But Kethry was preoccupied -- and a little disturbed, Tarma could sense it without any special effort.
'Keth?' she asked, finally, 'What's stuck in your craw?'
'It's Jadrek. He hasn't said anything or come near me since the night of the rebellion.' She turned troubled and unhappy eyes on her partner. 'I don't know why; I thought he loved me -- I know I love him. And this afternoon -- just disappearing like that -- '
'Well, we're official now. He's reverting to courtly manners. You don't go sneaking around to a lady's room; you treat her with respect.'
'Courtly manners be hanged!' Kethry snapped. 'Dammit Tarma, we'll be gone soon! Doesn't he care? If he doesn't say something -- '
'Then you'll hit him over the head and carry him off, like the uncivilized barbarian mercenary I know you are. And I'll help.'
Kethry started laughing at that. 'I hate to tell you this, but that's exactly what I've been contemplating.'
'Go make wish-lists of things you think you'll be needing for this new school of ours,' Tarma advised her. 'That should keep your mind occupied. I have the feeling this is going to sort itself out before long.'
She parted company with her she'enedra at Kethry's door. They had rooms inside the royal complex now, not in the visitors area. Stefansen was treating them as very honored guests.
She knew she wasn't alone the moment she closed the door behind her. She also knew who it was -- without Warrl's helpful hint of
'Tarma -- '
'Hello, Jadrek,' she said calmly, lighting a candle beside the door before turning around to face him. 'We haven't been seeing a lot of you; we've missed you.'
'I've been thinking,' he said awkwardly. 'I -- '
She crossed her arms, and waited for him to continue. He straightened his back and hfted his chin. 'Tarma shena Tale'sedrin,' he said, with all the earnest solemnity of a high priest, 'Have I your permission to pay my court to your oathsister?'
She raised an eyebrow. 'Can you give me a good reason why I should?'
Her question wilted him. He sat down abruptly, obviously struggling for words. 'I --- Tarma, I love her, I really do. I love her too much to just play with her, I want something formal binding us, something -- in keeping with her honor. She's lovely, you know that as well as I do, but it isn't just her exterior I care for, it's her mind. She challenges me,
like nobody I've ever known before. We're equals -- I want to be her partner, not -- not a -- I don't know, I want to have something like Mertis and Stefan have, and I know we'll give each other that! I want to help you with your schools, too. I think it's a wonderful dream and I want to make it real, and work alongside of both of you to make it more than a dream.'
'We're something more than partners, she and I,' Tarma reminded him. 'There's certain things between us that will affect any children Kethry may have.'
'I took the liberty of asking Warrl about that,' he said, blushing. 'I don't have any problem with -- children. With them being raised Tale'sedrin. Everything I know about the Shin'a'in, everything I've learned in working with you -- I would be very, very proud if you considered my blood good enough to flow into the Clans. Tarma, this is probably going to sound stupid, but I've come to -- love -- you. You've done so much for me, more than you guess. What I really want is that what we've built with the three of us in the last few months should endure -- the friendship, the love, the partnership. I never had that before -- and I'd do anything right now to prevent losing either of you.'
Tarma looked into his pleading eyes -- and much to his evident shock and delight, she took both his hands, pulled him up out of his chair into her arms, hugged him just short of breaking his ribs, and planted a kiss squarely in the middle of his forehead before letting him go again.
'Well, outClan brother,' she laughed, 'while I can't speak for the lady, I would suggest you trot next door and ask her for her hand yourself -- because I do know that if you don't, you're going to find yourself trussed hand and foot and lying over Hellsbane's rump like so much baggage. You see, we happen to be barbarians, and we will do anything to prevent losing you. He shala?'
His mouth worked for a moment, as he stared at her, his eyes brightening with what Tarma suspected were tears of joy. Then he took her face in both his hands, kissed her, and ran out her door as if joy had put wings on his back.
'Better get Stefan to pick your successor,' she called after him. 'Because we're going to keep you much too busy to putter about in his Archives.'
