Eustace’s replacement arrived. The new stable master was Fenwick, a man in his middle years, who enjoyed life, took his job very seriously and adored dragons. Lord Aurexian wasn’t impressed when Fenwick first tried to pet him. Lord Aurexian preferred a bow and some deference, something that Fenwick had the sense to learn.
Punishments in Unkea were harsh, but that was the Rider way, the way of the Church. What I saw reassured me that Flight Captain Shi listened, judged and showed fairness, or at least reasonableness.
Life became a matter of routine. One routine that I noticed was how often Rider Jimny came to me with red, itchy hands.
“You did your washing yesterday, didn’t you?” I asked on the fourth visit, after I’d healed his skin.
“Yeah, so? I’ve been doing my washing for years, this is new.”
Yes, it was. And when we went to speak to Quartermaster Ibrahim, we discovered that the clothes washing soap we were supplied had changed. That was what Jimny was reacting to.
“Look, I can ask them to change back,” Ibrahim said, “but you know what the service is like. They’ll take what they can at the cheapest price. We’ve got at least six months’ worth of this stuff, so it’ll be a while.”
Given the difficulties that Jimny was having, and the fact that I never enjoyed ironing, we agreed to a mutually acceptable swap.
Over time, Salvadora even found a way to get along with Lord Aurexian. Which was more a way to not be constantly aggravating each other.
But at least they didn’t hiss every time they passed.
Chapter Five
3943, New Translaw Calendar
“Segast?”
The call came from Ang Shi’s office as I walked past. I paused, stepped to his door, offered a salute which he returned.
“Come in and close the door.”
Unusually, he was not behind his desk, so I did as requested and moved closer to him. As ever his expression gave little away, but there was compassion in his eyes which made my stomach knot.
“Sir?”
I watched him swallow before he spoke. “This is not easy to say, and I know it will upset you, but you need to know. Your latest request for a transfer has been declined.”
“I see.” I was disappointed but not surprised. “Thank you for letting me know, sir.” I stepped away.
The fingers that curled around my hand surprised me and kept me in place.
“There’s more you need to know,” Ang said. The serious nature of his tone, the nearly sympathetic look in his eyes caught my attention. I didn’t pull away because I had a feeling I was going to need this human connection.
“Sir?” My stomach sank.
“With the official paperwork was a personal message to me from Flight Sergeant Robb, she deals with many of the staff movements and allocations around the North Eastern Seaboard.”
It wasn’t a conscious choice, but my hand gripped around his. I could almost see trouble barrelling towards me.
“She … indicated … in rather plain language … that Sky Commander Zemich has said that if you put in another transfer request citing Fin’s need for a better environment, he will order that Fin be seized and sent to the Reverend Fathers.”
Ice washed through me. “What?” I swayed on my feet.
Ang Shi grabbed me by the shoulders and guided me to sit on the edge of his desk.
My son didn’t need an orphanage, just a better socialisation option, schooling with children his own age. “No. They can’t.”
“Unfortunately, they can,” Ang Shi said. He stood so close I could feel the heat rolling off his body. His head was bowed to look me straight in the eye. One hand rose from my shoulder to my neck. Long warm digits on my skin, keeping me with him.
“You should understand,” he said softly, “that I will fight them all the way on this point.”
