Nightfall: Book Two of the Chronicles of Arden by Shiriluna Nott, SaJa H Page B

the next breath he was belittling anyone who crossed him.
    “Where is Joel, anyway?”
    Reeling from the fresh insult, Gib considered not answering. His voice was strained when he managed to find it. “He went to see Ambassador Cenric, to sign off on his internship. Why?”
    Hasain frowned. “Interesting. No matter, I suppose. But speaking of Ambassador Leal, before I left the palace today, Father was in a fierce mood. When I tried to ask him about it, he shooed me away and was yelling something about ‘sending Cenric or no one.’”
    A chill swept up Gib’s spine. He tried to ignore it. “A shame. Cenric only just returned.”
    “A good thing for Joel that he’s signing off then.”
    Gib nodded and thought to head to the Adelwijn estate. Surely Cal would be waiting by then. Gib hesitated where he stood though, lingering just a moment longer. “King Rishi was visibly upset? You don’t—you don’t know where he was sending Cenric, do you?”
    “If I knew, I would have said as much.”
    The cold seeped into Gib’s core, bone deep. “You don’t think he’d send Cenric to Shiraz, right? I mean—after Queen Jorja and all.”
    Hasain sighed, and some of his rigidity slipped away. “I don’t know. I hope not. He hates—it kills him a little to send others into known doom.”
    “It can’t always be avoided. And I suppose it’s better to risk the life of one rather than many in a war.”
    “Tell that to the one who is sent. Tell that to their family.”
 
     
    Joel trailed Cenric as they arrived outside the council room doors. Joel’s nerves had been on edge since their hasty summons, and he belatedly realized he’d been wringing his hands the entire way there. Cenric had asked again what the urgency was, but their royal guardsmen escorts could only apologize and lead them onward.
    The heavy door swung open before Cenric could knock, and inside, King Rishi’s strange Blessed Mages watched them with eerie violet eyes. Joel began to nod in greeting, but he was pushed along too fast to have a chance.
    As the pair of sentinels who’d escorted Cenric and Joel took post outside the door, Koal Adelwijn’s stern voice called out. “Ah, Cenric, sorry to pull you back in here so soon—” The seneschal’s hard gaze fell onto his son and the stilted words made Joel cringe. “What is he doing here? This isn’t a meeting for children.”
    Joel frowned. “I’m not a child.”
    Before Joel managed to get himself into any more trouble, Cenric stepped in. “Apologies, Seneschal Koal. I tried to ask what this meeting was about, but the guardsmen were vowed to silence. It is common practice for a master to bring his understudy while still on duty.”
    He bowed and motioned for Joel to do the same. The look in Cenric’s eye suggested he was in no mood for an unruly student, so Joel complied, biting back any harsh words he’d had for his father. Right now, he is the seneschal of Arden and I am an envoy trainee. Behave as such .
    Koal’s sharp gaze was heavy, but Joel met those eyes with as much determination as he could muster, a task made more difficult by their current company. Beyond the strange Blessed Mages and the seneschal, the King and his personal bodyguard were also present. Joel couldn’t help but feel he was in way over his head. He clasped clammy hands behind his back to keep them from shaking and took a deep breath. If his father was ever going to see Joel as anything more than a child, now was the time to prove himself.
    “Enough of this. There’s no time for arguments.” King Rishi looked haggard, face pale and eyes swollen. He stood tensely by the head of the council table. “There’s been a summons from the Northern Empire, Leal. I have no intention of sending anyone, but Neetra will be here any moment and he’s demanding—”
    “He’s nearly here.” The female Blessed Mage, Natori, kept her voice low, but everyone paused to listen to her words. “Hurry.”
    The King nodded and an