“Nothing but a cut.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “Of course, right. But you’ve forgotten that I saw that cut before it was healed. If Inga doesn’t tear herself apart for nearly killing you, she’ll tear you apart for not getting out of the way fast enough.”
Kane looked uneasy. “She just might. She’s always on me about being on the defensive.”
“Even with her,” said Caemon. Ciardis had to admit Inga often pushed Kane to be on the defensive, particularly while they trained.
“All right,” said Vana. “I’ll get some guards to carry Inga. Everyone else, you can make your own way.”
Ciardis swallowed. “How? In case you forgotten, we’re surrounded by courtiers, my mother’s missing, and I doubt the imperial guardsmen are going to let us go just like that. At the very least we’ll have to answer for the profuse amount of blood littering their marble, and they’ll want to know who practiced such dark magic that would make a frost giantess go crazy.”
“Are you so sure?” Vana said with raised eyebrows.
“Well, they’ll want to know who practiced such dark magic without their approval,” amended Ciardis. The guards probably wouldn’t care about a potentially insane kith .
Darkly, Caemon said, “Are we so sure it wasn’t approved?”
What was left unsaid was that only the emperor could approve of such a messy kill in the middle of his ball.
Ciardis looked around her at the grave faces encircling Thomas. “My, you are a cheerful lot today.”
They all looked back at her with frowns, none of them amused.
“Fine,” she said. “Is there a way for the group of us to get out of here together without drawing attention?”
Vana looked thoughtful for a moment. “I believe there is.”
“Really?” Ciardis said.
Vana raised an eyebrow. “You have no faith, my young friend. Or did you want to stick around for the fireworks and crumpets?”
Ciardis’s pleasure at being referred to as Vana’s friend was rapidly displaced by the sarcasm dripping from her words.
Ciardis flushed. “No, but how do you expect to get a man covered in blood, an unconscious frost giant, and a mentally ill mage—whom we didn’t arrive with, by the way—through the crowds, outside to the carriage, and home without a fuss?”
Vana smiled. “I have my ways.”
Ciardis groaned inwardly. It wasn’t often that she liked Vana’s ways. They often ended with Ciardis in stitches with cuts, bruises, pains, and aches.
Vana turned to Thanar. “When I give the word, drop the sight and sound shield. Caemon—be ready.”
Caemon looked over at Vana with a slightly frustrated look on his face. “Ready for what?”
“To do what you do best,” she replied.
Vana sheathed her knives and raised her hands in the air. Purple mist began to gather in her palms. Excitement began to gather in Ciardis’s stomach. As much as she wanted to deny it, this was much more interesting than dancing her way through a dreary ball.
“What exactly are you going to do?” she asked.
“Call in the cavalry,” Vana said. “Caemon, if you’d please assist me. I’ll need a boost.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. Ciardis watched the unhappiness on his face as he raised a hand and placed it on Vana’s shoulder. Suddenly Vana’s magic flared, the purple mist burst from her palms in a thick and visible cloud and arced up to the top of the dome, encasing them all. It spread out like sulfur and smelled worse. As they all hunched over, coughing into the thick mist that was making their eyes tear up, their noses run, and their throats sore, Ciardis had a minute to regret everything that had come to pass in her life. Who else would manage to acquire a perfect new ball gown only to have it returned bloodstained with a need to be fumigated in the same night?
“Now,” shouted Vana from inside the cloud.
Thanar dropped the shields. The mist poured outward to encase the entire ballroom in a thick cloud. Confusion reigned. Guests began
She gave him a wobbly smile. “Of course, right. But you’ve forgotten that I saw that cut before it was healed. If Inga doesn’t tear herself apart for nearly killing you, she’ll tear you apart for not getting out of the way fast enough.”
Kane looked uneasy. “She just might. She’s always on me about being on the defensive.”
“Even with her,” said Caemon. Ciardis had to admit Inga often pushed Kane to be on the defensive, particularly while they trained.
“All right,” said Vana. “I’ll get some guards to carry Inga. Everyone else, you can make your own way.”
Ciardis swallowed. “How? In case you forgotten, we’re surrounded by courtiers, my mother’s missing, and I doubt the imperial guardsmen are going to let us go just like that. At the very least we’ll have to answer for the profuse amount of blood littering their marble, and they’ll want to know who practiced such dark magic that would make a frost giantess go crazy.”
“Are you so sure?” Vana said with raised eyebrows.
“Well, they’ll want to know who practiced such dark magic without their approval,” amended Ciardis. The guards probably wouldn’t care about a potentially insane kith .
Darkly, Caemon said, “Are we so sure it wasn’t approved?”
What was left unsaid was that only the emperor could approve of such a messy kill in the middle of his ball.
Ciardis looked around her at the grave faces encircling Thomas. “My, you are a cheerful lot today.”
They all looked back at her with frowns, none of them amused.
“Fine,” she said. “Is there a way for the group of us to get out of here together without drawing attention?”
Vana looked thoughtful for a moment. “I believe there is.”
“Really?” Ciardis said.
Vana raised an eyebrow. “You have no faith, my young friend. Or did you want to stick around for the fireworks and crumpets?”
Ciardis’s pleasure at being referred to as Vana’s friend was rapidly displaced by the sarcasm dripping from her words.
Ciardis flushed. “No, but how do you expect to get a man covered in blood, an unconscious frost giant, and a mentally ill mage—whom we didn’t arrive with, by the way—through the crowds, outside to the carriage, and home without a fuss?”
Vana smiled. “I have my ways.”
Ciardis groaned inwardly. It wasn’t often that she liked Vana’s ways. They often ended with Ciardis in stitches with cuts, bruises, pains, and aches.
Vana turned to Thanar. “When I give the word, drop the sight and sound shield. Caemon—be ready.”
Caemon looked over at Vana with a slightly frustrated look on his face. “Ready for what?”
“To do what you do best,” she replied.
Vana sheathed her knives and raised her hands in the air. Purple mist began to gather in her palms. Excitement began to gather in Ciardis’s stomach. As much as she wanted to deny it, this was much more interesting than dancing her way through a dreary ball.
“What exactly are you going to do?” she asked.
“Call in the cavalry,” Vana said. “Caemon, if you’d please assist me. I’ll need a boost.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. Ciardis watched the unhappiness on his face as he raised a hand and placed it on Vana’s shoulder. Suddenly Vana’s magic flared, the purple mist burst from her palms in a thick and visible cloud and arced up to the top of the dome, encasing them all. It spread out like sulfur and smelled worse. As they all hunched over, coughing into the thick mist that was making their eyes tear up, their noses run, and their throats sore, Ciardis had a minute to regret everything that had come to pass in her life. Who else would manage to acquire a perfect new ball gown only to have it returned bloodstained with a need to be fumigated in the same night?
“Now,” shouted Vana from inside the cloud.
Thanar dropped the shields. The mist poured outward to encase the entire ballroom in a thick cloud. Confusion reigned. Guests began
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