“Trooper Jeffen, please escort Losan and her aides to the foyer,” Captain Suiden said.
Losan’s mouth shut with a snap and after glaring red-faced at the captain, she spun around and walked out after the Faena. Jeff herded the other two clerks behind her.
As soon as they were gone, Suiden told me to shut the courtyard doors, while Javes pushed away from the wall and shut the door to the hallway. Groskin moved the chairs so they faced away from the uncovered windows and glass doors.
“Please sit.” Suiden frowned as we all did so. “I had forgotten how, ah, involved the politics were here.”
Javes gave a sharp laugh. “Involved? The ambassador of the only country to beat us bloody stupid is given a stripped bare house, is told that his money is no good and that he’d probably nick any loose change lying around, so we’ll keep the household books, old fellow. By a jumped-up junior clerk.”
“Eso Dru, Javes,” Suiden said.
“Fine. A jumped-up noble junior clerk.”
“It concerns me, sirs, that she had no compunction in demanding that she take over the procurement of our supplies,” Groskin said.
“Yes,” Suiden said. “It makes one wonder.”
“It also concerns me that we haven’t heard from any of the Gresh or Iversly clergy,” Groskin continued. “Nor from anyone else.”
“You’re right, Lieutenant,” Javes said. “Where’s the receiving committee? In every damn place we’ve been, the officials fell over themselves to greet the ambassador. Here, they act like he’s some junior clerk, come only to make sure the lawn is trimmed and the middens emptied.” He turned and looked at me. “And what about Lord Rabbit here? If my papa had a loose heir running about, he’d be all over him like wet on water.”
“Uhm, sir, I’m not really the heir—”
“No, not to Flavan, Rabbit,” Javes said, “but Lord Chause has only one very young son and the brother next in line is a vice admiral in the Royal Navy out quarreling with the Turalians over sea trade routes—and is not married.”
“Widower, no children,” Suiden said.
I blinked, not realizing how close to the succession I stood. “But my da is still alive and I have three older brothers.”
“Who aren’t here,” Suiden replied. “You are.”
“But I don’t want—” The world shifted.
“Then you should have stayed in the Border,” the obsidian dragon said. The gray wolf gave a sharp yip, while the black panther’s ears laid back in agreement. Green eyes stared down at me through wisps of curling smoke. “Why do you think your parents went there? It’s the one place where certain Houses—”
“Or other interests,” the wolf growled.
“—couldn’t reach them.”
“Why did you leave the Border, Rabbit?” the large cat rumbled.
“I wanted to see the world …” My voice trailed off as three different species looked at me in disbelief.
“So you’ve said before, but your parents couldn’t have been so naive as to not tell you what they had left behind,” the dragon said.
They did tell me. But what I ran away from terrified me more than anything that might have arisen from the once upon a time of my parents’ past. From the clean, bright walls shadows gathered and I was suddenly surrounded by darkness through which several pairs of transparent eyes peered. I heard the wind shaking the trees, and something stretched, then snapped with a thunderclap.
“Rabbit, are you all right?” Groskin asked, his hand on my arm.
I looked up and saw Suiden and Javes watching me with concern. The sun shone into the room, the trees outside still, the only shadows cast by window and door mullions. A shudder shook me. “I—”
The door opened and Laurel came in. “What has happened?” He shut the door behind him and hurried over to where we were, his toe claws clicking against the floor tiles. “Are you all right, Rabbit?”
Suiden rose and went to my side. “Lieutenant Rabbit was overcome by the heat for a moment.”
“I see.” Laurel looked at me. “You might want to breathe.” I realized that I wasn’t taking in air and began to gasp, willing my heart to slow down. A metallic taste filled my mouth, followed by bile, and I swallowed. After opening the glass doors to the courtyard, Groskin came back and tried to thrust my head between my knees. Laurel swatted his hand away and reached into his pouch, pulling out a couple of leaves. “Here, chew these.”
I swallowed again, recognizing them. “No,” I said in denial.
Javes frowned. “What are they?”
“Thunder without a cloud in the sky, Rabbit,” Laurel said, ignoring the captain. “Tell me, what did you see?”
“It’s not uncommon to have thunder without clouds when it’s hot,” Suiden said. “And you’re not dosing my men without my permission.”
I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn’t work and I fell back into my chair. Groskin clamped a hand to my shoulder to keep me seated.
“It’s just the heat, sir,” I said. “I’m all right.”
“No, you’re not all right,” Laurel said. He looked at Suiden. “Do you know what’s ailing him?” Shut up, I thought, and both Laurel and Suiden looked at me as if I shouted.
“All right,” Javes said. “What is going on?”
Laurel held up the leaves and in the breeze from the open doors I caught the faint scent of mint. “Mentha,” he said.
Suiden stared at Laurel, then jerked his head around at me, his face filled with dawning understanding.
“So?” Javes asked as Groskin frowned down at me.
“It’s given to mages,” Laurel said, “when they start to come into their full power.” There was silence as Laurel’s words sank in; then Groskin snatched his hand back from my shoulder as if it were hot. Javes, though, peered at me through his quiz glass. “Oh, I say,” he murmured, fascinated. Then his voice changed. “You’re shaking like you have the ague, Rabbit.”
I felt like it. Despite the heat, I was shivering with cold and my teeth had started to chatter. I pushed myself to my feet anyway, this time staying there. “I’ll be all right, sir,” I repeated, not looking at Laurel or his damned leaves. “It’s the heat. A little rest and I should be fine.”
“So you’re not a mage?” Javes asked, still looking at me through his quiz glass.
I shook my head and nearly fell. I steadied myself by grabbing onto the chair’s back. “No, sir,” I denied. “I’m just a farm boy.” And I was. It took many years for an apprentice to become a mage.
“Rabbit—” Laurel began, taking hold of my arm. I didn’t have the strength to pull away.
“Let him go, Sro Cat,” Suiden said, removing my arm from Laurel’s grasp for me.
“Captain—” Laurel began this time, rumbling.
“We don’t have time to argue,” Suiden said. “There are three officious clerks of Lord Gherat’s waiting to take us to the bank, so to the bank we must go. Unless you want them or, worse, Gherat to start asking questions.” Moving between Laurel and me, he looked at Groskin standing several paces away. “Get someone to escort Rabbit upstairs, Lieutenant.” Groskin went to the door and shouted, and a trooper almost immediately appeared. Laurel rumbled deep, his tail lashing, but he remained quiet as the trooper and I left for my room. We did detour first by the kitchen where I drank a cup of water and downed two oranges Basel produced. But after climbing the stairs on wobbly legs, I finally made it to my bedroll. There I collapsed, feeling as though I’d been rolled out and pounded flat. I shot upright again, though, as the smell of mint hit my nose. Reaching into my trousers pocket, I found two mentha leaves that Laurel had managed to tuck in. I stared at the leaves for a moment, then dropped them on the floor before collapsing once more. The room spun around once as I sank into oblivion.