The Towers, the Moon by Andrea K Höst

Author:Andrea K Höst
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: lgbt, fantasy, short stories, alternate history
Publisher: Andrea K Höst

(v)

Wealth was a very relative concept. Large portions of Rian's life had been lived hand-to-mouth: at first because her parents' income had been inconsistent and badly managed. Her father would buy extravagances, or work for apples, and her mother's reputation as a sculptor had not quite balanced the amount of time her pieces took to produce.

After their deaths, Rian had chosen to travel, and in many countries unmarried women had very limited choices when it came to earning money, few of which paid at all well. But through careful research, and a network of friends and relatives, she had found steady employment as everything from grape picker to archivist, occasionally falling back on Tante Sabet to give her maid work at the family hotel. Even so, nearly two decades of saving and careful investment had barely built up an income to cover Rian's basic expenses, let alone those of the nephew and two nieces left to her care.

Since her vampiric master had arranged for her the position of Keeper of the Deep Grove – a role that had come with an enormous house, a formidable yearly stipend, and even a hidden stockpile of money and valuables – Rian could not see herself as anything but wealthy. But it would drain her reserves to purchase the Tears of the Night Étienne told her were used on the Towers' middle tier, even if she had all that money with her.

And it would still not be enough, because to enter the middle tier, you had to be invited.

Rian, who more than once had had demonstrated to her matters of place and standing, knew perfectly well that the truly rich would consider her generous competence play money, and that as the undistinguished child of a pair of notable artists, she did not receive invitations to anything. As Keeper of the Deep Grove…well, in France that counted for nothing in particular.

As a Lourien, however, she had connections she could draw upon. Tante Sabet would be able to tell her of anyone in their extended family who had access to the Sun Palace, and might be able to reach this Lionel D'Argent. There had to be a way to arrange a meeting: if nothing else, palaces never exhausted their need for someone to clean them.

Preoccupied, Rian played through the last set with barely a glance at her cards, since she didn't have the Tears to win any hand where the other players did not immediately fold. She felt only vague relief when Henri did the same.

When the set ended, she looked about for Étienne, who had promised to scout the area for D'Argent. He caught her eye, and raised empty hands. Nothing.

"I will claim from Mademoiselle Serpent."

It took several beats for Rian to connect this quiet statement with herself. She looked away from Étienne and focused on the Court member in the firebird mask. Again she caught no hint of what lay behind the vivid feathers, and the woman's pulse didn't quicken.

Well, Rian had only lost five – no, ten, for Henri had been using Rian's Tears – ten Tears during the set.

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