Page 20 of Twisted Magic

He handed her the missive to read for herself, watching her face closely as she did. “I find it oddly phrased.”

“I’ve met Liat Refoel,” Nic murmured. “She has a way of couching information in ways that transmit more than the surface implies. See here that she says that Lord Refoel urged caution and investigation—along with certainty that no hostile forces could have trespassed on their lands. They want to be sure that we know that they weren’t negligent with Seliah’s safety. Or, if they were, that they’re pursuing the cause and culprits. This looks particularly bad for them in light of their refusal to ally with us.”

“Cowards,” Gabriel observed.

“Maybe? They do share a border with House Hanneil and they are not ideal neighbors. Refoel could be maintaining neutrality out of self-protection. But this bit is interesting—did you read the postscript?”

“I didn’t get that far,” Gabriel admitted, peering over her shoulder.

“They’re throwing us a bone,” she observed wryly, “but it’s one with some juicy meat on it. They won’t contest our trademark on the water purification enchantments they use on their hot pools, the ones Seliah was canny enough to notice and notify us about. Refoel is agreeing to our terms for payment on continued use.”

“Our terms?”

She gave him a winning smile. “You left it to me and I drove a hard bargain. It includes a contract for House Phel wizards to renew and maintain the enchantments.”

“Well done,” he said with an approving smile that warmed her to her toes.

“That income will be most welcome,” she agreed. “Nice to have a spot of good news. On the flip side, House El-Adrel never replied to our missives about them unlawfully bonding Seliah to Jadren without our consent. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by that, or that they apparently abducted her from Refoel, but they’re a high house. They’re not above the law.”

Gabriel snorted. “The more I learn about so-called Convocation law and actual high-house behavior, the less I believe that any high houses abide by the rules.”

Nic grimaced. “You may have a point. What my father and Convocation Academy painted as truth now seems like a pretty façade pasted over a rather nefarious reality.”

Gabriel drew her into a comforting embrace, cupping her head and holding her close against his chest. “For all that you were educated in Convocation society and understand the etiquette, in many ways they kept you as ignorant as I was out here in the swamps of Meresin.”

She laughed, a little, at his words, echoing one of the many insults hurled at House Phel. “Marshes,” she corrected haughtily, drawing back and sharing a smile with him. “What do you want to do about Seliah?”

“What can we do?” he asked, very seriously. “You tell me. You know I want to extract her from their clutches, and bring them both safely back here.”

“If they even want to be here.”

“Yes.” He sounded bleak. “It’s still not clear to me why they remained at Refoel for so long. I don’t understand how I failed them.”

“Sometimes, my only love,” Nic said gently, “people make decisions based entirely on their own difficulties, and those reasons have nothing to do with anyone else. It can be hard to bear in mind, but everyone out there is fighting an internal battle we know nothing about and likely couldn’t understand, even if we did know the particulars. Jadren has more demons than we know.”

“And they all lurk in House El-Adrel.”

“Most of them, anyway.” Nic suspected Jadren carried a fair number of them deep inside himself. “We certainly know his mother wants him in her possession, that she’s always had a vested interest in controlling him, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if she wasn’t using Seliah as leverage to compel his behavior.”

“To get him to do what?”

“We don’t know, do we?” Nic asked in return. “But I doubt it’s anything good for anyone but Katica El-Adrel.”

“You asked me what I want to do,” Gabriel said grimly. “I want to help Jadren recover Seliah. I don’t want to sit here, waiting, exchanging legal missives with half the Convocation, cooling my heels while they’re out there fighting for their lives and sanity.”

Nic nodded, unsurprised. “I agree.”

“I know you don’t—wait, you agree?” Gabriel broke off the familiar rant, backpedaling with almost amusing alacrity.

“Yes,” she answered drily. “I do agree. El-Adrel has committed a crime against us. They’ve separated a familiar from her wizard, both contracted to House Phel, regardless of their lodging at the time. We’ll wait a few days, to give Jadren the opportunity to handle it, so we don’t appear to be lacking faith in his ability, but then we should pay them a visit.”

“Pay them a visit?” Gabriel echoed, visibly aghast. “I was thinking something more… aggressive.”

“There, there, darling.” She patted his muscled arm. “You can swing your sword about and throw condensed moonsilver spikes at people if they aren’t cooperative. But yes, I say we visit House El-Adrel, in an official capacity. It’s time for Lord Phel to beard Lady El-Adrel in her den.”

“When we rescued you from House Sammael, Jadren wanted me to walk up and knock on the door.”

“It’s polite to knock.”

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