but blanket derision didn’t look good on anyone.
“In time, we’ll see,” he said.
“Look at this,” Maree Amber said. She grabbed another piece of paper from her desk and handed it along with the scroll to Crassius. He took them and glanced over their contents with a bored look in his eyes.
He tossed an amused look at Ciardis. “The head of the Musicians’ Guild writes that you threw his prized poodle into the bushes. And the head of the Weavers’ Guild says you unraveled every single bolt of expensive silk fabric in her warehouse. This is, of course, in addition to your rather strange affair in the gardens at the dead of night with the Duchess of Carne.”
“Those were accidents,” Ciardis stressed.
“Companions don’t have
“Well, not the Duchess of Carne, but she tried to kill me!”
“More importantly, mages don’t have accidents,” Maree Amber continued, resolutely determined to ignore Ciardis’s outburst. “It’s time you were properly trained.”
Glancing down at a note in the report on Maree Amber’s desk, Crassius added, “Instead of just relying on your ancestral memory ball.”
Ciardis raised an eyebrow. “Companions aren’t mages. Companions have
“On the contrary, my dear,” said Maree Amber coldly, “we believe your Weathervane abilities go far beyond the talents of your ancestors. You’ve accidently enhanced the powers of other mages five times now. There will not be a sixth.”
Ciardis bit the inside of her cheek to keep from retorting. “I didn’t mean to,” wouldn’t go over well in this situation.
“You’re a Companion, you’re a mage, and up until this moment we were lax in reining you in. Your status as the newest Weathervane in almost twenty years had quite a bit to do with that,” said Maree Amber. “It’s time for a change.”
“From this day forward you will be trained by me. Furthermore, you will not set foot into the palace for another month—not until I’m sure you’re ready to handle it. Lord Crassius is correct in this: You need guidance.”
Ciardis looked ready to object on quite a few points.
“Be silent, Companion Trainee Ciardis,” said Maree Amber. “I’ve heard tales of your rudeness. That kind of behavior will not be tolerated when speaking to your betters.”
“In this case I mean your elders,” she continued on blithely. “And it certainly will not be tolerated in this office.”
Out of the corner of her eye Ciardis saw Lord Crassius roll his eyes. She almost smirked.
“Unless given explicit permission to voice your opinions, keep silent,” Maree Amber said while standing up. “I will return in a few moments.”
When Maree Amber left, Ciardis obstinately stared out the window. She’d never been talked down to like that before in her life.
Some days—this whole season, really—were enough to drive a person mad.
*****
Lord Crassius took in her profile. She was irate, no doubt of it. The girl couldn’t hide her feelings at all. She looked like a porcupine that that been poked and had stuck out its spines in defense, just waiting for the next attack.
He decided to take pity on her. “Companion Trainee, I give you full permission to speak freely,” he said. “Just don’t make me regret it.”
“It was an accident. You know the kind of things that happen in the Imperial Courts,” she snapped. “There are thousands of mages wandering in and out at all times of the day. A wind mage could have pushed that dog. It could have been anybody,” she practically whined.
“It wasn’t anybody—it was you.”
“How do
“Because every mage’s gift leaves a special signature when used, an essence of them that is left behind in traces.”
Ciardis wilted in her seat. If this trace stuff were true then her life had become just that much more complicated. She wasn’t an imbecile; she had enhanced every nearby mages’ powers in an effort to protect Prince Sebastian at the time. Regardless of whether or not he was speaking to her then, he was still her friend.
He continued, “That is how I know you were the one that pushed the powers of all those mages, in effect causing them to use their magic without a choice and how I’m certain that you need to be trained. Of course, a mage would usually be trained by one of like ability, but that’s not going to be an option with your Weathervane powers.”
Maree Amber walked in at that moment. “Lord Crassius is correct again. As such, you’ll be under my tutelage henceforth.”
If anything could be worse, Ciardis couldn’t see it. The woman gave her the creeps.
Ciardis’s eyelid twitched but she managed to restrain any comment.
Looking to Lord Crassius, Maree Amber said, “Will that be all, Crassius?”
“For now I leave her in your capable hands, Maree,” he said while standing.
“Very well, may your trip west be fruitful.”
He nodded and left.
“Stay seated, Miss Weathervane, I have orders to give you,” Maree Amber said while pulling parchment out of her desk and inking a quill by her side. She busied herself writing out three missives while Ciardis stared out the window, wondering where her life had gone wrong.
“This first missive with the golden ribbon is for the head of housekeeping. Take it to her immediately—I have ordered her to reassign your guest quarters to my tower. The maids will pack your things. The second missive with the red seal is destined for the guild couriers—they are to take it to the Imperial palace immediately. The third missive is for the school for mages. It is to be sent by pegasi windrider. Give the letter to a courier and tell them the destination. They will make arrangements from there. Were my instructions clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Very well. Go and don’t dawdle. You are to meet me at my tower in two hours. We’ll begin your training.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ciardis was tempted to ask her what the training involved, particularly since Maree Amber had already admitted that no other person’s abilities came close to matching Ciardis’s. What could she teach her that experience and the memory ball couldn’t?
She took in the woman’s expression and decided that for once forbearance would be the more acceptable tactic in this situation. The woman looked cold and cranky. Neither of which boded well for their lessons together.
She left hoping Maree Amber would be in a better mood in the afternoon.
*****
After quickly delivering the letters, she raced off to the White Horse Cafe. Sebastian, black hair a mess from the wind, sat in a corner booth of the bustling tavern. She recognized him immediately and was a bit surprised that he was sitting out in the open. Wouldn’t the other bar crawlers notice him, as well?
As he saw her, recognition poured through the bond in place between them and quiet contentment flowed freely from his end.
He grinned as she slid silently onto the bench. Ciardis waved at the tavern girl for a tankard of cider. Sebatian put in an order of soup.
“A little overdressed for a bar crawl, aren’t you?”
“Had no time to change after my court date thanks to an urgent meeting called by the Companions’ Council,” she said sourly.
