I hung back as the rest moved to join her, but Uncle Havram took one arm, Captain Suiden grabbed the other, and from behind Jeff herded me over to a chair and I was pushed down into it.
Laurel sat down on the opposite side of the table between Chancellor Berle and Vice Admiral Havram, leaning his staff against his chair as he kept his eyes on mine. Falkin moved to stand behind the vice admiral, his gray gaze fixed on the cat.
"Well, Ambassador?" Havram asked.
"As I said, this is no game.”
"Then what is it?" Suiden asked, standing behind me, Javes and Esclaur on either side of him.
"There are two main factions in the Border, honored folk—those who want war," Laurel said without looking away from me, "and we who want peace." Honor Ash's haunt floated to his side and stood also watching me.
"War because of the smuggling?" Chancellor Berle asked, sipping her wine.
"Among other things, yes," Laurel replied.
"What other things?" Esclaur asked.
"The fact that Iversterre was once ours, being one," Laurel said. "Many feel it only right that it should be ours once again." He ran his paw over his head, still looking at me. "They've seized upon the running as a rallying cry and are ready with detailed battle plans so that this time there'd be no premature fracturing of the Alliance as there was in the last war.”
"Fracturing?" the chancellor asked, picking up a slice of cheese and laying it on a piece of bread.
"The Alliance fell apart after Iversterre sued for peace because no one could agree on what to do next,"
Laurel replied, glancing at the chancellor. He then looked back at me. "However, your honored father did speak before the High Council, Rabbit. He was most eloquent in his pleas for diplomacy, and enough members were swayed to agree that I should be sent to Iversterre to perhaps find a peaceful solution.”
"Which was to comb the mountains over Freston until you found me?" I asked.
Laurel sighed. "The Magus has many friends on the Council, and when he saw which way the vote would go, he got them to make your return a condition for considering peace.”
I shook my head, for the first time feeling something other than numbing anger. "But why? I'm just a farm boy from the backwoods and surely not the first apprentice to slip his master's bonds. Why all this trouble just to get me back?"
"How many mages were there, Rabbit?" Laurel asked.
"What?”
"How many mages did Kareste have with him in the Fyrst's hall?"
"Nine," I said, after a moment's count.
'Ten altogether, with the Magus. All full master mages, no? None were apprentices or even senior journeymen."
I nodded, my brows coming together.
"Yet you shrugged their combined working off as if it were a mere annoyance," Laurel pointed out. "Just as you did the first time when they came seeking you."
I frowned deeper at him.
"At the embassy in Iversly," Laurel reminded me. "You are very powerful, Rabbit. Very, very powerful.”
"All right, I'm powerful. But as I said back on the ship, the Council wasting time by sending you after me doesn't make sense, Faena." I waved a hand at the haunts around us. "Not if they wanted to stop the slaughter."
"Yes, I know," Laurel said.
"You know," I echoed, and then gave a short laugh. "Maybe I'm not the only dupe here.”
Laurel rumbled. "I have admitted that there were things kept from me—"
"No! Really? How that must rankle, honored Faena.”
"So, Ambassador," Uncle Havram said, breaking into Laurel's increasing growl. "You were sent by the High Council, as a favor to this Maggot—"
"Magus," Laurel said.
"—to find Rabbit." My uncle's brow rose. "But if he was so hidden from everyone, how did you know where he was?”
"Mages aren't the only ones with the talent, honored vice admiral. As I told Rabbit, I tracked him." Laurel rooted around in his side pouch, pulling out a small wooden horse with faint chew marks where a teething child had gnawed on it. I grew still as Honor Ash's haunt ran a ghostly finger over it.
"Your father gave it to me—" Laurel began.
"My da?" I asked, the numb feeling stealing over me again.
"His father helped you to find his son for a master that his son fled from in abhorrence?" Chancellor Berle asked, refilling her chalice. "What a family—" She broke off as she caught the vice admiral's stare.
"No," Laurel said, "not for the Magus." The cat's face softened. "And it wasn't just your father, Rabbit, but your entire family, plus Brother Paedrig, Dragoness Moraina, and Honor Ash." Laurel waved a paw back at the sprite's haunt. "It was she who remembered your toy.”
"Gifted?" Havram asked looking at the wooden horse, and the haunt smiled.
"Moraina did choose each jewel used to buy your indentures, Rabbit, from her hoard—and she hummed as she did so," Laurel said, his brows crooking as his head tilted to the side. "Honor did wish me good hunting." The haunt's smile widened. "Brother Paedrig insisted on praying over me, even though I'm not of your church. And your family—" Laurel shook his head, his beads rattling. "Bring him home, they said.
Bring him home, safe.”
The room blurred and I looked away. "You could've told me.
"Yes," Laurel said, with another sigh. "I could have.”
"All along you've said 'Trust me' and 'My oath to you,'" I said. "How can I?" I took a deep breath, still feeling the pain of being laid open to the bone. "Why should I?”
"I was afraid, Rabbit," Laurel said, "that if I told you, you wouldn't come, and that amid accusations of interference with your indentures, we would lose the chance for peace.”
"But you've been accused," Lord Esclaur said, "and the Maggot—"
"Magus," Laurel said.
"—does not have Rabbit, so will there be war?”
"Why?" Laurel opened his eyes wide at the lordling. "I kept my word in bringing Lord Rabbit back to the Border and, regardless what Kareste has said, I did not meddle with his apprentice's bindings. It was the Fyrst's decision to remove him from the Magus' care." Laurel shook his head. "Killing birds. Shameful!"
"And you had nothing to do with it," Javes murmured.
"Oh, no. The Magus managed to do that all on his own," Laurel said, showing his eyeteeth. He then looked at me and his grin faded. "Rabbit—”
"Why don't you want Iversterre back, Ambassador?" Chancellor Berle asked.
Laurel sighed once more and, looking away from me to the chancellor, shrugged. "We don't need it." He saw the incredulous stares aimed at him. "We don't. We feed ourselves and export our surplus, we have thriving industries, we have a brisk trade with the Qarant, among others. We prosper, honored folk. War tends to change that."
"Even if you win?" Javes asked, his voice dry.
"We won the last time and it nearly pulled us apart, squabbling over who gets what." Laurel shook his head again, beads clacking and feathers fluttering. "No, no, and three times no. We do not need you or your land. We have more than enough here." His ears flicked back. "Besides, all we have to do is wait because, as you turn fae, you will surely need us.”
I stood up while everyone was busy working on that statement. "It's been a long day, sirs. I'm going to retire." I saluted and headed for a doorway, chosen at random.
"Lieutenant—" Suiden began.
"Lad—" Uncle Havram started.
"Rabbit," Laurel said. He glanced at the others and then back at me as I looked over my shoulder. "We have two weeks to prepare for your appearing before the High Council.”
I turned back all the way around to stare at the Faena. "What do you mean?”
Laurel rose from his chair as he indicated Javes. "The honored captain was correct that this is only a reprieve until Kareste appeals the Fyrst's decision before the Council. We have to show them that you do not need a master."
"Won't they care about the dead bird?" Suiden asked.
"The Magus has many friends on the Council," Laurel replied. "Who knows how they will react.”
"Especially since they charged you, Ambassador, to bring his apprentice back to him," Chancellor Berle said, her wry smile sweeping her face. "I know that it would irk me tremendously to have my directives so mangled." She finished her fruit and, picking up a linen napkin from the table, wiped her hands. "What a fine line you've trod, promising something to everybody. Tell me, Ambassador, did King Jusson know about all this?"
"No," Laurel said, his eyes narrowed on the chancellor.
"So succinct!" Chancellor Berle marveled. "It is amazing what you can find out with a simple question, and yet here's another secret unknown by our illustrious king.”
"But you didn't know either, honored chancellor," Laurel said. She opened her mouth but Laurel spoke over her. "A ruler can only be as good as his advisors, and while your king may have been unwise in those he surrounded himself with in the past, I think that he has become aware of his, hmm, lack."
The Faena bowed and in a couple of strides caught up with me, grabbing me by my arm.
"I have sworn a solemn vow to your honored sire and dam, Lord Rabbit, to see you home, safe." He propelled me towards a doorway. "We have more than enough time before dinner for a lesson.”
"I'm not in the mood to bloody meditate," I said, trying to free my arm. I dug my heels into the carpet and Laurel, letting go, turned an annoyed face to me.
"Do you want to be given back to the Magus?" he demanded.
"No—" I started.
"Go and attend to your lessons, Lieutenant," Suiden said from behind me. "That's an order."
"Politics, sir?" I asked.
"Survival, Lieutenant," Suiden replied. "Both yours and the kingdom's."
"But—" I began.
"Obey your captain, lad," Uncle Havram said from where he sat. "Unless you have a better suggestion.
Do you?”
I stared at my uncle, frantically trying to think of something, anything, but after a moment, I lowered my head and shook it. "No, sir.”
Laurel reached over and took my arm once more, and led me to one of the far end rooms next to the fireplace.
"Jeffen, go with them," Captain Suiden said.
We passed through a small antechamber to another curtained doorway into the main sleeping room. It was just like the rest of the keep, austerely elegant, with a massive four-poster bed big enough to sleep a village, draped with curtains to shut out the chill night air. There were more colorful rugs, a fireplace complete with its own peat fire and set of chairs in front of it, a table with a vase of flowers, a washstand, a freestanding full-length mirror, and a huge clothespress, which, when I opened it, revealed a pomander, many drawers, and a clothes rack. I turned back to the room and the thought went through the back of my mind as I stared at all the fine wood that the Fyrst of Elanwryfindyll was an extremely wealthy elf.
We sat at the table and stared at each other for a moment.
"So," Laurel finally rumbled, removing the vase to the floor. "You did right in the Fyrst's hall." He reached into his pouch and pulled out a sack of small river stones. "Now let's examine what you did, and how you did it.” It was the most grueling workout I ever had, even as a new recruit in His Majesty's Royal Army.
By the time we were finished, I was physically aching all over. During my lesson, haunts wandered in and out of the chamber, but Honor Ash, Basel, and the unicorn all stayed for the entire time as the Faena and I faced each over the table. The room had darkened and was lit only by the fire when Javes came in to call a halt.
"The chamberlain is come to tell us that the dinner hour is approaching, so give it a rest," the captain said.
At Laurel's nod, I had the candles relight and the circling stones drop into Laurel's paw one by one. I then pushed away from the table, my legs wobbling like I had run up a mountainside carrying all my gear and my horse on my back. I stretched, working the kinks out, while becoming aware of the muted commotion out in the common area. Judging from the sounds and voices, Groskin and the rest of the ships' officers had arrived, along with the embassy staff and our luggage. The curtain parted again and one of the keep's servants entered carrying a large ewer of hot rose-water from the kettle out in the main room, followed by others carrying Groskin's, Jeff's and my footlockers.
Javes lifted his quiz glass at the steaming water. "The chamberlain was kind enough to give us a hint that we wash well, as the elves do not much appreciate the, ah, aroma associated with ripe humans."
The first servant put the ewer down on the washstand and went out, followed by the others who then all returned with more ewers, basins and soap. One went over to the clothespress and, opening a drawer, pulled out towels.
"Yes, sir," I said, stripping off my tabard and shirt. After I was dressed, Laurel gestured for me to stand before him. I stared at him, then down at the blue and white ribbons he held in one paw—the colors of the House of Iver. "King Jusson sent them.”
"Did he know that the Magus sent you?" I asked, still staring at the ribbons.
"No," Laurel said. "He did not." He gestured once more and I slowly moved to stand before him. He gathered up my hair and began to deftly braid it, weaving the ribbons into the plait. "He sent these to make sure that everyone here understood that you were his, sworn to his House, Lord Rabbit ibn Chause e Flavan.”
I didn't respond and when he finished braiding my hair, he produced from his pouch sapphire cuff links.
"From honored Moraina," he murmured as he inserted them into my shirt cuffs. He reached back in and brought out a sapphire and diamond cluster that he pinned to my tabard, adjusting my braid to make sure the sparkle of the jewels was visible. "She also wanted to make sure that everyone knew that you had her favor, Rabbit Two Trees'son.”
"Smashing pin and links, Lieutenant," Javes said as we joined everyone in the common room, the haunts tagging behind us.Captain Suiden said nothing, but raised his brows at me while Uncle Havram silently whistled and Lord Esclaur lifted his quiz glass.
"A dragon's favor," Laurel said.
"Will it matter, Ambassador?" Chancellor Berle asked, also appraising the jewels. Her brows came together when she saw the ribbons in my hair.