Jistan

“So you think you can do it?” Jistan asked Aladia, who sat next to him at the foldable table inside his pavilion, eating her dessert of apple pastry.

She nodded. “Of course. But are you sure you won’t get jealous watching me flirt with another prince?”

He kept himself from snorting as he sipped from his goblet of wine, then lowered it. “I’ll know you’re only doing it because you’re trying to get the key from him. But please don’t let me stop you from exploring other potential matches.” He would’ve gladly pushed her into the arms of the first man to show interest in her. If such a man even existed.

“You know I only have eyes for you.” She traced a finger over the back of his hand, and her smile was as dangerous as reefs were to ships.

He shifted uncomfortably. “Right, well, I have to meet with Tivon soon, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

“If you want, I could come back and keep you company tonight.”

On the other side of the pavilion, Jistan’s steward, Lary, a twelve-year-old boy with dark bronze skin and curly black hair, tried to disguise a laugh by coughing. When Jistan threw him an annoyed look, Lary went back to lighting the braziers in the corners of the tent, since the sun had gone down.

Jistan turned back to Aladia. “That won’t be necessary.” He hoped his smile appeared genuine. “I’m tired from our travels, and I’ll probably turn in early.”

She sighed, brushing crumbs off her hands. “Fine, but you don’t know what you’re missing.” She downed the rest of the wine in her goblet, then turned to Lary and snapped, “Steward, make yourself useful and clear these dishes away.”

The boy scrambled over, bowing to her. “Yes, my Lady.” He took up her plate and goblet as she focused on straightening her robe.

Jistan caught Lary’s eye, making a circular motion next to his head and pointing to Aladia while she wasn’t looking. The boy snickered quietly, then carried the dishes to a tub of water.

“Goodnight, my prince,” Aladia said as she rose and gave Jistan a kiss on the cheek. He tried not to cringe with disgust.

As she lifted the flap of the tent to leave, Shai stood on the other side, and they nearly collided with each other.

“Oh!” Aladia cried. “Sorry, some people are harder to notice than others.” She smirked and left, not even holding the flap open.

Shai pushed it aside and stepped into the pavilion, giving the prince an exasperated look. “Why is a highborn lady part of this team again?”

“Because her father, Lord Jefros, is one of my father’s most loyal supporters, and he practically forced his daughter down my throat. I swear, just being around her is torturous.” Jistan rubbed his eyes wearily. “Enough about her. Come, have a seat. I’m glad you came here tonight.” He hadn’t realized how much he wanted to see her until she showed up.

“You’re not too busy, are you?” she asked, sitting down in the chair next to him, their knees almost touching. He probably shouldn’t be wishing they were.

“I’m supposed to have a meeting with Tivon about the latest reports on the Crossover War, but I’m so tired of hearing them. I can put it off till morning. Is there something you need?”

Before she could answer, Lary bustled over, bowing to Shai. “Would you like me to pour you a cup of wine, my Lady?” He grabbed the flagon on the table.

She smiled at him. “No thanks. I need a clear head so that your…master can train me.”

Jistan frowned, opening his mouth to protest that he wasn’t Lary’s master, but the boy spoke first, his eyes lit in excitement. “Oh, are you going to learn to use a sword? His Highness has been giving me tips on swordfighting, and he even says he’ll train me personally when I turn fourteen in two years. I get to be his squire!”

“Oh, really?” Shai glanced at Jistan.

“Yes,” Lary continued. “Prince Jistan has been so kind to me.”

“You enjoy working for him?”

The boy nodded. “Very much. I wouldn’t want to work for anyone else.”

Jistan ruffled Lary’s hair. “You don’t have to flatter me just because I’m sitting here. Be honest, you can say horrible things and I won’t be offended.”

“Horrible things!” Lary looked shocked by the very thought. “What could I say horrible about someone who saved me from life as a street orphan?” He looked at Shai. “Prince Jistan was riding through Valizea one day and stopped me from being whipped by this lady who sometimes took care of me. He brought me to the palace to work for him, and this job saved my life. My Lady, do you know what happens to most street orphans?”

“All too well,” Shai said with a melancholy look in her eyes.

“So you know I would’ve ended up dead, forced into thievery, or become the slave of some cruel noble who beats on children.” He shuddered. “I’m one of the lucky few to avoid such fates, thanks to Prince Jistan. My master is always kind to me, even when I make mistakes.”

Jistan’s heart swelled. “Aw, thanks, Lary. But I already told you, don’t call me your master. I don’t own you. You can just call me Prince Jistan.”

“Okay,” Lary said with a smile. “May the Goddess bless you a thousand times over for your kindness.”

“And you as well, Lary. You’re free to have the rest of the night off while I chat with my friend.”

“But…won’t you need your goblet refilled?”

“I can handle pouring a drink, Lary. Go on, have fun with the other young stewards.”

The boy hesitated, then smiled and started to leave, but Shai grabbed his wrist.

“By the way,” she said, “if you see a steward with crooked teeth and a crooked nose, stay away from him. He tends to be a bit…prickly.”

Lary blinked, then nodded and left the pavilion, humming a merry tune on his way out.

Jistan stared at Shai. “Is there a steward you’re unhappy with?”

“No…I mean, I had an encounter with him earlier, and it wasn’t pleasant.” She clenched a fist in her lap.

“Maybe I should talk to him or have him fired—”

“No, it’s fine,” she replied quickly. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle. Your steward, Lary, is cute though. He admires you.”

“So you believe I’m not some evil ogre now?” Jistan asked jokingly, but he really wanted her to see him as she did when they were younger. Not as the person he was in Leiam’s shop the other day.

“It may take a little more convincing,” she said, then grinned. “But I like Lary. You treat him better than most people treat their servants.”

“Yes, I learned that from my mother. Your mother was a close friend of hers.”

She nodded. “Mama had no complaints about working for the queen. But your father treated her like a servant. One he could throw away when she was no longer needed.”

He sighed. “I know, I’m sorry for that. I strive hard not to be like him in that way.”

“I’m glad.” She paused, then added, “I see more of your mother in you, and she was a compassionate person. You’re both alike in a lot of ways.”

Warmth spread through his chest at her words. He blinked away the tears of grief threatening to wash over him, then took a deep breath and asked, “So, you want to begin training tonight?”

“Yes. I need to be able to defend myself.”

“Well, you’re very eager. That’s a good attitude to have if you want to be a soldier.”

“The oath I took last night means I’m already one, right? Now I just need to fight like one. So do I get my own sword or…?”

He looked her over, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know. You don’t seem like a sword person. I think—”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing. You have strong legs, but your arms are skinny…and that’s just an observation. You’ve already proven to be very agile while you were a thief and had to leap over rooftops. So instead of a sword, I’m going to equip you with two dirks. They’re longer than the knives you’re used to and much lighter than swords. Think you can fight with those?”

“Maybe. I know a little bit of self-defense with knives, so I won’t be a complete beginner.”

“Perfect.” He got up from the table and went over to his trunk of supplies, rummaging around until he found the dirks. “I got these for when I go out on a battlefield, in case I lose or break my sword. But I can get more later.” He held them out and Shai stood, taking them in her hands and removing their sheaths. The blades gleamed in the light of the flaming braziers. She took one in each of her hands.

He nodded his approval. “They suit you. Now, we should practice outside—”

“No!” Shai cried. When he looked taken aback, she added, “I-I don’t want anyone to see how inexperienced I am. I want to train away from prying eyes.”

“Very well. Step over here.” He walked to the open space between his cot and table. She followed him. “Now, show me your fighting stance.”

She spread her feet only inches apart, then held up the dirks, her hands right under the cross guards close to the blades.

“You’re holding them properly, so that’s good, but try spreading your feet out more, like this,” he said. “And hold the dirks steadier.”

She adjusted her stance, and Jistan smiled. She looked really good holding the weapons. Very fierce and…beautiful.

“Yes, like that. Now, try a few practice slashes.”

She did as he asked, and he tried not to wince.

“It’s a good start,” he said, “but you’ll have to move faster and put more force behind your blows.”

Before they could continue, someone cleared their throat by the tent entrance. Jistan looked up to see Tivon standing there, holding the flap up.

“Your Highness,” his friend began, clutching parchments in his hands, “I have the latest reports for you.”

“Thank you, Tivon, but I will hear about them in the morning,” Jistan told him.

Tivon looked from the prince to Shai and smiled. “Oh, hello, Shai.”

“Hi,” she said, giving him a shy wave.

Tivon looked back at Jistan, his eyebrows raised. “My apologies, I thought you were still with Lady Aladia.”

“No, you don’t have to rescue me from her this time,” Jistan said with a grin.

“Good to know.” Tivon chuckled and turned to leave. Then he came back. “Oh, I almost forgot, there’s another matter I wanted to mention. I don’t know if it’s something you should be concerned about yet.” He flashed a look at Shai.

“You can speak freely in front of her,” the prince told him.

“Right. Well, one of our lightmancers has gone missing.”

Shai sucked in her breath.

Jistan frowned. “Really? Who?”

“Pilo Numir,” Tivon said.

“Pilo…” Jistan tried to remember him. “He’s a seasoned soldier, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he’s served the RDP for eleven years. I suppose he could’ve deserted, but that would be unlike him.”

“I agree. You and a couple other soldiers should ask around and investigate the matter. I hope he hasn’t fallen prey to some misfortune. If he has, someone must’ve seen something. Find out the last time anyone saw him.”

Tivon bowed his head. “Yes, Your Highness.” He looked at Shai. “Goodnight, my Lady.” He took his leave.

Jistan turned back to Shai. “Well, that was some troubling news.”

Maybe he shouldn’t have said that. Her face looked full of worry and…maybe regret? But no, that didn’t make any sense. She had nothing to do with Pilo’s disappearance.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he assured her. “Pilo likely got drunk and wandered away. In the morning, they’re bound to find him passed out behind a tree. I have soldiers guarding our perimeter, so we’re completely safe here.”

She nodded slowly. “I feel safe with you.”

“Glad to hear it.” He flashed a brilliant smile to try to put her at ease.

Her eyes fell, and when they landed on the dirks in her hands, her gaze hardened. “We only have until we reach Zanteos for me to train, so maybe we should skip some of the beginner nonsense. I don’t have moons to train like your soldiers.”

He was starting to wonder if there was a reason why she wanted to be trained so fast. Did she have an enemy she anticipated fighting soon? What enemies could she have, now that she wasn’t part of that gang anymore? Shouldn’t her magic be enough?

“I guess I can show you some basic defensive moves,” he said. “Hold up your dirks again.” She obeyed, and he stepped forward, holding up his hands. “May I…?”

She nodded and he grabbed her wrists, making her cross the blades together above her head to form an X. He tried to ignore the jolt that passed between them again when he touched her. “You can, uh, block a sword coming at you from up high if you hold them like this. But you have to keep a lot of pressure on them to stop a blade from coming down on your head.”

She nodded, keeping her eyes on the weapons instead of him. Was she blushing?

He forced himself to ignore the flutter of his heart and focus on the task. “Keep this position.” He let her go, reluctantly, and grabbed his sword from beside his cot. He pretended to come at her with an arcing swing toward her head, and she made sure his blade hit the crossed blades of her dirks.

“Very good,” he said. “If someone comes at you, make sure you block their weapon just like that. You can do the same if they come at you down low by crossing your blades over my weapon, facing down.” He demonstrated, and she did a cross down with her blades, stopping the advance of his sword. He nodded proudly.

“Now, the hard part is when they come at you straight with a stab. If that happens, you’ll have to sidestep and use your dirk at the same time to deflect their weapon away from you. And if you unbalance them, you can step in for an attack on any unarmored part of their body. So now, I want you to try to block my attacks.”

They sparred together for the next hour, with him going easy on her. He realized he enjoyed teaching her more than any of his other soldiers. There was less scolding and more laughing. He also tried not to get too close to her again, because it muddled his mind whenever he did so.

He had to remind himself they were strictly friends. It had to remain that way, or things would get way too complicated.

When they were done for the night, Shai wiped the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead and said, “Same time again tomorrow night?”

“Sure,” he said, looking forward to it more than he had any right to.

But as she said goodnight and left, he couldn’t help feeling like there was something she wasn’t telling him. If that was the case, he hoped she would eventually trust him enough to reveal her secrets.