Of Kings and Killers (Elder Empire Sea #3) - WIll Wight Page 0,4

checking to see whether Calder was still safe from Bliss, but she still nodded and opened the door wider.

Cheska Bennett, Head of the Navigator’s Guild, strolled in with hands in her pockets. Her frizzy red hair was kept back by a blue bandana, and she wore a rumpled white shirt beneath a green jacket two sizes too big for her. Her sleeves were folded back to the elbow. She gave Calder a cocky grin, but a professional nod to Bliss.

Without a word, she tossed herself down on a nearby couch, propping her boots up on the armrest.

She was followed in by Baldezar Kern, Head of the Champion’s Guild. The man was about Calder’s height but noticeably broader, his massive chest and muscles straining at the buttons of his dark shirt. His black hair was winged with silver, and he strode in with a stoic expression.

His menacing demeanor was undermined by the child attached to his leg.

A girl of about three or four clung to his shin like a monkey to a branch. She wore a simple dress and long, dark curls, and she kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut. He continued walking as though she didn’t exist.

Calder extended his hand, which the Champion shook. “Guild Head Kern, I don’t want to alarm you, but I think you have a stowaway.”

Kern nodded grimly. “She placed me under house arrest.”

“Then you’re in violation of your sentence.” Calder slowly lowered himself to crouch next to the girl, who turned her face away. “What’s your name, madam?”

“Lily,” came the muffled reply.

“Lily is my youngest daughter,” Kern said, and at last Calder saw the hint of a weary smile. “I told her that I was going to work whether she let go or not, but I don’t think she believed me.”

“Do you like candy, Lily?” They had a wide selection of treats in storage, for the entertainment of guests.

Lily turned back to him and cracked one eye. But the eye hurriedly widened and she shut it again.

Calder looked to his right to see Bliss crouching next to him, her eyes wider than the child’s.

“How old is she?” Bliss asked in awe.

“Four.”

“Four. And she’s still so small.” Bliss extended a finger as though to poke the girl, but Kern pulled his leg back.

“She’ll get bigger.” Gently, as though handling a glass sculpture, Kern peeled his daughter off his leg and held her in front of him. She refused to look at him.

“I have to go to work now. If you wait outside with Zaria, these people will bring you anything you want to eat. Anything at all.”

Lily peeked at Calder, who nodded. Bliss saw him nodding and joined him.

The girl considered for a moment, then tapped her father’s wrist. He lowered her to the ground, where she ran off. Teach opened the door for her, but halfway to the door Lily paused, then scurried back and gave her father’s leg a quick hug. Then she ran back through the open door, where a grandmotherly woman with her hair in a bun was waiting with hands on hips.

Kern let out a sigh. “Kids. You know how they can be.”

Calder looked around the room. Cheska looked embarrassed, Teach mournful, and Bliss was openly shaking her head. He and Jerri had never wanted children, and none of the other three had ever married.

“We’ve spent more time with Elderspawn than human children,” Calder remarked, clapping the man on the shoulder. He’d felt softer boulders.

“They have more in common than you’d think.” The Champion grabbed a chair in each hand, placing them side-by-side and sitting on them both. They still creaked under his weight. Urzaia had been much taller than the Guild Head, but Calder was reminded of the times he’d sat on a barrel or crate and the planks had splintered under his weight. Champions were always heavier than they looked.

“That’s enough about Kern’s Elderspawn,” Cheska said. She pulled out a folded paper and waved it in the air. “We’re here to talk about this.”

It was a news-sheet, and though Calder could only see half the headline, he knew what it said. “REGENTS BACK DOWN! EMPIRE TO BE UNIFIED!” It was the talk of the Empire; since the battle of the Gray Island, the Regents had made several statements indicating that they would be willing to entertain negotiations.

If Calder and The Testament had managed to track down the Consultants and their ship, the Imperialist Guilds would be in an even better position, but he had been unable to chase far