Part 16 (2/2)

When Cleon slipped into her dark room, Kel waited a moment, then announced a trip to get more fruit. She left Raoul's, then eased through her front door into her chambers. The connecting door was ajar: she saw Cleon by the light from the party. He caught her up in a warm, fierce hug, then kissed her as if he thought he might lose her. They were fumbling at one another's clothes, to what end a sane Kel couldn't guess, when Jump nudged the connecting door wider. The sudden increase in sound brought them to their senses. They kissed again, then separated, Cleon to return to the party, Kel to get fruit.

They went home at a respectable hour. Kel slept past dawn, exhausted by late nights and relief. A hand shook her rudely awake. It was Raoul's. The expression in his eyes told her the news was odd.

”Sir?” Kel asked, sitting up.

”It's that Vinson of Genlith.” Lalasa stood beside Raoul, grim-faced, hands clenched under her embroidered ap.r.o.n. Her friend Tian stood just behind her. ”His Ordeal was this morning.”

”He left the Chamber and requested an audience, with Turomot present,” Raoul told Kel. ”Get dressed. When they want something after they come out, it's usually not good.” He left her, closing his door.

”How did you know?” Kel asked Lalasa and Tian as she washed her face.

”We have rooms for the holiday in the royal wing,” Lalasa said. ”We are finis.h.i.+ng dresses for the princesses and her majesty.”

Kel looked into her former maid's eyes. ”You wanted to be here in case something happened.” Vinson had attacked Lalasa once, trying to kiss her, frightening her half to death. If Peg the sparrow hadn't fetched Kel, he might have done worse.

Lalasa nodded. ”Oh, no,” she said, dark eyes sharp, as Kel b.u.t.toned a s.h.i.+rt. ”You've gone and added more muscle - that s.h.i.+rt doesn't set right.”

”Worry about my clothes later,” Kel said.

Lalasa held up a pair of breeches. ”Look at these pockets. My lady, you are so hard on your clothes!”

”I've been hard them for years,” retorted Kel, putting the breeches on. ”It's not like I'll change now.”

Lalasa fed the birds as Kel finished dressing. Once the animals were tended, the three young women and Jump left. As they pa.s.sed through the halls they were joined by more sleepy-looking people, n.o.bles and servants alike.

Soon after Kel, Tian, and Lalasa took places between Raoul and Kel's parents, the door behind the dais in the Great Throne Room opened for the king and queen, Prince Roald, and Princess Kalasin. At another time Kel would have been curious about the princess, who had spent the last four years with the countess at King's Reach, but not today. Instead Kel looked for Vinson's cronies. There was Joren with his knight-master, Paxton. Garvey of Runnerspring stood nearby with Jerel. Vinson's family - his parents, uncle, and grandfather - and his knight-master, Nualt of Rosemark, stood near the throne. All looked like proud folk trying to hide fear.

With the monarchs seated, the Lord Magistrate, Turomot of Wellam, took a place one step down from the thrones and nodded to the guards at the doors. A herald announced, ”Vinson of Genlith, squire and - ” He fell silent, astonished. Vinson ran past him to drop to his knees before the dais.

Vinson's eyes were red and swollen - had he been weeping? He trembled visibly, and he still wore his vigil clothes, though surely he'd had time to change. There were marks over his shoulders, as if someone had grabbed him so hard that he'd bled through the cloth. Shadow bruises played over his face and hands, signs of a beating, or beatings. He flinched or twitched as each new one appeared, as if they caused him pain.

”I have a confession.” His voice cracked, as if he'd broken it with screams. ”I must - confess. I confess.” He shuddered. ”Two years ago, there - there was trouble in the Lower City. Two - two slum wenches, no better than - No!” he cried, raising an arm as if he s.h.i.+elded himself from a blow. ”No! I meant, two girls of the Lower City were attacked, beaten. A third was - must I say it? - a third was beaten and raped. I did it. Sir Nualt had no knowledge. None. He'd have denounced me if he'd known. I didn't - the women made me angry. They're teases, leading a man - ” He screamed then and dropped to the floor, sobbing. One of his hands swelled, turned purple, shrank. A cut opened on his scalp, bled, then faded.

The king reached a hand toward Vinson and twisted his fingers. The blue fire of his magic settled over the weeping squire. It blazed fiercely white, then vanished. ”He tells the truth,” King Jonathan said grimly.

”Tell the Chamber I confessed,” Vinson begged, raising his face. ”Tell it I did what it wanted me to. Make it let me go! Make it stop hurting me!”

The queen's face was hard. ”The Chamber is commanded by no one, Vinson of Genlith. It will release you as it chooses.”

Duke Turomot came forward, the bra.s.s-shod foot of his tall walking stick rapping sharply on the stone floor. ”Guards!” he called. ”Arrest this man on the charges of a.s.sault and rape. Take him to the provost. I want a confession in full.” He looked to Vinson's family. ”Send your advocate,” he ordered. ”You may visit him once his confession is witnessed.”

The men bowed, the lady curtsied - to him or to the monarchs, it was hard to say. Then they scurried after the guards who carried Vinson away.

Kel turned to Lalasa. The older girl's eyes burned with a fierce light; there was a triumphant smile on her lips.

She doesn't realize it, Kel thought, feeling sick. She hasn't seen that if we'd reported his attack on her, he might not have hurt those girls. She begged me not to - but I knew it wasn't right. And I kept my mouth shut anyway.

The royal family walked out. The audience was over.

Kel fled out a side exit and down less-used halls, making for her rooms. She didn't want to talk to anyone. Guilt made her stomach roil; pity for the women Vinson had hurt burned her eyes. Yamani discipline helped defeat tears, as it had done in all the time Kel had been at the palace. It did nothing to lessen her guilt.

Blind with emotion, Kel turned into the hall that ended at her quarters. She didn't realize someone waited in a niche until an arm shot out and grabbed her shoulder. She reacted instantly, ramming her captor into the wall. Her free hand shoved his head up and back; her fingers touched his eyes.

Joren of Stone Mountain waited. ”Are you happy?” he snapped. ”You got one of us somehow, you progressives. You can't even fight your own battles - ”

Kel jerked back. ”You'll be a wonderful father someday,” she replied. ”You're good at bedtime tales.”

”Once I'm a knight, you'd best keep an eye behind you, b.i.t.c.h.” His voice was a viper's hiss, dripping venom. ”I'll be in your shadow, until one day you won't cast one ever again.”

Kel refused to dignify that with an answer or even a reaction, gazing at him with level eyes until he cursed her and walked off. No doubt she would have to keep an eye on him once he was knighted, Kel thought, but it wasn't precisely a new idea for her since his trial.

She went into her room, shutting the door firmly. A maid sweeping the floor jumped and began to babble apologies. Kel shook her head and entered Raoul's rooms. Two maids were there, talking as they cleaned.

Kel tried other refuges. No matter where she went, knots of people discussed the scandal. At last she returned to her room, dressed warmly, grabbed a Yamani bow and quiver, and went out. Servants' paths and the main road to the stables were cleared, but the practice yards that served the pages and squires were two feet deep in snow. Kel stamped her way through to the archery yard and chose a target. She cleared a s.p.a.ce for herself, tamping down snow furiously, then stuffed her gloves into her quilted coat pockets. She strung the long Yamani bow with a grunt of effort and chose an arrow. Bitterly she began to shoot, concentrating on the half-remembered weapon, which she hadn't used for six years, and the target. Her arms and shoulders began to ache. This bow was drawn differently, the arrow held to the string in a thumb-and-forefinger pinch, not guided between her index and middle fingers. She had to pull the string farther back than with an Eastern bow, past her ear. It was hard work.

She improved. Arrow after arrow came closer to the center, as if she marched them in from the outer edges deliberately. Once she had emptied the quiver, she stalked down to the target, yanked the arrows free, and returned to start again. She didn't realize anyone was near until Buri said, ”When one of my Riders said there was a crazy woman out here with a stripey bow, I thought he was pulling a fool's gambit on his old commander. I thought only our Yamani lilies shot those things.”

”I used to,” Kel replied.

”I don't see how they can ride without the horses tripping over the bow.” Buri knocked snow off of the topmost rail of the fence and hoisted herself up. ”When will you try our recurves? You won't want a longbow after that.”

”Once we're on progress, maybe,” Kel said. ”I just wanted to get out.”

”What's wrong?” asked the K'mir. ”You walked out of that throne room as if you'd seen your death.”

”Not exactly,” Kel said. ”I don't think I can say.”

”Sure you can,” Buri replied. ”Leave out names if you like, though anyone who knows you can see it had to do with Lalasa. He attacked her, didn't he?”

Kel had not meant to say a word, but a basketful spilled out. ”She didn't want me to report it. I should have.” She tried to sight on the target, but she was so angry she couldn't steady the arrow. ”She said it was her word against his. She said he'd say she led him on, then struggled when she saw me so I wouldn't blame her for dallying. I could have reported it at the G.o.ddess's temple, too, but I didn't. And he went after three more girls.”

Buri sighed. Hopping down from the fence, she trudged over. ”Let me try,” she said. Kel gave her the bow and arrow. Her eyes watered in the cold; she wiped them with icy fingers. If she'd felt like being amused, the sight of Buri, who was not much taller than the bow, would have made Kel smile.

Buri held the arrow to the string properly. When she shot, she hit the center of the target. She unstrung the bow, coiled the string, and fetched the arrows from the target. ”I've tried it, on progress,” she said as she put away the arrows. ”I still prefer my bow. Come on, let's get something warm to drink.” She led Kel to the Rider mess, sat her at a table, then went to the servers' window. Kel had never come here; she looked around. Midwinter decorations were everywhere: holly and ivy, candles, branches of pine. Cl.u.s.ters of Riders sat at the other tables. There were only twenty or so, most still half asleep.

Buri returned with a tray. She set it down and poured hot cider into two cups. ”To your health. Drink, you look frozen.”

Kel scalded her tongue on the first sip, and blew on the stuff before she took a second. It set a fire warming her belly. She wasn't sure she deserved warmth.

”Were you not listening when they told you that a n.o.ble who kidnapped a maid only owed a fine?” Buri asked, dark eyes sharp on Kel's face. ”The mistress of chambermaids used to call the palace cleaning women 's.l.u.ts.' Thayet made her stop, but it's coppers to a Midwinter bun that she still does, and that any maid who tells her majesty will lose her place.” Buri put a Midwinter bun in front of Kel and began to eat one herself, piece by piece. ”You're an idealist, Kel. I've noticed that about you. See, I try to beat idealism out of Rider trainees. It just ruins their ability to give a fair report. So long as there are n.o.bles and commoners, the wealthy and the poor, those with power will be heard, and those without ignored. That's the world.”

”I don't accept that,” Kel said grimly, shredding her bun without eating it.

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