Tomorrow, I thought, my heart racing.
Tomorrow would tell whether I could defeat Luther in a fight. During our last practice, Gallen mentioned that Luther was better with his bare fist, or with a saber, than with a staff. I hoped that it would be enough for me to win. If not… Alydar neighed, protesting at my anxious thoughts. One step at a time. I finished brushing her, then brought her a bucket of grain.
Oswyn expected me in less than an hour in his chambers. He wouldn’t let me marry without first throwing me a hen do, a human celebration designed to bid farewell to a bride-to-be’s maiden days. Voke’s openness didn’t call for any such event, but Oswyn liked a party. He had hand-picked the attendees, the menu and all the activities. I was dreading it. Fun hadn’t been on my list of priorities for a long time.
I allowed myself one deep breath before knocking on his door. There was frantic hubbub coming from within, then the door swung open to reveal Oswyn, wearing one of his trademark colorful pants and bell-sleeved shirts. He had never fully adopted his tribe’s fashion, preferring his own, jester-inspired style.
“You look stunning!” he exclaimed.
“Thank you,” I said, tugging on the collar of my dress. The dress the tailor had made for me had a plunging neckline and was tighter than I was used to.
I peeked inside his chambers, curious to know what they were like and who he had invited. I don’t know what surprised me the most. The fact that his chambers, unlike his outfits, weren’t at all garish—everything, from the fat cushions laid on the floor to the clay pots that dotted the space seemed to have been selected in an effort to create a sense of peace and balance.
Or the fact that Shan was grinning at me from behind Oswyn. She was dripping with jewels and false candor. I opened my mouth to make a comment, but Gaia stopped me with an amused shrug and a head shake.
“Welcome, Orla,” Shan flashed a toothy smile.
“Thank…you?” I answered, staring at Oswyn.
“Come in, come in,” Oswyn said, taking my arm. “I know what you think about Shan,” Oswyn whispered urgently, once Shan was ahead of us. “But she means well, truly.”
“How can you be so sure?” I protested.
“She was so lonely after I exposed her,” he admitted quietly. “I felt bad…and we…we grew, uhm, close.”
I gaped at him in shock. “Oswyn!”
“It’s not like she did anything unlawful,” Oswyn replied. “She’s learned her lesson, trust me.”
I sighed. It was true that we hadn’t heard a peep from her since Oswyn had revealed that she was having an affair with Gallen’s father. And we had never been able to prove that she was divulging secret information to The Thread. Plus, how would Shan have access to anything truly confidential? Perhaps Caden and Peran had shared a few tidbits with her, but they had been excluded from the high-council as soon as we had learned of their affiliation to The Thread.
I knew I should just try to be content, but so much still didn’t sit right. Although Nervii was behind bars, the main members of The Thread had managed to cause violent uprisings in the city without ever suffering the consequences of their actions. Were we missing something? The Thread’s leaders may not have been planning the attacks, but they were still partially responsible for fueling some demons’ anger. Human-hating demons still remained in Ligones. It left me with an uneasy feeling.
“Orla, how many fingers am I holding up?” Oswyn waved his hand in front of my face.
“Huh? Three?”
“Oh good, you’re back. Everyone’s waiting in the living room. And I have a surprise for you!”
I wished for no more surprises but said nothing.
“Orla!!” Cleta exclaimed when she saw me.
“You’re back!” I said, forcing her into a hug. “How did it go?”
“Believe it or not, as soon as the tribe realized that it was okay to speak up against my father, they wouldn’t stop talking.”
“How do you feel?”
“Relieved,” she admitted. “Yet a small part of me can’t help but wonder if my father wasn’t the biggest threat,” she continued in confidence.
“Sadly, Luther and I came to a similar conclusion,” I shared.
“And now, for the main event!!” Oswyn clapped to call for attention. Silence fell upon the room, giving me time to recognize many familiar faces in the crowd, on top of all my friends. “Many of you know that Orla has basically saved me by bringing me to Voke,” Oswyn said, suddenly serious. “She has welcomed me into a life I didn’t ever dare dreaming of. One where I can be myself, fully.”
The guests murmured empathetically.
“This afternoon, I not only wanted to honor Orla, but also our shared background. She is the one who gave me the courage to share who I am with the rest of you, despite how scared I was of being ostracized for my differences. For as someone wise once told me, while we might never entirely understand what it’s like to be a human, or a demon, we don’t have to, as long as we are true to ourselves,” he smiled at me wholeheartedly.
Everyone clapped, until a minstrel entered the room with a lute.
“Gather around, to hear the tale of the Battle of Yew Mountain,” he declared.
My eyes widened. I had read a truncated version of that battle, on moth-eaten scrolls Louise had found the night she was assaulted in the library. I grinned, and mouthed a “thank you” to Oswyn, who tipped an invisible hat at me.
The biggest surprise of the afternoon was probably that Queen Abria had received human help from Thornland during her war against the Scrim Islanders. Gaia, Louise and I grilled the minstrel when he was finished. I don’t think he expected us to be so passionate about a ballad his ancestors had passed on to him.
“Some of your scrolls actually helped me piece out the ending,” the minstrel shared. “That ballad was passed on orally, and a lot of it got lost through the generations. I should thank you!”
He wrote it all down for us before taking his leave.
“I can’t wait to show this to Luther,” I told Gaia and Louise, admiring the scroll the minstrel had just given me.
“And Gallen!” Gaia exclaimed in Commontongue.
“I didn’t realize he was interested in our research,” Louise commented.
“Not until Orla told him about the shrine she and Luther went to visit. Now he asks me about our progress daily!” Gaia said happily. “I think he realized that it was a way for us to connect,” she confided in a quieter voice. “Between the fire and the threat of war…not to mention being new parents…” Gaia shook her head. “Let’s just say it’s taken its toll on our relationship.”
“Oh, Gaia!” Louise said gently.
I was suddenly very aware of Cleta staring in our direction. She didn’t seem to share Gaia’s enthusiasm.
Our conversation was interrupted by a valet carrying a message for me. Oswyn attempted to shoo him away, arguing that I deserved a break from court, but the valet insisted she had to see me right away. I waved at Oswyn to let her through.
“I’m sorry to disturb you,” she said when she reached me. “But the oracle Dealla, from the Cernunnos tribe, has just arrived in the palace. She wants to see you right away.”
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