~14~
Nic momentarily floundered,enraged at the pair of them, Alise and Iliana, looking at her for instructions on what to do, both clearly terrified.And she was furious with Gabriel for being fuckingunconsciousand not here to help her.Especially when this was all his fault.He’d promised to protect them, and here was House Sammael on her doorstep—and she with nothing but a bunch of minor wizards, rogue familiars, and barely talented commoners.
They’d all be slaughtered.
If only she were a wizard, then…Well,she snapped at herself,you are not a wizard.But you are Veronica Phel, an Elal by birth and breeding, and an Elal doesn’t give up without a fight.
“Whofrom House Sammael?”she asked coolly.
“We don’t know yet,” Alise replied, watching Nic with an odd expression.“One of my sentry spirits spotted the carriage with the House Sammael crest crossing from Sammael to Meresin and headed this way.They’re a few hours away still, but I thought you’d want to know immediately.”
All right, you have a few hours to make a plan.A single carriage might not mean anything.It depends on who it is.“You can’t tell who’s inside?”she asked Alise.
Alise flushed.“I’m still a student wizard, you know.Guiding a spirit to go inside a moving object and teaching it to recognize individuals is advanced work.There aren’t many wizards, even with three or four times my age and experience, who can do that.”
Nic held up a hand to stop the defensive rush of words.“I didn’t mean to imply anything.I’m just trying to assemble my thoughts.”
Alise blew out a breath.“No, I apologize.I’m just… really afraid.”Her gaze slid to Iliana again, who stood like a rabbit frozen in the hawk’s gaze, a pale statue of a young woman.
“We should run,” Iliana whispered, as if the predator might overhear.“Han and I, we’ll leave now.We’ll run.Run far away and—”
“Iliana,” Nic said sharply.“We don’t know this has anything to do with you.We’ve been receiving visitors and delegations from all sorts of houses.There’s no reason to panic.”
Iliana stared at her, round-eyed and pupils dilated.“If it’s Sabrina Sammael, there ishugereason to panic.”
“Sabrina Sammael is at Convocation Academy,” Nic reminded the younger woman crisply.“It is still in session with students expected to be in attendance, present company excepted.”
Alise winced ruefully.“Still, Han and Iliana should hide.They’re unbonded, so it’s not wise to have them out where anyone can see and take a fancy to them.”
Nic nodded, ringing for a page.“Fetch Rat for me, immediately,” she directed, and the boy took off running.“Rat knows the wilds of the marshes better than anyone,” she explained.“He can take the three of you to—”
“Not me,” Alise interrupted.“I’m staying with you, Nic.”
“You could be in danger, too,” Nic reminded her.
“Yes, but I’m a wizard.They can’t just abduct me.Papa might be pissed at me, but he’s not going to let House Sammael perform an act of aggression on one of his own.”She paused.“That goes for you, too, Nic.”
Nic did not share her confidence, but she didn’t say so.Papa might consider it a proper punishment, which was Sammael’s purview, after all.“Iliana, in the meanwhile, go find Han and assemble some supplies.Then meet me back here.”
Face pinched, Iliana scurried off.So much for getting those NDAs copied.Though Nic supposed those were the least of her problems.She picked up the tea Iliana had given her, finding it had already cooled, tasting more like honey-flavored water than tea.“What is your plan?”Alise asked tentatively.
Nic held back a bitter laugh.Plan?As if she knew.
Taking a breath, she struggled to get ahold of herself.What would Papa do?As angry and disappointed in him as she was, Papa had made House Elal unassailable.Of course, a great deal of that unassailability relied upon not letting the enemy onto Elal lands in the first place.The borders were famously impenetrable, passable only by permission or via the tattoo that residents bore on their forearms.
House Phel had no such border guardians.Nor did they have the status to prevent High Houses from visiting as they pleased.“I suppose I’ll have to meet with whoever is in that carriage.”
“But what if it’s Sabrina Sammael?”Alise protested.
Now Nic did laugh.“I almost hope it is!I can handle Sabrina the teenage bitch.”Or, rather, she hoped she could.“The real concern is what do I do if it’s Lord Sammael?Worse, what if it’s Lord Sammael, or his agent, come to take me into custody in the name of the Convocation?”
“Is that a possibility?”Alise asked faintly.
“My status as Lord Phel’s familiar is still up for debate in some circles.My own fault, for running away.”
“I’d heard you sent the Convocation proctor away just before I arrived, but I didn’t realize.”Alise chewed her lip.“I can help to defend you, should it come to that.My defensive magics aren’t fantastic, but I have some tricks.I can ask the other wizards, too.I don’t… I don’t suppose there’s much chance of Lord Phel being able to assist?”
Nic shook her head.“Who knows when he’ll wake?”If he ever will.She shook away the rime of dread that she’d lost him forever.“Do that—ask the others, but we can’t risk an outright confrontation that would end up with everyone dead and the manse razed.”