Errant Spark (Elemental Trials Book 1) Read online

  Eryk leaned back, surprised. “Jordin as well? Is he coming? He hasn’t left Darmiad in years, with his wife in such poor health.”

  “Aye, I wrote and he responded. He’ll be here within the week. We need the support of Turris Arcana and the nobility, Eryk, more than ever.”

  “What does the Grand Council think of our summons?”

  “The Grand Council is so consumed with its own internal politics that it’s practically useless. A formal petition for reopening negotiations with Ibiran would take weeks, or even months, to be approved and that’s if a consensus can be reached at all. I’m afraid we don’t have that kind of time before this devolves into bloodshed.”

  * * *

  The meal seemed endless, but not in an unpleasant way. In the course of an hour, Jex consumed more and a greater variety of food, some of which he couldn’t readily identify, than he thought he’d eaten in all his life. Just when he thought there couldn't possibly be anything left to serve, a little bell was rung and more platters were carried through the hall by young pages both male and female. As the meal progressed, he did slip a few of the stranger morsels under the table to the eager puppy and allowed Kylan to wheedle him into eating the coins of yellow squash her mother put on her plate. Both actions seemed to earn him high marks in her eyes.

  Contrary to Tor Brinon’s earlier jest about the company, Jex found his two ladies to be even better than the food. Torina Kylan was bright and vivacious, full of questions and stories, and Tora Aelani proved to be a most informative dinner companion. She indulged his curiosity, explaining the different aspects of court life and pointing out the realm's most important and powerful nobles.

  In turn, the tora wanted to know everything about Turris Arcana and the life he led there, lamenting that her brother didn’t write nearly enough to give her a clear impression of the place or its inhabitants. She couldn't seem to resist mothering him, either; refilling his glass, making sure he got a little of each dish that was served, and generally monitoring his comfort. He also noticed that, after his second serving, she started watering his wine when she thought he wasn’t looking.

  When the debris of the final course, a delicate citrus ice he’d had to defend from the sneakily reaching spoon of Torina Kylan, had been cleared away, a group of servants began moving the large wooden tables to one side of the hall. A small band of musicians gathered in a far corner and began to tune their instruments. The atmosphere changed from languid, stuffed contentment to one of excitement as courtiers hurried to choose partners.

  After a good-natured argument with Brinon, Eryk took his sister's hand and led her from the dais. The first dance was lively, and the accompanying steps were fast and complex. The tora was a superb dancer and Jex was a bit impressed to learn that Eryk was as well.

  Kylan watched with longing widening her pretty eyes as the colorful figures whirled past, shouting and laughing. She sighed dreamily and propped her chin on one small fist.

  “I usually get sent to bed when the fun stuff starts,” she said, looking around warily for an approaching nurse. “I never get to dance, even though they make me take lessons.”

  Jex rose to his feet and offered his hand. “Well then, now’s your chance. Come on, before someone notices you’re still awake and decides to cart you off.”

  She folded her arms. “You have to ask me proper, like the fancy men ask Sarene and Mama.”

  “I thought you weren’t a lady,” he teased.

  She merely stared at him, childishly obstinate in her demands.

  Forcing a solemn expression, he bowed deeply to her and held out his hand again as he straightened. “My apologies. Would you honor me with a dance, your highness?”

  Her face lit up and she squealed joyfully, decorum forgotten as she jumped to her feet. She practically skipped as she pulled him down the steps, but then halted, frowning up at him uncertainly.

  “You’re too tall!” she declared, “I can’t reach, but we’ll look silly if you lean over.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. After pondering for a moment, he bent and swept her into his arms, then proceeded to twirl them into the crowd. She beamed at him in adoration, locking her arms around his neck as he spun her in and out of groups of courtiers, heedless of the actual pattern to the dance. His actions garnered laughter and applause from the other dancers, while the tor and tora looked on in approval.

  He danced with her until she grew drowsy, even setting her on her feet once and giving her the opportunity to proudly put her lessons to use. Much to her delight, a large section of floor cleared for them and her uncle, along with one or two other men, whistled and called encouragement from the sidelines.

  Features set in determination and glowing under the attention, Kylan moved with great care and performed admirable, with only a few missteps here and there that were easily made less noticeable by her partner’s quick adaptations. When the dance reached its end, she curtsied deeply, though at the last instant an enormous yawn nearly stole her balance. Turning his bow smoothly into an unobtrusive rescue, Jex steadied her and disaster was averted. The applause was loud and a few people cheered. Kylan blushed scarlet and hid her face in his chest when he picked her up again.

  Finally, after another dance and the third jaw-cracking yawn in as many minutes, the torina was passed off to her nurse and the sleepy Astraeus was retrieved from beneath the table. Jex dismissed the many thanks for his kindness with a wave and a grin. He returned to his seat, procuring a glass of wine along the way, and settled back to let the riot of sound and color wash over him.

  He’d been watching for only a short time when there was a touch on his sleeve. He looked up to find Torina Sarene standing beside his chair.

  “I see you can dance well enough with children, but do you dance properly, sir mage?” she queried archly.

  He sighed somewhat dramatically. “Only a little, I’m afraid. There are few opportunities at the Tower. Not many women there to dance with and I don’t fancy men, my lady.” That last was a small lie, but no matter. While the Imperial court was said to be quite open-minded, he wasn’t sure it was that open-minded.

  Her smile broadened and her pretty eyes flashed impishly. “We'll have to fix that immediately. If you’re to spend time at court, you must learn.”

  Jex accepted her hand and allowed her to lead him back to the dancing. Sarene’s hips swayed alluringly as she walked and he couldn’t help but admire the curves so nicely outlined by the pink silk she wore. Several of the more intoxicated attendees staggered past them, laughing hysterically, and he quickly steered the torina out of their path. His hand may have lingered a little too long at the small of her back, but she said nothing.

  “Now,” she instructed, turning to face him, “this one is a Mandé, a little fast but not terribly complicated. Just watch me and do as I do.” So saying, she stepped back and began the quick steps, spinning as she went. Jex studied her intently and when it was his turn to join her, he did so with confidence. He mimicked her perfectly and she clapped in approval.

  “Excellent!” she cried, grabbing both of his hands in hers and pulling him close. He was acutely aware of her warmth against him and the bodice of her gown was soft beneath his hands. He took a firm grip on her waist and they were drawn into the crowd briefly before being separated. Jex found himself joining hands with more than a dozen ladies before Sarene was finally back in his arms. Her cheeks were flushed and she panted slightly with the exertion.

  “I knew you were a quick learner!” she gasped when the dance ended. She curtsied to him and he bowed low in return.

  “It helps to have an exceptional partner.”

  The music slowed and a few drums joined the mix, changing the entire feeling of the room. Sarene stepped into his body and slid her arms around his shoulders.

  She glanced up at him with eyes gone heavy lidded and Jex felt his pulse quicken. “I’ll teach you every one they play tonight. Just trust me and you'll be dancing properly in no time.” She ghos
ted one hand up to the nape of his neck and he felt her fingers toying with a wisp of hair that had come free of his ponytail. He stared down at her blonde head with growing arousal and his body began to heat in ways that had nothing to do with the climbing temperature. Feeling his tension, she glanced up.

  “I promise I don't bite, sir mage. Not this time.”

  “That’s what everyone keeps telling me.” His lips twitched into a flirtatious smile.

  “You could test me, if you wish,” Sarene murmured into his shoulder. “Just slide your arm around my waist...”

  “Your parents and my recent Sura, who just so happens to be your uncle and a lot bigger than I, are all watching us. Perhaps another time, in a more private setting, Torina,” he replied, lips just brushing the shell of her ear.

  She said nothing, but he felt her pull a little away from him and was both relieved and disappointed. The last thing he needed was to make a spectacle of himself on his first night in court. Although if he had to choose someone to make a spectacle with, she seemed certain to be an entertaining choice.

  “Well then, just hold me and we’ll both act as if you’re the consummate gentleman you pretend to be.” Sarene’s playful tone softened the implication of her words somewhat, and he smirked.

  Jex managed to make it through the rest of the evening without a mishap, although by the end, his groin ached with want of her. The triumphant glance Sarene shot him as they parted to the fading strings of the last melody indicated she was entirely aware of his predicament and had in truth done nothing but encourage it.

  The torina’s guardian, a matronly woman nearly as wide as she was tall, with a stern face and hawkish gaze, descended on them almost instantly. She eyed Jex like she expected him to either ravish her charge on the spot, or eat her. Sarene, ignoring her completely, looked reluctant to go.

  “You were an admirable partner, sir mage, and I thank you for a wonderful evening. Will…will I see you tomorrow?” She looked at him hopefully, brushing nervously at her gown. Her demeanor now was a stark contrast to the sensual confidence of moments earlier.

  “I expect so. Your uncle and I will be in Rowan for some time, I believe. Important business of one kind or another.” he replied with a vague shrug.

  “Good. I shall look for you tomorrow.” Sarene leaned up and pressed her lips to his cheek. “Good night,” she whispered hurriedly as her nurse took her arm and shot Jex another withering look. He caught the woman making the sign against evil sorcery in his direction and rolled his eyes.

  “Good night, Torina.” He stared after her until a tap on his shoulder broke his reverie. He turned his head to find Eryk standing beside him.

  “I see you managed to survive the evening. Quite successfully, I might add.” He glanced pointedly after Sarene and then to a flock of young women loitering nearby, appraising Jex while pretending not to. “Didn't I tell you everything would be fine?”

  “You did.”

  “Let me give you one piece of advice, if I may. I know how much you love when I do that.” The High Mage lowered his voice so that only Jex could hear. “Beware the ladies of the Imperial court, and that includes Sarene. They’re nothing like the girls you’re used to. These will eat you alive and spit out what’s left…even while teaching you more than a life spent at the Tower ever could. And I suggest that any future instruction be a little more discrete.” Eryk's eyes twinkled as he took in the younger man’s open mouthed shock.

  “Sir—”

  Eryk threw his head back and roared laughter. Jex only called him ‘sir’ when he was trying to avoid being punished. “I’m not angry, but did you truly think I wouldn’t notice? You’re a grown man now and your choices in that regard are none of my business anymore. I know you’re a favorite at home. Believe me, I’ve heard the rumors from Eras, and I didn’t doubt for a second it would be any different here.”

  Jex sighed heavily. “And I thought my jumping the wall to sneak into town had gone unnoticed.”

  “I was your age once, Jex, hard as that may be for you to believe. There were wenches in the inn and pretty female apprentices then, too. I know more about what goes on in Tower dormitories and upstairs tavern rooms than you dare to guess. All I ask is that you have a care.”

  Eryk turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Jex to gape after him.

  Well, that hadn’t been quite the lecture he’d been expecting.

  “So,” drawled a voice from behind him, “you’ve seen how the lords and ladies do it. Care to go to a real party now?”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Jex turned slowly to face the speaker. “You.”

  The single word dripped with annoyance and derision.

  Gaylan stood behind him, tapping one foot. He had changed from his livery to a nondescript shirt and trousers of blue and black. It suited him much better than the purple, Jex decided.

  “Yes, I. You’re quite the master of wit aren’t you, lad?”

  “I can be when I wish, and that’s Battlemage Xander to you, page,” he grumbled sullenly.

  The blond man opened his eyes wide in mock terror. “A Battlemage is it? I’m sure I ought to be terrified.”

  “You should be.”

  “I’m not,” Gaylan smirked. “Now, how ‘bout it. Do you want to go or not?”

  “That depends,” Jex crossed his arms over his chest and stared stonily at the other man. They were of a height, but Gaylan outweighed him by a significant amount. The man wasn’t fat, just broad and muscular in the way of fighting men and laborers. Based on the flaxen hair and periwinkle eyes, Jex guessed he was Tesian, but if so, he was the shortest one the mage had ever seen. He was actually quite an attractive man, really. Rude, obnoxious, and in need of a good thrashing, but attractive.

  Gaylan returned the stare with a raised eyebrow. “Depends on what, Battlemage?”

  Jex shot a quick glance around before he answered. The hall had all but emptied and the ladies who’d been studying him with so much curiosity were gone. He huffed out a breath rife with disappointment.

  “On whether or not you’re buying the first round.”

  Putting an arm around Jex’s shoulders, he laughed and led him towards a door on the far side of the room. “Where we’re going, there’s no need.”

  * * *

  “So this is what you call a ‘real party’, is it Krighamre?” Jex taunted. He was sitting on a wooden stool tilted back against the rough stone wall so that only its back legs rested on the floor. His boots were propped on the table in front of him and he held a clay tankard of ale in one hand as he studied the common room.

  It was a large space whose center had been cleared of all furnishings, with rough walls and exposed ceiling beams. Since it was a warm night, the hearth across the room was unlit, empty, and swept clean of ashes. Fresh rushes had been strewn about the bare flagstone floor, but one could still smell the faint odor of spilled beer and charred wood that had soaked into the room over centuries. It was a cozy, homey sort of place, with one notable defect.

  The chamber was full of men; servants, men-at-arms, groomsmen, and the like. All held pipes or mugs and were either standing or sitting on benches pushed back against the walls. Very few women were present and these were mostly old grandmothers. The distinct lack of attractive females was rather a letdown, and Jex was beginning to feel a little cheated; he could have been in a tavern in the city by now, surrounded by enough willing women to keep a man happy for nights on end.

  “Oh, just be patient,” Gaylan shot back, settling in beside him with his own drink. “The lassies will be down from the kitchens and chambers soon and that’s all we’re waiting for.”

  Jex snorted but said nothing, sipping at his ale in lieu of a reply. It wasn’t as good as what he’d had upstairs but it was ambrosia compared to the slop they served in Eras. That stuff was brewed for Hendai and was as likely to kill a man as get him drunk. Too much of it caused a hangover not soon forgotten and that was always assuming you weren’t still crocke
d when you woke up, wherever and whenever that happened to be. He shuddered as a few such mornings—and afternoons—flashed through his mind.

  “So tell me about yourself,” he said to his companion, leaning forward and setting his mostly empty tankard on the scarred plank table. Gaylan refilled it from an earthenware pitcher and Jex nodded his thanks.

  “Not a lot to tell, really,” Gaylan answered, “I’m a Tesian, but I’m sure you guessed that. Both parents, my bror and søs and her man are still in Val. As the youngest son, I was placed in the Imperial Service when I was about seven and trained as a man-at-arms. I’ve been serving ever since.”

  “What are you doing on page duty, then?” Jex asked after a deep draw of the amber liquid. He wiped his mouth with the back of one hand and closed his eyes contentedly. In the absence of pretty girls, he could at least get drunk enough not to mind.

  “Ah, that. I, well…I’m being punished, as it happens, and that’s the worst thing the captain can think to do to me.” The other sounded self-conscious at the revelation.

  “Punished for what? Or do I not really want to know?”

  “It’s probably best if you don’t. Let’s just say it’s not a permanent placement.”

  At that moment, a flood of women swept into the room, to the obvious pleasure of the men present. The previous murmur of conversation swelled to a dull roar.

  “This is more like it,” Jex observed, gazing around with an appreciative grin.

  Gaylan whistled loudly and a woman with skin the color of bronze, shining chestnut hair, and slanted sapphire eyes looked in his direction. She gestured rudely at him, but began making her way across the room nonetheless. Stopping just short of Gaylan’s booted feet, she put her hands on her full hips and pretended to scowl down at them. She was short and pleasantly rounded, the blue of her gown lovely against her dark skin and emphasizing the color of her eyes.

  “Now who be this, Gaylan Krighamre?” she demanded, her accent thick and lilting, “He be too fine for a guard and much too nice-looking for the stables.”