The Jewel of Kamara (The Delthenon Chronicles) (10 page)

She
rolled over, reached under her bed and pulled out the little box she kept
there. It contained old letters from Chae and a few letters her father had
written to her mother that she’d been able to sneak out of his study. On top of
these was the last letter Nic had written to her, seeking her forgiveness. All
others she had destroyed but she couldn’t bring herself to burn this one.

She
smoothed it open and held it under the flickering light of the candle.

My
dearest Tempani,

Words
cannot express the deep sorrow I feel knowing I have hurt you. My actions are
inexcusable, and I now understand if you cannot find a way to forgive me. This
will be my last attempt to apologize. After this I will leave you alone, which
is clearly what you wish. I do want you to know that my feelings for you are
sincere, and I hoped that one day you would return my affections. The future I
saw for us was bright, but I understand that the mistakes I made as a boy and
as a man may have threatened our chance. You will always hold my heart.

Nic.

Tempani
found herself blushing at his words. She knew he had feelings for her, but she had
thought them nothing more than a fleeting crush that would pass in a matter of
weeks. That once the thrill of the chase had worn off he would move onto the
next lady. But he was only moving on now because she didn’t return his
feelings. He was doing what she wanted.

Yet
why did that upset her? Was it simply that she enjoyed his attentions and
flattery or did it run deeper than that? Chae insisted he was a good man. Even
Teddy had defended him. Had she been too quick to judge him? Done to him what
so many others had done to her? Maybe he had grown up. His letters didn’t sound
like the arrogant boy she remembered. Perhaps she could try being his friend.

—

It
had been a month since she’d last picked up her sword, but the moment it was
back in her hand it was as though it had never left.

She
was outside, hidden behind the back of the house and away from the prying eyes
of the staff. Her father was at the palace for another Parliament meeting, and
Chae was out with Xanthir for the afternoon. She was free to do as she pleased.

She
started with some stretches, limbering up her arms and back before she began
with a simple swing pattern that Nika had taught her. She then moved onto
blocking when Chae came around the corner.

He
grabbed her wrist and yanked the sword from her hand. “What’s this?”

“A
sword.” She took it back from his grasp. “I’m practicing.”

“Practicing?
Ladies should not be playing with swords.”

“But
I’m not just a lady,” she said. “We are Kalaowin, and all Kalaowins are taught
to fight.”

“In
the south, yes, but you’re in the north. With the white Kamaris, whom you also
belong to. I think you forget that sometimes.”

“Because
I don’t belong with them,” she snapped.

“Oh
really? You’re friends with them. You attend their balls. No one forces you to
have fun there, but you do. I see it.”

She
stopped. He was right. She did have fun when she was with her friends. Dahlia
made her laugh, and they talked of frivolous things. And Teddy. She loved being
with him. But did that make her any less Kalaowin? Just because she enjoyed
some parts of being a Kamari noble. Did it make her claim to be Kalaowin any
less?

“Why
can’t I be both?”

He
lifted his hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Because we live in an
unjust kingdom. And we must be who they want us to be.”

“And
that’s Kamari?”

“I
have worked hard to belong here. And it hasn’t been easy, but I’ve somehow done
it. I don’t want to lose that.”

And
she could be the reason he did. If she didn’t follow the ways of the Kamaris,
she could ruin everything he’d struggled so hard to achieve.

“I
know.” She handed her sword back to him. “I just like feeling a connection to
the Kalaowins. Doing this makes me feel closer to her.”

Chae
sighed, and she saw a pang of sadness in his eyes.

She
sometimes forgot that he felt their mother’s loss as strongly as she did.

“Then
you should do it,” he said and put the sword back in her hand. “I don’t agree
with it, but I won’t stop you either. Just make sure no one sees you.”

She
beamed at him. “I’m good at sneaking around.”

He
laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side.
“I’m sure you are.”

“Do
you want to practice with me?”

He
raised his eyebrows, unsure if he should say yes.

“Please.
It’ll be fun.”

“Maybe
just this once,” he said. He unsheathed his sword. “I’ll try not to hurt you.”

She
brought up her sword and swung, a smile on her face. Perhaps the training she
had begun with Nika could continue with Chae.

—

Tempani
smoothed down the front of her emerald green silk dress, loving the sound it
made as she walked. A gold necklace hung around her neck, a large emerald
resting above her breast.

She
placed her hand on Teddy’s arm and marveled at how smart he looked in his deep
blue tunic and white hose.

“Your
Highness,” she said and curtsied.

“My
lady,” he said, winking at her as they entered the Grand Ballroom to celebrate
Princess Ellsje’s birthday.

All
eyes turned as the pair were announced, and they walked, self-consciously, into
the room. Tempani found comfort in Teddy’s equally shy nature and disregard for
court festivities, even if it was to celebrate his sister’s birthday.

The
king and queen had gone all out with the celebration. The food was nothing like
she had ever tasted before. The wine was the finest she had ever brought to her
lips. The fragrant flowers hit her nose at every turn, and the floating candles
that were kept aloft by the palace novices gave the Grand Ballroom a soft,
romantic glow.

Tempani
happily chatted to Dahlia, who had accompanied Xanthir this evening, and Madoc,
who was just as uncomfortable in these situations as she was.

Teddy
re-joined them and downed his glass in one. Madoc smiled at him. “Everything
all right?”

Teddy
sighed and held his hand out to Tempani. “Nothing a dance won’t fix.”

He
spun her around, her skirts flying out around her, before pulling her close to
him. “Talk to me,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

He
rolled his eyes. “Mother wants to know when you and I are going to make it
official.”

“Make
what official?”

“She
believes we’re in love. I’m being pressured by her to make it official so they
can start preparations for the wedding.”

Tempani
laughed. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

He
frowned at her, cocking his head to the side. “Don’t hold back,” he said. “Tell
me what you really think.”

She
rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry. But you’re like a brother to me. Besides you want
to pledge your life to the Gods.”

He
shrugged. “Apparently that is not a dream befitting a prince who is second in
line to the throne.” The anger in his tone shocked her. “Nic is the only one
who seems to support what I want but that could have something to do with you.”

She
felt her stomach flutter but tried to force the feeling away.

“Why
do you want to be a priest? I know your faith in the Gods is strong, but I
spent five years there. The mundane existence there will drive you crazy.”

Teddy’s
eyes were bright as he looked down at her. “Fear,” he breathed. “That is what
drives me.”

“Fear
of what?”

“You’ve
seen and heard what power does to people. I don’t want the power that comes
with my title. I don’t want to become a man who will turn a blind eye to
suffering or who will think nothing of sending his men off to fight the very
people we are meant to lead.” His arms tightened around her. “If I pledge
myself to the Gods, I can make a difference. I can try and undo some of the
wrongs my family has done by helping others.”

“Your
heart is pure, Teddy, and your kindness is matched by no one. You will never
become your father.”

He
kissed the top of her head. “And neither will Nic,” he whispered as he led her
back to the table, where Nic had now joined them. “If he has the right people
around him.”

“My
lady.” Nic bowed and offered her a seat.

“I
do hope Ellsje is enjoying the evening,” she said.

“Very
much so. She was adamant on every detail. And mother gave in to her every
whim.”

“Except
the swans,” Teddy interjected.

“And
thank the Gods for that,” Nic laughed. “She wanted three dozen white swans on
hand this evening to walk amongst the guests.”

“Well,
at least that’s a better idea than having bats flying around,” said Chae.

Tempani
thrust an elbow into her brother’s side. “I was five,” she hissed. “Besides
bats are far more interesting than swans. And they come out at twilight so they
would have been ripe for the party.”

“I
like your line of thinking,” Nic said. “Much better than Ellsje’s though that
white swans were romantic.”

“Yes,”
Tempani laughed. “The feathers and dung they leave behind is awfully romantic.
You will find many a ballad written about such a thing.”

“Well,
there will definitely be one written about Lady Tempani of Amarill saying the
word ‘dung’ in front of Crown Prince Nicolass of Lenthir,” said Chae, clapping
her on the shoulder as he laughed.

Tempani
raised her head and looked Nic in the eyes. “A good royal is one who does not
flinch over unsavory topics.”

A
smile crossed his thin lips. “I believe you are right.”

“Well,
let us raise our glasses and toast to all future ballads about dung.”

“I’ll
drink to that,” Nic said and clinked his glass against hers.

As
their eyes held, warmth spread across her stomach and a blush crept onto her
cheeks until she shook her head and broke their gaze.

~4~

Leela
and Lindow had their heads bent as they whispered to one another. Tempani went
unnoticed as she walked into the kitchen and helped herself to a fruit bun. She
perched herself on the stool and took a bite, savoring the spices as they hit
her tongue.

Leela’s
head snapped up, and she scowled at the young
girl. “You don’t go spoiling your appetite.”

Tempani
groaned. “But your cooking is much better than the cooks at the palace. I get a
sore stomach after most of their meals.”

“Don’t
eat the rich food,” she scolded. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told you.”

“The
other food is bland.” She took another bite. “Not like this.”

“You
got no manners,” Leela said, trying hard to keep a straight face. “You won’t
get a good husband acting like that.”

“Maybe
I don’t want to find a husband.”

“Nonsense.”

“You
don’t have a husband.”

“Not
by choice, love. No man wants a woman who already got a baby.”

“But
you’ve done fine on your own. You raised him to be a good man,” she said and
tried to squeeze
Lindow’s
cheek but missed as he
ducked out of her way. She laughed as she straightened herself on the stool.

“I
only done good cause of your parents. Your ma gave me a job when no one else
ain’t
. You find a husband, and you have no worries in
life.”

Tempani
frowned at her. “I’ll have plenty of problems with any man who wants a Kalaowin
as a wife. My father is a rarity. If my mother hadn’t been so bewitching, he’d
never have married a Kalaowin.”

“A
man may see you the same way. You be good, and you get a good man.”

Tempani
jumped off her stool and kissed
Leela’s
cheek. “I’ll
be happy as a spinster. I don’t need a man.”

Leela
sighed and tugged Tempani’s braid. “You afraid. You afraid of love.”

Tempani
straightened her shoulders. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Love
will find you. You see.”

Lindow
came back into the room and thrust a pot into his mother’s hand. “Prince
Nicolass has arrived. Unannounced. He would like some tea.”

“You
see? It will find you,” Leela grinned as she filled the pot with water. “You go
be nice.”

Tempani
rolled her eyes at the cook as she was ushered out the door by Lindow.

“This
is a surprise,” she said as she entered the hall. She went to curtsey but
stopped when he raised his hand.

“We’re
friends now, aren’t we?” He bent down to pat
Tilaw
,
who had bounded out ahead of Tempani, eager to greet their guest.

“I
suppose we are.” She smiled as she showed him into the drawing room and sat
down. “Should I expect frequent visits from you now or is this a special
occasion?”

“I
like to drop in unannounced on my friends.”

Lindow
put his tray down between them and poured the prince a cup of tea. She shook
her head when he went to pour her one. “Any more unannounced visits and you may
very well give our manservant a heart attack.”

“Ah,
yes, but if I tell them I’m coming, they may flee.”

“Are
you that annoying that they would choose to disappear rather than spend a day
in your company?”

He
grinned at her. “Annoying is not the word I would use. But clearly you think
that may be the reason.”

“Just
an educated guess.” Her mouth spread into a smile as they talked. It wasn’t the
polite smile she usually had on when they talked but a wide, bright one. She
couldn’t help it.

“They
think I’m boring.”

She
let out a short, sharp laugh. “Boring?”

“They
do not care much for politics or our foreign neighbors. They turn a deaf ear
when I try to talk of such things.”

“That
does sound like Chae.”

“Yes,
but he mentioned that you might be interested. Or at least will feign
interest.”

“Did
he now?” She shook her head at her brother’s scheming. “Just don’t expect me to
agree with you just because of your title.”

“When
have you ever agreed with me?”

She
chewed her bottom lip as she tried to think of an answer.

“See?
You’ve never once agreed with me.”

She
smiled at him. “Now that’s not true. I believe you once suggested it would
rain, and I agreed with you.”

“That
doesn’t count.”

“You
can’t put restrictions on my answers now.”

“Fair
enough,” he laughed and then gave a nervous cough. “Would you care to join me
for lunch?”

Tempani
froze. Lunch? It was one thing to have him drop in for a short conversation but
sit down over a meal and talk was another. Their friendship was new. She didn’t
want to rush it. “I’m expecting Dahlia here at any moment. We were going to
spend the afternoon together.”

“Oh,
all right.”

“Another
time?” She asked quickly when she saw the disappointment on his face. “I have
no plans tomorrow.”

He
nodded eagerly. “Tomorrow it is. I’ll see myself out.”

She
was nervous as she waited for him the following day, but her nerves disappeared
the moment she was on Mincha. As they rode, he entertained her with stories of
the previous week’s sitting of the Royal Parliament.

“Poor
Darby almost had a fit when father mentioned his plans to visit the convent in
the summer,” he explained. “Darby believes it would create nothing but further
dissent in the lower classes.”

“He’s
right. The convent is the one place in this kingdom where people aren’t judged
by their station.” Just their race, she thought to herself. “If the king
visits, it will give the impression that he is seeking to control them. The
ramifications would be huge.”

“I
agree. We should be working harder to appease them.”

She
eyed him warily.

His
smile widened. “I’m not entirely predictable, am I?”

“Not
entirely,” she said. “Race you to the river?”

“Only
if we make it interesting,” he said. “If I win, you accompany me to dinner this
evening.”

“And
if I win?”

“I
accompany you to dinner.”

She
laughed. “Either way you win.”

“So
it would seem.”

She
kicked Mincha into a gallop and the two took off, her black hair flying behind
her as her wrap fell in her wake. She heard him swear under his breath and then
take off after her. But his mare was no match for Mincha, and Tempani whooped
when she pulled up at the river and waited for him.

“If
you were that keen for me to accompany you to dinner all you had to do was
ask.” His breathing was haggard as he climbed from his saddle. He turned to
assist her but she’d already dismounted and was busy cooing to Mincha. She
pulled an apple from her saddlebag and offered it to her mare.

“I
figured I should at least win something in this game.”

She
led Mincha over to the river and stroked her back while she took a long drink.
She had forgotten how much she loved to gallop. These days the only riding she
did was short trips into Fenella or to the palace, and they never even got
close to a trot.

It
was a feeling of freedom. A feeling that she was untouchable. The wind rushing
past her skin as her body molded against Mincha’s, the two of them becoming
one. Her mother used to tell her that her people shared a special bond with
animals, but Tempani had thought that was nothing more than a story to
entertain a child. The older she got, the more she believed it.

She
removed her shoes and gathered up the hem of her dress in her hand before
wading into the water. She found that whenever she was near water she had an
urge to immerse herself in it. Even just thrusting her foot in sent a strong
jolt of energy through her, and she felt she could do anything. She could
gallop forever if she wanted to.

“What
are you doing? The water must be freezing!”

“I’m
Kalaowin,” she laughed. “We don’t feel the cold.”

“Oh
really?” He reached out his hand and helped her out. “Then why are your teeth
chattering?”

She
grinned at him and pulled a blanket from her saddlebag. “Well, I’m only part
Kalaowin.”

That
drew a hearty laugh from him. “You definitely are unique. No other lady would
dare show her bare ankles to a man.”

“That’s
me,” she said. “Paving the path for women everywhere. Soon all ladies will be
running around with their hair loose and their feet bare.” She pulled out her
spare wrap and folded it lengthwise, shaking out her hair so she could cover it
properly.

“Don’t,”
he said and held her wrist in place.

“But
it’s unseemly,” she said sarcastically. “I will be taken before the Master
Priest for daring to have my hair uncovered outside the confines of a palace
social engagement.”

“Leave
it free,” he said. “And that’s a royal order.”

“If
you insist.” Her heart raced at the look in his eyes. It was one she had often
seen in her father’s eyes when he’d looked at her mother.

He
traced a finger along her cheekbone and over her lips. “You are beautiful,” he
whispered, inching his face closer to hers.

His
breath tickled her skin. Her body was weakening against his touch, but her mind
was panicking, screaming at her to pull away. “You’re being pert,” she said
nervously.

“I’ve
been accused of worse,” he murmured before drawing her lips into his own, and
her mind was silenced as she let herself be kissed.

They
pulled apart when they heard approaching footsteps.

Nic
grinned at her. “At least you didn’t slap me this time,” he whispered in her
ear as he rose to greet his bodyguard, Dagan.

—

The
day of Hamalia’s funeral was overcast. Storm clouds hovered in the distance and
threatened to roll in and wreak havoc on the day. Mourners had been pouring in
for days, and the castle at Amarill was full to bursting. Otto’s sister, Lady
Sofhia, and her husband Lord
Burron
had been the
first to arrive and had taken charge of the household and the arrangements for
the burial.

Hamalia’s
body was to be burned, her ashes cast to the winds so her spirit would live on
in the earth it touched. It was a Kalaowin tradition and one sure to raise a
few eyebrows among the nobles in attendance. But Otto had been adamant.

Tempani
had spent the morning in the watchtower, observing the mourners arriving at the
chapel. She sat there, hugging her knees to her chest and wrinkling the black
gown her aunt had forced her to wear.

But
now she was seated in the cold, draughty chapel. The only light came from the
dozens of candles that had been lit in her honor. She gripped her brother’s
hand tightly and tried to force back more tears.

She
watched as the royal contingent arrived. King Wimarc walked down the aisle,
dressed in his finest, and holding up Queen Tryphena. She had almost forgotten
that Hamalia had considered the queen a close friend. Trailing behind them was
Prince Nicolass, his proud face showing no emotion, and Prince Theodore, his
eyes glistening with tears.

Chae
had to pull Tempani to her feet so she could curtsey, and she had to fight the
urge to disregard the tradition. It made her blood boil that the attention was
diverted from her mother, even if it was just for a split second.

There
was a small yelp from somewhere behind them as the flames on the candles grew
dangerously large. Teddy caught Tempani’s eye, and he gave her a small, sad
smile. She felt her anger subside. The servants who had rushed forward to blow
out the candles took a step back as the flames shrunk back to their normal
size.

Tempani
didn’t hear a word that was spoken by the Priestess of Allarah, who had
travelled from the south to preside over the service. She had stared as
Hamalia’s body was transformed into nothing more than a pile of ashes. She was
numb as Otto stepped forward to accept them from the priestess. But when her
mother’s ashes were caught in the wind and carried away, her tears fell again.

She
couldn’t sleep that night. She had tossed and turned for half the night.
Finally giving up she had crept out of the castle, sneaking across the grounds
until she came to the stables. She was sitting in Mincha’s stall when he found
her.

She
was surprised when Nic climbed into the stall and sat beside her.

He
wordlessly pulled her into his arms and cradled her against his chest while she
cried. He made no comment about the tear stains she was leaving on his shirt.
He just rocked her back and forth.

“It’s
all my fault,” she choked. “She died because of me.”