The girl was quiet a moment, then said, “No, but I’ll do it anyway.”
“That’s the spirit,” Gavin said, nodding once. “My name’s Gavin. May I know yours?”
The little girl’s eyes hadn’t left Lillian. “Holly.”
Gavin stood and gestured for his friends to join him. As soon as they arrived, Gavin squared his shoulders and spoke in a hall-filling voice, “Under the authority vested in me by Article 23 of the Arcanists’ Code and before these witnesses, I hereby take Holly Walsh as my apprentice…as was in the old ways.”
Walsh’s jaw dropped. “Oh…uhm…sir…Milord, you don’t have to do that. We’re just simple folk.”
Gavin held up the folded letter. “This letter is an affront to everything the Society stands for. Every application this Theobald Fletcherson has denied will be re-evaluated, and I will ensure he remains in the Society just long enough to greet your daughter as a full member.”
Just then, a group of Cavaliers arrived bearing the linen-wrapped corpse of Joric Torgunson.
“Lillian, would you and the others take Holly and her father to my suite, please? I’ll be along as soon as I can, but there’s another matter that requires my personal attention.”
Lillian curtsied and nodded. “Of course, Milord.”
That ‘Milord’ struck Gavin more than anything else that had happened. He wanted to deal with it right then, explain that he would never be ‘Milord’ to Lillian and their friends, but Terris’s throne room wasn’t the place for that, especially when there was a squad of Cavaliers holding a cooling corpse.
“Thank you,” Gavin replied.
As Lillian and the others led Holly and her father out of the throne room, Gavin passed the tome he was carrying to Kiri and began directing the Cavaliers in the placement of the body. As Terris and everyone in the throne room looked on, Gavin went about the task of arranging the corpse in as close a position as possible to how it lay when Torgunson died.
After a few moments, Terris returned to his throne and prompted Kiri to do likewise. After several minutes, he said, “Gavin?”
A few heartbeats passed before Gavin turned, saying, “Yes, Terris?”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to arrange the body to be as close to where it was before it was moved as possible,” Gavin replied, returning to his work. “Ideally, we would’ve done this before the body was moved, but I think we’ll be okay.”
“And just what is ‘this’?”
More silence passed before Gavin nodded and stepped back from the corpse. “Well, I think that’s as close as we’re going to get. I’m sorry, Terris; did you say something?”
“I asked what ‘this’ is that we’ll be doing.”
“Oh. I’m going to attempt calling Torgunson’s spirit back to question it. Kiri said his family has been a threat to you down through the years, and I want to be sure any threat died with him.”
Gavin held his hand out to Kiri, and she passed him the tome. He opened it and began flipping through its pages. About halfway through the book, Gavin stopped and concentrated on the pages before him. After a few moments, he nodded once and snapped the book closed, and held it out toward Kiri. Kiri took it, and Gavin stepped back. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, then drew just enough breath to speak one Word, “Mysphaex.”
No one in throne room felt the resonance of Gavin’s power as he invoked the Word of Interation, but they certainly saw its effect. The corpse slowly lifted from the floor until it hovered in a standing position a few inches off the tiles. A gray cloud resembling a thick fog bank coalesced around the body until all that remained was a smoky, man-shaped form. The shape looked more like classical drawings of a ghost, a torso that narrowed down to a rounded point, much like the tail stub some dogs have. Its arms had no apparent hands, and there was no neck between the rounded shape atop the torso and the torso itself. Gradually, the shape took on even more definition, forming legs and hands and a defined but featureless head. Gavin knew the process was complete when two pinpricks of light appeared where eyes would’ve been.
“Why?” a wispy voice said. “Why have you called me back here?”
“I would question you, shade,” Gavin said. “In life, you had information I want.”
The man-shape was silent for several moments, then replied, “I know you now, Planes-walker. You were not born here.”
“I didn’t call you back to tell me something I already know,” Gavin said. “Now tell me, who worked with you in your bid for the throne?”
“Why should I help my murderer?”
Gavin’s mouth quirked in a faint half-smile. “Because if you don’t, I’ll bind you to the throne of Vushaar so you can watch in impotence as the family you despise leads Vushaar to greater and greater heights of prosperity. Across the millennia, you’ll slowly go insane from watching the world of your life, unable to affect it.”
Silence reigned.
“Very well,” the shade almost spat. “Ivarson worked for me. Even if the king ordered his execution, as the Crown Princess’s betrothed, I would’ve been well-positioned to spirit Ivarson away to lead our master’s armies.”
“Who is your master?” Gavin asked.
“The Necromancer of Skullkeep,” the shade replied.
Gavin nodded, turning to Terris. “Is there anything you would ask?”
“What would’ve happened to Kiri if I had accepted your proposal?” Terris asked.
“The moment she bore me a healthy child to secure my dynasty, she would’ve died. I would have administered the poison myself.”
Gavin regarded the shade for a moment before he turned to Terris. “I don’t regret killing him now, Terris. I apologize for my reaction earlier. Do you have anything else to ask?”
Terris shook his head.
Gavin turned back to the shade. “I release you. Be on your way to whatever fate you face.”
The shade faded until not even the corpse or its clothes remained.
In the silence that settled on the throne room, Terris stood and stepped to the edge of the dais. “This has been a most unprecedented day. As you all know, it is our custom to hear petitions only until the midday bell, which will soon ring. For this day only, we will hold court until the evening bell and offer respite to any who wish to remain.” He shifted his attention to Gavin. “May I impose upon you to dine with me and my daughter?”
Gavin nodded once. “I think I can manage that.”
Chapter 6
Gavin followed Terris and Kiri into the common room of the massive suite that made up the Royal Apartments. Exquisite tapestries and artworks adorned the walls, and area rugs warmed the floors. Midday light streamed through impressive windows, lighting the space.
“I’ll return shortly,” Kiri said, already tugging at her mantle as she headed toward what Gavin assumed to be her rooms. “I want out of this—this torture.”
“You’ll just have to put it all back on again,” Terris said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Kiri did not deign to give him a reply.
Terris chuckled, but he too began undoing the fasteners of his outer court garment. “Make yourself at home, Gavin. I’ll be just a moment.”
“Thank you,” Gavin said.
By the time Terris returned a few moments later divested of most of his court attire, Gavin was standing by a plush armchair across which he’d draped his gold robe, leaving him in the simple—though exquisitely crafted—tunic and trousers he preferred.
Terris nodded at the robe, saying, “You wear it well.”
Gavin chuckled. “I hope so. The thought of what it represents can be…daunting.”
“Do you regret accepting it?”
“No,” Gavin answered, shaking his head. “If I hadn’t, Tel would be thrown into even greater chaos than it was in already.”
Terris frowned. “How so?”
“I have it on very good authority that the royal family died when I destroyed the slave marks
, just like anyone else who had ever used a brand.”
“Oh,” Terris vocalized. “So, Tel would have no leader right now.”
“Technically, Tel’s constitution empowers the Conclave of the Great Houses to appoint a regent in that case, but since I’m in Vushaar, the Conclave can’t convene. Yes, I could’ve teleported back…but not in the state I was in.”
Terris nodded and heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry, Gavin. I—”
“No. Do not finish that thought. If I had acted on my thought to order Torgunson picked up along with Varkas, none of what transpired today would’ve happened. It is I who should apologize to you.”
Terris chuckled. “I’m not certain I recognize a need for you to apologize to me. Perhaps we should just consider the matter settled.”
“Sounds fair,” Gavin replied.
Just then Kiri returned, and as Gavin turned to greet her, every thought in his mind evaporated. She was wearing one of the dresses he’d bought her in Tel Mivar, the blue dress with silver trim, which left her shoulders and arms bare. Gavin’s gaze moved from her eyes to her left shoulder, and he smiled at seeing unmarred flesh where once the slave mark had existed.
“Father, I want you to propose a betrothal between Gavin and me,” Kiri said, her words pulling Gavin out of his reverie. “As he is the Archmagister, it would constitute a dynastic marriage, so the talking heads will be satisfied. Even if he were not the Archmagister, I highly doubt they’d raise too much fuss over the Crown Princess marrying Kirloth.”
By the time Kiri finished speaking, Gavin had already turned the matter around in his head several times. In truth, he welcomed the idea. He couldn’t deny caring for Kiri more than he probably should, and the thought of returning to Tel and leaving her in Vushaar didn’t sit well with him. But as much as he wanted to accept the idea, the very desire to accept was why he couldn’t.
“No,” Gavin said, drawing both surprise from Terris and hurt from Kiri. In fact, Kiri’s expression told Gavin he could not have hurt or betrayed her more if he’d slipped a knife between her ribs. Every fiber of his being shouted at him to take it back, to say he’d made a mistake, to tell her how much he wanted to accept. But he couldn’t. He kept his face expressionless and soldiered on. “Kiri, you’re just recently returned home after two years I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. You need to get settled back into this life. Put distance and healing between you and those experiences. I think it’s best you take some time, and if you still feel a betrothal is what you want, we can revisit the topic.”
By the time Gavin finished speaking, Kiri’s eyes glistened with moisture, and her jaw was clenched. Without another word, she pivoted and strode back the way she’d come. The first door she passed through didn’t quite slam, but it was a near thing.
Gavin heaved a sigh and said, “I’m sorry, Terris. That was harder for me than you’ll ever know.” Gavin picked up his robe and draped it over his left forearm. “You should go to her. Don’t give her the opportunity to think you choose me over her.”
Without another word, Gavin turned and left the Royal Apartments.
* * *
Lillian knocked on the door of Kiri’s suite. She wasn’t sure she should be there, but Gavin had just returned to his suite a broken man, and she wanted to check on her friend. After a third round of knocking, Lillian knew she should leave matters be, but instead, she tried the door’s latch and found it unlocked. She opened the door and entered, closing the door behind her.
Lillian was no more than twenty feet into Kiri’s suite when she heard sobbing. She followed the sound and found Kiri draped across her bed, shoulders heaving with each wracking sob. Watching her, Lillian felt her own heart break just a little.
She went to the bed and said, “Kiri?”
“Go away, Lillian,” Kiri said—almost whimpered—between sobs. “I…I don’t want you, of all people, to see me like this.”
Lillian sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to Kiri. “You helped me when I didn’t want anyone seeing how fragile I was, Kiri. Do you honestly think I won’t be here for you now?”
“I thought you’d be going back to Tel.”
Lillian shrugged, even though Kiri couldn’t see it. “I can go home to Tel anytime I want. I know that estate like the back of my hand. Now, come here. Tell me what happened.”
A fresh round of sobs erupted from her friend. “He…he rejected me, Lillian. I asked Father to propose a betrothal, and Gavin rejected me.”
Lillian thought back to everything she’d seen Gavin do for Kiri and how he looked when he returned to his suite. The man she’d seen didn’t look like he’d rejected Kiri; he looked like he’d carved out his heart with a dull piece of wood. “Tell me what he said.”
* * *
The midday sun shone clear and bright, bathing the capital in its warm embrace. Telanna, Elayna, and Sarres walked among the few petitioners who chose not to stay for the expanded court hours. Walking back to the elven embassy, their mood was contemplative and silent. Telanna led them to the sitting room where she received guests and invited them to sit.
“This…complicates matters,” Telanna said at long last. “Asking the Head of House Kirloth for assistance is one thing, but Gavin is now the Archmagister of Tel.”
“Should we not discuss the matter of a dark elf ruling in the High Forest with him?” Elayna asked. “There may yet still be some way he could assist us.”
“I still say we could solve the matter by putting an arrow—or a dozen—in Nirrock,” Sarres remarked, almost a petulant grumble.
Telanna and Elayna both turned to regard him, their left eyebrows quirked upward in a question. In that moment, their sibling resemblance was beyond uncanny.
Sarres sighed. “Yes, I know it’s been discussed, and I know why the Synod decided against it…but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work.”
“And just how many more lives would be lost in the consequences of that action, Sarres?” Telanna asked.
“You don’t know it would spark a civil war,” Sarres rebutted. “Put all the evidence before the people and see what they say. More would side with us than you think.”
“Perhaps,” Telanna allowed.
“And perhaps not,” Elayna said. “There’s just no way to know. At least if we had secured Kirloth’s assistance, we could mitigate the worst of it.”
A heavy silence ensued, and just as it was becoming truly oppressive, Telanna said, “We should return to Arundel. At the very least, the Synod deserves to learn of the situation.”
Sarres and Elayna both nodded but maintained their silence. They stood with Telanna and followed her outside to the garden. Approaching a large oak, Telanna took Elayna’s right hand in her left and placed her right hand against its rough bark. Elayna took Sarres’s hand as Telanna whispered a series of words. Moments later, they vanished.
Chapter 7
Gavin stared at the door. He didn’t know how long he’d been standing there. Now that he was here, he was nervous and afraid. He could always slink back to his suite. That idea galled him, though. No…the only way out was through. He lifted his right hand, curled his fingers into a partial fist, and knocked three times.
A few moments later, the latch released, and the door opened. For the briefest moment, Gavin saw shock flit across Kiri’s face. As he watched her jaw work without saying anything, he noticed the puffiness around her eyes and the rosy tinge on her nose. Combined with how her eyes glistened, it was apparent to Gavin she’d been crying.
“Did Lillian send you?” Kiri asked at last. Her voice held a slight edge Gavin wasn’t used to hearing.
Gavin blinked. “Why would Lillian send me?”
“Never mind,” Kiri replied. “What do you want, Gavin?”
“I’d like to talk for a moment.”
Kiri heaved a sigh. “Fine. Come in.”
She stepped back and allowed Gavin to step inside. The door didn’t quite slam as she closed it, but it certainly wasn’t whisper quiet. Sh
e crossed her arms over her midriff as she asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
Gavin heaved his own sigh. “Kiri, I didn’t handle that moment as well as I should have. When you mentioned a betrothal, I…well…I was happy. I liked the idea.”
“Then, why didn’t you say that?” Kiri ask, her tone harsh enough to score stone as her eyes narrowed. “Do you have any idea how much you hurt me, Gavin? Do you?”
“No. I’m sure I don’t,” Gavin answered, “and I don’t have sufficient words to explain how much it weighs on me that I hurt you. I never want to hurt you, Kiri. I’m sorry I did. It’s…well, we just got rid of the slave marks. I don’t want you rushing into something because you think it’s what you’re supposed to do or what I want or you think owe me something. You can’t convince me those two years didn’t leave their own mark on you, and that’s not something that just goes away in the blink of an eye. I’m not trying to control you or tell you what to do or anything like that. I just want you to step back and get settled before you make such life-altering decisions.”
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe I have spent a lot of time thinking about it?” Kiri asked. “My hopes and prayers all came true, Gavin…until today.
“I’m home. My family is safe. I have new friends I never expected to have, who are also safe. And most of all, I’m not a slave anymore; no one’s a slave anymore. But even before you brought me home, Gavin, you had already given me my life back. There was no reason at all for you to be different from Kalinor or the men before him, but you were. You’re the only man, aside from my father, who I’m comfortable with…who I don’t feel uneasy or unsafe around. Even Braden and Wynn…and Roth Thatcherson, too. It’s nothing they’ve done or said; Roth would even give his life for me, and I know that. It’s just they’re men. You’re the only man I feel safe with.”
“Okay,” Gavin said. “What do you want to do? I mean, can we fix this? Do you want to fix it?”
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