But that didn’t explain the chain of command that led from Markus to Taltek Balmorlan to what had happened to Piaras. Markus had always made it his business to know what all of his people were up to. I was sure that included me. If General Aratus was one of his people, and Balmorlan his lackey, Markus had to know about Piaras.
And Markus had to know what Piaras meant to me.
Some last part of me refused to believe that Markus had ordered Piaras kidnapped for agency use. Piaras was just a boy. Okay, a young man. But Markus wouldn’t order one of his own people taken against their will.
Or would he?
I felt the rage building and did nothing to stop it.
“Girl, we don’t know that Sevelien ordered anything.”
Justinius had been following my every thought. I knew Mychael had. Good. It’d save me explaining why I was about to put my fist through the nearest wall.
“We don’t know he didn’t,” I said through clenched teeth.
“He’s the one you know, isn’t he?” Piaras asked quietly. “The one you’ve worked for.”
I swore silently. I’d never told Piaras about Markus because I didn’t want him involved in any way with the agency. The kid was entirely too good at listening when he wasn’t supposed to. Apparently my efforts at secrecy didn’t work. I took a deep breath, half hoping that it’d calm me down. That didn’t work, either. No sense denying it now. “Yes, he is.”
“I’m sorry,” Piaras said.
I waited a moment for that statement to make sense. It didn’t. “What for? None of this is your-”
“That’s not what I meant, Raine. I’m sorry that someone you trusted betrayed you.” His expression reflected controlled anger. A man’s anger. “No one should treat you like that. You don’t deserve any of this.”
Piaras wasn’t worried about his own safety or why Markus might want him. Right now all of his concern was for me. My vision blurred again. The old man’s fireplace was too damned smoky.
“Thank you.” It was all I could manage to say. I waited a few seconds until I was sure I had myself under control. “Mychael, let’s operate under the assumption that the general and Balmorlan took their craps because Markus told them to.” My voice was hard, my words clipped. “I want to know the instant Markus Sevelien sets foot on this island. I don’t think he’ll come, but if he does, I want to know about it. Immediately. I’ll be telling the same thing to Phaelan and Uncle Ryn. If Markus does show up, I will know about it, and we will have a talk.”
“Raine, I don’t think that’s a-”
“Good idea?” I snapped. “No, it’s not. Markus having anything to do with what happened to Piaras wasn’t a good idea, either.” My voice dropped to a hissing whisper. “And if he was involved, I will make him realize just how bad his choice was.”
“Son, you don’t need five hundred Guardians,” Justinius told Mychael. “Just point this one in the right direction and set her off.”
I couldn’t get my hands on Sarad Nukpana, but Markus Sevelien was flesh and blood. My reaction was violent and primitive, but I was a violent and primitive kind of woman and Mychael knew it. His eyes stayed locked with mine for the span of a few heartbeats. I had to force my breathing back to normal.
“Sir,” Mychael said, slowly taking his eyes from mine, “do you have enough strength to ward Piaras’s mind against Sarad
Nukpana? I’ll be assigning four Guardians to help him resist any impulse that may get through, but Piaras needs to know when he’s being tampered with.”
The old man snorted. “Of course I have the strength. Which four Guardians?”
“Herrick, Arman, Drud, and Jarvis.”
Justinius whistled and shook his head. “You’re not taking any chances, are you, son?”
“No, sir, I’m not.”
Piaras paled. “Who are they?”
“They’re the men who will prevent you from doing anything Sarad Nukpana tells you to do.” The old man’s eyes gleamed. “They’ve done this before-and they’re good at it.”
“Good at it, sir?”
“Exceptional.”
“What about spellsongs?”
“What about them?”
Piaras winced apologetically. “I’m kind of fast-”
The old man chuckled. “You’re not that fast, boy.”
Piaras gulped audibly. “This sounds painful.”
“Not if you stop when they tell you to.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “He can’t use any magic? Just how the hell is he supposed to defend himself?”
“Those four Guardians will defend him,” Justinius told me.
“And should they require any assistance-and that is highly unlikely-they’ll know the difference between Master Rivalin’s magic and Nukpana’s. They’ll stop the goblin, not Master Rivalin. They’re four of Mychael’s best.”
Mychael spoke. “I have the same hopes for Cadet Rivalin.”
The archmagus smiled in genuine pleasure. “Cadet? So you want to be a Guardian?”
“More than anything, sir.”
“Ronan told me as much.” He looked to Mychael. “That means an induction ceremony.” He grinned slowly. “Considering present circumstances, it would need to be public, wouldn’t it?” His grin broadened. “And it would need to be soon.” It was obvious that the old man was hatching something.
“And it would be best if you did the induction yourself,” Mychael said. “My men need to see that-and so do the Seat of Twelve.”
“To let everyone know that I didn’t try to kill you?” Piaras said.
“That, too. I’d hardly induct my own assassin, now would I? This way I kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”
“You’ll be using Piaras to show you’re back in power,” I said quietly.
“You see anything wrong with that?”
“Not a thing. The sooner you get out of that bed, the better.”
“Everyone who needs to know that I’m back in command will be there. Do it once, and do it right-prevents any rumor or doubt as to my condition.”
“I’ll have the papers brought for your signature,” Mychael told Justinius. “That will make it official in case our hand is forced before the ceremony; and I’ll tell Herrick and the others. Since they’ll be guarding Piaras, they need to know that he’s one of ours.”
I held up a hand. “Hold on a minute. If Piaras is a Guardian cadet, he answers to Carnades until Justinius is back on his feet. I don’t want Piaras under Carnades’s control for one second.”
“Which is why we’ll be keeping his new status quiet until the ceremony,” Mychael said.
“When I will be back in charge.” The old man sounded like he couldn’t wait to clean house once he was.
“Raine, I consider Taltek Balmorlan the greater evil right now,” Mychael told me. “He-and the people above him-are the ones pulling Carnades’s strings whether Carnades is aware of it or not. Piaras being a Guardian cadet protects him against arrest, prosecution, or extradition.” Mychael looked at Piaras. “Once you become a Guardian cadet, you will no longer be a subject of the elven crown. You’ll be subject to Guardian law and under our protection.”
“I really like the sound of that, sir.”
Yeah, it sounded good, but the agency wasn’t known for giving a damn about anyone’s laws. Like certain members of my family, if they saw something or someone they wanted, they just took it or them. Mychael glanced at me. He knew it, too. But right now, getting Piaras into the Guardians was the best he could do. I had to agree; anything was better than nothing at all. Besides, it was what Piaras had always wanted.
“We’ll go ahead and have you fitted for your uniform,” Mychael was telling Piaras, “but you’ll wear civilian clothes until then.”
“How long, sir?”
“Two days at the most, and I’ll be on my feet and back in charge,” Justinius said.