by Lisa Cassidy
“Are you sure?” Dashan breathed, his words dancing over her cheek.
“I’m not in love with him,” she whispered the painful truth. “I want to be, but I’m not. I’ve changed, I don’t know if I was ever really in love with him, or if I mistook friendship for love.”
“And me?” His shifted back slightly, eyes searching her face, lighter than she’d ever seen them.
She huffed a laugh. “I don’t even know how this is possible. You irritate me, I irritate you. We argue constantly.”
“You know that’s not true anymore.”
A small smile curled her lips. “I like fighting with you.”
“In case it’s not clear, I want this,” he said with such sincerity her heart lurched. “Yes, you irritate me, but you also challenge me, make me want to be better. You have no idea how strong and smart and beautiful you are.”
She smiled, turning her head up to capture his lips again. They kissed more slowly, taking their time. She wondered whether she’d ever get enough of this wonderful feeling, like she was floating and falling all at the same time.
Eventually she had to pull back for air, smiling up into his handsome face. “Can it just be the two of us, just for a short time?” she asked. “I mean, I know we’ll have to tell people eventually, but I need some time to let this… how I feel …settle.”
He smiled, brown eyes soft and warm as he regarded her. “I think that can be arranged.”
Alyx stepped away as her magic warned her that Dawn was approaching with the others. Her irritated thoughts were leaking out loudly. “Go and apologise to Dunnat—he’s arriving with Tarrick and the twins. I’ll see you tonight?”
“I’m looking forward to it.” He winked at her, then walked away.
Alyx stayed where she was, needing several deep breaths to calm her heated skin and racing heartbeat. And like she had when first waking, she felt lighter, almost weightless with a slowly uncurling happiness.
She was smiling as she went to face Casovar for the day.
Chapter 10
A whisper of unshielded thought coming from the gardens behind her house had Alyx reaching instantly for her staff. It was late, and she was halfway back from the stables after checking on Tingo before turning in for the night. Her first instinct was to send her telepathic magic out to warn Tarrick, but by then she’d recognised who the thoughts belonged to.
Curiosity and anticipation mingling, she turned away from the front doors, her boots crunching on the pebbled drive as she walked around the side of the mansion and through a gate into the back gardens.
“Brynn?” Why was it he was always showing up when she least expected it?
The blond mage stepped out from the shadows of a large tree, grinning at the look on her face. “Fancy meeting you here!”
Alyx stared at him for a moment. She wasn’t entirely sure whether she was still angry at him, or genuinely pleased to see him. In the end she decided it was a mix of both. Learning he’d been hunting Taliath potentials in his job as a council spy had horrified her, but she believed him when he’d told her he hadn’t known the council was planning to murder them.
“Are you going to stand there staring at me all night?” he inquired eventually.
“I don’t even know where to start,” she said dryly. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s an easy one.” He brightened. “By fortunate coincidence, I was visiting my family when Captain Rodin delivered your hastily written note to Sarah.”
“I didn’t think you’d get that for months, or that you’d make sense of it if you did.” Alyx made a face. “Dashan wouldn’t give me more than a few minutes in Weeping Stead on the way out.”
“I did understand it, and I went to see Romas the next day. I told him that all the travelling the council had me doing was wearing me down and I needed a break, a new assignment.” Brynn’s mouth quirked. “I had to use every inch of mage power I possess to convince him.”
“Are you sure he was convinced?” she asked sceptically. Brynn’s magic was in his voice, but even so, Romas was no fool.
“Not completely, but it’s plausible enough. I’ve been travelling nonstop for almost two years tracking... well, you know what I was doing.” Brynn’s face turned momentarily dark. “I exaggerated how exhausted I was, how I needed to be in one place, even if just for a little while. I even implied I was thinking of leaving the mage order because it was getting to be too much.”
“And what did they say to that?” Her scepticism deepened. Romas wasn’t exactly one to care about individual mages’ wellbeing.
“Here’s where it gets weird. They asked if I’d be willing to come here and work for the council as a spy in Alistriem.”
“You’re telling me Romas not only believed you about wanting a break, he then suggested you travel to Alistriem where I just happen to be?” She scoffed. “What are they up to?”
“I swear, I don’t know.” He raised both hands in the air. “But here are some things I do know. Galien will pass his trials soon—within weeks he’ll be a fully-fledged mage warrior spending all his time working for the council. I imagine that means there is less need for what I was doing, because Galien will be able to hunt and track himself, and will probably do it more efficiently given the number of magical abilities he possesses.”
Alyx’s stomach turned at the thought of Taliath potentials being killed more efficiently, but Brynn was right. “Go on.”
“I also know the council doesn’t have good coverage of Rionn. And I know that the council is aware that we’re good friends.” He gave a bitter smile. “I’ve been authorised to tell you I’m alive.”
Alyx laughed, but there was no warmth in it. “They think your friendship with me will give you better access into Rionn.”
“That’s where logic takes me.” Brynn sighed.
“How long have they posted you here? I’ll be heading back to DarkSkull in a few weeks.”
“They told me it could be months, but weren’t any clearer than that.”
“I’m glad,” she said. “Despite all the council’s machinations, I feel better knowing that you’ll be here after I’m gone. I worry about my father, and Cayr.”
“You know I’ll do my best to look out for them.” Brynn craned his neck as he studied his surroundings. “Nice place you have here. A little larger than mine.”
“I liked yours better.”
“Really?”
“It was warm, and cozy, and filled with people who love you. I love my home, but this place is big and, at times, cold.”
Brynn grinned again and held up a hand, revealing a bottle of cider that had been hidden in his robes. “I’ve got something that will make us warm and cozy. Want some?”
She glanced up at her bedroom window, where her large, comfortable bed and thick quilt awaited her. It was dark in there though, and empty. Tarrick had already gone to bed and her father was still at the palace. And while weariness tugged at her, she’d missed Brynn.
“I’d love some.”
They settled down at the base of the tree, leaning against it and stretching their legs out before them. Brynn took a swig from the bottle and passed it to Alyx, who did the same. The cider was an equal mix of sweet and bubbles, and the alcohol warmed her from the inside out.
“How’s Dashan?” Brynn asked casually.
“Why do you have such a fixation... ” Alyx spun towards him, mouth falling open as she caught a tendril of his thoughts. “You knew!”
“It was bloody obvious.” He beamed unabashedly. “What about Cayr?”
“He’s a subject I don’t plan on discussing with you, apart from saying he’s away from the city right now.”
“But you and Dashan are...” He waggled his fingers.
She raised her eyebrows. “What does that mean?”
“You know.” He waggled them again.
“I don’t. Nobody knows what that means,” she said primly.
“Ha! I don’t need you to tell me, a
nyway. You have that look on your face.”
“What look?”
“The look I had after the first time that Sarah and I…”
“Dash and I haven’t gotten anywhere near that far yet,” Alyx said hastily.
“Yet?” He raised his eyebrows in amusement. “So you plan for it to happen?”
“No! I mean…” She glared at him. “Shut up.”
He looked away. “That’s probably a good thing.”
Alyx frowned at him. Brynn sounded unusually sober. “Can we please stop talking about Dashan?”
“Sure. Tell me what’s been happening here? I only arrived yesterday.”
Alyx related everything, giving him a rough overview of their experiences of Casovar and concern about the Mage Guard.
“Hmm.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
“I haven’t spoken to the lord-mage yet, and probably won’t, so I’ll take your word for what he’s like.”
Alyx was confused. “Why won’t you be speaking with Casovar?”
“I’m here as a council representative, and Casovar is no longer a council mage.” Brynn shrugged. “My mandate isn’t the protection of Rionn, it’s the protection of the mage order. Which reminds me, there’s another thing I have to tell you.”
“Do I want to know?” she asked sourly.
“You might like this piece of news.” Brynn rolled his eyes. “My priority here is to carry out tasking for the council and report back. However, I have been told that when I have capacity, I’m to undertake any tasking that you may have for me.”
“You’re kidding?” Alyx stared at him in astonishment.
“I’m very serious.”
“Then I want you watching the Mage Guard,” she said without hesitation. When he raised his eyebrows at her eagerness, she gave him a more detailed accounting of the situation. “Cayr promised he was looking into it, but he’s away from the city indefinitely. My father insists he’s got the situation under control, but if we can get proof of the Mage Guard going too far, he could take it straight to the king. I’ll talk to Tarrick tomorrow, but I’m sure he’ll agree.”
“You can’t.” He was already shaking his head. “Romas was very clear on that. We’re to tell nobody else of my existence.”
“I can’t keep lying to them about this. Do you have any idea how happy they would be to know you’re alive?” The longer she kept the secret, the more pain she caused her friends.
“You have to,” he said helplessly. “I’m only useful as a spy if nobody knows I’m here. Do you really want word getting to Casovar that the Mage Council has a spy in Alistriem? Particularly since you clearly don’t trust him yet.”
Alyx sighed, letting her head fall back against the rough bark of the tree. “Great. More secrets. More lies.”
Another several days passed before Casovar broached the topic of their summons again. They’d been home just over two weeks and apart from reviewing reports and training with Casovar, no other work had eventuated. While having extra eyes to get through the high number of reports that came in each day was no doubt useful for the lord-mage, Alyx wondered whether it really had warranted summoning them home early from DarkSkull.
Part of her didn’t care. As condescending and arrogant as Casovar was, having the longer break from the harsh learning environment at DarkSkull wasn’t the worst thing in the world. At least she didn’t have to study for tests every day and face Rothai every morning. And being so far away from the council was a relief she hadn’t anticipated. Not feeling the bitter tide of anger that twisted in her chest every time she had to deal with Romas or think about how the council operated was a heavy weight off her shoulders.
The door opened, breaking Alyx from her thoughts. Casovar walked through carrying a large rolled map under his arm. He gestured for them to join him at the map table as he spoke. “I’d like to discuss further the reason I recalled you back here early.”
Alyx and the twins glanced at each other in surprise as he unrolled the map onto the table and took a seat. Tarrick instantly leaned over it, frowning slightly as his eyes ran over the detail.
“My decision to bring you home from DarkSkull was prompted by information I received indicating the Shiven leader has appointed a new commander for his army, and that they are planning to annex the disputed area,” Casovar said.
“Information from where?”
“How credible is the information, sir?”
Alyx and Tarrick spoke at the same time, and she cast a rueful glance in his direction. Unsurprisingly, Casovar chose to answer Tarrick’s question.
“Initially, I questioned the source,” he said. “But I subsequently received complementary information in a different report. I am confident it is accurate.”
“If Shivasa tries to take the disputed area by force, that will be tantamount to a declaration of war,” Finn said.
Casovar’s thin eyebrows drew together as he frowned. “Not quite. The disputed area is after all named that way for a reason. Shivasa will insist they are merely reclaiming their own territory.”
“Maybe so, sir, but that can’t be all they want,” Tarrick said.
“You are right, Apprentice. If it were just the disputed territory they were after, then why the attacks in Tregaya over the last twelve months?”
“You mean the attacks on DarkSkull Hall?” Dawn said carefully.
“Yes, King Mastaran apprised the king of them when he was in Carhall,” Casovar agreed, giving no indication he knew they’d been involved in defending against the attacks. Alyx gave a small sigh of relief. “No doubt Shivasa’s end game is to expand its territories, and Rionn is in the weakest position. Our army does not match the might of Zandia, nor do we have the same strength in mage power that Carhall possesses. They will come for us first.”
This was the first inkling Alyx had had of why the king had grown to rely on Casovar so much. As a mage of the higher order, he was worth an army of mage warriors. He also clearly had good information sources.
“Do you know anything about the new army commander, sir?” Finn asked.
“No,” Casovar said quickly, looking down at a point on the map. “I have my sources trying to obtain any information they can.”
“How can we help?” Dawn asked.
“Since your return, I’ve been developing a better understanding of your skills and abilities. I will be deploying you to the disputed area to help in holding the Shiven back. If they annex the disputed area completely, Rionn will be in serious trouble. You will be my mage force in the field, similar to the way that the Zandian emperor deploys his trained mages.”
Shock flared on all their faces, and Alyx spoke up before thinking. “Sir, we’re not even close to being fully trained. We technically haven’t even finished our second year.”
“You don’t need to be at DarkSkull to continue your training,” he said brusquely, rolling up the map. “I am a mage of the higher order with many years’ experience. There is no better teacher for you.”
“I don’t see how you can teach us if we’re deployed to the disputed area,” she pushed.
Irritation clouded his features. “You won’t be permanently out in the field, Apprentice.”
A silence fell. Alyx wanted to look at the others to see their expressions, but controlled herself. It was Finn who broke the silence, speaking aloud what they were all starting to realise.
“You never intended for us to go back to DarkSkull at all, did you, sir?”
“No. The sooner you accept that you belong to me, Apprentices, the better off you’ll be,” Casovar said, letting the words resound through the shocked silence.
Alyx’s fury at his claim of ownership literally made her hands shake. She kept her eyes downcast as she fought for control, fists white-knuckled at her sides, doing everything she could to keep from showing him her anger. This was what I chose, she told herself determinedly. I chose to go back to DarkSkull to be a mage.
When none of them protested,
Casovar gave a satisfied nod. “You’ll be leaving tomorrow for the disputed area. Please pack a bag and be down on the military dock at least a half hour before dawn to meet the army captains travelling with you. The ship will leave on the dawn tide.”
“Sir, I understand that we’re here to help you in defending Rionn,” Tarrick said quietly. “But I have to emphasise that we are not trained warrior mages.”
“And I’m not sending you into battle, Apprentice, not yet,” Casovar said. “You’re going up there to familiarise yourselves with the area and integrate with the army. You’ll only be there a few weeks, then I’ll bring you back to continue your training. If and when the Shiven move in force against the disputed area, I’ll reassess your role.”
“Yes, sir.” Tarrick nodded.
“Oh, and one more thing,” Casovar said as they stood. “Any more drunken incidents like the one last week, and you’ll regret it severely. Am I clear?”
Alyx took a step forward without thinking, her fists clenched so hard at her sides that her nails dug painfully into her palms. Casovar’s glance caught hers, mocking her, daring her to make a move against him. Her anger screamed to be let out, making her stomach roil as she held it in. But by responding, she’d be letting him win.
“Something you wanted to say, Alyx?” he asked politely.
“No, sir.” Her voice came out admirably calm. “I’ll be at the docks tomorrow morning, as you requested.”
“It won’t be necessary for you to bring a bag,” Casovar said coolly. “There’s no point in deploying a useless mage to the borders. You’ll stay here and continue working with the Mage Guard.”
Fury at the insult to her pride flared so strongly it was on the tip of her tongue to admit what she was, put him back in his place, but the challenge in his grey eyes stopped her. A reaction was what he wanted... and until she understood why, she refused to give it to him.
She hated it, was disgusted with herself for doing it, but bowed to his authority. “Yes, sir.”