Pendant of Fortune (50 page)

Some time later, a paw on his shoulder broke through his doze. Volle blinked and yawned, looking up at the white-furred muzzle blocking the sun. “Nice massage?”

Streak trailed a paw across the fox’s ears and glanced at Forrin. “I…see what you mean about otters.” His tail was wagging, and as he turned, Volle could see the grin on his muzzle.

Volle feigned surprise. “Oh, I had one here last time. Young, cute, shy?” Streak nodded. “Hard to resist?”

“
Mm. Yes, that’s the one. How much do ‘other services’ cost?”

Volle swung his legs off the bench. “I don’t know.” He grinned and lowered his voice. “But if you can wait for a fox, you can have them for free.”

“
That sounds like too good a bargain to pass up.”

“
Well, come along, then.” Volle took the wolf’s paw and walked with him through the resort and out the front gate, pausing to ask the greeter the quickest way to Ilyana’s lodging house. He offered a buggy to take them there, which Volle was about to decline until Streak pointed out that the day was warm and the street was dusty, and they didn’t want their recent baths to be all for naught. They clambered inside while Forrin sat up top with the driver again.

Some twenty minutes later, the buggy stopped in front of a small, tidy house in a secluded street. As the driver, a tall weasel, held the door for Volle and Streak, he asked, “Sahrs need me to wait?”

Volle looked down at him. “How much to wait? I can pay you once we get to the mansion.”

The weasel shrugged. “No need to. I am employed by the resort. They pay me to take guests wherever they need.”

“
All right. Yes, please.”

The weasel nodded and walked around to his mount, taking the opportunity to feed it while Volle and Streak walked into the house, preceded by an alert Forrin.

A female weasel greeted them. “Ah, noble sahrs, you are here to see the lady, yes?”

Volle nodded. “Yes.”

“
One moment. I will tell her you are here. She is sleepy.”

She disappeared up a small flight of stairs, leaving Volle, Streak, and Forrin to look around the room. Their heads nearly touched the ceiling—Forrin actually had to bend his neck slightly—so Volle could see that most clearly; it was made of wood beams, smoothed and nearly polished, although they were still new enough to hold some of the smell of the tree. He reached up to brush a finger along one.

To his left, a small bureau held a number of variously colored bottles, but he didn’t smell alcohol in any of them. They seemed to be fruit juices and other flavored tonic waters. To the right, he saw Streak eyeing a small couch that had been carefully upholstered with a nicely patterned fabric. He grinned. “I don’t think it would hold you.”

“
I’m not that heavy,” the wolf retorted, grinning back.

“
Sahrs?” The weasel had reappeared on the stairs. “She is awake. She will see you. But you, sahr, only.” She pointed at Volle.

“
Thank you. I’ll be right back,” he said to Streak, and then walked carefully to the stairs, ducking his head and almost tripping on the small stairs.

The upstairs was very dark, shutters drawn, candles extinguished. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to what light there was, but they weren’t the first sense to register. As soon as his head moved above the floor level, he caught a bewildering array of smells, flooding his nose and overwhelming him for a moment before he made sense of them.

Vixen in season…sickness…a strong herbal smell…soap, wet fur…
blood?

“
Ilyana?”

He could see curtains drawn around what he assumed was the bed, now. She stirred behind them. “Volle?” Her voice was low and weak, rough-edged as though her throat was sore or congested.

“
Are you all right?” He took another step up.

“
Just stay there. I’m fine.”

He sat at the top of the stairs, only five feet or so from the curtains. “Is there anything I can do?”

“
That’s what I’m about to tell you. Dewanne—”

She stopped and coughed, and his ears shot up. “Did he do this to you?”

Her coughing fit stopped. “I did it to myself. Listen, Volle, please. Dewanne came to me a few days ago. He knew about your hearing and that I was worried…he asked if I wanted to make sure of having a noble cub.”

“
Oh.” Volle’s fur had risen; now it settled. “I know. We talked about that the other day.”

“
You don’t know all of it. He said that he would propose that to you. But he told me something different. He said that if you lost the hearing, if you were disgraced, that I would have nothing. He offered me refuge in his lands if I would carry his cub.”

“
His
cub?” He felt his fur rise again.

“
Yes. If you were disgraced, he would take me to Dewanne and I would raise his bastard son, who would eventually inherit the peerage. If you were not, then he’d struck a deal with you and I was to ask you for another cub after he’d already…” She trailed off.

“
So I would think the cub was mine, when…”

“
Yes.”

He growled softly. “But he told me…he said he can’t…”

“
He told you what he needed to tell you to get you to agree.”

“
Why doesn’t he have a cub of his own, then?” He realized he was raising his voice, and he clamped his muzzle shut.

“
He wouldn’t tell me. At first he said that his wife couldn’t bear cubs, but I think that’s a lie, too. I think she just doesn’t want to.”

Volle shook his head. “She wouldn’t be that selfish.” But replaying the few times he’d met her in his head, he couldn’t dismiss the notion. “That’s a wife’s duty.”

“
She’s deathly afraid of disease. Bearing a cub is dangerous at her age.”

“
Still…” He couldn’t believe Dewanne would do that to him.

“
He was here this morning, Volle. I used some herbs to fake the onset of my season. He took me to his rooms and took me there. His wife was in the next room.”

His head was spinning. “Why do I smell blood?”

She paused. “I had to get some more herbs. I’m…washing him out of me. It’s not a pleasant business.”

“
Let me smell him.”

Another pause, longer. “All right.”

She sounded hurt, and he knew immediately why. “I trust you, Ilyana,” he said softly. “But I need to be sure. I thought I could trust Dewanne, too.”

“
Who do you believe?”

“
I believe you.”

“
Come here, then.”

He walked around the curtain and held it aside. Ilyana lay on the bed, naked, her tail curled demurely over her midsection. The white of her chest stood out in the dark room, and her eyes gathered the dim light and gleamed at him. “Over there,” she said softly, indicating a pot.

Slowly, he knelt and brought his nose close to the pot. The herbal smell was very strong, making his nose wrinkle. Beneath it, he could smell her musk, some blood, and a male fox. He recognized Dewanne immediately.

“
Why are you telling me this?” He took her paw gently.

“
Because,” she said, “I want the cub to be yours.”

He shook his head. “It would still be yours.”

“
Yes. But I’m your wife.”

Her paw squeezed his, and he squeezed back, unsure what to say. “Even though…”

“
Even though you would rather be with your lovely young wolf, yes.” He thought he saw the hint of a smile. “We still vowed to be true to each other. And I know you’ve not been with another female, let alone another fox.” She coughed again.

“
I haven’t. I wouldn’t.”

“
I hope you can forgive what I did. I could have said no to him. But I wanted…” She fell silent, and he let her gather her thoughts. “My father used to tell us stories about our ancestors. They were noble foxes and held land, he said, though he never said where the land was. My brother and sisters…they never cared much for those stories. They thought he was making them up. You know, every cub wants to be of noble birth. But I believed them. I thought someday it would be wonderful if a son of mine held a peerage. And now…” She smiled, and her voice gathered strength. “Maybe two of mine will.”

She looked at Volle directly. “So now you know, my husband. Can you forgive me for lying with another fox?”

Touched by her story, Volle nodded. He felt ashamed for taking for granted the title that he didn’t deserve. To Ilyana, it meant the world; it was her most desperate dream. At that moment, he would have forgiven her just about anything. “Of course. I know I don’t perform my duties to you…”

“
You gave me one son. I ask for another cub.” He heard her tail twitch in a small wagging motion. “And perhaps an invitation to the palace balls once in a while.”

“
Any time.” He squeezed her paw again. “But you could have borne Dewanne’s son. I wouldn’t have known.”

“
But I would have. And besides…” she paused to yawn, her voice getting more tired. “When I think of my son growing up to be like his father, I like the idea that I think of you. I don’t want to worry that my son will grow up to be like a desperate fox, who would rather betray a friend than demand honor from his wife.”

Volle couldn’t think of anything to say to that, so he remained silent, stroking the back of her paw. Eventually she stirred again, and said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t speak so of Dewanne. He no doubt thought he was doing me a service. And you, when it comes down to it.”

“
He did betray me,” Volle said bitterly.

Ilyana sighed. “I’m afraid so.”

“
Thank you,” Volle said. “For telling me, and for doing what you did. I promise, whenever you want me, I’ll do my best to get you another cub.”

“
Tomorrow after services? I feel very sleepy right now. The herbs are still taking effect. By tomorrow I should be ready again.” He heard her yawn. “I hope you won’t have to get drunk this time.”

“
I’ll figure out something.” He nuzzled her paw. “Sleep well, and thank you again. You’ve done more than I would have expected from a wife.”

She murmured dreamily, “That’s because you’re not used to one.”

He rested her paw on her stomach, and carefully slipped around the curtain and down the stairs.

“
I did not know there were this many foxes in Vellenland,” the weasel was telling Streak as Volle came down the stairs. “Three come today alone!”

“
They’re all with the King’s retreat,” Streak said, his muzzle barely over his knees. He had managed to wedge himself into the small sofa, and struggled to get up when he saw Volle. Forrin was crouched near the door and got to his feet, stooped over so as not to bump his head.

“
But they do not stay at the castle?”

Volle smiled tightly, holding back his desire to get out as quickly as possible. He felt trapped in the small house, very nervous at the recent revelations Ilyana had made. With an effort, he managed to be polite. “I’m a guest of the governor. The other foxes are staying at the Burning Waters resort, for their health.”

“
Oh, I see.” The weasel nodded, and he could see her whiskers and fingers twitch with the repressed desire to ask about his relationship to Ilyana. “Will you stay for a juice, sahr? I do not have large glasses, but you are welcome to what we have.”

“
No, thank you very much.” Volle bowed to her and nearly hit his head on an overhead beam when he straightened. “We have to be going. But I will be back tomorrow.”

She bowed as they left. “Good day to you, sahrs!”

In the buggy, Volle took a moment to compose his thoughts while Streak watched him worriedly. “What’s the matter?” the wolf finally said softly. “What did she say?”

Volle told him the story in a few sentences that he didn’t think did justice to the convoluted nature of the whole affair. He hadn’t intended to tell Streak about Ilyana’s history and personal ambitions, but he found himself unable to stop, and that whole side of the story came spilling out as well. After finishing, he said, “Dewanne was the one who brought me into the palace. Into the peerage. I thought—he wanted more foxes in the nobility. I thought I could trust him.”

“
It doesn’t sound like you can trust much of anyone.” Streak was sitting back in his seat, arms folded.