Sons of Destiny Prequel Series 003 - The Shifter (32 page)

Not waiting for an answer, he jumped into the hole, landing with a thud that caused the real Traver to jerk, rattling his chains. Whether or not the Corredai male had been awakened by his pounding and his prattle didn't matter. Kenyen wasn't here to reassure the other young man; he was here to play out the role of a face-stealing, information-needing cur. So, though it was too dark to see much of Traver, he started by crouching and shaking the younger man's calf.

"Tell me about this tea bowl thing!" he snapped, making Traver jump. "What does a bowl of tea have to do with your Corredai marriage ceremonies, and what sort of bowl are
you
supposed to bring?" Hating himself, hating their situation, Kenyen listened as the sleepy-sounding Traver stammered out a reply.

Surreptitiously, under the cover of the deep darkness of the root cellar, he sketched the Aian words for
She is safe
,
Escape soon
,
Magic
, and
Fly
on Traver's leg. He didn't know if it worked, if Traver got the message—it wasn't as if Traver could do or say anything to acknowledge it—but the Corredai man did twitch his legs a few times under his touch. If the weather really was going to clear up soon, the Mongrels might hold another one of their bonfire meetings, and at that meeting, Kenyen knew he had better be prepared to "help" them find the greensteel they sought. That meant he had to be prepared to rescue Traver, and that meant preparing the youth.

I will get you free,
he swore silently, though out loud, he berated the captive Traver for the stammering slowness of his answers.
I will get you free and take down our mutual enemies. And... apologize for
stealing away part of your life... though I'm reluctant to give up Solyn.

He didn't dwell too long or too hard on why he didn't want to give her up. His feelings could wait for a later examination. Faking this ugly compliance with Mongrel interests had to take precedence for now.

Seen from afar, the tea bowl Kenyen had chosen looked deceptively simple. It was a somewhat deep, green-and-blue bowl glazed in the popular crackled style, neither cheap nor overly expensive. That glaze could be applied to stoneware as well as porcelain, though the thin lip and light weight suggested it was porcelain. By the look of it, it wasn't a bad choice for a younger son of a farmer's holding.

The first clue Solyn had that Kenyen—in his guise of her friend and betrothed, Traver—hadn't simply selected the first tea bowl that looked vaguely acceptable was in the way the elderly priest's brows rose sharply the moment he removed it from the folds of its carrying bag. The Honorable Hennen Vel Guan didn't say a word, though, just picked up the bottle of Sister's Tea she had prepared ages ago, and began his prayers for serenity, prosperity, and fertility as he carefully measured, poured, and whisked the brew on his portable altar table.

She didn't see just how unusual it was, however, until after she had murmured her acceptance of the man at her side, drinking him symbolically into her life with the first sip. On the second sip, when the opaque green liquid in the cup had tipped far enough to reveal the bottom... her own brows rose sharply as well.

Below the finger-width rim, glazed in deep blue, the interior revealed the radiant double-whorl petals of a tea blossom carved into the porcelain. In the very bottom of the cup, beneath the clear glaze revealing the purity of the white clay, the maker had embedded a crownai, the small but economically potent gold coin of the Aian continent.

Placed at the heart of those petals, it represented the pistils and stamens of the flower. Symbolically, something like this was meant to represent the wealth of an eldest son being brought to a marriage—the wealth of a plantation holder's son, at that. Or, if not in land, then in some valued trade skill. Her own father had gifted her mother with one of these bowls, but then Ysander had already completed his journeying years as a young blacksmith before courting the young Reina. He had established his forge and had an income worthy of such a bowl.

The value of the tea bowl, coin and artistry combined, represented at least half a year's wages for a mere farmer. More than that, for a farmer's fourthborn child. It was an extravagance which should have been beyond easy reach, yet this Kenyen of the Shifterai had managed to pay for it anyway. She didn't know how much he may have hesitated or flinched, but she was sure he was honorable enough to have bought it.

Draining the last drop of the wedding maschen, she handed the tea bowl to the priest for the traditional reading. The Honorable Hennen had less magic than she did, but many more years of experience in tea readings. The fact that she saw the corner of his mouth quirk up slightly, as well as the eyebrow on that side of his weathered face, reassured her. Whatever he saw, it either pleased or amused him.

Of course, he said nothing aloud, since Traver's family, hers, and many of the holders who could be spared from up and down the valley had gathered for this impromptu wedding. Instead, he gestured for the two of them to turn and face the gathered witnesses. Held on the trader's yard, several of those holdings had brought large tent awnings, setting them up to shelter the crowd against the misting rain that had followed in the storm's wake.

"Unto Cora and the Corredai," the priest stated in a firm voice, "I present to you Traver and Solyn, bound as a new family in the bonds of holy marriage, and whose children shall be known as the Tra Sol. May the Goddess bless them and their progeny for many generations to come!"

Most of the crowd applauded. A few more cheered, calling out blessings, and a few smirked. Notably Tunric, Tarquin, and Zellan, the three shifters Solyn knew about. Not that she could do anything about their smug looks. Behind her, the priest cleaned the tea bowl. In front of her, members of the Nespah Valley lined up to congratulate her and "Traver" on their marriage. She did her best to smile and murmur her thanks, though she flinched inside every time they said the wrong name.

Eventually the congratulations faded, leaving people hungry for the food placed on tables under some of the awnings. It wasn't a particularly fancy feast, just whatever could be thrown together in a single morning. There was, however, plenty of it. Dumplings both fried and steamed, pasties filled with meat and cheese, grain porridge, fresh vegetables and fruits, a couple of fruit-filled pies, and even some fresh-caught mountain trout. Seated at one of the tables, her shapeshifted husband at her side—that was a thought that would require some getting used to—Solyn tried her best to enjoy the meal.

The Honorable Hennen came over. With a nod and a smile, he set the marriage bowl on the table between them, with its plain, crackle-glazed outside and fancy, tea blossom and coin inside. It was a tradition to display the marriage tea bowl, so that everyone could see the appropriateness of the groom's choice.

Hylin, Solyn's aunt, was the first to notice it. Eyes wide, she craned her neck for a better look and exclaimed, "Where in Cora's Peaks did you get
that
thing, boy?"

"From the potters in Kallak," Kenyen replied calmly between bites of fish.

"No, I mean, where did you get the
money
for this thing?" Hylin asked as others moved closer, drawn by their curiosity at her words. "That bowl is way beyond your means!"

Kenyen, mindful of who he was supposed to be, confined his reply to a blithe shrug. "Actually, I've been saving money for a long time, now. A thronai here, a thronai there... even an occasional scepterai. All that copper and silver does eventually add up. I consider it proof that I'll always be careful to spend wisely and give my wife the best I can afford."

"So I take it you'll be buying your own house soon, then?" The question came from Tunric, mine owner and face-stealer.

Solyn saved Kenyen from answering. "Oh, we're not moving just yet! Traver knows I still have several more things to learn from Mother before I could be considered a Healer in my own right. He'll be moving in with me, for now."

Covering her hand, Kenyen smiled and added, "It gives me more time to make sure I can afford the best home for my wife. In the meantime, I will respect and honor the generosity of her family in offering a place in their home to me."

Tunric tightened his mouth for a moment, then leveled a pointed look at the newly wedded groom. "Make sure you
do
fulfill your obligations, regarding your wife and her family."

"I consider it my highest priority," Kenyen countered calmly. "Thank you for your kind wishes for us in our marriage."

Grunting, Tunric turned away without actually giving them any such wishes. Kenyen didn't expect anything else. From what he saw, the men of Mongrel didn't believe in the sanctity and happiness found in marriage, just in the using of women for their own selfish needs. Others moved forward to take his place, thankfully, and the impromptu feast continued.

The only other sour note came from the red-eyed glares aimed at the couple by Killia Lis Pel. Kenyen could guess why, if she was the young woman the real Traver had been kissing. He gave her an awkward, apologetic smile, which only served to make her run off.
I
thought Traver said she was now twining with someone else... but it seems she still has feelings for him. Yet another thing I'll have to try to fix, when this is all over...

Finally alone, with Traver's modest belongings moved into her bedchamber and their supper consumed, Solyn flopped onto her bed. Rubbing her hands over her face, she sighed. "What a fantastically awkward day... Not exactly the wedding day I'd pictured."

"I'll make it up to you," Kenyen promised. "I'm not sure how, but I will."

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure how, either—if you keep your voice as quiet as possible, we do have enough privacy to speak freely," she added, giving him a wry smile. "Not that I think my parents or my sister are going to eavesdrop, but you never know."

He knew what she really meant. Most of his attention was on hanging a toweling cloth over the small, shuttered window that peeked out from the eaves of her family home. There were six rooms upstairs, two bedrooms on either side of the house, a storage room at the front, and a refreshing room at the back. With the refreshing room between Solyn's and her parents' chambers, and with her sister sleeping on the parental side of the hall, they were as private as they could possibly get. Except the house was a Corredai house, with the upper floor extending into the hillside on which it was built. That meant her bedroom window, while technically on an upper floor, was also technically at ground level.

With it carefully draped on nails embedded around the frame, the cloth should block out anyone peeking in through the gaps in the shutters. As soon as he was sure they had privacy, Kenyen released the feel of Traver's face and frame. It felt good to be himself. The only thing he didn't change was the voice, lighter and younger-sounding. That was in case someone in Solyn's family came close enough to overhear, though the others had also retired for the night. Joining Solyn on the bed, he flopped onto his back as well.

"I'm beginning to wonder if I should've chosen a different career," he muttered.

"Oh?" Solyn asked, curious. "Which one?"

He grunted. "Acting. I visited you-know-who last night, and his host believed me."

"Everyone else has been believing you, more or less," she whispered, thinking about his performances as Traver, son of Ysal and Tenaria. That led her back to thoughts of her friend. "How is he doing?"

Kenyen knew who she meant. "Thinner... paler... He needs to be freed. I don't think we can wait for the paper birds—we're in so deep now, it's going to be beyond awkward, untangling the aftermath."

"Awkward, yes," Solyn murmured in agreement. She slipped her hand over his, clasping it. Relief trickled through her when he turned his fingers so they could twine with hers. "But we don't have to untangle
some
parts of it... if we don't want to."

He could guess what she meant. Feeling the urge to do more than just smile in response, he started to roll toward her. Then stopped himself.
Stop and think, Kenyen Sin Siin... Pleasure is brief, but trouble is lasting. You don't have your brother around to make long-term plans for you, so
you
had better make them... which means we have to do a few slightly more important things first.

Squeezing her fingers, he sat up again, keeping his voice barely above a whisper. "We should make more birds, just in case the storm dampened the previous ones. And then you should tell me how this... this basket spell of yours will get him free. I think I can remember the shape of the key to his manacles, so I can unlock them, but without a storm to wash away scent..."

Getting up as well, Solyn followed him to her desk. Her bedchamber wasn't large, and the wall over the writing table was covered in shelves scattered with books on magic. With Traver's things in trunks and baskets taking up half the floor space, she knew she'd need more shelves to store it all. Except it wouldn't be stored here for long. Looking at it, Solyn sighed unhappily.

"What are we going to do about this?" she asked, gesturing at the baskets and chests.

Kenyen followed her gaze. He'd already considered this part while packing up the tangible parts of Traver's life. "We'll come clean after they've been caught. Most of them. I'm afraid I don't know every face-stealer in these mountains, yet—what I
should
do is pick one of them and practice imitating his face, too, to maximize confusion and infiltration. And find out a way to get that girl, Killia, calmed down. And avoid being attacked by your father for all of this,
and
prove I'm still a worthy enough husband."