Page 105 of Seducing the Sorcerer
“Well, we mustn’t keep you,” Morgrim said. “Goodness, it’s still raining.” And to Fenn’s horror, Morgrim picked up a sword that had been propped to the side of the door and handed it hilt first to the ambassador. “Here, ambassador, with my compliments. A gift from the tower, to remember me by.”
“A sword? How kind,” the ambassador said, taking it.
“In fact, it is not a sword,” Morgrim said. “It’s a cunning illusion wrought by one of my predecessors. In fact, it’s an umbrella.”
“Oh? How amusing.”
“I think so. Very amusing.” Morgrim smiled, not pleasantly. “Just step outside there into the rain and press the button on the base of the hilt.”
“Wait!” Fenn yelped.
Everyone turned and stared at him. Fenn gave Morgrim a “what the fuck you doing?” look. Because he was almost sure it was the sword umbrella. The one Jasper had brought out the night Fenn had arrived. The one Morgrim had said had been made by someone with a very unusual sense of humour. The one that Jasper had, wisely, been too cautious to open. And now Morgrim had given it to the Lutian ambassador.
But Morgrim wasn’t taking the hint. He was regarding Fenn with mild interest, one eyebrow slightly raised.
“Ain’t that...ain’t it...?” Fenn darted meaningful glances at the sword.
“An umbrella. Yes.”
Morgrim shot the ambassador the kind of glare that had surely given him his reputation for evil cunning, and Fenn realised exactly what had happened. The ambassador had been trying to make Fenn look and feel like an ignorant yokel for the entire visit. Fenn hadn’t cared; all he’d wanted was to get the visit over so he could get Morgrim into bed for a quick fuck before they had to go over to the palace for the final farewell dinner.
But Morgrim had snapped and wanted revenge.
And this umbrella was it.
But that was a terrible idea. Because while it might signal to the Lutians that Morgrim would defend slights to his counterpart with speedy reprisals, it could just as equally backfire in the direction of the Lutian crystal supply.
Fenn said firmly, “You’re forgetting, Morgrim, that umbrella got ruined last time I used it. No good to anyone anymore, I’m afraid.” Fenn advanced on the ambassador and snatched it out of the man’s hand. “Morgrim’s awfully sorry. Aren’t you? Aren’t you? Aye, should think so and all. Because we can’t give the ambassador that old thing. Ain’t worthy of a fellow what went to Agravaine. Ain’t worthy at all.”
There was a bit more bowing and apologising, but eventually everyone filed out into the rain and Morgrim shut the gatehouse door behind them all and bolted it.
“What an arrogant, insufferable, superior toad!” Morgrim spat out.
“That’s as maybe. What were you thinking?”
“He was trying to make you look stupid! The whole time! Because you haven’t read as many books as he has. And he doesn’t believe in free schools.”
“I know all that. You think I care what that great swollen bladder thinks of me?”
“I care. How dare he speak to you like that? And in front of our people too. He was trying to undermine you. You know what he called you? My henchman!”
“Give over.” But in spite of himself, Fenn was touched. And obscurely relieved that he and Morgrim were, in fact, on the same side. He hefted the sword umbrella. “What would this blame thing have done to him anyway? Something bad, I bet.”
“Not that bad.” Morgrim said, vaguely.
“What?” Fenn insisted.
“Nothing much. Anyway, I thought you’d probably stop him opening it.”
“Scared to tell me what it does. Aren’t you?”
“It wouldn’t have hurt him. It’s just embarrassing. All right, it’s a bit painful.”
“Oh aye? So, what if I made you open it?”
“Well, it—” Morgrim narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t.”
And just like that the atmosphere in the gatehouse became charged with that heated quivery potential that was so like magic and yet not quite.
