Power: Chapter 8

I brought the duke to a private dining area reserved for the leaders of the Carathan diplomatic force, after letting him wash his hands. Lord Wylden and Silthum was already there, with a couple of the most trustworthy servants to accompany them. Silthum and Lord Wylden bowed to the duke, as well as the servants. I saw one of the servants, Hadrian, wink at me without losing his composure. I earned a small smile from Giles, the other servant. I knew them around Castle Otker and had occasionally talked to them. Being James’s student had put me in a position where I had talked to almost every high-ranking person present in Otker.

The three of them sat down and Hadrian quietly poured them glasses of wine. Giles quietly put a basket of fruit onto the table, while I went into the adjourning room. Servants brought  in plates of food from the kitchen, so I picked up the first course, a stuffed hare and a leg of a lamb, with sauteed chica root sauce, our specialty. I brought them out and placed them on the table, bowing quietly.

Lord Wylden grunted and immediately reached for the knife to cut the hare, but Silthum looked up at me, his yellow eyes glinting. “How do we know that you didn’t poison them?” he hissed quietly.

I stared at him, frozen, but Duke Alexander clapped his hands.”Come now, Silthum, my squire did not poison them,” he said airily. He waved his hands over the food. “Why would she poison them?”

I felt a rush in my head and the feeling of something dark passing threw it. I jumped, and stifled a gasp. Duke Alexander’s head snapped up to look at me, as if surprised. He then grinned. “Oh, so sorry, dear squire. I was just proving a point to the general here. The food is not poisoned.” He grinned, and I saw a flash of excitement and smugness in his eyes, as if he had half-expected this. I felt uneasy, and a little sick. Giles noticed how I was feeling and that something was going on, so he quickly bowed to the three at the table, excusing us. He grabbed my arm and steered me out of the room.

Once we were out of earshot, he looked at me. “Are you okay? What happened in there?”

I rubbed my head. It felt like something had been pounding it with a hammer. “I-I don’t know...I think I reacted badly to his magic...”

Giles’s eyes flickered. “Hmm. You are relieved of duty for the night. Report all of this to Sir Daniel, then get some rest.” His smile became crooked. “Pretend that I am a knight and not a servingman for the moment. You aren’t fit to serve, that’s your excuse.”

I smiled thinly. “Thank you, Giles.” I turned and walked away, walking through the castle towards Sir Daniel’s office. Everyone right now was at dinner, and I realized I felt famished. Sir Daniel was at dinner right now, so I decided to eat something. I walked to the kitchens and begged for food, before escaping to the stables to eat.

Galen, the stable boy, nodded to me as I came in. I opened Echo’s stall and walked in. Echo was eating out of the food trough, but she flicked her tail in welcome. I settled down against her sturdy, warm leg and absentmindedly ate my food. I mulled over what had happened to me today.

I was no dummy, despite what James had been convinced at times. I knew that there was something that James and Sir Daniel was not telling me - I just didn’t know what. I also knew that Duke Alexander had requested me for a reason, and it could have something to do with my aversion to his magic when he had used it to check the food for poison. I could still see his look of surprise and delight...