Sworn To Defiance (17 page)

“What?” he murmured softly as he rubbed circles on the bare skin of her upper back.

She let a wicked smile cross her face as she leaned back to look up at his face. “That this was the epitome of elegance. A palace to put all other palaces to shame.”

He blinked lazily. “And now?”

“Now, I see a gaudy, sprawling palace of pink blocks and spires that looks like a confectionary atop of a wedding cake,” she teased with a giggle. “No offense, but Queen Margie had
awful
taste.”

He chuckled. “None taken.”

Ciardis offered with a frown. “Why did she take the title of queen anyway? Shouldn’t it have been empress?”

He stepped back and took her hand in his as a footman knocked on the wood of the door, “That particular ruler of Algardis had four wives. He named three of them queens, with their own domains to the north, east and west, then he named the final one empress.”

“How did that go over with them?” Ciardis said doubtfully.

“Horribly,” said Sebastian in a dry tone. “He was found in his sleep suffocated to death with his own handkerchief stuffed down his throat. Yet all of the wives refused to implicate the others.”

“Hmm,” said Ciardis with a smile as they walked past the footman with a gracious nod of their heads, “Fair warning—if you took another wife I would do the same to you.”

“I would expect no less,” he said diplomatically.

They followed behind the man at a stately pace. To Ciardis’s surprise they weren’t directed the room where the Companions’ Council had verbally flayed and physically restrained her for daring to be anything but a perfectly tame companion trainee in the halls of the imperial court.

Serves them right
, Ciardis smugly.
Being boring would have gotten me nowhere
.

Instead that were taken to a part of the castle she had never been to before. Down a long hallway lined with portraits of past companions and their patrons was one elegant door. The footman eased it open and stepped back.

With a nod from Sebastian, Ciardis stepped through the entrance first. As she walked in she took in the room. For such a small doorway, the massive size of the room before her took her breath away. A long table with six chairs to either side greeted her eyes. Floor to ceiling windows that let in the bright rays of the sun and gave a spectacular view of the turquoise waters of the ocean below met her eyes. With shock she saw that this room was built directly onto the jut of a cliff. What she had mistaken for windows was actually the wall made entirely of glass panes interspersed with small lines of vertical hardwood to keep them in place.

The people at the table stopped their chatter. As one they stood. It was a practiced and elegant motion. But the joy on their faces was not feigned.

Ciardis took them in surprise. And then a matronly woman with her hair pulled back in a messy bob and enough fabric around her waist to outfit an orphanage came forward.

Hands outstretched in welcome, she said in delight, “Ciardis Weathervane. It is
such
a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Ciardis blinked. “You have?”

Sebastian interjected with a hint of a smile as he grasped the woman’s hand and laid a smooth kiss on her flesh. “All good things, we hope?”

“Oh yes,” the woman squealed. “You charmer, you.”

Ciardis was still dumbfounded. “You actually heard something good about me? He
is
?”

Ciardis, dear, stop questioning everything she says
.

You would too if you’d seen how they treated me the last time I was here.

Outwardly Sebastian blinked and said graciously, “We thank you for the welcome, Lady—”

“Hibblebottom,” said the woman. “Companion to the Varnes tribe on the western border.”

“What?” Ciardis murmured.

Sebastian laid a none-too-gentle foot on her toe.

“Ow!” she howled. She had reason to howl. He had stepped on her toe a couple of times today. Her foot was sore. To be fair, they had traded blows.

Companion Hibblebottom sent her a perplexed look. She hadn’t seen the prince heir’s move.

“Hibblebottom of Varnes,” murmured Sebastian. “I’ve heard of your exploits, my lady. You’re the first companion to have had an entire tribe petition for your services as a healer. You’ve also become a community leader, training dozens if not hundreds of locals to follow in your footsteps.”

“Oh,” said Companion Hibblebottom, “stop, you’ll make me blush!”

“All praise well-deserved,” said Sebastian, “You serve your empire and its people in one of the most desolate of places with little thought for your own comforts.”

Then he bowed to her and she really did blush bright red.

Ciardis had long ago tuned out on their conversation. Her wary eyes took in the other eleven companions who hung back, presumably waiting on Companion Hibblebottom to finish her introductions. Ciardis just hoped they
all
didn’t plan on introducing themselves one by one. In the back of her mind, she wondered where Thanar and Vana were.

Then Companion Hibblebottom said, “Dear.
Dear
?”

Ciardis refocused her gaze on the woman before her.

“That’s better,” said the older woman while rocking back on her heels and almost unbalancing herself before Sebastian caught her and eased her back up.

“Thank you,” said Companion Hibblebottom with quick adjustment of her spectacles. “Now, I had heard about what had happened to our dear Maree Amber and I just couldn’t stand to think of our guild in trouble, so I came as fast as I could.”

Ciardis smiled. “I’m sure the guild has appreciated your guidance.”

“Oh, how sweet you are!” said the older woman. “But this is only temporary. Fortunately, I get to take on some happier duties while we search for a replacement. So as Head Pro Tempore of the Companions’ Guild and Council, I, Lady Companion Melina Hibblebottom, First Voice of the Varnes tribe, welcome Trainee Ciardis Weathervane and Prince Heir Sebastian Athanos Algardis to the opening negotiations for the joint wedding and patron contract between the two parties.”

Ciardis and Sebastian exchanged startled glances.

“Negotiation?” Ciardis asked stumped. This time Sebastian didn’t correct her. She felt his bafflement in the back of her mind as well.

A dark chuckle erupted from behind them. Ciardis and Sebastian turned to see the other half of their quartet standing in the doorway.

“That’s almost precisely what we said,” Thanar said. “But
someone
wouldn’t negotiate with us.”

“Oh dear, don’t be a fiddlestick. Guild house rules are that the patron and companion should be
present
for all negotiations,” said the older woman.

Vana snorted. “Well, they’re here now and we have no time to waste, so let’s get moving.”

“Yes,” said Sebastian firmly. “I...we...were hoping for a quick decision.”

The matronly woman in front of them smile. “So we’ve become aware. But we have one saying among the Companions’ Guild. ‘A patron’s contract is forever.’ We wouldn’t want to rush into anything, now would we?”

“Well,” said Ciardis.

“No, we wouldn’t,” said Companion Hibblebottom with a pleasant smile and all the stubbornness of a grandmother with recalcitrant children in front of her. “Now, please sit.”

W
ith their marriage on the line, Ciardis Weathervane and Sebastian Athanos Algardis had no choice. They went up to the table and sat. Servants graciously provided comfortable seating for Vana and Thanar to either side of the couple while the eleven other Companions’ Guild members took their seats with murmured greetings.

Melina Hibblebottom chose the seat closest to Ciardis. Vana sat between them like an armed guard.

That didn’t deter the head pro tempore of Ciardis’s guild. She leaned forward with a wrinkled smile as she said, “It’s all right, dear. We’ll get this perfectly ironed out. Now what do you know about patron contracts?”

Ciardis exchanged a glance with Vana. “That they’re a binding contract between patron and companion. They can be negotiated on many different levels but it should be a satisfying commitment for the companions as he or she will be obligated to fulfill their contract measurements.”

“Yes.” Melina beamed. “That’s about right.”

Ciardis leaned over and whispered in Vana’s ear, “Where’s Lord Crassius?”

Vana shook her head, indicating that she didn’t know. Ciardis sat back with a furrowed brow.

A man with silver hair leaned forward from Thanar’s left and said, “Now, you do know that we can’t proceed into a patron contract without legally declaring you a full member of the Companions’ Guild with the rights and obligations that come with that, right?”

“Well, I suppose you wouldn’t,” Ciardis acknowledged as she smoothed her expression.

“Good,” said the man as he reached behind him and a servant placed a sheath of papers in his hands, “As a full member of our guild you are entitled to legal, physical and magical protection from outside forces as well as your patron. If you decide to annul your contract with your patron, we support and negotiate on your behalf for the most amenable settlement provided you have fulfilled your obligations. There’s more, much more, including guest houses in every province and access to an exclusive list of the finest occupational tailors, seamstress, healers, instructors, etcetera in the empire. But all of that can be discussed later.”

“It’s traditional for the parties involved—the companion sponsors and the patron—to speak on your behalf, as you’ve already had serious negotiations beforehand about the implications of this membership and union,” he intoned. “Is that correct?”

She just hoped Vana and Sebastian knew what they were doing. If they didn’t she would have no compunctions about speaking up, tradition or no tradition.

“Very well,” said the silver-haired man. “Here are the guild membership papers. Once that’s signed we can proceed with full negotiations for your patronage.”

He slipped the papers across the table with an inked quill at the ready.

How thoughtful of him
, thought Ciardis grumpily as she reached for the paper and quill. She had hoped her induction would come with a little more fanfare but she’d take what she could get as she’d been sure at least three times in the past year that the guild was prepared to dump her out on her ass.

How presumptuous of him
, echoed Sebastian in her thoughts with a slight change.

To emphasize his irritation, he slammed a hand atop the papers before she could so much as twitch a finger and start to sign.

“You’ll understand if we wish to have a complete idea of what it is Ciardis is agreeing to by signing her membership into your guild?” the prince heir said smoothly while edging the papers over to Thanar of all people.

“Of course,” said the silver-haired man with a wide smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “We just thought to get this formality out of the way quickly before real negotiations began. After all, we couldn’t possibly represent the Weathervane’s best interests if she wasn’t a member of our illustrious guild.”

His voice felt like an oil slick on her skin—dark, deceptive, and uncomfortable.

Sebastian rested a hand on Ciardis’s left hand. “We all have her best interests at heart.”

The man sat back with a smaller smile. “I’m sure.”

Thanar picked up the papers and proceeded to read.

Thanar?
she asked.

It looks fine so far,
said the daemoni prince,
but if there’s so much as a line out of place I’ll catch it.

She felt some of the tension in her shoulders build up. She didn’t like the hard feelings floating through the room on what was supposed to be a joyous day. Ciardis looked up at the clear-glass ceiling for a moment. At least the weather had gotten the message. The glass room was flooded by bright sunshine that flared and bounced off the deep waters meters below them, creating a mesmerizing seascape. But no one else around the table was focusing on the beauty around them, she knew as she looked at each of them in turn. Instead they focused on her. She was grateful at least for her friend’s dedication. They were determined to do their best by her, even if that meant taking on the ire of the guild who had trained her.

You have to admit, Ciardis
, said Sebastian,
out of all our enemies this has to be the easiest win we have or ever will come across.

Ciardis choked back a laugh. Because when you put it that way, it really was more of a lark than a battle.

“Now,” said Sebastian while pitching his hands beneath his chin, “why don’t we discuss contract rates? Because I know and you know, in that contract you have a royalty rate buried in legalese. What percentage of Ciardis’s income did you wish to...acquire...for guild profits?”

The Companions’ Guild members looked at each other and shuffled uneasily. For some of the most powerful men and women in the empire, they sure seemed averse to discussing the darker details of their contracts.

“Oh, come now,” Sebastian said playfully. “We haven’t even gotten to the dowry rates for the patron contract
or
the marriage contract. Surely you won’t balk at this paltry sum?”

Vana snorted a laugh into her fist.

Ciardis sat back in amusement. It seemed that her prince heir knew exactly what he was doing.

Melina Hibblebottom sat forward and stated flatly, “Fifteen percent of her income for the first year, five percent for every year after that for the first half-decade. After those five years in total have ended, she owes yearly dues that will not exceed one thousand shillings and will be no less than two hundred and fifty shillings, dependent on her annual income with a re-negotiated rate on a biyearly basis.”

Sebastian didn’t even blink. “Twelve percent the first year, non-inclusive of clothing allowances and transportation costs. You’ll get six hundred and fifty shillings a year from her for the rest of her tenure as princess heir. Up to eight hundred shillings a year if she takes the throne as Empress, and then only for the next decade of her life. It is up to Ciardis to negotiate a rate due, if she so chooses, after the first decade of her contract as a Companions’ Guild member is up.”