As if by asking Ciardis had implied she would imprison the griffin herself. Ciardis was just being careful. She didn’t want the young griffin further harmed or imprisoned because of her. Skar or his father.
“Of course,” said the woman huffily.
“On your oath as a healer?” said Vana softly.
The woman looked back and forth between them, and then stroked the shivering young griffins head feathers. “On my oath as a member of the Healers’ Guild, no harm will come to this lad.”
Ciardis nodded and the woman with her two guards bore Skarar away followed closely by Skar and the golden griffin. Ciardis could see Seraphina straining to go with them, but her father held on to her little hand tightly.
He looked from the stretcher being borne away to Ciardis.
Then Jason said, “Skar has been my oldest friend since childhood. I must see to him and his young one.”
“We would expect no less,” said Sebastian solemnly. “We’ll speak about your...theories later.”
The man nodded and with the firm yank of his daughter’s hand to prod him, they moved on.
Ciardis turned away to see palace servants hurrying towards them out of a cavernous hallway entrance. Nervously, they gathered in front of Ciardis. At least two dozen scurried to take their places until she lost count.
Then a large matronly woman came forward. She wasn’t meek and submissive like the giggling girls and whispering palace boys that arrayed themselves behind her. Her eyes were sharp, her hands were on her hips, and she looked downright belligerent. If Ciardis had imagined a welcoming party into the palace walls, it hadn’t been one of young, untrained servants and a woman who looked more ready to kick them out than allow them entrance inside the hallowed halls.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sebastian standing back in the shadows with Vana beside him. She sensed that he was faintly amused but couldn’t fathom why.
The woman in front of her didn’t give her a chance to discern why. “I am Mary Marlstone.”
Ciardis smiled and dipped into a curtsey. It was an honor that she didn’t have to bestow on the woman, clearly not a noble or a mage, but she did it anyway. Perhaps it would earn her some goodwill.
Straightening she caught an even deeper frown cross the woman’s face. Or maybe not.
In the shadow of her cloak, she heard a girl stifle a giggle at the woman’s expression.
Ciardis wiped the smile off of her face. This wasn’t going the way she wanted and she was done being pleasant while covered in blood and being whispered about.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The woman looked down a ruddy and splotched nose that looked like it had been broken in two places and had her hair tied back into a neat bun that didn’t hide the fact that if was freed her face would be framed in riotous curls.
Well, we have that in common . Ciardis thought to herself morosely.
“Head of the empress’s household,” the woman said flatly.
Ciardis shifted uncomfortably and raised her chin. “I wish to claim residence here alongside my companions and the prince heir.”
The woman let an eye wander over to Sebastian, who didn’t twitch a muscle.
“It’s been a long time since the boy was here.”
“The boy?” spluttered Ciardis, indignant on her future husband’s behalf. “That boy is your future ruler and a tad more of a man than any of the whispering idiots you have arrayed behind you.”
Finally the woman cracked a smile.
“Well now, you’re not such a sopping princess as I’ve heard, then,” the woman said with a curious inflection in her voice.
Ciardis’s back stiffened. She wanted to lay into the woman. Fortunately, for Ms. Marlstone, Sebastian stepped forward at that moment and put a hand on the back of Ciardis’s waist. It was probably supposed to be a reassuring presence. Ciardis preferred to think of it as proprietary rather than the warning it was for her to be nice. She didn’t need him telling her to be nice.
“Of course,” said the woman huffily.
“On your oath as a healer?” said Vana softly.
The woman looked back and forth between them, and then stroked the shivering young griffins head feathers. “On my oath as a member of the Healers’ Guild, no harm will come to this lad.”
Ciardis nodded and the woman with her two guards bore Skarar away followed closely by Skar and the golden griffin. Ciardis could see Seraphina straining to go with them, but her father held on to her little hand tightly.
He looked from the stretcher being borne away to Ciardis.
Then Jason said, “Skar has been my oldest friend since childhood. I must see to him and his young one.”
“We would expect no less,” said Sebastian solemnly. “We’ll speak about your...theories later.”
The man nodded and with the firm yank of his daughter’s hand to prod him, they moved on.
Ciardis turned away to see palace servants hurrying towards them out of a cavernous hallway entrance. Nervously, they gathered in front of Ciardis. At least two dozen scurried to take their places until she lost count.
Then a large matronly woman came forward. She wasn’t meek and submissive like the giggling girls and whispering palace boys that arrayed themselves behind her. Her eyes were sharp, her hands were on her hips, and she looked downright belligerent. If Ciardis had imagined a welcoming party into the palace walls, it hadn’t been one of young, untrained servants and a woman who looked more ready to kick them out than allow them entrance inside the hallowed halls.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sebastian standing back in the shadows with Vana beside him. She sensed that he was faintly amused but couldn’t fathom why.
The woman in front of her didn’t give her a chance to discern why. “I am Mary Marlstone.”
Ciardis smiled and dipped into a curtsey. It was an honor that she didn’t have to bestow on the woman, clearly not a noble or a mage, but she did it anyway. Perhaps it would earn her some goodwill.
Straightening she caught an even deeper frown cross the woman’s face. Or maybe not.
In the shadow of her cloak, she heard a girl stifle a giggle at the woman’s expression.
Ciardis wiped the smile off of her face. This wasn’t going the way she wanted and she was done being pleasant while covered in blood and being whispered about.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The woman looked down a ruddy and splotched nose that looked like it had been broken in two places and had her hair tied back into a neat bun that didn’t hide the fact that if was freed her face would be framed in riotous curls.
Well, we have that in common . Ciardis thought to herself morosely.
“Head of the empress’s household,” the woman said flatly.
Ciardis shifted uncomfortably and raised her chin. “I wish to claim residence here alongside my companions and the prince heir.”
The woman let an eye wander over to Sebastian, who didn’t twitch a muscle.
“It’s been a long time since the boy was here.”
“The boy?” spluttered Ciardis, indignant on her future husband’s behalf. “That boy is your future ruler and a tad more of a man than any of the whispering idiots you have arrayed behind you.”
Finally the woman cracked a smile.
“Well now, you’re not such a sopping princess as I’ve heard, then,” the woman said with a curious inflection in her voice.
Ciardis’s back stiffened. She wanted to lay into the woman. Fortunately, for Ms. Marlstone, Sebastian stepped forward at that moment and put a hand on the back of Ciardis’s waist. It was probably supposed to be a reassuring presence. Ciardis preferred to think of it as proprietary rather than the warning it was for her to be nice. She didn’t need him telling her to be nice.
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