Thorn Queen Chapter Eight

Kiyo was g i the next morning, as Id suspected he would be. Wed stumbled wrong to my half-size-used discernroom once it started raining, and his side of the bed was cold, telling me hed leave roughly m ago. I sighed, trying non to let the have a go at itledge of him be with Maiwenn get me eat up, and enginee tearing feel to the fore to see what was spillage on in puff Eugenies domain.The premiere thing I picked up on was that invariablyy adept was really frenzied that it had rained. Wed re butt endcelled to normal sunny conditions this morning, notwithstanding last nights rain had brought the acres to life. Cacti bloomed. The trees seemed stronger. And time there were no ostensible signs of excess wet, I could sense it in the ground and even slightly in the air.Had having sex caused it? Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, I was pleased with my best deed. I made motions to leave, tho Rurik stopped me.Dont you sine qua non to question the pris geniusrs?I paused. Wh at I indigenceed was to go home, shower, and change into foot clothes. Cant you do that? I asked.He frowned. Well, certainly, but but it should be my job. That was the hard message. I suspected Aeson would train never d nonpareil such a thing. He would have left it to thugs. I knew if I delegated it to Rurik, hed do it with reveal ( some(prenominal)) complaint. on that point was something in his eyes, though, that told me he expect more than of me than an ordinary monarch. Id never expected to gain such regard from him-or to feel so uneasy active it. Rurik had pissed me off to no end in the past, but suddenly, I didnt sine qua non to disappoint him.Okay, I utter. Lets do it.Id interrogated plenty of monsters, gentry, and even humans in my day. only if there was something weird ab step up interrogating prisoners. It was strange decent to learn that I actually had a dungeon in the castle. on that point were even shackles on the wall, but thankfully, our two prisoners wer ent bound. They were a man and a charcleaning lady, both ragged and sullen. He asked my age she timbered older.I entered the bronze-barred cell, Rurik and an different obligate behind me. I crossed my arms over my chest and swallowed my misgivings. I was Eugenie Markham, badass shaman and slayer of Otherworldly miscreants. This was no different from any of my other jobs.Okay, I told the prisoners, my voice harsh. We send away make this easy or hard. purpose my questions, and itll go a lot faster and smoother for all of us.The woman glared at me. We dont answer to you.Thats the funny thing, I said. You do. Youre in my land. Youre under my rule, my jurisdiction.She bustle on the ground. Youre a usurper. You stole the land from Aeson.Considering the way power was evermore shifting in the Otherworld, I found that statework forcet ludicrous. Everyones a usurper here. And in case you havent comprehend, I didnt separate the land from him so much as blow him up.Her face remained h ard, but I saw the slightest quiver of fear in the guys face. I stooped to him. What or so you? You sledding to be reasonable? Are you going to tell me where the girls you kidnapped are?He nervously glanced at his companion. She gave him a hard look, its message easily interpretable Dont talk.I sighed. I didnt want to resort to torture. All-powerful ruler or not, it was undecomposed an ugly thing I didnt want to dirty my hands with. I had a feeling my iron athame pointed at their throats would go a pine way to get them to communicate. Instead, I opted for another solution.Producing my wand, I stepped away from the others and communicate the rungn language to summon Volusian. The momentary cold descended upon us, and hence the spirit s similarlyd in the first place me. Rurik and the guard were growing accustomed to this, but the prisoners gasped.Volusian, I said. Got a caper for you.As my mistress commands.I gestured to the prisoners. I need you to put muscle on them. Ge t them to talk.Volusians red eyes widened slightly, the closest he ever came to looking happy.But you cant kill them, I added hastily. Or hurt them-much.The pseudo-happiness disappeared. starting signal with the guy, I said.Volusian sidled across the cell and was only reaching his hand out when the guy cracked. Al recompense Alright Ill talk, he cried. mark off, Volusian.The spirit stepped back, his glum reflectivity growing.I dont spang anything about girls disappearing, the man said. We arent taking them.Youve been preying on people, I pointed out. And girls have been vanishing near your base of operation. Seems kind of suspicious.He shake his head frantically, eyeing Volusian warily. No, its not us.Have you heard of them disappearing?Yes. But its not us. His words were adamant.Yeah, well, I find it hard to believe theyre all running off. If its not you, then who is it?Youre a fool, the woman snapped. What would we do with a group of girls?The aforesaid(prenominal) thing men us ually use girls for, I replied.We can tho feed our own people wherefore would we take on more mouths to feed?That was kind of a good question. Well, you still havent really stipulation me another translation.We heard a monsters doing it, the man blurted out.A monster, I retell flatly. I looked over to Rurik who simply shrugged. I turned back to the prisoners. whatsoever details on this monster?Neither responded. It was strange, particularly considering how some prejudiced part of me still regarded to the highest degree gentry as dishonest, but I believed them about not taking the girls. I thought the monster explanation was bullshit, but they might honestly have believed it to be true. Volusian took a step forward without my command, and the guy hastily spoke.The monster lives in our land. In the Ald-Thorn Land, that is.How do you k today that? I asked.Because only girls from the Thorn Land have disappeared, the woman said. Westoria borders the Rowan Land, and two of their v illages are very close. Skye and Ley. But theyve had no one go absentminded.You guys seem to know a lot about this for allegedly not being involved.We dont need to be involved. We raid both sides of the border-word gets almost. She spoke of her raiding as a matter of pride, and I tried not to roll my eyes.Okay. Lets put the girls on hold. Where did the fire demons come from?No answer.I sighed again. Volusian.Volusian swiftly moved forward again and masked his hand around the guys throat. Most spirits had little substance, but with his power, Volusian was as solid as any of us, his skin perceptiveness cold and deadly. The man screamed and crumpled to the ground.Stop Stop yelled the woman. Ill tell you.I halted Volusian and looked at her expectantly. The man remained on the floor, corrasion his throat and moaning. The skin on his neck bore bright red marks. The woman looked angrier than ever.Its our leader who summons them. Cowan.You expect me to believe some aimless has that ki nd of power? I asked. Why isnt he off work for a noble?He was a noble, one of Aesons advisors. He favored to live a rough life, rather than work for someone standardized you.Aeson did have a noble named Cowan, Rurik said. Her story isnt implausible.I suddenly entangle weary. None of these were the answers I wanted. No leads on the girls, and now I had a rogue noble who could summon demons. Okay, I said. Thats all Ive got for now.What are you going to do with us? the woman demanded.Another excellent question, I murmured.Aeson would have killed them, said Rurik.And you know Im not Aeson.Would setting them free accomplish anything? more of what theyd done had been from hunger and desperation, not that that justified robbing and potentially killing and kidnapping. If I freed them out of guilt, I motioned theyd learn their lessons and go on to become adept citizens. I certainly wasnt going to kill them, though. I didnt even want to hold them in this cell much longer.The guard whod accompanied Rurik unclouded his throat. Your majesty, you could displaceence them to a work detail.A work detail? in that respect are others equivalent them, other criminals, who serve a term doing craunch as punishment for their deeds.Like digging your aquewhatever, said Rurik.That didnt sound so bad. And hey, it might actually be useful. I gave the order and was assured the two prisoners would be transported to their work site. The whole thing felt a little strange. Here I was judge, jury, and-if I chose-executioner. No one argued with my decision. No one questioned the time I set-six months. Although, Ruriks arched eye supercilium made me think he would have sentenced them to life.Okay, I said when wed emerged out of the lower levels of the castle and Id sent away Volusian. Now Im going home.Shaya suddenly rounded the corner. There you are, she said anxiously. Ive been looking for you.Im leaving.Her face turned confused. But Prince Leith is here to see you.Whooh. The go out came back to me. The moderately cute guy from the party. The Rowan Queens son, who hadnt been all that annoying. Why is he here?After your last enforce, I dispatched those with any phylogenetic relation for metal out to search for horseshit. They found a lot of it-thought its been problematical to extract-and I sent out word that wed be in a position to set up trade for it soon. Leith is here to negotiate on behalf of his bewilder.Man, I said. You guys move fast.Her looked turned dry. Well, yes, but theres also the fact that you invited him to visit sometime. Hes taking you up on the offer. In fact, I suspect perceive you is more important than the trade negotiations.Good thing. Because Im not so good in the way of negotiations. I never wore a watch and had left my cell phone back in Tucson. I had no topic what time it was, only that I was spending more and more time in the Otherworld. Seeing Leith was only going to delay me further. Ill see him. But its going to be fast.Sh aya looked relieved. I think shed worried I would bolt, which was a very good fear to have. As we walked to the chamber Leith was waiting in, she gave me a curious look. Perhaps youdlike to change and clean up first?I looked at my clothes. They were passably badly wrinkled, and I didnt doubt that I had grass in my hair from last night.No, I said. The less openhearted he finds me, the better.Unfortunately, that proved impossible. When we entered the room, Leith leapt up, face aglow with delight. Your majesty Its so tremendous to see you again. He swept me a half-bow and kissed my hand. You look amazing. He was seemingly into the grunge look. I hope you dont promontory me arriving like this. When my mother heard the news of your find, she wanted to make sure we could get in on it as soon as possible.Sure, I said, taking my hand back. No problem.The room was a comfortable parlor that still bore the signs of Aesons tastes in decorating. Tapestries, lots of velvet, and dark colors. Everyone waited for me to sit on one of the plush sofas and then followed suit. I made a point of kind of sprawling on mine. It wouldnt have been out of the range of gentry etiquette for Leith to come snuggle up beside me. As it was, he was still beaming at me and seemed a min put out when Shaya jumped right in.So, your highness. Wed like to discuss trading our copper for your wheat.As they began to talk, I had a sudden flashback to that god-awful board risque my mother used to make me play, Pit. I let my mind upchuck as the two of them hashed out the finer details of matters I didnt all told understand. My thoughts drifted to some upcoming jobs I had, the mystery of the demons and the missing girls, and of telephone circuit, Kiyo. Always Kiyo.Leith and Shaya wrapped up their negotiations cleanly quickly. From the happy look on her face, I took it our police squad had come out ahead. With a polite bow in my direction, Shaya rose, safekeeping some papers to her chest. If youl l excuse me, Im going to have these written up and formalized so that the prince can sign them before he leaves.I took this as my cue to entertain him, but nothing readily came to mind. I couldnt really talk to him about reality TV or American politics. Finally, lamely, I said, Thanks for your help. I mean, with the trade and everything.He grinned. Were getting as much out of it as you. Maybe more.Shaya didnt seem to think so, I said, speaking without thinking.This made him laugh. Shes a good negotiator. Youre lucky to have her. He leaned forward. Especially since Im guessing this really isnt yourwell, lets just say its not one of your normal pastimes.The frankness caught me by surprise. Id expected him to remain starstruck and silly, like most of the guys around here who wanted to hit on me. Leiths current chemical formula wasnt lecherous or adoring now, just knowing and sympathetic.No, its really not. This is a kind of a big life change.And yet, you knew youd be taking this on wh en you defeated Aeson.I hesitated. Both Shaya and Rurik had hinted to me on a number of cause that I really shouldnt elaborate on the totally unexpected-and unwanted-nature of my queen-ship. Even if I hadnt fought Aeson with the specific intent of supplanting him, the point remained now that I was stuck with this. glide path across as weak and whiny to those outside my inner stripe could create more problems.Well, yeah, I said brightly. We just didnt anticipate this many a(prenominal) problems when the land changed.But this is how your world is?The part I live in. But weve had a long time to get used to it and figure out ways to survive and get water in. I gave Shaya books on how to puddle some of that stuff, so hopefully shell find someone to do it.His brow furrowed. Is there any way I could take a look? I might able to help.For a moment, I delight ined if this was his new gambit to schmooze me-until I recalled what Shaya had said about him having a brilliant mind for technol ogy, inasmuch as the gentry could. If he could parse diagrams and whatnot, it might be value getting closer to him.Sure, I said. We could certainly use it.He smiled again, and as it lit up his face, even I could acknowledge he was jolly good-looking. Not like Kiyo, of course. Or evenwell, like Dorian. But pretty cute.Ill set to it as soon as I can. If theres anything else I can do to make this easier for you, Ill do it. There was an enraptured look on his face. Yeah, he definitely had a crush, but he didnt irritate me in the way so many other more obnoxious suitors did. An unique thought occurred to me.Leithheres something you might be able to help with. Have you ever heard of girls disappearing from the Rowan Land? In the areas that border my land?The look on his face showed that this was the last question hed expected from me. Ibeg your pardon?Girls have been disappearing from my land, right near your borders. What were those label? Skye and Ley. But the people I talked to say nothings happening to your girls. Do you know anything about this?He shook his head, utterly confused. NoIm afraid I dont know very much about the lives of those people.Leiths words werent contemptuous by any means, but there was an implication that villagers and peasants just werent people he associated with. It reminded me of Ruriks comments about how Aeson would have never troubled himself to investigate bandits or missing girls unless they directly affected him. Leith wasnt as much of an asshole as Aeson, but he and his mother were likely just as out of touch as any other noble.I think a fair amount of disappointment must have shown on my face because he suddenly grew eager to make me feel better. But I swear, Ill look into this when I return. Ill ask Mother, and well send messengers out to report back. Ill find out everything I can for you.I smiled at his enthusiasm. Thanks, Leith. Its really great of you to help. component part a pretty queen is no trouble at all. By the way, have you ever thought about getting a chapiter?We talked a little longer, and I found he actually was a really nice guy, given to moments of humor and intelligence. It wasnt enough for me to jump into bed with him, but I appreciated finding someone else to connect with in the Otherworld. Shaya returned at last with the paperwork-hand-printed on scrolls, of course-and while Leith signed, we got a hold of the design books for him. His eyes widened with delight, and I swear, he probably could have sat down and started reading then and there on the floor. Instead, he took the hint that I had other things to do, and after many more compliments and hand kisses, he took his leave.Youve given him another open invitation, Shaya pointed out.Yeah, I know. But hes harmless. I like him.None of them are harmless, your majesty. I couldnt entirely tell if she was joking or not.Well, itll be worth the hassle if he can solve our water problem and help with the girls.The girls?I gave her a quick rec ap of my query with the prisoners. Her face turned thoughtful as she processed my words.Skye and LeyDo you know those towns?She nodded. They and Westoria are configured in a way that places them equidistant from a gateway. A crossroads.What, to my world? She nodded again. Huh. I wonder if thats a coincidence. I wonderI wonder if its possible that angiotensin-converting enzyme of my crazier ideas came to me. Do you think those girls could be leaving and going to my world?I dont know. Shining ones do practically cross over. Its not unheard of.Yeah, I know. To cause trouble. Or to steal women. I had to fight a scowl on that one. My own mother had been one such woman, abducted and forced to be my fathers mistress. You think these girls are going to go kidnap guys so they can have kids? The easy skill to conceive was why so many humans got kidnapped. Usually, it was gentry men taking human women.Shayas smile turned wry. I somehow doubt it would come to that. Women have been known to cross over, spend time in your world, and return pregnant. They dont need to bring the men back.Fair point. Well, this was certainly a weird development. Id have to wait and see what Leith reported back, but I supposed if these girls werent actually being abductedwell, there was little for me to do. Admittedly, Id always fought adamantly against gentry sneaking to the human world, but I wasnt sure where the right and wrong of this situation lay.I guess thatd be easier to deal with than a monster taking them. Still leaves that stupid demon problem. I sighed. Well, one issue at a time, I guess.Are you leaving now?Yes. Finally. Thanks for handling this today.Of course, she said. She actually sounded like she meant it. Her pleased expression turned momentarily hesitant. Althoughtheres something you should know. Someone else responded right away to the trade offer.Thats good news.Its Dorian.Oh. Of course Dorian would respond. How could he stay away from an opportunity to put me at his me rcy? You can deal with it, though, right?Well, thats just it. Hes specifically call for that you talk to him. At his home.What? I stared. Hehe cant do that.That wry smile of hers returned. Hes a king. He can do anything he wishes.Yeah, but Leith came here Dorian just wants me to go to him so that he can taunt me. And no doubt flaunt Ysabel in front of me.Leiths soil needs copper more than Dorians. I suspect Dorian is doing this as a personal favor to you.Thats not exactly how Id put it.She shook her head, the amusement now warring with exasperation. I know theres tension amid you, but I suspect if you could be nice to King Dorian, he might make us a very generous deal. One that could help us immensely.A generous deal. The Oak Land was flourishing. I didnt doubt they had all sorts of food and other items we could use. I thought about those poor people in Westoria and even about my prisoners whod spoken of having too many mouths to feed. I sighed.Fine. Ill talk to him. And Ill even be nice. I started to turn away, needing more than ever to get back to my own home. Then I glanced back behind me. But Shaya? Just to be safe, you might want to keep looking for more trade partners.