by C. A. McHugh
As soon as he did, he prepared for the slap in the face that he was certain would follow. But much to his surprise, she deepened the kiss in a way that made him want to drag her to bed and shed every piece of that ill-fitting, ostentatious outfit he’d stolen.
One thing was certain—she kissed like a woman who’d had plenty of practice, which convinced him she was more than some eighteen-year-old—maybe—who’d just earned her master’s robes.
So he continued on guilt-free, indulging in the sweetness of her mouth and the soft curves of her body as the guards ran past them, not so much as giving them a second look. After all, this might be his only chance to enjoy her company without having to pretend she was sixteen.
As soon as the guards called off the search in the garden and retreated to another part of the palace, she broke away. Her breasts strained against the confines of her dress with every quick breath she took. Her full lips had deepened into a seductive red hue. And the flush of her cheeks told him she’d enjoyed the kiss as much as he did.
He grinned. “Sixteen-year-olds don’t kiss like that.”
She swung her hand to deliver that slap he’d been expecting, but he ducked out of her way. “You are an ass.”
“So you probably don’t want to hear about my ability to cast a camouflage spell?” He demonstrated it to her, blending in with the bark on the tree.
“Bastard.” The same blue sparks danced on her fingertips as he’d seen when she cast that spell on Ceryst and paralyzed him.
He grabbed her wrists and pinned them behind her. “It must’ve been a good kiss to get you all riled up like this.”
Her green eyes flashed with outrage, reminding him of a hissing cat. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t call for the guards right now.”
He chuckled and released her. She was pissed, but if she’d wanted to seriously hurt him, she would’ve done it by now. “Ceryst and I both know you’re not as young as you’re pretending to be. Master Binnius let us in on your mission, and as long as you use your skills as a master mage to protect Aerrin, I’ll go along with the ruse. But I’m beginning to believe you’re hiding something else.”
He moved closer until his face was mere inches away from hers. “What’s your secret, Seroney? What are you hiding from us?”
“Perhaps you should ask my uncle.” The words appeared to slip out before she could stop herself, judging by the horror on her face, but it was too late to take it back. She stammered to cover it up, but he pressed one finger to her lips.
“Who is your uncle?” If she could truthfully answer that, then maybe he could believe her story about being there to protect Aerrin.
She tried to maneuver past him, but he blocked her escape.
“Just give me one honest answer.”
She huffed, then looked up at him with irritation. “Binnius.”
He had another missing puzzle piece. And by the goddess, it explained so much.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me—”
He grabbed one arm in attempt to halt her long enough to smooth things over. “Seroney, I—”
“I think I’ve lingered in your company long enough.” She shoved his hands away and flung the cape back at him.
Raimel darted in front of her and gripped both arms. “Please, give me a moment.”
“Let go of me, or I’ll make what I did to Ceryst look like a child’s prank.” A predatory gleam appeared in her eyes that made his blood run cold.
And that was saying a lot, considering what he was.
“Besides, I’m not the only one hiding something,” she continued in a thinly veiled threat. “So are you.”
His blood turned to ice. What if all this time, she’d been manipulating him? What if her kiss wasn’t meant to conceal, but rather, lower his guard enough so he would reveal what he was? What if she knew what he was?
I’m so screwed.
At least fifteen years with Ceryst had taught him how to sooth a savage beast, and right now, he needed to make nice with Seroney before she exposed him.
“Calm down and let me apologize.” He waited until she stopped struggling and allowed him to speak. “If I’ve offended you, I’m sorry. Perhaps you should know that every messenger Aerrin sent to organize an investigation into the Raven Bringer’s whereabouts has been assassinated.”
Her eyes widened, and he loosened his grip as he continued. “Someone who knew about the letters gave the orders for the assassins to kill them. Someone who is in the palace right now. And Ceryst and I have spent the whole evening trying to figure out who’s behind this. And we need to work together if we want to stop the Raven Bringer before Aerrin suffers the same fate as his parents.”
She waited until her breathing returned to normal. “Fine. But no more questions.”
“It goes both ways.” He grinned and hoped she’d reciprocate. “I heard about that firebird you saved Aerrin from, so I know you’re someone I shouldn’t piss off.”
Her rage finally cracked, and a laugh broke free. “As someone who took out four demons in one night, perhaps it should be the other way around.”
“You think four is impressive? They were lone krimpii. I’ve taken on bigger and badder hordes before.”
Recognition flashed across her face. “You were bragging about taking out a krimpus?”
“Yes, I know they weren’t a Jarilith, but they’re still deadly little buggers.” Relief eased through him. He’d managed to smooth things over once again.
Raimel hung the cloak back over her shoulders. The wind tossed one of her stray ringlets along her cheek. He caught it and gently uncoiled the strand like a child discovering something new and wonderful about the world. Somewhere in his heart, he believed he’d found a kindred spirit, someone he could trust with his secret.
Just not tonight. Maybe not ever, if he wanted to protect her from what he really was.
“Why did you come out here tonight?” she whispered.
“To be honest, I—” He tucked the ringlet behind her ear. “I just wanted to get to know you better.”
There. The simple and honest truth. And after everything that had transpired over the last few minutes, he felt like he finally did know her.
He took a step back, forcing himself to focus on business instead of pleasure. “I need to go if we’re going to find clues left behind by those assassins.”
She caught his hand as he started to walk away. “Stay safe.”
“You, too. Keep an eye on Aerrin. Things are just beginning to get bad, but they’ll be much worse before long. I can feel it.”
He slid his fingers from hers and turned around before she lured him into staying any longer. Stop thinking with your dick. He had to remember why he was here in the first place. Aerrin’s life was in danger, and just like her, he’d promised to protect him. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by this strange but beautiful woman who was hiding as many secrets as he was.
He retrieved his clothes from where he’d left them and discarded the stolen ones. They’d caused more trouble than they were worth.
Then again, that kiss would rate up there with the best kind of trouble, so maybe it wasn’t a complete wash.
Instead of returning to Ceryst, he changed course for another chamber in the palace. He needed to have a little talk with Master Binnius before he left.
Chapter 23
After the ball ended, Aerrin paid a visit to Master Binnius to share what Raimel had reported and found the old man tying small pieces of paper to the feet of pigeons. “What are you doing?”
“Sending messages in a more secure manner.” He released one of the pigeons and fetched the next one.
“So you already know about the assassinations of the royal messengers.”
“Indeed I do. Raimel was kind enough to inform me, and I decided to not waste a second.” He released another pigeon. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m taking matters into my own hands.”
Aerrin reached for one the tiny scrolls, only to be nipped by one o
f the birds. He shook the sting out of his finger. “Depends on what you’re up to, old man.”
“I’m sending word to masters I trust throughout the kingdom to be even more vigilant for any activity that might be related to the Raven Bringer. They’ve been helpful so far about reports of attacks, but it’s more imperative than ever that we work together to track the source.”
Master Binnius continued his work in silence for a few minutes before asking, “Do you know why the Servant of Zelquis is called the Raven Bringer? Years ago, when he was at the height of his power, a flock of ravens followed him wherever he went and grew fat from picking the flesh off his victims. Remember that, Aerrin, for whenever you see a flock of ravens in the sky, he is not far away.”
The headmaster released the last pigeon.
A harbinger of hope to combat the ravens that threatened to consume his kingdom.
***
Aerrin secured his saddlebags and noticed Seroney was watching him over her horse. Her worried frown did little to lift his sullen mood. He’d acted, and everything that could go wrong did. The Privy Council still refused to believe him. The messengers he’d sent had all been killed, and the city guard wanted to blame the King of Thieves for their deaths rather than admit there were demons loose on the streets, despite the testimony of witnesses.
With his conversation with Master Binnius last night still fresh in his mind, Aerrin checked the sky. No ravens to be seen. Just a clear blue, cloudless sky.
A stable hand came over to inspect the saddle. “Best be careful, Your Majesty,” the man said in a low voice. “Please allow me to double-check your fastenings.”
The stable hand met his gaze and winked.
Raimel.
Aerrin opened his mouth to speak, but a single finger to the man’s lips signaled him to be quiet.
“Have no worries, Your Majesty. Everything is secure and in good working order.” Then Raimel leaned in and added, “Just be careful of those lone wolves. They like to follow people on the road.”
In other words, Ceryst would be following them from a safe distance. He nodded.
Raimel bowed and retreated a few steps before turning to Seroney.
The look of scorn she gave the thief could’ve made any man tremble, but Raimel only grinned wider. He tipped his hat to her. “Good morning, my lady. Can I offer my services to you?”
“I think I can handle my own horse,” she replied, her words clipped.
Undeterred by her response, Raimel continued to approach her until he stood on the opposite side of her horse, his elbows resting on the saddle. “Surely, a delicate flower like yourself need not be bothered—”
A sharp yip halted his flirtations, and the last sparks of a spell lingered in the air.
“I told you, I can take care of myself.” Seroney grabbed the reins and led her horse away.
Aerrin smiled, in spite of himself. Obviously, she had no problem putting the flippant thief in his place.
Once they were on the road, he urged his steed into a trot to catch up with Seroney. “How have you been?”
Her voice was flat. “I’ve been better.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “You?”
“I have a few things on my mind that are troubling me.”
“So I’ve heard.” She didn’t even look at him. Her attention seemed more fixed on the trees than the king riding beside her.
He ran his finger along the collar of his tunic to figure out why it felt so tight. He searched for another topic and spied Nyssa riding as far as she could from Leandros. He pointed it out to Seroney. “I thought things were going well with the two of them.”
“It seems Leandros tried to apologize about his behavior at the ball this morning, he stuck his foot in his mouth and spoke without thinking, as usual.”
Aerrin groaned. “What now?”
“He said something along the lines that if Nyssa had actually taken the time to make herself look pretty and not keep her nose in a book all the time, she might have been able to attract more men. Of course, Nyssa got upset, and they had another one of their spats.”
“Give her a couple of days for her pride to simmer down, and they’ll be on speaking terms again.”
“You sound like you’ve had to deal with this before.”
“As long as I’ve known them.” He grew quiet and fiddled with his reins. “Why didn’t you tell me Master Binnius was your uncle?”
She cursed under her breath. “Did Raimel tell you that?”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
She finally turned to him, her expression hinting at exasperation. “He’s not my uncle. He’s my great-uncle.”
“Still avoiding my question.” And more important, why? If she’d just told him that from the beginning, it would’ve erased most of his doubts about her.
“You of all people should understand why a person would want to be judged by their own merits instead of who they are related to.”
Point made. “Is he from there, too?”
“Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Avoiding his questions again, which only seemed to confirm Master Binnius was from the other side of the Divide.
“Instead of worrying about people’s origins, focus on your own problems,” she continued, turning her attention back to the scenery. “Raimel told me about the messengers. The Privy Council harbors a traitor.”
His stomach sank. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Only those sitting around that table knew about the letters and the messengers. “Your great-uncle needs to be careful when he goes behind the council’s back. He’s not very popular with a few of the members as it is, and if word got out that he’s taking matters into his own hands, they could press for his removal from the Privy Council and the Academy.”
“True, but his intentions are good. And hopefully by these means, he can gather enough evidence to convince the Privy Council of the dire situation we’re in. But I also think we should resume our lessons when we return,” she said.
He agreed. The turn of events made it even more important to know how to handle demons, and Seroney was the only one who was willing to teach him.
The single caw of a raven echoed through the trees on his right, and he flinched. Thank the goddess, it was a lone bird and not the swarm he’d been warned about.
Seroney watched it fly away, her face as hard as any warrior’s. “As soon as we possibly can.”
***
The first day of the journey back to the Academy was uneventful, but Seroney still remained on edge as they approached the Green Mountains. The pass between the ridges would provide a perfect setup for an ambush, and even though they had twelve members of the Royal Guard, three battle mages, and one master mage with them, they’d have a hard time defending themselves if the Raven Bringer attacked.
I need to teach him how to teleport. Much safer than this.
It was late afternoon when Seroney noticed movement through the trees. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, that it was just the sunlight flickering through the leaves as they rode, but as she watched, a solid form emerged from the shadows.
She pulled up on the reins to slow her mare. Demons preferred to attack at night, when their powers were at their peak, so she doubted she had anything to fear as long as the sun was still in the sky. But if they were being followed…
A quick glance around her party confirmed that none of the others had noticed it.
But then, their eyes were not as sensitive as hers.
When she saw the movement again, she halted the group and dismounted.
“What are you doing?” Leandros asked. “If we’re going to make—”
“Shush!” She crept through the trees to the place where she last saw it while drawing up her magic. These woods held more than just demons, as Aerrin and his comrades found out when they inadvertently disturbed that firebird. The other creatures found here could be just as deadly as anything the Raven Bringer sent t
heir way.
A slender white horse stepped into the last of the golden afternoon sunlight, and Seroney gasped. “Nyssa,” she whispered, motioning for the other girl to join her. “You have to see this.”
Nyssa joined her, her eyes wide with awe. “A unicorn.”
Leandros and Aerrin scrambled from their horses so they could see it, too, followed by the mages. Just as she’d suspected, unicorns were as rare in Elgeus as they were in Oudesta, and no one wanted to miss an opportunity to see one.
The unicorn tossed his head and backed away.
Seroney held out her arms. “Men make them nervous. Be respectful and keep your distance.”
“Do you think I can touch it?” Nyssa asked.
“If he’ll allow it.”
Nyssa approached the unicorn with slow, quiet steps, her hand outstretched.
“Stop and wait for him to acknowledge you,” Seroney instructed. “They are very particular about those they come in contact with them, and he’ll need to judge your character before he’ll allow you to come closer.”
“Your friend speaks the truth, Your Majesty.” Master Taylind, the master mage in their company, remained near the tree line. “A unicorn is a symbol of purity and innocence and, therefore, should never be sullied by those they deem unworthy.”
A look of panic flashed across Nyssa’s face. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean to offend him.”
The unicorn gave a soft whinny and nudged Nyssa with his nose. Her entire face lit up with joy as she nuzzled him in return. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Aerrin nodded toward the creature. “Why don’t you pet it?”
“Because I don’t feel I am worthy of such an honor,” she replied.
“You are wrong,” a voice said in Elvish.
Seroney looked around to discover the source. Was she the only one who heard it?
Then she gazed into the unicorn’s eyes and had her answer when he bobbed his head. “How do you know Elvish?” she asked in the same language.
Nyssa looked up, her brows raised in confusion. “Who are you talking to, Seroney?”
The unicorn tossed his head to shake free of Nyssa and approached Seroney. “I know you for who you are. I have not seen your kind in these woods for many years, but I have not forgotten your tongue, elf-girl.”