House Domine was on the south edge of the World Wound, just past one of the god-pillars. Five stories of solid white brick, it towered over its neighbor like they’d been compensating for something. The maze to the southeast was claustrophobic and covered in trap runes that glowed in the afternoon air. Guards stood on either side, watching the world wound, and threw open both doors as Declan approached. Just inside waited two arcanists he knew, both wearing ArCore white and blue. “Lake! You’re banned…right?”

  “Get powerful enough and everything’s negotiable,” Lake said. “Now that I’m ArCore, one little disagreement with one minor heir is unfortunate but losing me would be equally unfortunate. Also, I killed one of their assassins, which made them really ask if that was the right tact. Then I crippled the other assassin and the choice was be down one heir, two assassins and an ArCore duelist or just an heir and two assassins.”

  He hugged her. “Good.” Then looked over. “Tegan.”

  “Declan.” She fell in behind him as they proceeded through the commons and up to the fifth floor, which was all libraries, studies and over looking the world wound, a single meeting room.

  The ArCore rushed to open the doors.

  The first thing that struck Declan was the lack of guards. Everyone went with guards, everywhere. Every noble, even the House Sullivan representative had guards. Lady Domine had none, and she sat with not one but three Destroy runes circling her, each with minor modifications. “Mr. Thorn, you will now receive our offer and our demands, then endure the oath.”

  That was probably how it would go. He took a seat. “Oh, I like that modification. Destroy Life and Destroy Soul, I’m not sure what the other does yet.”

  “Consider that the only way to obtain another Destroy is the death of a Domine bloodline holder. Consider that mine are tier five. Ask yourself if speaking is wise.” She glanced over a set of papers.

  The door opened and three men entered, all in charcoal black. They weren’t the least bit bothered by the Lady’s presence and took a seat at Declan’s side. The first man dipped his head. “Lady Domine, we’re flattered by your first offer and think we’re very close to agreements.”

  “My first offer is my only offer,” she answered, not looking up. “We will not be bled by a thief of secrets. At some point, it becomes cheaper to simply pay the murder-fee.”

  “I wasn’t talking about the rin,” the man answered. “There’s no way we’re agreeing to a marriage. That’s House Domine locking in the power of insight to increase their own profits and target their enemies.”

  “Excuse me!” Declan said. “I feel like I should be the one involved in discussions like that. And I’d need to meet them and know them and probably be really good friends.”

  “That’s acceptable. Lake, marry him,” Lady Domine said.

  “Yes, my lady.” Lake didn’t even hesitate. “How many children does it require? I was really hoping to have some bloodline babies.”

  “That’s not happening,” Declan declared. “Lake is one of my few friends.”

  With the same sigh a parent gave a petulant toddler, the Lady acquiesed. “Tegan—”

  “No.” Tegan said. “Ban me if you want, I’m not a whore to be passed out like candy. I’m a fucking lady.”

  “We’ll just say ‘to be considered’ for now,” Lady Domine said as though the conversation hadn’t happend. “We already have custody of the shield rune by order of the Sun Queen herself, the payment is decided. I don’t know if you’re planning on buying a small country, boy, but you could make a reasonable attempt.”

  Declan’s negotiator glanced at the form. “That’s a bit more than we asked.”

  “For discretion. We want the right to submit a single rune a quarter. We’ll pay for the work but he’ll disclose the nature only to us.”

  “I have a condition for that. Time limit. I’ve only done up to tier three. I’d guess you have ones far beyond that and I might not be able to help at all. I don’t even have proper Insight,” Declan said. “You can ask but if you ask me to identify some tier ten monstrositiy I could look for years and say ‘That’s definitely a rune.’”

  It was a condition that interested him, a business service he’d been intent on offering anyway and more importantly it would kickstart a race between different houses for the same service. His negotiators penciled a few lines and passed them over, then read Lady Domine’s corrections and nodded.

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  “We want a non-agression pact for our duelists, standard rules and duration,” Lady Domine said. “This is not negotiable. Starting a hunting party that strips us of our weapons as retaliation will be met with force.”

  “We really like non-agression,” Declan’s negotiator responded. “You do realize it would bind you as well. Mutual non-agression.”

  “If we must.” She said it like he was being unreasonable, not wanting to be hunted. “Absolutely no disclosure of the nature, strengths or advantages of destroy outside blood members of House Domine.”

  A few more back and forths and both sides look displeased.

  “A moment to explain everything to Mr. Thorn?” His negotiator asked. “We’ll step out, the lady may hold.”

  “Actually, I would welcome a break. Lake, accompany me,” Lady Domine said.

  She didn’t radiate the cold indifference of Lord Rush and that was arguably worse. She saw each and every person and that meant they were accounted for, a plan and response for every eventuality.

  The actual details were easy and what Declan expected with a few key callouts. Dissecting duelist’s sigils so other houses could target them would be a quick and certain route to death. Talking about destroy would be allowed with those who held the blood sigil and physically impossible otherwise. The same limitation would apply to Destruction Breaker, his name for the shield. The payment seemed staggering but Eden assured him private classes would consume rin like paper in a fire. The problem was that Declan didn’t want to just be an arcanist. He didn’t even want to be ArCore. He wanted to be better and if this was the cost, so be it. The service contract wouldn’t preclude him making similar deals and in fact, House Domine’s allies would be quickly reaching out for similar agreements.

  Eden tackled the most thorny subject. “The marriage is business. You could be an economic powerhouse in addition to the threat to other house duelists. I hate to say it but if you develop your skills the Crown might view you as an asset to be brought in.”

  “Lake?” He said. “She just…agreed. I thought we were good friends.”

  “She knows how such marriages really work and it says a lot about her faith in you that she agreed so easily. Leave it as an option for them to pursue, you can turn it down. Saying ‘never’ is an insult, saying ‘not yet’ isn’t.” Eden waved them back over. “We’re good, form the oath-stone. I’ve got three of these. One for dealing with House Drevond matters, a couple others I can’t talk about. Two were good decisions and one I learn from every day.”

  As for the amount of rin, it looked staggering—until Eden set him straight. “This is an amount that would work if you’d already had tens of thousands spent on your education. I suspect your private tutoring needs will be significant. Bank it for education, don’t ever touch it. There’s a trust that’s standard for when a young heir is less trustworthy, but it works for you, too, to ensure you can get the classes you need.”

  Not everyone returned for the actual oath. A House Domine senior stood in for the lady while Declan repeated each written word, followed by the activation line. “So I do swear.”

  His ears popped and the stone blazed white-hot for just an instant before splitting in two. The oath settled down like a steel net over certain thoughts. He could analyze Destroy. He could even theorize other ways to counter it, but when he opened his mouth, the words wouldn’t come. “What if I want to renegotiate the oath?”

  The Senior accepted their half. “Bring yours and request negotiation. It’s not uncommon to make minor modifications, as long as you’re giving more than you get. Protecting our House is the most important mission. Wine?”

  “Please!” Eden stood and accepted a glass. “Do you drink, Declan? I’ve never seen you drink. Have you ever had wine?”

  “We have winter-juice in Foundrytown. You make it by fermenting anything sweet and then straining it when the bucket has sat in ice for two months.” Declan accepted a glass with a small sip of wine in it. “Is it supposed to smell like that?”

  ‘Breathe it in. Savor the smell, then let the flavor wash over your tongue.” Eden took a sip and slowly swallowed. “Who is your vinter? I need to order this.”

  “Take the bottle after you take another drink.”

  Declan held his nose and gulped. “I think something died in the bottle. I’m sorry, you high-class people can savor it, I don’t want to waste it.”

  “Oh no.” Eden blocked his way and filled another glass. “You’re here to learn and there’s finally something I can teach Declan Thorn. Unless that’s an insult?” She looked to the senior. “Maybe something more simple for him?”

  Declan held his nose and took another drink.

  ###

  Someone was pounding on his head. Or pounding on the door or pounding on both. “I know you’re in there. I can see you through the mail slot!”

  “Go away, Tegan.” He lay back down and covered his head with the pillow. “I can’t hear you.” The pounding of his head and the door together was impossible. “Go away.”

  “Declan?” That was Lake Domine, and for her, he answered the door. She stood alone, in far better shape, eyes bright.

  “Did you know they were going to ask for a marriage?”

  “Of course they were going to ask,” Lake said, pulling him by the arm out into the great room. “It’s just common sense to demand as much as they can.”

  The room was too bright, too filled with people, too loud and too smelling like bacon. The last part was good but everything else he hated. “I’m sorry you got put on the spot.”

  “I’m not. You’re not hideous but more in a ‘get it and forget it’ or ‘six beers in’ kind of way.’” Lake said cheerily. “You refused, I agreed, it made me look great. Anyway, you have refugees on the porch, two ArCore on leave looking for room assignments and man, do you look like shit.”

  “Love you too, Lake. Not like that, but love you too.” He would deal with the arrivals first. He wouldn’t even bother getting dressed to do it. Declan opened the door and welcomed a stream of new people. “Step inside. Welcome to House Ariloch. I’m Declan Thorn, house arcanist, and these are my rules.”

  END OF VOLUME 1