by Lisa Daniels
Less than two days later, the group began to split. Faith and Benettio left a few miles from the destination. Once it was just the four of them, Ignacio removed the last of Dulce and Draven’s things from his little storage area and placed them on a table while people were saying goodbye.
There was a soft smile on his face as he pulled Dulce into a tight hug. “I think that you need to stay here, in safety, until the rest of the poison is out of your system. I know that you want to help, but if you have to travel in packs, that should tell you everything you need to know about how risky it is.”
“I know you are right, Ignacio,” she squeezed him. “But you also know that I hate doing nothing.”
“Staying safe isn’t doing nothing. But I promise that I will find a way to let you be useful without having to walk into danger.” He pulled away from her and held her at arm’s length. “Is that good enough?”
Dulce sighed and shook her head, “If you promise, then yes it is. You have one month to figure out how to use me.”
“Deal. And you two focus on the poison. I am not going to want to deal with that again.” He gave them a meaningful look.
Dulce giggled as Draven wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Jealous?”
“Of course.” His smile spread to his eyes as he looked at them. “You really do look great together, just remember how happy you feel right now because tough times are coming.”
“I would argue that the worst is behind me,” Dulce said.
“Hey!” Draven moved so that he could look into her eyes.
Her beautiful laugh rang around the room, “I didn’t mean you. I meant the year before I met you. Facing everything on my own, and remembering….” She shivered.
Draven pulled her closer to him. His face lowered near hers, “I am here to make sure you never suffer through that again.”
Dulce spun around in his arms, “That is exactly why I said that the worst is behind me. Now that I have you—” Draven stopped her from talking with a passionate kiss.
Ignacio looked away. “Never mind. Forget I said anything. You don’t need me reminding you of anything besides remembering to breathe. Rosaline, let’s get you home.”
Rosaline stood rooted to the spot, her mind trying to process the open display of affection. A whispered voice in her ear said, “Don’t stare. It’s impolite.” Rosaline nodded, her face red as she finally looked away. The couple did not even realize that Ignacio and Rosaline had left.
The trip back to Marlyon did not take long as Ignacio insisted on carrying Rosaline back. He didn’t sleep for several days. As much as Rosaline wanted to encourage him to take care of himself, she knew that he was anxious to get her home. He had been acting a little different ever since she had offered to go after Harmony.
Things were just as hectic after they returned. The mystic queen, Freya, had asked for help, and the druids were debating whether they should send someone. As soon as she learned this, Rosaline immediately began to speak out about the importance of working with them. Between her and Itzel, there was no rest for the druids, and they eventually agreed that one of them could go. Haiden and Harmony arrived around the same time as Rosaline and Ignacio returned as well. Harmony was in really rough shape, but she was expected to live. There was a considerable amount of poison in her system, and Ignacio had no desire to tell the druids about the only proven way to remove it. He simply said Haiden knew what to do and to let them work it out between them.
Not long after they returned, he disappeared, though nobody seemed able to tell Rosaline when she asked.
To her surprise, Haiden was selected to represent the champions in the discussion with the queen. Eager to be of assistance, she had offered to help work the poison out of Harmony’s system while he was away. Haiden’s speechless response quickly turned into nervous laughter as he tried to hint at how the poison was removed. He had to bluntly explain that the only method that seemed to work was sex—he could draw the poison out of her. As Rosaline tried to find a scientific reason behind what he was suggesting, her face beet-red, he cut her off saying that he didn’t care why it worked, he was just glad it did.
“But—but—you aren’t together! You aren’t the same species!”
Haiden gave her a strange look, “I thought you and…” He twisted his mouth and his eyes went to the window, “Oh, he didn’t say anything. Dammit. He always makes things so much harder on himself, like he thinks he still needs to prove himself.” Haiden shook his head and looked into Rosaline’s eyes. “I love Harmony. It doesn’t matter that she isn’t a jaguar shifter to me, I can’t imagine being with anyone else now.”
“But that makes no sense!”
“It doesn’t have to make sense. There are male humans burning up magic users’ lives trying to find immortality and power. We don’t live in a world that make sense. The world has never made sense. That is what makes life worth living. You have to find your reason to live, whether it is your path in life, a worthwhile cause, or love. I have lived long enough to know that what Harmony and I have is not common, and it is fragile. I almost lost her. I almost lost her, Rosaline. Maybe you don’t understand how much that hurts, but I think you will. If you are honest with yourself.”
“I don’t understand!” Rosaline put her head in her hands.
A hand patted her on the shoulder, “I think you don’t want to understand. That is the best I can do to help you after everything you have done for me. And if you figure it out, I can repay him for a fraction of what he has done for us.” Haiden gave her a smile, then closed the door.
Rosaline was pondering his words back in her room when someone knocked on her door. She rose and walked to the door. One of the priestesses was waiting on the other side. “The high priestesses are summoning you.”
“Oh, right.” Rosaline had not met with them since she had returned. “I completely forgot!”
“We know, and they are very disappointed.”
Rosaline held up a finger, “Give me a minute. I need to do something first.”
“No, Rosaline. They will not wait any longer. We don’t know what you have been doing, but you are not acting the way you should.”
Rosaline paused, then looked at the priestess. “You are right. I understand and will follow you.”
The high priestesses expressed their disappointment and anger for over two hours. They suppressed her powers and put her on probation, not only because she did not come see them (and was incredibly difficult to find), but they did not like the information that she presented to them. She had saved a champion, which was fine, but she had done so in the open, put Ignacio at risk by asking him to withdraw the poison, failed to return home after the events that had happened in the woods, and she had expressed far too much emotion as she spoke.
Rosaline hung her head as she left. A part of her wondered if she should have mentioned that Orion and Caspian had been in the woods, or if she should have brought up the prophecy she had heard, but she was glad she didn’t. The way the women had treated her was wrong. Rosaline had been there, experienced events, and she had reacted in a way that she thought was best for everyone involved.
She sought a place to reflect, and found herself in the small garden where Ignacio had brought her after the last mission. Sitting on the bench, she felt miserable. Something wet hit her hand, and she looked up to the sky to see if it was now going to make things worse by raining on her.
Something soft pressed against her cheek. Startled, Rosaline looked to the side. Sitting beside her was Ignacio. “Your eyes are raining.” He patted her cheek.
Without thinking, Rosaline threw her arms around him. For a moment he was shocked, but then he slid his arms around her. “Go ahead and cry. I won’t tell anyone.”
She cried into his shoulder for what felt like an eternity and no time at all. Suddenly, he stood up. He slipped the soft cloth that he had used to dab her tears into Rosaline’s hand and moved to the door.
“She is reflecting now. Can I get word to her?”
Rosaline looked up and realized that someone was looking for her. Hiding her face, she tried to look like she was concentrating.
“I know that you just got back, Ignacio, but something has come up.” Orion’s voice sounded strained, “Legend’s prophecy happened, Ignacio. Right in front of me, I watched him die. Then I watched him be brought back to life. That shouldn’t be possible. It shouldn’t be possible for anyone, and no prophecy should be undone, either.”
Rosaline peeked over at Ignacio and saw him leaning against the wall. His eyes looked at Orion’s. “So, he’s not dead.”
Orion shook his head, “Not anymore. But that’s not the worst thing. I found out what happened to Kendra. They killed her, Ignacio, they killed Kendra.”
Ignacio sank to the ground. “Not possible. No human could kill her. She was—”
“I know. And I know that Rosaline wanted to go talk to Freya, but given her abilities, we need her help somewhere else right now.”
“What do you need me to do?”
Ignacio looked up at her, his head shaking vigorously, “No. No. I won’t—you can’t go.”
Orion stepped toward her, ignoring Ignacio. “Itzel is good, but I think that it would be best if she dealt with Freya so that you can help determine the physical limits to the far west. We need to know how far into Marlyon the Unwashed have made it, but clearly they have penetrated even into our lands.”
“I don’t understand how that is possible,” Rosaline said.
“Absolutely not. She is not leaving here again. Orion, she was crying just now.” Ignacio’s words were uttered in a hissed whisper. “She is not in a state—”
“Good.” Orion’s words cut across whatever his mentee was going to say. “The more connected she is with the here and now, the better her abilities will be.”
Ignacio stood between Orion and Rosaline. “No. She is reeling from not one, but two very trying missions. You even said yourself that she had no business going on the last one. But you let her, and now—”
“Who was the one that insisted she go?”
“Darius, but—”
“And this time, both Darius and I insist that she go.”
Rosaline couldn’t see his face, but Ignacio’s voice was little more than a growl, “I won’t let you send her—”
“Ignacio, you will go with her. Darius will go with Itzel—”
“He’ll never agree to leave.”
“He’s already insisted on it, much to everyone else’s shock. You should have seen the look on Itzel’s face.”
“But Darius doesn’t think that anyone should go to talk to Freya.”
“Of course he doesn’t. He’s going to try to talk her out of it, and good luck to him with that futile endeavor,” Orion muttered. “Caspian is gods know where, I have to—oh gods, this is such a mess. Look, Ignacio, I know it is a terrible idea, but do you really want to find out about the Unwashed being in our lands the way that they did in Ishtar? Freya and her lot still don’t realize they have been invaded. How can we say anything if we have also been compromised? Please. I know that it is risky. I know that you need a break because you have put yourself through far too much over the last few months. But that is true of so many of us. I would say we can send another assassin with her—”
“Not happening.” Ignacio’s voice was a growl.
“Then we agree, you should go.”
“No, no, I do not agree that it needs to be her. There are so many druids here, it can be any of them.”
Orion’s voice was low, but there was a fatherly tone as he placed a hand on Ignacio’s shoulder, “We both know why that isn’t true.”
Ignacio shook his head, “It’s too much. Orion, it’s too much for her, and you know it.”
“I do. But I trust you. Almost as much as Darius.” There was a feeble smile on the older assassin’s face. “I know you won’t let anything happen to her. No matter what.”
Ignacio’s head dropped forward and he nodded, “Okay. I will take her, and I will send you the report.”
“It would be best if you send them to Darius.”
“It would be easier for you if I sent them to Darius, but he will be gone for at least six weeks. He won’t be able to do anything.”
“This is so messed up and out of control. Alright. Send them to me, and I will do what I can. But you have to swear you won’t die.”
“I can’t. You know that I can’t.”
“Then you promise me you won’t let him die.” Orion moved Ignacio out of the way. “Rosaline, swear to me that you won’t let him die.”
“You can’t put that on her!”
“I swear, Orion. He will be safe with me.”
He nodded at her, “I will hold you to that.” Orion took a deep breath, “May we meet again soon, happy, whole, and safe.” He moved to the wall and slipped over.
“He could have left through the door,” Rosaline said, looking at where Orion had gone.
“No, he couldn’t. He has even less time than we do.” Ignacio turned to Rosaline, “Are you going to ask for permission?”
She shook her head, “They won’t give it if I do.”
Ignacio nodded. “They locked your magic, too?”
“It’s just suppressed right now.”
He nodded again, “I can work with that.” Ignacio picked her up before she could say anything. The next thing she knew, they were over the wall. Ignacio shifted. She climbed on his back and they ran toward the eastern edge of Marlyon.
Chapter 10
A Confession and a Savior
After a few hours, Ignacio started to slow down. He let Rosaline slide off of his back, then he shifted.
“I thought that Orion wanted us to go to the far west. You went east.”
“Yes, you are right, but we need a wide net to pinpoint where they are.”
“Perhaps they are not in the country. I believe that we lost contact with Kendra while she was away, so there is a chance that the Unwashed have not penetrated our borders.”
“There is a chance, but it is only slightly higher than the chance that there are no Unwashed in Solona.”
“But we know they have infiltrated Solona.”
“Yes.” Ignacio was pacing around the area, his hands moving rapidly.
The next few days, he looked over things and drew symbols that Rosaline couldn’t begin to understand. Periodically, he would pull things out of the space, then replace it with something else. While he worked, she made food so that he didn’t starve. Uncertain why, she was surprised when he finally approached her.
She was entrenched as his green eyes looked down at her, completely ignoring the world around them. “I am aware that this is a very, very inopportune time, but I …” Ignacio stepped close to her. “I know my limits, and I know how risky this is going to be. If anything should happen, I don’t want to have any regrets.”
“I swore that you wouldn’t die. I cannot fail Orion.” She tried to smile back to reassure Ignacio that she would protect him.
“You have always been so sweet. A little thick sometimes, but unbelievably sweet.” He put a hand on her face, “I know that you don’t believe in the path you are on. You hid the doubt well, almost no one else noticed.”
“But you… you knew?” Rosaline looked up at him.
He smiled and nodded, “Yes. I could tell that you were never certain, and I think that your instincts are right. I think that there is a different path for you. But I might just be selfish.”
Rosaline tried to laugh, “You are the least selfish person I know. You never wanted recognition, and I know that you continually kept our group from fighting, even if no one else noticed. You were always taking care of anyone, and never wanted anything in return.”
He looked away for a moment, “Please be careful with your words, because when you are kind like that, it gives me hope.”
“Hope is good. Isn’t it?”
“Rosaline, I love you.”
She looked at h
im for a moment, then she let a smile spread across her face. “I love you too, Ignacio.”
“No, Rosaline, I don’t love you the way that I love others. What I feel for you is not that kind of love. I want to be more for you, and I want you to be more for me.”
Rosaline’s eyes widened and she took a step back. “Ignacio, I—I’m a priestess.”
“I know, Rosaline. I know that you have taken the vows, but it isn’t too late. I want to show you what you have missed being cooped up in that little place, to see you smile like you did when you thought no one was watching while we traveled with the group. You didn't like Dulce at first, but after a few days, you warmed up to her, and there was a whole other side to you that was so… lovable. I want to help you live the kind of life you deserve so that you don’t live a life you don’t want.”
Rosaline slowly shook her head, “I can’t. I can’t, Ignacio. I’m sorry.” Tears began to well up in her eyes.
A gentle yank, and she found her face buried in his chest. “You don’t need to be sorry. I feared—I knew that you likely wouldn’t feel the same way. Thank you for listening to me because I know it wasn’t something you wanted to hear. Thank you.” He kissed the top of her head and let her go. He turned away from her, “I have another day or two worth of work to do, then we will be ready to go to the western side.”
Rosaline nodded her head, and walked toward a little path to try to understand what had just happened and why it hurt.
When the sun rose, she heard a gentle call, “Rosaline. It is your turn now.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “What’s my turn?”
There was a quiet laugh, “I need to start drawing out your powers. Since you weren’t there for long after they began suppressing your magic, and it has been a few days, I can start to draw out the magic needed to cover the entire country.”
“My magic isn’t that strong.”
“Not on its own, no.” He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on. I’ll explain it as I weave the web.”
“What web?”
“Hold your hands out like this.” He placed his hand about level with her shoulders, only a foot or so from his chest.