Terah Edun - Sworn To Transfer

Ciardis raised her eyebrows at the rather lofty goals of his Shadow Council.

“Isn’t it the gardis and military’s role to protect the realm? To ensure peace?”

“It is,” he said. “But the gardis ’s primary role as the guardians of the realm are to police the city and countryside to ensure general peace. And the military is fighting the battle in the North and has been for quite a while. In the end they cannot do so alone. We have the power and the strength to assure that things are dealt with quickly and secretly.”

Secretly? Ciardis was uneasy about this. They sounded more like an assassin’s league than a council .

“How would you go about that?”

He wagged his finger in rebuke. “I think that’s enough about the Shadow Council for now. Just know that we are on your side.”

“Don’t lie to her,” interjected Stephanie.

He corrected, “Or, rather, Stephanie and I are on your side.”

With a frown, he continued, “There are some in the organization who would prefer you dead.”

“I only just heard about the duke’s plans to kill you this morning,” said Stephanie. “The Council has known about it for days.”

“Is that why you came?” questioned Ciardis. “You went against them to save me?”

Stephanie said softly, “No, sweetheart, we’re here because they decided to give you a second chance. Change your ways, or next time the Shadow Council will be the one to put a contract out on you.”

Stephanie was kind enough to escort Ciardis back to the gates of the Companions’ Guild. As they parted ways and Stephanie began to walk away, she turned back and quickly reached into her pocket for something. Pushing it into Ciardis’s hand, she said, “Flick this open if you need me in an emergency. And you will need me. Until then, see you around.” And then she was gone.

Unfortunately, just because Ciardis had a death sentence hanging over her head didn’t mean she could shirk her duties. Lady Vana and Lady Serena were waiting in the outer solar room for her. When she arrived, more bedraggled than usual, it raised eyebrows. But thankfully no one aside from Terris, Lady Vana’s Companion trainee and Ciardis’s best friend, was concerned enough to question her about it.

“What happened to you? Did you fall into a ditch again?” asked Terris with frank appraisal while their sponsors set up the afternoon’s activities on the other side of the garden.

“No,” said Ciardis, pouting. “That only happened once .”

“And it’s a day that no one will ever forget,” Terris said with a giggle as she swung a friendly arm about her friend’s shoulders. “The Incident,” as Ciardis liked to refer to it in private, would have been hilarious and something they could have whispered over into the night—if it had happened to someone else.

She had been riding with the Imperial hunting party on a chilly day as they scouted for boar. The meat from the animal was a nice delicacy that would be on the dinner table that cold night. Riding with the party she’d been ambitious and hoped to be noticed for talents beyond her magical abilities – like her graceful riding skills. Which was why she’d chosen to ride sidesaddle. But even a slow pace turned out to be more difficult than she imagined.

Unfortunately that day she’d gotten excited, kneed her mare into a canter, and gone tumbling into the bushes in full view of the Imperial party. She had been humiliated and, what was worse, she’d spooked the mare so badly that it had refused to let her mount back up. She’d ridden double with a kind knight the whole way back to the palace, her face flaming.

Ciardis waved her hand impatiently to dispel the embarrassing memories.

“What are we in for today?” she said in exasperation.

The darker skinned girl shrugged. “I’m not sure, but Vana and Serena are excited about it.”

Lady Vana called out, “Girls, girls, come over here!”

As they walked toward her, they saw that servants had set out a tall object with a cloth hanging over it. As they walked Ciardis noted with admiration that Terris had woven beautiful beads into her thick black hair which clanked together with her every step. Ciardis tried to ask her how her Patron Hunt was going, she knew that Terris had narrowed her choice down to two candidates, but didn’t have enough time. When they reached the two sponsors, Vana pulled off the cloth to reveal a full-length mirror.

“Today we’re going to work on presentation and illusion,” said Serena. “You both will soon be presented to court and before the Companions Council as the Companion of an esteemed Patron. Terris, I’ve been told that you’ve yet to decide on your Patron. Is that correct?”

Terris nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I believe it’s an important decision and I’d like to take some more time to get to know my suitors.”

“Which is a perfectly acceptable choice for such a large commitment,” Lady Serena said smoothly. In the meantime, Ciardis watched the conversation with boredom and dismay. She loved the pretty dresses and the pageantry of being a Companion, but surely there was more to it than this. And on top of that, she was being targeted for murder. Did Lady Serena even know? What was more, did she care?

No wonder my mother ran away , she thought bitterly, I wonder what she thought of this? What was it like for her? And then it was if a light clicked on in Ciardis’s head – she was surprised that she hadn’t thought of it sooner . She had had very few memories of her mother from before she became an orphan but that didn’t mean others didn’t. At the first ball of the Patron Hunt she had met someone who had known her mother. In fact that someone was still at court: the duke of Carne!

Ciardis tuned out of Lady Serena’s instructions, which mostly pertained to how to use refracted light to subtlety enhance yourself. Perhaps knowing more about her mother and the history of the Weathervanes could help her control those powers.

“Lady Serena,” said Ciardis politely once Serena had stopped speaking, “I was asked to call upon the duke of Carne’s event this afternoon. If you would be so kind as to allow me use of the carriage for the evening?”

“Really?” said Lady Vana, “Terris was invited for afternoon salon, as well.”

Ciardis had a moment of panic. Looking over at her protégé, Vana said, “My dear, you didn’t tell me that Ciardis would be coming along.”

Terris glanced over at Ciardis at the corner of eye in time to catch a look of panic cross her face. She knew that Ciardis hadn’t been invited to come along. They would have been in their rooms planning their dresses for hours if she had. But she wasn’t going to leave her friend hanging in the wind either.

“Oh yes, Milady,” she quickly said, “An invitation was sent; it just arrived later than usual.” She squeezed Ciardis’s hand in reassurance. “We are both meant to attend.”

“Very well,” said Serena, oblivious.

Lady Vana pursed her mouth dissatisfied. She knew the two trainees were hiding something, she just had to hope that whatever it was couldn’t be too bad. After all Terris was an excellent protégé and role model for other trainees. She’d never get into the sort of displays that Ciardis did.

“I expect a full report from you in the morning,” Vana instructed.

“Yes, ma’am,” they said together to their respective sponsors.

As they headed off to the outdoor salon, Ciardis took a moment to change. Certain times called for presentable clothes, and certain times called for drop-dead gorgeous attire. This was the latter. She was going to meet not only the duke of Carne and his family, but he also held court with the oldest noble families of Sandrin. They were sure to be in attendance. None would miss an afternoon soirée in the duke of Carne’s salon if they could help it. He was known for his intellectual gatherings once a month, and they were always the talk of the city for weeks afterward.