Knight of Staria : A Starian Tale (Starian Cycle) by Iris Foxglove

Author:Iris Foxglove [Foxglove, Iris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Belladonna Press
Published: 2024-01-16T00:00:00+00:00

“I know what you’re about to say,” Eli said the moment the front door closed behind him. “And you’re right.”

Rey, who was still trying to take off his boots, looked down at Eli as he started pacing the narrow hallway. “I am?”

“Yes.” Eli gestured with his hands as he spoke. “I most likely destroyed your plan. I lost my temper. I let my feelings get the best of me. I did everything you warned me not to in every minute of practice we ever had, and now Olivier hates me, and you by proxy, and Sabre is paying more attention to me than ever. I wasn’t an invisible servant at all, and you even had to pull some knighthood bullshit out of thin air just so I didn’t get arrested.”

“That wasn’t thin air,” Rey said, finally working a boot loose.

“And I used his sword. I don’t know if you noticed, that was Sabre’s sword I was using.”

“Yes, I was there.”

“And now everyone thinks I’m some kind of—of⁠—”

“Knight?” Rey asked. Eli nodded, continuing to pace. “That’s because you are, technically. The law I used was real.”

“Of course it wasn’t…” Eli paused again, finally turning to look at Rey. “It wasn’t. That was magic you were pulling, Rey. I could feel it.”

“It can be magic and real at the same time. Eli.” Rey came forward and placed his hands on either side of Eli’s face. “You showed up late to a party, thoroughly decimated a noble in a duel, had your knighthood declared in front of most of the nobles in Duciel, and earned a debt of gratitude from the Duke de Valois, all in ten minutes.”

“I know,” Eli said, in an agonized voice.

“You were fantastic,” Rey said.

Eli stared at him. Rey could understand his confusion—Rey had been warning him to keep a low profile since this started. “Sometimes, reasonable measures don’t count any longer, and you need to tip over the boat. You did the right thing. That Olivier fellow was odious--a few minutes of polite conversation, and he was fantasizing about abusing the most powerful noble at the party. If you hadn’t done something, I was going to arrange for him to fall into that ornamental creek later. What you pulled was the kind of trick I live for. If I embellished things a little, or made you slightly unreal to them, that was to make them see you in a different light.”

“But it puts us in danger.”

Rey shrugged. “I did still want to ship you to Lukos, but we can work with this. We just have to work quickly. No one will suspect you’re a de Valois when you’re a country hero. And I must admit, it was nice to say who you were without you constantly trying to contradict me.”

“But you didn’t. I thought you might, at first…”

Rey sighed and turned Eli’s face toward him. “You’re the knight they’ve been telling stories about all over Staria.”

“But it’s a ruse! You were enchanting them somehow.”

“What you said to Sabre was real.

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