Edge of Darkness ~ A Darkness & Light Novel Book Three

by K. L. Schwengel

  "Stand down, Berk," Garek said.

  "Commander, I won't--" Berk snapped his jaw shut with an audible clack, flinching and giving Ariadne a startled look as though she had pinched him. The Emperor's sister, however, appeared not to notice, her attention on the mages, and Berk moved grudgingly back to stand close beside Ciara.

  "Is it the unanimous belief of this Council that Lady Ciara is to be tried for these charges?" Ariadne asked, her gaze sweeping once more across the mages.

  "It is not," Thadeus said.

  Vaedryn scowled. "It is the belief of the majority."

  "A scant majority." Thadeus gestured to the woman beside him who had ordered the warrant be given to Garek. "Laryn stands with me."

  "A scant majority, as you term it, is still a majority."

  "You will have a scribe provide me with your evidence, Lord Vaedryn," Ariadne said. "As well as a thorough accounting of each Council member's standing on the matter, and the reasons for the position they have chosen. If I find your decision bears merit, we shall talk again. Until such time, Lady Ciara shall remain free, and under the continued protection of Commander Garek. Should your guard approach her again, they do so in violation of an imperial edict, and shall be dealt with accordingly. Is that understood?"

  Vaedryn looked as though he had a mouthful of rocks, but whatever thoughts ran through his head remained there. "As you will."

  Ariadne remained pointedly motionless.

  Vaedryn shifted in his chair, then bowed from the shoulders. "Your Highness."

  The Emperor's sister smiled. "I shall expect your accounting by tomorrow evening, my lords and ladies. Good day."

  Ariadne turned, her gaze sliding Garek's way, a signal Ciara couldn't interpret passed between them. Garek gestured Ciara to follow Ariadne, and he and Berk fell in slightly behind and to either side of her. Ariadne's guards took up the rear of their procession. No one said a word until they were well away from the Council Chamber, and then it was Ariadne who finally broke the silence.

  "The impudence of them," she said. "And how considerate of them to wait until Dain and Bolin are well out of the city." She fell back to slip her arm around Ciara's shoulders. "Are you all right?"

  Ciara nodded. "Yes. Though I can't blame them for feeling how they do."

  "I can. It was my brother and the Council who demanded you be brought here, if I recall correctly. Bolin was against it from the beginning, but none were willing to listen to his warnings. I could have done more in that regard, I suppose." She sighed, her focus growing distant as they walked. "Dain put too much weight on what the mage's were saying because of his irritation with Bolin over some other matter. I should have stood up for Bolin. Still, the Council need look no further than each other if they want to lay responsibility at someone's feet. Not at you." Ariadne looked past Ciara's shoulder at Berk. "Or you."

  Berk held her gaze for a moment before looking away, a frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. Garek gusted out an exasperated sigh and Ariadne drew them all to an abrupt halt.

  "The two of you are quite the pair," she said to Berk and Ciara, her hands on her slim hips, head cocked. She studied them both for far too long, then turned her attention Garek's way. "Commander, will you escort Ciara to her rooms please."

  Berk started to say something but stopped at a shake of Garek's head. "You're off. Get back to the barracks."

  Berk nodded silently and started away, but the commander stopped him with a hand across his chest.

  "We'll be talking later, so you're aware."

  "Commander--"

  "Later."

  "Aye."

  Berk headed down the corridor, and Ciara turned her attention back as Ariadne said, "I owe you an apology for not seeing this sooner. I need to sneak Thadeus and Laryn aside and have a word with them. Go with Garek. I'll join you before dark, and we'll discuss how best to proceed."

  She gave Ciara with a quick hug, then headed back toward the Council Chamber. Garek watched her go, his thumbs hooked behind his wide belt, a frown wrinkling the parts of his face not hidden behind the mass of his red beard. His right index finger tapped the grip of a knife at his belt in a steady rhythm.

  Ciara gave him a moment to work through the thoughts playing behind his eyes before pointedly clearing her throat.

  "Yes, lass?" he asked, without looking her way.

  "I think we should go," Ciara said. "Before the Council decides to send someone after me again."

  Garek grunted. "They wouldn't dare. Not till they've had time to work through the lady's threat leastwise." All the same, he turned and gestured Ciara ahead of him.

  They walked a while in silence. Bolin's rooms, her rooms now, she thought with a flush of warmth, were situated at the top of the north tower, as far from the main areas of the castle as one could get and still be inside it. Ciara didn't mind. She liked the solitude. A trait thought would prove beneficial if the Council had its way. Only, their idea of solitude would come courtesy of a dungeon cell.

  Ciara sucked in a calming breath and turned her thoughts to other things. She had Garek on her side, and the Emperor's sister, Thadeus as well. That had to count for something.

  Garek's eyes flicked her way. "What's on your mind, lass?"

  "You don't think they'll arrest Berk, do you?"

  That got her a solid, lingering look, followed by a heaving of the big man's broad chest. He forced his fingers through his beard, scratching at his chin. "Best you save your worry for yourself."

  The words weren't said in an unkind manner, but they riled nonetheless. "I would think you'd care about what happens to him."

  Garek tugged a handful of his beard down, bending slightly toward Ciara as though to give her a better look. "See the grey here? Think it's years alone that put it there?" He straightened again, hooking his thumbs back behind his belt. "I do nothing but worry about each and every one of my lads, some more than others. But that's my burden. Not yours."

  "I consider him a friend," Ciara said. "If I can do anything to help him, I will."

  Garek blew out another sigh as they started up the winding stairs of the north tower. Ciara hadn't gone more than four or five steps when he stopped her, turning her with a heavy hand on her shoulder. He stood a step or two below her, putting them just about on level, and for the first time Ciara was able to look him straight in the eye. His were deep green with just a tinge of hazel, clear and bright, but with an underlying shadow that told of much he kept to himself. The corners were deeply creased, as much from laughter as worry.

  "The best you can do for Berk right now is keep your distance," he said softly. "Truth of the matter is, you see him as a friend, and that's all well and fine, but he'd like to see you as something more. Now, he knows that's a lost cause. At least, I hope he does. I've told him as much, and he's no fool. He's got eyes of his own. But he needs to clear his head and move forward, and I'm not sure you coddling him is going to be a help."

  "Coddling?" Ciara rolled her shoulders back and Garek's hand dropped to his side.

  "It comes from a good place. I know that. You're a good lass. But it won't help either one of you."

  "Thank you for your advice, Commander. I'll certainly take it into consideration," Ciara said as she turned away from him and started up the stairs.

  "Now, lass, don't take offense. Oh, for the love of--"

  His grumbling followed her the rest of the way up, and she left it behind the closed door of the study.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Sometime well after dark, Ciara gave up the pretense of actually eating the dinner of fresh bread, stew, and cheese delivered to her rooms by a young scullery maid. The food set her mouth to watering, yet her stomach rebelled at the tiniest nibble. So, Ciara took to pacing a path in the carpet between the fireplace and the desk, worrying at a hang nail.

  She knew nothing of the workings of the court, or the laws of Nisair. Life with her aunt had been uncomplicated, and though every day there were chores aplenty, it had been a
n easy life when compared to many. Ciara suspected, however, people like Lady Honval looked down their noses at simple, country healers. The mages were right about one thing, Ciara should never have come to Nisair. If not for Bolin, she would pack her few belongings and leave. There had to be a village somewhere that needed a healer. The city seemed large and cold, packed with people whose lives were nothing like Ciara's.

  A firm rap on the door stopped her mid-step, and set her heart racing. Imagination put the Council Guard in the corridor, ready to haul her to the dungeon. She couldn't fight them. They would slap chains on her and drag her away, and Lady Honval would probably follow along just to gloat.

  The knock came again, followed by Ariadne's voice calling her name. Still, Ciara didn't move. Another knock, louder this time, then the latch turned and the door swung slowly inward. Ariadne peeked around the edge of it, her smooth brow furrowing when her eyes landed on Ciara. The Emperor's sister said nothing, only crossed to Ciara and took her in her arms.

  Ciara forced herself to take a deep breath. "Did you talk to Thadeus?"

  "Yes." Ariadne's stepped back to hold Ciara at arm's length. "Are you all right?"

  "Too much time to think. My imagination tends to get the better of me."

  Ariadne's mouth tightened and she gestured to the chairs by the fireplace. "We should sit. We have much to discuss."

  The knot in Ciara's stomach tightened. Perhaps her imagination wasn't as wild as she thought.

  Ariadne gestured Garek to join them from where he waited just inside the study. He nodded curtly to Ciara, then went to pour them each a glass of heather line before taking a post by the fireplace, one shoulder leaning against the mantel.

  "Before we go too far, you need to understand what the Imperial court is like." Ariadne sat poised in her chair, hands folded loosely in her lap. "Everyone has enemies, and who those are could very well change from one day to the next as lords and ladies jockey for position in the lower ranks. It's ridiculous, really, and I despise it. It has always been such and, I imagine, always will be. The more powerful and influential a person is, the more enemies they are likely to have."

  "Or the more false friends and fawning bootlickers," Garek said.

  "Sounds like a bunch of mares squabbling over who gets to be herd boss." Of the two, Ciara would have preferred dealing with the mares.

  Garek snorted. "Mares have more sense than most of the nobility. Present company excluded, of course."

  "I should have seen this coming," Ariadne said. "I'm terribly sorry, Ciara. By the time I got wind of what Honval was up to, she had already convinced Vaedryn and most of the others to side with her. She and Reinhold are very close, and she is desperate to save his life."

  Garek muttered something under his breath, too soft for Ciara to hear.

  Ariadne ignored him. "Bolin is a very powerful man in just about every sense of the word. He has held a position, second only to the emperor, since the days of my father's reign. As such, he has earned himself some very powerful enemies both in, and out, of the court. For the most part, the Council has never been a friend to him. They resented his influence with my father and, though it's somewhat less with Dain, they would rather he had none at all. Arnok, in particular, continuously pushed Dain to set Bolin aside, and Vaedryn stood with Arnok. The Council was instrumental in sending Bolin to search for you. They were overjoyed to have him absent for so long, and did all they could to quietly alienate him, and drive a wedge between him and Dain.

  "You are a Lady of the Empire in your own right, possessed of power no one yet fully understands. That, unfortunately, makes you a threat to those mages uncertain of their own place. Beyond that, you are Bolin's named consort. Before he left for Galys Auld, he made clear to the court in general, and the Council in particular, exactly what your position is. He did so to secure your place in his absence." Ariadne frowned and shook her head, as though she felt Bolin should have known better. "Unfortunately, by doing so, he inadvertently threw you to the wolves. Arnok's supporters on the Council have, understandably, reacted badly to his death. They seem to overlook the fact he died as a traitor to the crown, openly attacking Dain, of all things. Reinhold awaits trial and certain execution for the part he played. The Council would love to lay the blame for all of it at Bolin's feet. They have enough sense to realize what a fruitless endeavor that would be. With both Bolin and Dain out of the city, however, you have become the perfect substitute. By discrediting you, they discredit Bolin."

  "Pack of cowards," Garek said, his voice an angry rumble. "What do they think'll happen when he gets back? He'll tear them apart."

  "Precisely," Ariadne said. "His options will be to renounce Ciara, or go for their throats. I think we all know what his choice will be. He won't give it even half a thought. He'll go for them and, in so doing, give them exactly what they want."

  Garek shook his head. "We need to call him back before this goes any further."

  "He would never get here in time to stop it." Ariadne gave Ciara a long, searching look. "What we need to do, is get you out of the Council's reach without anyone knowing. I can delay their actions, but Thadeus tells me they are, even now, considering warding you until the matter is resolved in their eyes. He and Laryn will continue to work on your behalf, and are close to swaying Delsiph to their side as well. That would give them the majority, and this whole thing would be put to bed. As much as I hate to be a pessimist, however, I just don't see that happening."

  Ciara set her untouched glass aside and stood to pace, rubbing her palms on her thighs. Lady Honval's words at their first meeting, and now Ariadne's on top of them, churned in her head until it threatened to burst. "You're suggesting I leave Nisair?"

  Truthfully, Ciara didn't hate the idea. She could find a nearby village, and return to the city when Bolin did. Or, better yet, she could ride south to meet him in the Greensward, and they could remain there. Galys Auld had once been Bolin's home, and Master Healer Konly would give Ciara a place in the Healing House. They could have a simple life, instead of one plagued by intrigue Ciara didn't understand, and had little desire to.

  "I think it would be best," Ariadne said.

  Ciara nodded absently. "Trust me, I've got plenty of experience running away, though I'm obviously not very good at it, because I always get caught. The thought of leaving here is a tempting one, but is it really the best idea? Won't it just prove to the Council that I believe I'm guilty of their claims?"

  "Bolin charged me with keeping you safe while he was gone." Garek said. "I'll hate to be me if he comes back to find you in a cell. So look at it not so much as running away, as merely removing yourself from a bad situation, while saving my hide in the process. There's nothing wrong with a tactical retreat."

  Ciara shook her head. "It sounds far better than a dungeon cell, but anyone who helps me will get themselves into trouble with the Council as well. I have enough of that on my conscience as it is."

  "Lass, trouble and I are well acquainted. To be honest, I'd rather face the Council's ire over a full dose of Bolin's wrath."

  "For this to work, you and your men will need to remain here," Ariadne said, looking up at Garek. "It would be too obvious to have you suddenly absent while I’m making excuses why Ciara can't appear before the Council. I am certain Vaedryn is keeping a very close eye on things."

  Garek's brow furrowed. "How exactly do you plan to do this, then? You'll be watched just as closely."

  "I've made other arrangements."

  The furrows in Garek's brow deepened. He locked eyes with Ariadne and, after a moment, his eyes widened. He pursed his lips and nodded, straightening to settle his fists on his hips. "You've sent for Ferris?"

  Ariadne nodded. "As soon as I received word of Ciara's arrest. He should be here late tomorrow."

  Ciara looked from one to the other of them. Garek continued to nod his head as though to some internal dialog, then turned slightly and directed his attention to the flames.

  "Who's Ferris?" C
iara asked.

  Garek held up his hand without turning, one finger raised to silence Ariadne before she could reply. The Emperor's sister studied Garek's back, her expression resolute.

  "You know he is the best choice," she said after Garek's silence wore on.

  The commander barked out a short laugh. "I'm not sure everyone would agree with you." Garek pivoted, leaned back against the mantel again, and folded his arms across his chest. He nodded toward Ariadne. "This is your hand, m'lady. You play it as you see fit."

  "He's a good man, Garek."

  "I've not said otherwise, have I?"

  "I'm not sure I want to be sent off with someone you don't trust," Ciara said to Garek.

  "It's not that, lass. He'll keep you safe, no doubt there."

  "Yet you don't seem too happy about Ariadne sending for him."

  "I trust him," Garek said. "Doesn't mean I like him."

  Ariadne blew out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Goddess defend us from the male ego."

  "You know 'tis not that," Garek said. "In any case, you don't think it's going to go unnoticed when Ferris comes riding into the city?"

  Ariadne gave him a look from beneath her brows. "He won't be announcing his presence, Commander. I doubt even you will be aware when he arrives."

  "That's not as comforting as you may think."

  "Have you another solution, Commander?" A bit of temper colored Ariadne's tone. "I am more than willing to hear how you would go about secreting Ciara out of the city, and keeping her hidden from the Council's notice."

  Garek chewed at his mustache, holding Ariadne's gaze, but not offering up any solutions.

  "I thought as much."

  "So where will I go?" Ciara asked, hoping to prevent any further argument between the two. Her nerves were jangled enough.

  Ariadne turned her attention back to Ciara. "There's a manor house a couple days west of here. You'll be safe there. Andrakaos, however, will also need to remain behind. At least for a day or two. His absence would most certainly draw attention, even before that of the Guard. Will that be a problem?"