Page 7 of Vicious Princess (The Trials of Death and Honor #1)

CHAPTER FIVE

T he next day, I wake up with a lighter heart. While my nightmares haunt me and I don’t get much sleep, I have a new sense of purpose when I rise from my bed at the inn and get dressed.

Before I start my training, I need a proper weapon.

When I enter the kitchen before eight, only Kazh and a cook are there. The proprietor sits at the table, a cup of steaming tea and a newspaper in hand.

“Someone’s early,” she says without looking up from the paper. “Take a seat. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes.”

“Good morning,” I say.

The cook, a middle-aged fae with one missing eye, grunts something and nods without looking up from the stove. I take a seat in front of Kazh.

“Tea?”

“No, thank you.”

She glances up at me. “Drinking tea is a huge part of Ekiosh culture. You better get used to it if you plan on staying.”

“I’ll start tomorrow.”

The old crone snorts and returns to reading her paper. A few minutes later, a bowl lands in front of me.

“Thank you,” I say, inspecting the weird brownish gruel.

“It tastes better than it looks,” Kazh says before digging into her bowl.

I take a spoon and eat. I’m starving, and I don’t have money to waste. I’m surprised it’s sweet. We eat in silence.

I want to ask Kazh questions that would help me understand the Order better, but I’m not sure she’d be willing to talk to me about it. She made it very clear what she thinks about Ezkai.

“Vasquez told me that in Ekios, unlike in Wetra, not all Decarios choose to use nature’s gifts to fight and protect their country,” I say hesitantly. Kazh doesn’t react. “You and your men…aren’t Ezkai. Why? Is it because the Ezkai Academy is gruesome and hard to graduate from?”

When her eyes rise from her meal to me, I almost regret asking. At first, she looks ready to strike me for even voicing this question, but then something changes and her expression softens.

“Our tradition doesn’t force those who don’t want to be used as weapons to do something they don’t want, just because the spirits of the gods blessed them with unnatural strength.

But you’re right. While many fae Decarios aim for the Order, not all those manage to pass the training and earn the honor of joining the Order,” she says.

My stomach twists at her words. Before yesterday, I wasn’t aware one needs to earn the honor of becoming an Ezkai, whatever that might mean. What if…what if my Wetran training isn’t enough?

I force myself to swallow another spoonful.

“You know, the Order of Ezkai is not a be-all and end-all,” Kazh says. “You’re young, and new to Ekios. Clearly very ambitious. There are better things you can do with your time, abilities, and life than waste your efforts becoming an Ezkai.”

I bristle. “And what would that be?”

“Depends on what your goal is.” She leans forwards. “What is it that you seek, young one?”

Power.

Influence.

Vengeance.

Those words dance on the tip of my tongue, but from the way Kazh looks at me, I know they’d be a wrong answer to her question.

Unable to keep her gaze for any longer, I look away. I can’t find a good answer, so I give her none.

“You look like you’re searching for a purpose,” she says when I don’t reply. “Direction, meaning. A place to belong.”

I press my lips into a thin line. That weird knot twists in my chest. She can’t read me as well as she thinks.

At least, that’s what I tell myself.

“The Order of Ezkai might feel like the right path for someone like you,” Kazh says. “But there are better ways to find what you’re looking for.”

I look up at her from my bowl. “Like?”

“Come work for me.”

“Work here ? At your inn?”

She gives me a blank stare.

I scoff. Kazh must be joking. What good would it do for me to stay here and work at an inn run by a fae Decarios who appears to despise her own kind, who doesn’t value the gift she possesses?

“I don’t want to spend my days cleaning rooms at your inn or preparing food for your guests,” I say.

“Shit for brains, this one,” Kazh says, more to herself than to me. “Did I say you’d be running an inn for me?”

“Then…” I hesitate. “What sort of work do you want me to do for you?”

She arches an eyebrow, but says nothing to me.

Realization hits.

An outcast fae Decarios, running an inn. Kazh must dabble in some illegal activities. I should have known. She’s Vasquez’s friend, after all. And he sent me here.

I already went through this with him—becoming a criminal who needs to hide in the shadows won’t grant me the power or influence I seek to get revenge for my family’s death.

To punish King Francis for the betrayal, I need to rise to his level.

Or as close as I can.

I shake my head. “No, thank you.”

“Suit yourself,” she says, seemingly bored with the conversation. “If you sleep on it and change your mind, my offer stands.”

I don’t think I’ll change my mind about joining the Order. But I don’t voice that.

“You don’t even know me. Why would you want me working for you?”

“Because Vasquez wouldn’t send me a useless piece of shit. I trust his judgment.”

I stare at her, but she doesn’t say anything else. So we continue eating in silence while I ponder her words. Why would V send me here, other than to help me find shelter and food while I transition into being an Ezkai?

That secretive bastard.

After I’m done with my meal, I say, “I need a weapon. I left mine with Vasquez. Can you tell me where I can find a weaponsmith specializing in bows here in Jaakii? I need a new one as soon as possible.”

“Across the river, in the middle of Telf, you’ll find a market where they sell all sorts of goods. Look for Joaquin’s stall. He’s got the best bows in Jaakii.”

“Thank you.”

There’s a weird look in Kazh’s eyes for a moment. I sense that she wants to say something but doesn’t. So I rise to my feet and get ready to leave.

“Good luck, feral child,” Kazh says. “The spirits of the gods tell me you’ll need it.”

Going all the way to Telf takes me a good forty minutes. On my walk here, something about the city feels…off. Or maybe it’s just me.

Most of the shops, inns, and other establishments are open from the early morning. The streets are filling up with more and more people the closer I get to Telf.

The market Kazh mentioned is larger than I expected, so it takes me twenty minutes to find Joaquin’s stall.

He’s an interesting old fae with a sharp white beard and a mustache curling upwards in a neat spiral. “Trust me, human, this is the best-quality timber you’ll find in Jaakii,” Joaquin sneers, looking at the bow I hold. “In the whole of Ekios.”

It’s a beautiful bow; I’ll give him that. But it’s not the one.

“That’s why I’m here,” I say to him. “Though this particular bow doesn’t feel right. Do you have something sturdier?”

The old fae grunts and takes the bow from me. Grumbling something under his breath, he shakes his head and places the bow back in its place on his stall. “You want something stronger, girl? Show me your arms.”

I look at him, thinking he’s joking. Apparently, the old man is serious. He crosses his arms and waits for me to offer my own to him. With a scoff, I push my cloak aside and show him.

Joaquin grabs my arm with his bony fingers, and I fight the urge to throw him into the nearest wall. What, for the love of the gods, is he doing? My cheeks heat up with bubbling anger.

“Stay calm, yrathi ,” he says noticing my irritation. Yrathi is an Ekiosh slur for a human. “If you want a stronger bow, I need to see if you have the strength for it.”

I’m boiling with rage. Who does he think he is to question my strength?

He drops my arms and pinches my skin through my muslin shirt for a few moments before finally letting go. Without saying a word, he turns around and ducks inside his tent behind the stall. I stand there for five minutes, waiting for him to come back.

Just when I’m ready to give up and leave, he comes back with a bow wrapped in cloth. He hands it to me and waits for me to inspect it.

It’s heavy in my hands. Now we’re talking. Carefully, I remove the cloth and let out a surprised sigh at the ivory bone that appears instead of timber. “What is this?”

“This bow is made of the spine of the king sea serpent. There are only a few of them made, because it’s almost impossible to get the material,” the fae explains curtly.

“It’s sturdy and heavy, so not many can use it.

You have the strength for it, girl. And it’s said to bring good luck for the archer who claims it. ”

“Claims it?”

“Just because you choose a bow, it doesn’t mean that the bow chooses you,” he says, very serious. “The weapon is an extension of the soldier. Part of them. If this bow chooses you, it’s said that you’ll never miss a shot.”

That sounds like a bunch of woo-woo bullshit, but I keep that to myself. “I’ll take it.”

He hands me a quiver with arrows, and I hand him a pouch filled with frade in return.

“I believe this will cover it?”

From the way his eyes gleam at the weight, I take it as a yes.

“Good luck, yrathi, ” the old fae tells me when I turn to go. “Jaakii isn’t kind to foreigners who don’t respect our ways.”

I frown. What about me tells him I don’t respect their ways?

Before I can ask him, he ducks back into his tent and closes the flaps. A clear sign to me it’s time for me to leave.

With a sigh, I whirl on my heel and march through the market. I still have a few days of freedom before my training starts. I might as well explore Jaakii and get acquainted with the city that’s about to be my new temporary residence.