Page 2 of Requiem of Silence

“The elite of the south are quite fond of reveling after a kill. Rather intensely, as I recall,” a new voice announced. King Jaqros Alliaseen emerged from the adjoining sitting room. “They do not even use the meat for food, they drape it over themselves and parade around taunting the birds of prey.”

Jasminda shuddered, her face twisting in disgust.

“I know, I know, it’s barbaric, but it’s part of their culture, and it would be wrong to judge.” Jack pulled her even farther away from the packing action to sit on the settee in front of the fireplace, now burned down to embers. The weather had turned colder withwinter nearly upon them, but with all the activity the room had been warm all day and no one had stoked the fire.

“This is a terrible time for you to go off on vacation, you know,” she said, crossing her arms. She didn’t pout; she was constitutionally unable to do so, or so she’d always thought. But her husband was leaving on this ridiculous trip—where he would apparently be dancing while wearing raw meat and waiting for vultures to attack. And she would be left here for the first time to run the country on her own, stalked by her own birds of prey.

Jack gently untangled her arms and held her hands. “It’s the worst timing ever, but Buchanan is an idiosyncratic old man. He believes in star alignments and makes decisions according to the phases of the moon. My invitation was not only last minute, it was apparently sparked by some sort of celestial event that we can only hope will induce him to give aid to his needy northern neighbors.” He smiled. “But if not, I’m going to convince him to help.”

“Maybe he can ask the stars and moon to end our drought.”

Jack chuckled and brought her hands to his lips. Her shoulders softened. The invitation from Fremia’s Prime Minister couldn’t be ignored, especially when Elsira was in such a difficult situation.

“Or maybe the celestial beings can intercede with King Pia and ask her to stop this fecking embargo.”

Jack’s lips quirked. He raised a brow at her language and she rolled her eyes. She didn’t normally curse, but desperate times and all. “I think we’re going to have to handle that one ourselves,” he said. “That last message from Ambassador Nirall was positive, wasn’t it?”

She nodded. Both Jack and the Council had thought putting the situation with Raun on Jasminda’s plate was a good idea. Not because of any skill she had with foreign relations, but because her younger brother Roshon was engaged to the daughter of thefemale king of Raun. And their new ambassador, Lizvette Nirall, had instantly created a rapport with the notoriously difficult leader. Jasminda herself was the weak link.

“Listen, I know you’ve been busy with the needs of the refugees,” Jack said, “we all have, but if the embargo doesn’t end soon, even Fremia’s aid won’t be enough. We need to get Raun back on our side and you’re the best option for that.”

“I know, I need to brush up on their history and culture and make some overtures, but honestly, if your brother made a misstep with them that caused this fiasco, there’s little chance that I can fix it.”

Jack sighed, shaking his head. “My brother was a great Prince Regent, but his people skills left something to be desired. I believe if you prove to Pia you understand and respect Raunian culture, you can smooth over whatever Alariq did to get us in this mess.”

She nodded, though she wasn’t convinced. Perhaps if Earthsong could create additional hours in the day, she would have time to handle every item on her to-do list. The drought, the embargo, the lines of hungry refugees waiting for food, the protests of Elsiran citizens wanting to push the refugees out of the country. She shivered, recalling the devastation that the fall of the Mantle had wrought when the defeat of the True Father changed their world forever.

A loud snap brought her attention back to the other side of the room. Usher had just closed the second trunk and the other servants were clearing out. Jasminda took a deep breath and pulled her hands from Jack’s. They immediately felt cold, plus a chilly dread began to spread across her body at the thought of piloting this massive, damaged ship by herself for two weeks. The length of the visit was another thing predestined by astronomical forces.

She stood and Jack followed, tracking her with his gaze. He was worried and she didn’t want him to be, so she tried to put forthan air of confidence she absolutely did not feel. Of course he saw through her.

“You can do this, Jasminda. You know how to handle the Council; most of them are afraid of your Song anyway. The Keepers will assist you as well. And if anything happens, maybe the Goddess will even step in to help.”

She snorted, that wasn’t likely. Goddess Oola had taken Her abdication seriously. As the only other person who’d ever been queen of Elsira, it would have been nice of Her to give some advice every now and then, but so far that hadn’t happened. Jasminda could barely even find Her these days. No, she would have to do this on her own, as she’d done everything else for so long.

The trunks were carried down to the motorcade, which would transport Jack to the docks and his Fremia-bound ship. Jasminda held his hand as they followed the retinue of servants, winding their way through the palace and out to the vehicle depot.

A contingent of Royal Guardsmen was assembled outside, ready to accompany their king. Jasminda was glad to see Benn Ravel, Jack’s former assistant and close friend, among them. It was a difficult time for him to leave his young family as well, but Jack had made an impassioned request and the man hadn’t refused.

As Jack conferred with another Guardsman, Jasminda approached Benn. “This the first time you’ve been away from Ella and the girls?” she asked. He and his wife had recently adopted two Lagrimari orphans.

His somber amber eyes regarded her as he nodded. “Though I’m sure Ella can withstand anything, and my mother is helping, amazingly enough. But I still have this pain, just here, that won’t let up.” He covered his heart with a palm.

“I understand. I feel it, too.”

“But they know what this trip means. What the aid wouldmean for the country. They’re proud of me, and that helps some.” Benn’s pained smile made Jasminda’s heart clench.

“Thank you for going with him. I feel much better with you watching his back.”

Benn sketched a short bow and headed to his vehicle.

A moment later, Jack was at her side again, wrapping strong arms around her. “I’ll be back in a heartbeat,” he whispered in her ear. “Maybe sooner.” Her eyes began to tear, but she blinked them away. There were so many people watching.

She kissed Jack quickly, not wanting to linger, then tried to be as stoic as possible as the final checks were made and everyone began piling into the vehicles. Another kiss. A final wave. And then they were off, a caravan of autos heading away from the palace down the twisting streets.

She used her Song to follow them, sensing his essence, his reticence, and the worry he tried not to let her see. They were the rulers of a divided country that might not have enough food to last the winter, whose coffers were nearly empty and whose citizens were threatening ethnic cleansing. He was off to do his part to fix things and she had to keep the land together in the meantime. She strained to not lose her connection to her husband until he passed out of her range.

And so she sensed the messenger before the nervous young man arrived, panting from his race across the palace, a hand pressed to his side to try to ease the stitch that had developed. Jasminda healed the exhaustion with a silent spell so she could get the message more quickly.

---