Page 40 of Power of Five
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Leralynn
Istay where I am as Klarissa glides away, her feet silent on the plush carpet. Shifting a step over, I look at the fresco she was studying while we talked. A tranquil scene of a field with five identical hounds chasing an elusive fox through the brush. The paint is old, much of the plaster cracked with age, but beautiful nonetheless. The female covets beautiful things, I think.
Like River.
I flinch at my own thought. The reflexive jealousy it sparks.
“What was that about?” Autumn asks, stepping up beside me. Coal, still standing at the end of the corridor, leans against the wall, his arms crossed. Autumn slips her arm through mine. “What did that viper say to you?”
She showed me how dangerous I am.I swallow. “Klarissa told me about piranhas. How they killed Kai.”
Autumn squeezes my hand. “There are much worse things than piranhas in the Gloom and Light both. The worms are vile, flesh-eating, swarming things, but mindless for the most part. It’s the qoru I worry about, the sentient Mors dwellers. Them, and the Night Guard—the fae who’ve pledged allegiance to the Mors emperor.”
“Why would anyone pledge allegiance to Mors?” I ask.
Autumn shrugs. “They are laying a wager that Mors will return to power, and when it does, they wish to be on the winning team. Point is that there is always something trying to kill us, so we might as welllivenow.” She cuts a sly glance my way. “And those four weren’t truly alive until you came.”
The female turns her attention to the fresco and chuckles. “Oh, stars, you found this one, didn’t you?”
I shake my head in confusion. “Is something amiss?”
There is a snort behind me and I turn to find Tye’s amused eyes. “Oh, this one is good. Used to be even better.”
Autumn points to the wall with her chin. “When River and I were a hundred or so, our mother insisted we study art. The master painted this one hound, and we were supposed to copy him over, twice each. Can you guess which ones are River’s?”
I squint, looking closely at the identical pups. No, not identical. Now that I’m paying attention, I find one amazingly painted dog, two painfully careful imitations, and two... “Do these dogs have five legs?” I ask, afraid of touching the priceless wall, though no one else seems to be. “Wait, those aren’t legs, they’re... erm...”
“That’s a young fae colt’s idea of manhood,” Autumn confirms.
“Oh, stars.” My hand comes up to cover my mouth.
Autumn grins. “You should have heard the beating he got for that. He knew he would too. And you know what the stupidest part of the whole affair was? He could have told our mother he hated painting before it all started.” Autumn pulls me along down the corridor, letting the silence settle for a moment before speaking again. “River isn’t always good with reaching for words. Not when it comes to people who matter.”
“Where are we going?” I ask, the longed-for bath quickly dissolving from plan to dream.
“Provisioning,” says Autumn.
“What does that entail and why am I doing it?” I jerk my head toward Coal. “That one has the look of one planning a training session. It seems a shame to deprive him of the opportunity to bring me to tears.”
“That one is coming with us.” Autumn raises her voice, though I know fae hearing well enough by now to guess that the change is a simple formality. “You lot are setting out for the Citadel tomorrow and need, well, everything. River is dealing with the horses and I’m outfitting you and Coal. Tye has already stolen everything he needs.”
The red-haired male blinks innocently. “I’m efficient.”
I rub my face, the storm of Autumn’s plans battling with the vestiges of Klarissa’s words.It isn’t the one in peril who dies, but the ones who go to his—or her—rescue.I let out a long breath, pushing the fact away for later. “So what’s his job in all this?” I ask, pointing at Tye.
“The usual, I think—to be a pain in our ass,” Autumn answers thoughtfully. “At least, that’s the only job I’ve ever seen him do with any amount of skill.”
“Oh, I have skills,” Tye purrs in a way that makes my skin blaze hot with memory. “I’m along to offer my valuable opinion of Lilac Girl’s clothing choices. And I think we should start the search by trying on undergarments.”
I turn to Autumn, my eyes pleading. “He isn’t really coming with us, is he?”
“He is,” Autumn says grimly. “So is that one over there, who is feigning deafness.”
That one over there—Coal—edges his way toward the door. “I have everything I need.”
“You can argue with River all you want about that,” Autumn informs him. “I’m certainly not going to. Now quit your whining and come along. Tye says he’s interested in underclothes.”
