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Asa sighed.“I’m under contract to your house, Lord Phel.You should be able to trust my loyalty.”
Gabriel highly doubted that.Nic had certainly made it clear that trust was a liability in the Convocation, not a strength.He regarded Asa impassively, offering nothing more.
“I’m concerned that…” The Refoel wizard paused, clicked his tongue against his teeth, considering his words.“No insult intended, Lord Phel—and I hope you know I mean that in all sincerity—but it’s common knowledge that you did not attend Convocation Academy.While you’ve clearly developed impressive skills outside of a conventional education, there remain… gaps in your advanced understanding, particularly as applies to working with a familiar, especially one as powerful as Lady Phel.”
In short: Gabriel was a shitty wizard who had put his familiar in jeopardy.This wasn’t the first time Asa had implied as much, though this time he spoke far more baldly.Nic squeezed Gabriel’s hand, still gazing up at him, her expression warm and loving.“Understood,” he grated out.
“Good.”Asa dusted his hands together.“For example, it seems you pushed Lady Phel into alternate form without using a compulsion spell?”
Shit.It hadn’t occurred to Gabriel to use compulsion, though the application was obvious, and he’d witnessed Lord Elal using one on Nic’s mother to put her in alternate form.“You’re correct,” he admitted.“But my compulsion magic isn’t strong.”
“It would be more appropriate to say it’s not as strong as your other magics,” Asa replied easily.“Still, I must admit I have no idea how you performed that featwithoutusing compulsion.”
Gabriel exchanged a long look with Nic.Neither of them knew the answer, as she wasn’t trained in advanced wizardry either, and they’d simply… improvised.“And your point is?”he asked Asa.
“I don’t want to presume to offer instruction, as you are obviously far my senior in rank and power, Lord Phel.I am only a simple healer.I did, however, complete my advanced wizardry training at the academy with high marks, and I’m an adequate tutor.I feel strongly that you could use advice from a friendly quarter, from someone who will keep your secrets.”
Gabriel raised a dubious brow.“You won’t be relaying information back to House Refoel?”
Nic winced, making a low sound—no doubt appalled at his lack of subtlety—and Asa glanced at her, grinning.“I’d be surprised if Lady Phel wasn’t educating you in how the Convocation runs on gossip and spies.”
Nic rolled her eyes at him, but didn’t comment, so Asa returned his gaze to Gabriel.“I am expected to pass information back to my house, yes, but it’s also understood that I belong to House Phel.If it increases your confidence in me, you can add a nondisclosure codicil to the contract we have yet to sign.”
Nic sat up straight, tugging her hand from his, eyes flashing.“You haven’t signed the contract yet?”Her glare was all for Gabriel.
Amused that house business was what snapped Nic out of her stupor—and trying not to cringe like a kid caught slacking on his chores—Gabriel gestured to the desks stacked with paperwork and missives delivered by the seemingly unending stream of Ratsiel couriers.“We’ve been busy,” he pointed out, sounding only a little defensive.
Nic popped out of her chair, apparently fully recovered by the galvanizing effect of critical business left undone.“This is not something you can let fall through the cracks, Gabriel,” she scolded, striding over to the paired desks, one hers and one his.He studied the desks more closely, realizing that furniture wizard Wolfgang had been at work there, too.The wood gleamed like new, and the one no longer listed alarmingly on its splinted leg.
“Aha!”Asa said, raising an amused brow as he walked alongside Gabriel, hands casually tucked in his pockets.“There’s the spirited woman I recall from the academy.I had wondered.”Laryn trailed behind them, her meekness irritating Gabriel, but he was also unclear on how to address the issue.
Caught out, contract in hand, Nic actually blushed faintly, sending Gabriel a rueful look.As if he cared that her pretense at beinghismeek and subservient familiar had collapsed.“We can’t get this nondisclosure agreement signed quickly enough, apparently,” she replied with admirable composure.She raised a brow at Gabriel.“Is the contract otherwise agreeable to you?”
Since they seemed to have abandoned—at least with Asa, and inevitably, Laryn—the subterfuge of making Gabriel out to be lord and master of everything, he shrugged.“You know better than I what should be in the contract.”
“Then I’ll add the codicil.”She sat at her desk, giving Gabriel a grateful smile when he lit the oil lamp for her.
“Is this nondisclosure agreement enforceable?”Gabriel asked, mostly of Nic.
She tapped the self-inking quill against her lower lip.“Yes and no.The Convocationshouldregard it as legally binding, but most of its power will reside in you and what you will do to anyone who dares break their agreement with you.The Convocation would back whatever retribution you deemed appropriate in that case.Fear of what you might do is a powerful motivator.”
“Good enough,” he decided, surreptitiously stroking the velvety nape of her neck before stepping away to let her concentrate.
“You’re not using Elal elementals for lighting, I noticed,” Asa said as Nic wrote.
Nic’s magic, which had been blooming rosily, contracted at Asa’s words.“No,” Gabriel replied for her.“We have yet to reach… an agreement with House Elal.”
“Pity.”Asa nodded knowingly.“And no surprise there, though I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Care to review this, Wizard Asa?”Nic inquired, holding out the contract.
He took it, laying the document on the desk in the pool of warm light and bending over it.He straightened, looking between Nic and Gabriel with considerable surprise.“You’re asking your wizards to agree to share all income, including royalties from products developed, equally with their familiars?”
Laryn startled visibly in Gabriel’s peripheral vision, and Asa turned to look at his familiar as if just then remembering her existence.Gabriel set his teeth.Asa wasn’t anywhere near as arrogant and self-involved as most Convocation wizards, but he still had a distressing tendency to treat his familiar like an appendage, rather than as an independent human being.
“Where would she keep the funds?”he asked, studying Laryn.“And how would she use them?”
Mastering his temper, Gabriel looked to Nic for help.She blinked at him with wide eyes, smiling with patently false innocence, making it clear he was on his own.This was your idea,she seemed to be saying,so you make the argument.Clearing his throat, he recalled what Nic had said when he proposed the idea.“To begin with, we’re aware that familiars wouldn’t be able to spend their income outside of Meresin.House Phel could, however, keep accounts for familiars who are uncomfortable keeping their coin any other way.We would then make purchases for familiars via our house vendor accounts, so they can acquire what they like from their credit.”
