The door opened and he turned to face Martha. “Your Highness,” Martha said, formally. “I present to you Mistress Hind.”
Eric felt his heart leap into his mouth as Hind was shown into the room. She hadn't changed in the years since he had last set eyes upon her, apart from a new grimness in her eyes. Her long blonde hair had been braided into a ponytail – it hung down her back – contrasting oddly with the trousers and shirt she wore. He did his best to keep his eyes off her breasts, but the strange flicker of amusement in her bright green eyes suggested that he had failed. Eric felt his mouth go suddenly dry and he wanted to run and hide. How could he even make small talk with her, let alone discuss marriage and all that that entailed?
“Mistress Hind,” he said, with equal formality. As a Master Magician, Hind was entitled to as much deference – and respect – as a Lord. He privately considered that she was worth far more than a Lord – he’d spent too long meditating between the various political factions in the House of Lords – but the formalities had to be observed. “Welcome to the Golden Palace.”
Hind went down on one knee, bowing her head. Eric felt a flush rising to his cheeks and banished it with a mental discipline that he had learned at the Academy. He knew what that ancient formality had signified, long ago in the past, and cursed himself for thinking of it right now. It was the last thing he wanted on his mind, even though part of him just wanted to take her in his arms and press his lips softly against hers. But then, it was far too early.
“Please, rise,” he said, urgently. He looked over at Martha. The maid was keeping her face straight, but he was sure that he detected amusement lurking deep within her dark eyes. “I’ll call if I need you.”
Martha took the hint and left the library, closing the door behind her. Eric schooled his features to immobility – or as near to immobility as he could manage – as Hind rose to her feet. Standing tall, she was almost as tall as him and her eyes met his without flinching. That, at least, was unsurprising. Hind had known him when they’d been partners and it was hard to hold to the proper respect when she’d seen him with his guard down. The memory of some of their escapades rose up with him and he found himself smiling. A second later, she returned the smile.
“It’s good to see you again,” he said, and held out a hand. She clasped it firmly. Even if she rejected his suit, he found himself hoping that she would stick around until Midsummer’s Eve. She had always been fun to be with. “I understand that you had a little adventure seven days ago?”
Hind took the hint and started to talk, telling him all about the wellspring and the monster she’d encountered lurking within the magical pool. She barely paused when he pointed her to a comfortable seat and sat down opposite her, detailing what had happened and how she’d escaped. She attributed most of it to dumb luck, but Eric knew better. Hind had always been resourceful and clever. Her tale fascinated and horrified him in equal measure. Magic could be very useful, if controlled, but when it was uncontrolled the results could be dire. People without magical talents had no business playing with fire.
“I told the locals to stay away from the forest until the Academy managed to take a careful look at the wellspring,” Hind concluded. “The Grandmaster said that he might try to dispatch a team to investigate properly after Midsummer’s Eve, but until then we’re probably going to have to abandon it. It’ll just be another part of the wildwood.”
Eric nodded. There were hundreds of magical wellsprings scattered over Touched and some had given birth to truly strange creatures. There were entire tracts of land where no human dared venture, save at risk of his life. The wildwood, the strange forests that sprang up around an uncontrolled wellspring, helped dissuade visitors, although they were never completely successful. There were plenty of magic-users who believed that they could find the power to boost their own powers within the wellsprings. The lucky ones died in the attempt. The unlucky ones lived as object lessons...and objects of pity.
The conversation passed from subject to subject, never staying in one place for long. Eric told her about his brief stay with Lord Danlo and how the old magician had tried to teach him some of the spells for summoning demons, even teaching him a couple before Eric had finally managed to convince him that he didn't want to know. The Academy’s advice on summoning demons had boiled down to one word. Don’t. Hind hadn’t been surprised and had countered with a story about uncovering a cult of demon-worshippers in a small town, one that had tried to kill her before she’d been able to bring down the Guard on them. They hadn’t managed to summon anything, much to her relief, but with that kind of bad intentions, they would have succeeded sooner or later. And then all hell, quite literally, would have broken loose. She was easy to talk to and Eric almost lost his nerve. Perhaps he could speak to her tomorrow about marriage...
But he couldn't leave it. He’d promised his father.
“Hind,” he said, finally. His mouth was dry again. He would have sooner faced a hundred demon worshippers stark naked, without a single weapon. “Do you know why I invited you here?”
It was a stupid question. He knew that as soon as the words came out of his mouth. Of course she knew; his father and the Grandmaster had arranged matters so that she would know, sparing him the experience of having to broach the subject himself. She knew and all the time he’d been chatting about nothing, catching up on her life and her on his, she’d been wondering just when he was going to ask her to marry him.
“The Grandmaster hinted pretty bluntly,” Hind said. Her tone was carefully neutral, but Eric knew her well enough to detect a hint of nervousness under her words. He hadn’t really believed that she might be as nervous as he was. Hind had always been confident when she faced the world. “You want me to marry you.”
Eric opened his mouth, and then closed it again. It was so hard to think of the right words. He knew it looked like he was fumbling, but he couldn't help himself.
“Yes,” he said finally, wondering how many of the gods were laughing at him from their home in the clouds. “Hind, I...”
All of his carefully-prepared explanations seemed to slip out of his mind. “I like you,” he said, finally, and cringed inside. She could mock him for years now and he would deserve it. His father hadn’t told him how hard it would be to ask a girl to marry him, particularly a girl he genuinely liked. He felt his face flushing again and looked up to see that she was flushing too. Oddly, he found that reassuring. “I think that you could make a good...”
“Royal Consort,” Hind said, completing his sentence when he broke off. Eric was almost relieved. All of the courses – and practical experiences – he’d had on diplomacy had never covered anything like this. “Eric...I like you too.”
Eric felt his face growing warmer. He would have been surprised if someone couldn't have used his face to cook. The surge of relief almost kept him frozen for a moment. She hadn't said no! A part of his body demanded that he kiss her right now, but he kept that part under firm control. The last thing she would want was to be pawed by a man, even a Prince.
“I know it’s a hard choice,” Eric said, feeling the words spluttering out one by one. “I know that it will change everything, but...I promise that I will be a good husband for you and that I will...”
Hind held up a hand. “I know you will,” she said. “I don’t doubt it.”
She paused. “Eric...I do have to think about this,” she added. “I cannot say yes or no now.”
Eric nodded in understanding. The noble families were used to arranged marriages – sons and daughters were traded for alliances, or wealth and power – but commoners rarely had to consider all of the aspects involved in a marriage. In one sense, Hind didn't have to worry about inheritances or bloodlines, but if she married him, she would have to watch her step. There wouldn't be any shortage of Ladies of the Court who would try to undercut and disgrace her.
“I understand,” he said. His father had warned him that this might happen. “Please will you stay with us for a
week before you make up your mind?” He gave her his best smile, the one that he’d been practicing on the maids. “I would love your company for the next few days.”
The smile she gave him in return could have launched a thousand ships.
Chapter Four
The sunlight was streaming through the windows when Hind awoke, blinking in confusion as she took in her surroundings. She was lying in a massive four-poster bed, positioned in the centre of a room that was larger than some of the Academy’s classrooms. Just for a moment, she wondered where she was and how she’d come to be there, before remembering. Last night, Eric - Prince Eric of the Golden City, Prince of Larkrise, Heir to the Throne of Touched – had proposed to her. It hadn’t been a surprise – not after the Grandmaster had warned her in advance – but somehow it hadn't been real. He’d proposed to her!
She stretched, shaking her head and allowing her blonde hair to spill down her back. Hind rarely slept naked – it was unwise while she’d been in the Academy, or serving as a Freelance Mage – but she hadn't been able to resist the temptation of silken sheets. Besides, she hadn't brought any proper nightwear with her and she hadn’t wanted to bother the maids with a request they found something for her. She thought that she was reasonably safe from Eric trying to climb into her bed – he’d never been that kind of person, even as a younger man – and few others would have dared to risk her wrath. Even though she hadn't set the wards around her bedchamber, the wards she’d worked into her own body would have required a Master Magician to undo and anyone who tried would definitely wake her up. There might have been something odd about the wards surrounding the Golden Palace – they felt peculiar to her senses – but they seemed to be perfectly serviceable. The Golden Palace was the safest place on Touched.
A bird outside called to its mate and Hind smiled, pulling herself out of bed and inspecting herself in the mirror. She looked...well enough, she decided, as she stepped over to the small table at one end of the room. The maids had left a small selection of clothing for her there, allowing her the chance to pick and choose between several different outfits. Hind cast her eyes down a pile of garments, some of which probably cost more than her entire earnings for the decade, and shook her head. She didn't have any idea how to put on half of the strange clothing. One dress, a silvery outfit that sparkled when the sunlight struck it, seemed to be designed to be impossible to don. It took several minutes before she located her original outfit and realised that someone had cleaned it for her. She waved her hand over it, casting an incantation to check that no one had attached any nasty surprises to her clothing, and then pulled the clothes on. The sunlight was calling to her and she wasn’t going to spend any longer in bed.
She opened the door and stepped onto the landing, feeling her bare feet pressing against the carpet. “Mistress,” a voice called, from behind her. It was one of the maids. “Surely you don’t intend to go out like that?”
Hind felt her eyes narrow at the maid’s tone. She was loyal – the tiny spelled jewel implanted in her forehead proved that, marking her out as a person under an unbreakable loyalty spell – but clearly she was allowed to hector her superiors. Hind had never been comfortable around servants, even the maid she was allowed as part of her Freelance Mage position, and tried to avoid having anything to do with them. At the Academy, the building itself had taken care of all of her requirements.
“I intend to find the dining hall” – it hadn't occurred to her just how large the Golden Palace was, or how hard it would be to find anything without the building’s help – “and eat breakfast,” Hind said, trying to keep her voice level. Some loyalty spells punished their wearers if they believed that the servant had annoyed her superior. “Is there something wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Oh, no, Mistress,” the maid said. “I just thought that you would prefer to dress formally for breakfast and...”
Hind cut her off. “No, thank you,” she said, tartly. If this was the kind of environment that Eric had grown up in, it was a minor miracle that he wasn't a spoilt brat. But then, his father had always been a sensible man. “Please escort me to where I am expected to eat breakfast today.”
The maid bowed and turned, leading Hind along a long corridor and down a massive flight of stairs. Hind followed in her wake, already regretting her harsh tone. Loyalty spells had always sent a chill down her spine, for she knew that they could easily be abused by an unscrupulous master. The maid had probably accepted the spell voluntarily as the price for working in the Golden Palace and that meant that it was unbreakable. She would have no choice, but to obey any order given to her by one of the Royal Family, or their guests. There was no way, short of examining the spell directly, to determine what limits had been placed on it by the original magician or sorcerer.
“The Breakfast Hall, Mistress,” the maid said, with another bow. “May I be released from your service?”
Hind nodded absently, already stunned by the sight before her. The Breakfast Hall was easily large enough to feed an army, yet there was only one table in the room, covered with small plates of food and drink. A couple of lesser nobility glanced up at her, found her of little interest and looked away again. Hind was almost insulted, yet she kept her peace. Eric had agreed not to mention that she might become the Royal Consort until she actually said yes, or no. Besides, one of the nobles was digging into a plate of sausages and only had eyes for his food.
“Hind,” a female voice said, from behind her. “You have to be Hind, right?”
Hind turned, to see a small dark-haired girl wearing Academy robes. She recognised Princess Eleanor from her official portraits, although the portraits had never shown just how brightly the girl smiled. At fourteen years old, Eleanor would still be at the Academy, although the Grandmaster had clearly consented to allow her to take a few weeks off until after Midsummer’s Eve. As the youngest child – and only daughter – of the Royal Family, Eleanor would probably be encouraged to learn as much magic as possible, even though she would probably not be allowed to become a Journeyman. One day, she would be married off to someone for best political advantage.
“I am,” Hind said. She had wondered how the other royals would take to her, but Eleanor seemed to have no doubts. “I was wondering...”
“Eric is probably being dragged out of bed by a pair of burly knights,” Eleanor said, with a wink that would have gotten her whipped in some of the more conservative kingdoms. She giggled, in the way that all younger sisters giggled at their older brothers since time out of mind. “He should be downstairs in a few minutes.”
Hind took the seat Eleanor waved her to and accepted a bowl of oatmeal porridge from one of the servants. Breakfast on the road as a Freelance Mage had been something of a hit-or-miss prospect, but at the Golden Palace it seemed that all breakfasts were formal. The servants took the bowl as soon as she had finished and replaced it with a plate of bread and meat. Eleanor chatted happily as Hind devoured the food, barely pausing long enough to notice when Eric came into the hall and ordered a massive mug of something black and steaming. Hind took one sniff and decided to stick to fruit juice.
“I was thinking that we could go down to the city today,” Eric said, formally. He seemed to have lost his embarrassment from the day before, although Hind had to admit that he didn't seem quite human until he had eaten and drunk his way through a large breakfast. She couldn’t complain about that. Her old Master had always insisted that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and had taught her to eat a proper breakfast every day she could, even threatening to whip if she failed to eat. “The Midsummer Faire is underway and my presence is...desired.”
He grinned at her, all formality forgotten. “And besides, the City Guard would probably be pleased to see another Master Magician,” he added. “The usual troublemakers have turned up for the trials.”
The Golden City lay below the Golden Palace. It was the largest city on Touched, although Hind knew that several of the cities in Azimuth came cl
ose in population density alone. Its exact legal status was in some dispute owing to the considerable number of freemen in the city and its proximity to the Emperor’s place of power. The city was officially governed by an elected mayor, who pledged loyalty to the Emperor each year, and both sides tried hard to avoid putting pressure on the relationship. She was mildly surprised that the Knights of the Golden Order allowed Eric to go down to the city without a massive force of armed guardsmen, but as they headed down towards the city gates, she noted that they were followed by a surprising number of birds. The Knights had more than a few surprises up their sleeves.
It had been a year since she had last set foot in the Golden City and it was always a pleasant surprise to discover how clean it was, compared to almost every other city and town she’d visited. The Mayor and his Council kept the streets clean by employing men to take rubbish away from the buildings, as well as hiring a proper force of guardsmen to keep order. They were probably stressed to the limits now, Hind knew; with the Midsummer Faire underway, their city was overrun by magic-users and hustlers. Hind had helped her Master police one of them, years ago, and she’d been horrified by how many magical accidents – and genuine malice – had affected the local population. The smarter natives would have sent their families out of the city if they could, knowing that they might end up being turned into toads, or worse, if a drunken magician decided to have a little fun. The City Guard was rarely able to do anything about it.
The Black Knife Page 4