Pendant of Fortune (12 page)

“
I knew it would have to happen sooner or later. When you were arrested, that was my second thought: who will bring him up at the palace? I could have asked Tika, but they’re going to retire, and she’s always complaining about her son, how he doesn’t have any of the instincts necessary to survive at the court. And I didn’t want Volyan to end up like that. That’s partly why I was mad at you too.”

“
Tish would have arranged something.”

“
Then,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken, “I realized that he wouldn’t be going to the palace if you were arrested.”

“
Oh. Right.” He shifted his paws uncomfortably.

She looked straight at him, amber eyes meeting his. “You’ll win the hearing. With Canis on your side, you will.”

“
More importantly,” he said, “Tish is on my side.”

She grinned at that and then leaned forward to touch her nose to his. Impulsively, he slid his arms around her and turned the greeting into a kiss. She pressed against him, tail brushing his paw, and leaned into the kiss.

It was a friendly kiss, not a lovers’ kiss, for all that they held the embrace longer than might have been proper for friends. She was beautiful and her scent was subtle and pleasing, but not alluring. Volle smiled at her as they stepped apart, and saw a hint of sadness in her answering smile.

“
It’s been a while since a nice fox kissed me,” she said. “Such a shame.”

He flicked his ears and smiled apologetically. “Fox—Canis made me this way.”

“
Oh, I know. No doubt He had His reasons.” She chuckled. “I see you’ve been attending Ferrenian services again.”

“
Very few Orthodox churches over there.”

“
I suppose. You’ll attend tomorrow?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

“
All right. I’ll bring Volyan. You can see him then.” She smiled. “He’s dying to meet his father.”

Volle felt a soft pang. “I can’t wait to see how he’s grown.”

“
You’ll be proud. Oh, come in, Tika, we’re done.” The grey wolf’s nose had poked out of the dining room.

Tika swung the door open and walked in, relaxing when she saw their smiles. “Everything okay, then?” They nodded. “You see, Ilyana, I told you it would be.”

“
I know.” She looked at Volle. “I guess I just needed to let him know how I felt.”

Volle rubbed his muzzle where she’d cuffed it. “You did that.” He wondered why it was that he’d been able to reassure Ilyana when Tika hadn’t. Maybe it was just that Tika didn’t have all the information, or had been holding back some because she wasn’t sure what was appropriate to tell.

“
Sorry.” She clasped her paws together.

“
Don’t be. You had a right to be angry.” The dining room door remained ajar, he could see out of the corner of his eye, but neither Streak nor Tish emerged. He guessed that Tish was giving the younger wolf one of his talks, or maybe a history lesson.

“
It’s not constructive, though. There’s nothing you can do about it. I’m more useful helping you regain your position at the palace than being mad at you for the position you put me in.” The glint in her eyes told him that she wasn’t entirely rid of the anger.

“
I’m not sure what you can do to help. But thank you.”

“
If you’re all seen together at services, that will be a good image,” Tika said. “My dears, you look so lovely together that nobody would deny that you are nobility.”

Volle smiled, and saw Ilyana’s muzzle crack a smile as well. “I appreciate that, Tika.”

“
And with an adorable cub? Oh, they won’t be able to resist.”

“
I hope it’s that easy.”

“
Haven’t I taught you yet about appearances? Tch.” She turned to Ilyana. “You’d think after six years…but no. He is smart, but very thick-headed. As are you, young vixen, so don’t laugh too hard.”

“
All right, all right.” Ilyana’s tail swished as she smoothed down her dress. “Well, I should get back to Volyan and his nurse. I’ll leave you here.”

“
I am sorry about dinner. We will have some food sent to you.”

“
That’s all right. I wouldn’t have expected to be invited to the palace dinner anyway. I certainly wasn’t invited here.”

“
Where are you staying?” Volle asked.

“
At an inn down in Ikling. Tika could get me into the castle here, but not to stay. I can come to services, though.”

“
They’re being held down in the town, because the church there is in better shape,” Tika interjected.

“
Okay.” Volle leaned forward. “I’ll see you there, then.”

Ilyana nodded and touched her muzzle to his. “Goodbye, Volle. Goodbye, Tika, and thank you.” She saw herself out without waiting for Alcis to emerge from the dining room.

“
She was an excellent choice,” Tika mused after the door had closed.

“
You were the one who chose her,” Volle pointed out.

Tika smiled sweetly at him. “I know, dear. Come, sit down and tell me about Streak. He’s really quite charming, if a little quiet.”

“
I don’t know how you can tell when someone’s quiet,” Volle said, following her to one of the chairs by the window. “Between you and Tish, I’m lucky if I can get in three words.”

“
Don’t be rude. You contribute to your share of the conversation. Your white wolf listens a lot. And when he does talk, it’s measured and considered.” She paused, and looked at him. “You could learn from him.”

Volle rolled his eyes, but smiled. “He grew up on a farm and I don’t think he had many people to talk to there. You two were probably very intimidating.”

“
We didn’t gang up on him. Honestly, Volle, what do you take us for? Tish asked him about how he’s been this past year, and I just told him a little bit about what life is like at the palace. Oh, don’t give me that look. I didn’t go into lots of details. I talked about the big gala a couple years ago. You remember, the one Ilyana wanted to come back for? She got sick, or was it Volyan? Yes, it was Volyan.” Volle remembered that; he’d almost traveled down to Vinton, but had been stopped by Tish. “I told him about the candles, and the performers—especially that ermine who kept doing the flips with the lighted torch—and the dancing, until all hours of the night.”

Volle just grinned. “And what did he say?”

“
I think he said, ‘That sounds very nice,’ or something like that. So what do you two do, there on the farm?”

Volle considered the question, then leaned back. “Chores. Cooking. Reading over the latest letter from Tish.”

“
For fun?” She waggled a finger at him. “Besides the obvious.”

He smiled. “We go for walks. Sit in bed and watch the sun rise. I have a chess set, but he’s not really interested in playing.”

“
It sounds divine.”

“
What do you and Tish plan to do when he retires?”

Her ears flicked, but she countered that sign of worry with a smile. “Canis only knows. I think he’ll go crazy without all the Tistunish affairs to manage. I’ll have to take some ideas from you to keep him occupied.”

“
Get him something to work on, like a farm or painting or something. Make him write his memoirs.”

“
Now there’s an idea. I just might do that.” She rubbed her muzzle thoughtfully. “He’s had a very interesting life.”

“
As opposed to me.” Volle grinned. “I thought about taking up painting, but I couldn’t get the materials. It was challenging enough getting the farm running. I don’t know if I could have done it without his help.”

“
I don’t think Tish knows much about farming.”

“
Then make sure you get good help. We have two good people who are running the farm now. They keep the others in line.”

“
Oh, I know the importance of good help. Why do you think we kept Alcis so long?” The raccoon had returned from the dining room and was standing discreetly at attention near the main door.

“
I know. I miss Welcis sometimes.”

“
We see him occasionally, and he sometimes asks about you. He knows we keep in touch. We told him you’re doing fine, but not much more. It wouldn’t do to have the servants gossiping.”

Volle nodded, thinking privately that Welcis probably knew more than Tika gave him credit for. Most servants did. Helfer’s servant had seen him with Streak and had actually helped him get the documents out of the palace. He was grateful that Caresh was down at Helfer’s mansion and not up at the castle. He did trust Caresh; being a fox, he shared a species bond, and being Helfer’s servant, he was very well disposed toward Volle. Still, it was best to have him and the little knowledge he had out of the way of Dereath and the hearing.

“
Alcis excepted, of course,” Tika continued, looking at the raccoon, who gave no indication he could hear them. “He is the soul of discretion.”

Volle grinned. “Everyone’s servant is the soul of discretion. Welcis knows some things I think he’s never told. But then, I did take pains to keep some things from him.”

“
Ah, and if you kept them from him, I don’t suppose you would tell me.”

He smiled and shook his head. “I might not even remember now. But they were important at the time, to me.”

“
Oh, that kind of secret. Those are the best kind.”

Volle thought he heard movement in the other room, and he saw Tika’s ears swivel too. “Anything else you wanted to ask me about Streak?” he said in a low tone.

Tika shook her head and smiled. “Later. I’ve already seen the answer to my most important question.”

Volle flicked his ears and smiled self-consciously. He looked up in time to see Streak walk through the dining room door, Tish behind him. They paused just inside the room, looking around to take in the situation, and Volle was struck by the similarities, and also the contrasts of white and black fur. They seemed at ease together, relaxed, and for a moment he envied them the bond of their species, which he would never share.

The white wolf smiled at him and came over to stand near him. Tish stood on the other side of Tika until Alcis brought two more chairs over.

As they sat down, Volle reached out and put a paw on Streak’s shoulder. “They weren’t too hard on you, were they?”

Streak shook his head and smiled ruefully. “I’m okay. Tish knows a lot.”

Volle laughed, and Tish and Tika joined in. “I didn’t tell you the
entire
history of my family. Just the relevant parts.”

“
So only the last two hundred years?” Volle said.

Streak patted his paw. “It was very educational.”

“
Tish always is,” Volle replied, and smiled.

“
I try to be.” The wolf was caressing his wife’s ears gently.

“
So what can we do around here other than sit around and discuss family history?” Volle asked.

“
You make it sound so distasteful.” Tish grinned at him.

Tika, leaning back into the caresses, spoke up. “There are some games planned downstairs. We were going to do outdoor games, but it turns out the weather up here isn’t quite as nice as in the lower regions of Vellenland.”

“
They didn’t know that?”

“
I believe Lord Ikling assumed the King knew the castle was on the top of a mountain, and Alister assumed Lord Ikling would have told them if the castle weren’t as warm as the rest of Vellenland. It was a slight embarrassment, but that rolls off your friend’s back rather like water does.” Tish had an amused smile as he spoke. “For some, the weather isn’t a hardship, but there are one or two lords who would gladly pack Lord Ikling in ice for the journey back to Divalia.”

Volle grinned. “As you said, I doubt he worries about that too much. So how has this retreat been?”

Tika shook her head. “Not too bad, but not too good. These are supposed to be relaxing breaks from palace life, but a lot of people are annoyed at the weather, and I hear the King has been kept busy with court issues. Not yours, dear. That comes later, and I doubt he’s even thinking about that now.”

“
Where do you usually go on these retreats?” Streak asked.

Tish rubbed his wife’s ears a bit more firmly. “We’ve gone on the last ten or so, and a few before that, and they were all different. Some of them were to warm climates, but the last few were colder. Some were to senior lords, some to junior. The most fun, I think, was when we went to Villutian, because it was beautiful there and Lord Villutian had a circus in town for the entire time that performed a different show every day. Lord Ikling doesn’t seem to have realized that he needs to entertain his guests.”