by Terah Edun
“Did you both run this scenario before him?” Thanar asked impatiently. “The wedding, the call for support?”
Ciardis and Sebastian exchanged alarmed glances.
“Well...mostly,” Ciardis muttered.
Thanar snorted. “There’s your answer. Most emperors are intolerant of people instigating civil wars on their territories...and with good reason.”
The lord chamberlain cleared his throat. “He seemed...disturbed but not upset. This was after he spoke with Lord Crassius earlier this afternoon. I was actually dispatched to find you an hour after that meeting. But I do know this: the emperor has given orders that he was not to be disturbed after his evening meal.”
“Which means now is far too late,” Sebastian said. His voice sounded almost delighted.
Ciardis was far less circumspect. “Fantastic, then we can bloody well see him in the morning! If he wants to eviscerate us, he can do it on a full night’s rest.”
She peered hopefully at the lord chamberlain. “Right, Lord Steadfast?”
“That would be correct, Madame Weathervane,” he said with a chuckle, “or should I call you Lady Companion Weathervane?”
Ciardis blushed with pride. “Lady Companion will do.”
“Very well, Lady Companion,” Lord Steadfast said.
“Oh, Ciardis, congratulations. You’ve joined the guild in full now?” said Terris.
Ciardis beamed. “Yes, I have.”
“Was that stuffy old bat there?”
Ciardis gasped. “You’ve met Lady Hibblebottom?”
Terris nodded. “She’s the one that administered my contract—”
Lord Meres cleared his throat. “Perhaps, my love, this is not the best place. Plus, our friends need their rest.”
“Oh yes,” said Terris with an affectionate squeeze of Ciardis’s hands. “We do indeed have a lot to talk about. But it can be done later.”
Ciardis’s shoulders relaxed gratefully. “Good, I look forward to it.”
Then her voice dropped. “Are we sleeping on those horrible cots again?”
“Cots?” asked Terris blankly.
“In the underground city?”
“No,” Lord Meres assured. “We made arrangements with a Ms. Marlstone to move to her palace apartments.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “She’s letting you?”
“She was a bit difficult at first,” admitted Lord Meres.
“Let’s be real,” admonished Terris, “She was a right bitch. But once we explained the situation, who we were and that we knew what was going on she grudgingly agreed.”
Lord Meres hastened to add, “There’s also a strategic factor to it.”
“Which is?” asked Vana curtly.
“The apartments in the former empress’s palace wing connect to the underground city through a tunnel,” Lord Meres said.
Ciardis’s eyes lit up. “So if we need to escape we have an evacuation plan.”
“Yes,” nodded Lord Meres.
“Great,” said Ciardis with a yawn and stretch of her arms. “Let’s go home then.”
The lord chamberlain bowed. “I will retire to my own quarters. If you would agree to be at the emperor’s apartments at dawn, I think that would appease him.”
“We will be there,” said Sebastian gratefully.
The lord chamberlain smiled, looked at all of them, and said, “It is good to see you all well. It is has been a tumultuous few days since we last crossed paths.”
Ciardis smiled. “We can’t thank you enough for your support, Lord Steadfast.”
“I am ever a supporter of the Weathervane family,” he said. Then he bowed and left.
Ciardis looked at the rest of the group. “Shall we?”
They left and retired to the empress’s quarters in record time.
The next morning came much too quickly for Ciardis. As she dressed with a tired yawn, she had to wonder what they were in for when they had their second meeting in two days with the man posing as Sebastian’s father.
Rubbing an aching muscle in her lower arm—residual effects from being slashed open by the griffin no doubt—Ciardis’s ears perked up as she heard the squall of an irritated creature outside. She wouldn’t have opened her door though if she hadn’t recognized the cry.
Skarar stood in her entranceway, feathers plumed, and an eager expression on his face. His father not too far behind.
“Feeling better, are we?” Ciardis said in a crabby voice.
She couldn’t help it. She wasn’t a morning person and seeing a bushy-tailed griffin kit in the hallway an hour before the sun had even deigned to rise was too much for her.
Skarar ignored her grouching and eased down on lower legs like a cat stretching in the sun’s rays. Skarar’s father caught up to him and said, “I apologize, Lady Weathervane. We were on our way to the servants’ kitchen for a morning meal.”
Then he turned to his son and said in a reproachful but loving voice that only a parent could manage, “I’m sure we didn’t meant to disturb the lady from her slumber.”
The griffin kit chittered at Ciardis in what she assumed was his version of assurances. She hid a smile behind a sleeved hand.
“It’s all right,” she said. “I was already up and am in fact starving. Would you mind if I joined you?”
“We would be delighted to have you guest with us for a meal.”
Ciardis smiled. “Just let me get something. I’ll be right back.”
She turned into her room and grabbed a knife and put it at her waist. It was a dagger that looked more ceremonial than functional, but she had tested its weight and found it handy. It doubled as both a jeweled piece to set off her attire and a defense mechanism, which was the best she could ask for as she wandered the imperial court. Plus, it was small enough to be allowed at court whereas her glaive would have to stay in her room.
She threw a hooded cloak on top of her pants and tunic just in case the weather was cold and she had to dash outside while running for her life and finished it off with a simple gold necklace around her throat. It would make her poorly dressed for a noble but she had found that the emperor wasn’t a stickler for attire where she was concerned. After all, she’d once showed up in his presence with her dirty hair wrapped in a falling turban.
Satisfied, Ciardis hummed and walked back to the door. As she did so she wondered when she’d get her official Companions’ Guild mark. When she had first met Lady Serena, she had the mark set just below her collar bone. It had been the emblem of the imperial court—a red lion rampant, encircled by the twisted vines of the Companions’ Guild symbol.
The door opened with a twist of her hand and she put it from her mind. The mark would be good to have as it would open doors all across the empire for her, but as long as she was traveling with Sebastian it should be a moot point. He outranked her and could commandeer anything he needed ‘in the name of the empire.’
Walking down the hall with a black griffin on one side and a golden griffin on the other, Ciardis had to chuckle.
“Something funny, my lady?” Skar said, puzzled.
Ciardis shook her head as they took the stairs to the lower levels. “No, just thinking about my life and how it has changed so quickly that my head is whirling.”
Then Ciardis turned to Skar. “What happened to your friend, by the way? The other griffin?”
“They elected to travel back to our encampment with Jason SaAlgardis and Seraphina,” explained Skar. “My son’s wing is still healing and I elected to stay here.”
Ciardis nodded. The latter made sense. The former, however...
“They just left?” said Ciardis, shocked as they entered the kitchens.
Evasively the big griffin said, “Jason has plans for you but he knows you are limited in what you can do now. He will prepare for now.”
“What plans?” she asked.
“Nothing he would wish me to disclose,” said Skar warily, “especially in the palace where there are ears everywhere—f
riendly and unfriendly.”
Ciardis nodded and noted that they weren’t alone in the kitchen. Skar was right.
Ciardis smiled at a kitchen helper and asked for a meal.
The woman flushed and looked around, a bit frantic. “We’ll prepare something immediately, my lady.”
She practically flew across the room to the cupboards as she started taking herbs down that were hanging in bunches from the ceiling. Ciardis frowned and looked at four footman sitting on a rough wooden bench and eating some kind of soup out of hard crust.
Quickly, she said, “That’s not necessary, I’ll have whatever they’re having.” She pointed insistently at the men.
The woman looked at Ciardis with a hesitant gaze. “Stew, my lady? That’s not proper. I’ll fix something. I promise it won’t take long.”
“Stew is fine,” Ciardis said.
“But...are you sure?”
“Quite so,” Ciardis said as she walked over to a chair and small table in a corner near a fire with enough space for two griffins to ease down in front of her.
The woman blinked. “Well, if you change your mind upon tasting it, I’ll be glad to prepare something.”
Ciardis smiled. “Why, does it taste so bad?”
“No, my lady!” the woman said with wide eyes. “I made it myself. Well, me and my mam. It’s quite good.”
She looked over at the men and they raised their bowls and chimed in their praise.
Ciardis nodded. “Then I look forward to trying it.” She was watching the young woman pleasantly. The woman still stood frozen on the other side of the room.
Then it was as if Ciardis’s words thrust her into the action.
She hurried to grab a fresh loaf of bread and cut it in half. Then she cored it, poured steaming soup inside from a ladled cauldron over the fire, placed the cored pieces of fresh white bread into the top of the stew, and hesitantly set it in front of Ciardis with a spoon.
“Fresh beef stew with carrots, potatoes, herbs, and hard bread for you, my lady,” the woman said as she backed away.
“Thank you.” Ciardis said.
Then the woman turned to the men. “You louts! Fetch the young master griffin and his father their meals.”
The men had been too entranced watching Ciardis accept a servant’s meal. Three of them scrambled into what Ciardis assumed was the larder and came back with some very meaty bones. One carried one over to Skarar and two bore the weight of the much larger one to Skarar’s father. Ciardis blinked. It looked like they had brought the whole skinned leg of a cow to Skarar’s father. Whatever Skarar had was of a different beast. But they ate them the same—by tearing into the flesh with their sharp beaks and ripping off shreds that they chewed contently.
Ciardis gulped, fought the urge to turn green, and refocused on her own meal. Grateful that it was cooked and nicely prepared. She tucked into her meal with gusto, ravenous after she realized she realized she had gone a full day without eating. When she polished off one bowl, even gnawing off the softened edges and asking for seconds, the serving woman’s tense shoulders finally relaxed.
She provided Ciardis with no further protest and an approving look.
After she finished Ciardis stood and thought about going to find her friends. She knew she had a half-hour before they were supposed to meet the emperor before dawn.
At that moment Sebastian’s voice echoed in her mind. Ciardis? I looked for you in your chambers and didn’t find you.
I’m eating breakfast in the lower quarters.
Amusement colored his thoughts. You know they will bring you your meals, yes?
Yes, she said, unwilling to admit she had known no such thing.
Well, if you’re ready we’re gathering in the courtyard.
We?
Lord Meres, Lady Terris, Thanar, Vana, and I.
I’ll be right there, she assured him.
Ciardis was grateful she’d worn a full cloak and tunic today. The meal had been wonderful but a tad too filling. She knew her belly was poking out in protest.
But she wouldn’t trade her full tummy for anything. Especially after seeing what the Sanctuary victims had gone through and even just the soldiers up north. Having a good meal was nothing to be ashamed about.
Looking down at her griffin companions who were still gnawing on their meals, she said fondly, “Well, gentleman, I must take my leave.’
Skarar’s father was respectful enough to raise his bloody beak from his meal and nod to her solemnly.
“Safe journey,” he said.
“And you, my feathered friend,” she said.
Skarar flat out ignored her. Ciardis chuckled as she walked out. She liked a griffin who knew where his priorities lay.
Chapter 24
Ciardis quickly exited the kitchen and threw decorum aside. She ran through the palace halls to get outside in record time.
As she burst through the outer doors, the convening group turned to her with smiles on their faces. Ciardis stood on the steps and stared down at them, a half-smile on her face as the breezy wind pushed back her hair and cloak to have them both flap in the wind. It was peaceful and pleasant. She knew the serene nature wouldn’t last, so she savored it.
Walking down the steps at a slower pace, she reveled in the fresh morning air. Coming up to Sebastian, she took her place in the close circle they had formed.
“What decisions have been made?” she asked.
“None,” said Thanar with a touch of sarcasm.
She raised an eyebrow. “None?”
“We’re trying to decide if we should all go to face the emperor or only a part of the group,” said Terris, her arms folded stubbornly in front of her. Ciardis got the feeling which side her friend was on.
Sebastian said reluctantly, as if he had said it ten times before and didn’t want to say it again, “All I’m saying is that we should be wary. If my uncle has decided for whatever reason that we need to be eliminated, it’s best not to give him everyone on a platter.”
Ciardis swallowed. “I can’t say I disagree.”
Terris snorted. “If he wanted to eliminate us, it wouldn’t take much more work to send out a second strike team to take out everyone else.”
Vana said, “You’d be surprised at how easy it is for one person to elude capture. One person can run and hide in nooks and crannies that most soldiers wouldn’t think to look in. One person can pay a cash-strapped family to let them hide in their root cellar for a few good weeks if needed. Or they can do the opposite and still get away. Look at Lillian for instance. She hid in plain sight for eighteen years. You would have an even better advantage in your willingness to completely go underground and leave society altogether.”
“Nevertheless,” Terris said stubbornly, “I’m not going to be left behind this time.”
Ciardis laid a hand on her friend’s arm. Then she looked to Terris’s husband. Lord Meres stood silent and unmoving.
“What do you think, Lord Kinsight?” Ciardis finally said.
He raised contemplative eyes. “I think they both have good points. Having us in all in one place is dangerous to the cause.”
“Which cause is that?” said Thanar dryly.
Meres answered. “All of them. If we all die who will pursue the fight against the blutgott by Lord Crassius’s side? Who will discover the princess heir’s true machinations? Who will lead the fight against an imposter emperor?”
“Exactly,” exclaimed Sebastian.
Meres shook his head. “And yet, my lord, there is more. There always is. Kill us all at once and the cause ends. But I can’t say that our previous divide and conquer strategy worked out so well, either.”
“My point exactly!” said Terris triumphantly.
Sebastian and Terris glared at each other. Ciardis’s face twitched. She didn’t really want her husband and her best friend at odds.
Terris exclaimed, “The four of you left two nights ago certain of your success with a small party. Alone you went and lo
ok what happened. You were ambushed, captured, and arrested. That wouldn’t have happened if everyone else had been there.”
“You don’t know that,” countered Sebastian.
Terris almost rolled her eyes. Ciardis poking her in the side eliminated that before it happened.
“So what do we do?” said Lord Meres with a tired rub of his eyes.
Ciardis answered. “I think we do the best we can. We take the majority of our group but leave two essential members who can work with Lord Crassius to further our cause if needed.”
Meres said, “That actually seems like a good idea. Two people can be nimble and run if need be, while the other five can take on any threat if necessary.”
Sebastian nodded. “It could work.”
“Who stays, then?” demanded Vana.
Terris hurriedly said, “Not me. You need me.”
They all looked at her. But she didn’t back down. “I’m not talking about at the meeting with the emperor. I’m talking about on the journey to Kifar.”
Thanar raised an eyebrow. “When did we start talking about Kifar?”
“It’s the elephant in the room,” said Terris dryly, “or the sky—whatever. We all know you’re journeying to the fabled city at some point. With the way you all move so fast, you might leave in mid-meeting with the emperor. I’m telling you. I need to be there.”
“Why?” said Sebastian mildly.
Terris’s shoulders tensed but she didn’t lash out. From the emotions on her face, she could tell that Sebastian was asking a viable question.
“Because,” she said, “I know what the beast of Kifar is. And you’re going to need someone who can control kith if you’re going to take it on.”
Ciardis’s mind flashed back to the night Terris had first realized that she could control kith with her powers, rather than just communicate with them and look through their eyes like Meres could. Hence her name—Terris Kithwalker—and his mage name—Meres Kinsight.
Terris had recounted that fateful night to Ciardis in explicit detail.
Ciardis remembered it as if she had stood in the darkness of the heavy forest right alongside her friend.
