Page 102 of Sonnets and Serpents
As they entered the Yamakaz, Silas turned his attention to the stairs, but Henry fixed on the front desk, coming to a startled halt.
“Baron!” he shouted.
Silas blinked, certain he was mistaken. The librarians at thedesk scowled at the loud shout, and it also drew the attention of the man they’d been conversing with.
He wore a dark, tailored suit, evident of Loegrian nobility, though the gentlemanly demeanor was tempered by both the sword at his side and the Caster’s brand on his neck. His reddish hair looked windblown, as if he’d shown up in a hurry, and when his green eyes locked on Silas, his expression split in a grin.
In quick strides, he crossed the distance, and before Silas could protest, Gill pulled him into a crushing hug.
“Let me up for air,” Silas complained, thumping him on the back. But when he pulled away, he wore a grin of his own. “Guillaume Reeves on Pravish shores. I’m not one to doubt my senses, but ...”
“I’m here on Her Majesty’s business.” Gill’s eyes flickered toward Eliza as he added, “Aria’s concerned about her sister.”
Eliza flushed pink from her neck to her ears, as if she’d been caught in something scandalous.
Silas huffed. “I sent word she was safe.”
“That was before Eliza’s letter about Henry’s disappearance. After that, Aria’s worry wasn’t so much for Eliza’s safety as it was for the people of Pravusat if they stood in her sister’s way—or so she told me.”
He gave a mischievous smile, and Eliza’s coloring darkened.
“I didn’t tear the country apart,” she mumbled.
“Much,” Silas couldn’t help adding.
She wrinkled her freckled nose at him.
Gill turned his attention to Henry, extending a handshake and gripping the knight’s shoulder. “Glad to see you’ve been found after all.”
“It’s a long story,” Henry said weakly.
Ever courteous, Gill didn’t press for details. Instead, he produced a signed, stamped document from an inner pocket of his vest. “Your official pardon.” He leaned in slightly, loweringhis voice. “And I’ve been warned by your father that if I’m unable to bring you home, he’ll come for the rescue himself.”
Henry paled, his brow furrowing as if torn between fear and gratitude. Even so, he grasped the parchment with steady fingers. His control was admirable; it would serve him well as an Animal Affiliate.
Finally, Gill swept a deep bow in Eliza’s direction. “Your Royal Highness, I’m pleased to see you safe as well, and I’m sorry we didn’t have the chance to be acquainted earlier.”
“Before I ran away from home, you mean?” Eliza gave a nervous laugh, shaking her head. “So you’re Aria’s Baron—er, Guillaume. I ... would you—um, can I call you Gill?”
Shooting a quick glance at Silas, as if trying to discern what had already been said about him, Gill nodded. “I know ‘Baron’ is an unorthodox nickname. If you’d prefer ‘Gill,’ it doesn’t bother me.”
“Unorthodox nickname, perhaps, but a clever secret identity.” Eliza smiled ruefully. “I tried for weeks to discover where all of Aria’s secret love letters were coming from—which baron in the kingdom might have caught my sister’s attention. She was wholeheartedly smitten, you know. I even caught herdaydreaming. My sister, the practical crown princess who always saw courting as just one more duty on the list.”
Her smile widened. “Maybe we hadn’t met before now, but I always knew what mattered. You make Aria happy.”
Gill seemed stunned. Slowly, he dipped another bow, his hand pressed to his heart. “I’ll try all my life to continue to do so, Highness. You have my word.”
“Thank you for not getting married before I could be there.” She squinted. “You haven’t, right?”
“Aria wouldn’t dream of it. To be honest, there are people I’d like present as well.”
Gill’s gaze returned to Silas, settling on him like a heavyweight. He extended a second pardon identical to Henry’s, and Silas eyed the official document in the manner of evaluating a frozen lake for stability.
Rather than accepting it, he handed Gill the bone-box Artifact.
“What do you make of that?” he asked quietly.
His friend hovered a moment longer, then tucked away the pardon, removed his gloves, and set to examining the box. After only a moment in his hands, the symbols took on a faint, hazy glow.
