Future Dreams (18 page)

Her opinion of the building didn’t change when they crossed the threshold. Unlike common inns, the interior was a hushed study in superior attitude. A young man clothed in the blue and white livery of the establishment intercepted them before they could take another step into the foyer.

“This way,” he murmured and rushed them across the elegant main chamber before any of the guests had reason to complain about the presence of people who clearly did not belong. Jame wondered what the surreptitiously watching guests would think if they knew she was a princess or Tigh was from a prosperous merchant family.

The young man opened a delicately engraved and painted door and motioned his unwanted charges through it. He then shut the door behind them.

Jame and Tigh paused in front of the door to observe who thought it necessary to make the quick journey from Ynit. Ewan and Sitas represented the Tribunal. Pendon Larke and the counselor, Renat Yinga, were there to assess Tigh’s present state of well being. Ingel watched Jame with a troubled frown.

“Come in. Sit down,” Ewan said. Jame and Tigh sat in the elegant chairs opposite the delegation from Ynit. “The coach business between Ynit and Glaus has been brisk of late. We’re here because we need to deflect any possible strain on our relationship with Glaus. We talked with the city leaders late last night. They had been willing to do anything to make up for the false arrest of a peace warrior and for submitting an inexperienced assistant arbiter to a case that turned out to be a part of a dangerous conspiracy.”

“But I ruined that.” Tigh’s whole body was a study in misery.

Jame was torn between consoling Tigh and giving the others a sharp opinion on their agreement with Glaus. She put a hand on Tigh’s arm and leveled her gaze at Ewan. “Is that what they think?”

“Yes. They’re alarmed that Tigh is in their city,” Ewan said.

“It doesn’t matter that she saved me from being bullied by the Lindigan sisters and that her presence was enough to get them to confess to everything?”

“Like the Lindigan sisters, they see only Tigh the Terrible,” Ewan said.

“So you’re going to continue this false assumption rather than stand up to the truth?” Jame straightened. “You give in and Tigh will never have a chance to go out into society.”

“We’ve presented it as a slight setback in her rehabilitation,” Ewan said.

“A slight setback?” Jame centered her rage on her argument. “What did you promise them? That you’d send Tigh back to Ynit in the care of soldiers? Then what? You eventually decide she’s been rehabilitated and is free to go into society? The damage will have already been done. She’s in the last step of the rehabilitation process. To suddenly treat her as if she’d never been cleansed not only sends a false message about her, it puts the entire cleansing process into doubt. Now I ask you. Are you interested in doing a quick washing over of the situation here or are you willing to take advantage of this opportunity to stand by your rehabilitation program?”

Jame sat back and watched as her words impacted each person across the table. Her argument had, at least, taken a ready response away from them. A large hand slipped into hers and she looked into Tigh’s eyes, which were filled with pride and affection. She squeezed Tigh’s hand and they shared a private smile.

Ewan took a deep breath and nodded. “You present a very compelling argument, Arbiter. Are you willing to argue for Tigh’s right to be treated as a free citizen in Glaus?”

Jame sucked in a shocked breath. “In a heartbeat.”

Chapter 14

Tigh sat cross-legged on the hearth of the small fireplace in Jame’s room in the Sword and Bow. Although the officials of Glaus would have been happier if she was in a nice cold cell in the city jail, she hadn’t done anything criminal to merit a stay in that facility. A compromise had been made that she had to remain in the Emoran safe house until the time of her hearing. She had thought this was a good idea until the constant glares and offhand remarks from the resident Emorans forced her to take refuge in Jame’s chamber.

They all thought they knew how Jame should be living her life and who she should be spending it with.
Sounds familiar
, Tigh sighed.

They had so many battles to fight before they could be together. This latest battle was a brave move by Jame and if she didn’t win, their hopes would be as good as lost. But victory would make everything else so much easier to attain.

Tigh picked up light footfalls outside the door and detected the aroma of food. The door opened and Jame walked in followed by a young girl from the kitchen.

“Just put it there.” Jame pointed to the small table in the middle of the chamber and then smiled at Tigh.

The young girl glanced at Tigh as she put the wooden platter filled with covered dishes on the table.

“Thank you,” Jame said.

“Have a good evening, my princess,” the girl said shyly before skipping out of the chamber.

“Hungry?” Jame asked, waggling her brows. “I had a talk with the cook and they didn’t add any extra ingredients this time.”

“Except maybe poison,” Tigh mumbled as she stood and approached the table.

Jame sat down. “My country people giving you a hard time?”

Tigh dolefully nodded as she took the other chair and moved it so she could sit next to Jame rather than across from her. Jame smiled at the action.

“Thank you for the food. Thank you for everything.” Tigh lowered her eyes.

“Hey.” Jame lifted Tigh’s chin with a caressing hand. “I’m being selfish, you know. I don’t want anything to stand in the way of us being together.”

“You’re a miracle to me and I won’t ever do anything that would force us apart.” Tigh clasped Jame’s cheek in the palm of her hand.

“The only thing that can force us apart is the ignorance of others.” Jame leaned into the warm hand. “This hearing will be an important step in educating everyone on who the new Tigh is.”

Tigh shook her head. “But it’s only one city. Your career could be harmed by my presence.”

Jame gave her an impish grin. “You can only enhance my career and reputation. After all, I’m the one who has successfully argued your cases and had the good sense to choose you to be my peace warrior. Any defendant can feel safe there isn’t going to be any trouble from dissenting parties.”

Tigh held Jame’s confident eyes for several heartbeats. “Do you think it’ll really work?”

“I really do.” Jame turned her head and brushed her lips against Tigh’s hand.

Warmth spread through Tigh from that simple touch and she captured Jame’s tantalizing lips with her own. “I put myself into your capable hands.”

“Completely?” Jame mumbled as she playfully nipped at Tigh’s nose.

“Completely,” Tigh said.

“All right.” Jame grinned. “Let’s eat.”

Tigh laughed as she released Jame.

Jame put out the plates and pulled the lids off of several dishes. “What do we start with first?”

Tigh blinked at the food and then raised astonished eyes to Jame. “You’re trying Ingoran food?”

“Yes,” Jame said. “I want to learn all the ritual that goes with it, too.”

A delighted Tigh pointed to a dish filled with thin slices of celery in a clear sauce. “We start with the watery vegetables.”

Jame grinned. “Watery vegetables.”

“YOU’RE A GOOD teacher,” Jame said. Between the almost mystical quality of the Ingoran ritual, the delicate flavors of the food, and the tantalizing warmth flowing between them, she was certain it had been the most wonderful meal she had ever eaten.

“I’m only as good as my pupil,” Tigh said.

Jame sighed at the rap on the door. She gave Tigh a mock look of exasperation, went to the door, and pulled it open.

Balwen, glancing past Jame at Tigh, sighed and held a small scroll out to Jame.

“This is from the queen,” Balwen said.

“Thank you, Balwen.” Jame took the scroll and kept down the swell of apprehension in her full stomach.

Balwen gave Tigh one more look, nodded to Jame, and then trudged back down the corridor.

Jame closed the door, walked to her chair, and sank down onto it. She put the scroll on the table and stared at it for several heartbeats.

Tigh put her hand on Jame’s arm, capturing her attention.

“You said the age of consent in Emoria is eighteen,” Tigh said. “She can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I know.” Jame looked down at the scroll. “But she’s so certain about what she thinks is going on in my mind and how I’ll feel once I’m an arbiter that she won’t listen to anything else.”

Tigh picked up the scroll and held it out to Jame. “May as well get it over with.”

As Jame took the scroll, their fingers touched and the shock from just that casual contact was enough for Jame to stare into Tigh’s eyes for several heartbeats.

Jame snapped away from Tigh’s intriguing gaze with a quick shake of her head, took possession of the scroll, and broke the seal. She read the strained formal words and heard in her mind all the unwritten words and emotions.

Jyac was concerned that Jame’s peace warrior had been arrested and that Jame had been threatened. She refrained from mentioning who had saved her from the menacing Lindigan sisters although Jame had no doubt Jyac knew the whole story. Emoran scouts traveled faster than the wind.

“She’s offering a patrol of warriors to ensure my safety.” Jame lifted sad eyes to Tigh. “She’s having problems keeping Argis from rushing here to my rescue.”

She put an elbow on the table and rubbed her chin with her knuckles. All she needed was a quick remedy that could satisfy Jyac and Argis at once.

“That’s it.” She went to the small writing table in the corner of the room and gathered a pen, ink jar, and several sheets of paper and brought them back to the larger table.

Tigh piled the dishes away from the space in front of Jame, who gifted her with a dazzling smile of thanks.

Silence, except for the scrape of the metal nib against the paper, descended on the chamber. Ink flowed on several sheets of paper for a good quarter sandmark. Jame finally released herself from her own spell and lifted her head from her task.

“That ought to take care of it.” She arranged the sheets in order. “I explained what really happened here. Then I told her I want to be an arbiter for a while.” She took Tigh’s hand and gazed into her eyes. “Then I told her I can’t be joined to Argis because I’m in love with you. I wrote a formal petition to allow me to be joined with someone who’s not an Emoran.”

Tigh squeezed Jame’s hand. “And how’s she going to take all that?”

Jame emitted a rueful laugh. “Not well. But given time I think she’ll understand.”

“What if you’re not allowed an Emoran joining?” Tigh asked.

“I hear Ingoran joinings are interesting.” Jame smiled at Tigh’s startled expression. “We’re going to be joined no matter what. It’d be nice if we were accepted by the Elders Council but there isn’t any law against an Emoran being joined according to the customs of another society.”

“But what impact will that have on you becoming queen?” Tigh asked.

“I’d have to do a lot worse than fall in love with an outsider to prevent me from becoming queen,” Jame said. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. I want us to be joined. I want to spend my life with you.”

Tigh pressed Jame’s hands to her lips. “It would be my honor to be joined with you and to spend the rest of my life by your side. You’re a miracle in my life.”

Overcome by the heartfelt words, Jame released Tigh’s hands and wrapped her arms around her neck. “No matter what happens, we go through it together and come out of it together.”

“Together.” Tigh found Jame’s lips with her own.

Jame reluctantly broke off the kiss. “I guess I should seal this and get it on its way.” She went to the small writing table and applied hot wax and her seal to the scroll.

Tigh picked up the platter of dishes, placed it in the corridor, and waited for Jame before she closed the door.

Jame tried not to think about how Jyac was going to receive her  message and put the packet in the mail basket outside the door. She’d have to do it sooner or later. Maybe by the time she had her medallion, Jyac and the Council would accept her decisions.

“That’s that,” Jame said as she closed the door.

Tigh ran a nervous hand through her hair and dropped cross-legged onto the small rug in front of the fireplace.

Jame saw the familiar defense mechanism in Tigh’s mind fold in on itself, creating a maze that no one could penetrate if she let it go too long.

Jame knelt in front of Tigh and resisted trying to make eye contact until Tigh was ready. After two years of working with Guards, she knew a lot more about them than Tigh probably suspected. She had heard her share of stories on what the Guards did to satisfy their physical desires. Love, or affection, was never involved. The story was that love ruined a Guard’s battle lust. Sex had been nothing more than a selfish sport between them.

“We slept in the same bed last night,” Jame said.

“I was unconscious at the time,” Tigh said to the floor.

“We don’t have to sleep.” Jame watched as the battle Tigh waged within herself surfaced in a twitch around the lips.

“My memories are . . . like all the memories I have from that time.” Tigh’s voice reflected the haunted look in her eyes.

“There’s a difference between sex and making love.” Jame brushed Tigh’s cheek with her knuckles. “I don’t want to have sex.” Tigh looked at her. “I want to make love.”

Tigh shook her head. “I’ve never—”

“Of course you have.” Jame smiled and enveloped Tigh’s cheeks with her hands. “You made love to me all this evening with your eyes. They caressed me gently and tenderly through our meal and they devoured me when we talked about our joining.”

Tigh swallowed hard and gazed at Jame.

Jame pressed a kiss on Tigh’s forehead. “You make sweet gentle love every time you kiss me. I dream about how your lips softly caress mine.” Her finger brushed the objects in question. “I can’t even find the words to describe the giddy, wonderful, sensuous, magical sensation.” Her own lips descended upon Tigh’s with each descriptive word until they were wrapped around each other, savoring many more sensations for which words had not yet been invented.