A key glinted in the semi-dark.
He wondered when his luck was simply going to run out, but apparently it wasn’t going to be that day. “Thank—”
He closed his mouth around the end of that offering because he realized who was holding that key. He supposed the man—or dwarf-king, as it happened—could just as easily have been holding onto the key to the dungeons below except he knew those cells had no doors. Anything else would have prevented those jailors from enjoying the sufferings of those incarcerated there.
“Your Majesty,” he managed.
Uachdaran barked out a word and werelight sprang to life above his head. His expression was not welcoming, and he made a production of pocketing his key.
“I told you to stay out of my solar.”
Acair blurted out the first thing that came to mind and wasn’t all surprised by what he heard.
“I apologize,” he said, giving himself up for lost on that score. “If you’ll have the truth, my mother suggested I go round and gather up lost bits of my soul. I think there might a piece in your solar. She fears that without a full complement, I will die if I attempt to face my enemy.”
Uachdaran looked as if he’d heard worse ideas, but apparently the present moment was not the time to discuss them.
“I had the palace scoured for vermin after the last time you crawled through it,” the king said tartly. “You’ll find nothing of yours inside.”
And that, Acair supposed, was going to be the best he was going to have from the monarch standing in front of him.
The king lifted his arm and pointed back down the passageway. “You’ll want to be on your way immediately, for reasons I’ll explain after my temper has cooled. I’ll help you find the front door. Wouldn’t want you getting lost and landing in my dungeon.”
Acair supposed things could have been much worse, so he nodded and followed the king through the palace, thoroughly grateful that there were indeed no unexpected detours toward lower levels. He walked out onto the front stoop.
Léirsinn was standing there, swathed in lovely traveling clothes with both their packs sitting at her feet. He looked at her quickly, but she only nodded slightly. He had the appropriate books and the spell of death he’d fetched from under the king’s chair on his person, but there were other things he’d collected on their journey that he hadn’t wanted to give up quite yet. His pack looked robust, so he felt confident that Léirsinn had gathered up everything they both still owned. He took the cloak she held out toward him, then turned and made the king a low bow.
“Thank you. This is more—”
“It is,” the king interrupted. “You may thank me by fixing those bloody rivers of yours.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“If you fail I will hunt you down, slay you slowly, then hang your rotting corpse on my front gates for all to admire.”
Acair didn’t doubt that for a moment. “Of course.”
“Your Granny is making mischief on my western border which gives you the perfect opportunity to scamper out the gates while watchers are distracted. I assume you’re clever enough to know what I’m getting at.”
Acair nodded carefully. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Just so you know, the lad you’re running from hasn’t attempted to lay any shadows on my land.”
“Your spells of ward are indeed formidable.”
“There is that,” the king agreed, “though I suspect the truth is that he’s too stupid to know what finds itself within my borders which, it galls me to admit, you are not. But that’s your mystery to solve, not mine.” The king nodded toward the courtyard. “There’s your mount being brought, may he throw you off at his first chance. I’ll do your lady the courtesy of a spell of un-noticing, though.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Acair said. “I don’t suppose you’d want to use it aloud, just so she’ll hear how ’tis properly done.”
The king rolled his eyes and brushed past him. Acair listened to the dwarf inquire politely after Léirsinn’s comfort, then offer her a suggestion or two about places where she might push magelike companions off the back of her horse so she might ride freely into her future.
He picked up their gear and secured it to Sianach’s saddle, climbed up behind Léirsinn, then listened to the king’s very useful and surprisingly simple spell of un-noticing. Uachdaran shot him a look.
“I’ll know if you use that in the future.”
“With permission, then?”
The king swore at him and walked off to gather his men for that piece of mischief he seemed to be looking forward to on his western flank. Acair put his arms around Léirsinn and happily turned the reins over to her. At least that way, he might manage to avoid being bitten by his horse right off.
