Myth and Storm, page 27
“Wait.” Ena caught his hand, turning him back toward her. She wrapped his arms around her, her body pressing against his as she leaned close to whisper in his ear. “You’ll need clothes to go outside, and your robes are caked in mud, scribe.”
He glanced toward the hook on the wall where his white robes hung. A solid layer of deep-brown mud covered the bottom six inches.
“I’ll make Taddy bring over a fresh set.” Ena twisted out of Adrial’s grip. “Wait here for an hour or two, then leave with well-pressed robes so no one will think you spent the night.”
“Does it matter if they know?”
“Propriety, scribe.” Ena winked then strode through the door into her shop. “We’re not married yet.”
He sank down onto Ena’s bed.
His future wife’s bed. The mother of his child. He let out a laugh as his joy grew so large he thought it would shatter his ribs.
It wasn’t how he wanted it to happen. He should have wooed her, won her heart, then proposed.
But she never would have accepted. He was sure of that, just as much as he was sure that he loved her and would brave the wrath of Dudia himself to keep Ena by his side.
He was losing nothing in marrying her.
But Ena?
She was losing so much. She’d sacrificed everything when she’d given herself to Cade to save him.
He dug his knuckles into his eyes.
It wasn’t fair to her. Ena deserved better than to end up bound to a cripple because she’d saved him.
She should have a husband who could defend her from every threat. She should have a choice in who and when she wanted to marry.
He circled through it over and over again in his head as he waited for Taddy, trying to find a different solution. A way to protect Ena and the baby from Ian Ayres without her having to marry him.
As the minutes ticked past, his joy changed, shifting from a blaze of exquisite happiness to the determined pride of a map maker embarking on a journey.
There was no other option, not one where she and the child could both be protected from the cruel justice of the Guilds. Becoming a scribe’s wife was not the life she would have chosen, but he would fight to make it the best he possibly could. For his wife. For his child.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Head Scribe, sir,” Taddy called. “Ena’s sent me with robes for you.”
“Yes. Come in, Taddy.”
“Right, sir.” Taddy pushed open the door and stepped into the room with his eyes firmly shut.
“It’s all right. I’m alone.” Adrial stood, keeping his gait even as he walked over to take the robes from his apprentice.
“I thought you would be, sir.” Taddy blushed as he opened his eyes. “As Ena is the one who sent me. Not that she’d be in here with you. Though this is her room. But even if she was in here, I wouldn’t say anything to anyone anyway. Ena saved my life as well as yours. I’d never breathe a word that could wound her reputation.”
“Your discretion is unnecessary but very much appreciated.” Adrial pulled on his robes.
“Should I take the dirty ones to the laundry?” Taddy averted his gaze from the offending garment even as he pointed at the mud-covered robes.
“Yes, please.” Adrial shoved his feet into his boots. “Are you behind on your work at the moment, Taddy?”
“No, sir.” Taddy gave a pleased nod.
“Good. I need your help.” Adrial stepped around Taddy and through the door into Ena’s shop.
“Of course, sir.” Taddy trod on Adrial’s heels as he followed.
“I need you to run a message for me.” Adrial found a pen and paper. He reached for a jar of black ink, but plain black didn’t seem right. Not when there was so much joy to be found in the midst of the darkness. He plucked a sapphire-blue jar from the shelf. “Have two soldiers accompany you, and I’ll need you to wait for her reply. If anyone tries to chivvy you out, tell them the head scribe asked you to stay until she responds. Unless it’s the sorcerers, then leave without argument.”
“Sorcerers?” Taddy squeaked.
“Yes.” Adrial wrote a quick note.
It should be properly sealed.
She won’t mind.
“Run this to the Royal Palace. Tell them you’re to wait for a reply from Lady Karron.”
Taddy’s face paled.
“Don’t be nervous about Lady Karron.” Adrial folded the note. “Just try and avoid the sorcerers if you can.”
“Yes, sir.” Taddy bowed. “Of course, sir.”
“I’ll have a special meal sent to your room.” Adrial screwed the top back onto the ink, checking his fingers for spots before straightening the front of his robes. “This day calls for celebration, and you shouldn’t be left out.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“In good time.” Adrial headed for the door. “There’s work to be done.”
“You’re not supposed to leave yet.” Taddy chased after him. “Ena said to make sure you waited.”
“You go to the soldiers at the gates and make a fuss asking for an escort to the palace. I’ll walk calmly the other way.” Adrial clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re an excellent apprentice, Taddy. I’m grateful to have you.” He held the door open for Taddy to go down the stairs.
“Yes, sir. Are you sure you’re all right, sir?”
“I have never had a better day in all my life. Now get to the palace.”
Adrial stayed well behind Taddy as they went down the stairs, then lingered in the stables for a moment, marveling at the beauty of the horses until he heard Taddy’s voice outside.
“I have been ordered to take a message to Lady Karron.” Taddy spoke as though announcing a decree from the King. “I’ve been told to ask two soldiers to accompany me to the Royal Palace where I am to wait for Lady Karron to respond to the message.”
Adrial slipped outside, walking calmly, not toward the door to the scribes’ quarters, but toward the low door that cut under the library to the secondary entrance to the great room.
He glanced over his shoulder to check on Taddy, pausing to watch a raven soar over the courtyard.
Taddy stood at the center of the pack of soldiers, Adrial’s blue-inked note held above his head as though the parchment granted him ultimate power.
Adrial tipped his face up to the sun and laughed. Lord Gareth would be happy for him, perhaps even thrilled.
And Allora, she wanted him to be happy, and he’d never felt such joy in his life.
34
Allora
“I know it’s not news you expected from me now, or quite possibly ever.” Adrial stood beside the window in Allora’s sitting room, rubbing his thumb across the knuckle of his fourth finger in a panicked tick she hadn’t seen from him in years.
“What news is it?” Allora waved the maid away from the tea tray and out of the room. “You’ve been jabbering for five minutes and haven’t actually told me anything.”
“I’ve already been to see Lord Gareth,” Adrial said. “And he approves. Actually, he looked about ready to burst from joy and told me he was relieved. Glad to see I had taken the time to remember that I am a young man and life exists outside of papers and books. He did insist the whole thing take place at the library. And, of course, given the state of things, I can’t say I disagree.”
Allora chose a tart from the tray. The sweet juice of the berries paired wonderfully with the richness of the cream. They’d never had a special cook just to make sweets in the Map Master’s Palace. There had never been a need for one. Of all the people who skittered through the halls serving the occupants of the Royal Palace, she was most grateful to whoever made the sweet delights for offering her a bit of distraction.
“I’m heading right up to Lord Karron when I leave here,” Adrial said.
His mention of her father drew Allora back to his rambling monologue.
“It’s not as though anything is required of him, but as he is the man who took me in, I want to tell him the news in person.”
“My darling Adrial, I hold you close to my heart and know you to be one of the best men in all Ilbrea.” Allora set the remains of the tart onto her plate and picked up the teapot. “But you sent your poor apprentice, who nearly fainted when I walked into the room, racing here with an urgent letter asking to meet me. Then, you came tearing to the palace, as though trying to panic yourself into an early grave, and you’ve yet to say a single thing that makes sense. Please sit, have a sip of tea, and calm your nerves. Then tell me whatever delightful news has whipped you into such a state.”
“I’m getting married.” Adrial beamed.
“What?” The teapot slipped in Allora’s grip, spilling tea onto the floor.
“I’m getting married in two days’ time. Lord Gareth has approved. The servants will be arranging everything in the scribes’ gallery of the library.”
“Married in two days in the library.” Allora’s hands trembled as she set the teapot back onto the tray.
“Yes. I know these are dangerous times, but please tell me you’ll be there, or at least that you’ll try.” Adrial took her hand. “I want you to be at my wedding, Allora.”
“And I want to be there. I want you to be happy. Though you’ve given me no choice but to ask, who is your bride?”
“Ena.”
There wasn’t a trace of doubt in Adrial’s eyes. A hint of worry wrinkled his forehead, but not for the wedding. For his fear of disappointing Allora.
“Are you sure you want to marry her? The inker who climbs through windows like a thief?” Allora took Adrial’s other hand, turning him square to her. “You’ve said it before, she doesn’t love you.”
“There are different kinds of caring that make a life together worthwhile. I promise you, having Ena as my wife will bring me more joy than anything else in the world ever could.”
“She doesn’t belong in our world. You will be the Lord Scribe. Do you really believe her fit to be the Lady of a Guild?”
“I know her to be the strongest, most daring, most capable person I’ve ever met. There is not a thing in all the world she can’t accomplish. I will be a better man with her by my side, and the Scribes Guild will be better for it.” He squeezed her hands. “Please, Allora. Believe me. This is the most miraculous thing to have ever happened to me. Be happy for me. Come to my wedding.”
“I would never miss your wedding.” She kissed his cheek. “You’re a part of our Karron clan. We always look out for each other, no matter what.”
“Thank you, Allora.” Adrial pulled her into a tight hug as he laughed with glee. “Now I have to make my poor escort take me up the cliffs to your father.”
“He’ll be thrilled you’re happy.” She wrapped a berry tart in one of the napkins and tucked it into his hand. “Give him my love.”
“I will.” The weight of Adrial’s hidden limp seemed to disappear for a moment as he hurried to the door. “I’m getting married!”
A soldier shut the door behind him, leaving Allora alone.
She stared at the pile of tarts and the spilled tea on the floor.
She’d rarely seen Adrial bursting with such unbridled joy. Kai would have insisted they all have chamb to celebrate. Mara and Tham would have been thrilled he’d fallen in love. Niko…Niko would have taken the moment to needle Allora about how wonderful a thing marriage could be.
Allora sat in the chair closest to the window, closing her eyes and imagining all of them there with her. Niko sitting close, his scent surrounding her. The comfort of having them all together as they celebrated.
Allora reached out, allowing herself one thin moment to believe she’d find Niko beside her. Her fingers found nothing but empty air.
Niko would never sit beside her again. And when the others came home, there would be no joy. Only mourning and sorrow.
“I won’t let her add to it.” Allora stood and peered out the window, looking at the line of carriages that had delivered the people who had come to beg the King’s favor. “She doesn’t love him. He’s a game to her. I will not let her ruin Adrial’s life so she might have a fancy toy to play with and discard.”
She kept her pace even as she went to her bedroom and dug into the drawer behind the ink stand. It would be a simple thing. A few moments of unpleasantness, and the inker would be gone forever. She pulled a leather bag from the drawer. The weight of it sank a stone in her stomach.
“You are protecting him.” She slipped the bag into her pocket. “You are protecting your dear friend from a vicious beast.”
Not everyone outside the Guilds is a beast, Mara’s voice whispered in her mind.
“This girl is.” Allora checked her hair in the bedroom mirror before cutting through her sitting room and out into the hall. The normal flock of ten soldiers stood at attention. “Where is Sorcerer Clery?”
“I’ll fetch her, Lady Karron.” One of the soldiers stepped forward.
“Don’t bring her here, actually.” Allora started down the hall. “Have her go to the King’s private study behind the throne room. I’ll meet her there.”
“Yes, Lady Karron.” The soldier disappeared from the pack following behind her, slipping into some passage Allora was not meant to know about.
I will not be a captive in my home.
She breezed down the stairs to the sparkling entryway, smiling and offering regal nods to the few who waited below.
Sympathetic glances and bows were offered in exchange. She hadn’t been hurt in the cathedral attack. The sorcerers had protected the royal family. Allora’s gown hadn’t even been marred by falling dust. Still, she was treated as though she’d been gravely injured by having to postpone her marriage to Brannon.
At the bottom of the stairs, she kept going straight, her gaze locked on the front doors of the palace.
“Lady Karron,” one of the soldiers said.
“Yes.” Allora fought the urge to quicken her pace.
“You requested Sorcerer Clery meet you behind the throne room,” the soldier said. “Would you like us to escort you there?”
“I have lost neither my reason nor my sense of direction. I’ve simply changed my mind.”
Two footmen stepped forward to open the doors.
“Shall we fetch Sorcerer Clery, Lady Karron?” the soldier asked.
“No need.”
The breeze outside lifted her hair from the nape of her neck as the midday sun kissed her cheeks.
Six carriages waited in front of the palace. One in the color of the Sorcerers Guild, one healer, three merchant, one map maker.
Thank you, Aximander.
Allora strode straight to the map maker’s carriage.
“Good afternoon,” Allora called up to the driver.
“Lady Karron.” The man began to scramble down.
“Please keep your seat,” Allora said. “Is my father here?”
“No, Lady Karron. I brought Map Maker Traim.”
“Well, I suppose I’ll have to beg his forgiveness when we get back.” Allora opened the carriage door. “I need to go on a quick errand. As the Lady of the Map Makers Guild, surely I still have the privilege of using the carriages.”
“Of course, Lady Karron.” The driver looked toward the palace as though he were not at all sure. “I’m happy to serve you.”
“Perfect.”
“Lady Karron.” A soldier stepped beside her, taking her hand to help her climb into the carriage and blocking her path with the same movement. “If you wish to leave the grounds, you must speak to Sorcerer Clery.”
“Am I a prisoner?” Allora asked.
“Of course not, Lady Karron.”
“A child?”
“No, but―”
“Then get out of my way. Now.”
Allora pushed past the soldier and into the carriage, slamming the door behind her.
“Where to, Lady Karron?” the driver called.
“The soldiers’ barracks,” Allora shouted back, loud enough for the panicked soldiers to hear.
She watched out the window as the carriage rumbled forward and the soldiers scrambled to find horses to chase after her. She regretted their panic, but a morning of stress for the soldiers was a trifle when weighed against a lifetime of pain for her friend.
No one stepped forward to stop her as the carriage neared the gates. Allora leaned back into the shadows, not willing to test whether they didn’t stop her out of fear of her wrath or because they believed Map Maker Traim to be the carriage’s passenger. A childish fear filled her as they passed through the gates and neared the bridge leading out of the palace grounds.
The sorcerers’ power created the path, letting the stones hover over the wide moat far below in a way that went against all reason. Ciara would be angry Allora had fled from her guard, but would the sorcerer’s ire be enough to break the spell that steadied the bridge? Would choosing to leave the palace grounds be a grave enough offense to doom Allora to drown in the water far below?
The tension in Allora’s chest eased as the carriage reached the far side of the bridge and the sound of the wheels changed as they met the cobblestone street.
Allora let the cart rumble forward for a minute before knocking on the roof.
With a call from the driver, the carriage slowed.
Allora leaned out the window. “Actually, I’ve changed my mind. I need to go to the library.”
“Yes, Lady Karron,” the driver called down.
The carriage rumbled forward again.
With any luck, Ciara would be so twisted around, she wouldn’t be able to find Allora until the necessary task was done.
And it was necessary. It was not cruel or hurtful, but the performance of her duty to her family.
Dudia, help me protect Adrial from the grips of such despair.
He’d be heartbroken. Devastated to have his imagined joy ripped away from him and embarrassed at having to tell Lord Gareth there would be no need for a celebration in the scribes’ gallery. But a broken heart could heal much more quickly than a shattered reputation.
