CHAPTER THREE #2
With discomfort, Deckard adjusted next to Evylin.
She felt just as uneasy as he, though she struggled to pay attention as platter after platter of food was set before them.
Roasted goose, braised trout, meat pies, boiled potatoes, glazed carrots, fresh figs, glistening cherries, and lemon tarts.
Her fingers twitched as another server placed a tiered dish of mini sausage rolls directly in front of her.
The man at the head table was still talking, though, and no one had reached for the food except for Rafferty, who got a swift kick from Ilain across the table.
“As always, we will commence with the meal,” the gentleman was saying, “before we proceed to the hearing. Today, we are thankful for the return of our treasured members, Highlord and Highlady Calder.”
The siblings dipped their heads in gratitude at the recognition, though Ilain’s lips also quirked proudly in the corner.
They’d both cleaned up as well. Auden’s wild beard was gone, and he’d tied back his overgrown hair.
Dressed in a rich blue frock coat, he looked far more pulled together than he had since the Annaltide Day celebration in Loclight.
And Ilain—she’d accepted her return to civilized society with open arms. She wore a scarlet gown of luxurious silk, its low-cut bodice embellished with red glass beads that shimmered in the light and brought attention to the sheer organza sleeves that sat off her pale shoulders, the beadwork trailing down to her wrists.
If that weren’t enough, her copper hair cascaded with renewed curls, and her jade green eyes were lined with the most delicate application of pigment.
Though Evylin was sure Deckard would call Ilain’s dress improper or unladylike, she couldn’t help finding it immeasurably stunning.
Based on how Ethenn completely avoided looking in Ilain’s direction while his neck turned the shade of her dress, he felt the same.
At the head table, the gentleman said a devout prayer over the meal, then bade them all enjoy the feast. It took no time for the Alliance members to take advantage of his permission.
The room filled with chatter once again as people tucked into the meal with vigor.
The serving staff continued to pass through the hall, offering to fill glasses with fragrant wine.
An older woman stopped next to Evylin and Deckard, pitcher in hand. “Schonese red, sir?” she offered.
“No, thank—” Deckard cut himself off, eyes widening. “Did you say Schonese?”
“Yes, sir.”
Without hesitation, Deckard lifted his glass to her. “Keep it coming.”
The woman smiled knowingly. “Yes, sir,” she said, then offered the same to Evylin.
Once she was gone, Evylin leaned over to him. “Who are you?”
Deckard’s brow pinched together as he took a sip. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Evylin smirked. “Try not to get too drunk,” she said. “I’d rather not nurse you back to health in the morning.”
“It’s Schonese wine,” he protested, lifting the glass to his lips once more. “And I don’t get drunk.”
Evylin laughed, turning as she heard Auden say her name.
He was talking to a beautiful, dark-skinned woman on his right, gesturing to the Ephrians in turn as he introduced them.
The woman’s cunning eyes scanned the troop, nodding thoughtfully, though she looked disinterested in Auden’s conversation.
On her other side sat Emmaas Caarney, the Warrior who’d helped to save them from Renaul.
Scanning the rest of the table, Evylin caught sight of Jarrad Hoult near the front of the room, in deep conversation with those around him.
But the rest of the attendees were strangers to her.
The great majority of men and women were undoubtedly Waulden, while a smattering—like Emmaas and the young woman at his side—were clearly Ephrian.
She wondered how many of her countrymen had defected to join this rebel organization’s ranks.
“Who are those trussed-up peacocks up front?” Rafferty asked Ilain, drawing Evylin’s attention.
Ilain swallowed a sip of wine. “You mean the ministers?” she replied. “They’re our ruling body for the time being. There are eight, four men and four women, to represent balance. Though this is just the Waulden Administration. There are eight others across the border who handle Ephrian affairs.”
Evylin leaned forward in interest. “Is Lord Carlile one of them?” she asked, thinking of the white-haired man they’d met in Banbury before saving Prince Ephren’s life.
The lord worked as King Ephren’s most trusted advisor, but as they’d discovered later, he was really a double agent for the Alliance.
“No,” Ilain said. “Carlile is simply a member, though an influential one.”
“Politics,” Rafferty grumbled. “Tell me, Lainy: Where’s the drama? Who hates whom? Who’s scheming? Who are the rivals?”
Ilain grinned wickedly. “And take the sport out of the discovery? No, no. You’ll have to weasel out that information yourself.”
Over the next hour, they ate their fill and laughed more heartily than they had in what seemed to be months.
After much reflection, Evylin managed to pinpoint the exact moment: their celebration after rescuing Prince Ephren.
Her heart pinched, thinking of Hewitt. She wished he were here, seated at her side.
He would know what to do and what to say to the Alliance’s requests.
Deckard’s hand brushed hers on the table. “What is it?” he whispered in her ear.
Magic prickled at her senses as he leaned in, but the feeling floated away. “Nothing,” she murmured.
His fingers wrapped around hers, brow rising knowingly.
A sad smile tugged at her lips. How well he knew her moods now. “Just thinking of Hewitt,” she explained.
Deckard’s chin dipped, his eyes darting across the table before meeting hers again. “I can let you see him again,” he said. “So long as I have the Night Relic, I am strong enough now.”
Her heart pattered hopefully. “I would like that. Very much.”
“Tomorrow,” he promised.
Evylin’s smile grew, and she opened her mouth to thank him when the bell rang again.
The chatter quieted as the attendees shifted in their seats, turning to the front of the hall.
A man stood from the far-right table, moving to stand at a small writing desk.
His orange hair flashed in the lamplight as he opened a book and rattled off an opening speech.
Once the clerk had finished announcing the start of the meeting, he lifted a pen from the desk.
“Now, we shall proceed with the agenda,” he said in his nasal Waulden tone.
“We are here to receive the account of Highlord and Highlady Calder on their mission to retrieve the Ateri Relics of Allore. With your permission, Archminister Fishere, we will have Highlord Calder bring forth the report now.”
The gray-haired gentleman who’d welcomed them before the meal nodded his assent.
The clerk gestured toward Auden. “Highlord Calder, if you please.”
Pushing back his chair, Auden stood, clasping his hands before him.
“Good evening, all,” he said, his accent thicker than usual.
“It’s a pleasure to be back, enjoying the companionship of like-minded men and women such as yourselves.
During our time in Ephria, I was in regular contact with Lord Carlile, but since our return to Wauld, our communication has been impeded.
While I assume he forwarded my updates to you, I take it you’d like me to give an account of my sister’s and my entire journey. ”
The archminister lifted his hand in an approving wave.
Auden cleared his throat and began his recounting.
“As you know, Ilain and I took the Fire Relic from Doorstunds Reach on the thirty-ninth of Terraen, and we fled to Ephria thereafter. Upon our arrival in Ephria City nearly two weeks later, we stayed hidden on Lord Carlile’s estate while he was away with Prince Caspar Ephren, intending to enact his staged kidnapping. ”
Deckard shifted in his seat. Evylin didn’t have to guess at his discomfort.
The kidnapping could hardly be considered “staged” when the prince was, in fact, kidnapped, and the lives of several men were lost in the process.
However, she also recognized there had been no true danger to the prince’s life in the plot, as it was only intended to scare the king into action.
Auden went on to explain the change to the ploy’s enactment due to the arrival of the Ephrian Army’s Third Volunteer Company at Banbury, led by the then-Captain Deckard.
Upon meeting Deckard and Evylin, Lord Carlile knew the kidnapping would not succeed.
Not while a dedicated military officer was in the area.
But as they couldn’t stop the plot, they’d have to shift it.
Beyond that, Carlile had recognized Evylin as a Warrior during their dinner and wanted to confirm his suspicions. While Auden didn’t explain how Carlile had known, Blount had also recognized Evylin’s magic purely upon looking at her. She made a note to ask Ilain about that in the future.
“Upon Lord Carlile’s return to Ephria City,” Auden continued, “he informed us of his revised plan, then introduced us to King Ephren. Through careful manipulation of the king’s ego, Carlile and our story convinced him of the necessity of retrieving the Relics and stopping the war, lest the Waulden king be successful in killing his heir in the future.
At which point, King Ephren formed what he called the Order of the King. ”
A smattering of derisive laughter passed through the room.
Ilain grinned smugly as Auden continued, “He assigned these fine soldiers,” he swept his hand toward the Ephrians, “to act as our personal guards, assisting us in reclaiming the Relics. Shall I introduce them?”
At the archminister’s nod, Auden went down the line.
The woman to the archminister’s immediate left sat forward to ask, “Didn’t Carlile’s report list six soldiers?”