Page 56 of Suffer No Fools
"He was stealing life to heal himself," Vadim said. "Why couldn't he heal?"
"He wanted to look and feel younger," Allora said. "He didn't want to age. Even balanced healers age. There's no getting around it. You can't change nature, but he wanted to ..." She gasped. "Oh. There were so many. So many!" She wailed at the memories, and Vadim reached for her, pulling her into his arms.
Beatrice sat at the head of the table, unmoving, as though she had turned to stone like the bench beneath her. Tovey couldn't tell if she was also reliving memories, or if she was shocked by Allora's statements.
"I want to make it right." Allora's voice wavered, still choked with tears. "I want to make enchantments to aid in your battle against Coryn, if you'll let me."
"How can we trust you?" Stan asked. "None of us know enough about enchantments to know if you're doing it right or if you're draining someone to death."
"Coryn makes deals with weavers by having them sign contracts," Allora said. "I'll sign a contract. I'm not ready to die. Please, you've got to believe me."
Vadim took a step back but kept his hands on her shoulders. "Your life would be forfeit if you harmed a single member of Embertide."
"Knowingly harmed," she haggled. "I have hundreds of dangerous enchantments in the world. You can't hold me accountable for some idiot dropping a light globe on the floor and cutting his foot."
Vadim considered her words and shrugged. "Aye. That's a valid point. Klaus can see your enchantment weaves. He will be the judge of your creations' intent. In my absence, Beatrice will enforce the contract."
Allora frowned as though considering it, and then nodded. "You have a deal."
Tovey zoned out while Vadim, Hugo, and Allora negotiated the terms of the contract. Vadim pulled his blood-powered pen from his boot and Stan crafted a sheet of parchment to write the agreement. Stan asked questions to clarify the wording. Finally, Allora, Vadim, and Hugo signed the contract binding Allora's services to Embertide, and Beatrice signed as witness and backup enforcer.
Allora stood to leave and bowed to Hugo over her chair. "I understand the necessity, but I promise, I won't let you down. I've already started on the enchantments Fanidra brought me."
She started toward the door and turned back. "I'll need as much silver as we can spare, and as many smooth stones as the children can find in the creek."
There was the confident enchanter Tovey remembered from his youth. He was grateful to see her return to her demanding ways.
Hugo nodded. "Whatever you need. We thank you for your help. We couldn't stop Martiz, but we have a chance to stop Coryn."
Tovey hoped they had enough time and resources to fight Coryn on their terms.
Chapter 9
Hugo
For the first time Hugo could remember, he wasn't looking forward to Solstice. It was still his favorite day of the year, but he hadn't had much time to think on it at all. If he wasn't in a meeting, he was training with Frost, Jasmine, and Niall or helping Tovey and Stan with their winter chores on the ship.
Perhaps this was how it felt to be an adult with adult responsibilities. Hugo wasn't trapped in a room by himself with nothing else to think about besides what the kitchens were preparing for his meal, and if Coryn would allow his guards to share a mug of ale with him the way they had when his mother had been empress.
Hugo liked being busy. This wasn't the busy work Coryn had forced him to do, either. This was proper work with consequences. He'd met several dignitaries over the past two weeks. So far, he'd made some progress with a handful, and outright enemies of two when he refused their marriage proposals. Hugo wasn't ready to marry anyone yet.
He wasn't ready to fall in love, either, or so he kept telling himself. That ache in his chest whenever Stan and Tovey left him to work or go on dates together was just loneliness. He'd always disliked being alone. The problem was, it happened even whenhe wasn't alone. He could be in a room with Klaus and Niall and still miss Stan and Tovey, even when they were in the next room.
That wasn't love, though, was it?
Hugo didn't have time to think on it before he was dragged to yet another meeting with visiting dignitaries, these from a port city on Glamiere's west coast. They knew little about Hearthstone and were looking to make a trade deal with Aquarion and the outer free islands.
"They're free islands," Hugo said. "Our agreement states they will be able to govern themselves once this war is over. I can't broker a treaty for them." Hugo's father and grandfather had fought hard for those islands, but that war had also led to Coryn's rise, and it only seemed fair to give them back their autonomy after Coryn had crushed some of them mercilessly.
"Then who will grant the trade agreement?" the head dignitary asked.
"You'll need to discuss it with the leaders of each island, would be my guess." He glanced at Elder Beatrice, who beamed back at him with a wicked grin.
"Aye," she said. "It will take time for the islands to develop a trade organization like the one we had before the war of incorporation. If you want to move quickly, you will need to prepare treaties for each island."
"It would be better for us if you kept the incorporated islands," the woman beside the head dignitary said. They both had long black hair and dark skin. If Hugo didn't know they were both air weavers, he would have assumed they were distant relatives.
"I can't keep islands who didn't want to be claimed by the empire in the first place," Hugo said. "We'll be lucky to keep the old mainland. The people of Landale have been talking rebellion for the southern region for the last ten years."
