Free The Ritual by H. Anthe Davis, Erica Dakin Page B

entered their room and Zashter waved a hand for us to get seated. Since the choice was between their double bed and the one chair the room contained, I snatched up the chair and sat on it backwards, leaning my arms on the backrest. Mior installed himself comfortably against the bed’s headboard, and with a coy smile Shani sat down next to him. Zashter remained standing, and I squinted up at him.
    “So, what brought on the change of heart then?” I asked, not bothering to hide my scepticism.
    He smile d at me, unoffended but a tad superior. “First of all, in the past week you’ve both shown us that you have promise, and are willing and able to pull your weight. You’ve got a lot to learn still, but we’re both confident that you’ll be able to pick up what we can teach you at a satisfactory speed.”
    “Satisfactory?” I interrupted him.
    “Don’t get your hackles up, Little Firelocks. You’re doing well, but you’ve made plenty of mistakes too.”
    “Well, that still doesn’t explain the change of heart.”
    “Shut up then and let me tell you,” he said, now sounding impatient, and I clamped my mouth shut. “Right, so we’ve decided that the initial commitment stands – we’ll teach you both.”
    “How magnanimous of you,” I muttered, but waved him on when he gave an exasperated sigh.
    “As I was saying, the commitment stands, so it’s inevitable that you’ll be involved in our current assignment. It’s no more than fair that you know what to expect, especially since this assignment is going to be extremely challenging even for Mior and me.”
    He stated it casually, without sounding worried, but the admittance surprised me and gave me enough of a jolt of excitement – and a little fear – that my pulse went faster. I sat up straight, no longer inclined to interrupt or needle him.
    Shani spoke instead. “If this will be challenging for you, then why do you think that we’ll be able to cope with it?”
    Zashter smiled at her. “Considering the tasks ahead, we reckon it will actually make it easier for us to have you as support and backup. We’ll handle the really difficult stuff, but both of you are likely to be more than capable of handling any additional tasks, which leaves us able to concentrate on what we’re doing.”
    Shani nodded, still a little dubious but placated. Zashter, meanwhile, exchanged a meaningful glance with Mior, who rose and moved next to him.
    “Now, before I say anything more you will need to swear an oath,” Zashter said, his voice suddenly authoritative. “A Binding Oath. What I’m about to tell you cannot go further.” He looked first at Shani, then at me, and his eyes were cold obsidian. “No Oath, no information.”
    His words frightened me. I didn’t really know all that much about Binding Oaths, but I did know that they were impossible to break except by the caster, and that they were used to protect extremely dangerous or secret information. But I could not deny that I was also excited – even with a Binding Oath, giving us this information was a sign of trust, and whatever this assignment of theirs was, it would push me and take me outside of the comfort zone that Naerev had cultivated in me. I decided that it was exactly what I needed.
    Looking over to Shani I saw nothing but enthusiasm in her expression, and we both gave a single nod together. “Deal,” I said, my voice steady.
    Zashter smiled. “Mior, over to you,” he said, stepping aside but placing a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
    Mior held out his hands to both of us and I rose to my feet with apprehension. Shani was the first to grasp his fingers, and she looked curious rather than alarmed, so with an inward curse I slapped my hand into his, determined not to be outdone by my sister.
    He closed his eyes and muttered a few unintelligible syllables – magic-speak – and Shani’s interest deepened. I could see her lips move, and knew she was trying to memorise the sequence. Then I was