Page 6 of Feathered Thief

It was so much more fun to think about how Kazik trusted her with his secret! That thought made her squeeze her eyes shut, hug herself, and smile hugely into a dark corner of the coach where no one could possibly see.

She could barely wait for a moment alone to really look at Kazik’s gift.

2

PREENING AND REDUNDANCY

One year rolled past, and then another. Kazik turned fourteen with no party and no visit from Helena. Again. Was her father deliberately keeping her away from him?

Using his magic, he could draw on his memories, but Helena was now two years older than those memories of her. Kazik had grown some since then, but only a few inches. He was still way shorter than Czwarty and Twardo, but he might be as tall as Helena by now. After all, he was eight months older. But she might have grown too.

He knew Helena hadn’t forgotten him because she talked nearly every day to the little wooden horse he’d carved, charmed, and given to her. He’d been a complete novice at animation charms back then, so how or why the connection still worked, he had no idea. Beginner’s luck?

He longed to talk with his mother about Helena, but he just couldn’t. He was no child anymore, to run to his mama for advice about girls. That would never happen.

Absolutelynot.

Early the next morning he knocked on the door to Madame Euzebia’s royal suite. Her maid opened it and looked him up and down. “Wait here.”

Using his magic, Kazik listened in as the servant entered his mother’s bedchamber. “His Royal Highness is here, Your Grace. Shall I admit him at this hour?”

“Certainly, you shall admit him atanyhour,” he heard his mother chide the woman in her gentle yet firm way. Then she called, “I’ll be dressed in a moment, dear boy.”

Kazik sensed her magic just before she appeared in the doorway fully clothed but with her braid hanging down her back. “That wastwowhole moments, Mama, and your hair isn’t up yet. You’re slipping.”

Beaming, she hugged him, and he hugged her back. She always smelled nice, like a fresh morning in a meadow. “I just couldn’t wait another moment to hug you,” she said, then stepped back, holding his shoulders and studying his face. “You’re missing Helena.”

He wasn’t surprised; she could always read him. “It’s been two years too long,” he said, turning his gaze to a window with a view of the mountains. Once started, he poured out his loneliness and frustration, finishing with “Helena Tarnowska is the only girl I want to marry. I’m pretty sure she has magic too, and I just feel . . . well, I feel rightwhen I’m with her. Like, webelong.”

Euzebia arched one brow and assumed a deep voice: “You needn’t choose from any of ourvassalstates’ daughters, Kazimierz. A ruler must marry wisely for the good of his people.”

Kazik had to smile at her spot-on imitation of his father. “I shall choose wisely,” Kazik assured her. “Um, since King Ryszard is now tutoring me as well as advising Father, is there some way Helena might come with him for visits? The king always seems stressed and . . .” As his mother’s expression changed, his voice trailed off. “What, Mama?”

“Neither your father nor hers would accept the idea, though for different reasons. However . . .” She studied the ceilingwhile tapping her chin. “Since Helena’s father is journeying here today while your father is visiting your grandfather up north and Helena is currently at Castle Valga, I believe we could arrange a quick visit.”

Kazik’s eyes rounded. “You mean, I could visit Helena today? How?

“You must dress for a ride and report to Geoffroi.”

“But he lives in a pocket world.”

“It is true that your father’s treasures are tethered to their respective pocket worlds, but they can escape for several hours before their prisons drag them back.”

“Prisons?” Kazik repeated, eyes wide.

“Yes, prisons. Your father inherited several pocket worlds from his mother’s side of the family, and he has labored and schemed over the years to fill them with priceless prizes.”

“Geoffroi is a prisoner?” The idea made his heart hurt. He had always believed Geoffroi enjoyed his virtually unlimited personal pasture. “What about Solara?”

“Yes, your golden friends are both captives. You see, long ago, fay creatures from an alternate reality somehow slipped into our world, intending to take over. Thanks to heroic human mages and—to be fair—several friendly fay beings who embraced the freedom available in our reality, that gateway was closed long ago. However, unscrupulous humans throughout our world now seek to imprison the remaining fay creatures for profit.”

Kazik began to pace. “How did I never know this?”

Euzebia smiled sadly. “There is much evil in this world—too much for a child to grasp. I would gladly keep protecting you from the knowledge of evil, but my interference would cause more harm than good. Like everyone else, you must choose your path.”

“Solara and Geoffroi are good!” Kazik declared. “I’m sure of it.”

“Yes, I believe those two would sacrifice their immortal lives to protect you, my son. But some of the fay beings that still exist in our world would gladly destroy it and remake reality in their image. I don’t know exactly how your father acquired the golden horse and the golden bird, but I suspect he hopes to use their fay power somehow to promote himself in this world.”

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