An Affinity For Fire

14. Tarragon

After blistering heat, several hundred miles of riding and two nights of sleeping in the dirt, Tarragon almost wept with joy when a serving girl knocked on the door of his guest room and asked if he would like to be led to the royal baths.

The same offer had evidently been made to Clover and Leo as when he arrived, the pair were already in the water, deep in conversation. Suddenly, he was less enthusiastic. Sharing a nude bath with a boy he was barely civil with and a girl who might as well have been her sister was not something he was keen on. His only consolation was that the bath was so steamy and the room so darkly lit that he imagined it would be hard to see anything below the water unless he was really trying to look.

And he certainly wouldn't be trying.

Leo was the first to notice his arrival.

"Ah, Tarragon. Do join us, we have plans to discuss."

Tarragon felt a flush of heat rising to his cheeks. "Would you at least close your eyes until I'm in the water?"

Leo raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk emerging on his lips. "Something you want to hide?"

An immature challenge, Tarragon thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. But if that's the game he wants to play...

"Oh, on the contrary," he  said, voice level and innocent. "I just don't want you to feel like I'm putting you to shame, that's all."

Clover sighed. "Boys, I'm sure you both have lovely pricks, but I think we can all agree that none of as wants to see them. Leo, close your bloody eyes and Tarry, just get in."

Once both Clover and Leo's eyes were closed, Tarragon stripped off and slipped into the water as quickly as he could bare. The heat of the bath was a brutal shock to his bare skin. "Alright," he said. "Everything's under. You can open your eyes. So, what were the plans you wanted to discuss?"

As always when it came to planning, Leo was the first to speak. "So. We can't ask Fitteia for help yet because they're asleep. Now, in some ways, that's actually a good thing. We're only supposed to be staying here to get an audience with them, so the longer we stay after that, the more suspicious we'll look. If we can acquire a tooth before Fitteia wakes up, that would be the ideal scenario."

"And if we can't?" Clover asked.

"Then we revert back to our original plan. We ask Fitteia for advice."

"And if Fitteia's advice is useless to us, what then?"

Tarragon frowned. "They know everything, how could it be useless?"

"Because they're an adarach," She said.

"Right ... because that clears everything up. Thanks."

She groaned. "I was sat next to you when I learned this, did you listen to anything our tutor said? Adarachs get bored very easily and human politics is like a game for them. Most of them like watching humans fail and if they find out that one of their kind is interfering in human affairs, they quite often attack each other out of spite. Imagine you're playing cards and someone keeps telling your opponent your hand. Fitteia helps humans because the Aestasan royal family feeds them, but they won't risk getting killed for us."

"Well, well," A smooth, female voice said, causing all three to turn around. "Sounds like someone did her research." The Aestasan Queen Regent approached the bath, followed closely by the guard they'd met in the courtyard. "Hope you don't mind if I join you."

Without any further warning, she slipped out of her silk dress, dropping it to the floor beside her. Tarragon noticed she left her leather, elbow-length cuffs on. A bizarre choice, he thought, but he didn't dare say so. She hopped into the same bath as the three of them, sending out a splash that extinguished one of the nearest candles.

"Hold on, let me just get that," she said, leaning dangerously close to Tarragon as she reached for the candle. He held his breath, sitting back slightly.

It was well known that the Aestasans had little regard for modesty. Tarragon had been expecting revealing dresses and public displays of affection. He had not, however, mentally prepared himself for a bath with royalty. Was it treason to look? Was it an insult to avoid looking? Not knowing the answer, he opted for keeping his eyes fixed firmly on her hands.

Calio flicked her middle finger against her thumbnail. The action caused a small, white spark to burst from her fingers. she repeated the action several times, until the wick of the candle caught alight.

"I see you inherited your mother's affinity for fire," Leo observed.

Calio smiled as she sat back down, chest disappearing safely under the water. "You're lucky I didn't inherit too many more of her traits. If I was a little more like her, I'd be deeply insulted by how little you know about me."

Tarragon's stomach clenched and Leo and Clover visibly tensed, but Calio let out a soft laugh. "Don't worry about it, it's not like I know anything about any of you. Come on, let's get to know each other. Heleonne, was it? Tell me something about yourself."

Leo flushed. "I... don't really know what to tell you."

"Well, that's rather boring," Calio complained. "Alright, tell me something about these two, then. One thing about each. Go on, anything."

"Now, that's an idea I prefer," Leo said, his meek, courteous smile replaced with a wicked grin. He eyed Clover, trying to find something to say. "Clover is excellent with a bow and arrows. Tarragon ... Tarragon, I don't know a lot about, so let's go with the fact that he snores very loudly."

Clover snorted, eyes gleaming. "Alright, my turn. Leo can't whistle, and Tarry is absolutely terrified of frogs."

Tarragon glowered at her, ignoring the amused looks from both Calio and Leo. "It's the leaping. They're in one place, and then they just hop somewhere else in the blink of an eye. No animal should have that much power."

Clover threw her head back in laughter.

Tarragon bit back a smirk. "Well, the jokes on you." He turned to face Calio, emboldened by the oppurtunity for revenge. "Leo can't talk, his own snoring is monstrous, and Clover thought that hedgehogs were mythical until she was fourteen. She saw one in her garden and screamed beacause she thought she was hallucinating."

Calio's feline composure faultered a moment as she choked out a laugh.

Clover blushed. "I think we deserve to learn something about you now."

"Well after those revelations, it hardly seems fair that I get to pick." She turned around to face the guard. "Tanari, you chose something."

The muscular woman raised an eyebrow. "If you insist," she said, a hint of the lyrical Southern Cities accent lacing her words. "Her Highness cannot sing. When she does, she sounds like a horse is being put down."

"Yes!" Clover cheered. "I'm not the only one!"

The ensuing laughter was interrupted by the arrival of a curly-haired serving boy. "Your Highness," He began, addressing Calio, "The throne room is almost completely set up. The festivities may begin as soon as you are ready."

In Ortus, a servant would be scolded for interrupting a conversation involving royalty. Calio, however, didn't seem to care. "Ah. Of course. Thank you, Kinden. Would you find Lord Kona and Prince Innis and bring them here?"

The boy dipped his head and took leave.

"I don't suppose you packed any formal attire, did you?" Calio asked. Her question was met by embarrassed silence. "I thought not. No matter. Heleonne, you look to be about my cousin's size. He can lend you something. Tarragon, you're closer to my brother's build. And Clover, I'm sure I can find something of my own which will be to your liking."

She rose from the water and through her silk gown back on, beckoning for Clover to follow her. Eyes glinting with a hint of excitement, Clover obliged.

Once the Queen Regent was safely out of earshot, Tarragon turned to Leo. "A royal celebration, with a mage front and centre. Why is this sounding familiar?"

Leo frowned. "Let us hope the Fates have other plans for this party."