Wingborn (19 page)

“
Since
I’
m not that point is moot.
”

“You sound
like Clerk Brenai.”

“Thank you,
that was the tone I was aiming for.”

“
I
don’
t see what the problem is,
”
Corin said, diving into their bickering before
Mhysra could thump Derrain.
“
Think of all those rich, good looking, socially
adept men.
”
She sighed.
“
Riders in uniform.
It
’
s enough to make a
girl swoon.
”

“Not this
girl,” Mhysra sniffed, though the prospect of Riders in dress
uniform did make her feel a little weak about the knees.

“Lieutenants
Lyrai and Stirla,” Corin continued dreamily. “Scarlet jackets and
tight, white breeches, their boots polished to reflect the
candlelight. Swords at the hip.”

Mhysra said nothing, the image a little too
clear for her comfort.

“
And
y
our sister is a leader of fashion,
”
Corin went on sulkily,
“
so you
’
re bound to look amazing. And Theryn will be there.
If you dance with him I may have to hurt you.
”

Though Derrain and Dhori were
Corin
’
s everyday flirts,
with the lieutenants as distant crushes, Rider Theryn was the one
she truly adored. A redhead with a blinding smile, he
wasn
’
t the most handsome
Rider, but he was funny and popular.

“
I
s it still all right for me to come
and
see your dress before you
leave?
”
Corin asked as
they approached Kilpapan House.

“
Milli
says you’
re quite welcome.
”

“
And can
I –” she began, but Dhori clapped a hand over her mouth and
towed her away.

“Until next we
meet, milady!” Harlan called, and Mhysra waved forlornly as her
friends headed into the city, leaving her on the doorstep with
Bumble and Derrain.

“
It’
s just one day,
”
Derrain consoled her.

“And one
night.” She sighed. “One very important, frightening and stupidly
grand night.”

“
You’
ll be fine.
”
He patted Bumble
’
s head and ruffled her ears, before patting Mhysra
on the head and ruffling her hair.
“
Milli will look after you. And both your parents
will be there.
”.

“That
’
s what I
’
m afraid of,
”
she grumbled, entering the house to the sound of
his laughter.

24
^th
Sun

“AN EVENING OF
dancing, fine wines and even finer women – what more could
a man wish for?” Stirla chortled, as they pushed through the crowd
inside the ballroom. Jewels winked and glittered beneath five
enormous chandeliers and everywhere glinted with gold. A rainbow of
dresses swirled across the dance floor, their male counterparts
almost as bright. An impressive sight, especially for four Riders
more familiar with austere barracks and cold
mountainsides.

Rees gave a surly grunt and tugged at his
collar.
“
More slack in
the stitching,
”
he
growled, wandering towards the knot of Riders lingering by the
punch bowl.

Despite having little desire to be present
himself, Lyrai wasn
’
t
sorry to see Rees go – although the man did have a point about the
tight jackets.
“
How soon
do you think we can unbutton?
”

“Just take
shallow breaths,” Honra advised.

“
You’
re too skinny, that
’
s your trouble,
”
Stirla said, as they accepted wine from a footman
and headed for the Rift Rider table.
“
You need more muscle on your chest.
”
He thumped his own barrel
version.
“
Then you
breathe in deep at the fitting, hold it as long as it takes for
them to measure you and that
’
s how you get some give in your gear.
You
’
re such a runt –
it
’
s no wonder
you
’
re trussed up
tighter than a Midwinter goose.
”

Lyrai shook his head at his
friend
’
s familiar
teasing and tasted his wine – and grimaced at the watered down
taste.
“
I
’
ll bear that in mind.
”
Sitting near the head of the
table, he looked around for his family. He couldn
’
t see his father, but his brother was
laughing too loudly across the room, already drunk, while two of
his sisters were dancing. His mother sparkled at the top table like
captured sunlight.

“See anyone
interesting?” Lieutenant Fleik wanted to know. As one of Myran’s
senior lieutenants, he’d been patrolling the area around Nimbys for
the last six months. Since the kaz-naghkt attack, the captain and
the rest of his flight had come into the city. They’d stayed for
the festivities and would leave again in two days. Lyrai wished he
was going with them.

“Lots of
interest,” Imaino, the other senior lieutenant said. “But no one I
know.”

“Lyrai can
supply the names,” Stirla volunteered, already on his third glass
of wine.

Fleik laughed and shook his head.
“
How, when he
’
s been running wild with us for
five years? Society changes – only the daft rules stay the
same.
”

“
I know
some,” Lyrai replied, goaded into defending his normally despised
social credentials
.
“
That fat, bald man pawing at that poor girl is Lord
Leivn.
”

“
Leivn
the Letch.” Imaino grimaced. “Even I know
him.
”
The lieutenant came from Mistrune
– an isolated, inhospitable place half-submerged in the Stormsurge
most of the year – and frequently claimed to have been born under a
rock.
“
Try again,
Lyrai.
”

“Aye, like the
name of that little beauty.” Fleik nodded towards the door.

Lyrai recognised the man first, towering
above his three companions. He carried himself like a king, dressed
in the sombre dark green of his house.
“
Earl Kilpapan,
”
he told his audience.
“
The woman on his arm is his countess. Formerly a
Wrentherin.
”
Dressed in
the same colours, Lady Kilpapan looked small but regal, walking
confidently beside her husband, every inch his equal.

Their two daughters trailed in their wake,
dressed in shades of blue and gold.
“
The tall girl is Lady Mhysra,
”
he continued.
“
Who happens to be training with us this
year.
”

Fleik raised his eyebrows.
“
Rather forward thinking of her
parents.
”

Despite still having doubts about that,
Lyrai smiled.
“
She was
raised at Wrentheria.
”

The Riders murmured their approval and
turned to watch the family again. Fleik focused on the shorter,
curvaceous woman in gold.
“
And the other?
”

“
Lady
Milluqua,” Stirla answered to general surprise, since the women he
typically associated with could rarely be described as ladies. He
fiddled with his wineglass. “I met her at the eyries. She was
looking for her sister.”
Everyone watched him for a long
moment, but Stirla remained silent.

Shrugging, Fleik turned to Imaino.
“
When do we take our
turn in Nimbys again?
”

Stirla sighed and Lyrai smirked. His friend
had failed to mention just how many times he
’
d met the lady at the eyries. As one of
the Riders
’
chief
gossips, Stirla should have known better.

“You
’
re drooling.
”

Stirla shot him a scathing look.
“
Why don
’
t you go visit your mother?
”

“And dance
with a pretty lady along the way?” Lyrai asked. “I just might. This
uniform does all the talking for me. Do you think Lady Milluqua
will approve?” He slid from the table, chuckling at the growl aimed
at his back as he strode away.

LADY MILLUQUA
KILPAPAN
hid a yawn behind her fan and smiled at her sister.
They had barely arrived and her dance card was almost full. Even
Mhysra had accepted a few offers, though her dancing lacked
confidence. Milluqua glanced across the ballroom, smiling as Mhysra
looked the same way. Though many Rift Riders came from good
families, they were mostly younger sons and rarely moved in
society. The Nimbys Midsummer Ball was one of the few events at
which they were all welcome and expected to attend. It certainly
made things interesting.

“
See
anyone you know?” she murmured in her sister’
s ear, watching
a Rider officer make his way across the room. Even amongst the
peacock shades, his scarlet coat stood out.

Pale and uncertain in her beautiful dress,
Mhysra smiled weakly.
“
Some,
”
she admitted.
“
Captain
Myran
’
s whole flight is
here, but I only know half of them.
”

“What about
him?” Milluqua pointed her fan at the golden-headed officer
approaching them.

“
Lieutenant Lyrai,” her sister replied. “M
y training
instructor.
You’ve seen him
before.”

“That’s
Lyrai?” Milluqua blinked, but shut her mouth as the lieutenant
bowed before them.

“Good evening,
Lady Milluqua. Lady Mhysra.” He smiled politely, though his
attention was mostly on Mhysra. It was an unusual sensation for
Milluqua, who was used to receiving the full focus of any man in
her vicinity. She was more amused than disgruntled, though,
especially at her little sister’s discomfort.

“I trust
you’re enjoying yourselves,” the lieutenant enquired, accepting a
glass of wine from a footman. “A pleasant change from your daily
routine.”

“Yes, sir,”
Mhysra murmured, toying with her glass and not looking at the
lieutenant.

Catching Milluqua
’
s eye, he smiled in silent acknowledgement
of Mhysra
’
s shyness.
“
My lady, would you
grant me the honour of a dance this evening?
”
Then, almost as an afterthought, he
turned to her sister.
“
And you too, of course, Lady Mhysra.
”

As ploys went, Milluqua thought it
masterful. Now Mhysra was frowning because Lyrai had almost
forgotten her and presented her dance card without protest after he
claimed a space on Milluqua
’
s. She hid her smile behind her fan when he wrote
his name down twice for her little sister, after reserving only one
dance with her.

“Until later,
ladies,” he murmured, bowed again and left.

They watched him walk away, while Milluqua
languidly plied her fan.
“
He seems nice.
”

Mhysra started to shrug, then must have
remembered that it was undesirable behaviour in a young lady and
sighed instead.
“
He
’
s
very stern. I don
’
t
think he likes me much.
”

Milluqua said nothing, concentrating on
folding her fan just so.

“
He
envies me Cumulo. Well, most of the Riders do, but for him
it’
s worse since he
’
s grounded. At first I thought he didn
’
t want women in the Riders, but he
treats the other girls fairly. It
’
s just me he doesn
’
t like.
”

Smiling, Milluqua tucked a stray curl back
into Mhysra
’
s chignon,
proud of how elegant her sister looked after all the hard work of
getting her to the fittings and the torture of making her sit still
this afternoon to get ready.
“
If there
’
s one thing I
’
ve learned about men, love, it
’
s never to second guess what
they
’
re thinking.
Especially when it comes to women. Men are rarely as complicated as
we believe. I
’
m sure he
doesn
’
t dislike
you.
”

“
I hope
not,” Mhysra grumbled, grimacing as she studied her dance card.
“I’
m to dance with him
twice
. Maegla preserve me,
what will we talk about? I can
’
t even look the man in the eye.
”

Delighted that her sister appeared to be
noticing men at last, even if she didn
’
t realise it yet, Milluqua suppressed a chuckle.
“
I
’
m sure you
’
ll find something.
”

AS LYRAI MOVED
around the ballroom, meeting acquaintances and dutifully writing
his name on the dance cards he should, and a few he actually wished
to, he crept closer to the top table and his mother. Occasionally
he glanced at the Riders enjoying themselves, or at the flock of
young men surrounding the Kilpapan daughters. Lady Milluqua handled
them deftly, while her sister stood awkwardly to one side. He felt
sorry for her.

On the training field Mhysra was an
intelligent pupil, quiet but willing to put herself forward when
required. With her miryhl she was an undisputed expert. Here she
was clearly uncomfortable. Too tall, too thin and too awkward for
this gilded sphere. Having once struggled to move between such
different worlds himself, he
’
d gladly put his name down for two dances. Even
though she didn
’
t like
him, he thought she
’
d
find him easier to dance with than a stranger.