Carlile addressed the rest of them. “As a matter of fact, I’d suggest none of you be overly friendly with the Calders. His Majesty might get suspicious.”
“We’ve traveled together for two months now,” Evylin said. “Isn’t it expected that we’ve grown close?”
“As the Order of the King, your troop has been given two assignments,” Carlile reminded. “To help recover the Relics and to keep an eye on the untrustworthy Wauldeners.”
The truth filled the room awkwardly. It was a strange reminder that in Ephria, Auden and Ilain were considered the enemy. Even the king’s trust was conditional.
“Your friendship,” Carlile continued, “would suggest that you have lost your sense of caution. Ephren may be easy to manipulate, but he is no fool. He will question your allegiance if he thinks you are complicit with the Calders.”
Evylin chewed on her lip, growing uncomfortable about the dinner. She wasn’t much for stately pretense or politicking. And she worried that she’d slip up, revealing their hand to the king.
But ever gracious, Deckard accepted Carlile’s task before asking if there was anything more.
“Yes.” Carlile gestured to the trunk again. “Inside, you will find a box with replicas of the Day, Water, Night, Wind, and Time Relics. The king will want to see them and hear your tales. Feel free to embellish them as much as you wish. However, keep Blount from the accounting.”
Rafferty perked up, his silvery eyes gleaming. “These replicas of the Relics,” he said, “are they as gold and encrusted with gems as the real things?”
“Indeed,” Carlile said. “But you aren’t to touch them, Corporal. Only Colonel and Captain Deckard will be given charge of them as the highest-ranking officers. Though, Highlord Calder—”
Auden looked up, attentive.
“It’d behoove us if you’d give them some extra luster when the king holds them, hm?” Carlile’s eyes glimmered merrily. “Make him believe they hold magic.”
Auden grinned. “I’ll do what I can.”
“Excellent.” Carlile stood then. “I’ll leave you to your preparations. It will be a private affair tonight, just you and the king’s family. Be prepared for some preening, but don’t worry, this won’t be an ostentatious affair. You’ll all do just fine.”
After Carlile’s departure, they perused the trunk, finding individual packages awaiting them. Once they’d been handed out, the group dispersed to prepare. The men all shaved, and Brea offered to trim their hair should they wish.
“You can cut hair?” Thom asked, incredulous at the discovery.
“Well enough to make evenyoulook presentable,mi’caro,” she teased, beginning to work on Ethenn’s hair. It had grown so long that it regularly hung in the young man’s eyes, a less than presentable appearance to go before the king.
Brea did an excellent job. Rafferty no longer looked quite so scraggly with his close crop, and she even trimmed Auden’s hair to make it easier to manage.
Carlile had chosen to outfit the soldiers in uniforms with regal cuts and luxurious finishes. Each of the men wore the dark green of Ephria’s standard, their high collars trimmed with silver braiding, black silk cravats, and white trousers tucked into shiny black riding boots. Deckard’s uniform bore the single gold braid of a colonel strapped to the right epaulet. As a sign of her unique station, Evylin was given a similar coat made in silk and cut short to emphasize her waistline, where her emerald skirt flared dramatically.
Evylin thought they all looked like quite a respectable set of soldiers.
The Calders, however, were placed in much finer garb. They were dressed like royalty with elaborate embellishments that created a clear distinction between soldiers and Mages. Evylin assumed it was a deliberate choice on Carlile’s part.
Auden wore a long, burgundy coat with a capelet embroidered with golden leaves and flourishes and a yellow topaz brooch clasped beneath the high collar. With his clean-shaven jaw and slicked-back copper locks, he looked like a prince from one of the tales of old. Or perhaps more correctly, one of the Mages who’d ruled Auld two centuries ago.
Ilain was even more striking. Carlile had chosen to put her in an ivory gown of gauzy fabrics. The massive skirt floated around her hips and legs, though the bodice hugged her torso tighter than Ephrian society would often deem appropriate. Small appliqués of flowers in pastel pinks, yellows, and blues covered the low-dipping bodice. Its straps hung off her shoulders, baring her shoulders and décolletage with impunity. She wore her fiery red hair pinned back to display the dress even more effectively.
Evylin wondered at the bodice’s rigid construction, and Ilain mentioned something about boning, which kept its shape. “It’s nearly impossible to breathe, but at least I look splendid,” the highlady proclaimed.
Ethenn stood to the side, pointedly avoiding looking at his wife.
When Deckard returned downstairs, freshly dressed in his regalia, Evylin smiled brightly. “Look at you.” She greeted him at the bottom of the stairs. “It’s like stepping back in time.”
“You mean back to when we first met the king?” Deckard asked, brushing down the front of his coat. His right hand looked odd without the moonstone ring. They’d decided to leave behind the tokens of their Bond, leaving her dagger and his ring in their room. Though they’d proven that the objects would return to their side at a moment’s thought, they lingered so long as the couple willed it. “I must say,” he continued, “I don’t believe I’m any less nervous this time.”
Evylin chuckled, adjusting the braid on his right shoulder. They were mostly alone in the parlor as the rest of the men werepreparing in the rooms upstairs. Vayden, Isla, and Brea were whipping together their own meals in the kitchen while Ilain and Ethenn sat in the dining room, sipping tea and talking in hushed tones.
Looking up at Deckard’s clean-cut appearance, Evylin narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
“What?” he asked.
