Hi, everybody!
Sorry about the delay between posts! I was obsessively working on my latest complete novel, Iron Witch (Part 1), which is basically a TG steampunk wizard school (think Harry Potter) novel. It's available on my Patreon right now ($2 will get you access)! I haven't decided whether it will make its way to ScribbleHub or if I'll post it to Amazon, but it will be a while in either case. The link below is to my official announcement of the project, which includes all of Chapter 1 for your perusal. The full novel is available to Patrons.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/update-special-49706067
All my best,
Ovid
48. The Quadruple Double Date
Val was so stunned at Niko's appearance that she couldn't even skip and hum in her elated happiness as they made their way to the carriage. The Niko who emerged from the palace wardrobe was every bit as transformed as Izzy (and, Val hoped, herself). But, where Izzy had gone from a cute orphan to an adorable young woman, Niko had become… well… she looked like a woman. A beautiful almost-adult woman. She was so mature Val could barely comprehend it. Next to her, Val was basically just a kid…
"What?" Niko asked. Her expressive lips were brushed with carmine, her crystal-blue eyes emphasized by subtle eyeliner. And she had a Figure. An honest-to-the-gods Figure.
"Nothing…" Val blushed. How could she possibly go on a date with Niko looking like that. People would think it was a joke.
"Do I have something in my teeth?"
"No… it's just…" Val could barely speak above a whisper. "You look pretty. Really, really pretty. I think I'm intimidated?"
"Valkyrie Valicent-Vinzenno is intimidated?" Niko smirked. "Aw… Val… you're adorable when you blush…"
"I don't want to look adorable. I want to look beautiful… like you. It's… ahh… I can't even…" Val struggled to put what she was feeling into words. Niko looked so amazing that Val couldn't take it… so amazing that Val felt very self-conscious about being seen next to her, compared to her.
Niko kissed her cheek. "You can be beautiful when you stop being adorably embarrassed. I promise you're beautiful. Right, Izzy?"
"You both look like proper ladies if you ask me," she said, looking back and forth between Val and Niko. "Everybody's going to think I'm your little sister," she added in a small voice.
"You are our little sister," Val said. They were blood sisters, after all. "But you're also very pretty. Come on, let's meet this boy of yours."
They boarded one of the earl's carriages, blue and shiny and drawn by sleek brown horses. Val knew from her finishing classes that a proper lady was always helped into a carriage by a gentleman, but that was a stupid rule. She hopped right in and the other girls followed her cue. She looked back to Niko again, framed by the setting sun as the carriage trundled down the avenue… biting her rouged lower lip and fiddling her fingers, as if she had anything to be nervous about. Val found it vaguely ridiculous that she, Valkyrie Valicent-Vinzenno, was supposed to be a queen some day when Niko could look like that. Val would follow her into battle. Give her life for her. Oh, Niko…
"I can't believe we're here already," Izzy said. "I'm so nervous… how do I stop being so nervous?"
"Aleida has a necklace for that," Val said.
"Good for her. I haven’t…" Izzy kicked the door open before the coachwoman could get around to it and hopped out, bringing her nails up to nibble on them three times before remembering that she'd glossed them for the evening and didn't want to ruin the finish. She spotted Jasil milling about the front of the restaurant with her cousin and ducked behind the coach to hide from view.
Val climbed out after Izzy and ushered her back around from her hiding place, whispering to her: "Look… see how he's got his hands in his pockets? He's nervous, too. Come on, it will be fun…"
"This is the most terrifying thing I've ever done," Izzy said. That was saying something, as she'd been in at least three skirmishes during the Battle of East Verdenlecht and had hidden from the enemy army in Sabine's secret basement for two days.
"I know, and I’m proud of you," Val whispered. "You look incredible… so let's go."
Finally, they approached the front of the restaurant, where Jasil was busy talking her cousin down from his anxiety. She flashed Val a smile and shuffled over to give everybody a greeting hug before introducing Kaspar to them.
"Kaspar, these are my friends Val and Niko… and this is Izzy, the girl I was telling you about. I know her from that fighting class I was telling you about, and sometimes we go swimming…"
Kaspar flashed a nervous grin. "That fighting sounds pretty cool," he said. "I guess you could beat somebody up if they won't give us a good table?"
Izzy shook her head. "Uncle Ette made me promise not to use my training on anybody unless I had to…"
"It was a…"
"A joke…" Izzy slapped her forehead. "I'm so embarrassed… Val… can we go back to the palace?"
"My mom and I performed here yesterday, so they've got to give us a good table, right?" Kaspar said. "May I, um… show you inside?"
"Um…" Izzy said.
"Yes," Val whispered.
"Yes! Yes, please! Hi. I'm Izzy. Hi. Thank you," Izzy said in a rush. Val nudged her back and she walked in alongside Kaspar with Val and Niko not far behind.
"Good luck, you guys," Jasil said. "I'll check in to see how things are going later on."
As nervous as Izzy was, Val wasn't doing so well herself. At least she didn't have to deal with a stranger. She and Niko were pretty familiar with one another at this point in their relationship. But this was actually the first date that Val and Niko had been on… the first date that Val had ever been on. Dating was a bit of an oddity that only the middle-classes and lower gentry did. Among orphans and the other poor, you eventually entered the orbit of somebody you liked and who helped your life be a bit less miserable and you eventually called them your spouse. Among the rich, most relationships were arranged through families. As such, dating was a weird courtship ritual that Val never thought she'd have to engage in.
It helped a bit that this was everybody's first date. At least Jasil thought it was Kaspar's first, though she wasn't positive. If so, this was utterly uncharted territory for all of them.
Kaspar was a tall and lanky boy, at least for his age (three months older than Izzy). He was somewhere in between Val and Niko in height with the dark hair, dark eyes, and a kind of pleasant boyish look that Val knew some girls were attracted to. To Val, his most endearing trait was that he was obviously desperate to please Izzy, which was a solid mark in his favor. He looked to the ceiling and whispered a set of rules that he was supposed to follow before dashing over to Izzy's seat and pulling it out for her. Val and Niko shared a look before pulling out their own seats. Chivalry was weird.
The restaurant was a place Val had learned about from Aoife (or maybe Aisling) that she thought would hit the sweet spot somewhere between embarrassingly snooty and the sort of place frequented by drunken sailors. Indeed, most of the people around them were dressed nicely but not as nicely as the three girls… the palace wardrobe was pretty hoity-toity. A server gave them Khasult dipping-bread without even asking for money up front and then listed off the available meals, only three of which Val had ever heard of before.
"Goat Churribat… that's the spicy one, right?" Val asked.
Their server smiled - it was the sort of smile that managed to be both obsequious and condescending, and Val didn't care for it at all. "Yes, miss. It's spicy to the Auriline palate."
"I like that one," she said. "They used to have it in the street stall along the Green Procession. I'll take that one…"
"Would you like to have a soup first?"
Val paused, wondering whether she'd just made a faux-pas. She looked to Niko, who didn't know, either. She thought to her finishing lessons… "Chef's choice," she said confidently. "Whatever will pair well."
They ordered, chatted, and waited for their meals. No other faux-pas that Val could detect, other than Kaspar correcting the server's pronunciation of a Sheore dish, which you weren't supposed to do. But none of them were nobles, so it hardly mattered that they were a bit uncouth. Val and Niko could chat about almost anything for ages, but she was curious to learn about Izzy's date, too.
"You're new to Port Rumm?" she asked.
Kaspar nodded. "Yes. I've been here before, but never for long. Our whole tribe's congregating here - there are about five hundred of us, I think - and I suppose the elders will figure out what we'll do. Usually, we stick around until we've overstayed our welcome and then move on, but with the war on, who knows. One of our caravans got caught by the Righteous Army… they weren't even near the border… and they killed everybody…"
"Um…" Val said. She was pretty sure they'd just waded into dinner conversation that finishing school would not have approved of. She didn't give a damn about finishing school, though. "I swore a blood oath against them. I hope I can ride out with Earl Zollen's army when it comes time for the counterstrike."
Niko nodded. "They killed some of our friends, too. Why don't the Sheore join up with Aleida's… her grace's forces? If Boleares takes Aurilicht, there won't be anywhere for Sheore to live all the way to at least Villibisc."
"We're not really fighters," Kaspar said.
"I could teach you," Izzy said. "I'm pretty good at fighting. Not as good as Niko. Or Val. But pretty good! I know knife, quarterstaff, blade… that's what you call swords… striking, ground fighting, the bow, and I'm starting with spear, which is a lot like quarterstaff so I'm already okay. Do you want me to teach you?"
Kaspar nodded excitedly. "And I can teach you leap-dancing."
Izzy nodded back. "Yes! Did you know I've always wanted to do that? Me and… Val and Niko and I are members of Monkey Squad because we’re such great climbers, so I figure we'd be good at leap-dancing. Is it really a dance? Or is it tumbling and such?"
"Both!" Kaspar kept nodding. "It's best when you've got two or four, but you can do it with any number, really, even just yourself. First, you learn balance, and then you learn… well, I'll show you. It'll be great!"
"I'd say they're getting on well," Niko chuckled to Val. Izzy didn't hear her at all - she was too engrossed in her conversation with Kaspar.
"Yeah," Val said. She reached out and squeezed Niko's hand under the table. They ate dipping-bread. They watched Izzy going gaga over a tall, dark-eyed boy who almost certainly had a butt.
+++++
They had their meal. Val had her Goat Churribat, which was spicier than she expected but still pretty good. She shared hers with Niko, who gave Val bits of her gefuldimussil, which was some sort of stuffed shellfish dish. And Izzy and Kaspar were animated enough to get annoyed looks from the table over. Kaspar sketched a portrait of Izzy on his napkin… a risky date move if it proved unflattering, but the sketch wasn't half-bad. And when Val went to show the server the note from Ginn explaining that they could each have one small glass of wine, the server didn't even look at it. He left the bottle at the table, and Val had to figure whether she wanted to reinterpret what ‘small’ meant or bring the rest back for Ginn and Ette.
There were people dancing over by where the quintet was playing the restaurant's music, and Val was feeling loose after a not-entirely-small glass of wine, so she tugged on Niko's hand until she followed Val over and they danced. She nibbled at her lip and looked into Niko's eyes - Niko, with her intense self-sure eyes and her expressive carnelian lips, and she still looked as beautiful as Val remembered from earlier… maybe even more beautiful due to the subdued light. This was Nikoli Sturmhild the orphan, just a few months out of the orphanage, only she looked like a beautiful young woman… not even a young woman the way Val thought of herself, but somebody grown-ups might take seriously. And, as much as Val insisted to herself that she was a young woman, too, and not a kid anymore, she didn’t feel the way Niko looked. It amazed her that she could look into Niko's eyes and see nothing but contentment and love there as she held close to Val.
They kissed. Oh, they kissed. Right there on the dance floor. Right there where anybody could see them, they spun to the sonorous melody of the quintet's sonata nocturna and Niko brought her lips to Val's and Val kissed back, her happy tuneless hum drowned out by the sound of a droning cellito. She saw Izzy in the corner of her vision and glanced over just in time to catch her standing on her tiptoes to give Kaspar a peck on the lips. Both of them blushed adorably and Val hummed happily.
Niko giggled.
"What?"
"Your humming… it tickles my lips," Niko said.
"I should stop?"
She shook her head, her ruby earrings catching the candlelight and glowing like the sunset. "I like that you're happy."
They danced. They kissed some more. Val tried to hum less, but kept catching herself doing it every few minutes, usually when Niko started to giggle. Val sighed. This was right. This was good. Nobody was judging her or trying to tell her that kissing Niko was wrong because it wasn't…
And the Pale Order and their Righteous Army were occupying the eastern half of the duchy. They had one and a half nations beneath their heel, and they would crush anything like the joy that Val and Niko felt for one another. Here she was, safe and happy in Port Rumm while how many thousands had lost their freedom? How many had their lives crushed into grinding misery by the twisted minions of the Pale God…
"Val? Val… what's wrong?" Niko asked.
Val unclenched her jaw. She unclenched her fists. She took a deep breath. "I'm worried this can't last…"
Niko was understandably concerned. "What can't? Us?"
Val nodded. "I'm worried if we lose the war then all of this… us… you and me. Even if they didn't already hate me, they hate us. Kissing you would be a crime…"
Niko held Val's face between her hands, her breath hot against her cheek and smelling faintly of wine. "It would be a crime, but it still wouldn't be wrong. This can't be wrong." She kissed Val softly, and Val let out a little gasp as she pulled away. "Because this can't be wrong." She put a slim hand to Val's chest and left it there for a moment, feeling Val's heartbeat.
"I love you," Val murmured.
"And I love you," Niko said. "And you're my precious queen."
"Mmm," Val hummed. She tapped her lips. "Your queen demands more smooches."
+++++
Val and Niko danced and kissed for what felt like far too short a time, though it was probably close to half an hour. Their bliss was interrupted by Jasil gesturing them over from a spot near the back of the restaurant. She looked worried about something.
"What's wrong?"
"My dad and my uncles…" Jasil whispered. The sleeve of her blouse had been ripped and her hair was a mess, as if somebody had tried to grab her by it. "Somehow, they found out you were here… they're planning on getting back at you for beating them up."
"Planning on doing what?" Niko asked, leaning in from over Val's shoulder.
"I… I don't know. They have knives. I think they followed me, and my dad told my uncle Ravush to take me back home so I wouldn't ruin things. But I got away because I had to warn you…"
Niko and Val shared a look. "Whoever was holding you, he's probably warned them by now," Val said. "So wherever they are, they won't be there anymore. They'll probably call it off," Val said.
"I, uh…" Jasil said. "I remembered our drills. I kicked him between the legs pretty hard. And then kneed him. And then pushed him over. I kind of doubt he'll be getting back to warn them."
"Good. Sounds like our last warning to your dad didn't take," Val said. "Let's warn them again."
Jasil gripped Val's sleeve. "Please don't hurt my dad… he's just stubborn. You should just go back to the palace and let him wait all night…"
Val shook her head. "I'll always be looking over my shoulder if I know there are men who want to ambush me creeping around Port Rumm. No, if they want to play things out, we'll play things out. I promise we'll do the same thing we did last time - unless they bring the knives out. Once deadly weapons are in play, you end the fight on whatever terms you can. That's Ette's rule for us, and it's a good one."
Jasil frowned but said nothing.
"What do you think would happen to them if the guard caught them?" Niko asked. "It's things like this that give the Sheore a bad reputation."
"We're not bad people," Jasil said. "Really…"
"I know," Val said. She clasped Jasil's hand and waited until the girl dared to meet her gaze. "Your dad's just an arse. Arses can come from anywhere, but it's different when they're strangers to the city and they dress differently and speak another language. I didn't understand until I had a choice in how I dressed and got taught how people in so-called proper society act. I'm not judging you, I’m judging your dad – and we’ve got to let him know this isn’t acceptable behavior."
"Fine. You promised not to hurt him."
Val had promised no such thing, but she'd keep the promise she had made - she wouldn't give the man more than a bloody nose and some bruises to remember as long as he didn't flash a blade. If he did, she’d respond accordingly. But she knew the score now - Jasil's dad was sore because Val had tried to dictate how he ran his family. And, in Val’s opinion, he’d done a pretty horrible job of running things and she had no intention of letting things go back that way. He would never beat Jasil or anybody else. Not while she could do anything about it. She nodded to Jasil and followed her out of the restaurant.
"Should we get Izzy?" Niko asked.
Val shook her head. Izzy and Kaspar were still dancing, and from Izzy's dazed smile and Kaspar's flush of happiness, only a cold and callous heart would separate them. Hopefully, the business with Jasil's dad would be done quickly and Izzy would be none the wiser.
They headed out into the night. Breeze whipped at the hem of Val's shin-length gown, and the cool of the night made her acutely aware that she was unarmored and armed only with a semi-sharp serving knife. The sensible side of her brain told her that this was risky and dangerous, but she was too angry at Jasil's dad to listen. He was going to swear before the gods that he would leave them alone for good or Val would make him wish he had.
They walked toward the carriage roundabout two blocks past the restaurant, through the yellow glow of gaslight, sounds of music and cultured conversation carrying over the air. They were in Rummside, the neighborhood between the palace district and the port, a fairly affluent place where you wouldn't expect to be accosted by angry Sheore men. Jasil motioned with her hand, indicating that they were waiting in a nearby alley.
Val slipped into the alleyway, ready to cast a spell, knife at the ready. Niko was right behind, and Jasil crouched behind both of them. She nudged past Val, pacing out between refuse bins in the cramped alleyway.
"They were here…" she said.
"Nuz em spus ca ni va adduca pretenji creva as nu?" a man growled. [Didn't I tell you she'd bring her bitch friends to us?]
Four men moved to block the alleyway exit. Val looked over her shoulder and then back - the alley led to a brick wall, perhaps fifteen feet high. Maybe she and Niko could climb it… but could Jasil? She was an acrobat, obviously, but she wasn't well-trained in combat yet. Val clenched the serving knife in her hand… it was meant for cutting meat, but the blade wasn't particularly sharp and wasn't much longer than her palm was wide. But she had magic at her disposal, too… whatever she did, it would have to keep Jasil safe. But it was Jasil who stepped between Val and Niko and her father's four-man posse.
"Pata, cesteaza omediati. Tu dezonzori pu tene, fiarz indolenze." She shouted. [Father, cease this at once! You're dishonoring yourself, you indolent beast!]
He spat on the ground and waved his knife at her, a four-inch skinning knife like the one Galvan used. "Wetti simti curaza kanturji mol kand fu areztini do preftat civilli em cozezzor dus!" [You'll feel the strap of my belt after I'm done teaching civility to these two!]
Jasil's dad took a step forward, but faltered when there were two fast flashes in the air - Val hadn't expected them and, even from twenty feet away, her vision was left with green blobs dancing across it. Before the men could react, Val sensed more magic being cast - a fairly competent casting of a magical net. The four men bumped into one another as the net constricted around them and then tumbled to the ground as Jasil turned the net over and forced them down.
She ran up to her father and delivered three swift kicks - two to the gut and one right to his face. When she shouted, Val could hear the raw anger forcing her pleasant, dusky voice into a harsh growl. Her eyes were wide with fury.
"Fili tu es vrujia, bataran batra! Disi nakar vorbești din nu de a loz otrou rhu, ai tu castrozo cu un kottar vlictisitarri!" [Your daughter is a witch, you old bastard! If you even speak of harming them again, I'll castrate you with a dull blade!] She kicked him in the gut again and he vomited at her feet. "Komprenzi tu?" [Do you understand?]
"Ai! Ai! Yes, I understand!" he cried back, cowering from her even though the magical net had dissipated.
"Good." Jasil turned back to Val and Niko, her anger draining as the three men dragged Jasil’s father to his feet. "Come on. The trash can take itself out."
Hi, everybody!
Sorry about the delay between posts! I was obsessively working on my latest complete novel, Iron Witch (Part 1), which is basically a TG steampunk wizard school (think Harry Potter) novel. It's available on my Patreon right now ($2 will get you access)! I haven't decided whether it will make its way to ScribbleHub or if I'll post it to Amazon, but it will be a while in either case. The link below is to my official announcement of the project, which includes all of Chapter 1 for your perusal. The full novel is available to Patrons.
https://www.patreon.com/posts/update-special-49706067
All my best,
Ovid
48. The Quadruple Double Date
Val was so stunned at Niko's appearance that she couldn't even skip and hum in her elated happiness as they made their way to the carriage. The Niko who emerged from the palace wardrobe was every bit as transformed as Izzy (and, Val hoped, herself). But, where Izzy had gone from a cute orphan to an adorable young woman, Niko had become… well… she looked like a woman. A beautiful almost-adult woman. She was so mature Val could barely comprehend it. Next to her, Val was basically just a kid…
"What?" Niko asked. Her expressive lips were brushed with carmine, her crystal-blue eyes emphasized by subtle eyeliner. And she had a Figure. An honest-to-the-gods Figure.
"Nothing…" Val blushed. How could she possibly go on a date with Niko looking like that. People would think it was a joke.
"Do I have something in my teeth?"
"No… it's just…" Val could barely speak above a whisper. "You look pretty. Really, really pretty. I think I'm intimidated?"
"Valkyrie Valicent-Vinzenno is intimidated?" Niko smirked. "Aw… Val… you're adorable when you blush…"
"I don't want to look adorable. I want to look beautiful… like you. It's… ahh… I can't even…" Val struggled to put what she was feeling into words. Niko looked so amazing that Val couldn't take it… so amazing that Val felt very self-conscious about being seen next to her, compared to her.
Niko kissed her cheek. "You can be beautiful when you stop being adorably embarrassed. I promise you're beautiful. Right, Izzy?"
"You both look like proper ladies if you ask me," she said, looking back and forth between Val and Niko. "Everybody's going to think I'm your little sister," she added in a small voice.
"You are our little sister," Val said. They were blood sisters, after all. "But you're also very pretty. Come on, let's meet this boy of yours."
They boarded one of the earl's carriages, blue and shiny and drawn by sleek brown horses. Val knew from her finishing classes that a proper lady was always helped into a carriage by a gentleman, but that was a stupid rule. She hopped right in and the other girls followed her cue. She looked back to Niko again, framed by the setting sun as the carriage trundled down the avenue… biting her rouged lower lip and fiddling her fingers, as if she had anything to be nervous about. Val found it vaguely ridiculous that she, Valkyrie Valicent-Vinzenno, was supposed to be a queen some day when Niko could look like that. Val would follow her into battle. Give her life for her. Oh, Niko…
"I can't believe we're here already," Izzy said. "I'm so nervous… how do I stop being so nervous?"
"Aleida has a necklace for that," Val said.
"Good for her. I haven’t…" Izzy kicked the door open before the coachwoman could get around to it and hopped out, bringing her nails up to nibble on them three times before remembering that she'd glossed them for the evening and didn't want to ruin the finish. She spotted Jasil milling about the front of the restaurant with her cousin and ducked behind the coach to hide from view.
Val climbed out after Izzy and ushered her back around from her hiding place, whispering to her: "Look… see how he's got his hands in his pockets? He's nervous, too. Come on, it will be fun…"
"This is the most terrifying thing I've ever done," Izzy said. That was saying something, as she'd been in at least three skirmishes during the Battle of East Verdenlecht and had hidden from the enemy army in Sabine's secret basement for two days.
"I know, and I’m proud of you," Val whispered. "You look incredible… so let's go."
Finally, they approached the front of the restaurant, where Jasil was busy talking her cousin down from his anxiety. She flashed Val a smile and shuffled over to give everybody a greeting hug before introducing Kaspar to them.
"Kaspar, these are my friends Val and Niko… and this is Izzy, the girl I was telling you about. I know her from that fighting class I was telling you about, and sometimes we go swimming…"
Kaspar flashed a nervous grin. "That fighting sounds pretty cool," he said. "I guess you could beat somebody up if they won't give us a good table?"
Izzy shook her head. "Uncle Ette made me promise not to use my training on anybody unless I had to…"
"It was a…"
"A joke…" Izzy slapped her forehead. "I'm so embarrassed… Val… can we go back to the palace?"
"My mom and I performed here yesterday, so they've got to give us a good table, right?" Kaspar said. "May I, um… show you inside?"
"Um…" Izzy said.
"Yes," Val whispered.
"Yes! Yes, please! Hi. I'm Izzy. Hi. Thank you," Izzy said in a rush. Val nudged her back and she walked in alongside Kaspar with Val and Niko not far behind.
"Good luck, you guys," Jasil said. "I'll check in to see how things are going later on."
As nervous as Izzy was, Val wasn't doing so well herself. At least she didn't have to deal with a stranger. She and Niko were pretty familiar with one another at this point in their relationship. But this was actually the first date that Val and Niko had been on… the first date that Val had ever been on. Dating was a bit of an oddity that only the middle-classes and lower gentry did. Among orphans and the other poor, you eventually entered the orbit of somebody you liked and who helped your life be a bit less miserable and you eventually called them your spouse. Among the rich, most relationships were arranged through families. As such, dating was a weird courtship ritual that Val never thought she'd have to engage in.
It helped a bit that this was everybody's first date. At least Jasil thought it was Kaspar's first, though she wasn't positive. If so, this was utterly uncharted territory for all of them.
Kaspar was a tall and lanky boy, at least for his age (three months older than Izzy). He was somewhere in between Val and Niko in height with the dark hair, dark eyes, and a kind of pleasant boyish look that Val knew some girls were attracted to. To Val, his most endearing trait was that he was obviously desperate to please Izzy, which was a solid mark in his favor. He looked to the ceiling and whispered a set of rules that he was supposed to follow before dashing over to Izzy's seat and pulling it out for her. Val and Niko shared a look before pulling out their own seats. Chivalry was weird.
The restaurant was a place Val had learned about from Aoife (or maybe Aisling) that she thought would hit the sweet spot somewhere between embarrassingly snooty and the sort of place frequented by drunken sailors. Indeed, most of the people around them were dressed nicely but not as nicely as the three girls… the palace wardrobe was pretty hoity-toity. A server gave them Khasult dipping-bread without even asking for money up front and then listed off the available meals, only three of which Val had ever heard of before.
"Goat Churribat… that's the spicy one, right?" Val asked.
Their server smiled - it was the sort of smile that managed to be both obsequious and condescending, and Val didn't care for it at all. "Yes, miss. It's spicy to the Auriline palate."
"I like that one," she said. "They used to have it in the street stall along the Green Procession. I'll take that one…"
"Would you like to have a soup first?"
Val paused, wondering whether she'd just made a faux-pas. She looked to Niko, who didn't know, either. She thought to her finishing lessons… "Chef's choice," she said confidently. "Whatever will pair well."
They ordered, chatted, and waited for their meals. No other faux-pas that Val could detect, other than Kaspar correcting the server's pronunciation of a Sheore dish, which you weren't supposed to do. But none of them were nobles, so it hardly mattered that they were a bit uncouth. Val and Niko could chat about almost anything for ages, but she was curious to learn about Izzy's date, too.
"You're new to Port Rumm?" she asked.
Kaspar nodded. "Yes. I've been here before, but never for long. Our whole tribe's congregating here - there are about five hundred of us, I think - and I suppose the elders will figure out what we'll do. Usually, we stick around until we've overstayed our welcome and then move on, but with the war on, who knows. One of our caravans got caught by the Righteous Army… they weren't even near the border… and they killed everybody…"
"Um…" Val said. She was pretty sure they'd just waded into dinner conversation that finishing school would not have approved of. She didn't give a damn about finishing school, though. "I swore a blood oath against them. I hope I can ride out with Earl Zollen's army when it comes time for the counterstrike."
Niko nodded. "They killed some of our friends, too. Why don't the Sheore join up with Aleida's… her grace's forces? If Boleares takes Aurilicht, there won't be anywhere for Sheore to live all the way to at least Villibisc."
"We're not really fighters," Kaspar said.
"I could teach you," Izzy said. "I'm pretty good at fighting. Not as good as Niko. Or Val. But pretty good! I know knife, quarterstaff, blade… that's what you call swords… striking, ground fighting, the bow, and I'm starting with spear, which is a lot like quarterstaff so I'm already okay. Do you want me to teach you?"
Kaspar nodded excitedly. "And I can teach you leap-dancing."
Izzy nodded back. "Yes! Did you know I've always wanted to do that? Me and… Val and Niko and I are members of Monkey Squad because we’re such great climbers, so I figure we'd be good at leap-dancing. Is it really a dance? Or is it tumbling and such?"
"Both!" Kaspar kept nodding. "It's best when you've got two or four, but you can do it with any number, really, even just yourself. First, you learn balance, and then you learn… well, I'll show you. It'll be great!"
"I'd say they're getting on well," Niko chuckled to Val. Izzy didn't hear her at all - she was too engrossed in her conversation with Kaspar.
"Yeah," Val said. She reached out and squeezed Niko's hand under the table. They ate dipping-bread. They watched Izzy going gaga over a tall, dark-eyed boy who almost certainly had a butt.
+++++
They had their meal. Val had her Goat Churribat, which was spicier than she expected but still pretty good. She shared hers with Niko, who gave Val bits of her gefuldimussil, which was some sort of stuffed shellfish dish. And Izzy and Kaspar were animated enough to get annoyed looks from the table over. Kaspar sketched a portrait of Izzy on his napkin… a risky date move if it proved unflattering, but the sketch wasn't half-bad. And when Val went to show the server the note from Ginn explaining that they could each have one small glass of wine, the server didn't even look at it. He left the bottle at the table, and Val had to figure whether she wanted to reinterpret what ‘small’ meant or bring the rest back for Ginn and Ette.
There were people dancing over by where the quintet was playing the restaurant's music, and Val was feeling loose after a not-entirely-small glass of wine, so she tugged on Niko's hand until she followed Val over and they danced. She nibbled at her lip and looked into Niko's eyes - Niko, with her intense self-sure eyes and her expressive carnelian lips, and she still looked as beautiful as Val remembered from earlier… maybe even more beautiful due to the subdued light. This was Nikoli Sturmhild the orphan, just a few months out of the orphanage, only she looked like a beautiful young woman… not even a young woman the way Val thought of herself, but somebody grown-ups might take seriously. And, as much as Val insisted to herself that she was a young woman, too, and not a kid anymore, she didn’t feel the way Niko looked. It amazed her that she could look into Niko's eyes and see nothing but contentment and love there as she held close to Val.
They kissed. Oh, they kissed. Right there on the dance floor. Right there where anybody could see them, they spun to the sonorous melody of the quintet's sonata nocturna and Niko brought her lips to Val's and Val kissed back, her happy tuneless hum drowned out by the sound of a droning cellito. She saw Izzy in the corner of her vision and glanced over just in time to catch her standing on her tiptoes to give Kaspar a peck on the lips. Both of them blushed adorably and Val hummed happily.
Niko giggled.
"What?"
"Your humming… it tickles my lips," Niko said.
"I should stop?"
She shook her head, her ruby earrings catching the candlelight and glowing like the sunset. "I like that you're happy."
They danced. They kissed some more. Val tried to hum less, but kept catching herself doing it every few minutes, usually when Niko started to giggle. Val sighed. This was right. This was good. Nobody was judging her or trying to tell her that kissing Niko was wrong because it wasn't…
And the Pale Order and their Righteous Army were occupying the eastern half of the duchy. They had one and a half nations beneath their heel, and they would crush anything like the joy that Val and Niko felt for one another. Here she was, safe and happy in Port Rumm while how many thousands had lost their freedom? How many had their lives crushed into grinding misery by the twisted minions of the Pale God…
"Val? Val… what's wrong?" Niko asked.
Val unclenched her jaw. She unclenched her fists. She took a deep breath. "I'm worried this can't last…"
Niko was understandably concerned. "What can't? Us?"
Val nodded. "I'm worried if we lose the war then all of this… us… you and me. Even if they didn't already hate me, they hate us. Kissing you would be a crime…"
Niko held Val's face between her hands, her breath hot against her cheek and smelling faintly of wine. "It would be a crime, but it still wouldn't be wrong. This can't be wrong." She kissed Val softly, and Val let out a little gasp as she pulled away. "Because this can't be wrong." She put a slim hand to Val's chest and left it there for a moment, feeling Val's heartbeat.
"I love you," Val murmured.
"And I love you," Niko said. "And you're my precious queen."
"Mmm," Val hummed. She tapped her lips. "Your queen demands more smooches."
+++++
Val and Niko danced and kissed for what felt like far too short a time, though it was probably close to half an hour. Their bliss was interrupted by Jasil gesturing them over from a spot near the back of the restaurant. She looked worried about something.
"What's wrong?"
"My dad and my uncles…" Jasil whispered. The sleeve of her blouse had been ripped and her hair was a mess, as if somebody had tried to grab her by it. "Somehow, they found out you were here… they're planning on getting back at you for beating them up."
"Planning on doing what?" Niko asked, leaning in from over Val's shoulder.
"I… I don't know. They have knives. I think they followed me, and my dad told my uncle Ravush to take me back home so I wouldn't ruin things. But I got away because I had to warn you…"
Niko and Val shared a look. "Whoever was holding you, he's probably warned them by now," Val said. "So wherever they are, they won't be there anymore. They'll probably call it off," Val said.
"I, uh…" Jasil said. "I remembered our drills. I kicked him between the legs pretty hard. And then kneed him. And then pushed him over. I kind of doubt he'll be getting back to warn them."
"Good. Sounds like our last warning to your dad didn't take," Val said. "Let's warn them again."
Jasil gripped Val's sleeve. "Please don't hurt my dad… he's just stubborn. You should just go back to the palace and let him wait all night…"
Val shook her head. "I'll always be looking over my shoulder if I know there are men who want to ambush me creeping around Port Rumm. No, if they want to play things out, we'll play things out. I promise we'll do the same thing we did last time - unless they bring the knives out. Once deadly weapons are in play, you end the fight on whatever terms you can. That's Ette's rule for us, and it's a good one."
Jasil frowned but said nothing.
"What do you think would happen to them if the guard caught them?" Niko asked. "It's things like this that give the Sheore a bad reputation."
"We're not bad people," Jasil said. "Really…"
"I know," Val said. She clasped Jasil's hand and waited until the girl dared to meet her gaze. "Your dad's just an arse. Arses can come from anywhere, but it's different when they're strangers to the city and they dress differently and speak another language. I didn't understand until I had a choice in how I dressed and got taught how people in so-called proper society act. I'm not judging you, I’m judging your dad – and we’ve got to let him know this isn’t acceptable behavior."
"Fine. You promised not to hurt him."
Val had promised no such thing, but she'd keep the promise she had made - she wouldn't give the man more than a bloody nose and some bruises to remember as long as he didn't flash a blade. If he did, she’d respond accordingly. But she knew the score now - Jasil's dad was sore because Val had tried to dictate how he ran his family. And, in Val’s opinion, he’d done a pretty horrible job of running things and she had no intention of letting things go back that way. He would never beat Jasil or anybody else. Not while she could do anything about it. She nodded to Jasil and followed her out of the restaurant.
"Should we get Izzy?" Niko asked.
Val shook her head. Izzy and Kaspar were still dancing, and from Izzy's dazed smile and Kaspar's flush of happiness, only a cold and callous heart would separate them. Hopefully, the business with Jasil's dad would be done quickly and Izzy would be none the wiser.
They headed out into the night. Breeze whipped at the hem of Val's shin-length gown, and the cool of the night made her acutely aware that she was unarmored and armed only with a semi-sharp serving knife. The sensible side of her brain told her that this was risky and dangerous, but she was too angry at Jasil's dad to listen. He was going to swear before the gods that he would leave them alone for good or Val would make him wish he had.
They walked toward the carriage roundabout two blocks past the restaurant, through the yellow glow of gaslight, sounds of music and cultured conversation carrying over the air. They were in Rummside, the neighborhood between the palace district and the port, a fairly affluent place where you wouldn't expect to be accosted by angry Sheore men. Jasil motioned with her hand, indicating that they were waiting in a nearby alley.
Val slipped into the alleyway, ready to cast a spell, knife at the ready. Niko was right behind, and Jasil crouched behind both of them. She nudged past Val, pacing out between refuse bins in the cramped alleyway.
"They were here…" she said.
"Nuz em spus ca ni va adduca pretenji creva as nu?" a man growled. [Didn't I tell you she'd bring her bitch friends to us?]
Four men moved to block the alleyway exit. Val looked over her shoulder and then back - the alley led to a brick wall, perhaps fifteen feet high. Maybe she and Niko could climb it… but could Jasil? She was an acrobat, obviously, but she wasn't well-trained in combat yet. Val clenched the serving knife in her hand… it was meant for cutting meat, but the blade wasn't particularly sharp and wasn't much longer than her palm was wide. But she had magic at her disposal, too… whatever she did, it would have to keep Jasil safe. But it was Jasil who stepped between Val and Niko and her father's four-man posse.
"Pata, cesteaza omediati. Tu dezonzori pu tene, fiarz indolenze." She shouted. [Father, cease this at once! You're dishonoring yourself, you indolent beast!]
He spat on the ground and waved his knife at her, a four-inch skinning knife like the one Galvan used. "Wetti simti curaza kanturji mol kand fu areztini do preftat civilli em cozezzor dus!" [You'll feel the strap of my belt after I'm done teaching civility to these two!]
Jasil's dad took a step forward, but faltered when there were two fast flashes in the air - Val hadn't expected them and, even from twenty feet away, her vision was left with green blobs dancing across it. Before the men could react, Val sensed more magic being cast - a fairly competent casting of a magical net. The four men bumped into one another as the net constricted around them and then tumbled to the ground as Jasil turned the net over and forced them down.
She ran up to her father and delivered three swift kicks - two to the gut and one right to his face. When she shouted, Val could hear the raw anger forcing her pleasant, dusky voice into a harsh growl. Her eyes were wide with fury.
"Fili tu es vrujia, bataran batra! Disi nakar vorbești din nu de a loz otrou rhu, ai tu castrozo cu un kottar vlictisitarri!" [Your daughter is a witch, you old bastard! If you even speak of harming them again, I'll castrate you with a dull blade!] She kicked him in the gut again and he vomited at her feet. "Komprenzi tu?" [Do you understand?]
"Ai! Ai! Yes, I understand!" he cried back, cowering from her even though the magical net had dissipated.
"Good." Jasil turned back to Val and Niko, her anger draining as the three men dragged Jasil’s father to his feet. "Come on. The trash can take itself out."
