by Lisa Cassidy
Adahn frowned. “Maybe they don’t have the resources? Hunters were killing council mages too, don’t forget, and we’ve lured even more over to our side.”
“Lured?” Alyx lifted an eyebrow. “I gave them a choice.”
“I know.” He flashed her a smile. “A much better choice. But I still think we should help them if we can.”
She wasn’t reassured by his smile or light words, and rose from her chair. “The council murdered the man I loved and wants me and those closest to me dead too. Stop asking me to bend over backwards to help them or their mages, Adahn!”
“Alyx, I’m sorry.” He looked genuinely upset, but she turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, climbing up the ladder that led to the level where her room was. The rusted ladder creaked alarmingly under her angry steps. Tarrick caught up to her before she’d gone too far, giving her a little smile.
“Sorry,” she said. “I know you probably want to help them too. But there’s only so much I can do. I’m trying as hard as I can.”
“I know you are,” he said simply.
They walked companionably through the narrow walkway, at one point passing a much larger space filled with a handful of young mages. Alyx stopped when she saw who stood at the head of the group, talking intensely about the importance of focus when using mage power.
“I didn’t know Alaria was here.”
“He arrived a few months ago. We needed another teacher for the apprentices, and this is where we do most of the training.”
“They’re all apprentices?” Alyx asked.
“Yes. Unfortunately we can’t offer the level of training that was provided at DarkSkull, but what we give them is better than nothing. In fact, I swore in an apprentice as a new warrior mage last week.”
“I’m glad,” Alyx said quietly. “I wish we could do more.”
“Like you said, we do the best we can, Alyx.” Tarrick smiled suddenly. “Prajana is still here, you know. Did you want to go and say hello?”
“I think I’ll pass, thanks.” Alyx chuckled. “I’m glad she’s here though. She’s a good teacher. I’m still surprised she and Alaria chose to leave the council to join us.”
Tarrick shrugged as they came to a stop outside her small room. “They both taught you at DarkSkull. They remember you.”
“That’s very nice of you to say,” Alyx said softly.
He cleared his throat in discomfort and turned away. “I’ll let you get some rest.”
Before he could leave, she reached out to touch the leaping flame on his chest. “Who do you wear yours for?”
His dark eyes turned solemn. “For the patrol member I lost. For Mika.”
Memories of that day flooded through her as Tarrick walked away. The pain and grief was still as fresh as if it had only happened yesterday. Dashan’s death on top of that, along with the mages she’d lost since…she wanted so desperately for this to be over. For those she loved to be safe. But even more than that she wanted a life. A life without fear or fighting. A life where she could just be Alyx again—she yearned for that so badly it physically hurt.
But that was never going to happen. Not until Shakar was dead.
Chapter 22
After another eight days of hard riding, Alyx and her escort rode through the gates of her family home. Bluecoats from her father’s private detail were posted at the front gates, and a quick touch of magic told her several more were scattered throughout the gardens and fields of the property. Delight leapt in her at this discovery—her father was home!
All of the estate’s grooms emerged from the stables at the arrival of eight mages and five Bluecoats. Henri came straight over to Alyx and Tingo, as always.
“Magor-lier, welcome home.” He took the stallion’s reins once Alyx had dismounted, calming the high-strung horse with a light touch and an affectionate word. “You should know me by now old man, so stop your fussing.”
“It’s good to see you, Henri. Can I assume from all the guards about that my father is here?”
“Yes, he is. Go on inside, I’ll take good care of Tingo for you.”
The mage warriors of her detail apart from Tarrick and Adahn dispersed to join the Bluecoats guarding the property. Tarrick would arrange for mages stationed in the city to replace them so they could get some rest, but in the meantime, her safety was the priority. Well-practiced, Alyx ignored the unease that caused. It didn’t matter how deeply she hated it. It is necessary.
“We’ll report in at the barracks, Magor-lier.” Casta saluted.
“Do that, and while you’re at it, take a few days off,” she told him and Nario. “You deserve a break, and I’ll have plenty of guards while I’m in the city.”
Nario grinned. “See you at the wedding. We’ll be the ones trying not to look bored.”
Her legs and back ached from days in the saddle, and she was glad to reach the door and be greeted by Safia.
“Lady Alyx.” The old man’s face creased in pleasure. “We’ve been looking forward to your arrival. Your father is in his study. Can I take your cloak?”
She gave him a warm smile in greeting. “Thank you, Safia.”
“You’ve been riding a long way—I’m sure you could do with a mug of cook’s cold apple cider?”
“That sounds perfect, thank you.” Alyx turned to Tarrick and Adahn as Safia left. “You two check the house or whatever you need to do. I plan to stay in for the evening, so you can stay here or head into the city to check on things, it’s up to you.”
Tarrick smiled. “I’m bushed, so I think I’ll stay here once I organise a fresh mage detail for you. I’ll ask Safia to set up a room for me. See you in the morning.”
“I’ll do the same,” Adahn added. “Good night, Magor-lier.”
Alyx found her father sitting in a chair by the fire, reading a book and sipping on his own mug of cider. At fifty-three years old, he was getting too old to be travelling constantly back and forth from ShadowFall Island, but he disagreed. A nasty fall while training potentials earlier in the year had left him with two broken ribs, forcing him to stop for a while.
He chafed at the lack of activity, but had regained full health after some months of proper rest. When he wasn’t on the island he spent time in Alistriem, contributing heavily to all their strategic planning. Alyx wasn’t sure what any of them would have done without his steady, sharp mind helping them run things and keep Rionn whole. Sadness and guilt twinged whenever she thought about it—all those years while she grew up he’d had to hide what he was, the finest Taliath of his generation. And all for her.
“Aly-girl.” He smiled and placed the book down so he could rise to wrap her in a warm hug. “You made it.”
“I did. I’ve been riding for what feels like forever. How long has it been since I was here last? Six months?” She dropped into a chair with an exhausted sigh. “I feel old.”
“You’re only twenty-four.” He laughed.
“Right at this moment, I feel much older than that, Papa.” She let her head fall back against the chair and closed her eyes. Rest, finally.
When she opened her eyes again, it was to study her father carefully—the rest of her relaxing fully when she saw that his gaze was sharp and his physique had filled out again. “How are those ribs?”
“They’re fine,” he said pointedly. “They’ve been fine for months. In fact, I’ll be heading back to ShadowFall soon.”
“Papa—”
“Save it,” he said. “It will only be a short trip, but I’m a Taliath. I need to do more than just sit here and advise the king.”
“You do an excellent job of advising,” she said. “And sometimes that’s more valuable to us than training Taliath, especially now there are others to help.”
He gave her a look. “You remember how you felt that year you were hiding from Shakar, cooped up and unable to go out and do anything. It’s no different for me. Being older doesn’t change that.”
“I do remember.” Alyx sighed. “I just don�
�t want to see you get hurt again.”
“I won’t.”
Changing the subject, she moved to her next priority. “Is Ladan back yet?”
“No, but I had word from him today. He should be here later tonight, if not tomorrow sometime.”
There was an unmistakable note of pride in Garan’s voice and Alyx eyed him, a little smile curling at her mouth. “Should I be experiencing sibling jealousy?”
Garan laughed again, genuine amusement rippling through it. “One child the head of the mage order, the other head of the Taliath. I think you’re about on a par, Aly-girl.”
Her smile widened. “Yeah, he’s done good, my big brother.”
“As have you.”
“I try. Sometimes I feel like everything is just one step forwards and two backwards, but I’ll keep trying.”
Garan nodded soberly. The Shiven army had finally breached Rionn’s northern border almost a year previously, and now every month they inched further and further south. The Rionnans fought back with everything they had, taking advantage of the naturally difficult terrain of forest and mountain, but still they lost ground with each passing month. That wasn’t even the biggest problem they faced, it was merely a symptom of the true issue—Shakar’s existence.
The darkmage had proven a wily quarry. For reasons Alyx didn’t fully understand, he had avoided direct battle with the mages, either the council’s or hers, and remained behind the scenes in Shivasa, helping their army progressively invade the rest of the continent. Any time they got an inkling of where he might be, he moved. It was frustrating beyond measure, because until Shakar was found and destroyed, the war wouldn’t end.
Even the occasional nightmare he tormented her with failed to help. He continued to alternate between tempting her to join his side and outright enjoyment of his power over her. He never gave her an indication of where he was or what he was doing, and every time she tried to subtly use magic to find out, he would effortlessly quash her. All the nightmares succeeded in doing was reinforcing how unlikely it was she could ever defeat him in a mage battle.
Still, Rothai hadn’t given up, his determination stronger every day. She had faith he would eventually get there. And the other information he came across in their hunt was usually extremely valuable—like the breaching of the Tregayan borders.
They also now knew the likely strength of Shakar’s mages. While he had the full Shiven army at his disposal—Alyx often wondered if he’d done to the Shiven leader what Casovar had done to Cayr’s father—Rothai was confident his mages didn’t number much more than seventy or so. A not inconsiderable number, but one that could be matched with her own army of mages if it came down to a straight-out fight.
“How did things go in Sandira?” Garan asked.
“About as we expected.”
“Hmm,” he said thoughtfully. “Maybe Ladan or I should travel there to speak with the emperor. You said that he holds a lot of respect for the Taliath?”
“That’s true, but I don’t think anything short of an invasion of Zandia is going to change his mind, unfortunately. It doesn’t help that he distrusts mages so strongly.” Alyx sighed and rubbed tiredly at her eyes. “We should discuss it with Cayr, though. It might be worth trying.”
“The news from Tregaya isn’t good either,” Garan said. “I assume you’ve heard of the rapid advances the Shiven army has made?”
“I did. What is the latest on that?”
“We’re waiting on further information—it’s hard to get anything through from Tregaya these days. For the moment I believe Carhall is still safe, but the Shiven army is inching closer every day.”
She sighed. “Slowly but surely, Shakar is getting what he wants.”
“He hasn’t got it yet, and he won’t.” Her father squeezed her hand. “Because of you, and your brother, and everyone who fights with you.”
She found a smile for him. “We’re certainly doing our best.”
A comfortable silence fell, and Alyx allowed her eyes to slip closed again, relaxing into the soft crackle of the fire and the warmth and comfort of the room. The knocker at the front entrance echoing through the house had both father and daughter sitting up straight.
Sore muscles protesting, Alyx leaped up from her chair and strode through to the entrance foyer just as Ladan came through the front doors. The smile that spread over her face was unreserved, and her father’s recent words of pride echoed through her thoughts.
Both Alyx and her brother had worked long and hard to bring the mage and Taliath orders back together to fight Shakar. There were now ten trained Taliath under Ladan’s command, and another seven in various stages of training on ShadowFall Island. Not one had been killed by the Mage Council or Shakar—Alyx, Ladan, and their father had seen to that.
“Aly-girl.” Ladan’s hard face softened in a smile as they met in the middle of the foyer. He picked her up and hugged her tightly, spinning her around in the air before setting her down gently.
“I missed you, big brother.” She beamed up at him.
“Me too. I’m glad you could make it.”
“You were almost late,” she pointed out.
He shrugged. “Nobody would have noticed.”
“I think someone might have noticed that you were late for your own wedding.”
Ladan’s smile widened, and Alyx was still astonished by the happiness in her brother’s eyes on the rare occasion she saw him these days. Her heart almost burst with joy for him. She still remembered a time when he’d barely smiled, let alone laughed or looked joyous.
“Dawn’s good for you,” Alyx said, hugging him again. “I’m happy for you both.”
“Speaking of whom, is she here?” he asked. “I haven’t seen her in two weeks.”
“Not here, I’m afraid. But I’m sure as soon as she hears that you’re back in the city, she’ll come running.”
His mouth twitched. “I suppose I’ll have to make do with you, then, little sister.”
“Make do, is it?” She raised eyebrows at him.
“That’s right.” He slung an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t you know how annoying little sisters can be?”
“Not as annoying as big brothers, I’m sure.”
“Ladan!”
Their father appeared, and, Alyx noted with relief, walked easily and gracefully without a trace of pain. Ladan smiled a genuine welcome and the two men hugged tightly.
“Safe trip?” Garan asked.
“More or less. I came straight from ShadowFall Island.”
“I’m glad. Alyx just arrived, too. Why don’t we have an early dinner, and you both can relax for the evening?”
“Sounds good to me.” Alyx linked her arm through Ladan’s, the hilt of Mageson poking her in the ribs as they walked to the dining room together.
Alyx sat up far too late with her brother and father that night, talking and sipping at steaming glasses of potent cider. At some point after midnight she realised that she was far too comfortable and inebriated to move from the chair to go to bed.
They left her there asleep, and she woke in the morning curled in the chair with a blanket draped over her. Stretching, she groaned at the stiffness of her muscles, and tossed off the blanket so she could rise and stagger upstairs to the bathing room.
A warm bath helped her aching head and sore limbs, and when she stepped outside she was met with a rising sun and warm breeze. She smiled at the evidence of summer in Alistriem, and some of her inherent weariness dissipated.
The mage guard by the door greeted her, brisk warmth in her voice. “Good morning, Magor-lier.”
“Tari.” Alyx smiled. “How are you, it’s been a while?”
“I’ve been well. Back in Alistriem after two months up north near the border. It’s nice to have a break.”
“I’m sure it is,” Alyx said in sympathy. “Are the other guards around? I’m going to walk over to the palace.”
“Won’t be a moment.” Tari raised her fingers to her mouth t
o give a short whistle. Mages quickly appeared from nearby, all offering a cheerful greeting—it seemed the weather had lifted everyone’s mood. Apart from Tari, Alyx didn’t know any of them very well, but answered their greetings warmly. Once they started walking, however, only Tari remained at her side.
The palace hallways were mostly empty so early in the morning, and Alyx and her detail didn’t run into anyone as she made her way to the office of Rionn’s lord-mage.
In the brief times she made it back to Alistriem, there was always far too much work that had piled up while she was away. Being the head of a disparate group of mages brought with it far more administrative work than she’d ever imagined possible. Then she often had to travel into Tregaya or Zandia to meet with her mages there, or attend meetings with the council. Her trip to Sandira, although important, had taken valuable months of her time.
It was a good thing she never slept much. As it was she never had time for anything in her life but the duties that came with being Magor-lier. It made her doubt the endless cycle of moving and fighting would ever end. The weariness that thought brought was quickly dispelled by the sight of Dawn working at one of the tables by the window.
“Well, if it isn’t the bride to be!”
Dawn looked up, a wide smile breaking out over her face. “Alyx! I was worried you might not make it.”
“You didn’t think I would have missed your wedding?” Alyx said, hugging her best friend fiercely.
Dawn laughed. “I never thought in those first days at DarkSkull when we were dreaming about your royal wedding to Cayr, that I’d be the first to have a court wedding.”
“I don’t think any of us did.” Alyx chuckled.
Dawn mock-frowned. “And why hasn’t there been a wedding for you, Magor-lier? Don’t you have a responsibility to pass on the line or something?”
Alyx looked away, keeping the smile pasted on her face. “I think I’ll let Ladan take care of continuing the family line.”
“Thank you.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “Seriously though, Adahn absolutely adores you, and I know you like him.”