He was captain, after all, and he refused to shirk his duty no matter how tired he was or how much he ached still from the wounds taken while in Amari, despite the additional healing done by the duchess’ magician. Magic wasn’t a cure, merely a bandage.
Honovi stepped outside the flight deck, already sweating beneath the fur-lined flight jacket. It had been needed in the sky, but here on the ground, with summer heat an oppressive blanket, it left sweat sliding down his back.
Everyone was glad to be home and worked twice as hard to finish what was required of them in order to lock down the airship and head off to their families for a much-needed break. Honovi was met by a clerk who greeted him at the dock after he disembarked. The woman’s gown was made of summer-light fabric, though the plaid wrapped around her waist and hips was of a heavier weave.
“JarlHonovi,” she said, dipping her head out of respect. Her brown hair was braided back in four plaits, the ends tied with beaded ribbons. “Your father requests your presence.”
“Of course,” Honovi said.
It took time to leave the airfield behind for the safety of the city wall surrounding Glencoe. She had a motor carriage waiting past the gates, the driver turning the engine on once they were in sight. Honovi slid into the back seat with the clerk, who didn’t seem inclined toward small talk.
He’d intended to meet with his father, but he’d hoped for a private moment to discuss all that had transpired—from the attack, to the riot, to the threat ofrionetkasfound in Siv’s body that Karla had ferried on ahead.
That was not to be.
The motor carriage drove down the main boulevard from the airfield to the capitol building at the center of Glencoe. The city bustled with people and street traffic in the late afternoon, their speed slower than it would be during off-hours due to the number of vehicles on the ground. The emblem of theComhairle nan Cinnidheanpainted on the motor carriage’s door didn’t allow for their driver to disobey traffic laws.
Eventually, the motor carriage reached the large plaza with its grand fountain bubbling away in the center. The clockwork airship rotated on a pillar above the water, the spray pouring from its prow misting the air and causing rainbows to form.
The driver pulled up to the curb, and Honovi got out, turning to offer his hand to the clerk. She took it with a brief nod of thanks before leading the way up the steps to the massive circular building that was the heart of E’ridia’s government.
The pillars surrounding the promenade glinted gold at the top, the constellations carved there meant to catch the eye. One of the heavy wooden doors was propped open, guarded by a peacekeeper who waved them inside. The clerk bypassed the check-in area and proceeded deeper into the building. The mechanical fans hanging from the ceiling between the gaslights had been turned on in deference to the weather. It was cooler inside, and Honovi was grateful for it. He rolled his shoulders, looking forward to removing his flight jacket.
He would know the way blind to theComhairle nan Cinnidheanchambers at the center of the building. After so long away in a foreign country, it was comforting to walk into the two-story chamber with its mechanical astrolabe hanging from the vaulted ceiling. The balcony ringing the two-story chamber was empty of an audience, but every seat at the circular table in the center was filled. The hollowed-out center was empty, as was the speaker’s seat, but the adjacent table for ambassadors was full, watched over by the sergeant at arms.
Honovi didn’t recognize the men and women sitting there, though he was familiar with their clothing, the tailored style favored heavily by Ashionens. Their colors were muted, lacking the vibrancy of clothes worn by thecinn-chinnidhthat made up theComhairle nan Cinnidhean. On the opposite side of the room, near the speaker’s seat, he spied Karla, who gave him a slow nod in greeting.
The clerk closed the door behind him, remaining out in the hall. Honovi walked alone to greet the ruling body of his country. “The winds were welcoming on our flight home. Well met,Comhairle nan Cinnidhean. I understand you have need of me.”
“Welcome home, ambassador andjarlHonovi of Clan Storm,” Alrickson said in return.
His father seemed to have aged in the time Honovi had been gone, or perhaps it was merely distance and time and an absence of the everyday moments he’d left behind when he took up the ambassadorship. His father’s expression held no joy, though, and Honovi wondered, briefly, what sort of welcoming he could expect here where politics ruled everything.
“We trust you are well?” Leena,ceann-cinnidhof Clan Lightning, asked.
Honovi couldn’t stop himself from brushing his hand against his right side, carrying only the ghost of a bruise from the bullet wound now. “Well enough after everything that has transpired.”
“Muchhastranspired.” Her gaze cut away from him to the ambassadors seated at their table, expression bland. “TheComhairle nan Cinnidheanthanks you for your presence. We know how long you have been away.”
“I would have returned with Karla, but I was delayed by a brief hospital stay after being shot.”
“Yes, that will be discussed. At the moment, we have a different issue on the table.”
The foreigner seated in the center of the ambassador table stood, slapping his hands onto the table before speaking in perfect E’ridian. “Your country’s airshipfiredon Ashion citizens to aid criminals when they fled our capital. Such an act is untenable.”
The sergeant at arms rapped her ceremonial staff hard on the floor, the sound cutting off the man. “If you cannot adhere to the rules of this august body, I will remove you.”
The ambassador clenched his jaw before drawing himself up to his full height and inclining his head toward theComhairle nan Cinnidhean. “My sincere apologies.”
“Ambassador Fahle requested a meeting upon your arrival home to address the incident that occurred in Amari the other week. The Ashion government is also requesting an extradition of those responsible,” Alrickson said.
Honovi cocked his head to the side. “What proof does Ashion have that any of our people were involved?”
“The press captured members of the Clockwork Brigade being airlifted from the riot by an airship of obvious E’ridian make,” Ambassador Fahle said tightly.
“An assumption doesn’t make anything E’ridian. What I heard before leaving the capital was your own peacekeepers brought revenants into the city to target your countrymen.”
Thecinn-chinnidhseated around the circular table frowned at that statement, murmuring amongst themselves. They would have been told of therionetkaby Karla, but this news was a truth Honovi hoped to make them believe.
