owe you a debt, Sir Hilt. I manipulated you into agreeing to our betrothal. I-I could have waited.”
“No you couldn’t,” Hilt replied. He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. “And you two shouldn’t have had to. Look, I respect your people and your traditions, but there are a few that I find quite ridiculous. Frankly, the way your father handles this betrothal thing is one of them. You two are adults. You shouldn’t need his permission to marry.”
Jhonate blinked at him, unsure how to react to that statement. Justan could feel a mix of relief and irritation coming through the ring. “Nevertheless, I do believe in our traditions. I should not have put you in that position.”
“Look, you’re forgiven, okay? I healed up just fine. Your father came to his senses and Beth poured on the guilt until he agreed to call back the army he had sent-.”
“He sent an army?” Justan interrupted, wide eyed. He had thought Jhonate was exaggerating about her father’s eccentricities. Now he was realizing that his future father-in-law may very well have gone insane.
“Well, yeah. He did, but it was only maybe a thousand men and he called them back before they had even arrived at the border,” Hilt said quickly. “The point I was trying to make before I opened my mouth too far is that however mad Xedrion was at first, he’s better now. Beth and I spent several weeks talking you and the academy up until he finally came up with this alternate plan and sent me back up here with Jhonate’s brothers.”
Justan nodded slowly. “And you’re sure he didn’t think better of it and hire those basilisks after you left?”
Jhonate turned on him, feeling a flash of outrage, but she bit back a retort. After all, hadn’t she asked Hilt the same question? She looked back to Hilt with concern in her eyes.
“No, Edge, and-. Come on, Jhonate. Don’t give me that look. I have already answered you. There’s no way! After all the times he’s had basilisks sent after him, do you really think Xedrion would use those things himself?”
“I do not know,” Jhonate said, her thoughts full of turmoil. “My heart tells me that you are right. I was there for some of those attacks and I remember how much he hated those things. But my mind tells me that he is the most likely culprit. After hearing your story, I can clearly see that father is not acting like the man I remember.”
“I understand your concern,” Hilt said. “But Beth agrees with me that your father’s actions were just out of worry for you, most likely combined with stress over the rumors of Roo-Dan attacks.”
“Beth agrees?” Jhonate said skeptically. “Did she listen to father?”
Hilt’s wife was not only a powerful witch, but also a listener. This meant that she had the ability to listen to a person’s soul and take measure of them. No one could hide their intentions from a listener. Not if they let the listener get close enough.
“Well . . . no. You know how your father is. In all the time we’ve known him, he only let her listen to him once.”
Justan ! Gwyrtha sent. The bond told him that she was somewhere several miles to the south.
Jhonate frowned at Hilt’s response. “Then how . . .”
Justan tuned out their conversation so that he could focus on what the rogue horse had to say. Did you find something ?
Yes! Those things came through the plains , Gwyrtha said and Justan could sense that she was standing in a vast field of snow covered grass. Yntri Yni was perched on her saddle, talking animatedly. Yntri says he is sure they were alone.
You can understand him ? Justan asked.
He is talking to me in my head. Kind of like how you do it but not the same. He clicks a lot more than you do . This old elf is really funny. She paused as Yntri Yni smacked the top of her head with his bow. Why are you mad ? she asked. You are old .
“Uh, Sir Hilt?” Justan said, interrupting Jhonate mid-sentence. The two of them looked at him with
“No you couldn’t,” Hilt replied. He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. “And you two shouldn’t have had to. Look, I respect your people and your traditions, but there are a few that I find quite ridiculous. Frankly, the way your father handles this betrothal thing is one of them. You two are adults. You shouldn’t need his permission to marry.”
Jhonate blinked at him, unsure how to react to that statement. Justan could feel a mix of relief and irritation coming through the ring. “Nevertheless, I do believe in our traditions. I should not have put you in that position.”
“Look, you’re forgiven, okay? I healed up just fine. Your father came to his senses and Beth poured on the guilt until he agreed to call back the army he had sent-.”
“He sent an army?” Justan interrupted, wide eyed. He had thought Jhonate was exaggerating about her father’s eccentricities. Now he was realizing that his future father-in-law may very well have gone insane.
“Well, yeah. He did, but it was only maybe a thousand men and he called them back before they had even arrived at the border,” Hilt said quickly. “The point I was trying to make before I opened my mouth too far is that however mad Xedrion was at first, he’s better now. Beth and I spent several weeks talking you and the academy up until he finally came up with this alternate plan and sent me back up here with Jhonate’s brothers.”
Justan nodded slowly. “And you’re sure he didn’t think better of it and hire those basilisks after you left?”
Jhonate turned on him, feeling a flash of outrage, but she bit back a retort. After all, hadn’t she asked Hilt the same question? She looked back to Hilt with concern in her eyes.
“No, Edge, and-. Come on, Jhonate. Don’t give me that look. I have already answered you. There’s no way! After all the times he’s had basilisks sent after him, do you really think Xedrion would use those things himself?”
“I do not know,” Jhonate said, her thoughts full of turmoil. “My heart tells me that you are right. I was there for some of those attacks and I remember how much he hated those things. But my mind tells me that he is the most likely culprit. After hearing your story, I can clearly see that father is not acting like the man I remember.”
“I understand your concern,” Hilt said. “But Beth agrees with me that your father’s actions were just out of worry for you, most likely combined with stress over the rumors of Roo-Dan attacks.”
“Beth agrees?” Jhonate said skeptically. “Did she listen to father?”
Hilt’s wife was not only a powerful witch, but also a listener. This meant that she had the ability to listen to a person’s soul and take measure of them. No one could hide their intentions from a listener. Not if they let the listener get close enough.
“Well . . . no. You know how your father is. In all the time we’ve known him, he only let her listen to him once.”
Justan ! Gwyrtha sent. The bond told him that she was somewhere several miles to the south.
Jhonate frowned at Hilt’s response. “Then how . . .”
Justan tuned out their conversation so that he could focus on what the rogue horse had to say. Did you find something ?
Yes! Those things came through the plains , Gwyrtha said and Justan could sense that she was standing in a vast field of snow covered grass. Yntri Yni was perched on her saddle, talking animatedly. Yntri says he is sure they were alone.
You can understand him ? Justan asked.
He is talking to me in my head. Kind of like how you do it but not the same. He clicks a lot more than you do . This old elf is really funny. She paused as Yntri Yni smacked the top of her head with his bow. Why are you mad ? she asked. You are old .
“Uh, Sir Hilt?” Justan said, interrupting Jhonate mid-sentence. The two of them looked at him with
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