Look! MORE. This one is going down a wee bit of a different track and is concentrating more on the fact that I don't think Varice is silly/oblivious to many things in Carthak.
Hope you all enjoy it, all the same.
Daine had caught up with the group as Kaddar announced, "This is my uncle's other collection. Each and every one of these was captured and brought here for causing trouble to humans."
Varice braced herself as the doors opened. The woman hated immortals – or, to be more accurate, was terrified of them. She understood the urge to lock them up where they could cause no harm, but making those cages a tourist attraction? It was a way to brag, of course, and the Emperor loved to brag, but it made her uncomfortable to be in the same room as these unnatural creatures, be them behind bars or not.
The first reaction was a screech, too high pitched to be human. Daine's dragon then. Of course, a dragon WOULD be upset to see her kindred locked up, Varice thought. At the same time she wondered why these immortals frightened her but she'd had no such scare at the small dragon that followed Arram's student like a puppy.
"Kitten, hush." Daine murmured, her voice sounding strained and unhappy. The dragon was quiet. At least the thing was obedient. Perhaps that's why Varice didn't mind her. She stole a glance at her. And they're sort of cute when they're small and manageable, not much different another pet, just more intelligent. All the same, she was very glad she would never have to see the little one's family as they would not be half so charming.
And not a single other immortal in this hall was half so cute as Kitten, she decided, as if she were trying to be objective about all of this. She felt a moment of sympathy for Tortall. The kingdom had to deal with being attacked by these fearsome things. On a fairly regular basis, too, or so Arram had told her the one time she'd managed to ask him what he'd been doing in Tortall as of late. She didn't like the thought of him being sent to deal with them where he could be hurt or killed, and liked even less that Daine seemed to always travel with him – despite the fact that that might make it safer for him.
She liked least of all the fact that it was practically common knowledge that Carthak had unleashed said immortals on their northern neighbors, no matter what Ozorne and his officials said. But there was hardly anything Varice could do about that. She was influential as she was powerful, and she knew it.
There was no conversation as the group was lead past the cages. Varice had a strong feeling no one was particularly happy to see immortals, even if they were caged. Kaddar, as silent as the group he guided, led them to Varice's least favorite part of the menagerie. Stormwings. She could somewhat deal with animal-like creatures, and even Spidrens and Centaurs. But something about Stormwings always seemed knowing, in a very unsettling way. They scared her most of all, and for that she hated them most as well.
And, of course, they would be the only immortals the Emperor allied himself with.
Daine appeared to have had a similar thought and spoke up for the first time since they'd entered that room, and really, the first time that day.
"I thought your uncle was allied with the Stormwings!" Hardly a way to address a prince, but Varice imagined that was the last thing this child cared about.
Kaddar took no offence, and replied in a tone that, had he been free to speak and act casually would surely have been paired with a shrug, "He is. The price of the pact with the Stormwing King Jokhun was that Queen Barzha and her mate Hebakh are kept here. Believe me, she would have caused just as much havoc in Carthak as Stormwings have in the north, if my uncle had not made the alliance." Varice suppressed a shudder at that thought.
But Daine wasn't content with that. "What do feed them?" She asked in a voice that trembled, and not with fear either. Varice stared at the young girl who seemed legitimately angry. Her blue eyes flashed in a way that convinced her that if she kept going she was going to say something both parties would regret, and she didn't appear to care. Arram must have thought the same, and quickly put a hand on her shoulder. The attempt to calm her was in vain; she shook his hand away, and continued, "Do you bring folk in and scare them, so they can live on that? And these cages are too small. The griffin can barely open its wings!"
Insane. Varice openly gaped at the most foolish display she'd ever witnessed. Of course she had heard that the girl had magic that bonded her to animals, mortal and immortal. But even then, she had fought these things for months, foryears. She couldn't honestly be defending them. On top of that, to protest or even show open dislike for imperialanything was very unwise, even just in front of Kaddar who was far more easy-going than his uncle. But if Daine was going to go on speaking her mind around anything that displeased her she'd be signing her entire delegation's death warrants. The stupid girl!
"They don't need food and they don't require more room," Varice said coldly, trying to turn her off by being rude. "You know these creatures don't fall ill and die. Unless they are slain they live forever. Would you rather let them raid villages and destroy crops?" She added, trying to remind the foolhardy girl just what it was she was defending.
"We offer no criticism of the way your Emperor chooses to run his domain," The Duke Gareth said in a patient voice, as he locked eyes with Daine. He continued, "Daine speaks only because her bond with all creatures gives her a dislike of cages." As he made a polite, but rather hasty way to end this tour, Varice caught the look on Daine's face. Her cheeks were an embarrassed red and she chewed on her lower lip, looking altogether very unhappy.
She felt briefly sorry for her, even as Arram placed a hand on the younger girl's shoulder, much gentler and said something soft and doubtlessly comforting to her as they headed out. Whatever good Wild Magic gave her it was obviously unpleasant having to juggle the emotions of two worlds – three, if immortals were included. Heck, Varice could barely understand the emotions of her own kind! She didn't regret her words, though, even if it had gotten Daine in trouble. If it meant she wouldn't make any more rash commentaries, than good.
Yes, not much in the way of Arram thoughts here, but really... while our girl still loves him, she doesn't have a one-track mind. She's going to be thinking about other things, worrying about other people and being upset about other things that don't relate to him. She had her own life without him all those years, too.
So she has mixed feelings on Daine. On one hand, she's jealous of the attention she gets from Arram, and she thinks she's incredibly foolish to speak out as she does. Meanwhile, she's making a valiant attempt to understand what it must be like for her. She also makes an attempt to understand immortals through Kitten but came to the same conclusion Iwould. 'Oh they're so adorable when they're two feet tall and the most their magic can do is break locks. Just don't let me near the bigger ones!'
REVIEWS ARE GREAT. kthnxbye.
