First Apprentice

Chapter 3 Part 3

Joel's sigh echoed in the small office. "May I check his anchors?" he asked, eyes boring into mine as if he could mentally will me to say yes. Anyone else, he probably could.

I batted his probe aside. "No," I answered.

He clenched his fists and breathed deeply, visibly calming himself. "How many have you shattered?"

All of David's markers turned fear white as he finally realized exactly why my hand was buried in his chest. Odd. Maybe he thought I was going to shift my fingers back, burying my claws in his heart.

"Three," I said. Three down. Three left, but his magic wouldn't fight back until the end.

A flash of red then Joel's aura calmed again. "If you release him and let me heal him, I will not report you to the clans, not my own or yours. You have my word on that."

"You said nothing about him," I said, nodding towards David, "nor did you mention the Border Guard."

"You are definitely Mitchel's," he said, laughing softly before he sobered. "I am a made chief, chosen by the Gates and accepted by the Seven. Giving Katia the paperwork didn't change what I am. David will not report you for the same reason he didn't report you when you fed the Central Keystone earlier. I ordered him not to."

"The Border Guard?" I asked.

"My blood holds the Gates." In other words, he was the Border Guard. Well, him and the other war chief Terry.

"I want a blood oath."

"Agreed." Too easy, I thought as navy blue aura pooled on his fingertips. A single black talon emerged from his index finger. He swiped it across his thumb and squeezed out a single drop of blood. "My wording," I demanded as the drop hit the floor.

Was I too late? I had until the blood hit to set terms. Of course, most people finalized the wording before they began the oath. Sneaky bastard. No wonder Grandfather liked him. If his blood struck the floor first, he could set the wording and potentially entrap me. Not good.

He inclined his head once towards me, but didn't reply. I revised my previous assessment. Smart and sneaky. I would sense the oath when it took, not before, but he already knew if his blood hit first. It was his blood, carried his magic. Not replying meant I didn't know which of us controlled the oath, but he knew. If he controlled it and I demanded something he considered outrageous, he could easily reword it or omit my conditions entirely and I would still have to release David because first blood bound the bonder (me), not the bonded.

A gasp from David jerked me out of my thoughts. Better make this quick. I didn't want to know what Joel would do if David died before we completed the oath. "Do you swear on your life's blood you will not report in word, deed or thought my existence to any of the Demon Clans, also known as the Great Clans, including any minor clan or personage associated with them?" He started at my wording before nodding once. Great. Still no indication who won. "That you have not previously made such a report?" Another nod. Damn it! I needed a reaction before I revealed my last and most important demand. "That you will not report in word, deed, or thought my existence to the Border Guard, including private discussions with the Seven either as a whole or individually?"

"Mitchel told us about you years ago."

A snort escaped me followed by a snicker before I clamped down on my reactions. How could anyone who knew my grandfather say that with a straight face? "Grandfather also says a well-edited truth is worth a thousand lies. If he told me the sun would rise in the morning, I'd greet the dawn. An unverified fact is worthless. I don't doubt he told you something, but I can also guarantee he didn't tell you the whole truth."