Page 19 of Feathered Thief

The topic dropped, he thought for good. But when he passed his mother’s favorite sitting room one afternoon, happened to overhear his parents talking, and caught Helena’s name, he paused in the corridor to eavesdrop.

“Warin, we must ask Ryszard to bring Helena for a visit this spring.”

“Why?” The sharp edge on that word startled Kazik.

“Because they will soon be family. I would love to assist Helena with her wedding gown and trousseau. She’s the only daughter we will ever have.”

“Zeebee”—his father’s pet name for her—“you know I have urgent business in the north that cannot be delayed, and Kazimierz must come with me.”

“You always have urgent business of some sort,” she retorted. “Did you insist on waiting for the wedding until Kazik turns fifteen because you wanted to take him on this trip? What nonsense! Kazik hasn’t seen his betrothed in months!”

Kazik blinked in surprise. Wait. Hisfatherwas the one who’d insisted on waiting until he was fifteen?

But his mother was speaking in a rush: “If you decide to go north anyway, I suppose I can be chaperone enough for the sweethearts, but it would be better to have both fathers here while we plan the wedding and write invitations. You know how Ryszard still mourns dear Krystyna, and soon Helena will be our daughter-in-law and live here with us, and her father will miss her so! Of course, she will see him whenever he comes to advise you, but it won’t be the same. We need you to be here, Warin. Our son’s marriage is important.”

“Yes, his marriage is important, and I shall handle it myself. Tell old Ryszard to keep his beanpole daughter at home,” the grand duke said. “We don’t need her here. And if Kazimierz doesn’t go north with me, he doesn’t go anywhere. He will train twice as hard to prepare for this year’s melee, which will be grueling—much harder than he anticipates. He will have no time for unnecessary guests.”

Kazik gladly chose to go nowhere. With any luck, he would never see his father’s relatives again.

Home was more peaceful once the grand duke left, but military training began one week later. His father had spoken truth about the crazy schedule, and new recruits and regulars were already showing up at the barracks. The chaotic order of military life—or as much as Kazik and his peers knew of it—began before he was ready.

His father’s warning about the increasing difficulty of his military training? Also true. After factoring in his engineering and magic studies, he had scarcely a moment to spare for personal matters. But, given a chance, he would happily drop it all and accept the consequences for just one day—one hour—with Helena.

He was desperate enough to ask Solara and Geoffroi for another surprise visit to Castle Valga, but they both refused. Magical rules of propriety (Who knew there was such a thing?) adjusted according to circumstances—in Kazik and Helena’s case, their betrothal and their ages.

Solara did consent to deliver love letters, but only now and then. Neither Helena nor Kazik really knew what to write about other than their daily activities, but in every note, Kazik reminded her that he missed her terribly. He kept her equally mushy notes folded tight in a little leather bag on a string, tucked inside his tunic near his heart.

Once the summer training began in earnest, Kazik had minimal time for anything else. His brain didn’t even register when his father returned. Every day he drilled, using a variety of weapons and defensive gear. He was no longer so pudgy, and he’d packed on some muscle. He was still too short to wear full armor, but for training purposes a chain-mail shirt worked.

As a prince, he had access to Mnisztwo Castle’s large variety of weapons, armor, and shields, and his horse, Iga, could be a lethal weapon herself. She lacked the weight to oppose a stallion or gelding in a joust, but in melee practices her nimble feetand intelligence had frequently saved Kazik’s skin. He loved that horse like a sister—she wore as much protective armor as he did.

His jousting destrier, Borys, wasn’t much smaller than Geoffroi, with hooves like platters and muscle piled on muscle. These equine partners gave Kazik a built-in advantage, which he was happy to exploit.

Kazik’s peers weren’t lacking in fine horseflesh, but he would have liked to see the regular troops on better mounts. In battle, a good horse could be the difference between life and death.

He considered himself a decent archer with both recurve and crossbow, and he could shoot a longbow with increasing accuracy. He had the strength to wield a longer sword that year, which mattered, since his arms were short. His lack of height was a disadvantage that forced him to work harder than his peers, but he was up for the challenge.

At times he wondered if magic could enhance his fighting skills, but he didn’t dare attempt any such tricks without training and supervision.

All seemed to be going well, yet undefined worry loomed over him. In truth, the worry was more defined than he would admit. By all rights, his betrothal to Helena should provide security and confidence. In less than three weeks, he would turn fifteen, and all impediments to his marriage to Helena would be cleared. But nothing felt right.

Late one afternoon, the grand duke unexpectedly showed up to watch his son’s jousting match. Pleased by Kazik’s quick victory, he helped rub down Borys, who liked to lean on whoever cleaned his hoofs. While patting the big horse, Kazik’s father asked, “So, I had many excellent conversations with Angelika while visiting up north, getting to know her better. Such an intelligent, accomplished young woman! Isn’t she a beauty?”

“Who? Oh, you mean my cousin Angelika?” Kazik knew better than to voice the descriptive words that first popped intohis head, namely “harpy” and “termagant,” but even his toned-down answer, “I find my cousin brittle and contentious,” made his father’s grin vanish.

“Nonsense. She’s an angel, like her name. A strong and beautiful young woman who knows her own mind.”

Kazik knew he couldn’t argue the point without causing a row, so he settled for “If you say so.”

His father let the subject drop, but his expression and manner were a stinging rebuke.

That evening at supper, his mother brought up inviting Helena and her father for a visit to coordinate wedding plans. “Kazik will be fifteen very soon, and I’m sure the children won’t welcome any unnecessary delays.” Her tone and smile warmed Kazik’s heart.

The grand duke spoke directly to Kazik. “Nonsense. You have no spare time, and your betrothed is far too busy acquiring her trousseau to travel here for a visit.”

Madame Euzebia frowned. “You did say that he could marry at fifteen, Warin. Wedding plans should be farther along than they are, but I’m sure Helena won’t mind building her wardrobe after the wedding.”

When she found a private moment with him, Kazik’s mother whispered, “Keep your chin up. I’m doing all that I can at present to ensure your happiness. Helena will be true.”

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