disturbed him when he thought about it, so he stopped thinking about it.
He tried to bury his frustrations and worries in his home, but the few good nights were barely enough to keep his spirits up. The evenings with Alexan’s friends were a welcome distraction, and though they treated him well ( better than Alexan ), he still felt hesitant about presuming on his nascent friendships with them. They all had their own lives, after all, and better things to worry about than a lonely cougar. So he cleaned obsessively, and searched out delicacies in the marketplace more for the satisfaction of cooking with them than out of any hope of making Alexan happy.
Stubbornly, though, he did cling to hope—that this was just a passing phase, that when Alexan’s scheme had succeeded he would pay off the deals, get rid of Jonas’s “clients,” and that they would stay together happily. He hoped that there wouldn’t be any more days when Alexan stalked around the house glowering at everything, and that all of the coldness he felt was just because of the weather.
Jonas stepped outside one day and found that the chill in the air had broken. Playful breezes tossed scents from throughout the city to him, borne further than usual on the humid air of spring. A fox cub ran down the street laughing, his tail streaming out behind him, and his exuberance broke through Jonas’s numbness and brought a smile to his lips.
Whether it was the weather or not, Alexan’s mood lightened from that day on. He returned home with a spring in his step that night, greeting Jonas with a kiss and the news that his noble had been spending the day talking to the king. He gave Jonas a necklace that night, a small pendant with a golden cougar’s head on it. “I borrowed this from Phineas,” he said. “I want you to have it.”
“ Oh,” Jonas said, and his eyes filled with tears. He hugged Alexan tightly and kissed him. “I love it. Thank you so much.”
“ You deserve the best,” Alexan said.
They kissed again, and made love, and long after Alexan was asleep, Jonas held the pendant and turned it this way and that, watching it catch the moonlight in its curves, holding its weight in his paw, feeling the smoothness of the gold against his pads. When he woke in the morning, Alexan was gone, but the pendant had been carefully placed on the night table and it glinted in the morning sun as he opened his eyes. He took his old family pendant and left it on the table that morning, wearing the gold one instead.
Alexan remained in good spirits for the next few days, until the day of his noble sponsor’s appointment with the king. The noble had promised to espouse his cause, he told Jonas, and the king was inclined to listen to him. There was a meeting of the merchant guild leaders scheduled in a week, and the king was expected to announce his decision there; having the noble’s audience so soon before the expected announcement was considered good.
The night of the audience, Alexan brought Mikka, Phineas, and Benton home. He’d stocked wine and mead in preparation for the occasion, and they had obviously already been celebrating. Phineas tripped twice on the way in, and Mikka’s laugh was more high-pitched and frequent than usual. Jonas tried to join in the celebration, but felt more comfortable sitting near Benton, who was also quiet and apparently sober.
Dinner was a quick, informal affair, and they were soon sprawled out all over the living room talking about their noble sponsor and congratulating Alexan on his success. Jonas could see why Benton would be happy, but he didn’t understand why Mikka and Phineas stood to benefit until Mikka made a remark about his clothes getting wider distribution, and he realized that Alexan must have promised to distribute their goods in Ferrenis in addition to his other payments.
Phineas fell asleep in the middle of one conversation, and after shaking him awake, Mikka said, “I’m tired too. Come on, Phineas,
He tried to bury his frustrations and worries in his home, but the few good nights were barely enough to keep his spirits up. The evenings with Alexan’s friends were a welcome distraction, and though they treated him well ( better than Alexan ), he still felt hesitant about presuming on his nascent friendships with them. They all had their own lives, after all, and better things to worry about than a lonely cougar. So he cleaned obsessively, and searched out delicacies in the marketplace more for the satisfaction of cooking with them than out of any hope of making Alexan happy.
Stubbornly, though, he did cling to hope—that this was just a passing phase, that when Alexan’s scheme had succeeded he would pay off the deals, get rid of Jonas’s “clients,” and that they would stay together happily. He hoped that there wouldn’t be any more days when Alexan stalked around the house glowering at everything, and that all of the coldness he felt was just because of the weather.
Jonas stepped outside one day and found that the chill in the air had broken. Playful breezes tossed scents from throughout the city to him, borne further than usual on the humid air of spring. A fox cub ran down the street laughing, his tail streaming out behind him, and his exuberance broke through Jonas’s numbness and brought a smile to his lips.
Whether it was the weather or not, Alexan’s mood lightened from that day on. He returned home with a spring in his step that night, greeting Jonas with a kiss and the news that his noble had been spending the day talking to the king. He gave Jonas a necklace that night, a small pendant with a golden cougar’s head on it. “I borrowed this from Phineas,” he said. “I want you to have it.”
“ Oh,” Jonas said, and his eyes filled with tears. He hugged Alexan tightly and kissed him. “I love it. Thank you so much.”
“ You deserve the best,” Alexan said.
They kissed again, and made love, and long after Alexan was asleep, Jonas held the pendant and turned it this way and that, watching it catch the moonlight in its curves, holding its weight in his paw, feeling the smoothness of the gold against his pads. When he woke in the morning, Alexan was gone, but the pendant had been carefully placed on the night table and it glinted in the morning sun as he opened his eyes. He took his old family pendant and left it on the table that morning, wearing the gold one instead.
Alexan remained in good spirits for the next few days, until the day of his noble sponsor’s appointment with the king. The noble had promised to espouse his cause, he told Jonas, and the king was inclined to listen to him. There was a meeting of the merchant guild leaders scheduled in a week, and the king was expected to announce his decision there; having the noble’s audience so soon before the expected announcement was considered good.
The night of the audience, Alexan brought Mikka, Phineas, and Benton home. He’d stocked wine and mead in preparation for the occasion, and they had obviously already been celebrating. Phineas tripped twice on the way in, and Mikka’s laugh was more high-pitched and frequent than usual. Jonas tried to join in the celebration, but felt more comfortable sitting near Benton, who was also quiet and apparently sober.
Dinner was a quick, informal affair, and they were soon sprawled out all over the living room talking about their noble sponsor and congratulating Alexan on his success. Jonas could see why Benton would be happy, but he didn’t understand why Mikka and Phineas stood to benefit until Mikka made a remark about his clothes getting wider distribution, and he realized that Alexan must have promised to distribute their goods in Ferrenis in addition to his other payments.
Phineas fell asleep in the middle of one conversation, and after shaking him awake, Mikka said, “I’m tired too. Come on, Phineas,
Similar Books
