Sworn To Raise: Courtlight #1 (19 page)

“But I—”

“No buts, no excuses. I had to ask Lady Vana to help me do a memory recall so that I could see exactly what happened. Do you know how much it cost me magically to draw up those ghostly images from so far away?”

“No, I—”

“No, you don’t. You would not believe the bowing and scraping I’ve had to do before the Companions Council in the last hour! They wanted to end your prospective contract on the spot. Really, Ciardis, almost murdering a General, one of the brightest military minds of this era? And to top this horrible day off I’ve received word that Lord Kinsight has taken grave ill and will be withdrawing his petition entirely.”

Ciardis shrunk in her seat, “I’m sorry about Lord Kinsight Serena but I could not have anticipated that or General Barnaren’s actions. What did you want me to do? We went on the blood Hunt at your request. Whitehart elks are dangerous
—
surely you know that.”

“What I do or do not know does not concern you,” said Lady Serena. “What I expected was a small display of enhanced sportsmanship. An increase in the general’s fire abilities or his inner strength would have been sufficient to make a good impression as a potential companion.”

Ciardis pursed her lips, but didn’t argue the subject further.
Even Serena has no idea what my powers are capable of. I couldn’t just enhance a particular facet of his physical being; it had to be his inherent magical capability—fire is a major component of his battle strategy but his natural abilities lie in producing lightning strikes.

“What’s done is done,” said Serena, looking out the carriage window, anger still clearly etched on her face in the thin line of her mouth and the unhappy glint in her eyes. “We still haven’t figured out if this will damage your reputation, but we can’t turn back now. I have no idea if General Barnaren will even attend upon you for the Patron Hunt now.”

By this time, Ciardis was rapidly blinking her eyes to keep the moisture from slipping down her cheeks.

“Enough,” said Damias. “She saved his life, and there’s nothing that can be done to change what happened.” Reaching over, he dabbed at Ciardis’s eyes with a handkerchief and said, “No tears, dear—your makeup will run.”

Nodding as she fought for control, Ciardis looked out the window to gather composure. On the hillside before them stood a magnificent mansion blazing with lights, carriages streaming in through the gated entrance. They had arrived at the Duke of Carne’s villa. Ciardis schooled her face into an impassive mask and prepared to step out of the carriage into the cool night air.

She gathered her courage and left Serena and Damias. They would enter separately and wait for her inside the main ballroom. The fabric of her dress swept around her with a gentle glide as she approached the doors. The moment she entered the Great Hall, which overlooked the actual ballroom, Ciardis’s stomach went aflutter. Young women and men, all potential companions or debutantes from noble families, milled about in the entrance hallway. Ciardis strode toward the center of the room. She knew no one in the room, and it was painfully obvious.

Where is Teachene?
she wondered.

Towards the front doors that led into the main ballroom villa servants began call out attendee names. As each person’s name was called, they stepped forward and walked past her with fluid grace through the grand doors that led into the ballroom.

A butler called her name, and as she stepped forward, he informed her to prepare to be announced to the ballroom. As she moved toward the doors, the floor helpfully lit up beneath her feet. Her every step glowed momentarily before the light dissipated behind her. She halted in the entrance of the doorway, dress gleaming and every hair in place. The Master of Ceremonies announced her to the crowd gathered below.

“Ciardis Weathervane, daughter of the late Lady Amelia Weathervane, and companion trainee of Lady Serena Projectoris.”

Shoulders straight, Ciardis strode forward, passing through the door and descending the grand staircase. All eyes were on her.

Ciardis kept her eyes locked on Damias, who stood at the bottom of the long staircase, waiting to escort her through the main ballroom. As she reached him, he eased her left hand into the crook of his arm and proceeded to guide her to the steps of the raised dais where the Duke of Carne sat. When she reached the dais, she dipped into a curtsy, her dress pooling around her, her eyes on the floor.

“Rise,” came the order from the man on the dais. “Lady Weathervane, it has been decades since I’ve had the pleasure of hosting a member of your family under my roof. In fact, the last was your beautiful mother.”

Ciardis’s breath caught in her throat. “You knew my mother, milord?”

“I did, indeed. Old age has its benefits. I can safely say that I was one of the few to have known your mother fairly well. She left court early on, as you know,” he said with a laugh.

“No, milord, I was not aware.”

The Duke grunted, “Well then, I have some stories to tell you. But I’ll save that for another time.”

As Ciardis stood, he looked over her head and gestured at the gathered courtiers. “But now is not the time. I must not neglect my other guests. You understand, of course?”

“Of course, milord,” she murmured politely and dropped into a shallow curtsy. She turned to Damias and they walked away from the raised dais to join the gathered nobility and companions who stood on either side of the carpet.

After everyone had the chance to mingle properly, the sound of a bell rang out in the grand ballroom. Two butlers came forward and began to expeditiously roll up the carpet. Ciardis looked to the dais and saw the Duke of Carne standing. He spoke to a man at his side who was draped in the long robes of a mage – the insignia on his breast looked like a horn of some kind. After they finished speaking the mage gestured outwards and felt a wave of magic wash over the room.

When the Duke spoke to the crowd, his voice was amplified through the ballroom.
The mage beside him must have auditory powers,
she thought. “Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to my villa. My wife and I are pleased to welcome so many distinguished guests this evening. Tonight’s festivities will feature a debut dance and a Mordair maze challenge.”

At that announcement, the man nearest Ciardis turned to his partner and whispered, “This Hunt will be even better than the last.”

Ciardis wasn’t surprised at the palpable excitement; the Patron Hunt was one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. The nobles came not only for the opportunity to assess future companions and marriage partners, but also for the entertainment of watching young mages compete against each other in exciting tasks.

“This is the first night of the Hunt, which will be followed by one more night and two days,” the Duke said.

Ciardis’s hand was tense on Damias’s arm. “If you thought a blood hunt was bad, surely a Mordair maze is a worse idea,” she whispered.

As they headed to the wine table, Damias responded, “Serena and I anticipated this challenge. What we did not anticipate was the General taking on the whitehart elk with just you and absent his guards”

Ciardis, who was sipping on a glass of blueberry dessert wine, nearly choked at the censure. “Not unexpected? Are you saying you knew that I would face this maze challenge tonight? Why didn’t you inform me? I came here to
dance
not to race against my life.”

“The maze will not be difficult – you will have to use your cleverness rather than your magic.”

“I don’t suppose you plan on telling me about the activities
for the next two days and tomorrow night, then?” she said, sarcasm dripping from her lips.

“I planned to do so tonight,” he responded. “The first night’s activities are required by Guild law to be kept secret from the trainees until formally announced. The following day’s activities can be explained upon the first night’s conclusion.”

Ciardis frowned unhappy with the decision.

“Don’t worry, my dear,” he said. “The Guild has well prepared you for the tasks you will come across. Just think clearly and be brave.”

Then the orchestra began a set, and the music filtered throughout the room with excellent clarity due to the help of the auditory mage.

Behind Ciardis and Damias a person cleared their throat.

Ciardis turned, sipping the dark wine, and was surprised to see a young woman with her hands clasped anxiously. She wore brilliant blue mage robes with golden scrollwork stitched into the fabric.

Damias excused himself to greet a friend he saw off to right.

Ciardis smiled and dipped into a gentle curtsy; her orchid dress spread out smoothly around her like flower petals.

The girl responded with a short bow and a shy smile. “My name is Mina.”

“Ciardis. A pleasure to meet you.”

“I had heard about your amazing powers, and wanted to come over to introduce myself.”

Ciardis smiled. “How sweet of you. It’s always a chore to find someone to chat with at a party. I’m happy I don’t have to go through those awkward introductions that no one likes. I can tell you’re a mage, but I’m at a loss as to what kind.”

“Oh,” said Mina, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. “I’m an auditory mage. I’m usually working with the orchestra during the evening dances, but my father—a sonorous mage—took my place so that I could attend the ball.”

Ciardis’s eyes widened in excitement. “He’s a sonorous mage? I’ve never met one of those.”

Mina turned to gaze at a dancing couple in the ballroom, then turned back to Ciardis. “It’s the second level for an auditory mage, which is what I am. There are different type of mage powers connected to sound and sight. As a first-level auditory mage I can amplify sound in both closed and open settings, but I have a limited range. My father, who has advanced to the level of sonorous mage, can amplify a general’s orders across a battlefield, if needed.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Yes,” Mina said. “I hope to be as capable one day. You’re here to find a patron, yes?”

Ciardis nodded. “Yes, I’m pretty excited to meet with my prospective patrons – or at least the other ones.”

The girl nodded her head, “It must be so exciting to meet marriage partners like that. Hopefully you get a brilliant match.”

“Marriage partners,” corrected a familiar voice from behind them.

Mina and Ciardis turned in surprise. Prince Sebastian, in his role as Viscount Iskas of Marce, stood before them in his court robes  Smiling, he stepped forward and took Mina’s hand in his and gave her hand a light kiss. “A pleasure to meet you, milady.”

She blushed profusely before returning his greeting. As Sebastian turned to Ciardis, she couldn’t help but note the mischief in his eyes. With a teasing smile, he said, “Debutantes come looking for marriage partners, while companions come for life partners. After all, no one ever said that marriage had to be forever.”

Mina stifled a giggle, but was otherwise unfazed. “He’s right, Ciardis. My father has been married four times, but has kept the same mistress for twenty years.”

Ciardis raised an eyebrow at Mina.

“Not that I’m saying a Companion is anything like a mistress,” Mina hastily said while looking horrified.

Ciardis laughed. “I don’t mind. In Vaneis, we called a stork a stork and a dog a dog. The only difference between a companion and a mistress is that the Companions Guild tends to accept only magic users as opposed to marriage which looks for social and class compatibility.”

Sebastian, still posing as Viscount Marce, said, “Some would say the magical qualities that make a companion so interesting make a world of difference.”

He bowed smoothly and then straightened, looking at Ciardis and gesturing to the dance floor. She looked hesitantly at Mina; she didn’t want to leave her standing alone. The girl quickly shooed her away, and as Ciardis headed to the dance floor on Sebastian’s arm, she saw Damias approach Mina for a dance. Ciardis mouthed, “
Thank you
,”
to him as she stepped onto the ballroom floor.

“That’s tonight,” Ciardis said faintly.

“I know,” Sebastian said. For a few moments, his hands tightened on her waist, and his tone grew dark when he spoke again. “But this is my only chance. I can only gain access to the Land Wight in the Aether Realm once a year, otherwise we must take the chance that he will appear at a land ceremony which hasn’t happened in years.”

Ciardis looked up at him and saw him as he was: a young man, on the cusp of adulthood, uncertain and determined at the time.
The rumors about him can’t be true. He obviously cares not just for himself but for the Kingdom as a whole.

Putting aside her doubts she said, “I have already sworn my aid, but we need a plan.”

“I have one. Meet me at the maze’s end three hours before dawn,” he said.

She almost objected, but didn’t quite know what to object to. He stopped their dance, and to Ciardis’s surprise, Lord SaBarnaren cut in.

“My father wanted this conveyed to you personally,” he said as dispassionately as possible, the frost in his eyes showing what he truly felt. “He bears you no ill will for your hesitation in the forest.”

SaBaranen’s eyes were fascinating to look at—frost swirled around his eyelids and cold emanated from his touch. He wasn’t fighting to control the physical symptoms of his powers – allowing it to leak. It was deliberate slap in the face to Ciardis. Mages were not supposed to leak their gifts in any form without express reason.