Shalador's Lady

“Used to be a boardinghouse, so it has a big dining room and kitchen, several parlors, and sufficient bedrooms and bathrooms for the Queen and some of her court, as well as rooms for special guests. Also has enough land for a big kitchen garden, herb garden, and flower gardens, plus some ground Gray says will suit the honey pears.” Ranon shrugged. “It’s not a typical building for a Queen’s residence, but it pleases Lady Cassidy.”



As they took another look around the room, Ranon felt his shoulders tighten, even though feeling defensive was foolish. The furniture was old but clean and polished. The room had the scent of a place that was cared for. And the fact that the Queen wasn’t buying new furniture to impress visitors while the people were still struggling to have enough clothes and a decent pair of shoes was something her court would not apologize for. To anyone.



Footsteps. Female voices.



Cassidy suddenly appeared in the doorway wearing shortened trousers and a shirt that looked like she’d rescued it from the rag bag. Probably the same rag bag where she got the cloths that were stuffed into the bucket she was holding.



“Ranon, Dryden said . . .” She looked at the other four men in the room and her hazel eyes widened. “Oh, Hell’s fire. Is thattoday ?”



“It appears we have come at an inconvenient time,” Ferall said stiffly.



“No, you haven’t,” Cassidy said, stepping farther into the room. “No. My apologies, gentlemen. We’ve had several families come to the village, and we’ve been working to get them settled into their new homes. Between that and the work in the shops and trying to get the Healing House and Shira’s residence set up, I lost track of the days.”



“Cassie, if we’re going to get the last rooms in the Healing House cleaned out properly so Shira can start working there, we’re going to need—Oh.”



Another tall, big-boned woman with a long, plain face, freckles, and red hair stepped into the room.



“Gentlemen, this is my mother, Devra.”



Four Warlord Princes tipped their heads in a respectful bow.



“We are honored by the introduction,” Ferall said.



“Cassie, give me the bucket.” Devra wrapped her hand around the handle. “You’re needed here. Besides, you’ve been working too hard lately.”



“I have not.” Cassidy tightened her own grip on the bucket.



“Yes, you have. Even your father thinks so.”



“Haven’t been working any harder than the rest of you.”



Devra narrowed her eyes. “Daughter, you fell asleep in the middle of drum practice last night. That should tell you something.”



“We promised to work only half a day today,” Cassidy protested.



Devra gave him a stern look. “Ranon.”



He raised his hands in surrender. “No. With all respect, Devra, I amnot getting in the middle of this.”



“When we made this appointment with Ranon, he did tell us that the Queen may not be available,” Hikaeda said.



“See?” Cassidy said, trying to tug the bucket out of Devra’s hand. A futile effort.



Ranon sent out a psychic call for help. He’d already learned that when Cassidy and Devra squared off to argue about something, there was only one person in the house who was willing to step in and deal with two stubborn women.



*Cassie? Cassie!*



Vae appeared in the doorway and looked up at Cassidy’s back. Or more likely, at Cassidy’s ass since that was Vae’s preferred spot to nip.



*Ranon will talk to the other males and show them male things.*



Cassidy pressed her lips together, and her face turned bright red. Devra just looked interested. All five Warlord Princes squirmed.



*You will work with Shira and Devra. Then you will eat. Then you will not work. It is time to work now. Shira is waiting for you.*



Vae trotted off, no doubt to wait at the back door.



“If you will excuse us,” Devra said tightly, “it is time to work now. The Sceltie said so.” She walked out of the room.



“It was a pleasure to see you, gentlemen,” Cassidy said. She hurried to catch up to Devra.



No one said anything for several moments.



“You called the Sceltie to deal with the Queen?” Elendill asked.



“Oh, yeah,” Ranon replied. “Some days I think if we’d had Vae planning tactics, we could have defended our people even better than we did.”



Ferall laughed softly. “Well, let’s get on with these male things we’re supposed to do.”



“What would you like to see?” Ranon asked.



All the humor in their faces faded away. Ferall said, “Whatever you choose to show us.”



A careful phrasing, but Ranon knew that what wasn’t shown would be as important as whatwas shown. In Ferall’s place, he would have paid attention to both. “Are you all comfortable with doing some walking?”



Ferall nodded.



“Then let me show you what the Queen’s presence has done for Eyota.”



He began with the Queen’s square, introducing them to Shaddo’s wife, who was standing outside the family’s cottage with a look of grim amusement on her face.



“Shaddo already left to do a circuit around the village,” Soli said. “Do you need him?”



“No,” Ranon replied. Since she looked like she was edging toward a hissy cat mood, he added, “Anything I can do for you?”



“Thanks, but it’s been taken care of.”



Since he knew whatthat meant, he led a retreat that didn’t look hasty for all its speed.



“Problem?” Ferall sounded amused.



“Not for us,” Ranon replied.



“Then who?” Rikoma asked.



The answer came trotting up the street.



“For Eryk and Eliot, Shaddo’s sons,” Ranon said.



The boys were moving smartly, with Darcy trotting right behind them.



“Ranon!” Eryk rushed up to the men. “Tell Darcy we weren’t doing anything wrong! We were just playing at the pond in the park!”



Darcy growled and lunged at Eliot’s heels, giving the boy good reason to scramble past his older brother. *Soli wants you home.Now. *



“Did your father give you permission to go to the pond—or the park?” Ranon asked, already knowing the answer.



“He didn’t say we couldn’t,” Eryk said.



“Your mother wants you home,” Ranon said. He owed it to Shaddo to keep his expression stern and his voice firm, but damn, he wanted to laugh.



*Home!* Darcy said.



Eryk glared at Darcy. “Just wait until I have my Birthright Ceremony. You won’t be so bossy then!”



*I will still have sharper teeth.*



Hard to argue with that,Ranon thought. But he would have to mention that comment to Shaddo tonight. He wasn’t sure Eryk’s Birthright Jewel would end up outranking Darcy’s, but the boy couldn’t be allowed to use power to hurt someone in his family—even if that family member had four legs and fur . . . and sharper teeth.



He and the other men continued down Autumn Road, passing the house where Lord Rogir and his family were settling in. Several girls were in the front yard, jumping rope. Or more precisely, two of the girls were swinging the rope and Keely was jumping over it.



He didn’t stop. The girls were still uneasy around strangers, and Keely, despite looking like a live furry toy at the moment, had appointed herself the Protector of Young Females living in the Queen’s square and wouldn’t hesitate to attack if proper introductions weren’t made. And he really didn’t want to take time for the kind of proper introductions—with thorough sniffing—that Scelties deemed necessary before letting an unknown get close to their humans.



“That was another Sceltie?” Hikaeda asked. “How many are there?”



“Feels like hundreds some days, but there are twelve of them, plus Vae,” Ranon replied. And in a village that only held a few hundred people, the odds werenot in the humans’ favor.



He took the men down a few other streets. The occupied houses were carefully tended. Not many people visible, but there was still a sense of energy and purpose, of work being done with good heart.



His people had always had heart. Now there was also joy.



“You lost people,” Ferall said quietly, tipping his head to indicate the empty houses.



“Here in Eyota, most of the families who are gone were lost before the purge and the uprisings,” Ranon replied. Meaning most had been slaughtered by the twisted Queens who had been encouraged to eliminate the Shalador people.



“I’m sorry,” Ferall said.



“We survived, and now we have hope.”



Ferall gave him an odd look, but they turned onto the main street, and his guests stopped. Just stopped.



Anyone who farmed was with his animals or in his fields, getting ready for the harvest that would begin in a few more weeks. And many craftsmen of all kinds were in their own shops working. But the first impression for someone who hadn’t been watching this carefully planned frenzy grow on a daily basis was that every male who was old enough and strong enough to lift and carry, and every person who had some skill with tools—or wanted to learn to have skills, regardless of gender—was on the main street, scurrying in and out of buildings.



“Mother Night,” Elendill said.



Calling in the watch his grandfather had given him for his twentieth birthday, Ranon opened the cover and checked the time. Then he vanished the watch. “This will quiet down right about . . . now.”



Sure enough, Burle stepped out of one of the buildings. In a Craft-enhanced voice, he hollered, “Break!”



All the pounding, sawing, clattering noises stopped. People came out of various buildings and headed up the street.



“Elders’ Park is being used as a rest station,” Ranon said. “There is food and water there, and one or two of the elders are there each day to listen to the people or answer questions.”



“Hell’s fire, Ranon,” Hikaeda said. “How are your people able to do this?”