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Skin like goats wit’ hair like blooms,
Weaving vines like flax on looms!
Get away, I tried to do,
But she caught me round the shoe,
Stumbled down, I couldn’t run!
’stead she said, “Let’s have some fuuun!”
The notes came fast—far faster than they were supposed to. Back home, “The Satyr of the Seed” was played as a mockery of northern ribaldry. But Aurelius had long ago discovered that if you doubled the pace and sang the lyrics earnestly, it made a cracking drinking song.
Digging deep into her soil,
Plunging tools with pounds and toil,
Packed down hard’n twisted roots,
Drippin’ wet into me boots.
Digging deep into her dirt,
Goin’ so fast it must’a hurt,
Her and me got what we need,
Coverin’ earth with all our seed!
The crowd clapped along, picking up the chorus in full voice. Aurelius drank in the moment, the attention, strutting up and down the stage.
In too short a time, the final note echoed out. There came a moment of silence, then a roar of applause. He turned back to the table of soldiers in celebration.
His throat tensed.
The others were all on their feet, clapping.
But Prince Calix was gone.
46
TEIGRA
Teigra paced the embassy courtyard. Despite being well after midnight, the grass still carried the day’s warmth. But that provided little comfort from the wrenching in her belly.
Everyone else had gone to bed hours ago. She’d tried herself, but just couldn’t sleep—not while Aurelius was still out there. If what he’d said was right, then this was the most dangerous moment of the whole mission.
Teigra grasped her pegasus-hair pendant. Aurelius being out so late meant one of two things: either the evening was going very well, or it had taken a horrible turn. And as much as she knew that being out of bed like this might invite difficult questions, she had to make sure that he was all right.
Besides, she had listened by the bedroom doors before coming out. Everyone else was well and truly—
“Good evening, Ms. Cosmin,” came a voice from the doorway.
Teigra shot around. “Ms. Securia, I thought that you were...”
“Asleep? Safely tucked away so you could break the ultimatum I so gracious extended to you?”
“N-no,” stammered Teigra. Suddenly it all came back. The threats. Her family. The promise she’d made to not help Aurelius! “I just... I just...”
