Guild Mage: Apprentice

56. The Masque

Liv's hands tightened out of reflex, one on her staff, and the other on Cade's arm.

"We were just on our way to greet some friends," Cade told Princess Milisant, and Liv recognized the carefully controlled voice he used when addressing his father. What she'd learned about his life over the course of a single afternoon made her feel as if she was part of a shared secret, separating the two of them from the crowd.

"My father wants to talk to you," Milisant told Liv, without bothering to respond to Cade. She held a mask affixed to a wooden handle, and twirled it idly as she spoke. "You can bring your boy along if you like." She turned on her heel and strode through the crowd toward a doorway on the west wall, leaving guests scrambling to get out of her path.

"I suppose I can't just ignore that, can I," Liv complained.

"An invitation from the prince? No, unfortunately you can't," Cade answered. Together, they followed the princess into a private sitting chamber just off the ballroom. Two palace guards protected the door, one to either side, but they allowed the pair to pass without comment.

Within, Princess Milisant had placed herself just behind an ornately carved and finished wooden chair, cushioned in rich brocade. Her father, Prince Benedict, held a glass of liquor in one hand, seated with his legs crossed, as he watched them approach.

"Good evening, Miss Brodbeck," he said. "Or rather, Apprentice. Or perhaps Lady Livara of the Eld. The number of roles you have taken on is truly staggering."

Liv released Cade's arm so that she could curtsy, and was aware of him bowing at her side. There were no empty chairs provided for them, so they both had to remain standing. She had no idea what to say, and was happy to rely on her companion's practiced manners.

"We are both honored to speak with you, Your Highness," Cade said.

"Don't worry, I won't keep you long," Benedict said, taking a sip. "In light of recent events, I thought that I would offer you a bit of advice, Livara. Consider it a gift, with no obligation whatsoever. When your father comes to Freeport, if he offers to take you north, go with him."

"Excuse me?" Was the prince threatening her?

"My half-sister is making political moves that are, frankly, both dangerous and deluded," Benedict explained. "And she is using you for her own political advantage. That's why she's asked my father's approval to adopt you - she sees a potentially valuable piece on the board, and she wants you to be her piece. She doesn't have much to work with, so she's scraping together everything she can get. And you are worth something, I'll admit. You have magical talent, that's clear from your duel with my daughter. It's unheard of for someone your age, before their formal training even begins at Coral Bay, to use a single intent in so many ways."

"Lady Julianne has been very kind to me," Liv said. "I a lot of ways, she treats me like a daughter already."

"I'm sure she does; she's always known how to make alliances and recruit people to her cause," Benedict admitted. "If she'd been legitimate, she might even have made a good queen. But the plain truth is that she never will. My father is not going to pass me over in favor of his favorite bastard, and the great council would never stand for it if he did. So you can either attach yourself to a losing proposition out of misplaced sentiment, or you can simply walk away. You lose nothing," Benedict insisted, setting his glass down.

"Go spend some time with your father. You can even come back and attend Coral Bay; there's no reason why not. The succession will be settled by the time you do, and you aren't my enemy unless you choose to be. Wed this young man if you want," the prince offered. "When you're both a bit older, I can even find a place on the small council for you, Talbot. How would you like that?"

Liv held her breath, waiting to see how Cade would respond.

"I think," he said, after a long moment, "that anyone who would sell themself so easily would not be someone you could either trust, or respect, anyway, Your Highness."

"You sold a few votes for this girl on your arm," Benedict pointed out.

"I got the better end of that bargain."

Benedict laughed, and turned back to Liv. "You must be wanting to spend time with your father, anyway. Go and meet your family. See the wonders of the north, such as they are. Remove yourself from the situation. You'll be all the happier for it; you have nothing to gain by staying in Lucania."

"Thank you for your advice, Your Highness," Liv said. "I'll consider it carefully."

"Be certain you do." Benedict lifted his glass again. "Enjoy the masque, children."

It was a clear dismissal, and Liv practically fled the room. If Cade hadn't kept up with her, she thought she would have pulled him along, and once they were beyond the guard at the door, she did yank him off to the side, out of their earshot.

"Did the prince just threaten me?" she asked. Now that they were safely away, she couldn't stop herself from trembling.

"Some combination of bribe and threat, yes," Cade said, and to her surprise he wrapped his arms around her. "Lady Julianne's done something that frightens him. She made a play for duchess today at the great council, and now Benedict is scrambling to stop her."

Liv closed her eyes for just a moment. If she was home, she could have collapsed into her mother's arms and felt safe. Being held by Cade wasn't like being held by Mama, but it was something.

"There you two are," Beatrice's jubilant voice broke in one Liv's moment of stillness. "Enjoying yourselves in the corner! Liv, I didn't think you were so daring."

Liv opened her eyes to see Triss pull Matthew out of the crowd by his hand. Feeling as if she was doing something she shouldn't, she took a step away from Cade, putting a bit of space between them as his arms fell away.

"I understand," Liv said. "You should know that Prince Benedict called us in, when we first got here. He wants me to go north with my father, and spend a few years out of the kingdom."

"He even offered me a seat on the small council out of the deal," Cade remarked.

Julianne scowled. "We're going to be in back rooms for the rest of the evening," she warned them. "I may have dropped a bit of a surprise on everyone today. The only reason we have a moment now is that they haven't noticed we're back from the audience yet. If you want to avoid getting caught up in it, children, you may want to enjoy the rest of the night elsewhere. Our sailor friends are watching over the Black Horse, when you decide that you've had enough. They'll take care of you."

Triss perked up at the mention of the rowdy inn. "That place is a bit more to my tastes," she admitted.

"It's smaller, at least," Liv said. "This whole thing is a bit overwhelming."

"Why don't we take a carriage on over, then?" Matthew said. "Liv, can I talk to you on the way out?"

Liv nodded: she would give him the chance to apologize, and see if he took it. Julianne and Henry were already being surrounded by a knot of barons, so she took Matthew's arm and allowed him to lead her through the crowd. Cade and Beatrice walked ahead to give them a moment to speak.

"I was a bit of an ass," Matthew said, once they were out into the hall. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Matthew," Liv said. "I don't need your protection. I would have thought the duel made that plain."

"Maybe so," he admitted. The palace guards opened the doors ahead of them, and the four young people scampered down the stairs. "But I'm always going to want to, anyway. Just let me know if I get too obnoxious."

"You can be certain of that," Liv said.

Lady Julianne must have ordered her driver to wait for them, because it only took a moment for one of the carriages to come round. The girls climbed in first, and Cade sat beside Liv as Matthew told the driver where to go.

"How was your audience with the king?" Liv asked, once Matthew had closed the door and settled in next to Beatrice.

"Odd," he admitted, his expression becoming pensive. "He seemed very happy to see me, but Mother had to remind him who I was and why I was there. I don't think he always knows what's going on around him, anymore. And he was so frail, Liv. I know it's not done to talk about it, but I can't imagine he'll survive much longer."

"It was a private meeting, was it?" Cade asked, and Matthew nodded. "That'll be taken as a signal. Public would have been a show of support for your mother."

"I don't think the man is capable of supporting much of anything, the way he is," Matthew said. "People can think it was some sort of political maneuver, but mostly I think he just doesn't want to leave his rooms."

When the carriage reached the Black Horse, they all piled out. There was a girl begging outside the door, and Liv slipped a few coppers in her bowl before they all headed in. The common room was as raucous as the last time they'd come, and Captain Athearn made his way over from the bar to greet them.

"Your mother said you might come by," the mariner said, clapping Matthew on the shoulder. "My boys will be here all evening. If anyone else gives you any trouble, we'll step in."

They thanked him, and found the table nearest the wooden stage emptied of sailors in a moment. The weather-beaten men called them over, and within moments there was a pitcher of fortified wine and four clean goblets.

"I like this sort of dancing better," Triss shouted over the music, took Matthew by both hands, and dragged him out in front of the stage.

"They're both headed off to Coral Bay in the morning, aren't they?" Cade asked, settling in next to Liv, close enough so that she could hear him. "Five silver suns says they're either betrothed or hate each other by spring."

"No wager," Liv said, with a grin, and then her eyes caught on someone in the crowd. It puzzled her, for a moment: she was certain that she'd never seen the woman before. Dark hair, with the kind of face that spoke of a hard life, the kind of person who'd aged before her time. Her large, dark eyes were the prettiest thing about her, and it was odd because when the man next to her at the bar handed her a drink and made a joke, she smiled with her mouth closed.

A memory stirred, of a skinny girl in a dress that didn't fit her, nearly twenty years before.

"Josephine?" Liv murmured.

Matthew screamed. Liv knew it was him in a moment, and she jumped up from her seat to see him fallen to the floor, clutching his side, where a dark stain quickly spread. Beatrice was next to him in a moment, shouting for help, while a knot of sailors tackled a young man to the ground. A dagger clattered across the floor.

Liv turned back to the bar, but Josephine was gone. She looked to the door, and saw the woman shoving her way through the crowd to make an escape.

"Get him to Mistress Trafford," Liv shouted to Cade. Then, she snatched up her staff and ran for the door, ducking around the sailors on her way. She made it outside just in time to see a woman dashing down the street, and broke into a run to follow.

It's her, Liv told herself, holding her skirts in one hand and her staff in the other as she ran. She tried to kill us during the eruption, and she's trying to do it again now. The thought drove her onward into the dark alleys of Freeport, following the echoes of a woman's shoes on cobblestones.