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Chapter 3

3

ADRIAL

“Sorry,” Adrial muttered as he slowly maneuvered his way through the crowd. “So sorry.”

Servants carrying trays of bubbling chamb, sweetmeats, and rich cheeses weaved through the Guilded revelers.

The people in the ballroom weren’t separated by Guild color anymore. It was all a confusing mass of mingling and laughing.

Paintings of beautiful landscapes and great lords lined the walls, their golden frames glinting in the light of the sparkling chandeliers. All the finery of the Gilded Hall, from crystal glasses to ornate bannisters, had been polished for the occasion.

A troupe of musicians had been brought in for the Winter’s End Ball, and the center of the room had been taken over by dancing.

“Pardon me.” Adrial sidestepped a girl in healer red as she dragged a soldier onto the floor.

Pain shot through Adrial’s bad leg. He struggled to keep his gait even and face pleasant as he plunged deeper into the crowd.

Standing in the cathedral for hours had been torture, but he couldn’t say it. Couldn’t allow himself the luxury of going home to sleep. Weakness could not be accepted from Lord Gareth’s second, not when so much responsibility fell on the head scribe. Not when Lord Gareth was counting on him.

Not when everyone in Ilara agreed Adrial was too young for the position.

“A faster tune!” Kai shouted from the center of the dancers as the song ended. The people around him cheered as Kai grabbed a girl in white, scooping her into his arms and twirling her around.

“Adrial”―a hand slipped into his―“come on.”

Keeping his gaze on the dancers, Adrial let himself be led away.

“Kai’s lucky the Sailors Guild has very loose expectations of their men.” Allora nodded to the revelers who parted ways to grant her and Adrial a path. “Honestly, he shouldn’t be making such a spectacle. And even if he seems to be getting away with terrible decorum, he ought to know better. I should know. I’m the one who worked for years trying to teach that boy manners. ”

“He’s only having a good time,” Adrial said when they reached the edge of the horde and the crowd swallowed the surging mass of dancers. “He’s young. Let him enjoy himself.”

“What am I, an old maid?” Allora tossed her long, blond hair over her shoulder. “Kai’s barely younger than we are, and we know how to behave properly.”

“Some of us are made older.”

Allora stopped so quickly, Adrial nearly toppled over trying not to run into her.

“A limp and old age are two very different things, Adrial Ayres.” She brushed imagined dust off the shoulders of his white robes. “Don’t let a bad leg take credit for good manners.”

“Thank you, Allora.”

“Now come along.” Allora smoothed the folds of her green and gold gown. “The others will be waiting for us.”

A wide, stone staircase cut up from the corner of the room. A few people leaned over the railings, either watching the party below or trying to hide how much chamb they’d drunk.

A young man in healer red gripped a glass of frie as he dangled precariously over the crowd. The pungent smell of the strong liquor emanated from the man as much as from his glass.

Allora glared at the man as they climbed the stairs, keeping Adrial’s hand firmly in hers as they weaved past a sorcerer trying to fend off the affections of a healer.

Adrial didn’t need the help to dodge the couples on the stairs. He could manage the steps on his own, even make better speed than Allora allowed. But she’d been helping him for years. Shaking her off would have been a cruel slight at Winter’s End.

And, if he really dared to be honest with himself, he enjoyed the comfort of having someone to walk with. He might not be dancing in the crowd below, but at least he wouldn’t be spending his evening alone.

“Are you really hauling us all away from the dancing?” Kai bounded up the stairs to catch them.

Mara followed behind him at a statelier pace, her lips pursed as she hid her smile.

“I’m not hauling anyone away from anything,” Allora said. “I’m merely trying to spend time with

my family

before they scatter to the winds on the King’s command. If you’d rather cavort with someone you’ve never met before and will probably never see again―”

“There’s nothing I would rather do than spend the evening with the lovely Allora Karron.” Kai beat them to the top of the stairs, grabbed Allora’s free hand, and gave it a dramatic kiss. “Just promise me there will still be dancing.”

“I’ll dance with you, you getch.” Allora breezed past him. “But only out of pity.”

“And you, Mara?” Kai caught her around the waist, twirling her down the hall. “Will you dance with me?”

“I will always dance with you, Kai.” Mara laughed as he spun her under his arm.

“Do you want to see what I’ve planned for us or not?” Allora’s severe tone did not match the glimmer in her eyes.

“Of course we do, Allora.” Adrial bowed, unable to keep from laughing as Kai lifted Mara high overhead.

“Don’t break her!” Allora squealed.

“Not everyone is as fragile as Lady Allora Karron.” Kai set Mara back on her feet. “Please forgive me and show us your surprise, miss.”

“I don’t know why I bother trying to do anything nice for the lot of you.” Allora poked Kai’s nose and beckoned them all down the corridor.

One side of the hall was lined with doors, but the other was painted with a glorious mural of the southern countryside, an image broken only by one, wide double door set with glass panes.

Allora flung the glass doors open. “Welcome to the Karron clan party!”

A balcony looked out over the thousands of common revelers in the square and the shining white cathedral beyond. Shouts and cheers rose from the crowd below, but the balcony was empty.

“Allora,” Mara breathed, stepping past her to take in the view, “what have you done?”

Tiered trays of cakes, fruits, and other delights sat on one round table. Bottles of chamb chilled in the spokes of a compass-shaped ice sculpture. Couches draped with warm blankets to guard against the night chill sat next to candelabras with brightly burning candles.

“And how did you do it?” Niko asked from the doorway.

Tham stood behind Niko’s shoulder. While Niko radiated delight, Tham’s brow furrowed as he took in the lavish display.

“I know all the best people.” Allora grinned. “Sometimes being nice means people are thrilled to help you. You might consider trying it sometime.”

“Having coin to pay doesn’t hurt, I’m sure.” Kai grabbed a bottle of chamb and began pouring a glass for each of the six.

“It’s wonderful, Allora.” Adrial moved toward the rail.

Torches on poles that reached high above the crowd shed light on the square.

“A toast then?” Kai pressed a glass into Adrial’s hand.

“But of course!” Niko grabbed a glass. “A drink for everyone. Even Tham.”

“I’m fine.” Tham stood in the doorway, hovering on the edge of the group. There wasn’t a hint of merriment on his face, but then his dark hair, complexion, and eyes had the effect of making him appear somber at the best of times.

“You must have a drink for the toast.” Allora flitted over, glass in hand. “Adrial and I are about to be abandoned in Ilara while you all adventure yet again. Be kind and toast with us. Give me a perfect night to remember when I’m lonely all year.”

Without a word, Tham accepted the glass.

“To the Karron clan.” Allora held her glass high. “May we bring honor to Ilbrea and the name of Karron wherever we go!”

“To Lord Karron.” Mara raised her glass.

“To Lord Karron!” Adrial joined in with the rest of the pack.

“It really is remarkable.” Mara sipped her chamb, wrinkling her nose at the taste. “Lord Karron manages to collect one daughter―”

Allora curtsied.

“―two apprentices―”

Mara raised her glass to Niko.

“―and three wards―”

“To the motherless children!” Kai cheered.

“―and look how well each of us has done,” Mara finished.

“I really thought one of us would have ended up in prison by now.” Niko poured himself another glass of chamb.

“I really thought it would be me.” Kai threw himself back onto a couch. “Or maybe Tham.”

“I’m quiet about the trouble I make.” Tham gave a rare smile. “It would have been you.”

“And we always knew who would rise the highest.” Mara pulled two sandwiches from the tray, passing one to Tham before biting into her own. “To Adrial, the future Lord Scribe of Ilbrea.”

“I was always certain our sweet Adrial would achieve greatness.” Allora leaned on the railing by his side. “From the day my father dragged a ragged boy from Ian Ayres into the Map Master’s Palace, I was quite sure there was utter brilliance beneath those caked-on pounds of mud.”

“To our brilliant prodigy, Adrial Ayres!” Kai raised his fresh glass of chamb.

“I’m not brilliant. I’m just the only one of us not to have caused any trouble.” Adrial smiled. “And perhaps becoming a lord isn’t what it should be.” He sipped his chamb, letting the dry sweetness flood his mouth.

He could say it to them. They were his family. They’d all been raised by Lord Karron, though none but Allora shared Lord Karron’s blood. They’d seen each other at their worst and best and still held fast to their little clan. “Master Gareth wants me to make the vellum. He thinks it will be a good way to show my worth. To prove to the Scribes Guild that he was right to name me as his heir.”

“What vellum?” Niko asked as the rest of them looked somewhere between awed and sympathetic.

“Didn’t you listen in the council?” Allora asked.

“Of course he didn’t,” Mara said. “I had to kick him to make him look in the right direction.”

“The King wants a new vellum made.” Tham finally stepped onto the balcony, joining the rest of the group. “A new, fully illuminated volume detailing the history of the royal Willoc family in Ilbrea. A wedding gift for Princess Illia to take with her to her new home in Wyrain.”

“And you’re to make it?” Allora clasped Adrial’s hand. “That’s wonderful, Adrial. Just fantastic!”

“A book like that will have to be a real work of art,” Kai said.

“He’ll be brilliant.” Allora shot a glare at Kai.

“If I’m not, if I fail, all of Ilbrea will know.” A lump formed somewhere between his lungs and throat as he said the words. “A project this large will take the full two years.”

“The vellum will be magnificent.” Mara set down her glass and pulled Adrial into a tight hug. “Lord Karron will be so proud of you. We’re all so proud of you.”

“To Adrial.” Niko raised his glass.

“To Adrial!” the others chorused.

“What about the rest of you?” Allora asked. “Where are you going, and how soon are you abandoning us?”

“No idea,” Kai said. “The King wants a fleet of new ships and a path plotted around the horn at the southern tip of the continent. Who knows where in that I’ll fall? Though I do hope I’ll get to sail around the horn. See the great southern storms, fight the wind herself.”

“Don’t talk like that, you terrify me,” Allora chided.

“Like you’ve never been shipwrecked before,” Kai laughed.

“Hush, you.” Allora blushed and sipped her chamb.

“I’ve no idea where I’ll be sent,” Mara said. “We’re meeting in the Map Makers’ Hall tomorrow. I suppose your father will tell us where we’re to be assigned then.”

“And our stalwart Tham?” Allora asked.

“I don’t know.” Tham’s eyes flitted to Mara for a moment. “I’ve experience guarding the map makers’ journeys, and with the amount of work that needs done, they can’t venture into uncharted lands with new blood who can’t tell a compass from a sword.”

“I’m sure my father will request you, as always.” Allora raised her glass to Tham, giving a not so subtle wink to Mara.

“It takes time to organize a journey,” Niko said. “No matter what the King wants, we won’t be able to leave for a week at least, more likely two.”

“Two weeks of company, Adrial,” Allora cooed. “How very lucky are we?”

“Exceptionally.” Adrial nodded.

“A lot can happen in two weeks.” Niko sat forward on his couch. “You could plan a whole wedding in two weeks if a certain girl who knows all the right people set her mind to it.”

“Are you planning on getting married, Nikolas? I must meet the lucky girl.” Allora took a long drink of chamb.

“Oh, Allora.” Mara poured herself another glass.

“For the love of Aximander’s greatness, just marry me, Allora.” Niko dropped to his knees. “I’ll beg in front of those we like best, just marry me.”

“Will he bark like a dog, too?” Kai whispered loudly.

“Marry you?” Allora laughed.

If he hadn’t spent years with her, Adrial might not have noticed the hurt in Allora’s tone.

“Marry you and spend two weeks in your grand company? Leave my father’s magnificent palace on the cliffs to move into a small house where I can console myself in your long absences that at least I’m a wife? I’d rather not.”

“You break my heart with every rejection.” Niko slumped dramatically to the ground.

“Then stop asking.” Allora tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned toward the square.

“And what will you do, my beautiful Allora? Marry a merchant? A commoner?” Niko asked.

“She’d never lower herself so,” Kai said. “None but a Guilded man for Allora Karron.”

“Perhaps I’ll marry Adrial,” Allora said. “Be the Lord Scribe’s wife.”

“Careful, Allora,” Adrial said. “Tease one too many times, and poor Niko might believe you.”

“No, I refuse.” Niko ran to Allora, sweeping her into his arms, leading her in a dance to match the music coming from the square below. “I will have you or no one. You have held my heart for years, Allora Karron. I have learned patience none but Dudia can match.”

“I will not have a husband whose breath smells of frie.” Allora laughed, leaning into Niko’s arms as he spun her.

“Tham, will you dance with Mara?” Kai asked.

“Not tonight,” Tham said.

“Then it is my happy duty.” Kai pulled Mara from her seat, leading her in a rather more athletic dance than the one Niko and Allora swayed to.

Adrial turned back out to the square, closing his eyes, trying to memorize the laughter of his friends.

Allora was right. It would be a long, lonely time before they were together again.

The music changed, and the crowd cheered as the new song began.

Adrial opened his eyes, wanting to bask in the joy of the people below.

A girl danced at the center of the throng, spinning as she flitted from partner to partner, never staying near one man long enough for him to wrap his arms around her, though most of them tried. Her hair shimmered in the torchlight, one moment seeming pale purple, the next deep blue, matching the tight bodice she wore. Tiers of fabric cut into slices, like fish scales of every color imaginable, made the layers of her skirt.

She twirled between two men, and her skirt swirled around her like a cloud.

It was as though a fairy had escaped a children’s tale and landed in the middle of the cathedral square. She tipped her head back and laughed.

Adrial wished he could hear the sound over the music.

A man dressed in the dull brown and yellow of the Guilds’ servants waved as he wound his way toward her, his gaze fixed on the fluttering of her hair.

Adrial gripped the rail, not letting go even when pain snuck into his bad shoulder. Surely, the girl hadn’t done anything wrong. There was no reason for her to be in trouble with the Gilded Hall. There was no rule against dancing in the square on Winter’s End.

The girl smiled as the man reached her, letting the servant lean in to speak in her ear.

Her eyes flicked up to the balcony, landing on Adrial.

Heat rose to Adrial’s face. He shouldn’t have been watching. Not that there was anything wrong with watching the dancers.

The girl cut through the crowd, keeping her gaze locked on Adrial, not pausing as a man offered her a drink, or as a child poked at her flowing skirt.

Adrial tried to pull his hands from the railing, tried to look away from the square. But there was an enchantment about the girl, an undeniable pull as she reached the front of the building.

She finally looked away, examining the columns that held up the stone balcony.

Air flooded back into Adrial’s lungs. It was only a coincidence the girl had looked at him, nothing more. Still he couldn’t pull his gaze away from her.

She was only twenty feet below him now, and the light from the front of the building showed her hair as it truly was―not one color that changed in the light, but a dozen beautiful colors spread haphazardly through the strands.

Adrial’s heart stopped as the girl looked up at him and winked.

She grabbed on to the stone flowers that coated the column and began to climb. The movement was as easy as that of a cat scaling a tree. The girl pulled herself up, rose by rose, her toes finding purchase on the spirals cut deep into the stone.

“Adrial, what are you…” Allora began before gasping, “By Aximander’s greatness,” as the girl pulled herself over the railing and onto the balcony.

“Hello, scribe.” The girl smiled.

Tham stepped forward, pulling his knife from its sheath.

“Going to stab a girl for climbing a balcony?” The girl raised an eyebrow at Tham. “Didn’t know the soldiers had sunk so low.”

“How dare―” Allora began, but the girl turned back to Adrial and pulled three glass vials from deep within the folds of her layered skirt.

“I’ll be by in the morning to discuss your order, scribe.” She pressed the vials into Adrial’s hand and started toward the glass doors. “But fair warning, my work is very expensive.”

Without a backwards glance, she strolled into the hall and out of sight.

“What?” Allora squeaked indignantly.

“Who was she?” Kai stared after her.

“More importantly, what did she give you?” Mara peered over Adrial’s shoulder.

Adrial held the vials up to a glowing candelabra.

The first held a black so deep, the light couldn’t pass through it. The second, a pale lilac to match the most prominent color woven through the girl’s hair. And the third, a vibrant red that seemed to hold a spark of fire hidden just out of sight.

“Ink,” Adrial said after a long moment. “She’s brought me ink.”

“An inker climbed the balcony to give you samples?” Allora shut the balcony doors. “Commoners can’t seem to understand their place in the world these days.”

“Marks for determination though,” Niko said. “That was a bit of a climb.”

“I suppose this will be your life from now on,” Kai sighed. “Beautiful, technicolor women fighting to win your business. Perhaps I should have chosen a more scholarly path. Too late for me, I suppose. Ah, well. A toast to Adrial. May many women scale our beloved scribe’s balcony.”

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