Nightfall: Book Two of the Chronicles of Arden (22 page)

“I would agree. Jumping to conclusions is an often dangerous game.” Koal kept his tone neutral, but Joel knew what his father couldn’t say aloud. It would have been bad form to explain in front of all of these strangers how Arden’s High Councilor kept the country in a state of panic. Rumors and lies were common trade from his uncle’s lips, almost as bad as Shiraz’s intimidation methods. How could Arden ever hope to prosper under such conditions?

Mind and heart heavy with woe, Joel glared down at the parchment resting on the table and continued to take notes.
 

The meeting went long into the afternoon before Emperor Sarpedon finally declared a recess. While no end to the border dispute was yet in sight, swords remained sheathed and no blood pooled on the chamber floor. Joel supposed, in that respect, the meeting had been a small success. At least he knew it was possible for the leaders to be in the same room together.

Joel stayed quiet as they returned to the suite. Thoughts of the council meeting weighed heavily on his mind, and while the others engaged in conversation, he was too distracted to lend his own voice. Fumbling with the notes he’d written, Joel stared at the ground and wondered if reaching a peaceful agreement would ever be possible. Arden’s laws were so fundamentally different from Shiraz and Nales. Would they be able to find common ground?

This is what I signed up for
, Joel reminded himself.
These types of situations are what ambassadors are trained for. This is why I left my home, my family—Gib. I came here to learn how to make a difference in the world. I can’t give up so easily or the sacrifices I made will all be in vain
.

“Father,” Liro was saying. “I must insist on seeing a healer.” The elder brother clutched his skull with both hands as he walked into the suite. His blanched face was drained of all color, and despite Liro’s best attempt to hide the terrible agony, Joel could see it in his eyes.

Liro had been fighting such headaches since childhood. The healers hadn’t been able to cure it—they weren’t even able to give him a proper diagnosis. They could only offer temporary treatments to pacify the headaches. Sometimes herbal medicines were enough, but more often than not, magical intervention needed to be called upon to block the incredible pain.

Joel frowned, wishing he could offer words of comfort but knowing he would only be scorned for it. He remembered, back when they had still been close, he would often hold a wet cloth to Liro’s forehead and sit with him until the pain subsided. Those days were long over.

Koal directed his son to sit down on the lounge. “Here, rest. I’ll call a servant—”

“I can find a servant by myself.”

Concern etched the seneschal’s face. “Then I can help you find the healer’s wing.”

“I’m not a child. I can find my own way.” Liro’s voice was clipped as he peered out at Koal from between his fingers.

Koal gave his son a stiff nod and finally relented. “Very well. Go. And when you return, we
will
be discussing the issue of you speaking during that council meeting.”

Liro departed, leaving perturbed silence in his wake. Koal was still frowning as he set to work writing his report for King Rishi. Cenric clapped him on the shoulder as he walked past, offering silent support. Joel leafed through his own notes, rebellious mind wandering again. It seemed he was destined to have no control over his thoughts while on this mission.

“Joel, why don’t you take a short break before we review the notes you took during the meeting,” Cenric suggested.

“All right,” Joel heard himself respond numbly. Perhaps some sunshine and fresh air
would
do him good. After being locked in that chamber for the past three marks, he had begun to wonder if he’d ever see the light again.

He went onto the terrace, eyelids fluttering as harsh, blinding sunlight hit him in the face. Gazing across the garden, Joel admired all the flowers, placed in perfect little rows. The hedges had been trimmed recently, their straight edges giving Joel the impression they’d been carved from the same stone as the palace, and the still waters of the pond reflected wispy white clouds from the sky above. The view was vibrant and beautiful, like a painting years in the making. As he admired the scenery, Joel wondered with wry amusement if the people in this marvelous stone city ever found themselves jaded.

Gib had joked on more than one occasion about how the highborns in Silver City enjoyed such extravagant lives that they’d lost the ability to see the beauty surrounding them—that they’d never appreciate it unless it was suddenly gone. Joel swallowed, shaking his head.
It works the same way with people. I didn’t appreciate what I had with Gib, and now he’s gone
.

Sighing, he sat down on a bench beneath the shade of a tree. Peering straight up, he saw purple fruits growing among the spiny leaves. Birds, hidden from view, sang in the branches far above. Or perhaps they weren’t birds at all. Maybe they were cockatrices. He supposed he couldn’t really know without catching a glimpse of them.

For a time, he merely sat there, watching the grass dance in the gentle breeze. Despite the palace walls looming behind him, it was easy to feel removed, as though he were the only person left in the world. If he closed his eyes, he could almost believe he was sitting in the inner courtyard of the Adelwijn estate on a beautiful summer day, family nearby and Gib by his side. They sat together, hands intertwined, laughing over some tasteless joke they’d heard at the Rose Bouquet the night before, with not a worry in the world.

Joel couldn’t help the whimper that escaped his throat
. I’ll never have that again. Cenric was right. If I become an ambassador, I’ll see all the beauty the world has to offer. But what good is all of that if I have no one to share it with? I don’t want to be alone—

Quiet voices beyond the hedge line caught his attention, pulling him out of his forlorn reverie. Two people were talking—or rather, one was sobbing while the other attempted to calm her.

“I can’t do it anymore,” cried a young girl. “I just can’t!”

“Shhh. Calm down, Kenisha,” replied the soft voice of a boy. “Tell me what happened.”

Joel leaned a little closer to the hedge. He knew he shouldn’t be eavesdropping—for a second time that day—on what was surely meant to be a private conversation, but if he got up and walked away, he’d be heard.

More sobbing ensued before the girl was able to catch her breath. “It’s
him
again!”

“Has he—hurt you?”

The terrible silence left in wake of the question made Joel shudder.

“No. Not yet anyway. But I know he plans to. It’ll be just like what happened to Daphne!”

“Daphne? What happened to her?”

“He—he started giving her attention. He told her she had certain obligations as a servant. He said she needed to fulfill
all
her duties.”

“He hasn’t the right—”

“Oh no? And who was going to take a stand and tell him so? Daphne was a lowly servant. To disobey him would have only sealed her fate sooner.”

“What happened?”

The girl sniffled again. “She did as he wished. Kept her mouth shut about it, of course. But then the pregnancy began to show, and—and he dismissed her. He sent her home to her family on the outskirts, beyond the protection of the dome, just as the onslaught of winter arrived.”

Another bout of miserable silence lingered in the air. Joel realized he’d been holding his breath only when fire began to burn down the back of his throat and into his lungs.

Finally, the male voice came again, just as quietly as before, but heavy with resolve. “That won’t happen to you. I promise.”

“You can’t know that for sure! What if it does? I can’t be banished like Daphne. I have no home left to go to. If I’m sent beyond the barrier—I’ll die out there on my own, Kirk!”

Joel’s brow furrowed. Kirk? The same Kirk who’d shown them to their meal earlier? The apprentice of the Archmage? It had to be. Joel tipped his head closer to the hedge.

“Listen to me,” the boy replied, confirming Joel’s suspicions. He recognized the mage trainee’s soft tenor voice from their first meeting. “In two more years, I’ll be done with my apprenticeship. I’ll be earning my own purse, and I promise the first thing I’ll do is get you out of this palace. I swear it on our mother’s grave.”

“
Two years?
” Her anguished voice cracked.

“I know. I
know
it’s a long time, but I can’t earn my title any faster.” He gave a deep sigh, like wind cutting through the trees. “What if I try to get you reassigned? Perhaps my master could use another servant girl. He’s not the kindest man, but at least you wouldn’t have to worry about—mistreatment.”

“No. He already hates being saddled with you. Asking for a favor would only make your own life more difficult. I can’t ask that of you.”

“You’re my sister,” Kirk replied. “You can ask anything of me, and you know it.”

“You’ve done enough for me already. When the mages came to take you to the palace, you fought for me to come, too. I’d be out on the streets if it wasn’t for you. I’d probably be dead—or worse, working in a brothel.”

“I saved you from one horrible fate only to put you in danger here, too!”

“It’s dangerous everywhere. At least here I don’t have to worry about starving. Or freezing to death. You remember how it was outside the barrier, don’t you? For now, I’ll take my chances serving
him
rather than fighting to survive out there. But if he continues to—”

New voices carried on the wind, interrupting the siblings. Someone was approaching.

The girl’s voice came again, fast and hushed. “I have to go. You’re supposed to be looking in on your charges, and I’m late to the kitchen. We both stand to be reprimanded if we’re caught here. Stay well, brother.”

“Be careful, Kenisha.”

Joel could hear the sound of hurried footsteps on stone pavers as the girl made her retreat. He stood to leave, too, feeling as though he’d already lingered longer than was strictly necessary, but froze in place as a new voice bellowed from beyond the hedge.

“
Kirk Bhadrayu!
” a brash voice called out.

Kirk sucked in a sharp breath.

“Oh, look, Brutus,” snickered a second voice. “It’s your
favorite
mage trainee!”

The first newcomer issued a snort. “My favorite trainee to torment, perhaps.”

“Hello, Brutus. Hello, Taichi,” Kirk replied after a moment, voice timid and possibly even a little frightened.

Joel listened as the other boys’ footsteps drew nearer, until they were so close Joel himself took a step back. They were right on the other side of the hedge; he could have reached out and touched them.

“What are you doing out here?” the first boy demanded. “I thought Master Titus told you to go make sure our guests from Arden were pacified.”

“Yeah!” said the second boy. “Why aren’t you checking on the envoys?”

Kirk went silent, and Joel realized the trainee didn’t have an excuse to give the other boys. Kirk’s sister had warned they both stood to get into trouble if they were caught conversing. Was unfair and unnecessary justice about to be served? Would these bullies torment him if they found out the truth? Or possibly worse, would they tattle on Kirk to the Archmage? Adrian Titus didn’t seem to be the type of man anyone should cross.

Joel wrung his hands together, feeling terrible for the young man. Kirk had been the only one to show any genuine kindness to the Ardenian envoys since their arrival, and now he stood to be unfairly reprimanded.
But he’s done nothing wrong! He was comforting his sister! Will he really get into trouble for such a petty offence?

“I–I was.” Kirk’s smooth voice had gone choppy as he fumbled for an excuse.

“Oh? Then explain why you’re out here. Or perhaps you’d like to explain it to Master Titus.”

“No, please, I was just—”

Joel had heard enough. He wasn’t sure what he planned to do, even as he slipped through a break in the hedge line. But he couldn’t stand there and just let the poor boy get into trouble when it was so clearly undeserved. Joel straightened to his full height and set his nose high in the air, morphing from humble ambassador to haughty Ardenian highborn in the blink of an eye.