by Lisa Cassidy
“He’s what?” Dashan demanded.
“You heard me.” Her smiled widened.
“At least he’ll always have a Taliath close by.” Finn waggled his eyebrows. “Great protection.”
“His nobles will have a fit,” Cario drained his glass in one swallow, then glanced around for more. “Anyone?”
“Yes please!” they chorused at once.
Dashan shook his head in dismay. “Cayr’s finally lost it.”
“Unfortunately I don’t think he has.” Alyx sighed, sipped the remains of her ale. It was delicious, cold and frothy. She hoped Cario hurried back with more. “He says he loves her.”
“I know what it is about her he loves.” Dashan leered. “All that blond hair and—”
She punched him in the arm. Hard. He laughed at her.
Cario returned with a jug and refilled their glasses, receiving no end of jeers from Tarrick and Dawn about how much he spilled onto the table. Once he’d finished, they raised their glasses and cheered—rather rowdily, Alyx winced—to Third Patrol.
“I’m going to dance!” Finn said abruptly. He stood, swayed, gripped the table for support, then maneuvered his way out of the booth. “Dawn, dance with me?”
Laughing at her brother, and casting Alyx and Dashan an amused glance, she took his hand and followed him away.
“I might dance too.” Cario’s gaze was focused on the bar, where Casta was clustered with a few other Bluecoats. Alyx turned to Dashan, eyebrows raised. He gave her a little nod. She grinned, happy for Cario.
“Go on,” she encouraged. “Say hi to Casta for us.”
A few moments later Tarrick seemed to realise he was the only one at the table with Dashan and Alyx. She braced herself for the inevitable comment, but instead he muttered something about needing the privy and promptly disappeared after the others.
Dashan said nothing about the fact they’d suddenly been left alone together. He had a slight frown on his face as he considered his glass of ale. It didn’t take long for her to work out what was wrong.
“You’re going back to Tregaya.”
He gave a sharp nod. “Rodin is capable, but I need to get back. The men will have reached their rendezvous points by now and I need to be there to start deploying them against the Shiven army before they advance further north.”
She shifted to face him. “That will take pressure off our borders too.”
“I’ll stay in regular contact with Cayr so we can coordinate where useful.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Any chance I could have those mages you promised me?”
“I’ll have them come to you from our safehouse in Tregaya. I think there’s at least one telepath there, and some warrior mages too.”
“Thank you, your Magor-lier-ness.” He sketched a mocking bow despite the cramped confines of the booth.
She scowled at him. “How soon will you be out of my hair?”
His teasing grin faded. “I hope you know that the last thing I want to do is leave you again, mage-girl.” The look in his eyes made her heart do a lazy flip in her chest. And that was an easy enough truth to pull out from the tangle of emotions that had been lodged in her chest since he’d returned. No matter how much time had passed, she was never going to stop feeling this way around him—the heat in his eyes left her in no doubt it was the same for him.
“I don’t want you to leave either,” she whispered.
“Do you think they left us alone deliberately?” His breath was warm on her face, his leg pressed against hers.
“Tarrick should have been back from the privy by now,” she murmured, and then she kissed him. Time seemed to slow and spin at the same time, the world turning to heat and overwhelming sensation. There was no hesitation as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, her leg sliding over his lap, his hand tangling in her hair, arms wrapping tight around her waist to press her against him. The booth was cramped, but that didn’t seem to matter as they wrapped themselves together, hungry for the other’s touch after so long.
She had no idea how long they were lost there, trading kisses and touches, but eventually they broke apart, breathing hard. The corner of the table was pressing painfully into her hip, and Dashan’s hand was sliding dangerously high up her leg.
“We should…” He cleared his throat, but the huskiness was still there when he continued speaking. Her stomach flipped and she wanted to kiss him again. “Before they come back.”
She leaned in, pressing her mouth to his one last time, a slow kiss that had her melting against him. Then, reluctantly, she broke away and began peeling herself off him, slapping his hands away with a grin when he tried to ‘help’.
“What happens now?” Dashan murmured once they’d separated.
She gave a little chuckle, her emotions still too much on a high to worry yet. “No idea.”
Tarrick came back not long after, his expression slightly fuzzy from the ale he’d drunk. By then Alyx and Dashan were a few inches apart and she’d managed to get her hair and clothing back into reasonable neatness. Finn and Dawn, laughing, stumbled back too.
Dawn gave Alyx a highly amused glance as she slid back into the booth, and she flushed hotly. Damn. Her shield had almost certainly dropped during that…intense…exchange with Dashan. Dawn didn’t seem to have said anything to Finn though, and both he and Tarrick happily worked their way through the remains of the jug. Cario remained gone, and Casta had disappeared from amongst the Bluecoats at the bar.
It was well after midnight by the time they stumbled back towards Alyx’s home, all either drunk or close to. Ever since the kiss, she’d been hyper aware of Dashan’s presence, and as they walked through the city streets, Finn and Tarrick a little ahead, she reached out and took his hand.
It startled him, and he frowned, gesturing in the direction of the others. She shrugged—she’d promised them she wouldn’t ever lie to them again about her relationship with Dashan. A wide smile—half delight, half amusement—spread across his face at that, and he tangled their fingers together before tugging her to his side.
“Finally!”
Alyx started as Dawn’s voice practically shouted in her head. The telepath was smiling back at them. She summoned a mock-scowl. “Why don’t you put a lid on that amusement and start planning how you’re going to manage your brother’s fury over this.”
Dawn chuckled aloud, her musical laughter drawing all their attention. “Oh, Alyx, you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Worry about what?” Tarrick turned to look back at them, his gaze on Dawn before sweeping over their joined hands. Finn turned too, eyebrows lifted in question.
She tensed, Dashan turning wary. His grip on her hand tightened.
“Nothing,” Dawn said airily, throwing another smile at Alyx before continuing on. Both young men shrugged and kept walking. Alyx met Dashan’s astonished look with an equally surprised one.
“Are they too drunk to notice?”
“In case you’re wondering, yes we noticed,” Finn called back.
“Then why aren’t you furious at me right now?” she demanded, bringing them all to a halt once again. “This whole night you’ve been weird. What’s going on with all of you?”
“We trust you,” Tarrick said. “And we have faith in you. Like you had faith in us.”
“It’s far too late,” Finn said. “But you have our trust, Alyx.”
Her astonishment was so intense she literally had no words. Dashan did, remaining wary as he faced them. “What if she catches my Taliath disease?”
“Either she does or she doesn’t. That’s a personal choice for Alyx and you to make,” Finn said. “We will follow her whether she is invulnerable or not.”
“Can we keep walking please?” Dawn had begun hopping up and down. “I really need to use the privy.”
The laughter that followed was, in that moment, the most glorious thing Alyx had ever heard.
Despite their boisterous spirits, they didn’t make too much
noise walking up the long drive to what was now Ladan’s home. She wondered if he’d realised that yet. Two of her mage guards waited patiently by the front doors, Adahn and Chestin.
As they approached the house, Dashan tugged on her hand, drawing her aside onto the soft lawn under one of the trees lining the drive. Dawn was already well ahead, heading back to Ladan, while Tarrick and Finn were chatting excitedly about raiding the kitchens for cookies.
“Your guard was giving me an evil stare,” Dashan said in response to her raised eyebrows. “And I wanted some privacy to say goodbye.”
She hesitated only briefly before squeezing his hand. “You could come in with me.”
“Not when I’m leaving you tomorrow,” he whispered, drawing her into his arms. She buried her head in his shoulder, not arguing further. Besides, with or without her friends’ blessing, being with Dashan had to be her choice, and she didn’t want to rush into anything.
“Adahn is jealous of me,” he murmured against her hair.
She nodded, pulled back a little. “You know that you have nothing to be worried about, right?”
His hand came up to frame her face. “Alyx, if I truly had died, I would hope that you would find happiness with someone else. I don’t want you grieving over me forever.”
She bit her lip, momentarily overwhelmed. Not by what he’d said, but what he was implying—he wasn’t worried about Adahn. He had enough faith in her, in them, to have no need for jealousy.
“Come back soon,” she whispered, then kissed him.
When Dashan had gone and Alyx turned to walk back to the house, Adahn had disappeared. Chestin remained. She gave him a friendly nod, but he merely inclined his head as she went past, gaze distant.
“Is everything all right, Chestin?”
“Yes, Magor-lier.” He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
She hesitated further, but his posture didn’t invite further conversation. Trying not to be worried, she went inside and up to bed.
Chapter 36
The days following Dashan’s departure flew by more quickly than Alyx had thought they would. On the same day he left Alistriem, Alyx reached out to the mages based in the cave network in Tregaya. It took several tries throughout the day until she found a telepath on guard duty above-ground.
Using magic over such a distance was no longer an issue for her, though the effort required usually left her with a pounding headache.
“I’m glad you reached out, Magor-lier!” the mental voice of Merial, their oldest mage and Jayn’s grandmother, was filled with eagerness.
“Has something happened?”
“Nothing bad,” Merial assured her quickly. “But Master Rothai arrived two days ago. He’s aware of the fall of Carhall and wants to know what your instructions are.”
Alyx thought about that for a moment, glad to hear that Rothai was well. After all these years, she still hadn’t worked her way to liking him, but he remained one of the most powerful warrior mages alive and a valuable asset. Maybe it was time to bring him back to her side. “Send him to Alistriem. There will be instructions waiting when he gets there,” she said, but didn’t explain why. She never told anyone who didn’t need to know where she was.
“I will.” Merial hesitated. “Master Rothai didn’t come alone. He brought several council mages with him. Parja and Dastanta amongst them.”
Alyx frowned. Mages who’d belonged to the council no longer had a master, but she hadn’t expected Parja or Dastanta—both friends of Galien—to come to her. “Are they willing to join us?”
“I’m not sure. They seem willing to throw in with Master Rothai, so I suppose so.”
The suspicion in Merial’s mind was clear to Alyx, even over such a distance. Putting Parja aside a moment, she asked, “Is Rody still there?”
“He is, but he’s driving us all to drink.” Merial said in frustration of the young telepath. “These young ones can’t sit still for more than moment.”
Alyx smiled. “Let me get him out of your hair. The militia still in the south of Tregaya are planning a series of attacks on the Shiven army as they try and push north. I want Rody to join their commander and help in any way he can. Send two warrior mages with him.” She paused. “Actually, tell Rothai to take Parja and Dastanta with him to Alistriem. Nordan too, if you can spare him.” It might be good to integrate two potentially rogue mages with her loyal ones. Adahn would help with that too; they’d all been good friends at DarkSkull.
“Consider it done, Magor-lier. Is all well with you?”
“It is,” she said, although she couldn’t keep the sadness from leaking through her thoughts. Memories of her father popped up constantly. If Merial sensed it, she didn’t push. She simply wished Alyx the best with a burst of cheerful thought, then let go of the connection.
Cayr received a quick response from Zandia confirming the summit, followed by a missive from Tarian Astohar promising to be there. After that, preparations began in earnest. Because of the requirement for secrecy, the entirety of the workload fell on the handful of people that knew it was happening.
Alyx was glad of it. The work gave her something to distract her from Astor’s betrayal, grief over her father and missing Dashan with a constant, nagging ache. Besides, witnessing Tarrick and Finn arguing over which suite of guest rooms in the palace was most appropriate for the emperor of Zandia left her and Dawn in hysterics for hours.
Having so many leaders gathered in a single location made them dangerously vulnerable. Everyone worried about it. It proved too much for King Mastaran’s advisors—he was safely ensconced in the northern city of Ribeca, the largest city still under the control of Tregayan forces. The militia didn’t want to risk his safety travelling through warring territory to come to Rionn, which was disappointing, but understandable.
“He gave us permission to act on his behalf, which is decent of him,” Sparky said when he brought the news to Cayr. They were holding another late-night meeting, Cayr, Alyx, and their senior advisors clustered in his personal study. After almost five weeks of preparation, the conference loomed close—the ship carrying the Zandian contingent would dock any day. “If we agree to terms with the Zandians, Mastaran says we can agree on behalf of Tregaya also.”
“Good.” Cayr nodded. “Ladan, the Shiven?”
“Astohar is coming by boat via ShadowFall, that way I could make sure he has Taliath protection for the trip. They should be here any day now.”
“We have to make sure the talks are completely secure.” Cayr ran a worried hand through his already-tousled hair. “The level of risk these leaders are opening themselves up to by coming here…”
“We’re doing everything we can, Your Highness.” Since their father’s death, Ladan had slowly but surely begun to step into the space Garan Egalion left at the king’s side. Cayr seemed to expect it, and so far Ladan hadn’t protested. “I will have six Taliath in Alistriem throughout the summit, and the Bluecoats have been drilling for weeks in preparation.”
“You have warrior mages, too,” Alyx promised. Rothai had arrived the previous week with Nordan, Parja, and Dastanta, and had been filled in on what was happening. Rothai had been so delighted by the Zandian developments he’d come dangerously close to cracking a smile. Parja had been polite but cool. Alyx had instructed Adahn and Tarrick to keep him and Dastanta under close watch.
“Good.” Cayr sighed. “I don’t mind admitting this whole thing makes me anxious.”
“You concentrate on getting the emperor to agree to an alliance,” Jenna spoke for the first time. “The rest of us will make sure everyone is safe.”
“You should both make sure you’re present at all talks,” Alyx said to Jenna and her brother. “Don’t forget how enamoured the emperor is of the Taliath.”
Cayr yawned, breaking the silence that fell. “All right, it’s getting late. Let’s all get some sleep.”
Cario was hovering outside waiting for Alyx as she emerged from Cayr’s private quarters. “These
need your signature.”
She took the quill he proffered and dipped it into the small inkwell in his other hand, before signing her name to the parchment in front of her.
“I’m glad you trust me,” he said in amusement. “You barely even read that. It could have been instructions to invade Tregaya for all you know.”
“Well if that’s the case, can we do it tomorrow? I’m exhausted.”
He smiled. “Can I walk you home?”
She offered him her arm. “That sounds lovely.”
Shakar chose that night to come at her with another nightmare. Panicked that he might read knowledge of the summit in her thoughts, she slammed her mental shield up and huddled underneath it.
“Condolences on your father’s death,” he whispered. Now that he wasn’t hiding from her, she heard Astor’s voice in Shakar’s, and it made her heart clench in pain. Her godfather was gone, just like her father.
“Garan was a good man. I liked him.” The hooks of his magic dug a little deeper and she whimpered, focusing everything she had on her shield. “He spoiled my attempt on your friend Cayr, though.”
“How could you! You watched Cayr grow up!” Alyx burst out, seeking to distract him from what she was hiding.
“Just like I watched you grow up. That won’t stop me from killing you if you interfere with what I’m trying to do.”
“You haven’t killed me yet.”
Laughter pealed through her mind and she winced—it was like razor blades across her skull. “I told you. I don’t need to. The council needed to die for what they’d done, but you–I just need to keep taking away those you rely on, those you love. Then you’ll come to me. If only to make it stop.”
Dread plunged through her, turning her chest to ice. And then he was gone.
Chapter 37
Alyx scanned the reception room, looking for Cario amidst the gathered guests. There were close to fifty people in the brightly lit hall, not counting the guards bristling at every conceivable entrance. The Zandian and Shiven delegations made up at least half that number, then there was Cayr and his key lords and advisors along with Alyx and her senior mages.