Chapter 76: Very Good Jam

Shadow’s Edge was afraid.

Cassian had known it would be. But knowing it and seeing it were two different things.

Half the market stalls stood empty. A woman in the square clutched a toddler to her chest and would not put him down. Two old men sat outside a tavern with no drinks in front of them, watching the mountain road as though something might crawl out of it at any moment.

Cassian walked slowly through it all, his wounds mostly knitted, his white hair loose in the wind. He still favored his left side, but the healers had grudgingly declared him fit for light duty, provided he did not do anything stupid.

He had promised. He had crossed his fingers behind his back.

"Your Majesty," an old woman whispered, catching at his sleeve. Her hands were knobbed and trembling. "Is it true? What they are saying? That the monster is coming back?"

Cassian crouched in front of her, ignoring the pull in his ribs, and covered her hand with his.

"Hello," he said gently. "I will tell you what I know. He is one man. One. He is hurt, and he is hiding, and every soldier we have is looking for him."

"They say he killed the panthers. He’s the one behind the plague."

"He did." Cassian did not lie to people who deserved the truth. "And it was a terrible thing. But we are not helpless. We are stronger than he thinks."

Her eyes glistened. "You swear?"

"I swear."

She patted his cheek with a shaking hand, and Cassian smiled at her until she let go.

Behind him, Nalani was speaking softly to a group of children, her arms crossed but her voice warm. Ferrin was distributing bread from a cart. Soldiers stood at every corner, and slowly, one shutter at a time, the street was starting to breathe again.

And then there was Zarek.

He stood at the edge of the square, arms stiff at his sides.

A little girl of perhaps five stood in front of him, staring up with enormous eyes. He stared back.

Neither of them spoke.

"You may pat her head," Cassian called, biting the inside of his cheek. "If you wish."

Zarek turned his head very slowly. "Why would I do that?"

"It is comforting."

"For whom?"

"For her."

Zarek looked down at the child. The child looked up at him. After a long, agonized moment, Zarek extended one gloved hand and patted her once on the top of her head.

The little girl beamed. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Hm," said Zarek.

She ran off shrieking with delight, and Zarek watched her go, faintly alarmed.

Cassian, stopping himself from laughing, rose, straightening carefully, and walked over. Zarek fell into step beside him without a word as they made their way down a side street, past shuttered shops and a fountain that had run dry.

"That went well," Cassian said.

"I felt nothing."

"You did splendidly."

"I do not see how." Zarek clasped his hands behind his back. "People are frightened. I said nothing. I did nothing."

"You patted a child."

"That was not intentional."

"It was comforting all the same." Cassian glanced sideways.

They walked on. A breeze stirred the empty stalls, rattling a loose awning. Somewhere behind them, Nalani had begun to laugh at something Ferrin said, and Cassian’s ears pricked, for that was a sound he hadn’t heard since before the attack.

"You avoided my question," Zarek said suddenly.

"Which one?"

"Yesterday. Whether there is something between you and the Empress." A beat. "You said no. But you did not say it convincingly."

Cassian slowed. He turned, slowly, and looked at the Snake King, who was gazing back.

"You are dreadful at subtlety," Cassian said.

"Yes. Corvin says so."

"And yet you keep asking."

"You keep avoiding." Zarek tilted his head. "Which suggests the answer is not no."

"It suggests," Cassian said sweetly, "that I find you rude."

"Hm."

"Now," Cassian continued, smoothly turning the conversation, "since we are asking impertinent questions, what is the matter with you and Corvin? He spends every waking hour scolding you, and you seem to enjoy it."

"He is my friend."

Cassian let out a breath. He turned back down the street and nearly walked into Nalani, who had appeared out of nowhere with Ferrin two steps behind her.

"Pardon me, my Lord," she said, "the search parties have returned. Nothing again. Not a single track."

Cassian looked at Zarek, and found the man gazing steadily up the mountain road.

"We are not leaving," Zarek said. "Not until we find Dorian."

"You said that already, but we must face the facts." Cassian rubbed his temple. "For all we know, he could be anywhere. A cave. A farmstead. Across the border."

"Hm."

"That is your entire answer?"

"The Empress is protected," Zarek said slowly. He was still looking at the mountains. "She has Aldric. She has Corvin. She has the palace guard."

"Hm," said Cassian, in perfect imitation.

"You are mocking me."

"A little."

"I will snap your fingers."

~

Dinner was loud.

"And then he went whoosh," Rynan was saying, flinging both arms wide and nearly knocking over the jam. "And then he was a kitty! A big black kitty! And I was like, whoa!"

"He was a cub," Aldric said from the doorway, without looking up from the report in his hands.

"A big cub!"

"Rynan, do not stand on the chair, or you will get a good spanking."

That did the trick. Rynan sat down with great dignity and stole a strawberry off Valen’s plate.

Valen didn’t even notice. He was humming into his porridge, swinging his legs beneath the table, glowing with a happiness so bright she could almost feel it from across the room. Every so often he would stop humming, look at his own hands, and smile as though he still couldn’t quite believe they had been paws.

"It was so awesome," Daerys said suddenly.

Everyone turned.

He had been quiet all day, sitting beside Valen with a small smile, but now his eyes were shining. "You were so fast, Valen. And you did the roll. I can’t wait to shift too."

Valen went bright pink to the tips of his ears.

"Yes, yes!" Rynan bounced in his seat, mouth full of strawberry. "So awesome! Best ever! Can we do it again? Can I shift? Can I be a cheetah? I want to be the fastest one!"

Karina bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, and glanced down the table.

At the far end, Corvin crouched beside Soren’s chair, gently guiding a spoon toward the boy’s mouth.

"One bite," he murmured. "Just a small one."

Soren scowled at the spoon. He wasn’t a child who liked to be helped, and he made this very clear by clamping his lips together and turning his head away.

"Prince Soren," Corvin scolded. "I have served your father for over a decade. I have survived four diplomatic incidents, and a goat. You will not defeat me with a porridge boycott."

Soren narrowed his eyes.

Corvin sighed, and shifted his hand. A flicker of black scales caught the light along his wrist. Soren’s gaze dropped to them, then rose again to Corvin’s pupils, so like his own.

His shoulders relaxed, and he opened his mouth.

Corvin slid the spoon in, and Soren chewed slowly, expression dark with suspicion.

"Good," Corvin said softly. "Very good, Prince Soren."

Soren swallowed. Then, without warning, he lunged forward and bit down on Corvin’s finger.

"Ow!" Corvin yanked his hand back. "Prince Soren! We do not bite the help!"

Soren looked unrepentant.

"Ah, so you have your father’s manners," Corvin muttered, shaking out his hand. "Blunt, and no sense of consequence. I see it now."

Karina pressed her napkin to her mouth. Across from her, even Aldric’s lips twitched.

"Valen," Daerys whispered, leaning close. "Soren bit him."

"I saw."

"Do you think he’ll do it again?"

"Probably."

Then, of course, there were the other people at the table.

Leonidas sat at her left, eating carefully, his ribs still stiff. Rafael sat beside him, glaring at a piece of toast. Aldric remained by the door with his arms crossed.

None of them were speaking.

Leonidas glanced up, and their eyes met.

Karina looked down at her plate at the exact same moment he did. Rafael cleared his throat.

The quiet stretched.

"The jam is good," Rafael said abruptly.

"Yes," Leonidas said.

"Very good jam."

"Yes."

Awkward, Karina thought. This is so awkward.

She lifted her cup, took a sip of tea, and—

Mew hehe.

Karina froze.

The voice had come from inside her head.

Mew hehe.

Cheshire?????