“Good. Now, what will we be doing on this trip?” Loriot asked.
“I’d rather not discuss it in the corridor. What I’m doing is confidential. I’ll explain everything when we’re on our way.”
Loriot stifled his exasperation. “All right. I take it we’re going west, toward Amaranta?”
“Yes, but we won’t be leaving Tournai.”
Loriot nodded. “When do we depart?”
“By the end of the week. I have a few matters to conclude at the university and elsewhere before we leave,” Savarin said, his tone clipped. “I’ll send word to you.”
He was getting tired of Savarin’s high-handed manner already. “I have some matters of my own to handle before we go as well, so I’d appreciate some notice.”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Savarin standing in the middle of the corridor.
“SO,” AMORY said slowly, “were you trying to see if you could get Savarin’s head to explode?”
Philip laughed, which was at least half of Amory’s purpose in asking the question. “No, that wasn’t my intention.”
“You almost managed it anyway,” Etan said, settling more comfortably in his chair.
“I admit I didn’t anticipate that strong of a reaction,” Philip said. “I think it would be safer for Savarin to have some protection. Yes, he’s a powerful sorcerer, but he can’t protect himself as well if he’s concentrating on magic. And we need him concentrating on the magic.”
“Is the bandit problem that bad?” Etan asked and glanced away. “With everything with Tristan and Bria, and now getting them moved into the palace, I haven’t been paying as much attention as I should.”
“I think we can excuse you that, Etan.” Amory smiled at him, trying to convey some reassurance. Bria’s kidnapping had been traumatic for everyone involved, and Etan was justified in turning his attention to Tristan and the baby now, to make sure they got through the aftermath in one piece.
“Yes, but just this once. I can’t have these lapses. You’re supposed to be entirely informed on every single thing occurring in Tournai.” The twinkle in Philip’s eyes and the quirk to his lips showed that he teased, not that Amory wouldn’t have known that already. Etan too.
“Only in Tournai? I thought I was meant to cover more ground than that.” Etan smiled, seemingly shaken from his embarrassment at what he probably did see as a lapse.
“You are. I was going easy on you.” Philip returned Etan’s grin before going back to the more serious topic. “There are bandits in the area, and I do think it would be a good idea for Savarin to have some nonmagical protection.”
“But?” Amory prompted. He could tell Philip wasn’t only worried about bandits.
“But I’m not only worried about bandits,” Philip said, echoing Amory’s thought. “Ardunn has sent agents into Tournai on multiple occasions. They’re looking for information about us, our defenses, our vulnerabilities.”
The Ardunn Empire, far to their east, was ruled by an emperor who was obsessed with conquest. He continued to push into countries to Ardunn’s east, conquering and absorbing them into his empire. He also seemed to have a fascination with Tournai, which was wealthy and strategically located both for trade and for access to the western half of the continent. “You think Ardunn sent someone to test Tournai’s protections?”
“I think it’s a possibility.”
“A logical one, with recent events in mind,” Etan mused, his gaze unfocused as he likely turned over the idea in his mind. “If they’ve heard of the stories of the magical protections, they might have sent or hired a sorcerer to find out if the stories are true, and if so, if the protections can be breached.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“I can see why you wouldn’t want Savarin out there alone,” Amory said. “Even as capable as he is.”
“Capability means nothing if he’s caught unaware by agents of Ardunn. Or even bandits,” Philip added.
“Captain Loriot, though?” Etan asked. “Why send him?”
Amory had wondered the same from the moment Philip had ordered Captain Loriot to go and not told him to send guards with Savarin.
“Several reasons. Savarin doesn’t need a squadron of guards, especially since we don’t know that anything will happen. The bandits may have abandoned the border and gone back into Amaranta. Agents of Ardunn may not be anywhere near there or even been the ones testing the protections.” Philip shrugged. “We don’t even know when the protections were weakened. It could have been years ago.”
“True,” Amory said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Me either,” Etan said. “I wonder if Savarin has any way of determining that.”
“We’ll have to remember to ask him. In the meantime, I want Savarin to have some protection, someone to watch his back in case something happens, to give him the time he needs to defend himself. Just in case.”
“But Captain Loriot?” Amory asked it this time.
“Captain Loriot is good enough to do the job on his own.” Philip shook his head before Etan could speak, probably with the assertion that all of the royal guards were highly skilled and well-trained. “I could send multiple guards with Savarin, but this isn’t an ordinary mission for him. These protection spells are vital to Tournai, and it’s imperative that we keep knowledge of their weakened state from getting out. I need someone with discretion who also has the experience to do the job on his own.”
“I can see that,” Amory said. If that knowledge spread too widely and got into the wrong hands, they could all be in danger. “But Captain Loriot isn’t the only one who fits those criteria. His second would as well.”
“His second doesn’t know about our Talent.”
Both Amory and Etan were silent for a moment after Philip spoke. Finally Etan said, “Why do you think it matters that he does?”
“I don’t know if it will matter,” Philip said, an edge of frustration in his tone though it didn’t seem directed at Etan or Amory. “We don’t know much about these spells, just that they’re old. The legends of the cats are just as old, if not older, and we barely understand our own Talents. We’ve been worried that anything you find in your research in the archive might be tangled in records that mention our Talents.”
“Yes,” Etan said slowly.
Amory nodded, trying to follow Philip’s logic. “What are you thinking?”
“Is there a way they could be connected? Other than just in the potential for poor record keeping?”
Philip’s question took Amory aback, and from Etan’s expression, it did the same to him. “Why would you think so?” Etan asked.
“I don’t necessarily. I don’t know enough about these spells or magic in general, outside of our own odd Talents, to be able to form an opinion. Does anything you’ve found indicate one?”
“No. I would have told you.” Etan stared up at the ceiling for a moment. “I can’t imagine how they would be, but I’ve never heard of anything like the protection spells before, and our Talents are unique among any magic I’ve seen. I don’t understand enough about the spells to know if there could be a connection.”
“No one understands anything about the spells anymore. If anyone would, it would be Master Savarin,” Amory said.
“Exactly.” Philip flashed a small smile at Amory. “But he’s going to be out there looking. I don’t want anyone else to know our secret if we can help it, but if Savarin finds something that proves us wrong, we’ll have to consider it. Strengthening the protection spells is too important not to.”
“True,” Etan said. “And Captain Loriot’s part in this?”
Philip shrugged slightly. “He knows our secret even though he can’t disclose his knowledge to Savarin. He can tell us if what Savarin finds seems to indicate that there is a connection. Then we can decide what to tell Savarin. By then, hopefully your research will have turned something up anyway.”
Amory thought about it for a moment. “That makes sense.”
>
Etan agreed. “And we can all hope the precaution won’t be needed on any level. Any other considerations?”
“Captain Loriot won’t be intimidated by Savarin.”
Amory and Etan both let out a short laugh but nodded. Savarin was intimidating. Something about the way he carried himself, the way he looked at people…. Amory hadn’t quite pinned down what it was yet, but it was most certainly there. It was one of the first things Amory had noticed about Savarin, and probably kept more people from bidding for the man’s attention or shamelessly flinging themselves at him outright, given he was also ridiculously handsome, well-dressed, and well-spoken.
“He wasn’t happy about his orders, though, did you notice?” Etan asked.
“Yes. Not as vocal about it as Savarin but just as displeased,” Philip said.
“Should we send him?” Amory shook his head when Philip looked at him askance. “I understand your reasoning, but even with all of that, is his time and presence better used here?”
“I considered it, but his second is perfectly capable of standing in his place here.”
“And would be far more likely to be intimidated by Savarin there,” Amory completed Philip’s thought. Many of their guards would be, especially those who hadn’t had much exposure to the sorcerer. Really, Captain Loriot was the only one they could be assured wouldn’t be pushed around by Savarin, as he was the one Savarin liaised with on projects for Philip and Amory, and with Philip’s other, more important reasons, Captain Loriot really was the one they had to send. “Yes, I see. We really should do something about that. Having the guards susceptible to intimidation because of Savarin’s demeanor and powers can’t be a good thing.”
“I doubt they’d completely ignore orders when faced with Savarin, especially here in the city, but I see your point. We’ll discuss it with Loriot when he returns.”
“Will he return, do you think?” Etan asked, his eyes alight with mischief. “Or will Savarin run him off for good?”
“I don’t think Savarin could run him off,” Philip said, but then wicked mischief flooded his expression, thrilling Amory. He loved to see Philip that way. It made him appear his age, without the extra years his position had put on him. “But they’re both so stubborn, I’m not sure what condition either one of them will return in.”
SAVARIN TRIED to resign himself to his unwanted escort over the next day, but he had little success in banishing his frustration at Prince Philip’s command. He didn’t deny Loriot’s skill in his position; he couldn’t. But that didn’t mean he wanted Loriot along. He couldn’t see the captain doing anything except slowing him down. Loriot knew nothing of magic. Yes, they’d worked together in the past, Savarin lending his Talent to tasks for the princes that intersected with Loriot’s work. But Loriot had never had to stand over him while he used his Talent.
He wouldn’t have wanted Loriot standing over him.
He couldn’t imagine Loriot having any kind of patience for the work Savarin had to do on this trip. Loriot would be bored in minutes, especially since Savarin sincerely doubted he would need Loriot to handle any danger along the way.
But he couldn’t dissuade Loriot from accompanying him. He understood, if grudgingly—Prince Philip had given an order—but that understanding didn’t lessen his annoyance. It plagued him as he stalked to the university the next day, set on some additional time in the library before he left the city. A note from Master Corentin caught up with him there, but the news on that front wasn’t good either. Master Corentin was gracious in acknowledging Savarin’s interest and request, and apologetic in putting off a meeting due to his schedule at the university.
As if Savarin wasn’t busy himself.
Gemella laughed when he told her, even as he glared at her. “You’re too used to everyone snapping to at whatever you say. You’re upset because no one is doing what you want right now.”
Her statement did nothing to alleviate his disgruntlement. It might have deepened it. “That isn’t the point.”
“I think it is.” She leaned back in her chair and regarded him with a slight smile on her face. They were sitting in her cramped office at the university, the room barely large enough for her desk, two chairs, and a small cabinet. If Savarin wanted to stretch out his legs while sitting, his feet would end up in the corridor. The workroom that opened off the office was a decent size, but Savarin didn’t think that would make him feel better about the office were it his. Which was one of the reasons he didn’t keep an office or a workroom at the university. “Savarin, love, you are used to everyone falling in line with what you want because of who you are. I doubt you even know what to do when someone disagrees.”
“You disagree with me all the time.”
“Yes, and I’m amazed every day that we remain friends.” A teasing light made her brown eyes dance.
Savarin huffed and shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”
She smiled. “And what would you do without me?”
He didn’t answer, but he wondered for a moment what he would do without her. She might have been the person he was closest to in the world. He had few friends, but he and Gemella had been friends for over a decade, since their student days here at the university. He was studying sorcery, training his strong Talent; she was doing the same, except her Talent was for weatherworking. She’d come into it young, her family realizing when the weather over their house was different from the rest of the street. She’d married another student of weather magic at eighteen, lost him to an accident a year later, and delivered his child a few months after that. At twelve, that child was already showing signs of having inherited his parents’ Talents. Gemella hadn’t remarried or even come close.
Savarin had known her before her husband died and remained friends with her after. They had been lovers briefly, a few years after her husband’s death, but it hadn’t lasted. It couldn’t, though not for anything about her. She was intelligent and strong, and quite pretty with her thick blonde hair and tall, curvy figure. They just worked far better as friends where she could disagree with him to her heart’s content. And he’d still come to her when he needed someone.
Not that he would tell her any of that.
“I’ll send Master Corentin another note, requesting a meeting before I leave.”
She rolled her eyes but said nothing more about his curiosity over Master Corentin’s Talent. “When do you leave?”
“You tell me,” he challenged.
Another eye roll, but she chuckled. He always did this to her, because she had the strongest weather-sense of anyone in Tournai, and she always reacted the same way. “It’s going to rain tomorrow. Hard, and you won’t like traveling in that. I’d wait at least until the day after. Maybe the day after that so the roads won’t be a mess of mud, if you’re traveling off the main roads. But late next week or early the week after it’s looking like there’ll be storms, strong. I doubt you’re planning on waiting long enough for them to clear out.”
“I can’t, but storms would be inconvenient. Can’t you nudge them away?”
“No, I can’t.” She sent him a glare, probably for even suggesting it. “Not without dangerously disturbing weather patterns over three kingdoms for weeks to come.”
“They really are going to be strong, then, if you’ve looked into changing them.” Weather magic was delicate and difficult, something he knew even without possessing any Talent for it. Weatherworkers had to be cautious when using their Talents to change the weather because even a small change could have far-reaching effects. Magic had to be used carefully, when it was used at all.
“Yes. We’re still watching them. If something changes and they look to get worse, we may have to do something anyway.” She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “They’ll be stronger on the coast than inland, but some of them will be bad there too. Bad enough that you’ll want to be indoors until they pass.”
Inconvenient was putting it mildly, then. “I guess I’ll have to deal with it and plan acco
rdingly.”
Because he couldn’t put off this trip for so long.
Chapter 4
LORIOT BEGAN preparing for a time away from the palace and Jumelle of unspecified duration soon after he parted from Savarin. He doubted Savarin would give him much notice of their departure, nor did he think the man would wait for him if Loriot still had tasks to accomplish that would delay them. He briefly considered whether Savarin might leave without him anyway, but he couldn’t see him directly disobeying Prince Philip’s order.
Indirectly, certainly, but not blatantly.
In his palace office, Loriot consulted his schedule and the list of tasks he needed to accomplish, trying to determine what could be rescheduled or put off, what needed to be done before he left, and what he would have to push onto his second-in-command. He wished he knew how long they would be gone. But he had to do his best without it.
Loriot had joined the royal guard at eighteen, proving himself qualified through his already considerable skill with a sword and other weapons. He’d excelled in guard training and thrown himself into the work, the duty that was protecting the royal family. He still did, but much of his work was now administrative, consisting of shift schedules and training schedules, of reviews of palace and royal estate security and city defenses. The position of captain came with immense power in the palace and Jumelle, putting its holder in charge of the royal guard and technically the city guard, though the city operated under its own hierarchy on a daily basis. But the position came with a huge responsibility too, that of the safety and security of the royal family. He had to obey the princes’ orders, but leaving his primary responsibility to someone else, even someone capable, left a bad taste in his mouth.
His second-in-command, Ruban, was plainly surprised by the news of Loriot’s impending departure. His dark eyebrows flew up toward his hairline when Loriot told him, but he was experienced enough—he’d been with the royal guard as long as Loriot had—to not say a word about Prince Philip’s request. Ruban merely sat down and asked what needed to be done.
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