Beneath the Veil Read online

  "What are a few more follies among so many?" I said. "Beneath the veil, they all appear the same. They won't notice anything until it's too late."

  Lir's brow furrowed. "And you expect us all to sneak in several at a time?"

  "Go in as we went out," I replied. "Put on the follyblankets and live with our sisters and mothers until the right time comes. Kill Rosten and the army will falter."

  "And what of the men who agree with Rosten?" Carinda asked. "What about those who support him, who don't want change in Alyria?"

  "They'll abide by the new Law of the Book or they'll be dealt with," Daelyn replied.

  "It will be difficult enough for women to reenter Alyria and take up the kedalya, if we can convince them to do it." Galya said. "But what about the rest of the army? How will men pass as women for any length of time?"

  "The men will have to come later." I stood and began to pace. "The women will go first. We'll establish ourselves. We'll try to recruit as many others as we can, train them like we did before we left. When it's time, we'll let Rosten discover that an army intends to cross the mountains and invade. He'll prepare his defenses and focus on watching Elitan. He'll never pay attention to what's going on in Alyria. We'll be able to attack him when he least expects it."

  Daelyn laughed. "At his coronation. I can't deny that won't give me vast, great pleasure."

  Carinda joined me in front of the fire. "You have a keen mind for strategy, Aeris, but I'm not convinced of Rosten's simplicity. He's a cunning monster."

  "Dae's right about him, though," I replied. "He targets only those he's sure he can beat."

  "Lir's right about him too," the queen replied. "He won't be satisfied with what he has. I think that's a dangerous and unpredictable combination. And what of his army? His followers?"

  "There are many men in Alyria who believe in Rosten's ways," Daelyn replied. "But I'll wager there are just as many who don't. Rosten's army is made up of men, sister. Some will fight and some will surrender."

  "It won't be easy to change generations of lifestyle," said Carinda gently. "What will you do if your people don't wish you to retake the throne?"

  Daelyn stood, her hand on her protruding belly. She lifted her chin and stared at each of us in turn. "The Law of the Book says when the Prince Regent has a son, he can become King. This child I carry can claim the throne from two different lines. There will be no disputing his right to Alyria's throne."

  It was the first any of us had heard her refer to Rosten as the child's father.

  "And what of the rest of you?" asked Carinda.

  "It's the best shot we have," I said.

  Carinda looked at Daelyn. "What say you, sister?"

  "I say bravo, fetchencarry," Daelyn replied. "You've come a long way from the melon stand."

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Thus the plans began. When the first thaw came, Galya and I would begin to lead the initial groups of women through the mountains and into Alyria. We'd take up our places in whatever households we could find without attracting attention. We'd try to convince other women to join our cause. Lir and Gerard would continue to train the army and send women through the mountains as often as possible until they were all in Alyria, and then the rest of the army would follow in time for Rosten's coronation. Then we'd find a source to leak the information to Rosten that Carinda of Elitan planned to attack Alyria. When Rosten gathered his army to meet his enemies, we'd gather our secret forces and prepare to meet them in battle.

  The five women we'd chosen to come with us, Ilyia, Felissa, Verrilay, Dillah and Ria, were the best of those we'd trained. Together, the seven of us made good time through the harsh terrain, stopping only at night to light a fire, eat and sleep. The rest of the time we ate as we walked.

  We sang, too, cradle songs and drinking songs, songs we made up as we went along, songs of love and loss, joy and sorrow. It felt good to voice ourselves with freedom. I think we all were thinking about how in a few days we'd be unable to even speak aloud, much less sing. That made the songs, even those sung out of key with hoarse voices, that much sweeter.

  We stopped a day before we'd cross into Alyria and waited until nightfall before we moved again. In darkness we went down the mountain, and in darkness we made our way through farms still fallow. We made it to the city just before dawn and put on the follyblankets.

  I'm sure I wasn't alone in having depression wash over me as the cloth came down to cover my face and body. I fought a wave of panic. The last time I'd worn a kedalya, it had been from Rosten's hand. It made me feel small and weak, and a burst of hatred for the man who had made me feel that way straightened my spine. I wouldn't let him win.

  We went immediately to the house of Baltian, where Verrilay had once lived.

  The man of her house was not a supporter of Rosten, and had urged Verrilay to escape, though it meant they'd be separated. When we crept into the dark house, we found him sitting by an unlit fireplace, a jug of worm and the tang of herb his only company.

  Verrilay went on hesitant feet toward him, and he looked up, far less surprised than I'd have been to find seven veiled figures in my house so early in the morning. His gaze was bleary, but when she stepped closer and lifted the hood of her kedalya, his eyes filled with tears, and he wept at the sight of her.

  "Hush," Verrilay said and went to him. "Don't cry. I'm here."

  He pressed his face against her belly and sobbed so fiercely his entire body shook. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

  "Hush," Verrilay repeated, as though she soothed a fussing child. "I'm here now."

  It was too intimate a sight for us to be a part of, so the rest of us went to find a place to sleep away the fatigue of our journey.

  All the others had lived their lives as follies, but I don't know who had it harder: me, who'd never had to live that way, or them, who'd tasted of newfound freedom and now gave it up.

  They'd done it voluntarily, though, which made a difference. They put on their follyblankets without complaint and blended into the household as though they'd never left.

  The routine wasn't difficult, even if wearing the kedalya was. It tripped me. The rough fabric made my skin itch. The weight and restricted vision made my head ache. Still, they all were discomforts as necessary as any I'd endured while learning the Art, and I didn't complain. A week passed while we settled in, and we learned that the next of our number had arrived in Alyria. A week after that, more slipped into the city under cover of darkness. Our veiled army was growing.

  Alyria was in a flurry of excitement, planning for the dual events – the feast of Sinder's Birth and Rosten's coronation gala. Both would take place on the first official day of spring. We had less than a month to prepare ourselves.

  I hadn't heard from Lir, but knew he'd be among the last to arrive. Now our task was to make Rosten suspect an outside attack to keep him distracted from anything going on in Alyria.

  I heard from one of them, Kalysta, that Lir had begun preparations for the rest of the army to move out in one month's time, when they could count on spring fully entering the world. I slept with the letter beneath my pillow and fancied I could smell him on the paper.

  I didn't want to give up that single memento I had, but he'd written out of necessity. The letter was meant to fall into the wrong hands. The only question was how we would get it to Rosten without endangering any of our number or an innocent.

  The task naturally fell to Galya and me. Baltian, who looked like a changed man since Verrilay had returned to him, cautioned us. Rosten's new laws had made it more difficult than ever for follies to gather.

  "You'll need to be careful where you go, and when. Make sure you have the right papers. Rosten's men are all over the place. He's been working them like oxen. There've been a lot of grumblings in the streets and poetry houses about his terms of service, but the punishment for deserting is death and there is no retirement."

  "Doesn't he know an army fights best when it has reason to win?" I replied throu