Page 49 of Oath of Betrayal
No, I wanted Ani, not just some temporary relief.
A knock on my door interrupted my turbulent thoughts, and I nodded to Alaric when he walked in. ‘The envoy from the royalmage has arrived. He should be here shortly. I asked the officer to bring him via the more scenic route through the town so that we could talk.’
‘Where’s Ani?’
‘I saw her in Katja’s workshop furiously mashing some herbs. You should offer that herbalist woman a permanent position here. She is excellent at making tinctures and remedies. More importantly, she is a good friend to Annika, and your Nivale needs female company.’
A strange emotion flitted across his features as he rubbed his chest again, a habit that was growing more noticeable with each passing day. ‘I will,’ I answered. Another knock announced the arrival of the envoy, and Alaric positioned himself beside me so that we could both face the visitor.
The man who followed my officer was dressed as a battle mage. His robes, however, were black, showing his status as both fully trained and a member of the royal household. He bowed his head respectfully towards me, but when his gaze slid towards Alaric, his only response was a raised eyebrow and pursed lips.
‘Commander, I’m here to discuss your plans for tackling the recent Vel attacks. I have been given full authority by the chancellor to carry out an inspection of your preparations and disposition of your troops,’ he declared arrogantly. I felt my fists tighten as I bit back my indignant response.
‘I’m sure you already know my name but let me formally introduce myself. I’m Lord Ormond Erenhart. You may call me “Commander” or “Sir,” as you choose.’ I enjoyed seeing the mage rear backwards, his nostrils flaring. I gestured to my left. ‘I believe you’ve already met our fortress mage, Alaric’va Shen’ra. Now … who might you be?’ I asked calmly while Ari looked down his nose at the envoy.
‘I am Ihrain Zak, battle mage of the High Order and apprentice to the royal mage.’ His gaze slid to Ari with open disdain. ‘You are a fool if you employ a dark fae as your mage. They cannot be trusted.’
‘You’re right. We can’t be trusted. Yet no one from the capital dares to come work at the fortress, so perhaps we can be trusted a little more than the commoners of the Lowland Kingdoms.’
I couldn’t help but smile. This was Ari at his keenest. Within moments, he’d identified the envoy’s weakness and eviscerated him. The envoy’s surname was that of a family of ennobled peasants. That he’d thought to use the royal mage’s authority as his own … well, that told us everything we needed to know about his character. While I’d intended to use the knowledge as leverage later on, Alaric had decided to put the coward in his place from the start.
‘Youfoulcreature …’
‘Enough.’ I slammed my hand onto my desk, and the envoy startled, falling silent mid-sentence. ‘You will inspect the fortress if and when I allow it. Did your master brief you on the situation here?’ I asked, and something akin to understanding flashed in Ihrain’s eyes.
‘You mean your intention to replace the keystone? That was a ridiculous idea from the start. If your mage had bothered to communicate with the university, he would have learned that the entire Barrier is failing, not just a keystone in the Lost Ridge. It is no longer about singular Vel passing through the Rift. All four fortresses have now notified us of an increase in attacks. Some have even sighted spectrae on this side of the Barrier.’
‘Sighted? Lucky them, we fought a damn swarm of them. What is the king planning on doing?’
‘His Majesty recognises the problem but decided that instead of war, we will try … a different approach. Our mages were able to communicate with Katrass through a portal and receivedconfirmation that messengers were welcome, so the king has sent our best diplomats to the Lich King’s domain. Why fight the monsters when we can have peace with the man who controls them? The Necromancer’s War was five hundred years ago. Times have changed, and it’s time for us to change as well. The Barren Lands were once a thriving merchant hub with access to the Northern Sea, and it can become so again.’
‘The empress tried that when Cahyon was still human. Have you learned nothing from her mistakes?’ Alaric’s voice was grim, but I had to agree with him. I wish I understood what was going on at court these days.
‘Is that the reason all my requests for aid are being refused? Or why my army is now half-full of criminals instead of proper soldiers?’ I hissed. The smirk on the mage’s face was my only answer.
The king didn’t care if the Barrier was restored. It explained the years of neglect and lack of response to my requests. Did he want it to fall? That could be the reason for the reassurances given to the foreign courts. Though one thing remained a mystery …Why had I been given Annika’s geas?
The meeting during which the royal mage had given me the parchment had been secretive to say the least, but I’d assumed it was because he couldn’t admit to losing track of her for so long. Now it looked more like something else was afoot. Could Ani’s disappearance have been orchestrated, or at least aided, by the royal mage? Was that secretive old bastard plotting against the king?
‘You are getting the men you need, so what’s the fuss? Political decisions are not for the likes of you to question, Commander,’ he sneered, and I began questioning why the chancellor would send someone so stupid here. Before I could answer, the door burst open, and Annika strode inside in a cloud of herbal scent wearing a determined expression.
‘If you think you can push me aside again, you are sorel … ohhh.’ Her tirade petered out when she saw the black embroidered robes of a battle mage and the man himself standing between us. She paled, swaying slightly, and I rushed to her side, but Alaric was there first.
‘Annika? But you’re dead!’ The battle mage gasped out in disbelief, and I swore under my breath.
‘Good morning, Ihrain,’ Ani answered, now entirely under control. ‘I’m sorry for disturbing your meeting. I will return later.’ Her tone trembled a little towards the end, and she turned to leave, only to stop in her tracks as the battle mage snarled.
‘Stop and explain yourself, creature.’ The crackling sound of aetheric power being manipulated had everyone turning, ready to fight—none faster than Alaric, who’d already leapt forward, dagger drawn and thrusting.
‘Creature?’ she hissed, flames spitting from the ends of her fingers.
‘You will speak to my lady with respect or not at all, boy. Choose your next words wisely. I would see you pay in blood for your insolence,’ Ari threatened, pressing the point of his dagger to Ihrain’s neck.
‘Your lady? Can’t you see, you fool?!’ he spat. ‘This is a doppelgänger, a latawica1 pretending to be Annika Diavellar. Annika died ten years ago when she lost control of her magic after her Anchors died. She was promised tome, so I would know if she was still alive.’ Alaric only pressed harder, drawing blood, and Ihrain finally paled. ‘You’re defending this demon?’
‘Oh, cut it out, both of you. I didn’t die, and I wasn’t promised to you. I never gave my consent, and I ran away before anyone got any stupid ideas about using my geas. Youidiotsin the capital are so gullible.’
She approached the pair and took hold of Alaric’s hand to ease the dagger from Ihrain’s neck. ‘They were bound to find out,eventually. I’m not exactly hiding anymore, am I? Ihrain will behave, or I will repeat our little tête-à-tête from school. Do you still wet yourself at the sight of fire, little Ihry?’
