Jahrra blinked as the steam from her breakfast curled into the air.
“Pardon?” she said.
Jaax continued to scan the paper, not paying her any heed. “There is a Coalition meeting in the afternoon on the last day of the school week. I want you to attend and I fear it will be a long one.”
He glanced up and gave her a contemplative look. “I wouldn’t want you to miss anything else you might have planned because of this.”
Jahrra sighed and walked over to her table, setting the bowl of oatmeal down a little harder than usual. So, it was back to the old Jaax then? Ordering her around without so much as asking? She briefly recalled her meeting with Shiroxx yesterday and wondered if it was the female dragon that had turned Jaax’s mood like this. Jahrra gritted her teeth and set to work on her oatmeal. He may be reverting back to his barbaric ways but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of a fight this time.
Jaax watched her a bit longer as she ignored him but after a while he got back to reading his paper.
The remainder of the school week dragged on and Jahrra couldn’t even find any joy in her wilderness class. Dathian still avoided her (it wasn’t as if they had been great friends before she questioned him about Dhonoara Canyon, but he hadn’t gone out of his way to keep away from her either). It was as if he feared that if she moved too close she would decipher some dark secret he was hiding.
Jahrra wrinkled her brow and tried to forget about it but it was too unsettling. By the end of class she had somehow convinced herself that he, like many others in Lidien, had gotten wind of who she was and for some reason or another he was disturbed by it. She had even gone as far as to assume he had sympathies with the Crimson King and was at this very moment plotting her demise.
As the day of the Coalition meeting drew nearer Jahrra found herself growing more and more agitated. She’d been overly belligerent on the practice fields in the afternoons and even had Torrell begging for rest. Thankfully, the practice fields had become one of Jahrra’s favorite places to visit when she needed to release some of her pent up irritation.
During the past few weeks, as summer’s warm weather lured more people into enjoying the outdoors, Jahrra had begun to notice several people making a habit of stopping by to watch her and her friends practice and spar. At first it was just regular citizens and University students on their way home from work or school. Soon, athletes proficient in the skills of fighting started offering up challenges to the girls and sometimes to Senton, who had improved drastically since he first started working out with them. After a while, passersby began placing small bets on who would win and shortly after that, Jahrra herself found an easy way to make a little extra spending money. Her guardian gave her an allowance, of course, but what could it hurt to make a little more when people were willing to pay? More often than not she would win a match, for the young men were always certain they could defeat a girl. Jahrra had accumulated a small fortune over the past month and had horded it away like a dragon. But if Jaax ever found out . . .
Jahrra shook away her wandering thoughts as she parried an attack from Senton. The fighting circle was no place to let her mind imagine what Jaax would do to her if he ever found out about her taking wagers for extra money. She had to concentrate on her opponent or she might end up with several stitches, if not worse.
No one was placing bets this afternoon so she, Senton and Torrell could simply enjoy a nice, laid back workout. Jaax had told her that morning that the Coalition meeting wasn’t until later in the evening. She had time for a few hours practice and a bath at home before she had to head into the city again.
Wood cracked against wood as Jahrra lunged for her friend. He blocked her attack then spun and came at her from a different angle. Jahrra easily dispatched him and grinned at the look on his face.
“Where did you learn that move?” he breathed as he clutched his side and leaned against his practice sword.
“Secret,” Jahrra replied, casting her own weapon aside.
She shaded her eyes and glanced up at the great clock tower that stood on a nearby hill.
“Time to go?” Torrell asked, uncrossing her arms and pushing away from the fence where she’d watched their fight.
Jahrra nodded, the nervousness welling up inside of her once again.
Torrell’s dark face split into a grin. “You’ll be fine.”
Sighing, Jahrra left her two friends and walked over to Phrym. She would take him straight home today, for she planned on riding him back into town in only a few hours’ time. As she rode through the city streets in the direction of home, Jahrra thought about what Jaax had told her.
“Every member who is currently in Lidien will be present,” he’d said. “Although our congregation consists of people ranging from peasants to the sons and daughters of kings, you’ll treat them all equally.”
Jahrra had swallowed. Royalty? True royalty would be there and Jaax expected her to treat them as equals?
Neira greeted Jahrra at the door with a look of exasperation on her face.
“What’s the matter?” Jahrra asked.
“Oh, nothing much,” she puffed, “only that his lordship insists on me having supper prepared while helping you get ready for the meeting tonight.”
Jahrra laughed. “I’m perfectly capable of drawing my own bath and dressing myself Neira.”
She froze. “But Master Jaax–”
Jahrra brushed her comment aside. “Forget what his lordship said and concentrate on dinner. If I somehow manage to put my clothes on backwards you can fix me later.”
Neira puffed out her cheeks but eventually agreed. As she scurried back into the kitchen Jahrra climbed the stairs and stepped into the small, tiled room she and Neira used for bathing. The great copper tub was already partly filled with cold water and Jahrra noticed a large kettle hanging over the fire. It took quite a while to get the water temperature just right, and even then she opted for lukewarm instead of piping hot.
By the time she was done with her bath the sun was down and twilight was creeping in. Jahrra wrapped herself in a great white drying cloth and stepped into the hall. The blue gray light of dusk was pouring through the diamond pane windows on her left but thankfully Neira had taken the time to light the lamps that hung on the walls.
Shivering, Jahrra tiptoed down to her own room, bolting the door shut behind her. She wondered about what she should be expected to wear but apparently that decision had already been made for her. Spread out atop her bed was one of the fine dresses that had been ordered from the seamstress that first week in Lidien. Jahrra cringed at the memory of spending more time than she wished picking out fabrics and returning for fittings. Gratefully, she was allowed several pairs of pants and tunics but the seamstress was also commissioned to make three dresses.
Jahrra had paled at the time. She never liked the garments and as a child she would have rejected the idea on the basis that they were too feminine a thing to wear when what all she wanted to do was traipse around the countryside. Now, however, her worry was how to behave in a dress. She feared that she would trip over the hem or lose her ability to breathe if the bodice was too tight.
Releasing a deep breath, Jahrra picked up the gown in front of her. She wasn’t too proud to admit that the garment was beautiful. A deep red with some gold needlework, the cut elegant but not so much so that it would be too fancy for an important meeting. Jahrra grinned in spite of herself. She had done a good job with picking the colors and pattern of this particular dress. A half hour later she was nearly ready. Neira came up then to check on her and Jahrra breathed a sigh of relief.