The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) (51 page)

The airship’s engines cut off,
but Ashlyn stayed where she was. She blew out a breath, feeling it stir the
shorter strands of hair hanging in her face. Before she ascended the pagoda,
she would have to get a haircut- a real haircut, not another hack job from
Skye. It was a good thing she hadn’t been overly attached to her long hair to
begin with.

She remembered that morning at
Restlyn’s house in Storim, when Vargo had met her by the stable and told her,
“I liked you better with your hair down.”

At the time she’d thought he was
just trying to get into her pants- and actually, maybe he had been. But her
feelings towards him had completely changed since that day. Before she’d gotten
to know him, Vargo had seemed like a womanizing creep, the kind of smarmy jerk
that she wanted to avoid. Now she knew better. His honesty and candid behavior
was a welcome contrast to Drake’s annoying volatility. There was something to
be said for a man who made up his mind and stood by his decision, even if that
man was an irritatingly lewd Spartan who had risked his life to save hers.

Ashlyn pulled the
resist
stane necklace over her head and
climbed slowly to her feet, shoving the necklace into her pocket. She didn’t
want to wear it right now.

She was kind of wondering if this
was something that girls normally talked to their dads about. She’d never been
particularly close to her father, and now certainly wasn’t the time to talk
about romance anyway, but maybe now that Lord Li was safe, they could start
over again. Maybe now they could build the relationship she’d always wanted-
the kind of relationship where she could get his opinion on matters of the
heart.

Aaron was waiting for her by the
ramp. “There ya are,” he said, and held up a heavy coat for her to slip her
arms into. Ashlyn accepted it gratefully, feeling sheepish for not having
considered the weather in North Camp before leaving Toryn.

“He’s at the inn,” Aaron said,
nodding towards the exit hatch.

She frowned. “You’re not coming
with us?”

“Hell, no. I got things to do,
kid. Jackson told me at the beginnin’ that I’d be pickin’ up the rest of the
Spartans once you got Kou’s army under control, and I gotta move Vargo to
Cosmea for healin’ after that.”

“Oh.” She supposed that made
sense, but she didn’t like the idea of being stuck in North Camp for so long-
or the idea of more Spartans in Toryn. She’d come to terms with Ellis, Trace
and Vargo, but she certainly hadn’t made peace with the remaining seven
Spartans, and didn’t much like Jackson making these kinds of decisions without
her. “You know what? Tell Jackson that we’ve got it under control. You can pick
Vargo up and meet me here either tomorrow afternoon or the following morning.
We’ll move my father and Vargo to Cosmea together.”

Aaron raised his eyebrows. “I
ain’t so sure-”

“I
am
sure. The Free Lands Democracy has no jurisdiction in Toryn. I
have gladly accepted Jackson’s help- and your help- and I’m grateful for it.
I’m grateful for the assistance we’ve gotten from Ellis, Trace and Vargo. But I
don’t know the other Spartans, and I don’t want them in Toryn without me there
to keep an eye on them. Bring Trace and Ellis with you when you pick up Vargo.
I’ll leave them in Cosmea with Aik to protect my dad.”

Aaron shrugged. “It’s your
funeral.”

“Thanks a lot.” She wasn’t too
worried about the fallout. Three years ago, Jackson had been even-tempered and
diplomatic, and he probably hadn’t changed much. He should at least understand
why she didn’t feel comfortable letting more Spartans into Toryn without being
there herself. “Tell Jackson he can talk to me if he has an issue.”

She turned towards the hatch,
then paused and turned back. “Aaron, thanks for getting me here so fast. I
really appreciate it.”

He nodded, looking none too
pleased, but saying nothing. Ashlyn ducked through the hatch and made her way
down the ramp, grimacing at the snowflakes hitting her face. She’d never liked
cold weather, and she especially disliked North Camp. It was a relief to know
that she’d only be spending a day or two here.

She stepped off the ramp and
trudged through the snow. She should have brought snow boots. Why had she
decided to bring her dad
here,
of all
places?
Because everyone else hates this
place as much as you do,
she told herself gloomily.
It was the best option you could think of on short notice.

That didn’t mean she had to be
happy about it.

The inn door was cracked open,
and she stepped through, immediately grateful for the wave of warmth that hit
her inside the lodge. As she shook the snow off her shoulders, she looked
around and suddenly remembered that the only thing she’d ever really liked
about North Camp was the homey, rustic feeling of the inn. A fire crackled in
the stone fireplace in the corner, and tourists lounged in couches, sipping hot
cocoa and trying to warm their hands on steaming mugs.

It really was the perfect hiding
place.

Aik caught her eye from the
corner, and inclined his head towards the hallway. Ashlyn hurried towards him,
shrugging off her jacket, harness and knapsack and hanging them on the antler
coat hanger on the wall outside the corridor before following Aik to the door
at the end of the hallway.

Ashlyn opened it hesitantly and
looked inside. Sara was standing next to the bed, writing something on her
clipboard. She looked up as Ashlyn entered, and smiled. “He’s been asking for
you,” she said.

Biting her lip, Ashlyn moved to
the foot of the bed and stared down at her dad. The outline of his body was so
tiny and frail beneath the covers, and the shadows beneath his eyes were more
prominent than before. His long, dark hair was splayed around him on the
pillow, and Ashlyn noticed for the first time that ribbons of silver were
snaking through the strands. Lord Li had always been so ageless and powerful,
commanding respect by his presence alone. Now he just looked like someone’s
very sad, very sick grandpa.

 
“Has he been asleep for very long?” she asked
Sara.

The older woman shook her head.
“No. But he did ask me to wake him up when you arrived. He knew you’d be
coming. Actually, I think he thought you were already here, but for some reason
didn’t want to see him.” She stuck her pen behind her ear. “I’ll give the two
of you some time alone.”

“Wait. Is he going to be okay?”

Sara nodded. “He lost a lot of
blood, but he should make a full recovery. This-” she indicated the clear bag
of liquid hanging from a hook on the wall, which was connected to a tube that
ran underneath the covers- “is helping with rehydrating. I need to get some
sleep, but if you’ll come get me when the bag is empty, I’ll switch it out for
a new one.”

“Of course,” Ashlyn said, realizing
that the other woman probably hadn’t slept since Lord Li was brought onto the
airship. “Thank you so much, Sara. I can’t…I really just can’t thank you
enough.”

“I’m happy to help.” Sara smiled,
and her eyes were tired behind her thick glasses.

Ashlyn glanced at Aik. “I’ll stay
with him for now,” she said. “Can I come get you when I need a break?”

The wolf nodded, and followed
Sara from the room. The door shut quietly behind them.

Ashlyn took a deep breath and
looked back at her dad, reluctant to wake him. As she stood there, though, he
stirred, his eyelashes fluttering before he opened his eyes. Ashlyn said
nothing, watching him as he gained his bearings. He stared at the ceiling for a
handful of heartbeats before his gaze flicked down, focusing on her.

There was a pause as they
regarded each other silently.

At last he smiled, his eyes
crinkling with laughter as he fumbled to get his arms out from underneath the
covers and reached for her. “My sweet girl,” he said softly in Toryn.

That was enough to trigger the
waterworks. “Hi Dad,” she said tearfully, and went to him, wrapping her arms
around his neck like she used to when she was a little girl. It should have
been awkward, trying to hug him when he was lying in bed, connected to tubes
and needles, but somehow she managed. Ashlyn squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to
remember this moment, wanting to make it last forever.

“I thought you were dead,” he
said at length, and she laughed through her tears. Typical Li- no subtlety
whatsoever.

“I thought you were crazy,” she
countered, straightening up and wiping her cheeks with the sleeve of her shirt.

His eyes were dark and warm, a
rich ebony that reminded her of home. “We were both mistaken, then.”

She smiled. “I guess so.”

His hand grasped for hers on top
of the covers, and she threaded her fingers through his. It was the first time
in over a decade that she’d held her father’s hand, and it felt strangely
wonderful.

“Where were you?” he asked. His
voice was soft, but steady.

“For the last three years?” She
shook her head, trying to think of where to begin. “I’ve been all over. Landi,
Storim, the grasslands- I even stopped by this inn once, a few years ago. For
the last seven months I’ve been in Endro.”

“The…” He took a breath. “The
dead city. That explains…why I could not find you. Kou- Devlyn- said he had
seen you killed in the Heavenly City. He said…a wolf attacked you…and you fell
to your death.”

“He’s a liar,” Ashlyn said
fiercely. “I haven’t been to the Heavenly City since…well, since Jenn. And the
only wolf I’ve seen in years is my friend Aik. You know they’re nearly
extinct.”

“
Shift…
some of the more powerful
shift
stanes can transform their users into wolves,” Lord Li said, pausing every
couple of words to take a breath. “It is difficult because the magic is so
unpredictable. But it is possible.”

Ashlyn paused, remembering the
dogs who had attacked her in Landi. At the time she’d thought they looked more
like wolves than dogs, but had dismissed the idea for its absurdity. Perhaps it
hadn’t been such a stretch after all. “Is that why you believed Kou? You
thought I’d been killed by a
shift
monster?”

“No.” Her father grimaced at the
memory. “I did not believe him until a peddler came to Toryn with your bo
shuriken.”

Some of what Kou had told her was
true, then.

“Do you know where that shuriken
is now?” she asked.

“Kou has it.”

Ashlyn shook her head, staring
down at their linked hands. “I’m so sorry, Dad. I know I shouldn’t have run
away. I know I should have stayed and trained for Ladyship. If I hadn’t been
such a selfish jerk, none of this would have happened.”

“Kou did this, Ashlyn. Not you.”

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t have been
able to if I’d been there.”

“Perhaps,” her dad said simply.

Ashlyn brushed a lock of hair off
his forehead affectionately. “Sara says you’re gonna be okay,” she said,
changing the subject. “All you need is time to recover.”

“And no one else draining my
blood,” he answered.

“That, too.” She pursed her lips
in thought. “How did Kou even figure that out? That he could inject the blood
and use
shift
? It seems so random.
Not to mention dangerous.”

“I am afraid that was my idea,”
Lord Li said ruefully. His voice grew weaker as he continued to speak. “He came
to me with his vision, and after I found your shuriken, I trusted him. I asked
him to help me test the magic. We injected him with my blood. But there was a
difference. He could not control himself in animal form
,
and he became addicted to the magic much more quickly than I
did.”

She wondered if she ought to stop
her dad .from using his strength to keep talking, but her curiosity won out.
“Why did you let him keep doing it?”

“I did not. I told him we had to
stop, and destroy the magic, but he would not listen. It was then that he took
me captive.” Lord Li stared out the window moodily, and Ashlyn followed his
gaze, noting that it was early evening and the sky was darkening outside. She
caught a glimpse of the moon before it disappeared behind the clouds again.

“Dad,” she said. “Can I ask you
something?”

He blinked tiredly and met her
eyes. “Yes.”

“I’m…I’m really scared about
becoming Lady of Toryn. I know I should feel ready, but…I don’t.”

His gaze softened as he looked at
her, and he slowly raised one thin hand to cup her face gently. Ashlyn put her
hand over his, holding his palm against her cheek.

“You remind me so much of myself,
at your age,” he whispered. “You are very much a natural leader, Ashlyn, but
that does not mean it is your calling.”

“It’s my destiny,” she said. “My
birthright.”

His lips curved slightly. “That
is what my father told me when I declined to ascend.”

“But you did it anyway, because
it was your responsibility.”

“I did it because I felt I had no
other choice, no obligation but to the people of Toryn.” He paused, seeming to
consider his words. “I was wrong. I had an obligation to myself.”