Spirit’s Oath(3)

“You’re the only outsider here,” Miranda said. “And I’m not going with you.”

“That is where you are wrong,” Simon said, turning to Banage. “Do you want to tell her, or should I?”

Miranda didn’t like the smug tone of his voice one bit, and she turned to her Rector. “Master Banage?”

Banage heaved a long sigh. “Your father is within his rights,” he said. “It’s against our doctrine to go against local laws. Though the Spirit Court is a neutral body, you are still a noble lady of Zarin, and he is still your father. Until you marry, the law is unfortunately on his side. However.” Banage’s hand came up, cutting off Miranda’s outburst before it could start. When he was sure she would stay quiet, he turned and focused the whole of his cold disdain on Lord Simon Lyonette. “This is still my Court. While I have no authority to keep Lady Miranda from you, you cannot order the schedule of my Spiritualists. So far I’ve heard no emergency dire enough to send away Spiritualist Lyonette when she has just returned home from a long trip.” He leaned back and picked up his pen, looking down at his papers as he made a series of short notes not so much because they needed noting, but because the action told Lord Simon this conversation was over. “Your daughter will be delivered to you safe and sound tomorrow morning,” Banage said without looking up. “I believe you know your way out.”

Simon just stood there, his jaw hanging open in outrage while his face grew redder and redder until Miranda was sure he was going to pop. But then he turned on his heel and marched out of the Rector’s office. “We will have words about this in the morning, Miranda,” he said when he reached the door. “See you’re not late.”

And then he was gone, stomping off down the stairs. Banage kept writing until the lord’s banging footsteps vanished, and then he threw down his pen.

“Master Banage,” Miranda said, whirling back around. “How could you—?”

“I didn’t want to,” Master Banage said, rubbing his temples. “But the truth is as you heard. He has the law on his side, Miranda. If I hold you here, he’ll get the Whitefalls on my head. That’s a level of trouble we can’t afford right now, especially since Alber will just order me to release you to your father anyway.”

“This is absurd!” Miranda cried. “I’m an adult, a Spiritualist; he can’t just order me around like I’m five!”

“He can and he has,” Master Banage said. “But think a moment, Miranda. Your family was more than eager to give you to the Court the moment you met our age requirement. You said yourself that your father hasn’t sent you so much as a note in the seven years you’ve been with us. Why is he suddenly demanding your return?”

“I don’t know!” Miranda shouted, stalking back and forth across the Rector’s wide office. “Maybe he suddenly remembered I wasn’t hiding somewhere spending every moment thinking how I could please him.” She huffed out a furious breath. “Overbearing idiot.”

Master Banage shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that simple. I think there’s something he wants, something he needs you to get.”

Miranda stopped midstep. “What?”

“I don’t know yet,” Master Banage confessed. But when Miranda threw up her arms in frustration, he held out his hands. “I don’t know what he wants, but I am certain of one thing. For all Lord Lyonette’s bluster, you will never be the sort of docile, tractable daughter a noble like him needs. They gave you to us for a reason, Miranda, and it wasn’t because you were a talented wizard.”

Miranda blinked, cheeks coloring. “Are you saying I was a problem child?”

“I’m saying you are a stubborn, outspoken young lady,” Banage said, his overly serious face breaking into one of his rare smiles. “A talented wizard and exactly the sort of headstrong girl who will never, ever fit into any of the limited roles your father could think of for you. Now, do you want to hear my plan for how you’re getting out from under his thumb or not?”

Miranda motioned for him to go ahead.

Banage stood up and walked around to sit on his desk, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “We have no choice but to give you up. So, you’ll go with him as he wants, and then, you just be yourself. I give it three days before Lord Lyonette begs us to take you back and you won’t have to worry about him for another seven years.”

“Or I could just run away and save everyone the trouble,” Miranda countered. “I bet if I went spirit hunting for a few months, the old windbag would forget all about me.”