Anais and the Broken War (The Blood Mage Chronicles Book 5) (20 page)

“I’m going to fix myself something to drink. Would you like a glass?” Mediera asked.

After I consented, she let go of my arm and disappeared into Thomas’s study, which was accessible to the dining room via an oak door set in the corner of the room.

“Have you spoken to Thomas yet?” I asked Cedric, as I took a seat at his right. There were eight ornately carved chairs spanning the rectangular table. Cedric was sitting at one the end seats, his long, muscled arms reclining on elegant armrests.

“No.” he shook his head. “As soon as he returns, I’ll ask him if I can leave. I’m wasting my life here, and I can’t stand it.”

“I hope it works out for you,” I murmured. He wasn’t the only person at loose ends. Mother Mallay was right about me. I didn’t belong here in the safety of the city either. As I hid behind the nobility, I was ignoring my responsibility. There was nothing to be proud of in that. I would have to decide how best to use my skills. I had to stop stalling.

Cedric emptied his glass and let it fall back on the table. “As do I.”

The door at the front of the room opened, and Clara walked in, dressed in an elegant silver gown, embellished with hundreds of tiny pearls. She looked at Cedric for a moment before glaring at me.
 

“Where did you get that dress?” she sneered. “No dressmaker worth their salt would have designed it this year. It’s horribly out of fashion.”

“The Abbey provided it for me.”

“Well, they could have done better. The sisters are annoying, but at least they are generally well attired.”

“I like it,” I said.

“You would.” She sniffed as she flounced into a seat. After she rang a tiny bell, a man dressed in a white suit scurried into the room.

“Would you like a drink before dinner is served, my lady?” he asked her.

“Of course. Something red, and from the better side of the cellar.”

“As you wish. And you, Sister?” he asked me.

“No thank you. Lady Mediera is fetching me something.”

“I’d like a glass of whatever you’re getting for Clara,” Cedric said.

“Don’t you think you’ve had enough already?” she asked him.

“No,” he grumbled.

“There really is no need to be drunk every day,” she said.

He rolled his eyes and looked away from her as Mediera re-entered the room carrying two glasses. Before taking the seat on my right side, Mediera handed me one of the drinks. I took a slow sip of the port. This was going to be a long night.

C
HAPTER
18

I HEARD THE padding of feet before the door to the dining hall opened again. Thomas swept into the room, followed by three others. Although I recognized Azriel, I didn’t know the young man and woman who entered with them.
 

“We have guests,” Thomas said. “The table will be full tonight.”

Clara immediately jumped up and approached Azriel, pressing herself close to him.
 

“Azriel,” she purred. “I’m so glad you were able to make it.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her away. “It’s always a pleasure,” he responded.

The young man standing next to Azriel frowned. With unruly dark hair and angular features, he looked like a younger version of Azriel, and I suspected he must be Azriel’s brother.
 

Azriel’s eyes moved to me, and he gave me a quick look, but his eyes didn’t linger. He looked tired. The council meeting must have been trying.

Thomas took a seat at the head of the table, opposing Cedric, and smiled at everyone. “I rather like having a full house. It’s a nice change. Let’s sit down, eat, and be merry. The food served at the council meeting was meager, and I for one am famished.”

Azriel took a seat on Thomas’s right while the girl with the curly honey-colored hair and easy smile took the place on Thomas’s left. Clara quickly took the seat next to Azriel, which left the young man as the last one standing. With no other option, he sat between Clara and Cedric, opposite of me. If he really was Azriel’s brother, I wanted to know him. I smiled at him, but he did not smile back.

The servants started to walk around the table, ladling soup into our bowls and placing rolls of bread onto our plates. I was thankful that we would finally get to eat.

“Thomas,” Cedric said, in a voice loud enough to carry across the length of the table. “I want to leave.”
 

We all went quiet at the boldness of the statement.

“But we’ve only just started the meal. Let me relish in having a full table,” Thomas responded.

“That’s not what I mean.”

Thomas sighed and put down his spoon. “We’ve talked about this. I can’t get you into the army. I’ve tried.”

“I want to go the new world across the sea. I want to start over.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to be here.”

“Okay.” Thomas paused. “If it’s what you want, I will support your decision. I wish for you to be happy.”

“Thank you,” Cedric said as he stood.

“You’re not going now,” Thomas said, his eyes widening. “It’s much too late.”

“If you insist, I will wait until the morning. But I’m not going to sit here and endure another formal dinner.” He took three chunks of bread off the table before leaving the room.

“Well, that’s an unfortunate way to start the meal. But, I suggest we try to continue as best we can.”

“I can’t eat,” Mediera choked. “I have to talk to him.”

“Wait…” Thomas said. “There’s no reason for you to go too.”

His words made little impression, for she fled the table. Before the first course had even begun, we had gone from eight to six. I wasn’t going to go running after either Cedric or Mediera, so I took a sip of the rich and creamy broth and a bite of the bread. There was no reason to waste good food.

The woman with the honey-colored curls who had been sitting next to Thomas moved into Mediera’s empty seat. She had a tiny pixyish frame, and I wondered if she was oft mistaken for a young girl. As she smiled at me, her full cheeks dimpled charmingly. There was something about her that seemed eerily familiar. But, I couldn’t quite place it.

“My name is Evie,” she said. “And you are Sister Anais, I presume?”

“I am,” I agreed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Evie.”

“Thomas has told me so much about you. It’s so wonderful that we finally get the chance to meet.”

It’s a strange thing to find oneself on uneven footing in a new acquaintanceship. I knew nothing of this woman. I didn’t know how to respond to her profusion of intimacy. So I just smiled. Was Thomas courting her? She was pretty, and he said he was in need of a wife.

“Are you from Courtshire?” I asked.

“Oh no,” she laughed. “My family hails from Laishire. Father brought us all here a few months ago when it became evident that he would need to be present for the emergency council sessions. When we first came, we only expected to be here a few weeks. However, the plan changed when it became apparent that we were at war.”

If her father was attending council sessions, she must be nobility.

“I’ve always wanted to visit Barriershire. Hopefully, once the war is over, I’ll have the opportunity.”

“It’s a lovely city,” I said. “The dust from the gold mines glitters in the air.”

“Thomas mentioned that. He said the Abbey was particularly beautiful.”

I nodded. It had seemed like a prison when I had first found myself there. But, with its towers and ramparts, I had to admit it had a certain gothic beauty.

“The architecture is certainly more ornate than that of the buildings in Courtshire,” I admitted as I took another spoonful of the soup.

“I think my brother went to Barriershire. When we first started hearing stories of furies in the east, Malcolm wanted desperately to fight, but he was so young. Father said no. But Malcolm had a mind of his own. He told me he would go even without father’s permission. I should have told my parents, but I thought he wouldn’t really leave. Days later, he disappeared, along with our cousin Justin. My father had Laishire searched. But Malcolm was smart. The two boys disappeared without a trace. I can’t imagine how he managed to convince Justin to go with him…”
 

Pinpricks erupted over my arms and stomach. Mal. This girl was Mal’s sister. We had been friends when we went through training as the fat man’s assassins. His death in the field had been utterly horrifying. I had tried to forget Mal, Justin, and Fallon and our ill-fated journey into the depths of the furies land. Did Azriel realize that this girl was Mal’s sister? Did he still think about them? Although guilt slashed through me, I tried to keep my face neutral. There was nothing I could tell this girl that would console her. I could only dash her hopes.
 

 
“The reason I’m telling you this is that I was hoping there was some small chance that you might have met him. He looks like me.” She swallowed hard. “I’ve asked Thomas, but he said he could not remember ever crossing paths with him. Thomas has also enquired with the captains to see if Malcolm had joined the army, but alas, there’s been no news of him from that quarter either.”

One of the servants interrupted us, removing the soup bowls and replacing them with plates piled with lamb cutlets and tiny red skinned potatoes smothered with gravy.
 

“I’m sorry,” I said softly once the servant moved on to the other side of the table. “I spent most of my time in Barriershire in the Abbey.”

“Of course.” she put her hand on mine. “I knew it was unlikely, but I’m desperate for news of him. I had to ask.”

“I understand. It’s difficult to lose a family member.”

“It is indeed.”

We both turned our attention to the food, and even though I felt sick to my stomach, I forced myself to eat. On the other side of the table, the young man sitting on Clara’s right was attempting to engage her in conversation, but she was ignoring him and instead giving all of her attention to the Azriel. Azriel appeared to be trying to speak with Thomas instead. It seemed an awkward arrangement, and I was glad not to be involved. After our plates were cleared away, the servants rolled in carts with berry and cream filled pastries.

“I fear I’ve already overindulged, and my parents don’t like it when I stay out past dark. You understand?” Evie asked Thomas.

“Of course. I have no wish to displease your parents,” he said to her.

“My coachman is waiting for me.” She smiled at everyone. “It’s been a pleasure. I hope I have the opportunity to meet all of you again.” There was something honest and kind in her, and I hoped she and Thomas really did get married. He deserved someone like her.

“I’ll walk you out, Evie,” Thomas offered. She took his arm, and they left the room together.
 

Azriel stood up and moved toward the desert cart, but he stumbled and only barely caught himself on the edge of the table. Something must be terribly wrong. He was never unsteady on his feet.
 

“Justin,” Azriel whispered.

“I have to leave,” the young man said quickly, and then fled the room.

Azriel fell, and this time he didn’t catch himself. He hit his head on the floor and lay still.

Clara and I both ran to him. She put her hand to his mouth. “Sweet sisters, he’s not breathing,” she said. “What are we supposed to do?” she asked me.

“Find Thomas,” I said quickly, wanting to be alone with him.
 

As soon as she disappeared from the room, I pulled my blade swiftly from the sheath on my thigh and tore the black rock necklace from around my neck. I cut deep gashes into both of my palms. With one hand, I held the necklace while I grasped Azriel’s wrist with the other. A vicious poison was seeping fast into his bloodstream. I closed my eyes. It was nothing like the plague that had taken Thomas, or the sickness that had changed Azriel’s nature. This poison was foreign and intentional. It had only one purpose, and that was death. As the clock ticked and time moved ever forward, I stripped the vile fluid from his veins.
 

Azriel opened his eyes and looked up at me. “What happened?” he asked.

“You were poisoned,” I said to him.
 

“Will I die?”

“No, I think I got it all out.”

“You saved me again,” he murmured.

I nodded. “You don’t sound surprised that someone tried to kill you.”

“I’m not. It was Justin, I suppose.”

“Your brother? But why?”

“Part of the reason I left was that I feared I would hurt him. He was such a funny little boy. He would follow me around endlessly. He wanted to do everything that I did. Sometimes I hated it. Getting any peace was impossible. But, the idea of causing him harm was abhorrent to me.” Azriel snorted. “Now he hates me. I took his future away from him when I came back, and father left me as his ambassador.”

“But doesn’t Justin know you’re going to relinquish your rights when he turns eighteen?”

Azriel shook his head. “Father suggested I keep it a secret. It would make it difficult for me to be taken seriously in the council sessions if everyone knew I was merely a placeholder. I would be perceived as weak. I only told Thomas because he wanted me to marry Clara.”