The Unkindest Tide (October Daye #13) - Seanan McGuire Page 0,63
he needed to play by the rules.
“You think a Duchy’s rules supersede the rules of Leucothea?” Torin asked, lip curling like he smelled something unpleasant. “That would explain a great deal, given the way you flaunt your perversions and disregard for our traditions. You think yourself an empire, inviolate, unapproachable. You’re wrong. You’ve always been wrong. Every action you’ve ever taken has led us here, to this inevitable moment, this inevitable conclusion.”
I frowned deeply, shifting closer to Tybalt, my hand once again going to my hip, where the hilt of my knife waited under the careful layers of my skirt. For the first time, I really appreciated the artistry of the Luidaeg’s design. No one could even tell that I was armed, but I could be ready to defend myself in an instant if I needed to.
Patrick glanced at Dianda, clearly ready to take his cues from her. As for Dianda herself . . .
It was like a light I’d never realized was burning in her eyes had suddenly been extinguished, leaving her a little smaller, a little more breakable. She’d always been a warrior queen, ready to fight the world if that was what she needed to do. Now, she looked almost frightened. She looked almost vulnerable.
Until this moment, I’d never seen her stand like she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to win.
“I think no such thing,” she said. Her voice didn’t shake: it was still clear and strong and unyielding, and I was proud of her for that. “Saltmist answers to the Queen, as it has always done, as it will always do. I have never set myself above Queen Palatyne’s laws, nor would I think to do so. She is chosen of the sea. She will keep us safe through all the storms to come.”
“And yet you didn’t trust her, or the sea, well enough to marry a Merrow man when he came to you with an offer of alliance.”
Dianda visibly bristled. “That was over a hundred years ago. We were ill-suited, to put it lightly. His life would have been a misery with me, and I would have been cruel to him, even without meaning to.”
“You rejected a good man of Merrow blood because you wanted to dally with lander filth,” spat Torin. He pointed to Patrick, who raised one eyebrow in silent judgment, but otherwise didn’t respond. “He has no right to stand on these grounds.”
“Patrick’s not the only air-breathing scum here, in case you were wondering,” I said mildly. His head snapped around, staring at me like he was just registering my presence. It was a nice touch, even though I knew it was a lie. He’d already admitted he knew we were there, and if he’d ignored us that completely, I would have taken him for a fool as well as a bully. I raised my free hand, leaving the other resting against my knife, and offered a tiny wave. “Hi. Not nice to meet you. Sort of lousy to meet you, actually. Anyone ever tell you that you’re kind of a jerk?”
Quentin shifted positions until he was more beside me than behind me. Tybalt didn’t move at all, but somehow loomed a little taller, the bones of his face subtly shifting to a more predatory mien. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Marcia inching into the shadow of a tomato plant, and that was good; that was exactly right. She wasn’t a combatant. If this got ugly, I wanted to know that she was safe. I only wished I could do the same for Poppy, who was continuing to stand and stare with open-mouthed fascination at the scene unfolding around her.
“I should have the tongue from your head for daring to speak to me so disrespectfully,” snapped Torin. “Who claims you, changeling?” He spat the word like it was the direst of insults. “You’re not of noble blood. Not even the land would elevate vermin.”
“Weirdly enough, the land has elevated this vermin, at least twice,” I said. “I was a Countess for a while. It didn’t stick. Good thing, too, since I was pretty bad at it. I’m still a knight. Sir October Daye, hero of the realm, at basically anyone’s service but yours.”
Torin’s eyes widened in shock and what looked, momentarily, like delight. “October Daye?” he echoed. “The changeling knight? The king-breaker? Oh, sister.” He shook his head as he turned back to Dianda. “I knew this would be easy. I never expected it to be such