AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Precious,” Lord Elal said in a hard voice. “You are overwrought. You should assume your alternate form. You’ll feel better for it.”
“No, Papa,” she protested, sounding even more upset. “Please, no. I won’t be able to speak, and—”
“Which is more restful for you and for us.Now, precious. Don’t make me compel you.”
“Papa, please, I promise, I’ll—”
With a sharp sigh, Lord Elal flicked his fingers in another compulsion pattern, this one too fast for Gabriel to follow, and Lady Elal’s voice changed to a long animal wail as she vanished. Lord Elal bent over, retrieving something from the floor. Lifting a large black cat with misty blue eyes, he deposited it on his lap, petting its silky fur. The cat mrowed unhappily but curled up obediently, only the tip of its tail flicking.
“I apologize for the interruption,” Lord Elal told the proctor, ignoring Gabriel. He was sure his appalled reaction showed on his face. He’d known that powerful familiars had an alternate form, but witnessing the shift—and that the wizard had been able to compel it—left him feeling a bit ill. This was the life Veronica faced. Though he’d never compel her that way. Not that she could know that, but…
“So, my daughter was abducted,” Lord Elal said. “I shall send wizards south and—”
“No,” the proctor broke in. “That is not a foregone conclusion. A familiar who has escaped against the will of her family and wizard master would be afraid, also. I believe that is the mostly likely explanation at this point. Lady Veronica has hidden herself inside something and is attempting to evade her sacred responsibilities. The situation will be addressed accordingly. Have you any other questions for the Oracle, Lord Phel?”
Gabriel started, not expecting the question. He couldn’t imagine what he’d ask that the Oracle could answer.Does Veronica hate me? Why did she run rather than talk to me?He shook his head, then paused. The proctor lifted an inquiring brow. “Can it, ah, the Oracle, can it know—is Lady Veronica alone?”
The proctor repeated the question. “There are no other people near her,” it replied.
“Then how is she traveling?” Gabriel mused. Already he plotted the course in his head. She couldn’t have more than a few hours on him. “And when did she leave here?”
The proctor gave him a reproving look, using a gesture to break the enchantment. The Oracle head closed its eyes, and she shut the tabernacle doors, locking the device. “The Oracle can only determine what is, not what happened before. That it is dark around Lady Veronica implies that she’s hidden inside something.”
“One of our merchandise sleds, no doubt,” Lord Elal put in wearily. “Hundreds go out every night, in all directions, delivering exports.”
“But no one is driving it?” Gabriel asked, perplexed.
Lord Elal gave him an impatient look. “Are you a complete country bumpkin? It’s guided and propelled by a trained air elemental.”
That was enough to go on. Gabriel stood. “I’ll be on my way, then.”
Lord Elal stood also, holding the cat in his arms. She blinked at Gabriel, showing no sign of human intelligence, or any hint of Lady Elal’s earlier upset. “You are, ah, welcome to stay here at House Elal, Lord Phel, while we wait for word. Nic cannot have made it far. Very likely we’ll have her back by evening, and we can hold the wedding immediately.”
A wedding Veronica had risked her life to avoid. He couldn’t think about that. Not until he’d spoken with her. “No, thank you. I’m going after her myself.”
“Lord Phel,” the proctor said, “I recommend that you return home. The Convocation will locate and retrieve Lady Veronica. We are well equipped to recapture recalcitrant familiars.”
“Recapture?” He pounced on the word. “That implies she was a prisoner to begin with.”
“A figure of speech. Nevertheless, Lady Veronica will not return to House Elal. She will be recovered and taken into protective custody by trained Convocation personnel. Once she has been safely installed at the Convocation Center, we’ll send—”
“House Elal is closer,” Lord Elal asserted. “Have Nic brought here.”
“Not an option. You have lapsed in your duty once, Lord Elal. You will not be trusted again.” She turned to Gabriel. “Once Lady Veronica has been safely installed at the Convocation Center, we’ll send word, and you may attend then to discuss next steps.”
“Next steps?” he echoed, feeling several steps behind, indeed.
She gave him a mock sympathetic smile. “Even an experienced wizard may lose control of a recalcitrant familiar, even more so one who is, shall we say, largely uneducated in the more refined techniques used in Convocation circles. Regardless, even were you a highly trained wizard, the Convocation wouldn’t release a feral familiar into your control. She poses a risk to our reputation, and it wouldn’t be fair to you. Lady Veronica must be punished, disciplined, and retrained. If you still wish to bond her—which I don’t recommend—then you will need to be assisted by our Convocation trainers to ensure that she is properly subdued.”
His head spun.Punished. Disciplined. Retrained. Subdued.“If I still wish to bond her,” he said, grasping one piece of it.Don’t think about those bastards hurting her.“What options do I have?”
“Now, now,” Lord Elal said. “Let’s not be hasty to—”
“You may, of course, eventually apply for a different familiar.” The proctor smiled at Gabriel, ignoring the sputtering Lord Elal. “In fact, my superiors will no doubt recommend that course of action. It may take some time for an appropriate familiar to be available, but you will likely be much better off with a more docile choice.”
“And what would happen to Lady Veronica in that case?”
The proctor shrugged, as if it hardly mattered. “You shouldn’t concern yourself, Lord Phel. We have many tools at our disposal for breaking a willful familiar, after which she will be useful to the Convocation. We’ll be well compensated for our expenses incurred in this unfortunate incident.”
