'I doubt it was a pleasure, icarus, but I am grateful nonetheless. Come. I'll introduce you to the rest of the Council.'
He took her arm and led her away, Viera on his other side. Taya was glad that her gloves kept her palms from sweating on Caster Octavus's embroidered silk sleeve.
Lady, please don't let me embarrass myself or my hosts.
Some of the decaturs Caster introduced her to were familiar — men and women whose messages she'd carried over the years. None of them had ever asked her for her name when she'd worn her icarus wings, and none of them recognized her now as they shook her hand.
Only Decatur Forlore smiled at her like a friend.
'I've had the honor of meeting Taya several times,' Alister said, bowing over her hand. His fingers seemed to burn through the fabric of her glove. 'She's always impressed me in the past, but tonight she's rendered me speechless.'
'You've never been speechless in your entire life, Al,' Viera teased. Her cousin ignored her, still holding Taya's hand and smiling.
Taya felt a blush creeping up her face. The decatur's eyes were intense, their emerald depths set off by his dark green outer robe, which was patterned with coiling vines. His under robes were lighter shades of green and lavender. Gold glittered on his fingers and in his hair, making him gleam like one of the Lady's immortal spirits themselves.
'On the contrary, Viera, tonight I have no words to express myself, for my steel-winged hawk has transformed herself into a silken swan.' Alister lifted her hand and brushed the back of her glove with his lips.
'Enough, Alister. Taya has other guests to meet tonight,' Caster said. Taya glanced at him, wondering she'd heard a trace of censure in the older man's voice. Alister released her, but she felt his eyes on her back as the Octavuses led her to the next decatur.
She hardly heard any of the other introductions, bemused by Alister's touch. Lady, he was handsome!
After Taya had been introduced to the entire Council, Viera reclaimed her and led her away.
'I promised Ariq I would take you to visit him tonight.'
'I'd love to see him again.' Taya followed the exalted through a small side door. 'But does he really want to meet me? Our flight scared him.'
'He was terrified,' Viera agreed. 'But then, so was I.' Her eyes twinkled. 'It took him a few hours to begin enjoying all the fuss being made over him. That's when he started bragging about how he went flying with you. Now I think he's completely forgotten his tears.'
'I'm glad he's all right.'
'Yes. By the way, you look lovely. Is that an icarus dress? I've never seen anything like it before.'
Taya looked down, embarrassed. 'Yes. It's an icarus dress.'
'It's very flattering. I wish I had the freedom to wear something other than these layers of fabric every day.'
Taya glanced at her. Viera, like the other women in the ballroom, wore several light silk robes in contrasting colors. The hems brushed her ankles, much higher than the dragging hems exalteds wore out in public — tailored for dancing, Taya assumed. Viera's outer robe was a deep blue, and her interior robes were rich saffron and crimson.
'If I could have come in my flight suit and wings, I would have,' Taya admitted.
'You would have disappointed every man in the room.'
They passed through a small hallway and up the stairs to the house's living quarters. Ariq was in his nursery, being read to by a famulate-caste nanny.
'Mommy!' The boy leaped up and ran to his mother. 'You look pretty tonight, Mommy.'
Viera leaned over and hugged him, then turned him around to face Taya.
'This is Taya Icarus, the woman who saved us,' she said, her hands on the boy's shoulders. 'I promised I would bring her up to see you before you went to sleep.'
Ariq looked at her with open curiosity.
'Where are your wings?'
'I took them off for the party.' Taya knelt, mentally cursing the corset for making bending over impossible. 'I'm happy to see you again, Ariq.'
Viera nudged the boy, who held out his hand.
'Thank you for saving me,' he said solemnly.
'You're very welcome,' Taya replied, shaking his hand. 'Perhaps we can go flying again someday, if your parents agree.'
'Maybe…. 'he said with hesitation. Taya smiled up at Viera, who laughed, kissed her son, and stood.
'Good night, sweetheart. Mind your nanny.'
'Good night, Mommy.'
Viera led them back, pausing in an antechamber to pour two glasses of golden wine.
'Could you really take him flying?' she asked.
'We have a few pairs of trainer wings and guide harnesses that we use to teach the new children.' Taya was careful as she held her crystal goblet, aware of what Cassi's nephew would say if she spilled anything on her dress. 'There's even an adult set for the occasional visitor who wants to try flying. Foreign diplomats, mostly. Not many Ondiniums want to go aloft.' Except Alister, she thought, amused.
'I suppose those who do are chosen to be icarii during their Great Examination.'
'Do you plan to have Ariq take the Exam?'
'Oh, no, of course not.' Viera sounded distracted, and after a moment of silence she sat down. 'Taya, you have heard that the wireferry accident has been blamed on the Torn Cards, haven't you?'
'Yes.'
'I can't help but wonder if the accident had been meant for my husband. He would have been on that car yesterday, if his Council discussion hadn't been extended.'
'Do the Torn Cards have any reason to hurt him?'
'I don't know why they would.' Viera looked distressed. 'Caster is one of the most conservative anti- programming voices on the Council; you would think the Torn Cards would approve of that. But it doesn't make any sense for them to try to kill me, either. I have no voice in the Council at all.'
'It could have been a random act of terrorism. Or maybe the lictors were wrong, and it wasn't the Torn Cards.' Taya remembered the question Cristof had asked her. 'Did anyone else know that the three of you were supposed to be on that car?'
'Not all three of us were
The trip has been planned for several weeks, and our original plan was that Caster would come down to meet us at the gallery — one of our friends is holding an exhibit, and we had arranged to meet her for a private viewing.' Viera looked troubled. 'That morning, Caster had told me his meeting could run late, so I went up to the Tower with Ariq to see whether he was free. When it became clear he wouldn't be able to excuse himself, we headed back down by ourselves. But if everything had gone as planned… it could have been him on the wireferry.'
'Has your husband considered hiring a bodyguard?'
'He's too proud for that. He has assigned extra lictors to us, but he doesn't want any protection for himself.'
'I don't know what to say,' Taya apologized, feeling awkward. 'The fire at the refinery was blamed on the Torn Cards, too. Maybe it was just a day for random attacks.'
'You didn't see anything suspicious around the ferry, did you?'
'No. But I wasn't looking for anything, either. It was just coincidence that I happened to be there.'
