I slid a large platter of Lavash bread and some quince jam across the table. She fell on it with gusto.
“Mmm, much better. Not much of a vacationing spot, Istera. Good only for its runeberry wine, elk antlers, and burly men—exactly in that order. Stranger’s Peak always has good vintage, but it’s a terrible place to live—snow piles eight feet tall and everyone up to their ears in mufflers and fur. If you thought Tresea was cold, wait till you’ve been to Istera. You will, eventually. Mykaela can’t take much of this any longer.”
“Polaire,” Lady Mykaela warned her.
“But it’s true, Mykkie. You can’t hide that from Tea forever. In two years, the nanghait will rise again, and if you’re in no shape to deal with it now, then think about how much of a headache it will be when you’re weaker.”
“Weaker?” I echoed.
“Mykaela’s health is fading,” Althy said, returning from the kitchen with a bowl of the freshly pounded forkroot and a kettle full of steaming water. She added the powder to the pot, then poured its contents into four bowls. Steam and a faint scent of spice rose up. “A lifetime spent raising daeva from their graves and sending them back would take a toll on anyone, and there aren’t enough Dark asha to go around anymore.”
“Sakmeet died a few months ago, and Mykkie had to take up her duties as well,” Polaire said. “Nasty bit of goods, Sakmeet. Was fond of beans and thought she could pass wind and get away with it. Nastier bit of goods, the nanghait. Took more tricks to get it back into the ground than it used to. That’s your last daeva, Mykkie.”
“I can still do it,” Lady Mykaela protested.
“Not for as long as I breathe, you silly idiot. I thought for sure you were dead when you passed out like that, and if Althy wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have known how to bring you back.”
“Passed out?”
“See? Your apprentice agrees with me.” Polaire wagged a finger in Lady Mykaela’s direction. “Permanent bed rest from now until the end of the winter solstice. We can pick up the slack until this one makes her debut. It might take longer, but we’ve got something you don’t.” And she tapped at her heartsglass on its silver chain around her neck.
I felt cold all over.
“Don’t worry your head about it,” Polaire said, catching the expression on my face. “Only Mykkie is arrogant enough to go about raising daeva on her own. You’re both rare enough breeds that whole armies would accompany you if you asked nicely enough.” The asha scowled. “They never accompany me though.”
“You’re not nice enough, Polaire,” Althy said mildly.
“Shut up. What were we doing here again? Oh, yes—we’re here to watch Mykkie drink that horrible forkroot concoction that hideous salope at the apothecary overcharged me for, and then we’re going to force her to lie down for the rest of the month.”
“I’m fine, Polaire.”
“Your hand’s shaking, Mykkie, and there’re two of us against you. Three, because I’m recruiting your Tea too. One bowl, and then it’s up to bed, Mykkie.”
It took nearly a half hour to convince Lady Mykaela to do so, and only after Polaire threatened to draw a rune on her. She and the other asha traded respectful bows with Mistress Parmina along the corridor, and the old woman allowed the women to drag Lady Mykaela to her room, the latter’s voice raised in counterpoint to the others’ determination. I remained in the dining hall and stared at my bowl until my drink grew cold.
? ? ?
“Have you given some thought to her sisters?” Polaire asked Mistress Parmina after Lady Mykaela was fast asleep. Both asha had stayed on for lunch. “Surely there are some names that come to mind.”
“It’s too early,” Mistress Parmina demurred. “Tea has only begun her apprenticeship.”
“It’s never too early to consider her sisters. Dark asha need more preparation than others, and Tea would need more training than Shadi… Where is she, by the way?”
“She is practicing for the darashi oyun at the training hall.”
“Elegant girl. Nabbed the main role again, didn’t she? I turned my ankles enough times during my dance lessons that Yasmin used to order me home ten minutes in.”
“Are you volunteering, Polaire?” The old woman sounded interested.
“Of course I am. Why else would I bring this up? I know all the people who matter, and I’ll teach her to liven up a party. And Althy can teach her the other boring stuff, turning lizards into powder or something.”
“Medicine is a strictly vegetarian affair,” Althy murmured. “Daeva notwithstanding.”
Polaire pursed her lips. “I know Mykkie would normally be the best candidate for a third sister, Auntie. But I’m worried she may not have the strength for it.”
“Tea will need someone to teach her the Dark runes, Polaire.”
“Mykaela can teach her when it becomes necessary but not in her current condition. Frankly, Auntie, I’m worried. The nanghait took a lot out of her. She can’t do much more of this. I don’t know about you, but I would give a good deal of what I own to raise Vanor from the dead and beat the life back out of him again.”
“Why can’t you?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Why can’t I what?”
“Why can’t you raise the king from the dead and demand Lady Mykaela’s heartsglass? I mean,” I added, somewhat flustered now that all three asha were giving me their full attention, “wouldn’t he know?”
Polaire grinned. “She thinks. That shows promise. But she thinks without thinking her way through, so probably not. Don’t you think we’ve tried? We have had Dark asha summon the king until they were blue in the face, and still he refuses to speak. You cannot compel the dead to obey you when they have no intentions of doing so. Hate and anger can linger long after death; it is a powerful emotion that is harder to let go than life. The dead have a reputation, and it is not for their amiability. They feel no pain, which is a shame.”
“Polaire caused quite a scandal back then,” Althy said. “It’s not every day that you get to see an asha punching royalty in the face, even if it’s dead royalty.”
“It felt more satisfying to use my fists,” Polaire said. “And I was always better at my combat training than I was at my dance lessons. I was hoping you could find someone else to serve as Tea’s third sister, Auntie. I know that Mykkie would insist, and I want to head her off while I can. She needs to concentrate on healing. There will be enough time to teach Tea. Perhaps Shadi might consider it?”