Jaya sat up. “I’m taking oaths to the greener side of the clan, Da. I’m going to become a first-rank Fist. One day I’ll be the Horn of No Peak.”
Hilo hated to discourage any of his children, but now he said, “The Horn is the greenest, most dangerous position. There’s never been a woman Horn.”
“There wasn’t a woman Pillar before Ayt Mada,” Jaya retorted. “Are you saying our enemies can do more than we can? I’m your daughter! Don’t you believe in me?” She was suddenly almost distraught.
“Of course I believe in you,” Hilo snapped. “But being the Horn . . . It’s not just about being a good fighter or a Kaul or wearing the most jade. It’s . . .” He frowned; he was having a hard time articulating why the idea of his daughter aspiring to the position he’d once held disturbed him so greatly. The Horn needed to be a top warrior, cunning and calculating, a leader of men. Even among extremely capable and heavily jaded Green Bones, few were suited for the demands of the role. Most of all, he was fearful of Jaya having such a lofty and perilous ambition, one that might get her killed at a young age, and his instinct as her father was to steer her toward a part of the clan that was less violent. “You’re not even eighteen yet,” he reminded her reasonably. “You should think about all your options and not set your mind on one thing so soon.”
Jaya leapt to her feet, eyes flashing with hurt and indignation. “Don’t say that! Don’t make me out to be a silly girl with silly ideas. I would’ve thought my own father of all people would understand!” She began to storm toward the door.
“Sit down.” Hilo’s tone of command made even his most obstinate child flinch and turn around. Hilo pointed to the chair and Jaya grudgingly obeyed, landing back in the seat with a scowl aimed at the floor.
Hilo rubbed a hand over his face. He could’ve guessed Jaya would grow up to be hopelessly green, and as he’d told Shae earlier in the evening, it was a mistake to try to push people in directions they weren’t meant to go, or to push them away from what they most wanted.
“All right,” he said. “If you’re serious about being a Fist, I’ll talk to Lott Jin. We’ll think about who might be good mentors, how you can get the most opportunities to earn jade. Between now and the end of the year, you should be talking to the senior Fists, getting a sense of which ones you respect the most and might like to be placed under. Talk to the woman Fingers, especially, to find out their opinions.” He cut off his daughter’s growing smile with a growl. “All of this happens only if you behave perfectly for the rest of the year and graduate from the Academy with four jade stones and no more problems, or I’ll jade-strip you myself and send you to be the lowest-level Luckbringer in the most boring job I can find in some tiny tribute property, I swear to Heaven.”
Jaya came over and put her arms around her father’s neck and kissed his cheek sweetly, all of her teenage bluster and pique gone. “I promise I won’t disappoint you, Da.” I won’t be like Niko. She didn’t say the words, but he knew it was what she meant. Despite his apprehension, Hilo hugged her back and said, “It’s late. You should go to bed. I’ll drive you back to the Academy tomorrow.”
One of the Fingers who guarded the estate knocked on the door of the study. “Kaul-jen,” he said when Hilo opened the door, “the Noyu family is here to see you.”
Hilo went out of the room to find four people waiting anxiously in the entry foyer. A trembling teenage girl of Jaya’s age, her parents, and a young Green Bone who was surely her brother. Upon seeing Hilo, they all bent into deep and respectful salutes. The mother’s eyes were teary, and the father’s face was pale as he stepped forward with his eyes downcast. “Kaul-jen,” he said, “we’ve come here to show our gratitude for what your daughter did, defending Hana from harm, not to mention our family’s honor and reputation. We heard that Jaya spent hours in jail, and it surely ruined your evening.” He swallowed noisily. “Our family is small, but my son is a Finger in the clan, and our daughter hopes to become a Luckbringer. If there’s ever any greater way we can be of service to the No Peak clan and to your family, we would undertake it gladly.”
Noyu knelt on the hardwood floor and touched his head to the ground. His entire family followed suit. The girl, Hana, said with a stifled sob, “It was my fault! I led Ging on, because I knew that he and Jaya were broken up, and I thought I could get him to like me instead. We both had too much to drink, and I didn’t—”