A Dark and Starless Night

Chapter Five

Rik

The sword arched towards Rik, but he parried it without much thought or energy. The blade clattered to the side and he straightened up. Jon, the man he'd been sparring with, apologised and grabbed up his sword. Rik waved him away, heading to the gate in the courtyard. Fin was standing there, his white hair brushed back from his forehead. He tossed Rik a towel.

"You seem distracted today," Fin noted. "It's not even noon yet."

Rik scoffed. "This repetition is boring as hell," he said, running the cloth over his face.

"We've been to three parties this week, man," Fin said, thumping Rik's shoulder. "I'm sure Eve's feelings would be hurt to here you say her party bored you."

"Do you always have to twist my words?" He thumped Fin back as they made their way towards the other training courtyard. He did his best to ignore the chatter of the young noblewomen that came to watch him nearly every morning. It wreaked havoc with his ego. May had come to watch once or twice, her blue eyes full of laughter. Between that, and the fact that the woman he wanted to see up there along the balconied corridors never came to watch.

He rubbed his hand along his jaw, his footsteps clipped. He never knew where he stood with Ali, and that made their friendship more difficult. Although, in saying that, how could anyone tell? Ali was a master at socialising and etiquette, and she never let her feelings show.

He sighed sharply as they reached the training courtyard where his youngest sibling trained. He didn't have favourites, but... Ara was his favourite. She was affectionate but wise despite her only being eleven. Her blonde hair was bound into a tight knot atop her head as she did her breathing exercises with her Islan tutor, wh. She was tall for her age and pale for someone with an Islan parent. But – like him – she had inherited their mother's beauty.

Tarlough corrected her stance with a gentle touch of the cane he carried. He was a strange man. Rik wasn't sure if he liked his strange clothes and silent observations. He always looked like he was judging you no matter what you did or said. And his clothes were always orange, shirts, trousers, shoes. But Ara adored the man, and he was skilled at what he taught.

Magic. Or power, as Ara called it. Golden starlight that she could manipulate into doing a number of things. He would be lying if he didn't say that he was envious of that power. None of his other siblings – twins, Zak and Ana – had presented any power either, which was a consolation of sorts. At least he had his swordsmanship skills. And his strategy tutors all agreed he was one of the best students they'd trained, that is when he applied himself.

He braced his forearms on the railings around the training yard. Fin leaned against the railings, back to the courtyard.

"Did you notice yesterday," Fin started, "how uncharacteristically quiet Eve was?"

Rik looked up at Fin. "Since when do you pay attention to Eve's behaviours?"

Fin rolled his eyes. "I pay attention to everything that happens in this city. And, sadly, I know enough about Eve to have noticed she was very quiet after she agreed not to poke at the prostitute's murder."

He was right. She had been unusually sombre. He was glad she wasn't courting Oen Tranthorp, and he was glad that whatever friendship had been growing between the two had been ruined by whatever shit Oen had been talking about the murdered girl. Oen was a waste of space, and Rik had heard enough rumours to know that despite the man's airs and graces he saw women as objects and nothing else. Eve was better off not getting involved with him. Or his friends. Or half the city's noblemen. He rubbed a hand across his jaw.