“My betters?” There was an undertone of bitterness in his voice. “That’s a conceit that only the upper classes have. There are no ‘betters’. We’re all Folk, Lady Jocasta, and because my station in life relegated me to menial tasks doesn’t mean I’m stupid. Or that I haven’t paid attention.”
It was her turn to laugh.
“You should have left, went south. You would have found more equality than you knew what to do with on the Southern Seas.”
“And have been a pariah on my return. The nobles can do such things. Those of us not so fortunate don’t have that luxury. For us, leaving means abandoning our House, and having nowhere to return to.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps you were simply too much of a coward.”
She was trying to bait him. Darius didn’t respond to her insult.
Lately, Jocasta had been feeling ill-at-ease. She didn’t feel guilty about the council, or at least not exactly. Still, there was a small part of her that missed Childress’s barbs. He’d been the closest thing to a friend there. She was under no misconceptions about Darius. He would stick with her as long as it advanced his fortunes. If something better came along, he’d cast her off like yesterday’s fish bait.
But he was what she had right now.
“Let the talk continue, then.” She rose and went back to the bookshelf. “If you find a way to insert a counter, do it.”
Behind her, Darius rose. “I’ll do that.” She heard his footsteps as he made his way to the door. Before he opened it, he said, “Lady Jocasta. I’m not your enemy. I’m grateful to you for giving me a chance to prove myself worthy of a station beyond what my birth dictates. I remain loyal to you.”
She didn’t bother turning as he left the room.
Maybe, she thought. But she didn’t believe for a second that his loyalty to her outweighed his own self-interests.
She pulled a book from the shelf and took a seat again, leafing through it. A history of the Greenweald, of all things. The place was so ancient that Jocasta didn’t think such a thing existed. This one was for children, full of line drawings of explorers first entering the land, the first communions with the trees, and epic battles against the Hairy Men.
“A little young for you, isn’t it?”
The voice was from behind her, deeper in the room. The library only had one door, and no windows. It was empty when she came in earlier and no one other than Darius had come through the door since.
She turned her head, hiding her surprise with an iron will, and reaching down to loosen her knife in its sheath at her belt.
“Who are you? And how did you get in here?”
There was something familiar about the man who stood near the back corner. There was a woman with him, someone who Jocasta was sure she’d never seen before.
The man held up his hands and stepped forward. “I always loved this room. I spent a good amount of time in here with my cousin. Both as advisor and friend.”
“Thaddeus,” Jocasta said.
Her fingers tightened on the hilt of her knife. One of the two apparently surviving close relatives to Florian. One of the only two who posed a threat to her rule over House Whispering Pines. A quick flick of her wrist and this one would be removed.
“Please don’t try it.” Thaddeus seemed to know what she was thinking. “You won’t succeed. Besides, I have no interest in taking over as Head of House. You can have it, at least for now. When Celia gets back, you can kill each other over it, for all I care. That is, if there’s anything left to fight over.”
“What are you talking about?” She let her hand relax. She’d heard stories of Thaddeus’s magical ability. While not very impressive, it was possible he was stronger now. Certainly the black robes he wore showed that he had been somewhere civilized since his disappearance.
For a moment, the library grew dimmer, as if a shadow had passed in front of the lamps. It faded, but a curious sensation remained. Almost like an itch in her brain. She shook her head, then refocused on Thaddeus, and the room lightened.
“There are plans afoot. Plans that we,” he indicated the woman behind him, “want no part of. As a matter of fact, we will be actively working to stop them. We can only do so much on our end, however. More must be done, and that’s where you come in.”
Jocasta snorted. “Why would I trust you?”
“You don’t have a choice. There’re things coming, and they’ll be coming through Glittering Birch. If they’re not stopped, the Greenweald will be destroyed. No one will rule it because there won’t be anything to rule.”
“You expect me to march into Glittering Birch and put a stop to Jamshir’s madness?”
“It’s not Jamshir. Not this time. But no, House Whispering Pines doesn’t have the strength. Not alone.”
“You’re out of your mind,” Jocasta scoffed.
“I can’t go to Towering Oaks with what I know. Shireen, Orlando, Solomon, any of them would kill me on sight if they could. We need you to go.”
“Go away, Thaddeus. I don’t believe you. And I will never, ever ally with House Towering Oaks again. Whispering Pines will continue as I see fit. Stay out of my way, or you’ll end up waiting on the other side for Celia.”
Thaddeus sighed in frustration. “You’re a fool, Jocasta. A bigger one than even I was. Think over what I’ve said and don’t take too long doing it.”
He turned, there was a blurring of dark shadows, and he and the woman were gone.
Jocasta stared at the space
