The two talked for a while longer. Having never been to Nūr-S̆ams̆a, Jasper knew nothing of the road ahead, so Ḫuḫāru filled him in. And then, promising once again to watch over Annatta until she could return to the capital, the captain departed for the temple of Selene, leaving Jasper to prepare for the journey.
He went looking for Ihra first. Once Barbartu had departed, Ihra had moved into the room she had occupied – in a surprisingly generous move, the Lamas̆tu had paid for a full month’s stay at the tavern – but after a few minutes of futile knocking on the door, Jasper was forced to conclude she wasn’t there. Maybe she went to get something to eat?
He started down the hall toward the stairs that led down to the tavern’s spacious lower floor. The savory scent of the taverns – pork and apples, if he had to guess – wafted up the stairs, and his stomach grumbled. Wouldn’t mind something to eat myself. He picked up the pace, but his steps faltered as a door a few feet in front of him slowly creaked open and a familiar face peaked out.
Tsia had seen better days. Her cheeks looked wan and pinched and the bright red around her eyes and nose was only exacerbated by the more than usual pallor of her skin. Her hair stuck up in every which way and, while Jasper had certainly seen his share of bedhead, the savory promise of breakfast wasn’t quite enough to cover up the smell emanating from her.
Not knowing quite what to say, Jasper settled for the obvious. “Hey. How you been doing? We, uh, haven’t seen you for a while.”
The girl ignored his question. “Was that man from your uncle? What did he want?”
Jasper pulled the paper out of his bag. “He came with orders. I’m supposed to report to the army at Nūr-S̆ams̆a immediately.”
“So the king really is sending aid to the empire?”
“Looks like it.” Jasper continued awkwardly. “Are you, uh, coming with us? You know, we haven’t had a chance to talk about what happened with, you know, Nēs̆u and all.”
Tsia looked away, her eyes fixed studiously on the rough planks of the tavern floor. “I don’t know,” she admitted slowly. “I guess…” A pained silence hung between them as she trailed off. “I guess I am,” she finally finished. “At least until we reach Sapīya. Then…I don’t know.” She hugged her arms closer around her. “After you stabbed yourself, I really thought I was going to die. And you know the one thing I kept thinking about?”
Jasper shook his head. “What?”
“My dad,” she admitted. “After he let my mother go off without even telling me, I was just so mad. Things had always been complicated between us anyways. He tried, but my stepmother was, quite literally, a royal bitch. She hated my guts and her kids followed her example, as soon as they were old enough to understand anyways.”
“Because your dad and Aphora had a fling?” he asked.
“No,” confusion flitted across her face. “Why would she care about that?”
“I thought, err…given the ages of you and your siblings, I assumed he cheated…” Jasper fumble awkwardly.
Understanding flooded her eyes. “Oh, I see. No, that’s not how noble marriages work. The only reason my dad married Marah is because her father is the most powerful noble in Strynn, second only to their king. With her as his wife, the king of Strynn hasn’t been willing to fully commit to attacking us, just in case the duke sided against him.”
“Oh…so why does she hate you then?”
“Because none of my father’s other children are a threat to hers. The children of minor nobles or commoners have no chance of inheriting his throne. But my mother was different. She’s an elven queen, and even if the city she would have ruled was destroyed when she was a child, her rank makes me a viable heir to my father’s throne. Given our province’s long and bitter history with Strynn, the nobles of my father’s court are none too eager to allow a half-blooded son of Strynn on the throne. Perhaps, if there was no suitable alternative, it would be allowed to happen but…”
A look of sorrow entered her eyes. “When my father dies, I suspect there will be a war. I have no designs on the crown myself, but I already know that most of the western lords intend to champion me, whether I will it or not.”
“Hopefully, that will not be for a long time to come, but after nearly dying, I don’t want to leave things this way. I want to see him again and let him know how Nēs̆u died. Nēs̆u…” she sighed, “wouldn’t have died if I hadn’t run away. I can’t bring him back, but at least I can honor this death, you know?”
Tsia glanced up at him. “Any chance you’d accompany me? You’d love my father’s court. It’s nestled on a small crop of hills beside the Ilnār river, high enough to be free of the harsh heat of the surrounding jungles while still enjoying the wealth of fruit and animals the tropics provide. I’m sure you’d feel right at home too, seeing as how the city is practically named for you.”
“It’s what?” he asked incredulously.
A small giggle escaped her lips. “Well, maybe not, but you’re both named after the stone. The yas̆peh mines were the whole reason the city become prominent in the first place. Will you come, won’t you?” she said, shooting him an entreating look.
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“I don’t think I’ll have the choice,” he said with a shake of his head. “If I can, I will, but if the army’s anything like ours back home, I don’t think I can just up and leave.”
Her eyes darkened momentarily, but she nodded her dully. “I suppose I can’t really blame you.” She sighed and leaned her head against the door. “I guess I’ll just have to decide what I want more; go see dad or stick with you and hope to see mom. Either way, I’m coming with you for now.”
She straightened up slowly and ineffectively brushed at her wildly-askew locks. “When are we going?”
“Today, if possible,” Jasper replied. “The captain was worried we might already miss the army as it is.”
Tsia offered him a weak smile. “Well, then I guess I’d better get ready. I can probably be packed in thirty minutes.”
Jasper looked down at the rumpled girl and the scent wafted past him again. “Uh, you know, there’s no need to be in that much of a hurry,” he said. “Like there’s definitely time for you to take a bath, if you want.”
She pursed her lips, her eyes wrinkling in an angry scowl, and shut the door in his face. Still, as Jasper headed down the hall, he had no regrets. It might not have been the most tactful thing he’d ever said, but it was sure as hell better than being forced to ride next to her for the next 8 hours.
As he finally made his way down the tavern’s stairs, the breakfast porridge’s savory scent set his mouth watering. The tavern Barbartu had placed them in sat at the heart of the market district, so the room was already packed. He stood by steps for a moment as he searched the room for any signs of his friends.
“Jasper!” A cheery voice called out behind him, and he turned to find Ihra waving her hand from a booth tucked into the corner near one of the two great hearths. He jostled his way through the crowd, which thankfully was considerably less full of irritable drunks then at night, and slid down beside her. Rā’imu sat on the other side, both of them tucking into bowls of the apple & pork dumpling stew, while a third bowl sat untouched.
“I’d figured you’d be done soon, so I ordered you a bowl. And if not,” she flashed him a cheery grin, “more for me. So do you have any plans for today? Rā’imu suggested we rent a carriage outside the city and go berry-picking. Apparently, they have some sort of shrub that only flowers after the first snow.”
“Actually,” Jasper helped himself to a bite of the stew, savoring the hot, sweet flavor, before he continued, “I just received my orders from my uncle.” He slid the letter over to her and Rā’imu. “It seems I’ve been given command of a few troops and being sent away. Effective about six weeks. We’re going to have to ride hard if we’re going to catch up in time.”
Ihra perused the letter for only a minute before she handed it back to him. “About time. I was starting to feel cooped up in here.”
“And here I’d thought I’d make good company. Clearly my charms were wasted,” Rā’imu snorted.
She rolled her eyes. “Yep, they definitely were. Besides, shouldn’t you be saving your charms for a certain someone now,” she added, referring to his betrothed.
The Djinn looked glum. “Ah, yes, Is̆mah. I’m sure she’d just be devastated if I disappeared.”
“I think she cares more than you know,” he said mildly.
Rā’imu scowled. “You’re a damned good mage, Yas̆peh, but you know nothing of our politics. The only thing Is̆mah is concerned with is how much face she lost by being pawned off on someone unimportant like me, and how much of my money she has to spend to make for it. I’m sure she’d be relieved to be rid of me and have the chance at someone better.”
Does he really not know? Jasper paused with the spoon halfway to his mouth, unsure whether he should say anything. It wasn’t like he knew either of them that well, after all. But as Is̆mah’s story played through his mind again, he reluctantly lowered the spoon again. “I admit, I’m not well-versed in the politics of your courts,” he agreed, “but it sounds like you are missing certain information yourself. Do you really not know what happened with her last betrothal?”
“Her last betrothal? What are you talking about?” Rā’imu’s brows knit together in a nascent thundercloud. “Does she have some bastard child she’s been heading?”
“Nothing like that,” Jasper replied with a shake of his head. “Her story is, well,” he paused and decided not to share, “you should probably hear it from her lips, not mine. But I think you should know, Ra’imu, that she really does want to make this work. Before we left for Naḫas̆s̆innu, she practically begged me to bring you back safe.”
“Really?” the man looked up, the usual diffidence in his eyes replaced by a skepticism shielding him from hope.
“Really,” Jasper affirmed.
The man leaned back in the pew and ran his hands through his hair. “I suppose I have been avoiding going back. She’s remodeling the whole damn manor, you know,” he fixed his eye on Jasper.
“The place was a bit rundown, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, but only because the elders wouldn’t release my father’s funds to me, because I wasn’t enough of a warrior for them.”
“But now they will,” Jasper pointed out. “Just because she’s sprucing up the place doesn’t mean she’s ashamed of you.”
“Maybe,” the Djinn replied hesitatingly. “I still find it hard to believe, though.”
“Just talk to her,” Jasper repeated. A light hand fell in his shoulder, precipitated by the faint aroma of lilac and roses.
“Talk to whom?” He glanced up to find Tsia had joined them. Her curly locks had been wrestled into submission, her cheeks glowed a ruddy red from fresh scrubbing, and her clothes were cleaned and pressed.
“I see you found the maids.”
The girl slid into the seat next to her brother. “Well, someone insinuated I smelled. And while I certainly don’t care about their opinion, my poor horse has a very delicate nose.”
Jasper grinned. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate your sacrifice.”
Tsia smiled wanly, the sadness still lurking in her eyes despite having roused herself from bed. “I thought you were champing at the bits to go. What’s the hold up?”
He spooned the last dregs from the bottom of his bowl into his mouth and swallowed. “Figured we might as well get breakfast before we go; I imagine there won’t be too much hot food for the next week or two. Plus, Rā’imu had pre-wedding jitters. Had to talk him down. You can just call me a marriage counselor,” he said with a wink.
“What’s that?” Rā’imu asked, leaning forward on the table. “Some sort of class?”
“Nah,” Ihra shook her head. “It’s some sort of nonsense from his world. Once you’ve been around Jasper awhile, you’ll learn that when he’s in a good mood, he likes to make jokes nobody else understands. It is kind of his thing.”
“Hey now,” Jasper protested, “it’s not my fault you don’t appreciate my references.”
She smirked. “Sure. Tell me, did people back home find you funny.”
“They found me hilarious,” he boldly lied.
Ihra just laughed. “Uh-huh. If you say so.” Standing up, she wriggled past him and out of the booth. “Give me a few minutes to pack and I’ll be good to go.” Jasper stared longingly at the hearth where a pot of the stew still boiled. Just one more bowl. But instead, he forced himself to stand up as well. “I guess I better pack too. We should leave within the hour.”