The Harbors of the Sun

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The Court of Indigo Cloud in The Reaches

Frost was hiding in the little chamber adjacent to the queens’ hall, the one consorts were supposed to wait in before they went out to greet visiting royal Aeriat. Her plan worked well, until Ember came down the steps from the upper passage and there was nowhere to go.

He stopped, startled to see her. “Frost, what are you doing here?”

Disgruntled, Frost said, “I’m waiting for the queens.” She realized Ember must also use this room as a quick private route down from his bower in the consorts’ level to Pearl’s. She should have thought of that. He was dressed for the greeting, in a sleeveless dark blue shirt and pants of the best silky cloth Indigo Cloud could produce, with armbands, a heavy gold bracelet, anklets, and gold chains with sunstones braided through his hair.

“Why?” he said, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Frost stirred mutinously. Ember wasn’t First Consort like Moon, but being rude to him would definitely fall under the category of something an immature fledgling would do, and not a daughter queen ready for responsibilities. And he was always nice, and she didn’t want to be rude. But she knew he would tell her to go back to the nurseries. She said, unwillingly, “Jade’s not here and there’s no other sister or daughter queens.”

Ember folded his arms. “You were just going to walk in on a formal meeting of queens making an alliance to defend the Reaches and demand to participate?”

Put in those terms, it did sound bad. “I wasn’t going to jump out at them. I was going to wait until Pearl came out, and then ask her.” She had meant to do it just before the other queens came in, when it was too late to order her to leave without causing a disturbance. Looking up at Ember’s disapproving expression, Frost decided not to explain that part. “Pearl can’t meet them alone. We’ll look bad.”

Ember pointed out, “Celadon is here.”

Frost knew that. It was the flaw in her otherwise carefully thought out reasoning. She said, “She doesn’t live here. She’s Malachite’s daughter queen, not Pearl’s.” Of course, Frost wasn’t, either. The bloodline tie through Moon made Celadon more part of Indigo Cloud than Frost. But Sky Copper and everyone in it was dead, and Frost would be a daughter queen of Indigo Cloud. Frost added, “I live here.”

Ember studied her a moment. “You know it’s a bad idea to surprise Pearl.”

Frost didn’t know that. She didn’t see Pearl much, except when Pearl came to the nurseries to visit the new clutches. “I like surprises,” Frost said.

“Grown-up queens usually don’t,” Ember said.

Frost flicked her spines, glumly resigned. Maybe it hadn’t been a very good idea. Then Ember added, “You should ask her if you can be present. Come on.”

He took her wrist and walked her out into the queens’ hall. The teachers Dream and Bead stood near the hearth, studying the arrangement of the cushions and the tea service with critical eyes. They were too occupied to notice Ember and Frost. Which was good, because Frost’s spines had started to flick nervously and if they saw that they would tell Rill and no one would believe she was grown enough to be a real daughter queen.

Ember led her into Pearl’s bower. Some warriors were there, and so was Gold, the teacher who was best at making jewelry. She was sorting through a pile of polished gems with silver settings, choosing pieces for Pearl to wear. Pearl was curled on a cushion near the hearth. Everyone looked up at Ember and Frost.

The first time Frost had seen Pearl was burned into her brain, when Moon had told them to run and Frost had known the Fell would kill him, when suddenly Pearl and Jade had slammed down out of the sky to rescue them all. But seeing her here, resting in her bower with warriors and Arbora in attendance, Frost remembered being brought to her birthqueen’s bower to listen to the Arbora read stories, and the scents came back to her, of the court and the members of their mingled bloodlines who she would never see again. She couldn’t do anything but stand there and hold on to Ember. He nudged her forward, gently.

Frost gathered herself. “Reigning queen, I—” Her voice came out high and squeaky, and she had to force it lower. “I want to be at the meeting with you. Jade isn’t here. I want to be—Like a daughter queen.” She gave up and stood there miserably. The prepared speech in her head sounded much better; she had no idea how it had come out that way.

Everyone looked at Pearl. Her spines flicked in annoyance, which Frost didn’t think was a good sign. She looked over Frost’s head, at Ember, then down at Frost. Frost’s spines tensed and she braced herself.

Then Pearl said, “Your behavior has not always warranted such favors.”

Frost felt her spines sink. Then Pearl added, “But Blossom has told me how much you’ve improved. If you can keep quiet, and speak only when you’re spoken to, you may stay.”

So not long later, Frost sat on a cushion next to Celadon, with Bone, Heart, Bell, and Knell, all watching Pearl as they waited for the other queens. Frost’s frills were still wet because once Pearl had given her permission to stay, Gold had hauled Frost over to the bathing pool at the back of Pearl’s bower and made her wash all over. Mindful of staying on her best behavior, Frost hadn’t even protested that she was already clean. Frost had put on all her good jewelry back in the nurseries, but Gold had made her take off two bracelets and had quickly polished the copper disks of her necklace for her. Then Gold had hugged her and whispered, “Your first time at a formal greeting! It’s so exciting!”

Frost was beginning to realize how lucky she was that Ember had caught her. It was better to have this given to her instead of trying to take it. Once the other queens came, she would have to move over to sit with the Arbora, but Celadon had said Frost could sit with her until they arrived.

The lights caught the polished blue stones of Celadon’s belt and necklace, and the deep green of her scales. She had three warriors with her, who waited in the back of the hall with Floret and the Indigo Cloud warriors. Celadon’s close resemblance to Moon was reassuring and Frost had already met her in the nurseries when Ember had brought her down to visit the new royal clutch. Celadon said, “I was much older than you when I went to my first formal meeting.”

Frost tried not to show how gratifying that was. “Was there a war with the Fell?”

“No.” Celadon’s spines flicked a little in amusement. “It was about trading ball fruit.” She looked down at Frost and said a little cautiously, “The Fell war happened when I was much younger.”

Frost said, “Moon told us. They came and killed everyone. It happened to us, too.”

Celadon squeezed her wrist. “It will never happen again.”

Frost’s spines flicked and her throat went dry suddenly. It won’t, it won’t happen again, she thought fiercely. She was bigger now, and she could fight them if they came to the nurseries. She leaned against Celadon’s solid warmth and thought, never again.

Bone was saying to Pearl, “Don’t forget to talk about supplies.”

Pearl tilted her head toward him. “Somehow I’ll manage to recall it, being reminded of it every other breath.”

Then Coil came in and whispered to Floret, and she told Pearl, “The other queens are coming.”

Frost had moved over to sit with the Arbora, and not long later, she was suppressing the urge to yawn. After getting through the greetings, they had been talking about supplies, the way Bone had wanted, and how many warriors each court would send to defend the Reaches. Frost hadn’t seen any of the queens before, except Zephyr of Sunset Water, who had come several times for trade visits. She was an older sister queen, with a strong build, her scales amber webbed with green. Flame of Ocean Winter sat beside her, and had light green scales with a silver web. Tempest of Emerald Twilight was the most intimidating, but also the youngest, the same age as Jade, with light blue scales and a gold web.

Then Pearl said, “If a Fell flight truly means to attack, we have to meet them outside the Reaches.”

Flame’s and Zephyr’s spines flicked in surprise. Celadon said, “I agree.”

Tempest tilted her head toward Celadon. Frost knew why; even she could tell Celadon and Pearl must have talked about this earlier. Tempest said, “I don’t. It would be giving up our advantage.”

Pearl said, “Our advantage is their advantage. We can’t pin them down in the Reaches. There’s too good a chance they can get past us and reach a colony.”

Tempest’s spines flicked. “They don’t know the fringe the way we do.”

Celadon put in, “Opal Night doesn’t know the eastern fringe. Does Emerald Twilight?”

The end of Tempest’s tail curled in ironic amusement. “We know it better than Fell who have never been here.”

Then Pearl said, “Which of you has had a colony taken from you by the Fell?”

The words dropped into a sudden silence. Everyone’s spines went still. Frost’s throat was suddenly almost too tight to swallow.

Pearl’s voice was hard and cold. “I have stood in a room filled with my dead Arbora and warriors. I will not do that again. Indigo Cloud will meet the Fell outside the Reaches.”

Celadon locked gazes with Tempest. Celadon doesn’t like her, Frost realized. And not in the way queens and other Aeriat sometimes disliked each other for no reason. Celadon said, “In this, Opal Night and Indigo Cloud are as one.”

Tempest’s calm was tinged with contempt. “Opal Night and Indigo Cloud appear to be one in other things, too.”

Celadon’s head tilted slowly. “Oh?”

Pearl seemed more amused than angry. She cocked her spines inquiringly. “Yes, please explain. We always await Emerald Twilight’s pronouncements with the greatest of interest.”

Frost saw Bone bury his face in his hands.

Tempest said to her, “When Indigo Cloud made its way back to the Reaches, it spread the word about the Fell’s new trick of capturing Arbora and consorts to breed with.” Her gaze went to Celadon again. “That Opal Night retrieved and kept the issue of these acts was a fact it shared only with Indigo Cloud.”

Frost leaned over to Bell and whispered, “Nobody’s supposed to know that.”

“We know,” Bell whispered grimly, and squeezed her wrist.

Knell muttered, “Idiot warriors can’t keep their mouths shut . . .” Heart poked him in the side and hissed, “Shut up!”

Pearl glanced at Celadon, her spines tilted in ironic comment. Pearl knew this would happen and warned her, but Celadon didn’t think it would, Frost interpreted, and was startled by how certain she was that she was right.

Celadon sat there in silence until Frost’s scales prickled with nerves. Then Celadon bared her fangs and said, “This is none of Emerald Twilight’s concern.”

Frost conquered the urge to leap up and bare her own fangs at Tempest, but it wasn’t easy.

Tempest’s eyes narrowed in a glare. “Since the Fell are attacking the eastern Reaches, it has become my concern.”

Pearl flicked her spines again, in agreement so polite Frost suspected it meant something else entirely. “Emerald Twilight has so many concerns, it must be a trial to keep up with them.”

Tempest transferred her glare from Celadon to Pearl.

Flame leaned forward. “Wait, what happened?”

Her voice tinged with acid, Pearl said, “It’s common knowledge that Opal Night’s eastern colony was attacked, and that Malachite returned here with the survivors to seize control of the mother colony after she destroyed the Fell flight. But the Fell had performed this ‘trick,’ as Emerald Twilight calls it, on their prisoners, and Malachite rescued the children as well.”

Flame exchanged a look with Zephyr, and asked, “But this doesn’t affect the royal bloodlines of either Indigo Cloud or Opal Night?”

“It does not,” Celadon said, her gaze not leaving Tempest.

Flame sat back, her brow furrowed. Zephyr said, “This is strange to hear. But is Emerald Twilight suggesting that this is the reason for the Fell attack?”

Tempest looked as if she wanted to suggest it, but couldn’t justify it. She said, “It needs to be discussed, and Opal Night and Indigo Cloud have given no sign they intended to reveal that it had happened.”

Celadon said, “It is no one else’s concern.”

Pearl said, “No, if Emerald Twilight wishes to discuss it, we should discuss it. Let’s put off any decisions on how to meet the Fell attack, of what preparations our Arbora should make, of where to station our warriors—”

Tempest’s spines trembled and the expression she turned on Pearl made Frost want to hiss.

Zephyr tilted her head, but she was smiling. She said, “That’s told us.” As Pearl and Tempest tilted their heads toward her, she said, “Perhaps it’s best to return to the discussion of whether to meet the Fell outside the Reaches or not.”

Frost was listening so intently she didn’t realize the sound echoing up from the greeting hall was noisier than it should be. Heart and Bell twitched uneasily, Bone cocked his head to listen, frowning, and Knell half-turned away, as if he meant to stand.

Then Aura shot up over the edge of the hall and landed on the floor. Floret’s expression was horrified. This was a huge breach of etiquette. But Aura shifted to groundling and blurted, “Pearl, I’m sorry to interrupt, but Malachite is here.”

Celadon looked startled and hopeful, and Pearl’s spines flicked in agitation. She said, “In the greeting hall with her warriors?”

Aura said, “Yes, I mean, I think she’s right behind—”

Then a great dark shape flung itself over the edge and onto the hall floor. Aura skittered out of the way as Malachite strode forward.

Frost stared. She had been formally presented to Malachite when the Opal Night queen had stopped here on her way to join Jade and Moon, but this was a shock. This Malachite was a completely different person than the one who had sat in the nurseries with fledglings curled around her arms and Arbora babies playing with her tail.

Pearl and the other queens stood. Pearl’s spines were tense as she said, “What news of Jade? She’s with you?”

Malachite paced forward. “No, but I left her well.”

Pearl’s spines twitched in relief, and Frost bounced excitedly. If Jade was well, all the others must be all right too.

But Malachite said, “I returned because the Fell are massing in the wetlands to the east, preparing to come here. There are at least five flights so far, perhaps one more.”

Bell gasped, and the other Arbora growled. Frost felt a snarl build up in her chest, squelching the first wave of panic.

“You’ve seen the Fell for yourself?” Flame sounded aghast. “The auguries were true?”

“I have. I—” Malachite’s gaze fell on Tempest, and she stopped.

Celadon looked from Malachite to Tempest, and her spines twitched in alarm. “Malachite—” she began.

Malachite said, “Emerald Twilight has no place here.”

Tempest’s spines flared. “We are the chief court of the eastern Reaches. The defense of this territory has always fallen—”

Malachite stepped forward, and was suddenly a pace from Tempest, towering over her. Frost stared, wide-eyed. She hadn’t even seen Malachite move. The Opal Night warriors tensed, looking to Celadon for orders. The Emerald Twilight warriors twitched nervously. The others, Sunset Water and Ocean Winter and Indigo Cloud all looked at Floret. Floret’s expression was appalled.

Malachite snarled, “Go back and tell your birthqueen to send another daughter. You insult me and this court with your presence.”

“You don’t command me,” Tempest snarled back, but Frost thought it was an effort for her to keep her spines up. It wasn’t fear, or not all fear. It was as if Malachite was doing something that was forcing Tempest back . . .

Malachite bared an impressive array of fangs and Frost’s heart thumped.

Then Pearl shoved Tempest away and stepped in front of Malachite. Spines flared, she snarled, “Not here. Not now.”

Frost’s insides seized up, her throat closed on a squeak of alarm. Bell grabbed her arm, bracing to snatch her out of danger. The Indigo Cloud warriors all twitched in reaction; Floret held up a hand, the gesture telling them to hold back, her snarl soundless. Bone, Knell, and Heart all rocked up into a crouch, bracing to defend Pearl.

Malachite stared down at Pearl long enough for Frost’s lungs to run out of air. Malachite didn’t loom over Pearl the way she had Tempest, but she was taller than Pearl, her shoulders broader, her whole body more powerful.

Then Malachite whipped away, turning to face the wall.

Everyone flinched except Pearl. She tilted her head toward Tempest and bared her fangs. Tempest bared hers back, but briefly, then paced away to stand with Zephyr. Celadon took a step away, her spines rippling to shed tension. Pearl said, “Emerald Twilight will stay.”

Then Malachite turned back to face Pearl and said, “We have a few days, maybe more, to prepare. You mean to meet them in the open?”

Bone hissed out a breath in relief, and Heart and Knell sank back onto their cushions. Bell squeezed Frost’s wrist and relaxed. Frost started to breathe again.

As if nothing had happened, Pearl said, “Yes, that was my intention.” She turned and walked back deliberately to her cushion and took an unhurried seat, her tail curling around her feet. “We were discussing it just now.”

Zephyr and Flame sat down again, then Tempest, who was doing a good job of keeping her spines neutral, though she couldn’t quite stop her tail from snapping. One of the Opal Night warriors brought a cushion for Malachite, putting it next to Celadon. Celadon sat, and then Malachite took her seat, as unhurriedly as Pearl had.

Pearl glanced at Floret. Floret took a deep breath, then moved to the hearth. She poured a cup of tea, carried it over and set it in front of Malachite, then retreated to the other warriors. Sage and Drift stared at her in admiration.

Mostly still unruffled, Zephyr said, “With only a few days to prepare, I don’t see how we can meet them in the Reaches. It will be quicker to assemble our warriors in the fringe.”

Flame said, “Ocean Winter agrees.”

They were looking at Tempest. She flicked a spine, but said, “The presence of the Fell in the wetlands presents a compelling argument for swift movement. If the other queens are in agreement, then Emerald Twilight will support this plan.”

Malachite’s claws contracted, but she didn’t otherwise react.

Frost could sense the Arbora holding their breath, but instead of poking Tempest again, Pearl just turned to Bone and said, “We have a hunting shelter close to the fringe that can be used as a resting point, if it can be made ready quickly enough.”

“It can be done,” Bone said. His voice came out even and calm, but Frost could see the pulse still racing at his throat. “With a group of thirty or so Arbora, we can dig out more shelters and supply it for our warriors. There are other usable platforms nearby.”

Zephyr settled herself more comfortably on her cushion. “We should have several resting points, at intervals. Is there a map?”

Floret jerked her head at Coil, who leapt to fetch the map and carry it to Zephyr. Frost saw Vine take a deep breath and lean against Sage, who shook his head incredulously. Heart rubbed her face, and reached for the forgotten pot to refill the Arbora’s cups. Bell gave Frost a one-armed hug and she had to fight down the impulse to climb into his lap. If she did that, Pearl would never think she was old enough to attend a meeting again, not until Frost was older than Jade.

Celadon watched Malachite carefully, and after a moment Malachite picked up the tea cup and drank. Celadon reached over and squeezed Malachite’s free wrist.

Frost tried to pay attention for the rest of the meeting, but after that, it was almost dull, with all the talk being about how many warriors would go where and when, and what the Arbora needed to do to prepare.

Finally the talk was finished. Zephyr and Flame and Tempest would leave immediately to go to their courts and pass the alarm, and get their warriors ready. When they had left the queens’ hall, Malachite turned to Pearl and said, “I have much to tell you and Celadon and it must be done in private.”

Pearl flicked her spines in acknowledgement. “We’ll go to my bower. We won’t be overheard there.”

Celadon said, “If food could be brought . . .”

“Of course.” Pearl made a gesture to the Arbora, as she got to her feet.

As Celadon led Malachite away and the Opal Night warriors followed Floret, Knell leaned over to Bell, and whispered, “Food is a good idea. I don’t know what that was about, but the long flight probably didn’t help.”

Bell nodded grimly, and waved Coil over to ask him to take the request down to the teachers’ hall. As the Arbora got to their feet, Frost went to where Pearl stood by the hearth. Pearl absently looked down at the map, flicking her spines. Frost wrapped her hand around Pearl’s much bigger wrist. Pearl glanced down at her, spines and brow quirked in inquiry. Frost said, “I thought you were going to fight Malachite.”

Pearl flicked a spine dismissively. “We’re not friends, but our primary bloodlines are blended in Jade and Moon’s royal clutch. We can’t fight.”

Maybe, but Frost knew from everyone else’s reaction that something terrible might have happened. She said, “You can’t fight Tempest either, because of Ember.”

“No matter how tempting,” Pearl agreed.

Heart stepped up beside them, and Frost took her wrist too. Still looking at the map, Pearl said, “You should be down there telling the others to prepare.”

“In a moment,” Heart said. “What did Tempest do? Why did Malachite react like that?”

Now that Heart mentioned it, Frost wondered about it too. Tempest had been mad about Shade and Lithe coming to Indigo Cloud, which was none of her business, but Malachite hadn’t been here when Tempest had said that.

Pearl’s spines tilted in exasperation. “Tempest took Moon to Opal Night, when Malachite wanted him returned to her. There was some incident before the greeting took place, and Onyx, Malachite’s sister queen, ordered Tempest to leave the court at her consort’s request. It was done in a hurry, before Malachite had a chance to get scent of it and make it worse. So I suppose she’s been saving that up since then.”

Heart hissed out a breath. “That’s not good, Pearl.”

Pearl tilted her head at her. “It’s entertaining, but you’re right, the courts can’t afford these quarrels now.”

“That’s bad, getting thrown out of a court,” Frost said. It was mildly amazing to her that fully grown queens could still do things that got them in trouble. And not made-to-feel-guilty-by-Arbora trouble but serious fight-with-another-queen trouble.

“I suspect being thrown out of Opal Night is more common than not.” Pearl gave Frost a nudge. “Now go with Heart and Bell. It’s time you were back in the nurseries.”

Near the Southern Coast and the Cloudwalls

Now Moon and Stone had a kethel flying with them. Moon was trying not to think about what Jade would say about their choices and ability to make decisions and sense of survival. It didn’t help that he agreed with her.

With the Hians’ boat not far ahead, they flew through the day and late into the night, stopping only briefly to rest. The kethel kept pace with them easily, but having followed kethel before, Moon was unsurprised. It wasn’t like rulers or a progenitor would have had a great deal of concern for the kethels’ wellbeing. They probably killed the ones who couldn’t keep up and used them to feed the rest of the flight. He had seen a Fell nest made with part of a kethel’s carcass once, and for the first time wondered how that would affect a thinking being. He doubted it was done with the same reverence as when Reaches Raksura placed their dead in pockets in a colony tree so the wood would eventually grow around them.

It gave him something to think about on the long flight at least. The terrain below was starting to flatten out, the hills softening into long rises and shallow valleys, with clusters of tall fringe trees and other foliage so thick along the occasional meandering streams that it nearly concealed the sparkle of moving water from view. The wind was only a little cooler, but it carried the faint distant scent of the sea.

It was the next morning, at first lightening of the sky, when Stone suddenly slipped off the wind and fell sideways toward the ground. Moon almost fouled a wing in surprise, thinking Stone had passed out. But as he came around, he saw Stone control the fall with one economical flap and come in for a neat landing near a big stand of trees.

Moon dove down to light beside him as Stone shifted to groundling. “What is it?” he demanded. Once on the ground, he realized the stand of trees, their purple-gray trunks entwined like huge vines, seemed to be independently mobile and watching them with little round dark spots that were probably eyes. Moon tasted the air, but picked up no traces of predator musk. Still, this was not a place that Stone would have normally chosen to stop at. “Are you all right?”

Stone jerked his head toward the south, as the kethel dropped into the tall grass about forty paces away and shifted to its groundling form. “I spotted a flying boat ahead. Didn’t want them to see us. If they’ve got those distance-glasses, they might be able to pick us up, even this far away.”

Moon hissed, startled. After all this searching, they might finally have found their goal. “Could you tell if it was the Hians?”

The kethel approached, throwing a wary glance toward the tree-creature. It looked like it was farming fungi and other crops on its own branches. Moon still kept one eye on it, just in case it decided to object to their proximity.

Stone snorted in exasperation. “Not yet. We’re going to have to hang way back, and try to catch up after dark.”

“I told you the truth,” the kethel said pointedly.

Stone eyed it. “So you did. Let’s see what you can do to earn your next story.”

Bramble didn’t remember much of what happened next. She came back to herself lying on the padded bench in Delin’s room, tucked into blankets, with Delin sitting on a stool beside her. She said, “Merit?”

“He is well,” Delin said. “The hull protected him, and he was not affected as you were.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, and remembered she had asked him that before. Several times before. She opened her eyes and shoved herself upright. Delin almost fell off his stool, startled. He said, “You are better?”

“Yes.” Bramble ran a hand through her hair. Her scalp itched with sweat, and she could tell from the way her shirt stuck unpleasantly to her skin that she had been lying here inert for some time, at least a day. Maybe more than two days. She remembered the Fell. “Did Aldoan figure out how to make the artifact kill the Fell? Did it kill all the Fell? Do the Fell have the artifact? I can tell we’re stopped, are we where we were going, did you find out?”

Delin buried his face in his hands. “Oh, Bramble, I feared you were lost to us.”

Bramble stared at him, and it dawned on her how exhausted he looked. She remembered again that he wasn’t just a funny-looking Arbora who couldn’t shift. He was a groundling who wouldn’t get stronger as he got older. She pulled him half onto the bench in an awkward hug. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“As if it was your fault.” He pulled away, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “Aldoan is dead. The Fell were all killed, or fled. Vendoin went down with some others in their levitation packs and retrieved the artifact, and Aldoan’s body, but she did not bring back with her the scholar she said they had stopped there to meet. They do not know why the artifact worked; they found it still in Aldoan’s hands, and no marks of injury on her body. We traveled for three days at speed and we stopped here late this afternoon. They asked me to help them make the artifact work, and said if I did not, they would injure you and Merit. I said I would help them.”

“Right.” Bramble took it all in. Aldoan, who had always seemed so uncomfortable with the role of captor, had somehow made the artifact work, and died for it. “Are we near the foundation builder place where the rest of the weapon is supposed to be?”

“We must be, but no one has come to take me there.” Delin lifted his hands. “I am glad of the respite, for time to think of some way out of this.”

Bramble rolled her shoulders, shifted to make certain she could, then shifted back to her soft-skinned form. “We need to go back to the original plan.”

Delin nodded. “Which one was that?”

“The one I didn’t tell you about.” She took a sharp breath. The one that probably wasn’t survivable, at least for her. “The one where you distract the healer, while I get into her room and find a poison.”

The Court of Indigo Cloud

“You promised them what?” Pearl said to Malachite. “Have you lost your mind?”

Ember controlled a wince. He saw Celadon, seated across the hearth, confine her reaction to a blink. Crouched on the fur beside him, Heart let out a near-silent breath that might have been a repressed hiss. Bell twitched and Knell went still. Bone’s sigh was more annoyed than anything else.

Malachite didn’t move a spine. She said, “I value your plain-speaking.”

“Are you trying to be funny?” Pearl said.

They were in Pearl’s bower, with only the two reigning queens, Celadon, and the Arbora present. Floret and Vine were casually loitering outside the bower’s doorway, making sure no one else came near enough to overhear. Ember had been a little horrified at the idea of having a private meeting with such a prominent queen in Pearl’s bower; he was glad the Arbora had already come through this morning and taken the blankets to air, and rearranged the cushions and the kettle, pot, and tea cups for maximum effect. But having heard what Malachite had wanted to tell Pearl, Ember was glad of the privacy and the precautions. The other news that Malachite had brought had been horrifying enough: Song dead, and Bramble and Merit taken captive by groundlings.

Pearl continued, “You’ve promised these half-Fell a home in the Reaches. How am I supposed to convince the other queens to allow this?”

“I haven’t promised it yet, but I will,” Malachite said. She was as still as the statue above the queens’ hall, but Ember wasn’t reassured by that. Her stillness felt unpredictable, like a predator that could change its mind and strike at any moment. The fact that Pearl was utterly indifferent to the effect was not reassuring. Malachite added, “And you’ve handled the other queens well so far.”

Pearl tilted her head, clearly suspecting irony. “Gathering together to fight off a Fell attack is one thing. They would have to be idiots not to agree to act.”

Celadon leaned forward. “We need the help of the Fellborn queen. If we can find out which progenitor is leading the others, it could save many lives—”

“You don’t need to explain your mad plan to me.” Pearl’s spines almost rattled in frustration. She said to Malachite, “You realize I am ill-suited to this role that you’ve foisted on me. The other queens dislike me almost as much as I dislike them.”

“You are better suited to it than I am.” This time Malachite did move a spine, and Ember was a little astonished to read amusement in it.

“A rock is better suited than you are.” Pearl coiled her tail around, considering the problem. “We need to speak to Zephyr first. Sunset Water has the closest old bloodline ties to us and she is not unreasonable.”

Malachite said, “You dislike her less than the others.”

Ember bit his lip to hold back an involuntary and undignified facial expression. The Arbora controlled their reactions well, though Ember thought he heard a suspiciously sharp exhalation from Knell. This whole situation was terrifying. Malachite had seen the Fell flights gathering in the wetlands outside the Reaches. It was real, it was happening, it was no longer just a vision. What Pearl and Malachite decided here might save or doom so many courts in the eastern Reaches. So much depended on the cooperation of two queens not known for cooperating with anybody, including their own bloodlines.

It should have been a disaster, except Pearl and Malachite seemed to be getting along fine.

Pearl’s eyes narrowed. “I may need something to make our alliance stronger. Zephyr’s intimated that another bloodline alliance with us to strengthen the previous one would be welcomed. Our royal fledglings and the Sky Copper clutch are too young to decide what they want to eat, let alone choose future mates.”

Ember cleared his throat gently, and Pearl flicked her claws toward him. He said, “Sunset Water has two unattached daughter queens. There’s a secondary bloodline with at least two consorts just reaching maturity, and maybe one more soon.”

Malachite lifted a claw toward Celadon, who said, “We have several unattached consorts and queens in Opal Night, including myself and Ivory, a daughter queen of Onyx’s bloodline. We can agree to open negotiations on that point.”

Malachite said, “This privilege would extend only to Sunset Water.” Pearl’s spine flick of acknowledgement was unconcerned. Ember breathed easier now that that was settled. Then Malachite said, “I know you didn’t want Shade and Lithe to enter Indigo Cloud, that it was your consort’s intervention that allowed them in.”

Ember froze. Malachite hadn’t glanced in his direction once but he suddenly felt as if he was a grasseater surrounded by predators. Heart hissed in a breath and Bone, Bell, and Knell went still. Celadon’s glance at Malachite was a combination of appalled and annoyed.

Pearl was the only one unperturbed. She said, “I know you know. I didn’t want the last consort of your bloodline in my court either, and look where that got me.”

Bone made a muffled noise and covered his face with his hands. Everyone else was still frozen.

Malachite moved that one spine again to the slight angle that just might be indicating amusement, but she kept her gaze locked on Pearl. Finally Pearl made an annoyed hiss. She said, “I don’t like surprises. Bone, the one groaning under his breath over there, will attest to that. Next time you want to fundamentally change the nature of Raksuran life in the Reaches, have your warriors bring me a letter first and give me time to think about it.”

The silence stretched. Then Malachite said, “Agreed.”

Ember took a much needed breath, and he saw Heart squeeze her eyes shut in relief. Continuing on as if nothing had happened, Malachite said, “Will you be able to deal with the Fellborn queen?”

“Oh, I’m well used to being forced into decisions against my own better judgment.” Pearl flicked her claws. “It will all be for nothing if your mad plan doesn’t work.”

There might have been a tinge of irony in Malachite’s voice. “It isn’t my mad plan. It was the Fellborn queen’s.”

Pearl snorted. “I’m sure she thinks it is.”