"Elanwryfindyll," he murmured, echoing Chancellor Berle. "Captain Suiden said we're going before the Fyrst, Laurel Faena?”
"His Grace, Loran," Laurel said. "The ruler of the city and its environs, but also head of the Confederation of City-States, and the Oldest One of the Gaderian of Deorc Oelfs—”
"The what?" Esclaur whispered to me. Javes and Berle leaned in to listen.
"Council of Dark Elves," I whispered back.
"He's a very old, very powerful elf," Laurel finished. His tail lashed, though his face remained bland.
"Very, very powerful."
"More powerful than the High Council?" Berle asked.
"No," Laurel said. "No one is."
"Why are we going there, then, honored Laurel?" Groskin asked. "Why not go to where the High Council meets?”
"We are," Laurel said, his face blander, though his tail lashed once more. "His Grace is also the High Council's Dark Elf representative and it's his turn to host the next session.”
"He sounds a right welcoming fellow, what?" Javes said, his eyes still on the horizon. He then cast me a look. "What's it like there for people like us, Rabbit?”
"Who, sir? Humans?" At Javes' nod, I almost shrugged again. "I really don't know. I've never been to any of the coastal cities." My mouth quirked. "In fact, they'll probably consider me just as provincial as everyone in Iversly did.”
"Never?" Javes asked, turning fully to look at me. "How, then, did you get to Iversterre?"
"Through Veldecke, sir.”
Everyone else turned to stare at me. "But no one can go through there," Berle said, frowning.
"Well, some can," Groskin said, also frowning, "but only certain ones for very specific reasons. And never longer than a day or, at the most, two.”
"I remember the king saying that," I said, this time yielding to a shrug. "I was let through, though, no problem."
"Did you join the army there?" Javes asked.
"No, at Cosdale, sir," I said, naming a town on the King's Road a little to the south of Freston.
"Why not at Veldecke?" Esclaur asked.
"Because it was too close to the Border." My mouth quirked again. "I was running away, my lord. I didn't want to be in reach of anyone or anything that might come across." I rested my hands on the railing.
"I attached myself to a supply caravan going to Cosdale and was out of Veldecke almost as soon as I came into it.”
"I'm surprised the caravan leader allowed it," Esclaur said, his brows creased.
I shrugged once more. "She was the one who said I could. Worked me hard too." My smile widened. "I figured the army would be very easy after that. It was.”
"I know the caravan leader who makes the Cosdale run and I'm surprised that once she had you she let you go," Groskin said.
"Oh? Likes them young, does she?" Berle asked.
I stiffened, giving the chancellor a hard look, and Groskin caught my elbow. "No," he said. "Just as close to free labor as she can get. She has latched on to other lads in the past and they had a devil of a time getting loose." He made sure I was staying still, then let go.
"She did say that I owed her for meals and my space by the campfire," I said. "I told her to get stuffed—I mean, I told her I didn't and left.”
"She didn't sic her lump of a head guard on you?" Groskin asked.
I frowned as I thought back, vaguely remembering someone shouting, and running footsteps as I walked away. "If she did, he didn't catch me.”
"Is she someone we should be watching, Lieutenant?" Javes asked Groskin.
"I don't know, sir. She never really broke any law that I knew of.” There was a movement at Groskin's feet and I looked down to see the leopard looking up at us, his fangs bared.
"And again, maybe she did," Groskin said, his voice soft as he also looked down. He looked up at me, his eyes now bright gold. "You never saw in the carts, Rabbit?”
I shook my head. "No. I was assigned to the caravan's draymaster.”
"The smuggling didn't really start until after you'd left, Rabbit," Laurel said. "The caravan may not have been carrying any contraband—then.”
"Another one, contracted by the army to supply the garrison itself," Javes said, rubbing his forehead.
"I thought you already traced the run goods to Veldecke, sir," I said.
'To the town, not to the garrison proper," Javes replied. He sighed. "I do not envy you this assignment, Berle.”
"Neither do I," Chancellor Berle said, gazing out over the water.
I cast a glance at the Foreign Chancellor, wondering if she ever found out what we'd been discussing in Captain Suiden's great cabin when we were interrupted by the djinn storm. If she had, it didn't come from me—though that may have been because I was never alone. Laurel, Doyen Allwyn, Jeff, or the haunts were always with me, sometimes all at once.
At the thought of haunts, I looked around. The railing was thick with ghosts, the masts, spars, rigging also full, some holding their shapes, others streaming in the wind, making the sails look tattered. Where I could make out faces, each one was turned to the shore with a fixed intensity and I wondered what our landfall would be like.
"Do you think that if they knew what we carried, they'd allow us in the harbor?" Lord Esclaur asked, also looking around. "I know that if this were Iversly, the Royal Navy would be out in force doing its damnedest to head us off.”
"I don't know that they can bar us," I said. "Can they, Laurel?”
The Faena shook his head, his ears flicking back. "No, the right of homecoming is given to all—the quick and the dead.” Everyone turned to stare at Laurel.
"The right, alive or dead," Lord Esclaur repeated. He groped for his quiz glass and raised it at the cat.
"Except in special cases," Laurel said, ignoring Esclaur. "Like a practitioner of the dark arts." The ship rose and fell in a swell; he rode it easily, his tail, now quiet, balancing him. "But as we have none such aboard—Elder Obruesk's claims aside—we will not be prevented.”
"And this 'Magus' who is so anxious to get his hands on Lord Rabbit," Chancellor Berle said. "Shall he be prevented?”
I gave the chancellor a sidelong glance at the abrupt change in subject.
"Interesting question, Berle," Javes said. "But it's out of your bailiwick, what?”
"Indeed, yes," Esclaur murmured.
"I am concerned as the king's representative—" the chancellor began.
"Your orders do not include Lieutenant Rabbit," Javes interrupted. "Let it be, Berle.”
"And if it's made part of my 'orders'?" Berle asked. "If a magic—a Border—someone demands Lord Rabbit's return to the Magus as part of the peace negotiations, then what?”
"Then you refer them to me, honored chancellor," Laurel said. "I have sworn both to Rabbit and to King Jusson that he will not be returned to Magus Kareste.”
"And if they say that your oath is worthless and demand anyway?" the chancellor pushed.
"No one would say that anything I've sworn is worthless, honored chancellor," Laurel rumbled, showing his eyeteem. "Any more than your fellow ministers would call you dishonorable and untrustworthy. It is an insult, no?”
"I beg pardon, Ambassador. I didn't mean it as such," Berle said, a faint flush on her face. "It's just that—”
"Oh, I say, you too, Berle?" Javes asked, doing his silly ass smile.
The chancellor shot a glare at Javes before turning back to Laurel. "Sometimes, with the best intentions in the world, one is not able to deliver on a promise made.”
"Then that one should not have made the promise in the first place," Laurel said, his fangs still gleaming in the sunlight. "I would suggest, honored chancellor, that when you arrive, you do not suggest to anyone that their word is not sufficient. Especially a Faena.”
"Tell me, Chancellor Berle," I asked in the awkward silence, "would you hand me over to the Magus?”
"You heard Captain Javes and Ambassador Laurel, Lord Rabbit," Berle replied, her wry smile sweeping her face. "You are not my concern.”
"I see," I said, and turned back to watch the sea, resolving never to be alone with the chancellor.
Elanwryfindyll's harbor was very much like the one we had left behind in Iversly. There were ships sailing in, ships sailing out, and ships at anchor. There were docks, there were warehouses, there were gulls, and there were officials, all waiting for us as the Dauntless, Valiant, and Adamantine sailed into Elanwryfindyll. The rest of the convoy, including the vice admiral's Pearl Fisher, was outside the harbor's mouth. Only the ships carrying the cargo entered the harbor as, Laurel pointed out, any more would be a provocation. Vice Admiral Havram had, however, come aboard the Dauntless to be part of the diplomatic landing party and to take over the command of the ship from Captain Suiden.
The harbor reminded me of Iversly, but Elanwryfindyll did not. The city rose from the half circle of sparkling blue water, flowing up, tier upon tier, spreading out farther and farther until it spilled over the top of the sloping cliffs, in soaring colonnades, graceful arches, rounded domes, all bright in the early afternoon sun against the dark of the earth, the greens of leaves and grasses, and a riot of flowers. At the crest, silhouetted against the sky, was the Fyrst of Elanwryfindyll's castle, with pennants flying from the turrets, and battlements.
After we dropped anchor, Uncle Havram ordered my presence in the great cabin to lay down a law that I had no intention of disobeying.
"You are to stay with me, Captain Suiden or Captain Javes at all times, is that clear?" Havram said.
"Yes, sir!”
"You are not to go off with anyone: family, friends, cats, or even other members of our delegation, is that understood?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"You are not to sightsee—"
"Yes, sir!"
"You are not to lollygag—"
"Yes, sir!”
"If you use the head, you do not go by yourself. Do you understand?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"Repeat it back to me, lad.”
"I am not to go off without you, Captain Suiden, or Captain Javes, sir! Ever!”
"Splendid." He shifted to look at Jeffen standing behind me. "Do you understand what I've just said?"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
"What did I say?”
"Rabbit is to stay with you, Captain Suiden, and Captain Javes always, sir!"
The vice admiral smiled, satisfied. "Excellent.”
We followed the vice admiral to the bridge, where we stood with First Lieutenant Falkin watching a boat full of officials set out from the docks and head our way. We were soon joined by Captain Javes in his dress uniform, cape and Habbs, Lieutenant Groskin also in dress uniform, and Laurel Faena wearing, for the first time since Dornel, his coat. The wind was fresh even though summer was almost upon us. It swirled around me, gently plucking at my hair ties, and I shivered in my own cape.
"Ah, the welcoming party," Javes said, looking through his quiz glass at the approaching boat.
"Aye," Uncle Havram said as he, Suiden, and Falkin looked through their spyglasses. "I suppose we ought to meet them at the gangway." He and Suiden collapsed their glasses and handed them to the first lieutenant.
"Do we need pipes and drums, Ambassador?" Havram asked as we all clattered down to the main deck.
"Have the troops present arms?”
"No, honored vice admiral," Laurel said, following him. "They look to be just harbor officials. We should be enough. According to protocol, the first one on board will be the harbormaster.” Uncle Havram nodded. Reaching the main deck, he looked at Javes. "Where is the embassy party?”
"Down in their cabins, probably wondering what the hell they've gotten themselves into, sir," Javes said.
Laurel gave a short chuff, an ear twitching back. 'Too late for that, honored folk." He tugged at his coat while I gave a shake to my cape. I glanced down to make sure that my Habbs hadn't acquired any scuffs and my trousers were draped properly.
"Peacock," Jeff murmured.
"Yes, he is, honored Jeff," Laurel said as we arrived at the gangway. "But here, first impressions count. A lot." Laurel turned me to him for one last inspection, straightening my braid, checking the ties, and adjusting the covenant feather. He then fussed with his own beads and head feathers, tugged once more on his coat, while holding his staff in the crook of his arm. I stared at it, watching its strips of cloth and feathers flutter in the harbor breeze.
"Tell me, Laurel, what happened to the staff that Honor used?”
Laurel's head shot up and he stared back at me with narrowed eyes, his ears lying back against his head.
He let out a rumbling breath. "That is a question, no?”
"Worry about it later, Sro Cat," Suiden said. "They are here.”
Laurel looked down at his claws, already gleaming in the sun, and buffed them against his fur. He looked up again and sighed. "And so it begins, honored sirs.” I caught a flicker, turned and looked. Basel stood next to Jeff in his stag persona with Honor Ash next to him. I glanced around further. The deck was crowded with haunts, massed so thickly that they were opaque.
"It's a little different than marines presenting arms," Falkin said softly, following my gaze.
I was distracted from replying by the arrival of me bosun's chair, and it was suddenly slammed home how different it was. Then I smiled at the diminutive faerie standing on the deck, pressing my palms together as I bowed.
"Grace to you, Harbormaster," Uncle Havram said, also bowing, but in the style of the kingdom, his hand over his heart. "Welcome aboard the Dauntless.”
"My goodness," the faerie said as she stared about her, her hair and wings ruffling in the breeze. She brought her gaze to Laurel. "Honored Faena, what has happened here?”
"It is a homecoming, honored harbormaster," Laurel said.
"A homecoming," the faerie repeated as she stared about once more, pausing for a moment at Lieutenant Falkin's northern elf blondness. Her gaze then lit on Basel and Honor Ash, and her feathery brows climbed nearly into her hair. "A white stag and a sprite Faena?”
"Among others," Laurel said as the unicorn pulled away from the rest of the haunts and made her way to us. Others began to follow her, pressing close.