A Way of Honor (Champions of the Crystal Book 2)

Chapter 9: Oaths

The next morning, Sabrina woke as her alarm alerted her that it was time to dress for the dawn ceremony. She dressed, put on a little makeup to hide the effects of her uneasy night, and went to Mara's room. The Queen was already awake, struggling through an elaborate toilette with Selémahs' help.

"Hi, Sabrina," Mara greeted her, smiling. "Are you ready?"

"I think the question is, are you ready?" Sabrina replied. "Did you sleep well?"

Mara laughed. "Well, but not much. I was at work while you were sleeping."

"Work! What kind of work?" Sabrina demanded, prepared to be furious with whoever it was who had disturbed Mara.

"We captured a Protian."

"You did what?" Sabrina gasped. "Who's we?"

"Scotty and I."

"Scotty and—Maratobia, you better tell me what happened this instant!" Sabrina demanded.

Mara related the whole story, losing her enthusiasm as Sabrina grew more and more aghast. Fortunately, before Sabrina could comment, Malvarak, Tirqwin, and Scotty entered.

"Your Majesty," Malvarak said, "I would like to inform you of my intention of leaving this morning for Homeworld, and to offer to bear any messages you may have to my government."

Mara sighed. "I think you had better consult with Prime Minister Rassir," she said. "But I have no objection to your going. The news, I think, will come better from you than from my people."

"Thank you," Malvarak said. "I shall go along and see the Minister right away." He swept her a bow and left the room.

"Tirqwin," Sabrina began, "do you know what these two were up to last night?"

"My dear Sabrina, I was there," he said, scowling.

"From you," she said, stabbing a finger at Scotty, "I expect foolhardy heroics. But you," she continued, turning to Mara, "I expect to behave better! How could you put him in that situation? What if he'd been killed? What if something had happened to you? Or to Tirqwin because you stuck him in an unfamiliar place without his knowledge?"

"C'mon, Rina," Scotty grinned, "you're only mad 'cause we didn't let you in on it."

"No, I'm only mad because my only brother did something stupid, and my friend helped him do it! I don't suppose either of you thought about the consequences! It's bad enough Tirqwin has a death wish without you two adding to the problem!"

"Sabrina," Mara said, in a tone of command. "You are out of line."

"What?" Sabrina gasped in astonishment and anger.

"I considered the plan—which was, in fact, conceived by your brother—very carefully, and I took all the steps I could to ensure his safety during its execution. Neither of us acted in haste, or without thought for the consequences. But this is all beside the point. The point is, I am the Queen. Scotty is sworn to my service. I was perfectly within my rights to act as I did. I would have been within my rights to demand that he carry out an even riskier task, even if he had objected. When you consider this, you have nothing to be angry about."

Sabrina stared at her, disbelieving. Scotty said, "She's right, y'know. You haven't got a leg to stand on, Rina."

"Sabrina," Mara said, "if you are going to take an oath of service to me, you have to understand that that means you are going to have to obey any orders I give you. Sometimes perhaps against your own judgment. You have to trust me. If you cannot do this, then you cannot take the oath."