Page 45 of The Iron Dagger
“No matter. I smell like an un-mucked stable,” said Gideon in that lighthearted voice, but Hara could hear something tense underneath his words.
“You look like you belong in one as well. New look?”
Gideon rubbed the stubble that darkened his jaw. “Personal grooming will be priority number one as soon as I leave here.”
The clerk chuckled mildly, and his gaze shifted to her. “And who is your lovely companion?”
“This is Hara of Mortimer. Witch Recruiter and now humble servant to Corvus,” said Gideon, smoothly giving her a backstory and a new role in the same breath. “I met her along my travels and she saved my life, undoing some evil spellwork.She is looking for some information on elemental witches, and I offered her the use of our records and library.”
The clerk nodded while Gideon spoke, and his smile warmed as he turned to her. He stood from his seat and came around his desk, reaching out a hand. Hara took it, ignoring the discomfort she felt at having to playact. She trained her expression into something she hoped appeared proud and severe, as though she were not one to be trifled with.
“Glad to have you at court, Mistress Hara. Is this your first time visiting Perule?”
“Yes,” said Hara. At least this was an easy lie. The city was completely changed from when she had known it last. “It is a marvel. I’ve never seen such wonders.”
“It is all thanks to our investment in the Experimenter’s Guild. And thanks to hard working magic-kind like yourself,” he said, nodding to her. “We have some wonderful people working in our offices, and I’m glad to see another Recruiter joining our ranks.”
“I am honored to be here,” said Hara. She made a note to herself to become friendly with this man. He was sure to have a wealth of knowledge about the inner workings of Corvus’ court.
“I’ll show Hara to her rooms and wash up. I’ll deliver my reports after,” said Gideon, placing a hand on Hara’s back.
The clerk nodded as he settled again at his desk, taking up his pen and scratching away at whatever he had been working on before they entered.
After they left the chambers and the guards behind, Gideon showed Hara to a beautiful room. Heavy hangings shrouded the bed, and they stepped around lounging sofas and polished side tables to reach the bathing chamber. Tapestries depicting a forest scene covered every inch of the walls, and Hara felt comforted by the muted greens and browns.
Now that they were away from any prying ears, Hara said, “That wasn’t so bad.”
Gideon let out a long breath. “It was as good of an introduction as I could have hoped for.”
“I imagine your father’s secretary has intimate knowledge of all the witches that pass in and out of this city. Perhaps he can show me where to begin.”
“Cauldwell? He’s an idiot. Completely useless,” said Gideon. “I’ll find out where to begin looking.”
“Really? I thought he seemed sharp,” said Hara. He did not seem to be the type of man who suffered fools, and his office looked like it belonged to someone tidy and industrious.
“Oh, you thought . . . Hara, that man was my father. That was Commander Falk.”
Shit.
Gideon
After showing Hara how the amenities of her suite worked, he set off for his own rooms. All was as he had left it more than six months prior, with not a speck of dust on the gleaming furniture and with fresh sheets upon his four-poster bed.
He was almost giddy to be away from the medieval huts that called themselves inns. He bathed, shaved his scruffy face, and almost wept with relief as he slid into a satin shirt and velvet coat, the sumptuous fabrics making him shiver in pleasure. No more hideous disguises and ruffled nighties and layers of smoke sticking to his skin for days on end. He was back where he belonged.
When he entered his father’s study, he found him standing at his bookshelf and referencing a ledger.
“You seem to have made a new friend,” said his father, his back still turned toward the doorway. “I take it she’s not here just to work. Unless that work includes being on her back.”
Gideon’s blood heated at the crass way his father spoke of Hara. “She saved me from a severe poisoning and she nursed my wounds.”
Finally, his father turned. “Am I about to learn why you were late?”
Gideon sank into the chair before the desk and told him the unpleasant details, leaving out the fact that the poisoning was actually by the hand of the Lenwen princess. He still smarted at how she had tricked him and his men. At the end, his father rubbed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“Your foolishness will get you killed. Ransoming the Lenwen king’s sister? I’ve known idiots in my lifetime, but you are in a class of your own.”
“I only told her I was ransoming her for land. That is all she knows,” said Gideon airily. This was not precisely true; he had also told her the reason was because of the ceasefire. They needed income from somewhere since their weapons were of no use. Either way, the princess would be sure to spread ill-feeling about Montag with her brother.
