by C. A. McHugh
Raimel doused the fire. “I’m younger than you.”
“Why do I put up with you?”
“Because I saved your life right before you were going to be executed for a crime you didn’t commit. I’d say that you’re indebted to me for the rest of your life.”
“The river’s getting higher. Let’s go before we have to swim our way out of here.”
Why did Ceryst have to wait until his clothes were almost dry? Raimel enjoyed his last few seconds of wearing dry clothes before bundling up and setting off into the downpour. Seroney would be there in a few weeks when they reported back to Aerrin. In the meantime, they needed to secure the proof the king wanted.
Chapter 14
Seroney rode her horse with the poise of someone who had ridden for years. Every fold in her skirt was in place, and she remained straight and steady as her horse ambled along the road through the Great Forest. Nyssa, on the other hand, struggled to remain in her saddle and dangerously swayed with each step her horse took. Aerrin wondered whether he should ride alongside her to ensure she stayed on her horse.
“Explain to me again why we have a break from classes,” Seroney inquired.
Nyssa caught her balance and reached to secure the straps holding her into the saddle as she replied, “The Feast of Mariliel is celebrated all over the kingdom on the spring equinox to thank the goddess for her blessings and protection. Since her largest temple is in Dromore, most people go there to offer their gifts and prayers.”
“Of course, what Nyssa failed to mention is that it’s also our beloved monarch’s birthday.” Leandros ruffled Aerrin’s hair, which he immediately smoothed back into place. “I wonder what’s planned this year.”
“The usual. Balls, feasts, tournaments, music, perhaps an acting troupe,” he replied, his boredom with it all the seeping into his voice. “All events where I sit on my ass and pretend to be amused.”
“It’s not that bad,” Leandros argued.
“That’s easy for you to say. You’re the youngest brother of a noble, not a king. You don’t have every father in the kingdom trying to make his daughter the next queen. And being king, I can’t tell these men what I really think about their daughters for fear of sparking another civil war. I have to pretend to smile while they prattle about the most mundane, idiotic things.”
Leandros frowned for a moment, his brows drawing together. Then they disappeared with a mischievous grin. “You can always just follow the example set by your uncle. Bed those twits, then cast them off in the morning. Or at least, send them my way so I can bed them and cast them off in the morning.”
“You are such a pig.” Nyssa swung her fist at him and lost her balance in the process, frantically grasping her saddle to keep from falling off her horse.
“Perhaps, but that’s better than being an uppity spinster.”
Nyssa pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face with an exasperated sigh. “Seroney, you’re a woman. Say something to shut him up.”
Instead of berating Leandros for his comment, she merely said, “Poor girls.”
“Poor girls?” Aerrin maneuvered his horse to her side. “Don’t you mean poor me for having to put up with them?”
“No, I meant what I said,” she replied with the same poise with which she rode. “I’ve been in their position before. It’s a dreadful feeling to be paraded around state functions as if you were a prize-winning cow with your father hoping someone will make an appropriate bid on you.”
“But you’re too young to be married off.”
“You know as well as I that someone can be forced into a betrothal with a perfect stranger as a child. My parents were frustrated because I refused to take any responsibility for my life, so they gave me one of three options: focus on my training in magic, become a priestess, or marry. So here I am.”
“And I’m glad you are here.” He played his reins, uncertain if he should even bother bringing up the subject. But since she seemed to understand his plight, he asked, “Do you think you will ever marry?”
She studied him. “Do you?”
He thought about it for a moment. He knew he had an obligation to produce an heir, but he wondered if he would ever meet someone he would want to marry. “I asked you first.”
She stared off into the distance as if she was trying to look into her future. “I have no desire to at the moment, mostly because all the men I’ve met only want to marry me because I’m a Meritis. They think it will increase their prestige. I want an equal, not a boot-licker.”
Aerrin cringed. Her reply was cynical, but truthful. She felt the same way about marriage that he did. “I understand. The hard part is that I have no equal here in Elgeus.”
“That’s rather arrogant.”
“It’s no more arrogant than what you just said.”
Seroney unexpectedly laughed. “I think we misunderstood each other. When I said I wanted an equal, I wasn’t referring to rank or social status. I want a man who can rival me in skill, in spirit, in intelligence.”
“I see your point.” He fidgeted with the reins some more, wondering what it would be like to be free from his obligations to the throne. “What do you think about the social structure here?”
“I know two people who would be much happier and perhaps much more inclined to express their feelings about each other if there wasn’t such a wide gap between the nobility and the commoners.”
She nodded toward Nyssa and Leandros, who were still arguing behind them.
Maybe if he bestowed a title on Nyssa, she’d worry less about being an outsider in the palace. Then, maybe she and Leandros would fight less. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to laugh. Even if he elevated Nyssa’s social status, those two would always find something to bicker about.
Besides, there were more important things to fix besides these silly squabbles of his best friends.
“Do you think I’m wrong?”
Her question pulled him away from his thoughts, and he noticed she genuinely seemed curious. “No, but I was thinking about some things I need to work through.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” she offered. “I might be able to help.”
“Why do girls always want to talk about things?”
“It’s better than keeping everything festering inside.” She pulled up on the reins and wheeled her horse around. “I think I’ll go chat with Nyssa for a while.”
She maneuvered between Nyssa and Leandros—who were still exchanging barbs—and ordered the latter to ride ahead with Aerrin.
“Why do we always have to invite Nyssa along?” Leandros asked when he reached Aerrin.
“Because she has no family, and we’re her best friends.”
“You think she’d be grateful that we invited her along, then, instead of being such a shrill harpy.”
“Perhaps she wouldn’t be such a shrill harpy if you were nicer to her.”
“I am nice to her.” Leandros’s flushed cheeks matched the rising frustration in his reply.
“Then why are you always calling her names?” Aerrin asked, remaining calm and collected and hoping it would rub off on his friend.
“Because she always starts it.”
Aerrin shook his head and gave up. It wasn’t worth the effort. Leandros would continue to think that way until he changed his mind about Nyssa.
A few minutes later, Leandros looked over his shoulder. “They’re up to something. I don’t like the looks of it, either.”
Aerrin turned to see what he was talking about. Nyssa and Seroney were whispering to each other, their heads close together. They appeared to be very excited about whatever they were discussing, but unlike Leandros, he didn’t perceive any threat from their conversation. “It looks like girl talk.”
“Since when does Nyssa engage in girl talk?” Leandros shuddered and cast one more worried glance behind him. “I’m going to be watching my back the whole time we’re in Dromore now.”
“Why?” Aerrin asked with s
ome welcomed amusement, even though it was at his best friend’s expense.
“Because I don’t want Seroney doing the same thing to me that she did to Master Philgus. Or worse, I don’t want her teaching Nyssa that spell so she can use it on me the next time she’s in a foul mood.”
“Perhaps there’s some truth to that saying about reaping what you sow after all.”
“Don’t tell me you gave her the idea? I saw you two up here, flirting with each other.”
Aerrin’s mirth faded. “We weren’t flirting.”
“Right,” Leandros drawled. “And Nyssa and I always get along perfectly.”
“I always considered your little spats with her as a form of flirting,” he countered, eager to deflect the conversation away from him and Seroney. Until he figured out how he felt about her and—more important—where he stood with her, he wished to avoid any potential rumors about their relationship.
“What?” Leandros looked at him as if he was crazy. He reached over and felt Aerrin’s forehead. “No fever. Are you sure you’re not ill or deranged or taking some hallucinogenic potion?”
“Each of you is trying to one-up the other, and that’s how you try to impress each other.” Aerrin grinned. “In other words, it’s flirting.”
“I don’t believe what’s coming out of your mouth. Who would want to flirt with Nyssa to begin with? She thinks just because she’s smart, she’s better than everyone else. And look at her. There are dozens of girls prettier than her. Why would I waste my time flirting with her?”
“Because she’s a challenge.”
Leandros began to dismiss that idea but stopped, mouth still open, and blinked a few times as if he were clearing his vision.
Emboldened by the accuracy of his deduction, Aerrin continued, “It’s like my uncle once said—the fun is in the pursuit, not the conquest. You know she won’t settle for just anyone, so you engage in these battles of wits to gain her favor. If she doesn’t fall for you, no harm done to your reputation. She’s not interested in anyone, right? If she does fall for you, then you’ve achieved the unthinkable.”
“Sort of like you and Seroney, huh?”
That hit him like a punch in the gut. He scrambled for a rebuttal. “There’s nothing between me and her.”
“Nothing but the thrill of the chase and perhaps the victory of conquest.”
Aerrin scowled. He hated the way Leandros could manipulate a conversation and turn his whole argument against him, especially when there was no truth to it. “Stop insinuating that. Do you want to start a bunch of nasty rumors about her, especially after she helped us master that anchoring spell last week?”
“If you stop insisting there’s something going on between me and Nyssa, then I’ll do the same with you and Seroney. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
They talked about other things until Dromore appeared on the horizon. Thankfully, there was no blizzard this time, and he could see the turreted towers of the palace rising from the heart of the city, backlit by the setting sun. The original palace of Dromore dated back from before the Great Divide. One of the earliest chiefs of the tribe of Castadillia built a defensive wall along the peninsula formed by the junction of the Batros and Fiori rivers. A few years later, he’d added a five-story tower behind it to protect him and his family as well as display his wealth and power to visiting chiefs.
Since that time, the tower had become the home of the kings of Elgeus, and with every generation of royalty, a new addition was either added or remodeled to the now-sprawling structure. The palace was no longer needed for defensive purposes, and the most recent additions served to house and entertain the swollen, spoiled court. It had always bothered Aerrin that the palace appeared to be a patchwork of different styles and stones all clumped together on the narrow peninsula. Perhaps he should order another remolding job to the exterior so the buildings would become unified under a homogenous facade.
After he’d defeated the Raven Bringer, though. As king, he needed to keep his priorities in order.
Aerrin was already in a foul mood the minute they entered the palace gates. Seroney and Nyssa had been extremely secretive all day. Perhaps Leandros was right when he’d said they were up to something. He also knew he had to endure the demands of the court and the Privy Council for the next three days, and without the evidence he’d wished for, he couldn’t bring up the Raven Bringer, which further annoyed him.
When they dismounted in the courtyard, Nyssa laughed, only adding to his unease. “Let’s do it. We have plenty of time.”
Aerrin slowly turned, cringing as he prepared to see a flash of magic and an enormous behind bubbling up on Leandros. Instead, he saw the two girls running toward the gates that led into the city.
With a simple nod, he ordered two guards to follow them.
Leandros wiped the sweat off his brow. “For a moment there, I thought we were goners.”
“That makes two of us.”
“I told you they were up to something.”
“I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”
Leandros grinned and brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Let’s hide before they come back.”
If only he could hide for the next three days. “You go ahead. I have to arrange a meeting with the Privy Council for tomorrow.”
Hopefully by then, he’d have the evidence he needed to address the growing problem of the Raven Bringer.
“Sounds like a real party,” Leandros teased. “I’m glad it’s you and not me.”
“And I thought you were my friend.”
“What are friends for?” He flung an arm around Aerrin’s shoulder. “We’re supposed to offer honest, objective critiques of each other.”
“In that case, might I suggest you spend some time with my fencing master tonight? You were rather slow the other day.”
Leandros appeared to miss the jab he’d thrown in and took off for the fencing pit. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Aerrin had all of ten seconds to himself before the palace staff ambushed him.
“Your Majesty, how wonderful to see you again.” The Lord Chamberlain bowed low until Aerrin waved him away. “I trust you had a safe journey.”
“I did.”
He was assaulted by the Head Steward next. “Welcome home, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you,” he said as civilly as he could. Why couldn’t he just walk into the palace without hordes of people bowing and asking him stupid questions?
“I overheard Miss Barrach say that she and the other young lady would be sharing a room. Does that meet with your approval?”
He halted, his gut full of paranoia. But a second later, he pushed it aside. After all, the girls shared a room at the Academy. “Fine. Let them do whatever they want.”
“Very good, Your Majesty. I shall have their things sent to their room at once.” He bowed again and began ordering the household servants to see to their baggage.
Aerrin continued on, the Lord Chamberlain following him like a shadow. “I see you have a new friend, Your Majesty.”
“The Lord Chamberlain is very observant.” If he insisted on being formal, so would Aerrin. “If the Lord Chamberlain could be so kind, His Majesty wishes to hold a meeting with the Privy Council tomorrow after breakfast to discuss several matters of some urgency.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I shall notify them at once. May I ask Your Majesty what some of these urgent matters are?”
He didn’t slow his pace to answer. He’d send a message to Ceryst and Raimel to meet with him tonight to see what information they could give him. They said they’d be in town for the Feast of Mariliel. “No, and that will be all.”
He was the king. He could order a meeting with the Privy Council, and they were required to attend. And with any luck, he might be armed with the evidence he needed. Right now, though, all he wanted to do was hide in his room and take a hot bath.
He’d only been in the palace a few minutes, and he already felt dirty.
&nbs
p; Chapter 15
“Do you see them yet?” Raimel leaned to the side to peer around the hulking mass of his colleague.
“Can’t you sit still for a moment?” Ceryst barely moved his lips when he spoke, much less any other part of his body. He was a perfect statue concealed in the shadows of the rooftops. From where they crouched, they could see the main road from the city gates to the palace. As the sun set, the shadows grew longer, allowing them a bit more freedom to move around.
“I’m getting one of my bad feelings again.” And that was putting it mildly. More like gut-twisting, sweat-inducing, full-blown willies. The last three times he’d gotten a feeling like this since they’d met in the cave in Gentilmead, they’d run into a gang of demons. But this was worse than before. He bet if he took off his amulet, the Raven Bringer’s taunts would be louder than ever.
“Then shut up and keep your eyes open.”
Raimel nodded and sharpened his senses. His internal warning had begun troubling him when they’d climbed to the roof about an hour ago, and it had been growing stronger even since. Something else nearby was watching for the king’s arrival, but each time he peeked into the Shadow Realm, he saw nothing.
He shifted his position to search for another point of view, earning a scowl from Ceryst.
A burst of applause came from down the street.
Both he and Ceryst stiffened.
“I’ll keep my eyes on Aerrin. You keep a lookout for anything out of the ordinary,” the knight ordered as he reached for his sword.
“Oh yeah, take the easy job for yourself,” Raimel muttered and scanned the streets below. Aerrin rode into the city behind two guards, so deep in conversation with Leandros that he didn’t see them hiding above. Not that he would. He and Ceryst had become very skilled at hiding over the years. His gaze drifted to the two young women riding behind Aerrin. “Seroney’s with them.”
“Concentrate. I’m beginning to get one of your bad feelings myself.”
As the king’s party came closer, Raimel caught a flicker of movement on a roof across the street. He silently pointed out the distorted shadow to Ceryst.