All Spell Breaks Loose (35 page)

“For once, His Majesty is right. However, one shrewd move deserves another.” Tam inclined his head toward where a black-garbed mage stood guard over the royal couple. I spotted more, strategically placed throughout the reception room watching king, queen, and guests. These guys looked familiar.

I smiled. “Your dark mage hit squad buddies from Mid?”

Tam grinned with satisfaction and no small level of relief. “That’s them.”

“So you don’t want to be king?”

“You’ve seen the job. Would you want it?”

“Can’t say that I would.”

I glanced over to where Talon was essentially holding court and basking in the grateful glow of a bevy of beautiful young noblewomen. I wondered how many of those noble ladies had seen the kid naked? Heck, probably all of them. And if any of them hadn’t seen, they’d heard.

“I see what you mean,” I said. “You as king would make Talon a prince. That’s an ego boost the kid doesn’t need.”

Chigaru had maneuvered Mirabai to a cozy corner where they were engaged in some serious smooching.

“You shouldn’t have to wait long for that heir,” I noted. “Though I have to say that baby goblins must make for some painful nursing.”

Tam smiled, leaning down close to my ear, and whispered, “Our fangs don’t come in until after we’re weaned.”

“Oh.” I felt a flush creep up my neck into my face as I
had a visual of Tam and breast-feeding. That image would be staying with me for a while and making repeat appearances at inconvenient times.

Imala swept over to where Tam and I were standing, looking drop-dead gorgeous in a formfitting silver velvet gown. For her service to the crown, Chigaru had made her a duchess and given her lands to go with it.

In addition to the deemed-to-be-trustworthy palace guard and Tam’s buddies turned bodyguards, Mychael had arranged for some Guardian backup troops to supplement Chigaru’s forces in the city until the transition was complete—which meant once all the traitors had been rounded up and dealt with according to their level of treason. I hoped Mychael’s men liked goblin food; they were going to be here awhile. This place had been a bubbling vat of treason.

“How’s the roundup going?” I asked her.

“Fast enough for progress and too damned slow for me. Separating the merely manipulative from the hardened opportunist is proving difficult.”

“In other words, all of them are back-stabbing hypocrites.”

“If there weren’t any hypocrites, we’d have no royal court,” Imala said. “And we’re questioning all of them.” She sighed.

I whistled. “All of them are a lot.”

The chief of the secret service and, for now, palace security raised her glass, then drained it. Imala had some catching up to do if she wanted to keep up with Tam.

“Job security at its finest,” she said.

“Anyone who’s willing to oversee this… Imala, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’ve inherited a nut farm.”

She grinned. “They are my people.”

“They’re nuts.”

“That doesn’t make them any less my people.”

Mychael was talking with Cyran and Deidre Nathrach.
Nath had wandered over to Talon to see if his nephew needed any help with his flock of admiring beauties.

Chigaru and Mirabai had given the Nathrach family all of the Nukpana and Ghalfari lands and titles, making them among the wealthiest goblins in the kingdom.

“We thought we’d stay here in the capital and bask in the glow of our reunited family,” Deidre was telling Mychael.

Cyran slid an arm around his wife and pulled her closer. “Then we’re going to go off together for a long romantic holiday.” He and Deidre exchanged a glance, their dark eyes sparkling. “And do a little hunting.”

Mychael looked from one to the other. “I take it you won’t be hunting boar.”

“Correct,” Cyran said. “I’m married to the best mortekal in the kingdom. It would be a shame not to exercise her talents.”

“You’re going after Sandrina,” I said.

“I said that I had business to settle with her,” Deidre said. “And I never leave loose ends.”

Sandrina remained unaccounted for after Sarad Nukpana had been taken by the demon. Since Deidre wasn’t a magic user, the Khrynsani hadn’t used magic-sapping manacles on her. So when Mirabai had cuffed Sandrina with them, those manacles had only contained her, not her magic. It wouldn’t have taken much for a mage of Sandrina’s skill to free herself. She’d probably been free and running for the hills by the time that demon had dragged her son to his just reward. The city had been turned inside out looking for her. No luck. Cyran and Deidre were going to make their own luck.

Cryan spoke. “We have reason to believe that Sandrina is running to her family stronghold near the Great Rift, believing that they will protect her.”

“Will they?” I asked.

Deidre shrugged. “They might if they were still free to do so, though I doubt it. Regardless, it doesn’t matter. The
Ghalfari family has been taken into custody. So Sandrina is in the wilds of the Northern Reach all alone.”

Cyran smiled. “And she’s never been much of an outdoor type.”

“And the two of you are going hunting.”

“We can’t spend all of our time in bed,” Deidre said.

Cyran’s wicked grin was a mirror image of Tam’s. “We could try.”

Mychael, Piaras, and I were due to go home after the reception. Kesyn knew an expert mirror mage who was standing by to take us back to Mid. Once we’d secured a way home, Mychael had immediately contacted Justinius and Vegard to let them know and fill them in on events. Our mission had been a success and Justinius was thrilled. He reported that the goblin invasion had stopped soon after it had begun. The ships with the students were being recalled. Phaelan and Uncle Ryn had easily spotted the ambush that Sarad Nukpana had set up. The students had been all too glad to lend their magical assistance. The result? Nukpana’s ships had been completely and creatively defeated.

“Tam wants to keep Talon with him for a while,” Mychael told me.

“And have Kesyn teach him,” I chimed in.

“A place will be held for him if he wants to return to Mid.” Mychael took stock of Talon’s admirers and gave a low laugh. “Though that’s looking less likely by the moment.”

Imala had loaned me a breathtaking midnight blue gown with a silver belt, set with moonstones. Wedding finery had likewise been found for Mychael and Piaras.

Piaras was on the receiving end of his own share of come-hither looks.

“I’ll be knighting him within the year, you know,” Mychael said.

Mychael was getting his share of admiring glances, too. I growled. They stopped.

Mychael’s blue eyes sparkled. “Jealous?”

“Just defending my territory.”

I stepped in close and took his face in my hands. The stubble was nice, sexy nice. The paladin would have shaved for the wedding; Mychael had opted not to. He was relaxed, but most of all he was happy.

“We’ll be returning to Mid tonight,” Mychael said. “Justinius and Vegard will be waiting for us.”

“I’ll give both of them a kiss smack-dab on the lips. I cannot
wait
to get home.”

“Do you mean Mid—or Mermeia?” he asked quietly.

I knew what he was asking, and I was going to be honest with him and myself. Over the past few days my magic had come back. Not the catastrophic, taking-over-the-world power. Just mine, plus a little extra. Not impressive as most mages went, but I liked it. I would have eventually gotten used to not having magic, but it was a big part of me; and to be honest, words couldn’t describe how glad I was to have it back.

Mychael was waiting for an answer.

“I don’t know,” I said frankly. “It depends.”

“On what?” His eyes searched my face, uncertain.

“I had a life in Mermeia, with people there who love me and need me.”

“You have someone who loves you right here,” Mychael said softly. “And needs you.”

I laid a hand on his chest. “I know; and I love you, too.”

“There’s a ‘but’ in there. What is it?”

“What would I do on Mid?”

Mychael’s hands went to my shoulders, and he gazed down at me. “You could marry me.”

There was a difference between eventually expecting to be asked a particular question and actually hearing it. I kind of stopped breathing there for a minute. “Marry?”

Mychael bent his head and his smiling lips brushed mine. “Me.”

I actually took a breath and then managed to exhale, too. I was on a roll. “Marry you?”

Mychael kept his lips close to mine. “That was the question.”

“And if I agreed to become the wife of the paladin, what would I do?”

“Do?”

I pulled back from him. “Yes, do. I’m not going to sit around the citadel all day waiting to shine your armor. I don’t do armor.”

Mychael looked so honestly horrified that I had to laugh.

“I have squires who do that,” he said.

“Sharpen swords?” I asked.

“An armorer.”

“Feed Kalinpar?”

“Junior knights.”

“Warm your bed?”

“Now, that position is open.” His voice was a husky whisper.

One corner of my lips curled in a tiny smile. “As nice as I know that job is, I need more.”

“I know.”

I knew I could set up shop in Mid or offer my seeking skills to the city watch as a consultant, and I’d be good at either one. But it wasn’t enough, not anymore. “I can’t go back to what I was before,” I said.

Mychael gave a low laugh. “So now that you’ve help save the world, you want more? Raine Benares, Danger Addict.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

His eyes shone. “How far would you go?”

I ignored the double entendre. “I want to help people.
Really
help people. I want to make a difference.” I winced. “That sounded hokey as hell, didn’t it?”

“I’ve heard the words before.”

“From who?”

“Almost every Guardian candidate.” He gave me a long,
appreciative look. Imala’s gown did look amazing. “You’d make our uniform look good.”

“You run an all-boys club, remember? Though Justinius’s granddaughter is working to change that, and I think she’s right. Besides, me and taking orders don’t go together.”

“I’m only too aware that you and orders are like oil and water. As to missing the people in Mermeia who love you, by the time Justinius is through cleaning house of Carnades’s Conclave allies, there are going to be quite a few high-level teaching positions vacant, some in the Guardians. I believe Justinius and Piaras’s grandmother, Tarsilia Rivalin, know each other.”

I cleared my throat. “Intimately.”

Mychael raised a brow. “Really?”

“And then some.”

“I would also like to see if I can’t talk your godfather into coming out of retirement. We’re going to have a large influx of cadets who will need specialized instruction. Tarsilia and Garadin’s talents and knowledge would be a much- needed addition to our curriculum.”

“Influx of cadets?”

“I think you know by now that Justinius likes shaking things up,” Mychael said.

I was instantly on guard. “Uh… yes, I noticed that.”

“Katelyn’s arguments haven’t been falling on deaf ears with the old man. He wants to begin admitting women into the Guardians—and he’d like for you to be the first.”

There were times when someone said something so completely unexpected that all you could do was stand there with your mouth open.

Eventually I managed to get out words. “And break a millennium of tradition?”

Mychael nodded. “Katelyn forced him to consider it, but it was you that influenced his final decision.”

“Me?” I was down to one word. Next I’d be speechless.

“Justinius said that if any Conclave mage questioned your
or any woman’s qualifications for the job, that he’d point you in their direction, stand back, and enjoy the show.”

“The old man knows I can’t magically punch holes in walls—or mages—anymore, doesn’t he? And quite frankly, I’m glad I can’t.”

“He knows that. He also knows that five hundred Guardians aren’t enough anymore, and I agree. These past three months with the Saghred proved that.”

“The Saghred is gone. Nothing that big will happen again.”

Silence from Mychael.

Suddenly the crab puffs I’d plucked off a passing tray and eaten weren’t sitting so well. “You’re supposed to say, ‘No, that’ll never happen again.’”

“I can’t do that.”

“And why not?”

Mychael actually started ticking off items on his fingers. “Well, there’s this cursed ring that was last seen in the mountains of Mylora. I believe there were nine others forged around the same time.”

“Nine?”

“Plus the original one which makes ten. Then there’s a scepter in Nebia that one of the desert chieftains sold to a Caesolian crime cartel, which bears a striking resemblance to the legendary Scepter of Haz’Ghul.”

I just scowled at him. “Which does what?”

Mychael had to work to keep the smile off of his face, but he couldn’t keep it from his eyes. “It depends on the power of the person who has it during the full moon. And then there’s the mythical Treasure of Relmbek said to contain several magical objects that could be cataclysmic if they ended up in the wrong hands. Even worse, this treasure may not be mythical.”

“Lovely. Just lovely.”

“Its rumored location can only be reached by a nimble ship with a lunatic captain, and an even crazier crew.” One
side of Mychael’s mouth curled in a crooked grin. “Would you happen to know a treasure-loving, seafaring madman?”

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. I take it you want my help with all of these?”

“And a few other similar items, like the occasional rogue black mage. I don’t want you in danger, but I know you won’t be happy unless you’re neck deep in it.” Mychael put his big hands around my waist and pulled me closer. “And I want you to be happy more than anything. This way you can do what you do best and know that you’re making a difference. Plus, you will be a shining example and inspiration to the first generation of female Guardians.”

“And just how do your men feel about this?”

“Surprisingly agreeable and open to the idea.”

I glanced over at Talon and grinned. “I think girl Guardians could even lure Talon back to Mid.”