by Lisa Cassidy
“I’m sorry that you didn’t have more faith in me.” She swallowed, tried not to sway on her feet. “Now please, leave me alone.”
He nodded and left. As soon as he was gone, Alyx sank to the ground, sobbing until she had no tears left to give.
Chapter 31
“Dashan Caverlock is a traitor and a criminal,” Casovar said. “You will not make any effort to see or help the Shiven half-blood. Am I clear, Apprentice?”
Alyx’s nails dug so tightly into her palms they drew blood, but her voice remained polite. “Yes, sir.”
“That goes for the rest of you,” Casovar’s gaze travelled over Tarrick and the twins. “I—”
The door slammed open, and Casovar cast an annoyed glance at the Mage Guard soldier that walked in. “What is it, Tordren?”
“Lord-Mage.” He bowed hastily. “There’s a fire in one of the markets. A unit of Bluecoats has cordoned off the area and isn’t allowing anyone in or out until the blaze has been contained.”
“The Bluecoats are over-stepping their mark as usual, but why do I care about a fire in the markets?”
The young soldier flushed at the contempt in Casovar’s voice. “Part of the area they’ve cordoned off includes the eastern city gates.” His flush deepened at Casovar’s withering stare, but he gamely persevered. “They won’t let anyone in or out, sir. Not even Mage Guard.”
“Very well. I will speak to Lord-General Caverlock to clear the matter up,” Casovar said icily.
“Yes, sir.”
Casovar turned to Alyx and her friends. “Get back to work! I’ll return to check on your progress later.”
As soon as he and Tordren were gone, all eyes turned to Dawn. She raised a hand, bidding them wait, before giving a firm nod. “They’re out of hearing range. Nobody else is around.”
“You think that was Casta and the others?” Tarrick asked Alyx.
“Probably.” She nodded. “They’ll be keeping the gate clear for Dashan to get out once Cayr issues the release order.”
Finn winced. “I hope we’re not around when Casovar finds out Dashan is gone.”
Alyx couldn’t look at him. Dawn glanced between the two of them—she had to know something of what had happened, the twins were too close for her not to, but it didn’t seem as if he’d told her everything.
“What’s going on?” the telepath demanded.
“I—”
“No.” Dawn cut her brother off. “If I didn’t value you both so much I would have read your minds by now. Something is going on between the two of you, and I’m sick of the secrets. Whatever it is, Tarrick and I deserve to know.”
Finn gave a little shrug and turned to Alyx, lifting his eyebrows. Tarrick seemed puzzled, but he nodded in support of Dawn.
“I don’t know if this is the best place to... ” Alyx instinctively tried to stall, but then shook her head. Dashan would be gone soon, and then it didn’t matter what Casovar might read in their minds about him. “No. Dawn, you’re right. You deserve to know.”
“Well?” Tarrick said impatiently.
Alyx sighed, fixing her gaze firmly on the opposite wall. This is harder than I could have ever imagined. She dreaded their reaction more than anything.
“Dashan and I had a relationship.” She paused, sucked in a breath. “Finn seems to think that makes me a threat to everybody, even though I ended it as soon as I found out what he is.”
The ensuing silence was so thick Alyx could feel it pressing down on her. Several long moments passed before she was able to summon the courage to look at them.
“You had a romantic relationship with Dash?” Tarrick clarified, the look on his face indicating he was caught between disbelief and confusion.
“Yes.”
“How serious?”
Alyx opened her mouth, hesitated, then made the deliberate decision to lie. Finn’s accusations had undermined her faith and trust in their friendship, and she had to protect Dashan, and herself. “It wasn’t serious, just a casual thing. You know me and Dash, we couldn’t go half a day without arguing.” She flashed them a smile. “Even if I hadn’t learned he was a Taliath, it wouldn’t have lasted long.”
Dawn was frowning. “Then why didn’t you tell us?’
“Because you were away in the disputed area. By the time you came back it was over. There was nothing to tell.”
“You still should have told us,” Finn said flatly.
“Why?” she snapped. “So you could report him to the council like you threatened to do last night?”
“Enough!” Dawn cried, and Finn closed his mouth abruptly. “Both of you have done the wrong thing, and yelling at each other about it will only make things worse.”
Tarrick spoke into the ensuing silence. “Dawn is right. It’s good that Dashan’s leaving, for more reasons than the obvious. Alyx, if the council knew you’d had a relationship with a Taliath, no matter how casual, you’d be in as much danger as he is.”
Alyx reached up to rub at her aching temples. “We all know that. Besides, I’m not invulnerable.”
“I don’t think they’d care,” Finn mumbled.
“He’s right. We don’t talk about this ever again, and none of us breathes a word of it to anyone,” Tarrick insisted. “Am I clear? Finn, that means you too. And if you really have got some idea in your head of reporting Dashan to the council, then you get rid of it right now. I won’t allow it.”
Tears welled in Alyx’s eyes. Always Tarrick’s first instinct was to protect her, even when she’d hidden something so important from him. Even when she was still lying. But telling the truth meant telling Finn too, and she didn’t trust him with that knowledge anymore. Her heart ached in physical pain at that thought.
Finn’s eyes were on Alyx when he spoke. “I’ll do as you say, Tarrick.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Alyx said. “I’m sorry for not telling you, and I’m sorry for taking control of Third Patrol. Tarrick, the job is yours. Whatever you decide to do next, I’ll do it. I trust you.”
He bowed his head slightly. “Thank you.”
“Are you happy now?” She forced Finn to meet her gaze, challenging him to say different.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” she cut him off, still furious at his lack of faith in her, even though part of her knew he had good reason for it. “Let’s just move on.”
He stiffened and gave a short nod.
Dawn glanced between Finn and Alyx, concern written in her blue eyes. Taking a breath, she focused on Tarrick. “What comes next? I’d like to know why Shakar is haunting Alyx’s dreams. Could it be he sees her as a threat?”
“If that’s the case, Alyx should be dead already. He’s taken out all the other powerful mages one by one—assuming he’s behind the missing mages,” Finn said bluntly.
“He doesn’t want to destroy me, he wants me to join him,” she said.
“He couldn’t expect you to do that willingly, not unless he’s offered you something in return,” Finn said, piercing her with his gaze.
She stiffened, but didn’t back down from him. “He promised me the Taliath would be safe once the council was destroyed.”
“I suppose he means all the Taliath that aren’t killed trying to stop him from destroying the world,” Dawn said dryly.
Alyx smiled, relaxing slightly. “I suppose.”
“It’s disturbing that he knows you so well,” Finn said, clearly choosing not to challenge her further.
“You know what doesn’t make sense to me?” Tarrick said. “He was presumed killed fifty years ago—where has he been this whole time? And if he’s planning to try and destroy the council again, why hasn’t he tried yet?”
“I’ve been thinking on that,” Finn said. “Last time Shakar made no attempt to hide what he was doing, and he ended up with the entire mage and Taliath orders hunting him down. They cornered him in Serrin and almost killed him. If I were him, I’d do things differently the second
time. I’d plan.”
“Fifty years of planning?” Dawn raised an eyebrow. “That thought gives me chills.”
“The disappearing mages? Unrest in Shivasa? Increasing tensions with Rionn? Attacks on DarkSkull?” Finn ticked off each statement with his fingers. “I wonder who first suggested to the council that it would be a good idea to get rid of the Taliath?”
“He’s trying to destroy the world first, before stepping in to take it over,” Tarrick muttered.
“And what have we got to stop him?” Finn asked.
All eyes turned to Alyx, and she instantly began shaking her head. “Don’t look at me. Being a half-trained mage of the higher order doesn’t make me the solution to Shakar. As much as I hate to say it, we need the council and all its resources. Brynn should be back any day, and by then Dashan will be safely out of the city. We’ll have a little bit of time to plan what to do about Casovar, and then Shakar.”
“Do you think Dashan is safely away yet?” Dawn wandered over to the window.
Alyx stood, unable to sit still any longer. “I’ll go and see Cayr. He can tell me if the orders have been issued.”
“Good idea,” Tarrick said. “The rest of us will get started on those reports, give Casovar no reason to believe we’ve been doing anything but working hard while Dashan escapes.”
Alyx headed towards the royal wing, figuring she would be most likely to find Cayr with his father at this time of day. She walked slowly and pasted a smile on her face, greeting those she recognised in the halls cheerfully.
When Jenna appeared, gliding down a thickly-carpeted hallway and looking as stunning as ever, Alyx groaned inwardly.
“Lady Egalion, how nice to see you.”
She almost laughed at how insincere the words were. “Jenna. How are you?”
“I’m looking for my father, actually. Have you seen him?”
“Earlier. He went to speak with Lord-General Caverlock and I haven’t seen him since,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to visit Cayr.”
Alyx had been unable to help needling Jenna, and felt quick satisfaction at the flash of anger in the young woman’s eyes.
“I’ll come with you.” Jenna hid her reaction quickly, her voice polite as always. “Perhaps my father will be with him. They spend a lot of time together, you know? My father has a lot of respect for Prince Cayr.”
“Does he?” Alyx spoke dryly. She wondered if Jenna knew anything of her father’s plans or ambitions. The girl had never seemed stupid to Alyx—she’d always gotten the sense there was a cool intelligence underneath the beauty. Not for the first time, she wondered at Jenna’s origins. “How old were you when he adopted you?”
“Five. My real parents died in a fire.” She frowned a little. “I don’t really remember much about that time.”
Curiosity—mixed with a touch of sympathy she’d never admit to—temporarily overrode Alyx’s distaste for any sort of conversation with Jenna. “Why would Lord-Mage Casovar adopt an orphan girl?”
Jenna seemed unbothered by the question, and gave a little shrug. “Father and I have been useful to each other.”
Alyx laughed dryly. “I see. He gives you dresses, wealth and status, and you give him the appearance of a loving family man who performed the selfless act of taking on an orphan girl to raise. The king must have loved that quality when it came time to choose a replacement for Astor.”
“I concede that you’ve won, Alyx.” Jenna stopped walking suddenly, dropping the polite tone and speaking with cool honesty. “And I have no intention of demeaning myself by fighting with you over Cayr.”
Taken-aback, Alyx said nothing, and Jenna continued into the silence. “Nor am I foolish enough to suggest that we should be friends. I hope we can agree to a truce, however. After all, we both inhabit the same world.”
“I’m not interested in a truce with you, Jenna Casovar, because we’re not at war,” Alyx said eventually. “There was no fight over Cayr. He was never going to choose anyone but me. You stay out of my way from now on, and we’ll get along just fine.”
Not waiting for Jenna to respond, Alyx continued walking. A moment later Jenna caught up to her and they walked in silence for a moment before, “I’m not your enemy, Lady Egalion.”
“You could have fooled me.”
The Bluecoats on guard outside the king’s audience suite acknowledged Alyx’s appearance by standing aside, the younger of the two blushing when Jenna favoured him with a bright smile.
The reception room was empty. Jenna wasn’t far behind as Alyx continued through, pushing open one of the tall arched doors leading into the formal audience chamber.
Two steps in, she stopped dead at the sight before her, her mind not quite understanding what her eyes were telling her.
The king sat in his chair, head lolled back, his familiar blue eyes glazed over. Casovar was leaning over him, intense concentration turning his features more gaunt than usual. One long-fingered hand hovered over the king’s blond hair. The prickle of magic was live in the air, carrying straight to Alyx. The lord-mage’s concentration was so intense he hadn’t registered her entrance. But Jenna’s shocked gasp echoed loudly in the utter silence.
Casovar’s head snapped up, grey eyes locking straight onto Alyx’s. A snarl flashed over his face. Her lunge forward was borne of instinct screaming at her to help the king, but Casovar made a sharp gesture, eyes darkening as he summoned his offensive magic.
Desperately she reached for her own magic, already knowing she was a step too slow. Her boots pounded on the marble, silver-green light beginning to coalesce around her arms, but then his magic descended around her like a cage.
Thinking quickly, she did the only thing she had time to do—send a burst of magic out in a frantic distress call before succumbing to the clamps of his power closing over her mind.
Just like Shakar, he had her.
The last thing she saw was the look of complete and utter shock spreading across Jenna Casovar’s beautiful face.
Then there was only blackness.
Chapter 32
When Alyx drifted awake, memory was slow to reassert itself. When it did, panic set in and she tried to move. Pain flared white-hot as her wrists slammed up against iron manacles. Her breath escaped in a gasp, and wincing, she looked around.
Her back was pressed flat against a wall, arms spread out to either side, and she was in a small, dim room. Her feet barely touched the floor and were tightly enclosed in manacles even thicker than those holding her wrists.
Fear surged as she realised how securely she was being held and she struggled desperately for a few chaotic moments, but it was no use. Eventually she stopped, panting from the effort. The skin of her wrists was chafed raw, stinging and painful. A moment later she cursed herself for a fool–—she was a mage!—and reached inside for her magic.
Nothing happened.
Alarmed, she tried again.
Nothing. She couldn’t access her magic. Panic slammed through her in a wave so profound she found herself gasping for air. Several moments passed before she calmed enough to think straight. Her heart raced and her skin was clammy with sweat.
She had to calm down.
One deep, shuddering breath, then another. One more. Slowly, her heartbeat returned to something approaching normal, and she fought to hold on to that calm. One way to do that was to focus on her surroundings. She was in a room, but where?
The walls were wood, the dirt floor dry and uneven. A closed door stood opposite her, the knob rusted over. There was a window to her right, but it was grimy and cracked. Through it, Alyx could make out the green of tree branches. In the corner by the door was a small table that held a carafe of dark red wine and a single glass.
She had no idea where she was, didn’t even know how long she’d been unconscious. Casovar could have taken her anywhere. The panic threatened to surge through her again, and she held it back with an effort. Focus!
She was in the middle of trying to work o
ut whether there were any weaknesses in her manacles when a door sounded in the distance and footsteps approached. Alyx tensed, steeling herself for whatever was coming.
The door opened with a click and Casovar walked in, his face an expressionless mask as his cool grey eyes ran over her. “You’re awake.”
“What do you think you’re doing, Lord-Mage Casovar?” Alyx summoned every inch of hauteur she possessed and hurled it at him. “Let me go at once!”
“I think not.” He crossed to the table and poured himself a glass of the wine. Her eyes fixed on him as he took an appreciative sip. “I would suggest that you don’t try to escape, either. I’ll kill you if you do.”
So they weren’t pretending anymore. That was fine. She was sick of pretending with this roach of a man who had done his best to make her life miserable for months.
“I don’t know why you haven’t killed me already,” she said, voice thick with loathing.
“Oh, I’ll have to,” he said. “Now that you’ve seen the true extent of my... influence over the king.”
Fear surged but she fought it back with bravado. “My father will hunt you down like the dog you are.”
Casovar chuckled. “He doesn’t even know I have you. He might suspect, but without proof, or knowing where you are, there’s nothing he can do.”
“Jenna saw what happened.”
“She’s my daughter. She’ll do as I tell her. Besides, you’re an obstacle to her ambitions, aren’t you?”
Alyx turned cold, all her bravado fleeing despite her desperate attempts to hold onto it. Casovar saw it in her face and his smile turned triumphant.
“That’s right. And even if your father wanted to do something, he couldn’t. You forced my hand. He’s under arrest and being held in the palace cells. General Sparkish and Astor too. Nobody is coming for you, Lady Egalion.”
“The king would never allow that.” Alyx refused to believe him. He was trying to get inside her head.
“Oh, but he would, once I suggested it to him.” Casovar moved closer to her. “It was so hard, telling him yesterday that his closest friends had been planning to betray him, but when I showed him proof… well, he had no choice but to sign their execution orders.”