Rebel's Honor(6)

"Wolf," Lynx moaned. She scooped meat and gravy off her leather trousers, then sucked her fingers, relishing the spicy taste.

Wolf whisked his son up, handed him to Aloe, and threw himself down next  to Lynx. He leaned against her arm. "You'll need to brush up on your  table manners when you get to Cian. I hear tell Lukan likes his girls  compliant and sweet."

The confirmation that she was Lukan's bride of choice made her freeze.

"Wolf." Mother shoved his shoulder. "By the four Winds, did you have to blurt it out? You're an insensitive-"

"Mother, there's no sensitive way of saying Mott chose my sister for  Lukan." Wolf squeezed Lynx's hand. "I'm sorry, Lynxie." He turned to  Clay. "I'm sorry for both of you. Really, I am."

Her father clapped Wolf on the shoulder. "That bastard Mott may have  signed the letter, but he didn't do the choosing." A scowl darkened his  face. "I'm convinced that was Lukan. He sees your sister as nothing more  than a plaything."

"Yes. A whore for him to tumble." Lynx scowled. "Winds! Is he in for a shock."

Kestrel stepped forward, hands on her hips. "A whore? Really, Lynx, he  is the crown prince. I hardly think he spends his time with harlots.  Girls are probably lining up to oblige him. You should feel honored he  chose you."

"Honored? That some Chenayan pig wants me?" Lynx laughed bitterly.  "Kestrel, as I've always said, you and I have very different ideas about  honor."

Kestrel rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started. And anyway, it's not  like marrying Lukan is news to this family. Norin princesses have been  marrying Chenayan crown princes for centuries. And I'd already told Lynx  she'd been picked, so I don't know why she's acting so shocked."

A clang of dropping pot lids sounded. "And just how did you know that she had been chosen?" Mother demanded.

Kestrel's eyes widened. "I-I overheard you talking to Father and Wolf about the letter."

"So now we add eavesdropping to your other crime."

Kestrel looked at her hands, unable to meet the anger and disappointment  in her mother's eyes. Mother flicked her dishcloth out, snapping  Kestrel on the arm. Kestrel winced. Her sister and her mother were  close, so her reaction was even more startling.

"So, in all your snooping, did you hear that Mott wants you, too? For Tao."

"What?" Lynx and Kestrel gasped simultaneously.

"Dove, please." Her father stood, a commanding figure looming over the  family. "I'll handle this." He gestured to the cushions. "Now sit. All  of you." When Lynx hesitated, he added, "That includes you."

Reluctantly, Lynx sat next to Clay. He took her hand and squeezed it.

"Is it not enough that I had to burn twenty-six of my people today?" her  father asked. "Do I also have to deal with insanity in my own family?"  He turned to Clay. "Care to explain why you sneaked off to raid without  telling me?"

Clay's face bloomed red.

Her father shook his head. "I've known for months you were ready, but  I've been waiting for you to ask me to sponsor you. Do you think I'd  refuse you something so important?" His eyes bored into Clay's. "Such a  waste. You'd have made a formidable raider."

Lynx's heart soared with pride as Clay held their father's gaze, never flinching.

Her father turned his attention to Kestrel. "And you? What were you thinking?"

Kestrel stared into the fire pit. "I hate egg raids and raiders."

Lynx shot her head around to see her father's reaction to that heresy, but it was their mother who spoke.                       
       
           



       

"My child, we know you detest the way we live. The old Norin is where you belong. You would have-"

"Studied painting at one of the universities," Kestrel burst out,  looking at Mother with tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm good enough. But  instead I'm forced to spend my time scraping up ostrich dung because I  don't see the point of risking my life in a stupid egg raid."

"How dare you!" Her father's hand slapped down hard on his thigh. "It's  thanks to egg raids and raiders that you were spared a place on that  funeral pyre today. And as for what you did to Clay? It was malicious  and cruel. The only thing saving you from a month of shunning is your  marriage to Tao."

Kestrel gulped. Shunning-an entire month of being ignored by the tribe  as if invisible-was no minor punishment. She croaked, "Clay, I'm sorry."

Lynx suppressed a disparaging snort, wishing she believed her sister's contrition.

"Can't he try again?" Kestrel asked.

Hope gleamed on Clay's face.

It was driven away by a shake of her father's head. "No, he can't."

"But, Father-" Clay began.

"Clay, enough. The law applies to everyone. I will not change a statute  that has been in place for centuries to suit my family." Her father's  face was hard, uncompromising. "You had your chance. These are the  consequences of your actions."

Clay picked at a fleck of dried blood on his trousers. Aloe, sitting on  his other side, took his hand. Clay pulled away, obviously embarrassed  by her comfort.

It was time for Lynx to start her campaign. Praying to every Wind that  blew that her family would not end up shunning her for what she was  about to do, Lynx sat forward, catching her father's eye. "But those  weren't his actions. He's being punished for what Kestrel did. He'd done  the hard part before she destroyed his eggs."

"I'm painfully aware of that. But there's a reason for the law. Raiding  is dangerous. If a raider fails and walks away with his life, then it's  my duty to protect him from trying again. Next time, he may not be so  lucky. You only get one chance in battle against a guardsman. If you are  not the best, you die."

Tears sparkled in Clay's eyes. He brushed them away. Like Lynx, he, too,  seemed to be working on his stoicism and bravery. It made Lynx even  more determined not to fail.

Kestrel's chin dropped to her chest. "I was wrong, so I accept my punishment. I'll go to Chenaya to marry Tao."

Only Mother reacted to Kestrel's comment. She wrapped her arm around  Kestrel's shoulder, squeezing her tight. Time was needed for the rest of  the family to forgive Kestrel for what she'd done to Clay.

Finally, Wolf leaned forward and patted Kestrel's knee. "You're always  telling us we should embrace Chenayan culture, so you should be happy at  the Chenayan court. And I'm sure if you're nice to Tao, he'll let you  paint."

Kestrel gave him a rueful smile. "What you mean is, if I'm nicer to him than I am to my family, he may let me paint."

"That's your interpretation," Wolf said. "But remember where your  loyalties lie, Kestrel. As much as you despise our way of life, you'll  always be a-"

"I don't hate us," Kestrel's voice shrilled. "I just think there is more  to life than what we have in Norin. There is good in the empire, too,  you know."

Lynx wasn't the only member of the family to glare at her.

Wolf cleared his throat. "Stand by Lynx. She's your true family in that place."

Lynx took a deep breath before throwing down her challenge. "Not so fast, Wolfie-boy. I haven't said I'm going."

Wolf's mouth dropped, and Lynx knew he hadn't expected that. He quickly  replaced his shocked expression with one of mock outrage-and changed the  subject. "Hey, Father, how about scolding Lynx? Look at how she  returned our little brother."

"I've been trying to control Lynx's defiance for twenty years. Never  done any good, so why waste my breath now?" Her father's lighthearted  reply belied his steely eyes boring into her, telling her he'd brook no  challenge on her marriage to Lukan.

It was now or never.

Lynx swept her feathers and braids over her shoulder. "Surely, after their attack on us, you don't expect me to go?"

"It's precisely because of the attack that you will go. You asked why  they would sacrifice fifteen guardsmen, yet you see the damage those  fifteen men did. The attack was a warning of worse to come if you refuse  to marry Lukan. Disobeying Mott would be suicide for all of us. Men,  women"-he gestured to Raven sitting next to Lynx-"even children."                       
       
           



       

Mother sucked in a breath. Aloe and Kestrel exchanged panicked looks,  and Wolf's hand tightened on Lynx's. Clay wore a puzzled expression.  Lynx wondered if he realized it was all part of her plan to help him.

"I don't doubt that," Lynx said. "For weeks now, we've wondered about  the Chenayan troop buildup at Tanamre. Now we know. If I refuse to go, a  thousand guardsmen will arrive at our tent flaps. We will all be dead  in a matter of minutes."