The Dread: The Fallen Kings Cycle: Book Two (40 page)

A bitter half smile touched Gethin’s lips. “You’ll have to let the queen know that despite the odds, I survived to be a problem for another day.”

“Nice to know you can hold your own, even when your
Hojuns
are elsewhere.”

“I was thinking the same thing myself.” Gethin grabbed at the reins of a stray horse and swung up into the saddle. He looked out over the still bodies that lay sprawled on the battlefield. “What happens next?”

Jonmarc drew a deep breath. “I don’t know, Gethin. That’s what worries me.”

I
know you can hear me
. The spirit’s voice was insistent.

Aidane closed her eyes in concentration.
I don’t want to hear you. Go away
.

My wife is dying. She has the plague. Please, carry my message to her. Let her know I await her by the Gray Sea
.

Go away!

“M’lady? Did you say something?” A servant bringing hot tea and biscuits glanced up from her work to where Aidane sat near the fireplace in her room at Lienholt Palace.

“No, sorry. Just thinking out loud,” Aidane murmured, embarrassed.

“Will Lord Kolin be joining you?”

“He should be here any minute.”

“Very well, m’lady. I’ll have a flagon of goat’s blood sent up right away. Just ring if you need something,” she added, and slipped out of the room.

Aidane poured herself a cup of tea and smiled to herself. Love was a luxury few whores ever had the chance to
experience, and Aidane had been certain she would be no different. But these last several weeks with Kolin had made her begin to hope, and he proved himself to her by his constancy. More to her surprise, despite the fact that she could tell that Kolin was attracted to her, he had not tried to take her to his bed. Instead, Kolin pursued her with a charming courtliness, as if she were actually a lady. And as the days wore on, Aidane finally admitted to herself that Kolin’s gentle pursuit had won her love.

The door on the other side of the parlor opened, and Kolin entered. It was early evening, not long after sunset, and he had left immediately upon rising to feed. Aidane rose and met him at the door, and he took her into his arms and kissed her. His lips were warm. Aidane let herself lean into the kiss.

“Do we really have to go to the banquet tonight? I’d rather stay in and talk.” They spent most nights by the fireplace, curled up together, sharing stories. She was fascinated by Kolin’s tales of all that he had seen over the last two centuries, and to her surprise, he seemed genuinely interested in learning more about her past.

Kolin grinned. “Berry’s counting on us. She says we’re the only hope she has of not being trapped in boring court talk.”

Aidane sighed and slipped out of his arms. “Are you sure it’s wise for us to go as a couple? There’s bound to be gossip.”

Kolin took her hand and turned her to face him. “Then it’s about time they talk. I care about you, and I have no intention of hiding the fact that we’re together.” He paused. “Unless you’re embarrassed to be escorted by a
vayash moru
.”

“I don’t give a damn about that. You know it. But to the court, I’m just a fancy whore.”

“You’re a guest of the queen’s. A hero. You have more right to sit at the queen’s table than most of the nobles. And there’s no one else I’d rather have accompany me.” He drew her close to him again, holding her against his chest. “Let them talk. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

After a moment, he drew back from her. “I have something for you,” Kolin said with a hint of a smile. He led her to a chair near the fire. From the pocket of his waistcoat, he withdrew two silk-wrapped small packages.

“Here. Open these. They’re Sohan night gifts.”

Aidane laid the packages on her lap and carefully unwrapped them. The larger package held a beautiful garnet necklace. It was far more expensive than anything even the wealthiest of Aidane’s clients had ever given her, and it had obviously been made by a master craftsman. “I can’t—”

“It’s from the queen,” Kolin said in tone to settle her objections. “A token of her gratitude, and, truth be told, it’s also because she likes you.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Go ahead, open the other one.”

It took her a moment to untie the smaller package. When the silk wrapping fell away, inside was a finely wrought bracelet of silver and onyx. Aidane gasped. It was every bit as beautiful as the necklace.

“You like it?”

“It’s lovely. Just beautiful.”

Kolin’s smile widened. “Good. That one’s from me.”

Aidane looked up, questioning, and Kolin looked away, a blush creeping into his cheeks. “In my day, Sohan
night was a time for a young man to give a gift to the lady who caught his fancy. It’s true that after two hundred years, I’m no longer exactly ‘young’—”

“And I’m not really a lady,” Aidane said quietly.

Kolin knelt in front of her. “We’ve been through that. I don’t care about the past. But I do care about you, Aidane.”

Aidane felt her throat tighten. Her hand closed around the bracelet and she met Kolin’s eyes. “I’m not Elsbet.”

He gave a sad smile. “I know. Elsbet is well and truly gone to her rest. Don’t you think two hundred years is long enough to grieve? I don’t want you to be Elsbet. I like Aidane just fine.”

Kolin leaned forward and kissed her gently. She moved closer and returned the kiss. He drew back and cupped her cheek gently with his hand. “I want to make sure you understand my gift. I’m not trying to bed you, Aidane. I want more than that. I love you.”

Aidane blinked back tears at this unexpected and overwhelming admission. “I love you too,” she murmured. She glanced up. “But I didn’t know the custom. Nargi doesn’t keep Sohan. I don’t have a gift for you.”

Kolin’s blue eyes were bright. “I hadn’t dared hope that you felt the same for me. If you truly do, that’s gift enough,” he said, as he drew her to him to kiss her again.

When they drew apart, Aidane looked up at him. “Can you stay until it’s time to get ready for the feast?”

Kolin shook his head. “Afraid not. The queen asked me to take care of a few things for her before the formalities. I’ll be back in time to escort you down to the great room.” He smiled. “I can’t wait to see you in the gown Berry sent for you.”

“You know about that?”

His smile widened. “I helped her choose it.” With that, Kolin excused himself and left to take care of the queen’s business, leaving Aidane alone with her tea. But to her chagrin, as soon as he left, the voices of the ghosts crowded around her.

The onslaught of spirits had begun days ago, during the preparations for Sohan. As the Festival of Changes grew closer, the voices had grown more numerous and more insistent. Others might focus on the seasonal shift from fall to winter, or from autumn-planted seeds to the expected spring crops, but for Aidane, the change most apparent at this time was the ever-present cycle of life and death. She wondered if seers, mediums, hedge witches, and summoners also felt the restless dead most strongly on such feast nights, and how they managed to keep the dead at bay.

Her own protective measures were not sufficient. She had tried warding with salt, and it had done well enough to keep the spirits from taking form in her room, but their voices called to her across the threshold, begging for help.

I’m not really the right person
, Aidane thought tiredly. Spirits did not sleep, and lately, neither had Aidane, unable to shut out the ghostly voices that called to her.
I’m a ghost whore, and if their loved ones are dying, it’s definitely the wrong time to arrange a tryst
.

It’s a message we seek, not trysting
. The voice came from the sad-eyed ghost of a young woman whom Aidane guessed to be in her late twenties, just a few years older than Aidane herself. The young woman’s face was already careworn, her eyes tired, and Aidane wondered how many children the ghostly woman had birthed before death found her.

The plague tore us from our families, from the people we love
, the woman’s ghost continued. She did not beg for Aidane’s favor, as so many of the other ghosts had done, harrying Aidane’s sleep. Nor did she rail or threaten.

Is that why you linger?

I stayed to watch over my family, and one by one, the plague took them. The last of my children died just two nights ago. I saw them all to their rest in the arms of the Lady
.

Yet you stay behind. Why?

My husband is the only one left alive. He grieves us, and he doesn’t know that I watch him from afar. It’s not for a… joining… that I want your help. Just to go to him, to tell him that the children rest with the Lady, and that I’ll wait for him, until his time comes
.

Aidane shook her head, and then feigned a cough, fearing the maid would think her mad for conversing with “empty” air.
There are too many of you. I can’t—

Please, m’lady. My husband is a groomsman in the stable, here at the palace. T’will take but a few moments of your time. Please, m’lady, I beg of you—

Aidane sighed. The spirit had no true idea of how much it cost Aidane to permit possession, even for something like conversation. But there was something about the ghostly woman that overcame Aidane’s resistance, even though she feared it would just make the other ghosts harder to decline.
All right
, she conceded.
But just a word with him. Nothing more
.

Aidane finished her tea and set it down, resigned to go through with her promise. The maid had already left the room, and Aidane lingered a few minutes more to let the servant get ahead of her on the steps before she let herself
out of the door. She made her way to the servants’ stairs, rather than the main stairway, all the better to avoid prying eyes. When festivals or official events did not require her to dress the part of a
serroquette
, Aidane had taken to wearing plain dresses that did not call attention to her or her talent. Queen Berwyn’s welcome had been sincere, and it was the queen who insisted Aidane stay on at the palace, but Aidane was well aware of the whispers and dark glances she received from many at court and tried to remain unnoticed as much as possible.

As Aidane headed for the stables, the ghost remained with her, unseen by others but quite audible to Aidane. The servants’ stairs felt more comfortable to Aidane than the gilt-railed sweeping central staircase.
After all, what’s a whore but a different kind of servant, one at the bottom of the pecking order?
she thought as she made her way down the steps and across the courtyard to the stables. When she reached the stables, she hesitated. Dozens of men bustled about the large building, tending to the horses, mucking out the stalls, and grooming their precious charges.

There. That’s Jodd
.

Aidane followed the ghost’s urging and saw a haggard-looking man who appeared to be a few years older than the ghost. He swept the stable with his eyes downcast and mumbled a terse reply the few times he was spoken to. Aidane waited until he left the busy main area of the stable and followed him around to the back of the building. At first, she feared he had gone outside to relieve himself, but then she saw that he moved a ways down the wall, away from the stable bustle, and took a pipe from his pocket. Stuffing a bit of pipe weed into its bowl, Jodd lit
the pipe with a spark and leaned against the wall as if he would have liked to collapse.

Speak to him. Let me in
.

Aidane braced herself for the possession and let the ghost fill her. This time, she did not withdraw into her hiding place, since she had no intention of allowing the ghost to go further than a conversation. The ghost’s memories washed over her. The woman’s name had been Detri, and she had four children, all young. Grief, loss, and yearning washed over Aidane like a tide.
Let’s get this over with
, Aidane said.

“Jodd.” The voice was her own but not hers, and as the man looked up, his eyes widened. He made a sign of warding and looked as if he might bolt or faint.

“Please, don’t go. It’s me, Detri. My… friend… allowed me to use her to speak to you.”

Jodd’s face went pale. “It sounds like Detri, but it can’t be. Detri’s dead.”

The dead woman’s mannerisms came naturally to Aidane, who found herself approaching Jodd with a striding step, the movement of a working woman, not the mincing step of a well-born lady with voluminous skirts and impractical shoes. “I’m dead, that’s true. But I miss you. I helped the children cross the Gray Sea. They’re safe now, in the Lady’s arms. I’ll wait for you.”

The pipe slipped from the man’s fingers. “Will I die, too? Is that what you mean?” His voice rose into a panicked squeak.

“No, Jodd. No.”

“Then what do you mean? An accident? How will I die?”

Aidane could feel the sorrow that filled the ghost and
Detri’s frustration at Jodd’s misunderstanding. “May you live a hundred years, my love. I only meant that I’ll wait for you, on the shore of the Gray Sea, until your time comes so we may cross together.”

Jodd considered Detri’s words, and he relaxed a little, losing his panicked expression. “How did you…” His words trailed off, but his meaning was clear as he tried to reconcile Aidane’s appearance with the obvious presence of his dead wife.