Borisin grunted, then snorted as Queen Nin-Xoco’s feet touched the ground after her dismount. He took several steps away from her even as she still held the reins.

Nin-Xoco looked at the horse for several seconds before turning to Rudiger. “I’ve been wondering. Is it normal for horses to walk away after dismounting or does he just not like me?”

Tell her it’s because I don’t like her, Borisin said. I dare you.

Rudiger resisted glaring at Borisin and kept his eyes on Nin-Xoco. Oh behave. Out loud, he said, “Hard to say, Holiness. Every horse has its own personality and can react differently to the same circumstances. Buluc here is pretty stand-offish, and stubborn. It might just be his way, or he might be taking awhile to get comfortable with you.”

It’s definitely my way, Borisin said, but I’m not getting comfortable with her.

Oh, come one, Rudiger said. She’s not that bad.

“It’s been five weeks.” Nin-Xoco started untying her hair. “I hoped he’d be used to me by now.”

Sure, not that bad, but still bad, Borisin said.

You say that about everyone, Rudiger said. Then to Nin-Xoco, “Give him time.”

Time, hah!

She let her hair fall over her shoulders and down her back. “He seems comfortable with you in that time.”

“He’s spent a lot more time with me in that time. You’re only here a an hour or two a few days each week.” She had come out to see “Buluc” every day the first week, and had requested to start riding almost immediately, but the frequency of her visits had decreased in the following weeks. She still came three to four times each week, though.

Nin-Xoco sighed. “I suppose you’re right. I’m being impatient.” She approached Borisin.

Stay put, Rudiger told the horse.

You’re no fun.

Nin-Xoco stroked Borisin’s snout, gazing across the field at the river and the falls. “I do wish you’d like me.”

Not a chance.

Rudiger did his best not to groan, as he didn’t want Nin-Xoco to think he was annoyed at her.

You should be annoyed at her. She’s forcing me to be a damn training horse.

I’ve already told you, Rudiger said. The other horses here haven’t been trained for riding. Otherwise, I would have started her with one of them.

If she ever gets her hair caught in my saddle again, I’m going to gallop off and drag her on the ground behind me.

That was one time! And it was my fault for not telling her to tie her hair up first. He’d nearly been skewered by Ses-Zeltzin for it, too.

Doesn’t matter. I’ll do it.

Just drop it, would you?

“Are you all right, Rudiger?” Nin-Xoco asked. “You look...strained. I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?”

“No, of course not, Holiness.” Now look what you’ve made me do! “I was just distracted for a moment. I was...reminded of Zandrue for a moment, and it got me thinking. That’s all.” He hoped that sounded convincing.

She smiled. “Do I remind you of your sister?”

“Maybe a little,” he said, looking away from her. He hated this lying. Mentioning Zandrue had just been the first excuse that came to mind. “Honestly, I’m not sure what caused me to think of her.”

“You must miss her.”

“Yeah.” At least that wasn’t a lie.

“I could invite her to the Palace so you could see each other again.” Nin-Xoco led Borisin a few steps back over to him. She looked at the horse and smiled. “He followed me!”

Don’t get used to it, Borisin grumbled.

“See, told you he’d get used to you eventually,” Rudiger said.

No, I just wasn’t thinking.

No, you just don’t hate her as much as you claim.

“Perhaps,” Nin-Xoco said, stroking Borisin’s snout again. “But as I was saying, my offer...”

“That’s very generous of you, Holiness,” Rudiger said, “but I wouldn’t want to interrupt her studies. She’s very dedicated and Fra-Mecatl is a strict teacher.” And she probably wasn’t even there, and inviting her would ruin the whole ruse.

Nin-Xoco nodded. “As you wish. You are very dedicated to her. I don’t have any brothers, but if I did, I could only hope they were as dedicated to me as you are to her.”

“I’m sure they would be, Holiness,” Rudiger said.

“Holiness!” Ses-Zeltzin called. “It is almost time for the Council to meet.”

A scowl crossed Nin-Xoco’s face, then vanished. She straightened up and turned to look at Ses-Zeltzin. “I will come when I am ready, Zeltzin. The Council will wait.”

Ses-Zeltzin was standing several yards away. Half a dozen other Queen’s Guards were spaced farther out in a circle around the Queen. “As you wish, Holiness,” Ses-Zeltzin said.

Nin-Xoco turned back to Rudiger and sighed.

“Is it wise to keep them waiting, Holiness?” he asked.

She tilted her head and shrugged. “What is and isn’t wise in politics is an ever-changing thing, and it can be hard to decide what’s wise in any particular situation. At the moment, this seems the wisest course of action.”

“If you say so, Holiness.” He wasn’t sure he followed what she was saying.

“Walk with me back towards the Palace.” She began leading Borisin in that direction. Borisin followed without objection.

I’m going to the stables, Borisin said. They just happen to be in the same direction.

Rudiger kept beside her, and the Queen’s Guards shifted their positions to maintain their wide circle as she moved. Nin-Xoco linked arms with Rudiger as they walked.

Rudiger looked about, trying to appear as though he was taking in the scenery, but really looking for Ses-Zeltzin’s reaction. The head of the Queen’s Guards was scowling.

At the slow pace Nin-Xoco set, it took close to a quarter hour to cross the field back to the palace. The Queen spent the time asking Rudiger about his and Zandrue’s childhood. He had to spin a tale that he hoped he’d remember later if he needed to.

“I do enjoy our times together,” Nin-Xoco said as they neared the Palace and the stables. She leaned up against him, rested her head against his upper arm. “Do you suppose next time we could ride all the way down to the river, just by the falls?”

“Of course, Holiness.” This was the part where he always got uncomfortable—when she started getting more physical with him. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t interested in her in that way. There was something off about it, too. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was inconsistent.

She only does it when there are lots of other people to see it, Borisin said.

That was it! She was friendly and casual with him during their sessions, but not so touchy. But during her sessions, there were only her bodyguards to see. But now they were in sight of servants and Palace guards, maybe even priests and nobles.

She hugged his arm. “I so look forward to it.”

Now you understand why I don’t like her. She’s using you.

Except you do like her, Rudiger said. Don’t try to deny it again.

Okay, so she’s savvy, and I kind of admire that. But I don’t like what she’s doing with you.

You could have told me.

I would have, except I only just figured it out myself.

Nin-Xoco let go of him and handed him Borisin’s reins. “Thank you, Rudiger. I will see you again in a day or two.” She motioned to Ses-Zeltzin. “I will head to the Council now.”

Her guards moved in closer to her as she approached one of the back doors of the Palace. Ses-Zeltzin stopped by Rudiger. “You are treading a thin line.”

“Shouldn’t you be guarding the Queen?” he said. Nin-Xoco had already entered the building.

“I am guarding her.” The warrior stomped away and into the Palace.

Now that one I really don’t like, Borisin said. Just give the word and I’ll bite her next time.

Really don’t think that’d be a good idea, buddy. Remember her threat to feed you to that jaguar?

I told you, I’m looking forward to that. I will savour the look on her face when I trounce that oversized cat.

Rudiger shook his head and turned towards the stables a short distance away. A familiar figure stood by the doors. How long had she been watching?

“You shouldn’t encourage her,” Ses-Izel said as he reached the doors.

“Your sister?”

“You know who I mean.”

“Yes, I know.” He opened the stable doors and led Borisin in. “And I keep telling you, I’m not encouraging her.”

“Really?” she said, following him in.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Yes, really.”

“No, shut up, Rudiger, I wasn’t talking to you. That’s interesting. Maybe she’s smarter than I thought. I wonder what she’s up to.”

Rudiger sighed and closed the doors. He still hadn’t gotten used to her talking to Borisin.

She sat down on the pile of hay near the doors. “And what’s that mean for me?”

Rudiger squeezed past Borisin to retrieve some brushes and a hoof pick from the supply shelves. The old mare in the stall next to Borisin’s peered out.

The stables were small with stalls that were also small—too small for Borisin. In the days following their arrival at the Palace, Fra-Atl had ordered an extension built, one with a larger stall capable of fitting Borisin. It had gone up in just a couple of days and was a very hasty job. The rain leaked in and the walls wobbled whenever the wind picked up. And the stall still barely fit Borisin.

“I’m gonna die in this place,” Ses-Izel said.

Rudiger was pretty sure she wasn’t talking to Borisin anymore, as he had heard this before. He had learnt that the best response was to say nothing and just let her vent. He started to brush Borisin.

“I had a meeting with the Queen earlier. First time in a week. She went on about the New Year sacrifices. What am I supposed to do? If I appear at the sacrifices with the Queen, my life’s work is ruined. No one will ever look to me again. If I refuse, gods know how she’ll react. She has a reputation for being petty. She’ll probably execute me and my life’s work will still be ruined. I suppose I’ll die a martyr that way though. Maybe I should try to kill her. Just before the sacrifices start, I launch myself at her. Zeltzin or one of her guards kills me, and I die a hero to the cause. It will probably cement the whole Eleuia thing, but I can live with that. Well, not really. I’ll be dead, so I won’t have to. What do you think?”

There was silence for a moment as Rudiger continued to brush Borisin.

“Well?”

“Huh?” She was in an unusual mood if she wanted his input. Usually, if she asked a question, she just continued on without his answer. “Oh. I don’t think she’s as petty as her reputation says she is. She comes across much more level-headed and friendly when I’m with her.”

“Yes, but she’s also apparently stringing you along.”

“That’s a point. No idea what her goals are.”

“Welcome to politics. Still eager to intrude into it? I told you you don’t belong here.”

“I’ve never been eager. I’ve been thrust into this without much say in the matter.”

“Uh huh.” She sighed. “Look, can we get straight to sparring today? I need to release a lot of pent-up anger and I’ll do that best by beating the crap out of you.”

He smirked. “Sorry. If I stop grooming partway through, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Damn right.

“Oh come on, Borisin, just this once?” she asked the horse.

There was a pause.

“He said no.”

“Told you,” Rudiger said and went back to brushing.

While he continued with brushing and cleaning Borisin, she went back to complaining about things in the palace, and her worries over the state of her business in her absence. Eventually, she got round to blaming him for everything, as she usually did.

When he was done and Borisin was in his stall, she tossed him one of the poles they had been using as practice spears. She had suggested a week back that they should spar regularly to keep in practice and relieve tensions. Rudiger liked the idea at first. He had had little opportunity for actual practice since coming to Ninifin, and that was even more so in the Palace.

They had sparred with practice swords the first day, but then, Ses-Izel had insisted he learn the spear—or at the very least, learn to fight against spears. She had started by using one of the practice spears against him using a practice sword.

“There, you’re dead,” she said as she poked the pole against his chest before he could knock it aside. She was fast. He had to give her that. “With a spear, I have a lot more reach. You have to get close to me, but I don’t have to get close to you.”

“But I can just cut your spear in half when you thrust at me,” he said, knocking the pole aside with the practice sword. “Trust me. Slay would cut through it without any effort.”

“Sure, you could do that. In a small space like this, it might work. But in the open, Ninifin warriors fight in groups. While you cut one spear in half, the others run you through with theirs.”

“But you carry a sword with you.”

She nodded. “I do, because swords have their uses. They’re easier to carry around for one thing, so they’re easier to reach in a pinch. And in a confined space, they can be more useful. But if I have to fight Ninifin warriors out in the open, I’m going for a spear if I can. And trust me, we’re probably going to have fight at some point, when they finally decide to kill us.”

“So what you’re saying is, if we have to fight, we should retreat to here or another small space and fight them one at a time with swords.”

She had not been impressed by that comment.

So, for the last few days, they’d been sparring with practice spears. And she’d been beating him every time. He was learning, though, and it was taking her longer to beat him—if not by much. This time, he’d barely gotten a grip on his weapon when she jabbed him in the stomach.

“You’ve got to be faster, Rudiger.”

He lunged at her, but she took several steps back out of his reach. He lunged again, and she moved to the side. His pole hit the wall and he nearly jabbed himself with the other end. Then she thrust her pole into his side.

“Dead again,” she said.

He backed away from her, taking a quick look behind to make sure he didn’t collide with the large haystack at the back of the stables. He raised his spear. He had longer reach than she did just by virtue of being bigger. He had to be able to make that work for him. When she moved closer, he struck before she was close enough to strike herself, but she darted back again.

“That’s better,” she said.

Then she moved round to his left, her spear raised. Rudiger lunged at her, but she switched directions and came in from his right instead. He tried to back away from her, but found himself pressed against the hay stack. Her spear struck him in the chest.

“Third death. It’s good you’re using the space and your reach, but be careful not to run out of space.”

She came at him again, but this time he was ready. He moved his spear to block and...she hit him in the stomach again. He could have sworn she was coming in high, but she came in low instead. He was usually better at predicting his opponents’ movements than this.

“Four deaths!” She backed away again, a wide grin on her face. She was enjoying this too much.

She had him pinned against the haystack, so Rudiger decided his only option was to push past her. He levelled his spear and rushed forward. She dived aside, colliding with the wall and rattling the entirety of the stables. He took the opportunity to stab at her, but she dropped to the floor and thrust up with her spear. It hit him in the chest with enough force to wind him and make him stumble into the door of one of the stalls. The old mare inside squealed and the entire stables rattled.

“Not bad,” she said, pulling herself to her feet. “Not good enough yet, but not bad.”

He nodded, breathing heavily. The room was spinning just a little.

She offered a hand to help him balance himself. “You okay?”

He groaned.

“Don’t fret over it. You’re doing really well. A couple of weeks tops and you’ll be beating me most times. You need to work on your defence though. Every time you attack, you leave yourself vulnerable. That’s why I keep beating you. You need to keep an eye on these areas here, here, here, and here.” She prodded him in each location as she spoke. When she prodded him in the chest where she had just hit him, he flinched. He was going to have some nasty bruising there.

“Sorry,” she said. “I might have overdone that last blow, but you came at me really fast.”

“It’s all right. I’ll live.”

“I didn’t crack a rib or anything, did I?”

He felt along his chest. It was painful, but nothing felt broken, and now that he had his breath back, he wasn’t having any trouble breathing. “I’ve had worse.”

“You’re sure?”

He nodded.

“Okay, just no playing heroics, all right? If you’re hurt, just say so. This is a sparring match, not a real combat. I’m not literally trying to kill you.”

“I’ll be fine. Honest!”

“Okay, I believe you.”

She reminded him of Zandrue.

He wasn’t sure where that thought had come from. He would not have considered them anything alike. Ses-Izel certainly looked nothing like Zandrue, and as for personality, they...well, they did both have tempers. And they both liked to be in charge. Okay, maybe they were a lot alike.

Ses-Izel was standing quite close to him at the moment. The sweat on her arms made her tattoos glisten in the flickering light. Her tunic was drenched and clung against her, drawing attention to the expansion and contraction of her chest as she breathed.

She looked up at him and stared into his eyes for a few seconds. Then she broke eye contact and took a step back. “Don’t get any ideas.”

He looked away. “Sorry, I...”

“Oh, it’s all right. I might have been doing a bit of it myself.”

They stood there in silence for a while, Rudiger unsure what to say or do. This was something he hadn’t been expecting.

Or had he?

“One of us should say something,” she said.

“I didn’t think you liked me,” Rudiger said.

“I don’t. Not really. Or rather, I didn’t. There are still things about you I can’t stand, but I don’t know. Maybe it’s the fact you’re the only person here I can trust won’t kill me while I sleep. Or maybe it’s just that it’s been...a long time since I was last with someone, and you’re just convenient. Gods, I hate this place.”

“Nice to know I rate so highly.” Rudiger shook his head and wandered over to Borisin’s stall.

“Sorry. I can be a bit blunt.”

“Really. Never noticed.”

Borisin stared out at him. Don’t bring me into this.

Does she remind you of Zandrue?

No. For a start, Izel is human.

Not that again.

I told you not to bring me into this.

Ses-Izel walked over beside him. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m tense, stressed out. I’m doing and saying things I shouldn’t.”

“It’s all right. I’m the one who started the staring.”

She shrugged. “Do you want this?”

“Don’t know. Hadn’t really thought about it. And there’s Zandrue.”

“Fair enough.”

Except Zandrue wasn’t there. Zandrue might never be coming back.

“Do you want this?” he asked her.

Zandrue might be back already for all he knew.

“At the moment, yes. That might change tomorrow, but for now...” She swung to look at Borisin. “You stay out of this! What?” She looked back at Rudiger. “He says you brought him into it.”

“No I didn’t! All I did was ask him if...” He looked away.

“If I remind him of Zandrue, he says. So I’m just a substitute Zandrue then?”

“I didn’t intend anything here. I just...I’m not thinking of you like...”

She laughed. That wasn’t something he heard from her very often. It sounded nice.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’m not looking for anything serious here. I’m not in love with you and I don’t expect you to be in love with me, okay?” She stepped closer to him, almost touching him. “So if I ask you again, what will you say? Do you want this?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Just think?”

“Okay, yes I want this.”

He bent his head down to try to kiss her. At his height, Rudiger was used to bending over to kiss women, but Ses-Izel was shorter than any other woman he’d kissed. His back was pressed against the gate to Borisin’s stall and she was too close to him, so he couldn’t bend at the back and his neck wouldn’t bend far enough.

She laughed again. “You Foliths grow too tall.”

She put her arms around his neck and jumped up, wrapping her legs around him. He stumbled and nearly fell over the gate, but managed to regain his balance, and put his arms around her buttocks to support her. Her face was now level with his, and they kissed.

It was pleasant. Different from Zandrue. Her lips were coarser, but she was gentler than Zandrue tended to be.

“Where should we go?” he said when their lips parted. “I can’t carry you forever.”

“I’d be intrigued to see how long you can, though,” she said and laughed. “However, the hay pile over there seems a good choice.”

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. You are not doing that here! Borisin’s snout pushed him in the back, and he stumbled forward, but kept hold of her.

“You really want here?” Rudiger said. “In front of the horses? Someone could walk in.”

“You really think we’ll find a more private place?”

She had a point. His living quarters were a shared communal space with all the other palace servants, and hers were similar but for guests. Privacy was a very different concept to Ninifins.

He carried her over to the hay stack as they kissed again. Then he lowered her onto it.

“Stay out of this, Borisin,” she said. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Nothing to do with me? I’m right here. It has everything to do with me. I don’t want to watch this.

“Then don’t watch it,” Rudiger said. “Turn around the other way. Like Ses-Izel said, this is between me and her.”

She pulled him down towards her. “Izel. Just Izel.”