Sworn to Sovereignty Read online

  “Where do you think everyone went?” Ciardis asked in a cautious tone.

  Sebastian paced forward a bit and then turned around to squint at the palace.

  “Probably in there,” he said in a worried tone. “They all must have heard the commotion and decided that the imminent collapse of the palace walls precluded their own sworn duties.”

  “They went in to help,” Ciardis flatly.

  Sebastian nodded. “Help save others from a disaster that I caused.”

  Ciardis swallowed deeply as she took in the damage to the outer façade of the palace. She could see it even when relying on mostly far-off torchlight and the night sky. It looked bad. She had the feeling that come dawn, it would look even worse off.

  But that couldn’t be helped. Plaster and paintings could be replaced. People could not, she thought to herself resolutely.

  Getting a firm grip on her emotions, she said in a tone that brooked no argument, “What say we find our friends, check on a moody wyvern, and search for a missing assassin?”

  Sebastian laughed. It was dark. It was bitter. But it was a laugh, which was more than she’d hoped for under the circumstances.

  “Let’s,” he finally said as he turned away from his home and towards the outer gates leading into the city itself.

  They started walking. After a few minutes, Ciardis sighed and asked, “So exactly how far away is this ‘distant stable for magical creatures’?”

  This time he gave an actual joyous laugh before answering, “Far.”

  Ciardis muttered. “That’s what I thought you would say, and look at poor old us, without a horse or carriage in sight.”

  She was halfway joking, but at the moment she would have taken a ride on a hellcat if it would have gotten them there faster.

  Sebastian apparently had other ideas, though. “Looks that way. How do you feel about a shortcut?”

  Ciardis batted her eyelashes. “Why, I thought you’d never ask.”

  She even curtsied in mock thanks, which was when she noticed the blood staining the trailing edge of her riding skirts that doubled as pants. Suddenly, her good mood evaporated like a pool of water on a hot day.

  She no longer felt happy. It was easy to forget for a moment the things they had just seen. It was harder to push those thoughts away for more than that fleeting moment, though.

  Sebastian noticed her change in demeanor and immediately said, “He’ll be all right, Ciardis.”

  She sniffed and lifted her gaze away from the bottom of her skirts. “I know that, but will we?”

  Sebastian prepared to answer, then halted in deep thought.

  His voice was sad and confused as he admitted, “I don’t know.”

  She nodded and frowned. “Neither do I. I guess we’re just in this wild journey together, then.”

  He stared at her for a second and then shook his head in wonder. “I guess so.”

  Ciardis flashed a grin. “So how about that shortcut?”

  Sebastian chuckled. “Right this way. If we cross the courtyard, get through those gates into the bailey, and swing left, we can hit the underground tunnels that the guards use.”

  Ciardis raised her eyebrows. “That doesn’t sound very safe. Having underground palace tunnels accessible from the outside of the walls, that is.”

  Sebastian was already trotting forward across the cobblestones, but he threw a gleeful look back at her. “That’s the beauty of them. The tunnels aren’t outside the palace walls. They’re in the outer bailey just past the portcullis leading outside.” They sped up into a run. “The soldiers aren’t stupid. This was a good way to get troops from one end of the palace to the other without going around the huge building or through a maze of endless rooms. The secret to navigating those guard corridors is closely guarded by the imperial commanders. To anyone wandering inside, it’s a treacherous pit.”

  “Uh-huh,” Ciardis said as she fought to keep up with him. “And you know how to get through them how?”

  They reached the edge of the outer bailey in record time.

  Sebastian explained as he opened a side door next to the ornate palace gates, “You know about my troubled childhood. I wasn’t just picked on; people genuinely wanted to assassinate me and link their own blood to the imperial line with the birth of a new heir to the throne. The soldiers took pity on me after one too many accidents.”

  “Pity,” spluttered Ciardis as they walked through. “Wasn’t that their jobs? To protect you and your family?”

  Sebastian glanced over his shoulder, clearly amused. “Not if the attacks were clearly sanctioned by my father.”

  “And were they?” Ciardis asked impatiently as she watched him trace a hand over some bricks that had seen better days.

  Absentmindedly, Sebastian said, “As long as he didn’t kill off my attackers, the implied reasoning was that it was sanctioned. Though even he got mad a time or two.”

  “When?” Ciardis asked as she watched his fingers dance over the bricks, his lips moving in time with a slow count.

  Sebastian shrugged. “Well, once, a very ambitious lady of the far coast thought it would be a good idea to poison me. But she didn’t try to do it when I was alone and eating just with my nursemaid. It was amid a state banquet. Let’s just say I was having a fit that day and wasn’t hungry. But eight other nobles didn’t fare so well. Her little stunt ended the lines of two of the empire’s noble families, and her own as well once the emperor figured out what she had done.”

  Ciardis blinked in astonishment. “And this was commonplace?”

  Sebastian exclaimed in excitement and grabbed a brick that looked just like any of the others. A wall panel clicked and a door made of the very same bricks swung open. Then he said, “Not usually in so foolish a manner, but relatively.”

  Ciardis sighed. “You had a horrible childhood.”

  Sebastian flashed a grin at her while still holding the brick. “Let’s just say I had an interesting one.”

  Ciardis rolled her eyes and walked forward. “Let’s go, oh child of mischief.”

  As they walked into the tunnels, a voice shouted off to the front of the outer bailey. “Hey, wait!”

  Ciardis turned in surprise to see that it was Terris. Beside her stood a put-out dragon ambassador.

  Behind Ciardis she felt Sebastian’s surprise as he dropped the brick dead-center on his foot and yelled aloud in pain.

  “Finally!” Ciardis said while pushing him back out into the bailey. “Something is going our way.”

  She raced forward and unlocked the gates to let her friends in. As they met on the other side Ciardis saw quite a few bodies missing. Chief among them a healer that she was desperate to get a second opinion from in regards to her brother’s condition.

  “Christian’s not with you?” Ciardis asked in a breathless manner as she raced to hug Terris.

  Sebastian came right behind her, limping. As soon as he got to the other side Terris said, “Nope, but it doesn’t matter! We’re meeting him there, but we’ve got to go now!”

  “What? Where?” Ciardis asked, confused. “Did Thanar go with him?”

  Raisa rolled her eyes. “Are we supposed to keep track of all of your lovers? No, he did not.”

  “Then where is he?” said a flummoxed Ciardis with wide eyes.

  “I was going to ask you the very same question,” said Terris pointedly. “Haven’t seen him since we left you.”

  Ciardis looked back at Sebastian, then turned to Terris. “We parted ways, but I thought…I thought he would come to you.”

  If anyone noticed that her voice trailed off in the end they didn’t comment on it.

  “No,” said Terris. “But there’s more than him to worry about, and honestly, Thanar is the last person I’m worried about. Now let’s get out of here.”

  Ciardis reached behind and closed the gate with a clang. “What are we running from, or to?”

  Raisa clicked her teeth and said, “Them.”

  “Them who?” Ciard
is asked, struggling to get a straight answer out of either one of them. “And where’s the damned wyvern?”

  “Safe,” snapped Terris. “In the palace holding cells for magical beasts. Us, on the other hand, that’s another matter.”

  Sebastian said quietly, “I’m wishing you hadn’t closed that gate, Ciardis.”

  Ciardis frowned. “Would someone explain what is going on?”

  Raisa reached forward and turned her west without prompting.

  “Apologies for the interruption, my lords and ladies,” said the man standing in front of at least two dozen armed men. “But we’re here for you.”

  Ciardis clamped her jaw shut harshly.

  Sebastian stepped forward and said in a cold tone, “Do you know who we are?”

  “We do, my lord Prince Heir,” the man said in an apologetic tone.

  “And what do you want?” Ciardis said, regaining her backbone.

  Terris sighed heavily by her side. “That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

  Ciardis said dryly, “Well, someone might as well spill the beans now that they’re here.”

  The man straightened up and declared, “In the name of His Imperial Majesty Bastian Athanos Algardis, you are under arrest for disturbing the peace, breaking and entering, and attempted murder.”

  “Well, that’s original,” Ciardis sniffed while throwing the palace a dirty look. She wouldn’t be surprised if this was Maradian’s doing. Just a way for him to amuse himself. But the more she thought about it, the less she was sure of that presumption. The emperor was vindictive, but he was neither lazy nor counterproductive. Having them arrested after letting them go less than an hour before made no sense in the grand scheme of his plans, Ciardis was sure of that.

  Terris cleared her throat and said nervously, “There must be some mistake.”

  The man quickly said, “No mistake.” He waved a sheaf of papers in his hands. “We’ve warrants.”

  Sebastian cocked his head, clearly surprised. “And if we refuse?”

  Sounds like metal whispers rang through the night. As one, every warrior drew his weapon from its sheath.

  Terris stepped forward and held up beseeching hands. “Whoa, let’s not be hasty here.”

  “We have our orders,” the man in front said nervously as he looked behind him at the weapons that were all bared at his back. “I’m just the messenger, though.”

  “Clearly,” said Raisa sarcastically.

  At the same time Ciardis shook her head and almost laughed at the irony. She was getting fed up with having weapons aimed at her.

  Sebastian kept his cool though and asked, “On whose orders do you act?”

  The man shuffled nervously. “The empire’s.”

  The prince heir raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, “I am the empire. Try again.”

  Behind Sebastian, Terris, and herself, Ciardis heard a muffled sound. She couldn’t turn around fully, but she did tilt her head. She couldn’t be sure, but she got the distinct impression that the dragon ambassador of Sahalia was laughing her bum off.

  I’m glad someone finds this amusing, Ciardis thought at Sebastian grouchily. She wouldn’t be surprised if Raisa overheard her, though.

  As she did, a flash roared through her mind with a wave of pain and she felt like she’d been hit on the head with a mallet.

  “Ow!” Ciardis cried out.

  “Ciardis?” asked Sebastian quickly.

  “What happened?” Terris asked in a worried tone.

  “I don’t know,” Ciardis said shakily as she reached up and gingerly prodded her forehead, certain she was bleeding or punctured or something. “It was like a headache from demons one moment, and in the next it was gone.”

  “Sorry about that,” the messenger said. “I have my orders.”

  “That was you?” Ciardis growled.

  “Yes,” the man said apologetically. “I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed mind-to-mind communications right now. Strictly prohibited. Orders and all.”

  Sebastian put a hand on his sword pommel. “I’m getting rather tired of you.”

  The man blanched and backed up into the protective ring of the soldiers behind him.

  “I’m just following—” he said hastily.

  “Orders, we know,” Terris said, finishing his sentence in a clipped voice.

  The man gave Companion Kithwalker a nervous glance and fell silent.

  Sebastian said, “I’m going to ask one more time, who sent you? Whose orders are you following?”

  The last sentence was said in a shout that had the man jumping nearly a foot in the air. As soon as he landed back on the ground he looked to his left nervously.

  Ciardis frowned as she wondered, Now why would he do that?

  “That’s it, isn’t it,” Ciardis exclaimed. “Your master is here, aren’t they?”

  The man gulped.

  Sebastian laughed cruelly. “Well then, why don’t they come out?”

  “No, no,” the messenger quickly pleaded. “I just—”

  “Just what?” Terris said evilly. “Blew your cover? You can shut up now.”

  The messenger fell into a miserable silence.

  The prince heir paced forward. “I’m tired of playing your games, whoever you may be. Come out and face us. Or are you such a fool that you will kill four individuals on the doorstep of the palace?”

  One of the soldiers, indistinguishable from the others, stepped forward and said, “Fools we are not, Prince Heir.”

  Ciardis felt a small shiver go down her spine. She knew that voice. She just couldn’t place it.

  Sebastian said convivially, “Who do I have the pleasure of addressing? I obviously cannot see your identity with that heavy helmet covering your head.”

  There was a brief pause. Then the soldier moved to remove their faceplate and helmet.

  When they took it off, Ciardis couldn’t help it. She gasped in surprise.

  It was the Duchess of Carne, looking as hale and healthy as ever.

  Which was a surprise, since the emperor had ordered her captured after she’d been witnessed murdering her husband, the Duke of Carne, in cold blood.

  “Well, well, well,” Sebastian said without a hint of surprise in his voice. “What do we have here?”

  “What do you want?” shouted an outraged Terris.

  The duchess turned a fairly reptilian gaze on Ciardis’s friend. “You came to warn them, surely you know?”

  “I knew of an ambush,” Terris replied coldly. “Nothing more. But it looks like that bit of warning was right on the mark.”

  “One day you must sit down and tell me where you got your intelligence,” the Duchess of Carne replied with a smile. “I simply have to know who found out about my plans to come here. I don’t trust many people, and to think that one of them betrayed me is most distressing.”

  “Enough,” said Sebastian sharply. “What do you want, Duchess?”

  “And please don’t say it’s to finish our little tête-à-tête,” Ciardis complained. “Because on the scale of things, that is pretty minor as far as my priorities for the day.”

  The Duchess of Carne replied, “Believe me, I know.”

  “So I’ll repeat a question that we’ve already pressed your incompetent lackey with,” Sebastian said dryly. “What do you want?”

  The Duchess of Carne glanced at said lackey coldly, and turned back to the prince heir.

  The man whitened even more if that was possible and shrunk back into the protective shielding of the soldiers.

  Ciardis heard a faint “I’m sorry” emitting from his general direction before he disappeared from view.

  The Duchess of Carne looked like she’d eaten a sour lemon and didn’t want to be anywhere near their group of individuals, or on this street for that matter, but to her credit she squared her shoulders and spoke. “As much as it pains me to admit it, Prince Heir, I am here to help you.”

  “Help us?” Terris echoed shallowly.

  The d
uchess spared her a glance. “That’s right.”

  “Help us how?” Sebastian asked quietly.

  The duchess sighed and began to pace in a tight circle. “It’s an open secret to a select few at court that the emperor is not all that he appears to be. We’ve suspected since the reveal that you’ve been in possession of your inherited powers and connection to the land all along, but didn’t have confirmation until certain aspects were revealed.”

  “You’re speaking in riddles,” Ciardis said. “Speak plainly or leave.”

  The Duchess of Carne paused walking. At the moment her back was to them as she faced her soldiers. Ciardis had to wonder if this was her real plan, to lull them into a false sense of security and then attack. But she didn’t give any orders to her men.

  All the duchess said in a resigned voice was, “I wish I was anywhere but here.”

  Ciardis blinked.

  “What was that?” Sebastian asked sharply.

  The duchess turned around and gave a bitter smile. “As much as I regret this, and I even voted against this very option, but it seems we are down to so few options that we are left with only you…”

  Ciardis blinked. “Did you just insult us?”

  “Get to the point,” Terris snapped.

  The duchess rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “Children, why did it have to be children?”

  Ciardis crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. The Duchess of Carne grimaced and then began to recite something Ciardis Weathervane never thought she’d hear issue from between those treacherous lips.

  “On behalf of the Shadow Council of the Algardis Empire and due to the proof presented to our in-state council including the memories of one Lillian Weathervane, the presence of an intact Kasten ship, and the knowledge of the failings of our ruling emperor, we pledge our support to the true and only emperor of Algardis, Sebastian Athanos Algardis.”

  Ciardis felt her jaw drop. She wasn’t the only one.

  Sebastian shifted uneasily in the center of the half-circle the grouping of soldiers had formed.

  “Run that by me again,” he said weakly.

  The Duchess of Carne gave him a contemptuous look. “I won’t speak it again. But know that everything I did, even while trying to eliminate you, was on behalf of the Shadow Council and in service of the empire.”