“The accumulation of three years of abuse.” Laurel made a couple more passes. “If Lord Rabbit had connected with this, we would’ ve had to scrape the lieutenant off the wall, floor, and anywhere else he may have splashed.” Whatever was in my hand began to dissipate and I wiggled my fingers. “Do not move, Lord Rabbit.” I stopped.
“Runaway untrained apprentice mage.” I could hear the concern in the captain’s voice. “Is he a danger? Is he in danger?”
“No, honored captain, to both.” Another pass and it ebbed some more. “The mentha will help restore Rabbit’s balance and he’ll regain his usual self-control.” Laurel brushed his paw over my palm and the tingling started to fade. “He’s had a lot thrust upon him all at once. The lieutenant’s taunts and threats were the final drops that burst the dam.” He drew on my skin with a claw, leaving a line of fire in my palm. “If we leave him be for a while, he should recover. He’s too dragon-headed to do otherwise.” I heard him dip something in water and wring it out, and I sighed as he placed a wet cloth on my forehead. My eyes closed and, as everything faded away, I heard someone snore and wondered who it was.
Chapter Twenty-six
A badger was leaning over me. I could see the white patch on his forehead as his paw shook my shoulder. I thought of the family that had moved into the forest near our farm, and how Honor Ash Faena had to eventually negotiate a truce between them, the wolf pack and the big cats. I smiled sleepily at him. “I give you good day, honored badger.”
His brows came together; then he picked up some leaves. “Here, Rabbit. Suiden said you were to take these the instant you wake up.” Willing to obey a direct order, even one given through a furry animal, I reached for the leaves, pleased that my hand did not shake—though I couldn’t think why it should. I bit down on them, enjoying their sharp flavor. The badger watched me as I chewed and I wondered why Jeff looked so anxious. I struggled to rise, Jeff helping by grabbing one arm. “This is getting monotonous,” I said as I staggered to my feet. Again, I was surprised to find that I was mostly steady, though I now began to remember why I mightn’t be. I took a tentative step and kept my balance.
“So, do you know who I am?” Jeff asked, still looking worried.
“Don’t be stupid, Jeff.”
Jeff looked relieved, then glared at me. “What was I supposed to think? You called me ‘honored badger’ a minute ago.”
“Oh.” I thought fast. “I was dreaming about my parents’ farm and the badgers that lived near it.” I shrugged. “Must’ve got you mixed up with it.” I rubbed my hand, which started to burn a bit.
“Well, never mind all that,” Jeff said. “A servant from Court has come to fetch Ambassador Laurel.” He pulled me towards the door. “The captain said that you have a quarter hour to get ready so that you can accompany him.”
“But—” I began, startled that I’d be tipped out of my sickbed just to play liaison.
“Rabbit, the servant asked for you too.”
Hell and its ugly mother. I hit the hallway at a trot and reached the water closet at a full run, sliding a little past the door when I stopped. A quarter hour later, washed, shaved and dressed, I was bounding down the stairs, trying to straighten my hastily donned belt.
“Here he is now,” Captain Suiden said as I reached the bottom. The man in royal livery next to him bowed low.
“Lord Rabbit,” the servant said, “I am here to escort both you and Ambassador Laurel.”
“To the king?” I asked, finally getting everything straight.
“To one of his majesty’s ministers, my lord. The Chancellor of Foreign Affairs.” The servant gave a faint smile. “If I might take the liberty to say, Chancellor Berle was a little vexed when she discovered that you and the ambassador had arrived and she hadn’t been told, and she sent me straightway to offer her apologies and to bring you to Court.”
There had been a low amount of noise from tradespeople busy with the outfitting of the embassy, but now it shot up, a couple of muffled shrieks adding to the sounds of panic. I looked down the hall and saw Laurel Faena approaching, carrying his staff.
The servant, though, ignored the commotion with well-trained deafness, and once more bowed low. “Ambassador Laurel.” Over his shoulder I could see Groskin approaching as he walked towards us, carrying the captain’s dress belt, sword and gloves. He handed them to Suiden and the captain put the sword on and tucked the yellow gloves into the belt.
“Lieutenant,” Groskin said, holding out another sword and set of gloves. I frowned at both the “lieutenant” and how he was careful to keep his hands from touching mine, but then I looked at what he had handed me and all other thoughts fled.
All horse soldiers received a plain blade and dark blue dress gloves; holding the tasseled officer’s sword in my hand hit home as nothing else did the change in my status. Jeff had followed Groskin, and I stared at him as I took the old ones off and buckled on the new belt, adjusted the sword and carefully folded the bright yellow gloves over the strap.
“I am ready when you are, honored folk,” Laurel said.
Both tradespeople and troopers watched as Laurel led our little procession to the front door. Javes came out of the captains’ office and Groskin joined him. Both of their faces were somber. Groskin, though, did not meet my eyes.
“You have command, Captain Javes,” Suiden said.
“Yes, Captain Suiden.”
As the door closed behind us, I looked out on the street and saw the death staff and dragon skin loaded on one of several horses. Jeff slipped past us to go join the captain and servant, but Laurel Faena paused next to me. “And so it begins,” he said softly. He then looked at me. “Are you all right, Lord Rabbit?”
I nodded. “Yes, honored Faena. The mentha worked wonders.”
It was Laurel’s turn to nod. “That is good. I have more if you need it.” He touched my arm. “We will talk when we return.” Captain Suiden and the servant, realizing that they had lost us, looked back.
Laurel gave a brief chuff. “I suppose that we should go on, lest our keepers come back and get us.” He smoothed his feathers and checked his beads, took a deep breath, then walked towards the horses. After making sure my sword hung straight, I followed.
I had thought that I’d already seen a fair chunk of Iversly, but I discovered that I’d traveled only a small part. We rode through squares, across marketplaces, down shop-lined streets, around triumphal arches and monuments, past theaters, over bridges that spanned the tributaries that fed the Banson and formed the delta that the Royal City was built on.
“Iverlsy is a triangle with the Royal Residence at the farthest end,” Suiden said as we crossed yet another square, “unlike most cities that are built around a central point.” A standard elf design where the stronghold faces the threat. The wind shifted, bringing with it a salty tang, and I wondered what had threatened them from the sea.
“We did,” Suiden said.
I turned around to stare at the captain.
“Eyes forward, Lieutenant.”
I faced front again.
The Faena walked next to Suiden, carrying his staff in one paw and leading the packhorse with the other. But instead of the bubble we normally got when the big cat was out and about, the city folk lined the street—in some places several deep. Most watched Laurel, but I also fell under scrutiny.
“It seems that Captain Javes’ campaign was successful, sir,” I said to Suiden. A man lifted a child to his shoulder and pointed at me, and I was tempted to wave.
“Yes, and don’t even think about it.”