”Mmm,” was the only noncommittal Edy received at her quip, the bard’s blue eyes sparkling with secrets and mirth mixed with pride at her confidence – foolish though it may have been in the moment, outnumbered (and quite possibly outgunned, in this company) as she was. ”You made dealing with that fire infinitely easier, Edy,” he agreed with a slight bow. ”And I thank you for it. But that is not the only way to douse a blaze. Or how do you think we’ve dealt with fires when you haven’t been around to help out?” Because deal with them they had, using the resources at hand at the time – which hadn’t included a fire mage, and had involved a lot more sore muscles. ”It’s a mistake to look down on the people of this world,” he said, a fairly mild reproof as he arched a brow at her. ”Wasn’t Northhaven in a little bubble all its own, inside a Wall? Something about being on the losing end of a war and trying to flee to a different world and start a colony there? Not exactly ‘better’ so much as just… different.” His grin sharpened a bit. ”Different as the governments that never tend to last long here. You should do a bit of reading sometime. History repeating itself, and all that. As Maea’s government, so too your cousin’s, I expect.” He shrugged lightly, clearly enjoying the wordplay.
Inside, his mien was far less relaxed, and his thoughts were racing.
Go,Amalia , he urged, disliking that Wessex was the one attempting to lead her away, but for once in agreement with the Ascended. It had not escaped his notice that Edy showed up hot on the heels of the baker’s open display of defiance. ‘Hot’ being the key word, especially given that the fiery Launceleyn had very nearly killed the leopardess once before, albeit under the influence of the Long Night demons.
”Ah,Edrei ,” he murmured sympathetically, shaking his head with mock-sadness. ”Going senile already? You were there when Maea came out vomiting blood and pleading for us to help the others. I went into the Spire, yes, but to try and rescue those who had gotten in over their heads. Set in my ways and stubborn I might be, but I’m not so petty as to let people die over a disagreement.” Actually… he probably was. Or at least, he had been. Amalia and Rory and Sam had certainly been better influences on him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t occasionally backslide.
Kiada , can you start subtly ushering people out? he thought to his feathered friend. We’ll need to pick this up later, when we aren’t under the eyes of Zariah’s cousin. Perhaps cooler heads would prevail, and a diplomatic solution would be reached. Perhaps rebellion would simmer and stew and eventually boil over into bloody revolution. But for the moment, so long as he kept his gourd-hunting friend’s attention on himself, it lessened the chance of her deciding to make an example of anyone else in the room with her admittedly formidable magics.
”I thought gratitude mattered to you,” he pointed out, sauntering towards the fashionable fire mage – and keeping a weather eye on Lucas, unsure whether the blond was simply stirring chaos into the pot or genuinely supportive of the new regime. ”Or is your cousin going to see about cleaning up the mess she made, as you have so helpfully pointed out, in releasing said godling back into the world to work her mischief anew?”
Inside, his mien was far less relaxed, and his thoughts were racing.
Go,
”Ah,
Kiada , can you start subtly ushering people out? he thought to his feathered friend. We’ll need to pick this up later, when we aren’t under the eyes of Zariah’s cousin. Perhaps cooler heads would prevail, and a diplomatic solution would be reached. Perhaps rebellion would simmer and stew and eventually boil over into bloody revolution. But for the moment, so long as he kept his gourd-hunting friend’s attention on himself, it lessened the chance of her deciding to make an example of anyone else in the room with her admittedly formidable magics.
”I thought gratitude mattered to you,” he pointed out, sauntering towards the fashionable fire mage – and keeping a weather eye on Lucas, unsure whether the blond was simply stirring chaos into the pot or genuinely supportive of the new regime. ”Or is your cousin going to see about cleaning up the mess she made, as you have so helpfully pointed out, in releasing said godling back into the world to work her mischief anew?”
