Lisa Shearin - Raine Benares 01 (41 page)

A
slight figure appeared by the prince’s side, on the edge of my vision. I didn’t
have to see her clearly to know who she was.

“There
need not be violence.” Primari A’Zahra Nuru’s voice was quiet, but firm. “We
can reach a compromise.”

A
quartet of the king’s guards were beginning to look entirely too interested in
us.

“But
not here,” she urged. “Into the gardens, quickly.”

The
possibility of being dragged into the bushes by a goblin prince was one of the
reasons why noble elven ladies feared foliage. Who knew it’d happen to me?

“Or I
could just scream now and save us all the trouble,” I said. “Dying isn’t
agreeable to me, regardless of how or where it happens.”

In an
instant, Prince Chigaru shifted his grip from my arm to my waist, pulling me
tight against him. The dagger’s pressure never lessened. “Then we will all die
at the hands of my brother’s guards.”

“Your
brother has never seen my face,” I told him, talking fast behind my fan.
“Nukpana isn’t here. No one has ever seen the Countess of Eilde. I’m safe. I
can’t say the same for you.”

“Peace,
both of you,” Primari Nuru snapped. “All of you. We share the same goal;
threatening each other does nothing to help us reach it. Please, let us all
step outside.”

In my
experience, an invitation to step outside has never been a good thing. That it
came from a goblin primari did nothing to change my opinion.

The
king’s guards making their way toward us through the press of guests might
believe that I was the Countess of Eilde, but there would be questions,
especially since I was in the immediate vicinity of a renegade goblin prince.
His arm was locked around my waist. How much more immediate could you get? They
didn’t know he was the prince. Yet. But ordering him to remove his mask would
change our status pretty quick. Questions or detention meant delays. We
couldn’t afford any delays.

“May
we be of service, my lady?” one of them asked.

I
sank back against Prince Chigaru’s chest and weakly fluttered my fan back and
forth. “Thank you, but no. A warm night and too much dancing.” I offered a wan
smile for their benefit. “And far too much excitement.”

The
guard glanced curiously at the prince. I didn’t wait for his question.

“This
gallant gentleman was kind enough to remain with me until my husband returned
with refreshments. We’re old friends.” I reached up with my free hand and
patted the goblin prince on the cheek.

I
felt rather than heard the growl rumble low in the prince’s chest. I took the
hint and removed my hand, but I took my time doing it.

Mychael
stepped in close, putting himself in the line of vision between the Mal’Salin
captain and Prince Chigaru. “A Caesolian red always works wonders, doesn’t it,
my love?”

I
smiled up at him. “Almost always.”

I
took the glass in one hand and Mychael’s extended hand in the other. He drew me
away, and Prince Chigaru had no choice but to release me. He sheathed the
dagger behind his back and no one was any the wiser.

I
took a healthy swig of wine as I stepped into the circle of Mychael’s arms.
“Thank you, darling. I feel better already.”

“The
cool air of the gardens will do you a world of good, my dear,” the primari
suggested, looking every bit like the gallant gentleman’s maiden aunt.

I
nodded. “I think that’s exactly what I need.”

Mychael
held out his other hand to Primari Nuru, in courtly fashion. “Will you allow me
to escort you, my lady?”

To
the primari’s credit, she didn’t hesitate before placing her hand in Mychael’s.
The Guardian’s hand closed over it. The prince drew in his breath with a hiss.
Someone didn’t like his teacher’s decision.

Mychael
and I, along with the primari, led the way onto the terrace, followed by Vegard
and Prince Chigaru. Four of Chigaru’s goblin guards followed at a discreet
distance. I recognized two of them from The Ruins. From the murderous looks I
was getting, they remembered me, too. Once again I was going to be in a garden
with goblins who didn’t like me.

Being
outside was a definite improvement. If there was going to be violence, at least
there was more room for it. What made me feel even better was Garadin holding
the door open for us, drink in hand, looking completely relaxed. I knew the
truth. He was relaxed because he was confident. Garadin had a spell that could
take out everyone on the terrace. Piaras and Riston were waiting near the stone
stairs leading down into the gardens. Piaras recognized our new friends. He
started to come to me, but Garadin’s cautioning gesture stopped him.

“We
need to leave the terrace, or disperse,” I said to no one in particular. “Both
would be nice.”

“There
is a gazebo in the center of the garden,” Mychael said. “It should give us the
privacy we need to reach an equitable solution. The others could wait within
sight and earshot for security purposes. Is that agreeable?”

“I
don’t think that’s agreeable to anyone,” I said. “But right now, I’ll settle
for just getting off this terrace.”

Under
congenial circumstances, the gazebo would have been a perfectly lovely place
for a quiet talk, or for two lovers to steal a few secretive moments together.
Unfortunately neither description applied to us. Garadin, Piaras and the two
Guardians waited near a small rose garden about ten feet behind us. Chigaru’s
guards were at a similar distance in the opposite direction.

In a
rustle of gossamer fabric, the primari seated herself on one of the stone
benches. Prince Chigaru stood behind the bench at her right shoulder, his dark
eyes still on me. I opted to remain standing, my eyes more or less even with
his. Somehow I felt safer that way.

“You
should not have come tonight, my primari,” the prince told the tiny goblin. “It
is not safe for you here.”

“And
your safety is assured?” she shot back, though not unkindly. “You should not
worry about me.” She reached up and affectionately patted the prince’s hand on
her shoulder. “Has Mistress Benares agreed to assist us?”

“We
were just getting to that,” the goblin prince said.

“Perhaps
I might help.”

Getting
to that? Might help? This was all too strange for me. The prince made it sound
as though we had just taken a pleasant turn around the dance floor, and now I
felt like I was about to be interrogated by someone’s elderly grandmother.

I
stood straighter, not that I had much choice in that dress. “You have a strange
way of asking for help, Your Highness.” I turned to the primari. “Two nights
ago, he ordered a friend of mine kidnapped to use as bait to catch me. I was
told he would be killed unless I cooperated. We were then tied up, and taken
against our wills into The Ruins where your darling prince threatened my friend
with torture unless I agreed to help him find the Saghred.”

“Was
any undue violence or coercion used against you or your friend?” Chigaru asked
mildly.

I
couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I heard Piaras’s gasp of disbelief behind
me.

“Undue
violence?” My voice went up a couple of octaves. I couldn’t help it. “As
opposed to justifiable?”

The
goblin prince shook his head. “Merely necessary.”

“The
ends justify the means?”

He
almost smiled. “Precisely. So you do understand.”

“No,
I don’t!”

“Raine,”
Mychael said by way of warning.

I
shot him a look, then took a breath and blew it out. I continued, but quieter.
“Then tonight, His Most Serene Highness sticks a dagger in my ribs and says
that unless I help him, he’ll kill me. Perhaps this type of behavior isn’t
serious to a goblin, but we elves take that kind of thing personally. I know I
do.”

The
look the primari gave the prince was the same one Tarsilia gave Piaras when she
caught him sneaking cookies before supper. Then the tiny goblin shook her head
and actually made tsking sounds.

“He
acted out of concern for our people,” she tried to assure me. “His methods may
seem somewhat questionable, but his heart is in the right place.”

I was
flabbergasted. “He has one?”

“It
might be an appropriate time to apologize, dear,” Primari Nuru told the prince.

It
was his turn to look appalled. I had to admit he did it well. He probably had a
lot of practice.

He
drew himself up imperiously. “For doing my duty as a prince of my people? For
which I was viciously attacked.” He shot a scathing look at Piaras.

Piaras
responded with a low growl, but from the sounds of things, Garadin and the two
Guardians kept him from joining us.

“For
not taking into consideration the sensibilities of your guests,” Primari Nuru
helpfully clarified for him.

Prince
Chigaru thought about that for a moment. Regardless of how he had considered us—guests
or prisoners—it was clear that making apologies wasn’t something he had much,
if any, experience with. He looked at me and cleared his throat. Then he
stopped and thought some more. I knew this wasn’t easy for him, but unlike the
primari, I wasn’t feeling particularly helpful. I was willing to wait as long
as it took. I resisted the urge to cross my arms and tap my foot.

The
prince cleared his throat again. This time, words actually made it out.

When
he had finished, it sounded like an apology. It had all the right words, and
they almost sounded sincere, but somehow the phrasing was off. In the end, I
don’t think he accepted the blame for anything.

“Was
that an apology?” I whispered to Mychael.

“It’s
probably as good as you’re going to get.” I could hear the smile in his voice.

“Should
I take it?”

“It
might speed things up if you did.”

I
took a moment to think, too. To my credit, I didn’t take as long as the prince.

“Do
you promise not to try to kill or torture me or my friends ever again?” I
thought for another moment. “Or order anyone else to kill or torture us, or
betray us to anyone who would want to kill or torture us?” I was proud of the
last two. I think I was getting the hang of how the Mal’Salin mind worked.

Mychael
leaned toward me. “Don’t you think you’re being a trifle excessive?”

I
didn’t even have to look at Chigaru Mal’Salin to know the answer to that one.

“No.”

To
the prince’s credit, he responded almost immediately. “Barring betrayal on your
part, or on the part of your friends—or another attack upon my person,” he said
with a meaningful glance in Piaras’s direction. “Yes, you have my word.”

“We
shake hands on it now, don’t we?” I asked Mychael, without enthusiasm.

“It
is the accepted way to seal a pact.”

I
only had to take one step to be in the center of the gazebo. The goblin prince
had to take two. I know; it was petty of me to notice. I extended my hand. He
took it. I was almost surprised when he released it.

“Well,
we’ve agreed not to kill each other,” I said. “Now what?”

The
prince answered. “We find the Saghred before my brother and Sarad Nukpana.”

I
blinked.
“We?”

The
prince’s eyes narrowed. “We.”

“And
when we do?”

“That
is what we must now agree upon.”

“Any
chance of you and yours going back to The Ruins and letting us take care of
this?”

The
prince’s eyes hardened resolutely. “None whatsoever.”

I
shrugged. “I had to try.”

Mychael
spoke. “As Paladin of the Conclave Guardians, my duty is clear—restore the
security of the Saghred to prevent its use. By anyone,” he added meaningfully.

He’d
get no argument from me.

“Mistress
Benares is able to use it most effectively.” The prince’s tone stopped just
short of being accusing. I saw where this was going.

“Against
my will,” I told him. “The last thing I want is a connection of any kind with
something known as the Soul Thief. Sarad Nukpana is holding a dear friend of
mine hostage. He wants the beacon and the Saghred in exchange for her release.”

The
prince bristled. “You are going to give it to him?”

“Of
course not,” I shot back. “And I don’t believe for one second that he actually
plans to keep his word. I’m here tonight to help Paladin Eiliesor recover the
Saghred.”

A’Zahra
Nuru’s eyes had rarely left me. They were now focused where the beacon lay
beneath my bodice. I saw mild surprise mixed with relief in her eyes. The
beacon fluttered against my skin in response to her attention. I waited for the
inevitable request.

“Do
you have a blood link to its creator?” she asked gently.

That
wasn’t the request I expected. Requests from goblins concerning the beacon
usually began with “give” and ended with “now.” I had to admit it was a
refreshing change.