Brian McClellan - Servant of the Crown

“No, of course not,” he said absently, glancing after General Seske. The nerve of that man ! Incompetence riddled the Adran army, almost every officer having bought their commission from the crown. Seske was no better or worse than most of them but rudeness could not be excused. “Can I help you with something?”

“I thought you looked like you needed a drink.”

Tamas glanced back at the woman to find her holding up a glass for him. “I’m sorry,” he said, trying to put Seske from his mind. “It’s terribly rude of me to say, but I barely drink, and I’ve had more than enough tonight for a man in my state.”

“It’s chilled cider.” She gave him a smile that was just charming enough to make him suspicious.

He blinked at her and took the glass. “Thank you, madam. I apologize for not introducing myself. You caught me somewhat off guard, I …“

“You’re Captain Tamas,” the woman blurted, then seemed to catch herself. “We haven’t met. I know you only by reputation.”

“I didn’t realize I had any sort of a reputation in these … circles.”

“You don’t. I mean, you do. But I hadn’t heard of you before a few days ago.”

Tamas glanced off, trying to see General Seske, but the general had disappeared. And with him Tamas’s hope of going on the next campaign to Gurla and ending this nasty business of the duel before it could go to a hearing. “Good things, I hope. I mean, I hope you’ve heard good things.”

“Not really,” the woman said, with a half-smile that seemed meant to soften the words.

“I see.”

“Would you care for a dance?”

Tamas hesitated. The offer caught him off guard, and it was very tempting. He usually welcomed a conversation with a woman so fetching, and there was something about her that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. But he was in a foul mood and spending any more time in this place would likely set him off. It wasn’t a good idea. “I’m a terrible dancer. I would only embarrass us both.”

“You can’t be that bad, Captain.”

The word captain slid off her tongue in a silky manner that made Tamas forget all about General Seske, and against his better judgment the two of them were suddenly in the middle of the floor, swirling among a dozen other couples.

“I don’t know your name,” Tamas said, counting steps desperately in his head as he tried to remember the waltz that went with this song.

“Erika. Erika ja Leora.”

Tamas searched his memory for the name. It tickled something in the back of his mind, just out of reach. The ja indicated she was Kez nobility. Not surprising in a city right on the border. To her credit, she didn’t have the slightest accent. “It’s my pleasure, Lady Erika.”

“This was not a chance meeting,” Erika said.

“I gathered that it might not have been. What can I help you with, my lady?” What the pit does a Kez noblewoman want with a powder mage , Tamas wondered. The Kez hate powder mages .

“This is a rather sensitive matter, actually. Can you give me your word as a gentleman that you’ll keep quiet about what I tell you?”

“My word as a gentleman is worth very little, my lady,” Tamas said.

“Still …”

“You have my word.”

That seemed to satisfy her. The music grew quieter and the tempo slowed, and Erika stepped forward to press against Tamas’s chest. Her head came just up to his chin, and she looked up at him. “I am a powder mage, and I need someone to train me how to use my powers.”

Tamas’s mouth went dry and he missed a step, nearly tripping. The couple beside them bumped him, and the entire dance floor nearly fell into chaos. The music continued, however, and Tamas felt the gentle pressure of Erika taking the lead.

“You weren’t kidding about being a terrible dancer,” Erika said. She pursed her lips, her cheeks suddenly rosy. “I’m sorry, that was awfully rude of me. Is something wrong?”

“Erika ja Leora,” he repeated. “Now I know where I’ve heard that name. You’re that Kez powder mage everyone talks about.”

She seemed to stiffen, and their step faltered again. A moment later they were back in the rhythm of the dance. “Half Kez,” she responded.

Tamas tried to wrap his head around the woman with whom he danced. Erika ja Leora was the heiress of a Kez duchy on her mother’s side. On her father’s side, she was third in line for an Adran duchy. Within the world of Adran nobility, she was one of the most eligible young women in all the Nine. Even Tamas had heard of her in that fashion.

Tamas caught a break in the dance to disengage from Erika and retreat to the side of the room. He turned to find that she’d followed him, a troubled frown on her face.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “Did I say something to upset you?”

Upset him? Tamas felt like a pauper caught nabbing the crown jewels. “My lady, I cannot train you to be a powder mage.”

She scowled. “And why not?”

“I’m a commoner, my lady.”

“All of my tutors have been commoners.”

“Men and women of reputation, I’m sure. There is very little good said of me amongst the nobility.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you. Do you have any other excuses?”

Tamas felt a flare of anger. Powder mage or not, her noble arrogance was coming through. Did she think everything was owed to her because of her station? He could think of a dozen reasons not to train her. The Privileged cabal already had it out for him. His status as a powder mage was well known, and while mages weren’t executed outright for the crime of their birth as they were in some other countries, they weren’t exactly welcomed into society. If he began actually training other mages, the cabal might come after him openly.

“It wouldn’t be right,” he finally said.

“Right?” she said, taken aback. “How is that not right? You’re the only powder mage known to be good at what he does. I want you to teach me to shoot, to burn powder, to fight with a powder trance.”

Tamas made a calming gesture and changed tactics. “My lady, you just met me. I know the state of magery in Kez. I know you’ve only escaped the noose because of your family. If word got out that you were being trained, they would kill you outright. You shouldn’t have told me any of this.”

“I know your background,” Erika said. “I’m not a fool. I wouldn’t have come to you if I didn’t know your dislike of the cabals or of the nobility. You’re not going turn me over to the Kez cabal.”

“What if I disliked nobles so much that I’d want to see you dead because of your station?”

Erika was aghast. “You would not!”

“No,” Tamas agreed. “I wouldn’t. But you shouldn’t have risked it. My lady, I cannot train you.”

Erika opened her mouth, but she was interrupted by the arrival of a man and woman. Tamas recognized them as the couple that he’d disrupted with his terrible dancing.

The man looked Tamas up and down disdainfully. “You, sir, owe my fiancée an apology. She turned her ankle because of your clumsiness.

Tamas turned to the woman, who, beyond her angry scowl, looked completely unharmed. He bit his tongue. This wasn’t the time or the place for him to get into any more trouble. Through clenched teeth, he said, “My apologies, madam. I’m not a very good dancer.”

The man gave Tamas a brisk nod and turned away, seemingly satisfied. Suddenly he stopped. “I recognize you.”

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Tamas responded.

“I do. You’re Captain Tamas, aren’t you?”

Tamas glanced at Erika, hoping that she would see trouble on the horizon and take this opportunity to make her exit. “I am.”