had come. Questioning several more strangers soon brought Llew outside, but seemingly no closer to Jonas. He
had
to go to the dance. She couldn’t coherently shape the reason why: she simply knew it.