Sworn To Defiance (29 page)

The emperor smiled. “My will is my own and I never make idle threats.”

Ciardis looked away, released an angry breath and turned back. She waited for the emperor to say more or dismiss her from his presence.

“One more thing,” the emperor said. “I promised my support in the fight against this...
blutgott
if you won the support of the nobles’ court. To my everlasting surprise, you have.”

“Your son has,” retorted Ciardis.

“With you by his side,” said emperor. “I never could have imagined Sebastian with the backbone to do what he has done. He’s turned his life around. It’s admirable.”

Ciardis wasn’t sure, but it sounded like praise coming out of Maradian’s mouth—and bitter envy.

Ciardis nodded. “You will announce your support, then?”

The emperor nodded. “I will, and you, Ciardis Weathervane, will announce your engagement. Your secret has been kept long enough. Tonight the entire empire will know that the Weathervane companion will join the imperial family in matrimony.”

Ciardis blinked and her jaw tightened. She wasn’t a fool. Maradian would benefit from her presence in his household. His enemies, those that he had, would see her as an asset that he could use against them.

Still she gritted her teeth and assented. “Your will is my command.”

Marardian flicked his eyes to Lillian’s face. “See, Lillian, I told you. Our families will be united into the world’s most powerful dynasty.”

Ciardis turned to look at her mother’s face but it was carefully blank. 

“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Lillian said stiffly.

“I know,” crowed the emperor.

Ciardis spoke. “Perhaps it would be a sign of goodwill to have my mother freed, then?”

The emperor snorted. “Goodwill for whom? No, my wife was beloved by the citizens of the empire. If Lillian will not be imprisoned, they will want to know why. They will want the murderer’s head. I cannot prove it was Lillian. But I cannot disprove it either. She is safer in custody.”

No,
thought Ciardis,
she isn’t. But since you killed Empress Teresa, there is nothing we can do it about it...yet.

Frustrated, Ciardis wondered why her mother didn’t say something, anything to plead her case. But Ciardis knew Lillian was in a precarious situation. She was at the mercy of the emperor’s patience and her family couldn’t protect her. She had to stay silent.

“Now I am through with you,” said the emperor pleasantly. “You may go and I will see you at the river tonight.”

Ciardis turned away at the blunt dismissal. She quickly looked behind her and asked, “The river, Your Imperial Majesty?”

“Where Barnaren’s send-off will happen,” he said with an irritated wave of his hand.

She nodded and watched silently as the sole remaining guard came forward to escort Lillian out through a hidden panel in the wall. Ciardis paced forward as the door to the outside hallway opened. For a moment her neck itched and she felt the malevolent stare of the emperor on her back.

She was tempted to turn around. He was alone. She was alone. She could kill him. But she didn’t dare. She didn’t know what kind of powers Maradian possessed but to replace a seated emperor and fool the entire court for close to a decade, she knew they had to be great.

So she walked out until she heard the door slam shut behind her with the weight of the footmen to either side. From all around her descended Terris, Sebastian, the lord chamberlain, and Thanar.

Sebastian was the first to speak. “What did he want afterwards?”

“To spread his usual brand of threats and malevolence,” Ciardis said with weary eyes. “Standard fare in the Emperor of Algardis’s court.”

“Where’s Lillian?” asked Terris softly.

“He ordered her back into custody,” Ciardis said stiffly.

Terris’s eyes filled with compassion as she reached forward and took her friend in her arms for a hug. “Aw, love, I’m so sorry.”

Ciardis sniffed. “It’s okay. She’s alive, she’s whole, and one day we’ll get her back. One day.”

The others around them nodded and then Ciardis stepped back.

“Shall we go home?” Ciardis asked, “We have quite the meeting to prepare for tonight.”

“And a
blutgott
war council to convene before then,” reminded Sebastian.

Looking at the two, she let out a tentative smile. “So you both know now about the
seeleverbindung
now.”

They nodded.

“You’re okay with this?” she asked Sebastian tentatively. She wasn’t really ignoring Thanar, but she knew he had already known.

“Hell no,” said Sebastian.

Thanar snorted.

“But for now there’s nothing we can do it about,” Sebastian said, cupping her face. “We can only fight one battle at a time, and this isn’t one of them.”

She shrugged. He was right. This was a fight they would have out another day. Today they had faced the emperor and lived. This afternoon they had to face their first war council and survive. Tonight they would send off a war hero and thrive.

T
wo hours later, Ciardis was walking back to the arena where they had faced down a horde of angry nobles and converted them to their cause.

Now we just need to meet with these representatives, set up patrols, boundaries and stations and they’ll be preparing while we go off to Kifar,
Ciardis thought aloud.

If only it was that easy,
said Sebastian in her mind.

What do you mean?
she said with some alarm. She didn’t need another problem. She had enough problems as it is.

The noble courts have never been a group to work as one mind. More like fractured little fiefdoms that will hack and bleed at anything that crosses them, in order to get their way.

Ciardis stopped and turned to Sebastian, “Surely that won’t be the case now. They know the urgency of this cause. The dire need of our situation. And
besides
we won’t be negotiating with all of them, just the three representatives.”

Sebastian looked at her, “Bloodthirsty wolves, Ciardis. Isn’t that what we compared them to yesterday? Just because they’ve joined our cause and donned sheep’s clothing, doesn’t mean they’ve changed their true natures overnight.”

“If ever,” said Thanar disdainfully as he swaggered past them to the arena doors.

“Neither of you have any faith,” Ciardis said with a polite sniff as she moved on.

They both looked back at her with raised eyebrows. Vana came around the corner with Christian and Caemon by her side, “And you have too much.”

Ciardis put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, “How do you even know what we were talking about? You were out of hearing range!”

Vana gave her a wicked smile. “Doesn’t matter. The statement still stands. You trust too much and fear too little weathervane. One day it’ll get you killed.”

Ciardis refused to pay mind to a shiver that went down her spine. She didn’t believe in prophecies. Especially from female assassins who didn’t have a prophetic bone in their body. Instead of responding to Vana’s retort, because she was at least
half
right—she did trust too much, she turned to Christian and gave him a warm hug.

“It’s good to see you again,” said Ciardis warmly.

“It’s only been two days,” said Christian with his eyes sparkling, “You hug me as if we’ve been apart for months.”

Ciardis put her hand to her heart and teased, “An hour is too long to be away from your presence.”

Christian looked at her solemnly for a moment. Ciardis was aware of Vana and Caemon hanging back, to give them space, but her focus was on Christian.

“What is it?” Ciardis asked with worry filling her tone. He was much too quiet. Then a horrid thought entered her mind.

Searching his face anxiously as she looked into his eyes she said, “You haven’t relapsed, have you?”

He looked at her with a puzzled frown. “No?”

“I mean, it’s possible isn’t...with your condition? I just meant you were feeling horribly just days ago. Like on the verge of death horrible and I didn’t think to ask until now—“

Christian stepped forward and put both of his hands on her shoulders. “Calm down, love, you’re babbling.”

‘I’ll say,
’ sniped Thanar from where he leaned against a far wall looking bored.

‘
Shut up, you!’
Ciardis thought at him.

“What?” said Christian while slowly lowering his hands.

“What? No!” said Ciardis frantically while grabbing for his falling hands, “I didn’t mean you. I was talking to Thanar and well I sort of spoke aloud what I was thinking.”

If possible Christian looked even
more
puzzled than he had before. “What are you talking about?”

Ciardis looked up at him and squeezed his hands, realizing that she effectively announced to the emperor before she’d told her friends...that, well, she was engaged to their future ruler and soulbound to one of their most hated enemies.

“Umm, well?”

“You can talk to Thanar in your head?” said Christian with a thoughtful glance at the daemoni prince. Christian’s gaze wasn’t judgmental. Perhaps because he hadn’t seen the horrors that Thanar had wrought in the north or perhaps because they shared a blighted
kith
heritage in Algardis history. A heritage that Christian, of course, had the option of hiding and Thanar proudly displayed to the skies.

“What?” said Caemon with a frown as he came forward, “What does that mean?”

Ciardis sighed and bowed her head—thinking over how to break the news.

‘Why don’t you let me?’
said Thanar, his voice soft.

Fear went through Ciardis’s mind. Not because she feared what he would say, but because she feared how her friends would react. How her
family
would react. Her mother hadn’t said anything against the union, but then again the gift of Thanar’s power in the bond had been the only thing allowing Ciardis to put up enough of a fight to call in soul winds
and
kill the emperor’s guards. Ciardis also suspected that the bond, its power and the usefulness it would provide for the emperor fascinated the man more than the potential threat the three of them posed as a united front.

Speaking to Thanar, she said
No, not this time.

Thanar’s presence in her mind turned dark with anger and unease.

I’m not rejecting you Thanar. I’m not rejecting your help. I don’t fear what you’d say. I don’t fear having you speak up. I fear not being the one to speak for myself. I fear hiding behind you and Sebastian, when it is I that should speak up and say what I want to say.

But this isn’t your fault.
That was the first time Thanar had taken on even a modicum of blame for their bond. The first time he had acknowledge it was in some way
wrong.

No, but I am not faultless either. By asking you to save me, by lying helplessly in your arms as we fell through the sky, some of the blame falls on me. I gave you my permission and my agency by staying silent. This time, I will speak.

Thanar’s aura had gradually lightened until she found nothing but pride and cautious hope in his presence.

Very well, Golden Eyes.

Throughout their conversation he hadn’t moved from his spot.

She also noticed that Sebastian had said nothing throughout to her about her next steps. She wondered why. The doubt must have clouded her mind and some of it must have appeared in her thoughts or on her face because the next second his presence brightened in her mind like the rays of the sun spreading the dawn.

I chose not to speak up, Ciardis, because I believe I made you a promise just two nights ago.

A promise?
she asked a little hesitantly.

A promise of trust.

Love flooded their bond from her end and from his. Sebastian continued,
A promise I intend to keep. A promise to work on us together. A promise to stand by your side.

Then he hesitated,
And for now if standing by your side also means standing by Thanar’s I’m there. Until we can get him sorted out of our bond.

Our?
She said in a teasing voice.

Our.
He repeated firmly.

She nodded and slowly focused back outward as she felt Christian squeezing her hands tightly and she could see that Caemon’s face next to his was filled with anxiety. Closing her eyes briefly and giving a quick prayer to whichever of the gods were listening she said, “I’m bound by life and soul to Thanar...as well as Sebastian.”

Caemon’s jaw dropped open. Christian blinked in surprise and some of the joy dimmed in his eyes.

She bit her lip, “A full
seeleverbindung
.”

Caemon lightened a full two shades paler as he blanched. Then Caemon said, “I’m going to kill the bastard.”

He went around Christian to do just that. At the last minute Christian grabbed onto Caemon’s shoulder to stop him. Caemon tried to shrug him off like an irritating fly. When that didn’t work he whirled around and threw his arm outwards to break the other male’s hold on him.

With anger in his eyes Caemon shouted, “What, Christian?”

Christian dropped Ciardis’s other hand and said, “Which one will you kill? The daemoni prince or the prince heir?”

Caemon stared at him open-mouthed. “The daemoni prince of course.”

“But then, you’d be killing the prince heir and your sister at the same time,” countered Christian.

Ciardis stepped forward, “There’s no need to be hasty here Caemon. I’ve had words with Thanar, we’re settling this on our own.”

“Words?” said Caemon while spluttering in his fury, “You’ve had
words
with him? Do you even know what he’s done to you, you stupid girl?”

Ciardis’s eyes widened in hurt at her twin brother’s words.

Then Sebastian stepped in. “That’s enough of that, Caemon Weathervane. You’ll watch your tone or I’ll watch it for you,” said the prince heir coldly.

Caemon whirled on Sebastian with no sign of abatement in his fury. “And
you
. How could you let, let that animal do this to her? I thought you
loved
my sister.”