Edge of Worlds (The Books of the Raksura) (22 page)

But there really had been no opportunity to turn back. The shared dream and the mentors’ augury had made the consequences of failure clear.

The flying boat sailed on over the islands, and the sealing city, until they were out of sight.

C
HAPTER
T
EN

“
I
t’s not going well,” Ember whispered.

He was crouched on the balcony of Rill’s bower, shielded from the sight of anyone in the greeting hall by the angle of the doorway.

Below, Malachite and Pearl confronted each other, loosely surrounded by an uneasy group of warriors and Arbora. Floret spoke for Pearl, and an older female warrior spoke for Malachite. So far they appeared to be making extremely awkward small talk, while Floret occasionally threw beseeching glances at Pearl, hoping for some sign that it was all right to invite the newcomers into the colony.

It wasn’t the first unexpected visit since the groundling flying boat had left. Niran and Diar from the Golden Isles had arrived in their wind-ship only six days later. The court had hosted them for the night, given them a copy of the Kish map and all the information they had, and sent them on their way. It had been a relief all around. At least Jade and the others would have friendly groundling allies whenever the Golden Isles wind-ship caught up with them.

Behind him, Rill asked Aura, “The same visions? All their mentors?”

“That’s what it sounded like from their descriptions.” Aura had led the warriors who had carried the message to Opal Night. “Malachite barely gave us time to eat and rest before we started back here.”

The thought that another court had experienced the same augury made Ember’s skin creep. Given the seriousness of the visions, it wasn’t a surprise that Malachite had come here. The problem was that along with a group of warriors, Malachite had brought Opal Night’s half-Fell consort and half-Fell mentor.

They were with her now, standing with the Opal Night warriors. The warriors seemed relaxed and confident, but the half-Fell consort, now in his groundling form, looked nervous. The mentor was nearly hiding behind one of the larger female warriors.

Ember could tell the situation was becoming increasingly tense. Watching Pearl, studying the subtle nuances of her body language, Ember thought it was indecision she was wrestling with more than disgust or anger. In a way he understood. Indigo Cloud had been nearly destroyed by a deliberately crossbred Fell-Raksuran queen who had taken over her Fell flight. The court of Sky Copper had been entirely destroyed except for one royal clutch. The same thing had happened to Opal Night’s eastern colony, turns and turns ago, and it must have been easy for Pearl to sympathize, even if she didn’t understand Malachite’s impulse to retrieve her consort’s half-Fell issue.

All of Indigo Cloud had known about them, and heard the story of what had happened when Moon had been taken to Opal Night a couple of turns ago. But seeing half-Fell in the Indigo Cloud colony was something else altogether. Ember didn’t know what to think or feel about it and he was certain not many of the others did either.

“It’s wrong,” Rill muttered, moving forward to crouch beside Ember. “Pearl should welcome them, too. They’re part of our first consort’s bloodline. That little consort is Moon’s half clutch-brother.”

“Did you see what that little consort’s scaled form looks like?” Aura’s spines moved uneasily. Ember hadn’t seen it. He had been down in the nurseries when the Opal Night party had arrived. Then she admitted, “But when we traveled with them, he was fine. They both were. It just took a while to get used to the idea.”

Rill glanced at Ember, her expression deeply concerned. “Not letting them in is . . . wrong. If we don’t accept them, the other courts will take it as an excuse not to accept them either.”

“I don’t think they’re going to do much visiting—” Aura began.

“What if there are others?” Rill’s concern turned to borderline fury. “Lost out there, like Moon was, but part Fell, and not knowing what to do, except look for a court to belong to. And if they’re turned away, or worse, killed, because—”

Ember squeezed her wrist, and she subsided, saying, “I’m just . . . What happened to the consorts and Arbora who were forced to make them is not their fault. We owe it to them to help.”

Aura groaned. “All right, fine, but . . . Malachite should have sent someone ahead with us, so they could talk to Pearl first. So she would have time to think about it before they got here.”

Aura was dead right about that, Ember knew. Pearl hated surprises, hated having her hand forced. He also knew that he would have been the one to have that conversation, and he didn’t know if he felt the way Rill did. Maybe in principle, but in reality, he was afraid.

Opal Night had great power and influence, but other courts didn’t know about the half-Fell fledglings Malachite had taken in. When they learned of it, they would have to make a decision whether to accept it or not. If Indigo Cloud accepted it, it wouldn’t obligate any other court to follow suit, but it would be a powerful pull on all the interconnected strings of alliance.

Just one step. Somebody had to take it. Ember knew whose job it was, and it made his stomach sour with nerves.
This is what consorts are for
. He said, aloud, “I know what I should do.”

Rill looked at him, holding her breath.

Ember stared at the half-Fell consort with the oddly pale groundling skin. The tension in his shoulders was clearly fear. Conflicting impulses said
he’s half-Fell
and
but he’s a consort
. Then
he’s not only a consort, he’s your first consort’s half clutch-brother, just think about it that way
. Failing to welcome Moon’s half clutch-brother would be offensive, a clear violation of etiquette, a terrible insult. But against that was . . . fear. The only thing holding him back was fear.

It couldn’t be any worse than being dragged off to a strange court in turmoil where it had been immediately obvious that no one wanted him. “All right,” Ember muttered to himself. “So then.”

He stood. “Aura, please go up and get the seating area outside my bower ready to receive someone. Use my best tea set.”

“Uh.” Aura blinked, the implications hitting her. “Uh, yes, I’ll do that.”

She climbed down from the railing to head for the bower’s doorway. Rill followed her, saying, “I’ll help. You won’t do it right.”

“I will do it right,” Aura protested and they disappeared down the passage.

Ember took a deep breath, and before he could talk himself out of it, shifted and leapt down to the greeting hall floor.

He landed and furled his wings, and the hall fell silent, all murmuring and whispering ceasing instantly. He walked toward the group at the center, managing not to look at Pearl and Malachite.

It was second nature to make it look graceful, though with every eye in the court on him and his insides roiling, it wasn’t easy. Whether this was a good idea or not, he had no idea. But Shadow, the first consort of Emerald Twilight, had told him that Raksuran courts had strict rules of etiquette so they wouldn’t kill each other. Now it seemed doubly important to follow those rules.

Close-up, the consort looked even more like someone who had frozen in place in terror and self-consciousness. Ember reached him, shifted to his groundling form, and said, “I’m Ember, consort to Pearl, the reigning queen.”

The consort stared, wide-eyed. The fact that he was just as afraid as Ember somehow made the situation easier. Ember prompted gently, “This is where you tell me your name.”

“Uh, yes,” the consort whispered. “I’m Shade, of Opal Night.”

Ember nodded. “Would you like to come up to the consorts’ quarters?”

In a bare whisper, Shade managed, “Yes.”

“Good.” Ember took a breath to steady his pounding heart. “Follow me.”

Shade said, “But I’ll have to shift.”

Ember hesitated. He didn’t have time to consider all the implications, and found himself falling back again on common politeness. Suggesting that anything about Shade was out of the ordinary or unwelcome would be something only done to challenge or deliberately offend another court. Against a court that was not only an ally but whose bloodline was now mingled with Indigo Cloud’s royal Aeriat, it was unthinkable. He said, “Yes, you’ll have to shift. But it’s all right.”

Shade met his gaze, clearly forced his shoulders to relax, and shifted in time with Ember.

Ember blinked. He had heard the descriptions, but it was still a shock to see the reality. Shade’s shifted form was big and muscular, though the proportions were clearly a consort’s. His scales were a reflective black, with no contrasting color undersheen and no banding on his claws. He had a smaller, less prominent Fell ruler’s armored crest and a mane of spines and frills sprouting from the base. He did look like the drawing of the forerunner from the ancient city that Delin had brought to show them. Heart had made a copy of it for the mentors’ library and most of the court had studied it curiously. Ember managed to say, “Follow me,” and he and Shade leapt up to the nearest balcony.

Ember took them far enough up the central well to make the point, then swung over a balcony and into a passage that led to a back stairwell. He shifted to his groundling form and explained, “I want to give them time to get the seating area ready.”

Shade shifted as well. “Oh, right.” Following Ember up the steps, he added, “I’ve never been to another court before.”

“I hadn’t either, before I came here,” Ember told him. “I’m from Emerald Twilight.”

“Oh.” Shade hesitated again, then asked, “The warriors said Moon and the others went off with groundlings because your mentors think Fell will come here.”

“Yes, that’s what happened.” They reached the top of the landing, the one with the life-sized carving of warriors in flight, twisting up the wall to the next level, but Ember was too distracted to point it out. “Aura said your mentors saw the same thing, Fell attacking the Reaches?”

“Yes,” Shade said. “And right before your warriors arrived, we had a shared dream, just like the one described in Jade’s letter. Except the Fell weren’t at Opal Night, they were coming from the east, attacking all the courts on this side of the Reaches.”

Ember stopped, turning to stare at him. “Really?”

Shade nodded. His brow creased in worry, and his oddly pale skin was flushed. Their gazes met for a long moment. Ember felt a chill wind its way up his spine. He was suddenly glad Malachite had come here. He said, “We haven’t heard from our other allies yet, but . . .”

“We can’t be the only courts this has happened to,” Shade said. “There must be others. Lithe—she’s the mentor with us—said the visions might be spreading slowly, because the other courts aren’t as close to what’s happening as we are.”

Ember turned and started up the stairs again, considering it. “Lithe needs to talk to Heart, and our other mentors.” As they walked, he told Shade about the Kishan flying boat and what Delin had said, which carried them up to the consorts’ level and to the now carefully arranged seating area outside his bower, and through the first cup of tea. Having something substantive to talk about made the whole situation less awkward. After the second cup, Shade paused as if to gather his courage, and asked, “Did Pearl not want to let us in?”

“Pearl . . .” Ember tried to think of a way to explain it. Pearl was always gentle with him, though with the rest of the court she had good days and bad days. He didn’t think she had ever really recovered from her consort Rain’s premature death, and it had seemed to make a lot of things hard for her. “Pearl often thinks things are difficult, and you have to show her that they really aren’t.”

Shade seemed to understand. “So you made the decision to let us in for her. Is she going to mind?”

“No,” Ember confessed. “If I handle it right, she’ll think it was her idea, sort of.” It was hard to explain. Pearl could make decisions all day when lives were at stake; it was only when they weren’t that she had trouble. This complicated question of etiquette and the future of part-Fell Raksura in the Reaches was absolutely the kind of decision she hated. But now that it was made, he thought Pearl would find it much easier to go along on the path Ember had nudged her toward.

By the time Floret came down the passage, Shade seemed at ease and Ember was certain he had made the right decision. It was a relief to have another consort to talk all this over with.

Floret said, “Ember, Pearl wants you to come to the queens’ hall now.” She smiled at Shade, and Ember remembered they had actually met before, that she was one of the warriors who had been at Opal Night with Jade and Moon. “Malachite’s there too.”

“How is it—Are they—?” Shade tried to ask.

“It’s going pretty well,” Floret assured him. “Much better than before.”

Ember led the way to the steps down to the passage that led through to the queens’ hall, and he and Shade made what Ember considered to be a very decorous and correct entrance. Ember liked and admired Moon a great deal, but he wasn’t very good at entrances. He entered formal meetings looking either like a captive dragged there against his will or like he was coming to murder someone.

Pearl and Malachite were now seated, facing each other over the court’s best blue glazed tea set, a few warriors arrayed around them. Malachite had the mentor Lithe with her, and someone had had the forethought to summon Heart and Bone to sit with Pearl. Arbora tended to be a calming presence anyway, and Bone disliked conflict almost as much as Pearl, but he was much better at defusing it.

As Ember and Shade took seats on the cushions left for them, and the introductions were made, Ember had a chance to get a close look at Malachite.

She was bigger than Pearl, clearly more physically powerful, and her scales were a green so dark it was almost black. There was light gray scarring across her scales, concealing what should be the second color of her webbing. Her only jewelry was silver and crystal sheaths on her claws. Ember thought she looked like a very fine ceramic bowl that had been broken and repaired with silver in the cracks, to make it stronger.