Page 39 of Taking Jenny
“That Justice wants her to learn the dances to drum up attention for this year’s festivities.”
“Why would I lie about such a thing?”
A devilish smile tugged at the corner of the other man’s mouth. “To get her to work harder with us, so she’s so tired that she can’t fuck Tiger at night.”
I wasn’t about to admit his idea had merit. “Do you think I could possibly convince Justice to scheme on my behalf?”
Discord chimed in. “While I doubt he cares about you getting laid, there isn’t much you wouldn’t do in service to your cock, Mal.”
“You’re not wrong about that, however,” I forwarded the message to their drivers, “as you can see, this came from him and as you know, I have not been at the palace in the last day, so no. He wants her to prance like a show dreck so people will spend more money.” Bile rose in the back of my throat. “It’s horrid, in my opinion. But if she wants to make him regret it, then we will help her achieve that goal. Discord, are you up for dance instruction?”
“Of course.” She sipped her tea, then stared at the nearby flowers, something she normally took no personal interest in.
“Are you alright?” I asked her.
“Hmm?”
“What I mean is, why are you staring at my flowers?”
She sighed and glanced back at me, her expression oddly troubled. “Lady Bateen’s health is distracting me, I suppose.”
“Have you been by to see her?”
She gave me a sad smile. “It is exactly like Justice’s father’s illness. Her memory has faded. Even when she could speak, it was as though she did not recognize me. I fear she will end up like Credo Bateen. A living ghost.”
No one liked to speak of Credo Bateen, who was Justice’s father. It felt like egging Torment itself.
Surge quietly asked, “Has anyone seen Credo lately?”
“Last I heard, he exists on an island in the Emerald Sea, attended to by a small staff,” I said, telling him what I knew. “There isn’t much for them to do, other than to keep his body clean and make sure he has sustenance. He doesn’t speak. He lays on a bed, staring out the window, because that’s where they put him. Justice says he always loved the water…” I shrugged. “I had never met Credo before the illness took him, so I don’t know much about who he had been. But Longshot says he was a great man. A kind ruler. What happened to Justice, his own son, to make him the way he is…I guess no one knows.”
Discord quietly asked, “Do you think Justice has an island home picked out for Aphonic?” he asked of our ruler’s consort.
“Knowing Justice, yes,” I said, toying with my fork. “He actually showed a glimmer of emotion when he spoke of her at the last council meeting. It was strange to see. I would be surprised if he doesn’t have something already prepared for her future.”
She nodded but said nothing more on the matter, and I was reminded of the quiet, determined girl I had first met after I was taken to the royal palace. The daughter of Penalty Scrylock, Discord had been quite young when the war had begun. Since her father was fighting in the army and his consort had died the year before, Discord had come to the palace to be raised. Having been trained by her father’s assassins since she was old enough to hold a dagger, Discord was hoping to continue her educationin that regard. So, when she learned her education would take a sharp turn, she hated it there, until I met her.
And then, she hated me, too.
I was encouraged to train in combat. She was forced to learn embroidery.
She stole weapons and at night practiced what she saw us soldiers do, as well as the teachings of her former tutors. Eventually, I befriended Discord and helped to train her, though we had to do so in secret. Lady Aphonic Bateen, Justice’s consort, thought there was a romance between us, so she aided in our sneaking away in the middle of the night.
But soon, Lady Bateen discovered the real reason we were meeting in secret. Discord worried she would force her to quit her training. Instead, Aphonic had custom armor created for Discord, as the boy’s armor did not fit her properly. And, she continued to help us maintain our covert mission.
When Justice learned what we were up to and who was involved, he had Lady Bateen beaten by his personal guards in private. He stated it was improper for Discord to train for combat, as girls did not have the constitution for warfare and death, and therefore, Aphonic was putting the daughter of an important warlord at risk by allowing her to hone her battle skills.
To the public, Aphonic’s bruises were explained away as the byproduct of an accident. So, one night, Discord executed the guards involved in Aphonic’s beating and left their broken bodies to be found at the palace steps. The guards’ deaths were also ruled an accident.
Justice must have known it was her, considering he ordered no investigation into their deaths. He couldn’t, because if he had allowed an inquest, then he would have had to admit that a young girl had the constitution for warfare and death. RulerJustice Bateen was infallible, so he could not be proven wrong, no matter the evidence to the contrary.
Discord nursed Aphonic back to health, a more appropriate position for a young lady of her status, according to Justice. After the war was over, Discord refused to be seated at court, though the position remained open to her. She did, however, maintain a friendship with Aphonic over the years. Despite the risk to her, Aphonic encouraged her to keep training, and Discord worked harder than anyone I knew.
“Jenny has a fighter’s energy and the will to win,” Surge said, pulling me from the memories of our rocky childhood, “but with scant training, do you honestly think she can survive?”
“She will be a cina in a dreck’s lair,” Discord sniped, lips pursed. “Not impossible for the cina to survive, but deeply unlikely. Mal, your thoughts?”
I wasn’t sure what bothered me more. The fact that I liked the aforementioned cina, or the fact that Discord was right. “Whether or not shecansurvive is not the issue. Unlikely things happen all the time, or there would be no thrill in gambling. The issue at hand is whether or not shewillsurvive. And I mean to give her every advantage to do just that.”
