Volle (21 page)

“That would be lovely, Lord Vinton, thank you.” Her smile grew a little wider.

“Alcis has gone to fetch a carriage from the palace stables,” Tika said. “It should be waiting at the main gate.”

“Thank you very much for the meal,” Ilyana said, curtsying.

“Yes, thank you both.” Volle shook Tish’s paw, and the wolf smiled at him.

“Remember, my boy…duty.” He grinned. “I’ll see you soon.”

Volle nodded and embraced Tika as well, then walked Ilyana down the stairs to the main gate. She didn’t speak the whole way, and so he didn’t either, but when they reached the main gate and saw a fancy carriage waiting there, with Alcis holding the door open, Volle said, “That’s a nice carriage. I didn’t know we could do that.”

Ilyana smiled. “Do what?”

“Oh, take a carriage from the palace. I’ve just walked everywhere.”

“Lords shouldn’t have to walk.” She stepped delicately up into the carriage, holding his paw as she did. “But it shows independence and resourcefulness.”

He paused in the midst of getting into the carriage. “Oh, Alcis, I, uh…where are we going?” he asked Ilyana.

“I have the address, sir,” Alcis said before Ilyana could respond.

“Oh, good. Thank you.” He seated himself across from her, and Alcis closed the door of the carriage. A moment later, he slapped the side of the carriage, and they were off.

Ilyana produced her certificate and handed it to Volle. He rummaged for his and found it just as they arrived at the front gate, where the guard opened the door. Volle handed the certificates out, and the guard looked them over, then handed Volle’s back. “Hope you enjoyed your visit, ma’am,” he said, bowing to Ilyana as he closed the door.

“I did,” she murmured, and smiled at Volle. The carriage drove out of the gates and clattered onto the street.

Volle had to raise his voice to match the street noise. “I’m glad,” he said. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t a good host, or guest. I don’t really know how to behave at these things.” He half-lowered his ears and smiled apologetically.

She grinned back. “It’s okay. You’re cute.” Her fingers had been resting on her lace collar, and now she tugged at it. “I’m sorry, but I really must get this off. It’s been itching all night. Do you mind?”

“Er…no.”

A moment later, the collar was sitting on the seat beside her, and the dress was slightly less modest. Ilyana brushed the fur with her fingertips and sighed. “Much better. I do deplore some of the constraints of fashion.”

“Oh, uh, me too.” Volle tugged awkwardly at his lace collar, but couldn’t figure out how to get it off. It wasn’t that itchy, but he felt as though he shouldn’t be more formal than she was.

“Here, let me help you.” She leaned forward and deftly unfastened his collar. Her fingers were slender and quick, and her scent was a little richer. He could smell some excitement on her, and realized two things at the same time: first, that she was lingering over the collar so he could smell her, and second, that she could undoubtedly smell the lack of excitement in him. His ears flattened as she sat back.

“What’s the matter?” Her soft smile suggested that she knew already.

“Oh. Just…I never had a beautiful vixen undress me in a carriage before.” He smiled, hoping humor would help.

Her ears flicked down and back up. “Why, thank you, Lord Vinton. Yes, I know, Tika told me about your preferences.”

Volle blinked. “She did?”

“Yes, and don’t worry. I wouldn’t be very demanding. Just, you know, one or two times. Whatever it takes to have a cub or two.” Volle gaped. “I’m not looking for romance. To be honest, I think I’d much rather be secure.”

“Secure?”

She was relaxing more now, tail spread comfortably across her lap. “Yes, secure. The mother of a future noble, wife of a noble. I don’t know about living in Vinton, but I’d be happy with my own apartments at the palace. Really, it’s not that uncommon an arrangement.”

He shook his head. “I know, but…it just seems strange to be planning it in advance.”

“Why? Isn’t it better for both of us to know what we’re getting into?”

He chuckled, still discomfited. “You know, you’re a lot different than you were at dinner.”

“I believe in being honest first, and then courteous. Tika said you’d be pleased by that, and that I didn’t want close ties.”

He couldn’t keep the grin off his muzzle when she said ‘ties,’ and she did have the grace to lower her ears and smile back. “I do appreciate it,” he said. “I’m just a little startled by it.”

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d have time to get used to all the protocol and court customs.”

He shrugged. “I was told you were decorous and that I had to be polite.”

She laughed softly. “I am when I have to be. In this case, I thought it would be better just to clear the air. We’ll still have to do the traditional ‘courtship’ for a little while, but I don’t see much other reason to wait. If you find me acceptable.”

Volle left the last question unanswered. “How long?”

She smiled, and counted on her fingers. “It’s another month and a half to my season, about, so it would be good to be official by then. If I have my cotillion in a month, that would work well. We could dance there and then it would be all proper. A vixen in season shouldn’t be with anyone who doesn’t intend to marry her. Well, she shouldn’t be anytime, but especially not when she’s in season.”

Volle knew about vixens being in season, but hadn’t had to worry about it much in the past. He viewed it as a delicate subject, and the mention made him slightly uncomfortable. “Oh. I can help you pay for the cotillion. I mean, sponsor it.”

“Oh, would you? That would be so delightful.” She brightened, and he reflected that she was really pretty.

“Can I ask something? I mean, since we’re being personal and all.” She nodded, the smile fading slightly. “How is it you’re not engaged yet? I mean, you’re beautiful, really, and I’m surprised you haven’t found a fox yet.”

The smile returned, but her eyes had a trace of sadness. “Thank you, again, Lord Vinton. But I’m the fifth child, and my family wasn’t rich to begin with. I only have one brother and three sisters, and my parents have no more dowry.”

“Dowry?” Volle remembered Seir mentioning something about that, but couldn’t recall what it was.

“The bridal gift from the family to the groom. Oh, I suppose as a farmer you never worried much about that.”

Volle shook his head. “When a couple wants to get married, both families sponsor the wedding and help the couple get started.”

“But isn’t the male the main worker in the family? That’s why he receives the gift, for taking the responsibility of the female.”

“No, the females work alongside the males when they aren’t tending children.” It was that way all over Ferrenis, but he didn’t want to start an argument about different customs.

“Amongst the noble families the dowry is important. If a lady does not have a dowry, she must either marry below herself or find a noble who does not need the dowry—a landholder. Florina, who was born a year before I was, married a woodworker, and we help them where we can, but they live in poverty. The cub runs around naked, and Florina is reduced to wearing the simplest of garments. I swore I would not let my cubs be brought up like that. Only,” she sighed, “that meant I needed to find a rich, noble fox to marry. And those aren’t exactly common.” She smiled at him. “I’m surprised you haven’t been besieged by scores of vixens wanting to be Lady Vinton.”

“It’s only been a week,” Volle said. “Give it time.”

He liked her laugh; it was light and joyful. “I do hope you’ll give them even less consideration than you normally would.”

He grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of dating one that hadn’t been approved by Tika. She’d chew my ear off.”

“I think she would, at that. If it were left on when she’d done talking.”

“She certainly had a lot of news to share.”

“Mm. Life at the palace seems very sordid. I’m quite looking forward to it. I mean, that is…I’d like to be a part of it.” She lowered her ears at her boldness, glancing at him.

This time, he felt he had to make an answer. He wasn’t quite willing to commit, but he honestly couldn’t see anything wrong with her. “We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “But I feel good about your chances so far.”

“Thank you, Lord Vinton.”

“Please, call me Volle. If it’s proper.”

“Technically, I shouldn’t until we’ve seen each other two more times. But I believe I can make an exception.” She smiled. “Ah, here we are.”

The carriage stopped outside a large brick building, and a moment later the driver opened the door. Ilyana looked at Volle expectantly, so he got out and helped her down.

“Thank you for the evening, Lord Vinton.” She curtsied to him.

He took her paw and brushed his muzzle to it gently. “My pleasure, Ilyana. Good night.”

He waited until she was safely inside the house, and then climbed back in the carriage to head back to the palace. Her scent was still in the carriage, and he thought that this arrangement might not be bad after all. Tika had found a vixen who just wanted to have noble cubs, not a noble attentive husband. Surely he could manage one or two nights with a vixen. He’d never really wanted to have cubs, but that would be okay, because she’d raise them, and then there would be cubs to carry on his line when…

But he wasn’t noble.

He’d been so immersed in the part that it was easy to forget that he couldn’t have cubs with this vixen. It was likely that one day, he would be discovered, and then his title would be forfeit. That was fine for him; it had never been his to begin with. But what would happen to Ilyana and their future cubs if he were found out? Their lives could be ruined. They could be thrown out onto the street. He couldn’t let that happen.

He couldn’t reject her immediately, either; Tika would just find another vixen, and another. He supposed that in time he could run through all the ones she knew, but he preferred to put that off as long as possible. She wouldn’t stop until she’d found him a mate, he was quite sure of that. So, he concluded, he would have to play along for a while with Ilyana, maybe even pay for the cotillion, and then find a reason to break off the engagement. It bothered him, but the only alternative was to tell her the truth, and he couldn’t see any way to do that.

He told Helfer about the date the next day, of course, and to his surprise the weasel was encouraging. “Sounds like a good situation. She sounds pretty and honest. Rare combination. You should go for it.”

Volle grinned. “What about you? Going to carry on the Ikling name?”

“Eventually. There are a couple ladies back home that Burren keeps trying to get me to marry. I told them that the first one to have a cub will be my wife, so the race is on.”

“But you said you only go home once a year.”

“That’s partly why.”

“So you actually sleep with them?”

“They sleep somewhere else, but I do the deed, yes.”

“Do they interest you at all? I mean, for me, there’s nothing.” Helfer shook his head. “So how do you manage?”

The weasel grinned. “I get drunk and then I mount ‘em from behind.”

“Does that work?”

“I guess so. No cubs yet, so hard to tell. I come, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Volle grinned and shrugged. “Not really. Just curious.”

“It’s not that bad, really. Couple bottles of mead, and maybe stick something in your nose to mask the scent—they can get pretty strong in bed—and you won’t be able to tell the difference between her butt and what’s his name’s, Arrin’s.”

“Haven’t seen his yet. I’ll see him for dinner tonight, though. I got some flowers for him.”

“Oh, yeah, the romantic one. Careful, they always want attachments.”

“I’m not sure that’s not what I want.”

“Better you than me, foxy boy.”

Volle grinned. “Someday maybe you’ll want to settle down too.”

Helfer just snorted.

Chapter 9

When he returned to his chambers after a bath, Volle found a sealed message from Anton waiting for him. It included receipts for all the taxes Vinton had paid for the last twenty years, scrupulously up to date. It also included a note from Ullik dated twenty years before stating that the Vinton income would be held in the palace treasury until a new lord came forward to claim the title. The figure Ullik had written for the yearly income was one hundred and six gold. Volle multiplied that by twenty in his head and found that he had to sit down.

While he was still trying to absorb the size of that credit, he noticed another note from Anton. It bore two more items for him to present to the king, which reminded him that he hadn’t presented the other items yet. And today was Ursiday; the king would be hearing this afternoon—meaning now.

Tish had told him at the banquet that he needed to be dressed at least semi-formally to petition the king. With Welcis’s help, he put together a nice-looking outfit in red with yellow trim and set off for the audience hall.

The king was hearing the petition of a bobcat noble whose name Volle didn’t catch, but there were no other nobles waiting. His stomach reminded him that they were probably all at lunch.

After some fifteen minutes of discussion, the bobcat bowed and left, and Volle walked up to the king.

“Lord Vinton.” His voice was a low bass rumble, befitting his stature and size. Though he was stocky, he was not as overweight as some of his nobles, and Volle thought he could see the lines of some muscle in the king’s arms and legs. He wore a deep purple robe and wore a simple gold circlet on his head. Below the thick eye ridge, his eyes were dark, alert, and intelligent.

“King Barris.” He knelt and touched his muzzle to the king’s paw, as etiquette demanded.

“Delighted to see you in the palace. How may we be of service to you?”

“Your Majesty, there are several requests the people of Vinton have made for royal assistance with their lands. We have paid our taxes dutifully these twenty years and although they are a proud and capable people, some things remain beyond their power.”

“Show us the list.” Volle handed the king the two lists he had; they disappeared into the bear’s enormous paw. He spent a few minutes reading and considering each item.

“Hmm. Except for the dispute with the mead merchants, these are all easily remedied. I will remand the dispute to your care. See Lord Black about them; they come from his province. If the two of you cannot work out an agreement, return to me.”

“Your Majesty is too kind,” Volle murmured.

“We thank you for your estimation, Lord Vinton.” He sounded amused. “Welcome, again, to Divalia, and may you continue to serve your people for many years, and your cubs after you.”

Cubs again, Volle thought. “May your Majesty reign for ever,” he said ritually, bowed, and departed.

Arrin greeted him for dinner that night with a worried expression. “I need to ask you about something. You know that rat in Lord Fardew’s office?”

Volle sighed. He’d almost let Dereath slip his mind. “Yes. Why?”

“Well, he said the oddest thing to me the other day. He asked me if I tasted Lord Ullik when I kissed you. I asked him what that meant and he laughed and said I should ask you.”

“Come on in and sit down.” Welcis poured them both glasses of wine, and Volle waited until the skunk had left the room before answering. “It was my first day here, and Ullik scared me by telling me I didn’t have any money and he would kick me out of the palace if I didn’t do something.” He shrugged. “It was unpleasant, but I didn’t want to get kicked out. I didn’t really know any better.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Arrin patted his knee. “Was it really that bad?”

“Oh, he smells awful.” Volle made a face. “But at least it was over quick.”

Arrin giggled, and then, with an inquiring look at Volle, held his paws apart about six inches. Volle grinned and pushed them four inches closer together, and Arrin put his paws to his muzzle, stifling more giggles. “Oh, dear.”

“Let’s eat,” Volle grinned. “If you still have an appetite after that story.”

“I think I can manage.” Arrin took his paw and walked with him into the sitting room.

During dinner, Arrin asked him what he’d been doing, and he mentioned the dinner with Tish almost without thinking about it. Then, under Arrin’s questions, he had to tell him about Ilyana. He was afraid the fox would be jealous, but to his surprise, Arrin smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “You should definitely marry her. She sounds perfect.”

“You wouldn’t mind? I mean, wouldn’t that interfere with the romance and all?”

“Not really. I know you have to get married and have cubs before you can think about mating for your own pleasure.” He grinned, less shyly than usual.

Volle didn’t return the grin immediately. “What if I didn’t get married?”

“What do you mean? You have to.”

“What if it doesn’t work out? What if I don’t think she’d be a good mother, or something?”

Arrin laid his fork down. “Volle, you can’t avoid marriage just because you don’t want to…you know…with a vixen. It’s not that bad.”

“It’s not that,” Volle retorted.

“Then what?”

“I just don’t know.” He really didn’t. He couldn’t think of what to say that would convince Arrin.

Fortunately, Arrin thought he knew what the problem was. “Aww, if you don’t think you’re ready for cubs…is that it? Trust me, she’d do most of the work.”

Volle ran with that. “Yeah, but it’s bringing another life into the world.”

“You’re going to have to do it sooner or later.”

He didn’t respond to that, and hoped Arrin would think he was just thinking it over. The other fox obliged him by changing the subject.

By the time they were relaxing after dinner, the subject was forgotten. Welcis hadn’t procured a loveseat yet, so he and Arrin reprised their kiss by the door, taking longer about it this time. He moved his paws down Arrin’s sides, noting a bit of plumpness, and rested them on the fox’s hips. After some hesitation, Arrin’s paws mimicked the movement of his. They kissed like that for a good long time, tongues curling around each other and exploring the two muzzles, noses flared to the scent of the other, whiskers twitching and brushing.

Hesitantly, Volle let his paw slide down to Arrin’s rear, and though the other fox didn’t object, he also didn’t move his own paws. Volle’s fingertips brushed his tail, first atop, then underneath, and it was then that Arrin drew back gently. Volle could smell his arousal and feel it against him, but the other fox just smiled and said, “I should go. But oh…maybe next time I’ll stay longer.” He licked Volle’s nose, and Volle licked back, smiling.

“Good night, Volle.”

“Good night—oh, wait!” Volle smacked his head.

“What’s the matter?”

“Stay here.” Volle ran back into the bedroom and came out with a bouquet of yellow roses. He handed them to Arrin. “I got these for you, and then when you came in asking about Ullik, I forgot all about them. I’m so sorry.”

“For me?” Arrin took the flowers and held them wonderingly. He brushed his nose across them and smiled. “That’s the sweetest thing.” He gave Volle another warm kiss, tail wagging rapidly. “I don’t know if I have anywhere to keep them. Oh, I’ll keep them on my table.” He smiled. “This is really wonderful. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” Volle couldn’t help his smile; the fox’s joy was infectious. He found himself hoping he could make Arrin’s tail wag like that many more times. One fox at a time, he thought as the door closed, and headed for his bedroom and the book on the side table, aiming to make at least his own tail wag.

After the requisite teasing by Helfer the next day (“flowers? roses?”), he walked around the town again. When he passed a little odds and ends shop that had a small brass trumpet in it, he thought of Arrin and bought it for five copper pieces.

That afternoon, Tish summoned him to a meeting room where he met Lord Dewanne and Lord Ryngs, a raccoon. Both were on the portly side, though Ryngs had a stockier build and wore the weight better. Dewanne was a middle-aged fox who had a notch out of one ear and a perpetually bored expression. He kept his ears and tail well under control, but Volle could see small twitches that betrayed his alertness and interest in what was going on around him. Ryngs, a slightly younger raccoon, was less serious than the other two and kept interjecting jokes into the conversation.

“There are a couple more who think the same way we do, but we are the main ones,” Tish said. “A couple years ago, we realized that we all more than anything wanted this country to be at peace.”

“We are aware of the benefits of war, but also of the risks. The last time war was undertaken it was disastrous.” Dewanne spoke slowly, in a deep voice that held Volle’s attention. “We don’t wish a repeat of Bucher.”

“I told him about our history,” Tish said. “He agrees that peace is the best road to prosperity, and has agreed to help us.”

“Of course, the road to prosperity is paved with bad intentions,” Ryngs put in.

“Be that as it may,” Tish acknowledged the comment with a grin, “it is our goal. We don’t meet often, but we felt we should introduce ourselves.”

“I am pleased to meet you,” Volle said. “I can’t help but wonder, though, why do some want to risk war again? I would think they would have learned their lessons.”

“Some never do,” Dewanne said. “Some are mostly interested in their own short-term gain, seeing only the spoils of war.”

“And not the spoilage of war,” Ryngs put in.

“Quite.” Tish smiled at the raccoon. “Ikinna is one of the obvious choices as he is not only directly descended from one of Bucher’s advisors, but also the lord of one of the provinces that adjoins the Reysfields, and believes that some of that land should also be his. The other two we suspect may be going along because they agree with him, or because of their friendship, or out of respect for their ancestors.”

“Some of us have been well-served by our ancestors,” Ryngs said slyly, glancing at Tish.

“Hush,” Dewanne said before Tish could reply. “Our disadvantage here, Vinton, is that we have formed in reaction to their group. Therefore we are always a step behind. We can talk to the king in vague terms of peace, but it is a weak argument compared with their plans, their goals, and their imagined rewards. What are we to say? ‘Your Majesty, if you simply stay the course, everything will stay the same and that is good.’? It is like trying to walk without your tail to balance you; without a pro-war argument to push against, the statement topples. That’s why we need someone to join their ranks and report back to us what they’re telling the king, and what, if any, their other plans are.” He leaned forward. “Can you do that, Vinton? Can you be a spy?”

Volle looked around at the three of them, trying not to smile. “Yes. I think so.”

He found himself falling easily into the routine of the palace. Every day, he ran with Helfer, ate his lunches and dinners in the common room, except when he dined with Helfer or Arrin, and attended his tribunal on the appropriate day. Helfer finally took him to the Lonely Cock, twice in one week, and the second time disappeared with a rabbit, leaving Volle to make his way back alone.

Arrin loved the trumpet and spent a couple hours in the conservatory with him, helping him fumble around with the piano and the pipes there, and Volle was amazed that by the end of the time, he was able to play a simple tune he remembered from his childhood. There were only three notes in it, but still, he was proud of his progress.

He only saw Dereath once that week. The rat passed him in the corridor on his way to lunch, and gave him a haughty glare. He glared back, still annoyed that the rat had told Arrin about his encounter with the Exchequer. Fortuantely, nobody else came up to him and asked him to explain it, and it wasn’t too long before he’d relegated it to the back of his mind.

He was to meet Ilyana again, but had to put it off a day because the day Tika proposed was the day of his rendez-vous with Seir and Reese. She looked askance at him when he said he’d promised to go out with Helfer that night, but rescheduled it for the following night without comment.

“Going for someone new tonight or back to the wolf or cat?” Helfer asked as he walked down the street.

“Wolf, I think.” Volle grinned. “How about you?”

“I have a good feeling about tonight. I’m going to hold out for a rabbit. There are a couple that sometimes show up looking for me, you know.”

“I don’t doubt it. That one in the pub the other night seemed to know you pretty well.”

Helfer chuckled. “He does.”

“Say, where did you go with him, anyway? The bartender told me you weren’t in any of the rooms.”

The weasel winked. “I have a few places. Sometime I’ll show you some of them.”

They walked into the Jackal’s Staff, which was busier than usual. They still found a table, and Helfer was delighted to spot not one, but two rabbits in the bar. When Tally finally made his way over to them, Helfer already had a note written out and was tapping his paws impatiently.

“Oh, just a minute, darling,” Tally said as he thrust the note at him. He turned to Volle. “Richy’s waiting for you in room seven.” He gave a broad wink.