Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles Book 1) (23 page)

A blade of fear jabbed her, but she straightened her shoulders and stood tall. She had only to scream and palace guards would come running. Not to mention the open doors of the ballroom just above them. Calladeen would not dare make good on his subtle threat, if indeed that’s what it was.

“I appreciate your concern for my welfare, but I am in no need of escort from you.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You have had a stimulating few days here, I’m told.”

She remained silent. Surely he could not be so indelicate as to be discussing what she thought he was.

“The incident at the refugee camp? According to the paper, you were quite near the action.”

She gripped the fabric of her dress in tight fists to stop the shaking of her hands as the images flooded her. “If by
stimulating
, you mean
horrifying
, then you are correct. That soldier had no honor . . . shooting a child.”

He drew uncomfortably close to her, but Jasminda refused to step back. “And you feel the Prince Regent is acting honorably in subjecting the captain to a court martial that could result in his execution?”

“Of course. That man would have killed the boy for no reason if there had been no Earthsingers present. The prince is doing the right thing.
He
is honorable.”

“It is a shame that honor is not the most important quality in a leader.”

Jasminda blinked, choosing to take the bait. “What is a more important quality?”

“Decisiveness. The ability to do what needs to be done. Leadership is about making hard choices and not indulging one’s every whim.” He looked her up and down as she strained to remain poised under the inspection. “For example, bringing home a stray pet is not in line with effective leadership.”

Jasminda’s jaw tensed. “Say what you think you need to say to me.”

His slow smile froze the blood in her veins. “Very well. You may be unsuitable, but you are by no means unintelligent. Let me be clear: you make him weaker. He was not strong to begin with, and Elsira’s greatest tragedy was the loss of Alariq, a man truly fit to lead. However, given that we must make the best of what we have and there are no other princes coming out of the woodwork, Jaqros needs to be strong. He needs a princess the people can rally around, not some mongrel whore installed in the palace.”

The
crack
rang out before she even thought about it. Her hand stung, and she stared at it as if it belonged to someone else. She had never slapped someone so hard before. She had never slapped anyone ever.

Calladeen’s eyes narrowed. The fear snaking inside her enlarged as a cruel expression slid onto his face.

“Zavros.” Jack stepped into view from behind Calladeen, and Jasminda gasped, her moment of alarm fleeing with sudden relief. He was all warrior, his face cut from stone. He stepped toe to toe with Calladeen, speaking in a low and deadly voice, forcing the taller man backward a step. “If you ever so much as look in her direction again, I will personally ensure your eligibility for the Order of Eunuchs. If you have a problem with me, you bring it to me. You do not speak to her. You do not look at her. As far as you are concerned, she does not exist.”

Calladeen’s sneer melted. His eyes widened in fear. The only movement in his body was the shudder of his throat as he swallowed.

“Now get out of my sight.”

The man lowered into a hasty bow before fleeing up the stairs. Jack turned to Jasminda, reaching for her. She longed to fall into his arms but took a step back. His forehead crinkled in confusion.

"Are you all right?"

Shaking her head, she took another step away from him. Gratitude and self-preservation fought within her. “That will come back to haunt you.”

He dropped his arms. “I don’t care.”

“Yes, you do.” She drew her shaking arms around her, finally registering the cold of the night.

“Jasminda, you know I would not let anyone harm you. You’re too important to me.”

“Me? Important? I thought I was merely
acceptable
.” She watched understanding dawn on his face. The misery that followed it tore at her, but his words had stung.

“You heard that? You know I didn’t mean—”

“Shhh. Someone may overhear. Voices carry up there, don't they?" She motioned toward the terrace.

"Yours does when you're upset," he said, his eyes full of sadness.

Her steps were wobbly as she continued backing away from him. “Go back to your ball, Your Grace. Lizvette may want another dance, and you cannot disappoint your people.” She turned then so he would not see the tears overflow their barriers. She knew she wasn’t being fair, but nothing about this situation was fair, nothing about her life had ever been.

Leaving the music and the finery behind, she ran along the garden to the eastern entrance of the palace and enlisted the help of a passing servant to lead her back to her rooms. Once inside, she locked the door and dragged over a heavy armchair to prop in front of it. She would spend the night alone again. She had better start getting used to it.

“
Lady Oola, are
you ready to begin?” My cousin Vaaryn stands in the center of the amphitheater that is the Assembly Room. Rows of benches spiral around him, filled with the other children of the Founders. He is aged and stooping, the eldest of the Thirds. Next to him, spine as rigid and unyielding as his face, sits my beloved Eero.

When I shudder, Yllis squeezes my hand. I stand, all the heavier for the weight pressing against my heart, and force myself to look upon my twin.

“Eero, son of Peedar, second-born to the ninth child of the Founders, what say you to the crimes of which you are accused?” My voice sounds strong, but inside I quiver from nerves. The closest relative of the accused must stand up for him in Assembly, but I do not want to be here, not as observer, judge, or as his Advocate.

“My only crime,
sister
”—the word is a sneer falling from his mouth—“was being born Silent in a world of Songbearers.” He is not chained or bound in any way and crosses his arms in front of him defiantly.

I clear my throat and take a breath, still amazed at the cruel way he speaks to me now. “Your crime is the kidnapping of Sayya, Fourth descendent of the Founders. Do you deny this?”

He looks straight ahead, his gaze boring into the wall. “As a Third descendent, I see no reason to dignify this proceeding with a response.”

I swallow. “As you well know, only Songbearers are counted in the line of descendants. The Silent are not—”

“Did you not gift me part of your Song,
sister
?
Does that not make me a Songbearer?” The accusation in his voice cuts me. There are so many feelings swirling inside—anger, pain, despair, even hatred. The person before me cannot be my beloved brother. He simply cannot be.

I step closer and feel Yllis rise beside me, lending his support, as always. “You are not a Songbearer, and it was my mistake to use that spell,” I say. “I take responsibility for that. Because I love you and would do anything for you.”

“Anything?” The venom in that one word burns.

“Anything but give you more of the power you abused. You forced me to cut you off by your actions.”

“I was innovating, the way the Cantors do.”

“You set things out of balance. Earthsong is not to be used for better prices in the marketplace or to cheat at cards. You cannot ruin a crop because a farmer insulted you.” Tears well even as the anger rears its head. “And you cannot steal a girl away from her bed at night and attempt to force her to gift you her Song! She could not have done so if she wanted to. It is too advanced a spell.”

I take a breath and step back, remembering my role as Advocate. “You have heard the accusation and evidence presented against you. And as you have not denied it, now is the time. Unburden your conscience.”

He shook his head, and a smirk crossed his face. “You all think you can continue to subjugate us. That the Silent will continue living as second-class citizens for the rest of time. Sayya made me believe that she cared for me, but when I offered for her she could not bear to wed a Silent. And now my own sister forsakes me. This Assembly is a sham. If you want to judge me of a crime, then have my peers judge me. Why are there no Silent in the Assembly? Why must we make do with the scraps of life while Songbearers reap all the benefits?”

“What are you talking about, Eero?” I crouch down, near enough to look into his eyes, yet far enough so that he cannot reach out and strike me. The fact that I even think this is a possibility is sad proof of how much has changed over the past two seasons. Last summer he was the other half of my heart, but by the time the leaves fell from the trees, he had become my enemy.

“There are no Silent in the Assembly because only a Songbearer can read a man’s heart, can know the truth buried within. How can a Silent judge? What scraps has life given you? We ate at the same table, all our lives. What inequities have you suffered, brother, that makes you hate us so?” My voice cracks on this last sentiment.

His eyes harden but still he does not look at me. His jaw is set, and his body may as well be made of stone. As his Advocate, I cannot use Earthsong to determine his state of mind, but as his twin I would never need to.

Yllis pulls on my shoulder gently, and I allow him to lead me back to my seat. Vaaryn struggles to his feet and calls upon Cadda, Sayya’s mother and Advocate, to have the final word.

“It is so rare for us to hold one of us in judgment, crime in our land is so infrequent. The guidance of the Founders steers us toward mercy.” Her voice is soothing and calm. “Though my daughter was troubled greatly by Eero’s actions, she was not harmed. We ask for his captivity so that a Healer may give him the aid and comfort he so obviously needs.”

Eero snorts and rolls his eyes.

Vaaryn stands before Eero, and suddenly my brother’s expression freezes. He rises into the air, his arms locked to his sides, his legs still bent in the sitting position. For criminal proceedings, a random sampling of nine Assembly members serve as judges, communicating using Earthsong to make their decision. Eero floats for a few moments until Vaaryn speaks again.

“The Assembly agrees with the recommendation of Cadda. It is decided that Eero, son of Peedar, will be delivered to the Healers, who will tend to his mental instability until a time wherein he is determined to again be in his right mind.”

“Be it so,” the Assembly says in unison.

I do not want it to be so, but I cannot change reality. I watch my brother float away and wonder when I will see him again.

“
What is the
meaning of this?” Pugeros said as he stalked sulkily into the Council Room. “Summoning us at this ungodly hour?”

The sun had not yet crested the horizon. The ministers were likely cranky, and perhaps a bit hungover from the ball the previous night, but Jack’s exhaustion had nothing to do with alcohol. “We will begin once everyone arrives.”

The grumbling around the table continued in the background, but he paid it little mind. Instead he focused on pushing the weariness back, tucking the hours of sleepless worry away to the far reaches of his mind. He didn’t want to box those emotions up, but he needed the disquiet of this latest disaster to distract him from the pulsing ache that had started when he recognized Jasminda’s heartbreak. But she was not his only woe. What had started as a pebble was now an avalanche, and he’d once again been swept away by its sheer force.

When the last minister arrived and took his seat, Jack took a deep breath. He opened the folder before him and pulled out a curling sheet of paper.

“I received this late last night. It appeared in my offices. And when I say
appeared
, I mean it popped into existence in midair right over my desk.”

Gasps came from around the table. Jack had worked late after being denied entry to Jasminda’s room. He’d risked being seen in the hallway outside her door for long minutes before finally returning to his offices. Not long after, the paper had hovered until Jack plucked it from the air, feeling the residual vibrations of Earthsong on the single sheet.

“It pertains to the True Father’s terms for peace.”

Another round of gasps and murmurs resonated.

Jack ran his fingers across the letter. He could recite it by heart now, had spent the early-morning hours thinking and worrying and reading it over and over again. He peered at every shocked face around the table, then repeated each word.

“It has come to the attention of the beloved leadership of the Republic of Lagrimar that preparations for war are being made by the Principality of Elsira. While We assert Our
right to pursue the protection of Our people against the ambition and reckless dominance of all outsiders, We acknowledge that a peaceful and permanent solution to the many years of strife between our lands would be advantageous.

“Our offer is peace in exchange for the immediate return of every Lagrimari within the borders of the Elsiran principality. Our people are Our greatest resource, and it is within Our right to negotiate for their safe return to home soil.

“The entire power of Our crown is united behind this generous offer of peace. Once Our people are returned, a guarantee will be made to honor all current borders in perpetuity for the length of Our reign and to immediately cease and desist in any actions that may be deemed by the Principality of Elsira as acts of war.

“In witness whereof We have hereto set Our hand the eighth day of the tenth month this five hundred and twelfth year of Our reign.”

Silence descended. Jack released the paper and let it fall back onto the table.

“The refugees,” Minister Nirall said under his breath.

“Yes,” Jack replied. “He’s promising to abandon whatever scheme he has for the Mantle if we return them.”