Frost showed just how far she had come in the past couple of turns. Instead of throwing a screaming tantrum, she lifted her spines and said, “I’m big enough to help. It’s my duty as a queen.”
Moon dropped the bag and sat down at the hearth. “If you’re big enough to go, you’re big enough to stay here and do your duty to help take care of the court.” He tried not to let her comment sting. He should be doing his duty, except he had two duties, one with the court and one with Jade and the others outside it, and choosing between them hadn’t been easy.
Frost countered, “The Arbora say I have to stay in the nurseries. They won’t let me help take care of anything.”
“That’s your duty as a queen right now, to learn to listen to the Arbora.”
Frost unconsciously bared her fangs. Her rationale for going along on the trip depended on doing her queenly duty, and this effectively stymied her. Mostly because she was old enough to know it was true. Her spines slumped. “I don’t want you to go,” she muttered. “Or Jade. Or Balm. Or Chime. Or Stone. Or—”
That sounded more like the old Frost. “Unless you go with us?”
She twitched unhappily, her tail flipping anxiously. “Well, yes.”
“I know, it’s hard,” he told her. “But being a queen is hard.”
Frost met his gaze, and she seemed to realize he did know exactly how hard it was. She slumped further.
Jade walked into the bower. Frost glared up at her and said, “If I was a warrior, I could do whatever I want.”
Jade lifted her brows. “Besides going on patrols and guarding Arbora, and doing what you’re told?”
Frost seemed to grudgingly give in on that point, but added, “That’s not a hard job most of the time.”
“That’s why no warriors with any sense want to be queens.” Jade ruffled the frills on Frost’s head. “I need to talk to Moon alone.”
Frost sighed and grumbled at this outrageous request, but got up and left the bower with some semblance of good manners. She had been better with Jade, too, which Moon found a huge relief. He could only do so much; Jade was the one who would have to teach Frost how to be a queen.
Jade took a seat beside the hearth. “I’ve spoken to Song and Root and Balm. They’ve all agreed to go. I wanted Floret too, since she was there on the island even if she didn’t go down into the city with us, but Pearl wants her and Vine here.”
Moon had thought that would happen. With Balm going with Jade, he could see why Pearl would want to keep Floret. “Chime says he’ll go too.”
Jade tapped her claws on the fur, considering that. “Are you sure Chime wants to go? I know we need him, but I’ve never had the impression he likes travel the way Balm and Root and Song do.”
“He says he wants to go.” Moon had been thinking uneasily about Chime’s reaction to hearing the vision of the Fell. “I told him, after what happened the last time, if he didn’t want to risk that again, I’d understand. But he knows we need him.”
Jade said, “What about you?”
Moon stared at her, not understanding. “What about me?”
“What happened last time happened to you, too. And the time before that, and the time before that.” She pretended to count on her fingers. “I think that’s it. Unless there are some times you haven’t told me about, which I sometimes suspect there are.”
Moon considered a few different responses, and then said, “I’m fine. If I wasn’t, I’d say so.”
Claws carefully sheathed, Jade touched his cheek. “That would be a first.”
Moon didn’t pull back, but decided on a different defensive maneuver. “You don’t want me with you?”
“I didn’t say that.” Jade sighed a little. “Before the augury, the dream was bad enough. If Fell are coming to the Reaches . . .”
Moon thought of the nurseries, an involuntary image he couldn’t push away. “I’d rather stop them before they get here.”
They sat there in silence for a moment, then Moon picked up his pack to look through it again, trying to distract himself. “Who’s the fifth warrior?”
Jade settled her spines and smiled. “River volunteered.”
It was Moon’s turn to sigh. His relationship with River had been long and fraught, starting almost the instant he had first entered the Indigo Cloud court. River had been sleeping with Pearl, and the long absence of any young consort in the court had almost let him take that place with the warriors, causing a lot of conflict between Pearl’s and Jade’s factions. Moon’s appearance had disrupted that, and later when Pearl had taken Ember, River had lost his status in the court completely. It had taken him some time to get the respect or at least tolerance of the other warriors back since then. “I thought he got over having something to prove.”
“He pointed out that he has almost as much experience outside the court as Root and Song, which is true.” Jade eyed Moon, obviously trying to tell if he had any real objection. “I’m inclined to agree.”
It was true, and Moon couldn’t argue with it. He said, “But no Drift.” Drift was River’s more obnoxious companion. He had experience outside the court too, but Moon had to draw the line somewhere, even though the two were sincerely attached to each other.
“No Drift,” Jade agreed. She moved closer and tugged on his wrist. “Since we have time—”
“Is Jade in here?” someone called out.
“I’m here.” Jade let go of Moon, annoyed. Moon had the bad feeling they had just lost their last chance for private sex for quite a while.
Sage ducked into the doorway. “The Arbora are up here to talk to Pearl. They wanted you to come hear them too.”
The four leaders of the Arbora castes, Bone for the hunters, Heart for the mentors, Knell for the soldiers, and Bell for the teachers, were in the queens’ hall, sitting near the hearth. Pearl was already there, waiting impatiently. When Jade and Moon had taken seats, Bone said, “We’ve been speaking among ourselves—”
Pearl, without twitching a spine, said dryly, “You know I hate that.”
Moon couldn’t do anything but stare. Pearl had just made a joke. Bone, the only one who wasn’t fazed, said, wryly, “Yes, I know. But we think at least one other Arbora should go in the group, along with the mentor.”
Jade didn’t react, but Pearl lifted a brow and said, “This is what comes of thinking.”
Bell pointed out, “Arbora were helpful when Jade and the others went missing on the way to Ocean Winter. Moon knows that.”
Pearl turned her ironic gaze on Moon. He said, “They were.” She tilted her head, and Moon shrugged. This one was not his fault.
Bone said, “Bramble is the best tracker we have, and good at figuring things out.”
Bell added, “We discussed it with her. She’s already agreed to go, if you agree.”
“A hunter.” Pearl flexed her claws, a gesture of distraction. “You don’t trust your sister queen?”
Bone didn’t fall for that one. He said, “I think she should have the help of Arbora if she needs it.”
Moon thought Bramble was a good choice. She was intelligent, clever, and level-headed. He just didn’t want to see her hurt or killed.
Pearl was thinking it over, her tail tip moving slowly. Finally, she said, “If Jade agrees, I’ll make no objection.”
Jade sighed, flicking her claws to show she was giving in reluctantly. “I agree. I’m not happy, but I’ll agree.”
Bone was too experienced at dealing with queens to show any satisfaction. “All we ask is that you consider our advice.”
Pearl wasn’t fooled. “You’re lucky you’re old and can get away with this.” She turned to Jade. “You’ll need at least one more warrior, if you have to leave the groundlings’ boat and travel on your own.”
Jade flicked a spine in agreement. “Briar. If she agrees.” Briar was one of the younger female warriors who had managed to stay out of the faction infighting.