Threads of Desire (Spellcraft)

Chapter Ten

The center medallion was complete. Three feet wide and ringed with golden thread, it depicted the emperor’s seal—a lion, fangs bared, claws extended. Around the beast’s neck was the Xara’s medallion, symbol of Luthalia, the small southern nation ruled by his wife, the empress.

In the morning, Ily would begin the pattern that formed the bulk of the rug. She could see it when she closed her eyes, at night before she slept. It would have to be worked in a single sitting. The thread was prepared and laid out on spindles surrounding a large cushion at the center of the room. She planned to sleep alone tonight and wake early. She’d told Kal about her plan this morning and so was surprised when she turned toward the door to find him standing there.

He was dressed in finery. The tunic he wore was a deep twilight blue with a soft sheen. Finely tailored leggings and polished boots. It took her breath away. So easy to forget he was an aristo when naked he was only another man.

I’ll be going out tonight, I wanted to let you know.”

That wasn’t necessary.”

The skin tightened around his eyes. “Rael will stay here. If there’s anything that you require, ask him and it’s yours.”

You’re very generous,” she murmured, crossing the room. Kal blocked the door.

He cradled her jaw and searched her face for a moment. “The emperor hired a troop to perform for him months ago, brought them in from Turan. I have to go.”

She didn’t say anything. What was there to say? He had to go and she wouldn’t be welcome there, had no desire to go. None at all.

It’s a new moon tonight,” he said, stroking his thumb along her cheekbone. His jaw was clean-shaven and set in a determined line, but the look in his eyes was soft.

She knew what day it was—the festival of blind god—when the creator turned his face away. “An excuse for licentiousness.” Her brows arched. “As if you needed one.”

She started to draw away, but he held her. “I will do nothing to dishonor you, Ily. My vow to you.”

I didn’t...” She shook her head.

My presence is required, nothing else.”

He kissed her, a dry brush of his closed lips against hers. Possibly the most chaste kiss they’d ever shared and still her body responded, sparking to life like he held a burning match to her. She breathed him in...bergamot and sandalwood. Warm and familiar. She wanted to wrap her arms around his waist but she held them stiff to her side.

He withdrew far too soon. “Tomorrow, then.”

She nodded and he was gone, striding down the long hall with the loose confidence she admired and despised. Envy welled up inside her, along with a red thread of shame. Despite his promise, she was jealous of every woman who would look upon him tonight.

She didn’t need him. This empty feeling...she’d find someone else to fill it after she was gone. Two weeks, maybe three. Her work would be done and she’d be able to leave.

And when she did, she’d walk away as easily as he did now.

* * *

Down the corridor, a curving set of stairs that let directly into the courtyard. Kal snagged an orange as he passed one of several fruit trees planted at regular intervals along the high plaster walls and paused beside the fountain. Haran was notoriously stingy in the food he provided to his guests, at least those not in the inner circle. Despite Ily’s elevated view of his position, Kal was a small fish in a very large pond. He was content with that. His wealth afforded him many advantages, but he wasn’t greedy for more. He did enough to ensure he stayed in the good graces of his emperor and did his best to stay out of the political maneuvering of the other families. He had few enemies, people in general tended to like him. At court, he was called a natural peacekeeper. He was known to be charming.

The sharp, sweet scent of the fruit reminded him of Ily, spread on his table. The oranges shaking from their bowl and rolling to the floor. The twilight reminded him of Ily because he usually waited for the first star to appear before seeking her out, knowing that she’d be finishing her work then. The crystalline sound of the fountain, Ily straddling him in their bath.

He could still turn around.

But if he stayed, it would only be to wander the halls. She’d asked to have a guest room tonight and he’d given her his finest. He’d neglected business, canceled meetings, relied heavily on Rael and Cassia to deal with the merchants and tradesmen. The aristos he had to deal with himself. Would that it were any other way.

There was no reason to stay here tonight. Except that she’d withdrawn from him again, only a half-step back but she’d retreated. The look in her eyes when he’d said good-bye...

It could be mended. He let the peel fall to the ground as he walked toward the stables. Silas, his gray ghost of a horse, was saddled and waiting for him. Rael handed him the reins.

If she tries to leave?”

Kal flinched. “What makes you ask?”

Rael’s expression was unreadable as ever. “It’s always been a possibility, no?”

Remind her of our contract and bar the gates. Don’t let her leave.”

But Rael did not lift his hand from Silas’s neck. “Before she finishes the rug, you should make your request and let her make her decision. If the rug is not complete, it might hold her long enough for her to consider it.”

My plan is coming along just fine, you saw that yourself.”

A flush darkened Rael’s skin. “I saw more than you think, Saer. You’ve become ensnared in your own web.”

She’ll stay. She’ll agree.” Rael didn’t comment, only stepped aside so that Kal could pass into the cobbled street. Rael was a good man, stalwart and loyal, but he had a very low tolerance for risk. Pointless to argue with him over this. “Take care of her.”

Rael bowed and Kal started for the castle, a small catar of guards accompanying him for the show of it. He skirted his own property, glancing up when he passed Ily’s window. Dim light shone through the curtains and high windows. Tomorrow she planned to work until evening. The next day, he would take her to Nira and then he’d know whether he’d misjudged her.

* * *

The emperor was a young man, not yet twenty, but he showed great promise. Kal might have looked to him for help if he’d been just a few years older or his position within the court more secure. None of the families would attempt to remove the emperor, of course. The position carried with it a great deal of tedious responsibility and very little by way of compensation. And there were far easier ways to handle a weak ruler. Wealth ruled Saria—the merchants who controlled the trade routes and the guild who produced the finest crafts available to the known world.

The most powerful men and women were gathered at the palace tonight for the festival of the blind god. Ily was right about that, few aristos would miss a chance to shake off the fetters of morality. The gathered crowd was particularly enthusiastic and the masters Haran had engaged for the occasion had outdone themselves.

The passageway leading into the garden was lined with great stone pillars supporting an arched roof inset with glass panels. The glass mimicked the night sky, velvety black and set with unnaturally bright stars to light the path. Kal paused beside his family’s crest, wondering why his alone was white. As soon as his fingertips touched the stone, color leached from the point of contact like dye dropped in water. He smiled as the great dragon turned the vibrant red that was the favored color of house Azi.

Clever boy. An emperor who could flatter, entertain and reinforce the importance of obedience might just manage to hold on to the reins. Kal glanced up and down the corridor. He was last to arrive. That, too, would surely be noted.

Funny, he reflected as he stepped into the midnight gardens and inhaled the fragrance of night-blooming Jemras mixed with incense from the torches. He’d always particularly enjoyed this celebration. Tonight, he found himself calculating how long he was obliged to stay before he could return home.

Haran sat in state on a dais constructed for the occasion. Jilar, his advisor, stood at his right hand as always, watching the proceedings with an air of amused condescension. Jilar’s restless gaze paused on Kal and he inclined his head in what was—for the lion—a gesture of tremendous respect.

More than one person turned their heads to see who was so honored, the guildmaster among them. Lanel Hasson was still a robust man despite his years. His black hair was spiced with gray but when he rose and began to make his way toward Kal, he moved with the grace and purpose of a man in his prime. Kal accepted a glass of wine from a passing servant and waited for the guildmaster to approach.

Ily feared this man and the guild because of him. The guild should protect her. Kal thought that a large part of her disdain for the aristos—for anyone in power—arose from her time spent at the University. Over the course of these last few weeks, Ily had let him in to her mind and body in the most intimate of ways, but still she kept the reason for her fear from him. Because of the man walking toward him now.

Kal had always disliked and mistrusted the guildmaster. The rage that swept over him now took him by surprise. Deliberately, he forced his fingers to ease their grip on the fragile goblet he brought to his lips. He forced his muscles to remain fluid and raised his brows in mild curiosity as Lanel stopped before him.

Lanel’s mouth tightened in what passed for a smile. “I understand you’ve hired my student.”

Former student, I believe. And, yes, I hired her. For some reason, I’ve found it tremendously difficult to engage the services of a master craftsman no matter how much money I offer them. This one I found living on the streets.”

There’s a reason for that.”

Kal glanced aside and noted that Haran was watching their exchange closely along with any number of other people. The last time Kal had spoken with Lanel, he’d been raving. He’d hurled desperate threats to destroy the guild if they refused to help his daughter. Their feud had become so public and so virulent that the emperor had been forced to step in. The emperor—a child then—had upheld the ancient law of the guild and Nira had died with the summer fevers. For Lanel to approach him now...

Kal tipped his head. “And what reason is that exactly? I always thought that the guild took care of their own.”

People of great power can oftentimes become...eccentric, and Ily was very talented.”

Is. Ily is talented. Extremely.”

The innuendo was deliberate, but Lanel merely inclined his head. “We lost track of her after she left the University. Ily was the one who turned her back on her family, but we stand ever ready to welcome her back into the fold. If you would pass that along to her, I would be most grateful. You may also tell her that I’m willing to receive her at any time should she wish to speak with me.”

Kal’s blood chilled and then began to pulse through his veins with a heavy beat. “I’ll tell her.”

I want to know that she’s safe.”

She’s far safer in my home than she was living on the streets. When she was starving in the gutter, where were you then?”

Waiting for her to return to her senses, even as we are now, with our hands extended in fellowship and support. She belongs with me...with us, at the University. I only want the best for her.”

Kal leaned in close and felt fierce satisfaction when Lanel flinched. Jilar caught Kal’s eye and moved his hand in a subtle gesture indicating that the emperor wished to speak with him. A rebuke but it didn’t stop Kal from smiling at Lanel, letting the man see his hatred.

If there’s any truth to that, guildmaster, then I suggest that you leave her alone.”