“Reverse it, Lord Munir,” Thadro said, interrupting. “Imagine that someone was missing in the amir’s palace. Then imagine what the amir would say if His Majesty offered the King’s Own to help search.”
Munir’s mouth quirked. “You do have a point, Sro Thadro.” He turned his gaze to Kveta. She had followed us downstairs and was now once more lying quietly on her pallet. “Too bad Sra Kveta is incapacitated. It would be so much easier for her to track them.” Sighing, he shrugged. “Both of us sidelined, by injury and politics—”
“But we do need you,” Suiden said, also interrupting.
Munir stopped mid-declaim. “You do?”
“You can help us search your ships,” Suiden said.
Kveta lifted her head from her pallet, her ears pushing forward, while Munir’s expression went from wry to wary. “You think your missing people managed to reach the docks?” he asked.
“Given the time frame, it is entirely possible that they were stowed in someone’s cart or carriage,” Suiden said. “We need to cover all eventualities.” He saw the protestations forming on Munir’s face and his green eyes glinted. “I’ve already spoken to Jasry about it—no, not about searching the ship, but about perhaps coming on board to visit old places and older friends. Imagine my surprise when she told me I had to ask you, Adeptus Munir.”
Munir blinked; then his expression evened out. “There is nothing surprising about it, Your Highness,” he said smoothly. Caefen Jasry and Her Highness were both new and untried in their positions, so His Glory asked me to keep an eye on things. Strictly in an unofficial capacity, of course, like Sro Rabbit’s position when His Majesty King Jusson sent his untried ambassador to the High Council.”
While true Jusson had asked me to help along Ambassador Berle’s efforts to secure peace with the Border, I did not control—officially or unofficially—anything. Including myself. Remembering his barked order upstairs to Princess Rajya, I eyed the wizard, wondering who actually was in charge of the Turalian embassy.
“Interesting that you know of that, Adeptus,” Wyln said, doing his own butting in.
“Not really, Sro Wyln,” Suiden said before Munir could respond. “In fact, given the extensive network of those who serve His Glory’s interests, it would be amazing if he hadn’t known. And interests and knowledge notwithstanding, we still need to search m’Aurflagrare.” He turned to Kveta. “Your ship too, Sra Kveta.”
“Yes, of course, Your Highness,” Kveta said.
Greatly aware of the king’s impatience, Idwal quickly led us in a very thorough combing of the castle. The group I was with was assigned the storage rooms in the castle’s nether regions and while we found bins filled to the brim with dried beans, lentils, peas, rice, barley and other grains, potatoes and other tubers, dried fruit and barrels of fall apples, plenty of smoked and dried meats, braids of onions and garlic hanging from rafters, wheels of cheese stacked on shelves, kegs of ale and tuns of wine, we didn’t come across Captain Javes and the rest. Finally, dusty and a little weary, we all trudged out into the courtyard where the Lord and Lady of Mearden had welcomed us to their home just yesterday. The sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows that plunged us into early twilight as the rest of the groups assembled. Judging from their faces, they had as much success as we did.
“I have sent messengers to the nearby farms and the word has been taken to the town constable and harbor authorities, Your Majesty,” Idwal said to Jusson. “I have also armsmen patrolling on the roads, so that just leaves the forest.”
“It’s rather late,” one of the aristos said, looking at the deepening shadows. “Perhaps we should wait until morning when we’ll have more light—”
“No,” Jusson said. The line was still between his brows and there were additional lines carved on either side of his mouth. “No waiting. If necessary, we can use dogs to search the woodlands.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Idwal said. “My huntsmen are getting them from the kennels.” He indicated a group of men dressed in forest green, some with torches under their arms. “I also have woodsmen to guide us.”
“Good,” Jusson said. Turning at the sound of hooves against paving stone, he swiftly walked over to the groomers leading horses entering the courtyard and just as quickly mounted. The shadows seemed to follow the new lines on his face, giving his countenance a saturnine cast as he stared down at us. “We will cover the entire forest and not stop until we reach either the sea or cultivated lands. Mount up and move out.” With that, he wheeled his horse and rode out of the courtyard, Thadro, Suiden, and his nobles scrambling to mount up and follow. Wyln hesitated a moment, his head turning between me and the king. Then, apparently deciding that Jusson’s need was greater, he murmured, “Stay with your guards” and, just as quickly mounting, he took off after the king with a clatter of hooves. As I gathered my own men, I saw Ryson standing off to the side and, feeling contrary, motioned to him.
“You’re with me,” I said.
“I don’t know, Rabbit,” Ryson said, eyeing the faces of the other troopers in the search group. “Maybe I should go find Groskin—”
My contrariness increasing, I slid my staff into the loops on my saddle and swung up on my horse. “It’s not a suggestion. Mount up.”
Ryson’s worried expression didn’t change, but he nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said, and also swung into the saddle.
“You can’t save everybody, Rabbit,” Jeff said quietly from beside me. He and Arlis had also mounted and maneuvered their horses next to mine.
“Ryson can save his own damn self,” I said quietly back. “I just don’t want to explain to Suiden why I let Ryson be hazed—”
“I’m sure Suiden doesn’t care one way or another,” Arlis said, bored.
“He cares,” Jeff said. “But you’re not his lieutenant anymore, Rabbit.”
“Yeah, well, tell that to Suiden—”
“Ah, there you are,” Idwal said, trotting up to us on his horse. “You’re riding with me.”
“I am, my lord?” I cast a glance my group of searchers. “And the others?”
Idwal gave a glinting smile. “What I meant is that we’re all riding together. And we should hurry before His Majesty wonders where we are.” With that, he wheeled his horse and led us out the gate and down the same road where I had raced a white stag earlier. This time, though, I had a much more placid mount who was quite happy to be behind Idwal’s as we descended the tor into the wooded lands, where in the waning daylight the trees’ bare limbs rising up made me think of drowned forests. Deciding I didn’t need any more spooking, I turned my gaze from them and glanced back at folks strung out behind us on the narrow road, streaming out of the castle gate. There were twenty in our group, including Jeff, Arlis, and Ryson—twenty-one with Idwal—and as soon as we reached the bottom of the tor and the somewhat wider road, we bunched up some. Idwal stopped for a moment to talk with the huntsmen and foresters standing by the side of the road. He then gave a light tap to his horse’s side and started again, motioning for me to ride beside him. Tucking my cloak about me to ward off the late afternoon chill, I urged my horse forward.
“So you do have all four aspects,” Idwal said. His gaze flicked up to the hovering spheres before dropping down to where my ash-wood staff was fastened by loops to the saddle. He then looked at me.
Like with his daughter the night before, I had expected talk about my da or about the proposed betrothal—or both. Thrown off balance, I paused. “Yes, my lord,” I said after a moment, keeping my face blank.
Idwal must’ve caught something in my expression anyway, for he smiled. “I’ve heard rumors, Lord Rabbit, but in living by the sea I’ve learned to be skeptical of fish stories.” He cast me another glance. “I suppose, in your case, seeing is believing. Damn me if you’re not the spitting image of your grandfather—though I wonder what Lord Alain would’ve said about all the frills and furbelows you’ve decked yourself out with.”
“I wouldn’t know, my lord,”
I said, my voice just as noncommittal as my face. “He died before I was born.”
“So he did,” Idwal agreed. “Died before any of Rafe’s children were born, though I understand your eldest—sister, is it? Anyway, her birth not only just missed his death, but also just made it past Rafe and Hilga’s wedding.”
Whatever my feelings were on the recently learned timing between my ma and da’s marriage and River Rain’s birth, I wasn’t about to let Idwal rummage about in them. I kept quiet.
Idwal was unperturbed by my silence. “Wonder also what he would’ve said about that,” he mused. “Just as I’ve often wondered what he would’ve said about Rafe running off and hiding in some far-flung land.”
Thinking I didn’t give a flying rip what my grandda might’ve said, I said nothing. Idwal gave another glinting smile.
“I remember when I first heard that one of Rafe’s sons had come to Iversterre and I thought, ‘That’s false, for surely, given the reason why his father left, he would know better.’ Yet here you are.”
When I didn’t answer that sally either, his smile broadened.
“Then I heard that the king had made this same son his heir and I thought, ‘Oh, no. His Majesty’s lords and advisers would never stand for that.’ Yet again, here you are, wearing the king’s colors.”
I kept my gaze between my horse’s ears and my mouth shut, and Idwal’s smile broadened more, his teeth white in the late afternoon shadows. “And then I heard that His Majesty was giving the House of Dru’s assets to his heir—”
What the effing hell? My gaze flashed to Idwal and he laughed, his hazel eyes decidedly green.
“Ah! A reaction. But is it because I know to ask, or is it because my lord Rabbit didn’t know himself?”
“Why did you invite me to Mearden?” I asked back.
“Why? Several reasons. Perhaps we’ll get to them before the visit’s over.” Idwal cast another glance at the hovering spheres. “In the meantime, try not to burn the forest down, if you can.”
With that Idwal kicked his horse, riding off the road and into the trees.
Stopping, I frowned after him, the members of our search group splitting about me to follow Lord Idwal. However, my personal guards remained, Ryson looking perplexed.
“I don’t understand,” Ryson said. “I thought he wanted you to marry his daughter.”
Jeff, Arlis, and I all looked at him. “Eavesdropping again?” Jeff inquired politely.
Ryson scowled. “No. You just hear things, is all. And the barracks was full of how we were coming here so that Rabbit could meet Lady Berenice.”
“Yeah, well, that was the rumor,” I said.
“It seems that whatever his intentions were, he’s changed his mind,” Arlis said.
Or Idwal never meant any match between Berenice and me to happen in the first place. Which meant there was another reason he had pushed so hard to get me here. Rubbing my gloved hand against my stomach, I urged my horse forward. “Right now we have more important things to worry about. Let’s go.”
As we caught up with Idwal, our search party slowed down to a walk and spread out, becoming a thin line that combed through our part of the forest, the huntsmen and foresters out before us with their torches and dogs. I kept my eyes ahead, fighting to keep my mind on the search as I scanned not only for our missing, but also for holes, roots, and other traps for the unwary in the deepening shadows on the ground. To my not so surprise, I wasn’t quite successful. But it wasn’t marriage proposals and the events of the past couple of days that my thoughts kept drifting to, or even the jabs Idwal had just thrown at me. Rather, I found myself wondering exactly what Jusson knew about Mearden’s intentions and where he himself figured in them.
“Damn it, Rabbit,” Jeff said.
Shaking myself out of my dark brooding, I withdrew my gaze from the ground and turned it on Jeff. “What?”
“Jeff said that the dogs are acting weird,” Ryson said. “And they are.”
Now that it had been pointed out, I could see that Jeff and Ryson were right. They were acting strange; there was none of the bounding exuberance of being out of the kennels and on the hunt. Instead, their tails were tucked tight, their ears flattened against their skulls, and the huntsmen had to damn near force them to go out beyond the horses. Frowning, I sat up straighter in my saddle and began searching more closely the trees and their shadows.
“If Suiden were here, he would’ve slammed you into next week for not paying attention,” Jeff said.
That was very true, but I wasn’t going to admit it. “I was paying attention,” I said, hiding my wince as the truth rune caused a stabbing pain in my palm.
“No, you weren’t,” Jeff said. “You were ignoring the dogs—and you were ignoring me. But that’s nothing new. You always ignore me.”
“Oh, good Lord,” Arlis muttered. “Here we go again.”
“I do not,” I said, ignoring Arlis. “You ignore me.”
“Did they argue like this when they were Mountain Patrollers?” Arlis asked Ryson.
“Some,” Ryson admitted.
“The hell I do,” Jeff said, ignoring Ryson. “I say something to you and you either stare through me or bite my head off. Usually both.”
“I do not bite your head off.”
“Yeah, you do,” Jeff said. “Like you did a moment ago.” He mimicked my expression. “ ‘What?’ ”
“Both of you take turns ignoring each other,” Arlis said before I could deny I’d sounded that surly. “And you both take turns aggravating the hell out of each other. Just like an old married couple.”
Jeff turned on Arlis. “Oh, sod you and your horse—”
“And like a jealous spouse, you get bent out of shape when anyone intrudes on your special relationship,” Arlis said, his face malicious.
“They’re just good mates,” Ryson said, frowning a little.
“While you’d cozy up to a midden to take advantage of the muck,” Jeff slammed back at Arlis.
I sighed, rubbing my head with my still stinging hand. “Jeff.”
Jeff gave me a hard glance before glaring back at Arlis. “In fact, you can have this trash heap. I’ll ride with the other guards.”
“Don’t bother,” Arlis said. “I’ll ride with my old patrol, so you can have Rabbit all to yourself.”
Jeff and Arlis wheeled their horses in opposite directions, leaving me with Ryson.
“You know, Rabbit, I think I should ride with my troop mates too,” Ryson said. “Before they accuse me of sucking up again.”
Before I could respond, he too rode off, leaving me alone. Well, as alone as I could be surrounded by twenty searchers, foresters, several huntsmen and their dogs, and of course, the aspects. I found myself looking at them, as if inviting comment on the spat between my personal guards. However, their only response was to shift about me, the water sphere moving out in front. With another sigh, I urged my horse forward once more to take my place in the line. The searchers on either side moved apart and I slipped in between them. They also gave me sidelong stares, but I ignored them as I resumed my scanning and brooding, thinking that my personal guards could go pound sand. I never wanted them in the first place, had never wanted to be in a position where I needed to have personal guards. I didn’t want to be Jusson’s heir, didn’t want sixty-four lines to the throne. I didn’t want anything to do with the House of Dru and whatever assets were salvaged from its fall. And I didn’t want to be here, didn’t want to be married, most definitely didn’t want either Mearden or the amir as an in-law, and I didn’t want to be looking for missing friends in a forest where the huntsmen’s hounds cowered in what should be a familiar place.
I didn’t want any of this.
The thought arose again of slipping down to the town and maybe boarding the first ship leaving Iversterre. Granted the harbor was full of Idwal’s merchantmen, plus the Qarant and Turalian ships. There were also the windriders I saw arriving yesterday. But there had to be at least one ship wit
h ties to other places. Places that would not care who I was if I were to wash up on their shore as long as I was able to pay my way. Mentally crossing off the Svlet ships, I reached under my cloak to weigh my purse and my hand brushed against the heavy one, full of the fruits of my race on Dandelion. I damn near grew light-headed as I realized that I had enough to go just about anywhere and probably still be able to establish myself wherever I chose to make landfall. And if it weren’t enough, then my back was strong. I’d started over once before without anything except the clothes I wore. I’d no problem doing the same once more.
My hands tightened on the reins of their own accord and I had started to turn my horse towards the road when a flash caught my eye. I looked up to see that the water sphere no longer hovered over my horse’s head, but had moved out a ways, as had earth on the other side. Glancing behind me, I could see that air and fire had drifted to the rear. Returning my gaze to the water sphere, I eyed it warily as I urged the horse once more towards the road. While my fat purse would ease passage in most places, there were those who didn’t care for wielders of the talent. And those who cared too much. When I left Magus Kareste and ran away to Iversterre, I just didn’t let on that I was mageborn. Now, however, I didn’t know if I could hide it, especially with all the changes that had happened to me in the past year. Including how the aspects seemed determined to manifest when and as they willed. On the other hand, there had to be ways to ditch my spheres, to cut myself off from the talent. I’d suppressed it when I’d first come to Iversterre, only to have it reassert itself when I’d come into my full power last spring. But I was stronger now, more in control. I could make the aspects obey me for once and banish them forever—
The wind shifted and the scent of the sea washed over me and I slowed before coming to a stop, frowning. I’d denied my talent once and things eventually went sideways. Denying it again was not a good idea. And running down to the harbor trying to buy passage on some strange ship while wearing my King’s Own uniform was even less intelligent. In fact, running off anywhere would be Ryson-sheep-biting stupid. Despite what I had said to Princess Rajya last night about Jusson not wanting unwilling liegemen, I had a strong suspicion that the king would be even more reluctant than Magus Kareste in letting me go—and breaking one’s indentures, while serious, did not hold a candle to breaking one’s oaths to one’s king. And there was my cyhn Wyln—and Thadro and Suiden. All who would take very poorly any disappearing on my part. A cold sweat broke out along my spine as I realized how close I’d come to being hunted down and brought back in chains.
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