Breath of Winter, A Read online

  “Do you?” He began rolling a gold coin between his fingers at his side. “My sister is maven, and it is my duty to protect her. Our clan is uninfected. In fact, no northlander has reported a single case of the plague your ward is famous for spreading. If not for Maven Kokyangwmana’s letter assuring me your ward is not contagious, we would not be having this discussion, and certainly not face-to-face.”

  Letter? No one had mentioned Mana was sending a letter. She was Paladin Vaughn’s wife and a spirit walker, a sort of spiritual leader among her birth clan, the Salticidae. The herbs we had used to sedate our ward had been grown, dried, crushed and packaged in correct doses by the maven herself.

  “I can respect that.” Loyalty to his sibling, to his clan, was commendable.

  “Until such time I am satisfied that your ward is not a threat to my sister or to our people, I must insist you and your brothers be kept isolated from the rest of our nest. I regret we are the sum of your welcome. I meant to consult with Braden, but I didn’t anticipate your arrival for several more days.”

  “I wanted to arrive as soon as possible.” The faster we secured employment, the better.

  “If what Mana wrote is accurate, I don’t blame you.” He glanced at the litter. “May I see her?”

  “Soon you can see her all you like,” I assured him. “You made preparations for her arrival?”

  He absorbed my refusal without argument, and I was grateful for the reprieve.

  “I had a cage built and lined with Araneidae silk,” he told me. “She can’t escape once the lock is set. I plan on keeping her for observation in my laboratory. It’s on a separate network from the main tunnels. No one will bother her down there or even know she’s here. She will be quite comfortable.”

  “Her comfort isn’t my concern.” I rubbed my eyes. “All I care about is whether she can escape.”

  “I assure you, she can’t.” He challenged me with a look. “I designed the cage myself.”

  “Impressive.”

  He spread his hands. “We all have our talents.”

  Indeed we did, and I planned to make the most of my powers of persuasion.

  “So, Henri,” I asked sweetly. “How do you intend to transfer her into your cage?”

  Lines creased his brow. I almost heard him discarding possibilities as they came to mind.

  “Free my brothers,” I suggested. “You’ll want them there when she gets agitated.”

  He gestured toward the portly guard he called Braden. “Do as she asked.”

  Braden hesitated. “You sure that’s wise?”

  Henri’s gaze returned to mine. “What choice do we have?”

  Oh, he had choices all right, six of them, and we were eager to provide the services he required.

  “I could ask the other guards.” Braden glanced between us. “Plenty of help there for the asking.”

  “To ask, you’d have to speak with them.” Henri shook his head. “I won’t risk it.”

  “But—” Braden began.

  Henri cut him short. “Do as I said.”

  With a furrowed brow, Braden set off down the aisle to release my brothers from their bonds.

  I all but rubbed my hands together at our good fortune.

  Henri rolled his coin across his knuckles, pausing to flip the disc in the air before he began again on the opposite hand. “Not to look a gift ursus in the mouth, but how much will your help cost me?”

  “A fair wage,” I promised, “nothing more.”

  He exhaled. “There are four of you?”

  “Six.”

  “By my estimation, there are four.”

  “Your estimation is off by two.” I gripped Fynn’s shoulder. “Fynn and I will be mended soon.”

  “Who will pay to have you mended?” He palmed his coin. “Or is that part of your deal?”

  “I can afford you.” Though I loathed parting with any of our savings.

  He made a thoughtful noise low in his throat then began rolling his coin again.

  Our negotiations spluttered and died. Henri didn’t set his price or ask what mine was.

  To break the silence, I asked, “If you’re so concerned about infection, then why bring us into the stables? The plague started in livestock, and yet you gave our ursus lodging here among your own.”

  His faraway expression lifted. “As I said, had your arrival not surprised me, I would have given orders for your ursus to be housed in the summer stables, with a groom and provisions of course. As for you and your family, you would have been escorted to an appropriate hatch to await my arrival.”

  Recalling my manners, I gave him my best wishes. “I pray we cost you no lives.”

  He answered just as politely, “I have every confidence you won’t.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” I swallowed hard to ward off another bout of nausea.

  He eased forward. “Are you all right?”

  Ghedi shifted to his right, blocking Henri from approaching me.

  I lifted a hand to keep Henri at bay. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

  The throbbing in my shoulder had ignited to a slow burn in my lungs, searing on each inhale.

  “Here we are.” Braden returned with my brothers in tow. “They’re a quiet lot.”

  He had no idea.

  “Can we hurry this along?” It was all I could do not to slide to the floor, curl up and stay there.

  “We can try.” Henri circled Gris. “Two of you carry the litter. It’s light, a pair can handle it.” He reached for Fynn’s wrist and checked his pulse. “Two more of you bring him to the sick ward. Don’t let him roll off the table. He has one head injury. He doesn’t need another.” Henri touched my thigh. “Do you need any help, or can you walk to a spare room? Is your shoulder wound your only injury?”

  “She can’t walk,” Ghedi answered for me. “Her ankle’s broken.”

  Henri ran his finger along the top edge of my boot. “Do you think you and I can manage her?”

  Heat crept up the base of my neck. Upon closer inspection, he found me to be as bulky as Fynn?

  “Manage me,” I repeated. Our ward was carried, Fynn was brought, but I was managed?

  My anger must have confused Henri. He clarified, “Deinopidae females are…tall.”

  “Tall.” Could he have infused an ounce more distaste in the word? “What does that mean?”

  “That you have long legs,” he replied calmly.

  My hackles rose. “The length of my legs is none of your—”

  “Hush.” Ghedi jabbed my side.

  Henri trailed his fingers down my calf as if making the point I was now very much his business.

  “Asher, show Zuri to a spare room.” He tapped my good heel. “I will set her ankle there.”

  I groaned at the thought of the bones being realigned. I had wished it wouldn’t come to that.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Ghedi nudged Henri aside. “You’ve gone pale.”

  I ground my palm into my eye. My temples throbbed, I ached all over and my skin burned.

  “I’m good.” I could last a while longer. “Fynn should be examined first.”

  “What about our ward?” Ghedi posed the question to us both.

  I looked to Henri. “Am I a fool for hoping both things can be accomplished at once?”

  “Braden will see to your ward’s safe delivery.” He faced the guard. “Wait for me in the bastille. I must be in the room when she’s caged to activate the lock.” Henri considered me. “Once Lai—your ward—is contained, I’ll examine Fynn. I believe he has a mild concussion, but head injuries ought to be treated promptly in order to prevent the onset of any complications in the event of misdiagnosis.”

  My eyes widened.

  “Don’t fret.” His lips curved a fraction. “I’m seldom wrong.”

  “You’re shivering.” Ghedi caught me snuggling deeper into my coat.

  Henri seemed likewise concerned. “What happened to your shoulder?”

 
“Asher happened to it.” Ghedi’s anger flared. “Or his dagger did.”

  Henri narrowed his eyes on Asher. “Is what he’s saying true?”

  “They were armed.” Asher shot a glare my way. “She refused to drop her weapon or cooperate.”

  While Asher muttered about stubborn, net-wielding females, Henri’s expression darkened.

  “You can’t fault a guard for doing his job,” I said tiredly. “We had an accident on the road. I had to secure our ward, and I couldn’t wait for his permission to do it. Asher did nothing I wouldn’t have done under the circumstances. We each made our choice. It’s done. Besides, the dagger was slender. Its blade can’t have done too much damage. Our ward was the one kind enough to twist the handle.”

  Asher made a fist and held it over his heart while addressing Henri. “It won’t happen again.”

  “I would hope not.” Henri exhaled long and slow. “Times are difficult, but I hope they aren’t so dire we begin killing visitors at our border.” One last look at my shoulder, then he directed, “Get me a blanket to place over her mattress or else her sheets will be ruined when I stitch the wound closed.”

  My skin crawled at the thought. I hated needles. You would think as much as they unnerved me, that I would make a better effort not to run afoul of them so often. “Can I share a room with Fynn?”

  “That is inadvisable,” Henri said. “Your brother needs rest, and so do you.”

  “I could keep an eye on him.”

  “I have no doubt that you would, which defeats the purpose of me telling you to rest.”

  I tried again. “He would react better if a friendly face was there when he woke.”

  “Fynn may be disoriented upon waking,” Henri countered. “He may not recognize you.”

  “He may not know me, but he certainly won’t know you.” I smiled. “Where’s the harm?”

  Ghedi clasped Henri’s shoulder. “Once she sinks her teeth in, you can’t shake her loose.”

  Henri’s gaze lowered to my mouth. “That’s good to know.”

  The longer he stared, the harder it became to resist wetting my lips.

  My fangs slid from my gums, sharpening my grin. “Don’t believe everything he says about me.”

  “I know better than most what little brothers know of their sisters.” His expression shuttered. “If your presence proves detrimental to either of you, you will move into a separate suite. Understand?”

  I crossed my heart with a finger. “I will be on my best behavior.”

  He snorted softly. “In which case, I will prepare for the worst.”

  I narrowed my eyes, which won me a genuine smile from him.

  He should do that more often. Smile, not taunt me. It melted degrees from his chilly veneer.

  He gestured between Asher and Braden. “I expect one of you to remain in my laboratory. I want someone I trust to have my back while we transfer their ward.” He draped his coat over his arm, then hefted his bag and turned aside. “If you will excuse me, I have an errand to run before joining you.”

  “An errand?” I called after him. “Can’t it wait?”

  “I’ll make it quick.”

  “Quick he says.” I admired his retreating backside. “Never mind the walking wounded.”

  “You can’t walk.” Ghedi’s brow furrowed. “What are you looking at?”

  My cheeks tingled. “Nothing.”

  “Strange.” Ghedi’s voice lowered to a snarl. “I could have sworn he said his name was Henri.”

  Braden spared me by clapping his hands. “You lot heard him. Get your arses moving.”

  He unhooked the litter from Gris and helped lift it onto Tau and Kaleb’s shoulders, then ushered Malik around Gris’s side. Together they hefted Fynn off the boar’s back and into an awkward hold.

  Once they settled him between them, they shuffled past us.

  “What are you two waiting for?” he panted. “Don’t stand there watching the show.”

  With great effort, I twisted in the saddle. “So much for the famed Araneidae hospitality.”

  “That mouth of yours,” Ghedi said, “is going to earn you a lashing one day.”

  As if he would let anyone lay a finger on me. “Six to three, the odds are against them.”

  He thumped my kneecap. “Four to three, and the odds are against us.”

  “How do you figure?” Four indeed. Did all males use the same fingers for their math?

  “There are more guards where those two came from, sister dear.” Ghedi sighed. “You’re a guest in the home of the wealthiest, most powerful and influential clan in the whole of the Araneae Nation, and what do you do? You insult their maven’s brother, several times, which I’m sure Lourdes won’t take lightly if she catches you at it. Be aware that while we are in Erania, yes, the Araneidae can do as they wish. No one will say no or raise a hand to defend us. We’re at their mercy. Remember that.”

  “When you put it that way…” I wrinkled my nose.

  He thumped me again. “Pain is loosening your tongue and lowering your standards.”

  I laughed then, even though it was wrong of me. Henri was top-shelf, and we both knew it.

  Pity about top-shelf items, they were often the most desirable but the hardest ones to reach.

  Still, I was acting petty when I ought to be grateful. I had gotten what I wanted, more or less. Four brothers were employed. Fynn and I, well, we were alive. For those things, I should rejoice. But lashing out dulled the edge of my pain and distracted me from the ever-worsening aches in my body.

  Ghedi leaned in, lowering his voice. “I would like to see home again one day. That won’t happen if we have to fight our way clear of this gilded nest, all because you insulted some royal’s sibling.”

  I wished I could embrace him. I would have if I didn’t hurt so much. This was the first time Ghedi had confided his desire to return to Halcidia. Perhaps his hope hadn’t died as final a death as I had feared.

  Asher sidled up to us, opening his arms to me. “Where should I grab?”

  “Touch her and you’ll be picking your teeth up off the floor.” Ghedi shoved Asher toward Tau. “As one of the two males here Henri trusts, shouldn’t you guard our ward and protect his interests?”

  “Are you sure?” Asher’s hesitation earned him a cutting scowl from my brother.

  Ghedi shoved him again, this time harder. “I can manage Zuri alone.”

  “Can you?” I should have slapped the grin off his face. Manage indeed.

  He grasped my hips. “What are brothers for?”

  Tempted as I was to say wild ursus bait, I thought it safer not to answer.

  Careful of my tender ankle, Ghedi eased me from the saddle onto the ground. With a loud grunt, he swung me up in his arms, cradling me across his chest as he had when I was a girl. I chucked him under the chin, snapping his teeth closed. “What’s wrong?” I asked sweetly. “Am I too tall for you?”

  He chuckled. “What does it matter if Henri calls you tall? You are, you know.”

  “That is beside the point.” I huffed. “I take after Mother. Insulting my height is insulting hers.”

  “Mother would have laughed in his face and made a comment about his own stature.”

  Knowing he was right but refusing to admit it, I leaned my head against his shoulder. I had just begun drifting when Ghedi’s breathing turned labored. Assuming he was tormenting me, I was about to pinch him when I realized he was climbing a steep ramp to an ornate entryway carved with ursus.

  Once through the gaping maw, the tunnel leveled, and I reached out to trail my fingers down the rounded sides. If I stood in the center of the hall, I would almost touch either side with my fingertips.

  Domed torches enclosed with frosted glass lit our way, lights unlike any I had ever seen. I risked touching one on our way past. The delicate fixture was cool under my palm and ignited my curiosity.

  Ghedi slowed his gait until we lagged behind the others. His palms, where he held me, had gone
damp. “Work in the south is sparse, and I know we need the coin, but is it wise to remain in Erania?”

  “Keep moving.” I kicked my good heel against his hip. “We’ll lose sight of them.”

  He stood there and took the abuse. “I mean it. We don’t know what Henri’s plans are for her.”

  “That doesn’t bother me.” I didn’t want to know. “We need his gold and his referral too much.”

  He clicked his tongue. “You are a cold one.”

  “And?” I gave up trying to move the mountain that was Ghedi. “What am I missing here?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other, clearing his throat before looking at me. “The belief that I could spend months underground for the right price, under the right circumstances, has met the reality.”

  “Don’t do this to me.” I groaned. “Not again.”

  “I could say the same to you.” His grip tightened. “You know how I feel about places like this.”

  “If we followed Hishima into his crystal caverns, then we can stand guard over Henri’s burrow.” It was an unfair comparison. I knew that when I made it. The caverns had been open-ended. Every so often, a breeze ruffled your hair or a shaft of sunlight comforted you that the surface was near. There were no such signs here, no such surety. Bleak as this option was for him, alternatives were grimmer.

  His sigh ruffled thick whiskers over his lips that he should have trimmed weeks ago.

  “You’ve made it this far.” I patted his coarse cheek. “You can do this. I know you can.”

  I hoped my smile withstood his inspection. I had already exhausted my supply of more convincing ones.

  “For you,” he said. “Gods only know what would happen if I let you out of my sight.”

  I chuckled. He was probably right. “That’s the spirit.”

  Ahead of us, Tau and Kaleb bore to the right. Braden and Malik kept straight. A few steps later, they paused to ease Fynn through one doorway of many in this hall, into what must be the sick ward.

  “Wait here,” Braden ordered.

  Ghedi busied himself examining the wall. “What do you think it’s all made of?”

  I said the first thing that came to mind. “Dirt.”

  “Clay tiles laid over a silk frame,” Henri answered. “I’ll pass your compliments to our artisans.”