Free Prodigal Steelwielder (Seals of the Duelists Book 3) by Jasmine Giacomo

been promised to marry Bayan. After all, she had slapped his friend pretty hard once.
    He took a deep breath and floated closer to her. She paused and watched his approach with interest. He drew close enough to see her dark eyes flicker down toward his feet and react to his apparent levitation. Her lush lips spread in a satisfied smile. “And to what do I owe this very special pleasure, Duelist?”
    His hand began to lift Philo’s letter, but he thought better of it. Clasping his hands and the letter behind his back, he said, “Merchant Magittang, I need your help.”
    She turned to face him more fully, placing her hands on her ample hips and favoring him with a broader smile. “Well, there’s something you don’t hear every day. How can a humble merchant like myself lend aid to duelism this day?”
    “It’s not duelism you’ll be aiding. The emperor himself has need of your services, and he has sent me to secure them. Time is of the essence. How many of your caravan guards can you have gathered and ready to travel by sundown?”
    Imee’s glance sharpened, and Eward imagined calculating variables flitting behind her eyes. “All of them. It so happens that two of my crews returned to the city yesterday, and no one has been assigned outward bound yet. Knowing the minister’s reputation as I do, perhaps that isn’t coincidence. Where are we traveling?”
    Sints help me, I like her. “First, to the docks, as an honor guard and greeting cohort for a Corona diplomat. We’ll be on the road to the Kheerzaal at dawn. We have a tight schedule and an unbreakable deadline. Can you handle that?”
    Imee swayed back and regarded Eward frankly. “Absolutely. But I insist that you travel with us.”
    Eward blinked. “Me? I’m not on the agenda.”
    Her gaze was direct, though a smile played along her lips. “You are now. If the emperor wants this precious diplomat to arrive on time and in one piece, my men will do their best to make sure that happens. But just in case, I want emergency support personnel. I have a chanter who travels on dangerous missions with my men, but for a task of this magnitude and importance, I want you too. I see those tattoos on the backs of your hands. Should the sudden need arise, I want someone who can take that diplomat all the way to the Kheerzaal without needing to worry about vagaries or road delays or the bother of too much decorum. Can you handle that?”
    The letter began to dampen from the sweat on Eward’s palm. Had it really been so long since he had battled for his life that he had forgotten what it felt like to fight, to be uncertain, to think on his feet? Was he really so tame? “You want to know if I will fly the diplomat to the Kheerzaal on my Wind avatar if we come under attack? Yes. I serve at the pleasure of the Emperor of the Waarden Empire.”
    Imee’s tanned face creased in a brilliant smile. “Excellent. Now, you may escort me back to the gate.”
    Eward offered her his hand and helped her step onto his barely visible wind disc. She pressed herself against his side, and he wrapped an arm around her slender waist to make sure she didn’t fall. His disc bore them across the sand, first in a straight line, slow and sedate, and then he sped up and began weaving around the landscaping. Imee squealed in delight and clung harder to him, clearly enraptured by the process. Their progress drew the eye of every other patron on the beach.
    At the gate, which the guards duly opened for them, Imee stepped down with reluctance and gave Eward a grateful smile. “Thank you, Duelist. I’ll ready my men at once. We’ll array ourselves at the docks with the tide to meet this Corona diplomat, and we’ll see to his lodgings for the night. I’ll discuss travel arrangements with him and prepare our own supplies. Will you need a wagon for your sundries?”
    Eward shook his head. “I won’t be bringing much with me. I’m sure we can find a place to tuck it in.”
    Imee nodded. “Then be