Sworn To Ascension: Courtlight #6 by Terah Edun

Author:Terah Edun [Edun, Terah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Published: 2015-01-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

For a few moments Ciardis enjoyed the quiet of the room. But it wasn’t long before her thoughts were disturbed, not by one of her friends this time, but by a male servant.

“Miss,” wheezed the old man.

Ciardis turned to him politely and raised her eyebrows as she waited for him to speak.

He let out a wet cough that didn’t sound so good, and then said, “The others in your party say they’re ready to go, lady.”

Ciardis blinked. “Already?”

The old man shuffled his feet. It wasn’t really a question that needed to be answered.

Her voice a little forlorn, Ciardis hurried to reassure him, “Yes, of course. I’ll be right there.”

She turned away as she waited for him to leave, and took the chance to take in the splendidly appointed room with thin glass panes, rich brocades, and sumptuous furniture. Ciardis sighed. It wasn’t that she would really miss the empress’s palace or Sandrin itself. But she would miss the stability of having a home and warm place to sleep at night.

Whatever else happened on this trip, she knew they would be sleeping rough. She just hoped they could find adequate shelter along the way. She’d have to ask one of the others about their plans for that, though.

The man cleared his throat behind her and she almost jumped. She’d assumed he had left.

Turning, Ciardis asked, “Yes?”

“Will that be all, princess heir?” the man said.

“Lady will do,” Ciardis quickly corrected. “And yes.”

She wasn’t a princess heir. Not yet.

Not ever, with the way my relationship is going now, she thought.

He bowed and backed out of the room. Not acknowledging her correction but not fighting her about it either.

With her arms folded tightly across her chest and her lip between her teeth, Ciardis walked out of the palace for the last time and took a look at the waiting staging area.

Servants were busy transferring half a dozen knapsacks to a wagon-like contraption. All around them trunks stood open to the wind, their lids on the ground and their interiors empty of everything but scraps of fabric.

“What’s this?” Ciardis asked as she walked up to Terris, who was conferring alongside with Vana.

“To be more discreet, we had to get rid of the train of wagons and re-shift our materials to a stagecoach and the pack animals,” Terris said as she gestured to a carter to put the bags on the last mule in line.

“Ah,” Ciardis said without waiting for further explanation. “So you downsized.”

“Exactly!” Terris said with a pleased smile. “All clothes formerly in trunks were repacked in knapsacks, and each person was limited to one small carry sack.”

Ciardis let a noncommittal murmur issue from her lips.

“And how many people are journeying with us?”

“In total, twelve,” Vana said while eyeing the servants tossing knapsacks from a large pile in the center of the courtyard across to the stagecoach through an organized line.

“And those are?” Ciardis asked.

Terris listed them: “Yourself. Thanar. Sebastian. Me. Christian. Four imperial guards. One wagon driver. One water mage.”

“Wait, a water mage?” Ciardis said incredulously.

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