The Spirit War(168)

“Someone?” Miranda said, frowning. “What kind of someone?”

“We’re not sure,” the girl said. “It’s hard to see with the fog, but it looks like two people leading ten wagons.”

“Two people leading ten wagons?” Miranda’s scowl deepened, and Gin began to growl. “All right,” she said, jumping off the wall. “Let me have a look.” Because, really, how much stranger could this day get?

The girl smiled in relief as Miranda and Gin walked to the head of the road. Sure enough, squinting through the mist Miranda could just barely make out ten wagon-shaped shadows coming down the mountain with surprising speed. Gin raised his nose, sniffing the air in a loud huff.

Miranda waited impatiently. “Well?”

“You’re not going to believe this,” Gin said, lowering his head with a snort. “And you’re not going to like it either.”

“What?” Miranda said pointedly.

Gin told her, and he was right, she didn’t like it one bit. Biting back a curse, she grabbed the Spiritualist girl and sent her up the stairs to warn Master Banage that things had, against all odds, gotten worse.

Eli hung back, keeping Josef between himself and Banage. The king and the Rector were talking strategy, something about leveraging Josef’s ability to sink palace ships, but Eli was too distracted to pay much attention to the actual plan. The Rector’s eyes never left Josef or the map, but Eli could feel the old man watching him without watching, just like he used to. Eli crossed his arms and glared pointedly out at the fog. He’d known the moment he decided to send Miranda the message that it would come to this. He didn’t regret calling for help, even this beat asking Benehime for aid, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

He was staring as hard as he could at the blank, gray spot where the beach should be when he heard someone enter the room. He looked up to see a girl about Miranda’s age, though with only a fraction of Miranda’s rings, standing in the doorway. She bowed nervously and went straight for the Rector, whispering in his ear. Banage’s already stern face fell into a deep frown as she spoke. When she finished he nodded and waved her away, turning to Josef with a dour look.

“It seems the Council is here.”

“Council?” Josef said expectantly. “Troops?”

Banage shook his head. “I imagine troops are coming, but right now you’ll have to content yourself with the Council’s head wizard.”

Despite his best efforts, Eli’s breath caught.

Thankfully, Josef didn’t notice. He was glaring at Banage, turning this latest development over in his head, looking for the trap. “I thought the Spirit Court split from the Council,” he said. “That’s what you told me.”

“We have,” Banage said. “But we face a common enemy. I should think you’d welcome the help.”

“That depends on the help,” Josef said.

“For that, you’ll have to ask her yourself,” Banage said, his voice cold. “The Court does not involve itself in her methods.”

Josef looked at the Rector with a curious scowl, but he started toward the door all the same. He paused when he reached it, looking over his shoulder at Banage, who had not moved.

“Go ahead,” the Rector said. “Eliton and I have things to discuss in private.”

Josef’s eyes darted to Eli, but the thief shook his head. It would have come to this sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

Josef turned and started down the stairs, leaving Eli and Banage staring at each other. Thanks to the thick fog, the tower was very dark now. Eli could barely make out the wounded lying on the other side of the room. Banage, however, he could see clearly thanks to the light that was still emanating from his rings. Eli grimaced and looked away.

“If you’re here to arrest me, don’t bother,” he said. “I’m under the king’s protection. Last time I checked, Spiritualists don’t break local laws.”

“I’m not here to arrest you,” Banage said quietly. “Though I am happy you remember some of the doctrine I tried to teach you.”

“How could I forget?” Eli grumbled. “Sometimes I think you taught me to read only so I could study Spiritualist laws.” He paused, waiting for Banage to start raging, but the room was more silent than ever. The quiet stretched on and on until Eli could bear it no longer. “You wanted to discuss things in private,” he said, sitting on the edge of the table. “So discuss.”

Banage took a deep breath. “Why didn’t you come home that night?”

Eli didn’t have to ask which night he meant. “I had no reason to,” he said. “What was there for me to go home to? You didn’t want me unless I was ready to be an obedient Spiritualist.”