by B. T. Narro
“He doesn’t have to know,” she said with a sly smile.
I made my hands heavy, forcing her to let go, though I immediately felt bad and put one on her shoulder for the briefest moment. “Did you see two demigods come by? I need to join the meeting between them and your father.”
“No, I just heard they had arrived. I wanted to see Failina! There’s so much I want to talk about with you. When will you be free?”
“I’m afraid not for a while. There’s something I have to do starting tomorrow morning, and today I have to prepare. Where are they meeting?”
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
I couldn’t possibly tell her before confirming it with her father, but I didn’t know how else to get out of this conversation.
There were a few features I noticed about Callie whenever I looked at her. One was that her brown hair was very long, falling all the way to her waist. The other was the expression she often had when she looked at me with her large hazel eyes. I wished I could catch Hadley glancing at me that way every now and again, but it hadn’t happened once, and I didn’t know how I might make it so.
There was nothing specific I had done to earn the favor of the princess. I knew it probably had to do with the way I looked, which was the reason she’d taken an interest in me right away. She had helped me, though, and I did feel as if I hadn’t taken advantage of her. I would continue to not take advantage of her by refusing to use her feelings, even if a marriage into the Lennox family might be best for my future.
Then again, I might be saving Callie from an even worse predicament if she was to marry Trevor Chespar.
There were too many people and politics to take into consideration. I found it easier just to follow my heart, not my brain, and my heart was set on Hadley. The only problem was that I was starting to doubt she felt the same about me.
“I haven’t spoken with your father about what needs to happen tomorrow. Let me—”
“Please tell me, Jon. No one tells me anything. I have no idea what’s happening. I’m trapped in my quarters day and night!”
I looked past her at the couple of armored guards standing a little ways down the hall. The window into the keep did not lead into the princess’s room, for her safety. Until Valinox’s invisibility was taken care of, she had to spend most of her time locked away so that she could not be captured and used as ransom.
There was a bit of good news I could share with her, even if I couldn’t tell her everything just yet. “I don’t think you’re going to have to be trapped in your room much longer, if everything goes to plan. That’s all I feel comfortable telling you right now. Please direct me to your father and the demigods.”
“Yes, let me take you to see my father.” She took my hand and rushed off down the hall. She led me deep through the keep, up a short, twisting staircase of stone that didn’t end up taking us much higher. Her guards stayed some distance behind.
She ran down another hall with me in tow, glancing frantically at the rooms we passed.
“You don’t know where he is?” I asked.
“I’ll find him soon.”
Her intentions were as clear as day, but how could I deny the princess a glimpse at a demigod?
We ventured down a couple more hallways before we came to a room with many guards stationed outside. The door was shut, but it was fairly obvious who was behind it. I went in front of the princess and knocked on the door. “It’s Jon. May I come in?”
“Enter,” the king announced.
I opened the door wide enough to make sure Callie had a good view of the two demigods standing in front of her father. I moved slightly to the side and bowed as Souriff and Failina faced me. I made sure my bow was slow and deep before finally straightening again and turning to close the door.
“Thank you,” Callie mouthed silently.
I gave a nod.
“If it took you this long to get here,” Souriff complained, “it will take too long for you to reach Gourfist tomorrow. We will go without you.”
“You can try, but I will follow.”
Souriff seemed shocked before her expression turned to anger.
“You will want me there, even if it takes a little longer,” I added. “Remember that I distracted Gourfist the last time he came awake. I fought him for a while before you showed up.”
I still never found out why Gourfist flew right to the capital, but a theory sometimes kept me awake at night. If he was searching for the demigods, then Souriff might’ve been in the capital already. He might’ve sensed her here, which meant that Souriff had taken her sweet time before helping me with him. She had probably heard the screams and knew the destruction her brother was capable of, and she still didn’t arrive until she had gathered her courage.
Failina glared at Souriff. “You did not tell me that Jon fought Gourfist.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Souriff said, a look of impatient annoyance crossing her face. “It was by chance that Jon wasn’t killed before I showed up.” Turning to me, she said, “If you do manage to make it all the way there, you will stay back and let us fight. Only if I call for your aid will you give it. And if you can’t make it there, you will turn and head back. We can’t hold your hand the whole way, or the day will go to waste.”
“Listen to them, Jon,” the king said. “I can’t send anyone else with you for protection. It will just be you and Eden with these demigods.”
“Have you considered sending Barrett instead of Eden?” I asked. “I’m sure he can open the portal as well.”
“Eden will be going,” the king said without explanation. I figured he didn’t want to risk losing Barrett when he could put Eden’s life on the line instead.
“We will return tomorrow at sunrise.” Souriff started toward the door.
Failina followed a distance behind. She gave me a look of warning. I didn’t know if she was telling me to be generally cautious or if there was something specific I was to watch out for, but I figured I already had enough to worry about given the difficulty of the trip and the battle to come soon after.
“Jon, stay a moment,” the king said as the sisters left.
After a guardsman shut the door behind Failina, the king gestured at a chair. I sat in it, a desk between us, but he walked around and pulled up another chair to sit right beside me. He leaned forward.
“Are you sure you want to do this? Wait.” He put up his hand. “Are you sure you are capable of doing this without getting yourself killed?”
“Capable, sure, but I can’t guarantee I will live.”
“You have faced Gourfist before, but this time you will have much more help. What do you believe your chances are?”
“I hardly think there’s any chance of death. I saw a sample of what Failina can do. I bet she alone should be able to stand up to Gourfist. I’m more concerned about the trip there and back, but I do believe Failina will ensure my safety, even if Souriff says they won’t.”
“That’s what I was hoping to hear, but I have something for you just in case.” He gave a look to one of the servants standing by, and the man left the room in a hurry.
“Is it armor, sire?” I asked.
The king grew a smile. “Exactly. I’ve had some prepared for you, Leon, and Jennava. I plan to equip the rest of my sorcerers with the same armor. It’s made from Valaer steel. You know how light the material is.”
“I do, sire. How much will you have left after the armor is made?”
“Just enough for a few more swords. No helmets yet, I’m afraid. I’m waiting for word back from the krepps. I might need Souriff to visit them.”
“About her, sire, Failina warned me before coming here that her selfishness could prove dangerous for me and the others.”
The king leaned back. “How did she warn you, exactly?”
I tried to tell the king about the experience, though I couldn’t be very clear considering how confusing it had been.
None of it seemed to surprise the king very much.
He folded his hands over his lap and seemed saddened by the news.
“I knew I couldn’t trust Souriff completely,” he said. “But to actually receive a warning about her from her sister is alarming.” He stood up and paced. He stopped a few feet away and let out a sigh. “I’m considering keeping you here. It will be safer that way.”
“I can handle myself fine. I will be safe.”
He turned around. “What if Valinox intercepts you on your way there and the demigods are too far ahead to even notice?”
“I will make sure they stay with me.”
“You must, otherwise you are to head back. In fact, I don’t want you leaving the castle again without a demigod with you.”
I stood up. “Sire, I’m going to need to practice my new skill. It is far too valuable to be ignored, and we both know the demigods are not going to escort me during all the time I need to practice.”
“I realize that, but I need time to plan.”
It was silent for a little while.
“There is much happening that you are unaware of,” the king said. “There are even some things I am still waiting to confirm. For example, I can only guess the reason why I haven’t received a request about you from the Yorns or Chespars.”
“About me?” I asked.
“For your healing,” he specified. “They are training an army. There must be some injured and sick, but there has been no request. I would consider sending you there if you had a way of cloaking yourself, like Valinox can. I spoke to the demigods about this, but there seems to be little to no chance of Nijja creating a stone for you. And even if she did, it might not be able to hold an ordia spell cast by someone else. Have you practiced your illusion spell?”
“I’ve temporarily given up on that,” I sadly informed him. “I’m not sure if I ever will be able to learn it. I don’t seem to have any natural talent with ordia.”
“In that case, I will most likely be sending Kataleya to check on this army. Her family name will keep her protected, no matter what the rest of her family might be planning.”
I wasn’t sure why his majesty was telling me this, but he seemed to be studying my expression for something. Then I figured out what it was. He wanted to know if Kat and I were together in a romantic sense. He was the only one, after all, who had found out about us. I hoped he and Kataleya had kept it that way.
“Kataleya and I are just friends, but like the rest of my friends, I would worry about her staying in the care of nobles who might mean to betray you.”
“Of course, Jon. It is a decision to which she would have to agree.”
He looked at me for a while. It seemed like something else was on his mind.
Finally he asked, “Do you believe Kataleya would put my daughter’s safety as her highest priority if I sent Callie with her?”
“She would, sire.” I supposed that meant the king had decided he wanted his daughter to meet Trevor Chespar, unless he was already a step ahead and this was the marriage proposal.
There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” the king said.
The servant who had left earlier now returned with a small chest piece of armor that glistened from the reflection of the room’s lamplight. The armor itself was just large enough to protect my heart and surrounding chest. With four straps, it was easy enough to get on over my head. I was glad to feel that it fit snugly and didn’t seem to impede my movement at all.
“My armorer designed it small to weigh you down as little as possible,” Nykal said. “Because you can heal any injury, I figured only your heart and head need protection. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come up with a novel design for a helmet that protected you completely without limiting your visibility. Come battle, you will have a typical headpiece like everyone else, but I can’t guarantee it will be made with Valaer steel unless the krepps bring more of the material. The same goes for the chainmail you are to wear.”
“Thank you, sire.”
“You can thank Charlie as well. He’s returned from Koluk and should be in his quarters in the apartments.”
I figured that meant the king was dismissing me. I bowed and left, eager to see Charlie.
I hopped out of the keep through the closest window I could find and, with a little aid from dvinia, landed safely in front of the apartments. I walked in and headed up the stairs, eventually arriving at the door to Charlie’s room. I knocked.
“Who is it?” he asked with a gravelly voice.
“It’s Jon.”
I could hear him shuffling around. Eventually he unlocked the door and pulled it open. It was clear he had been sleeping, his darkish blond hair a messy mop on his head. His bedsheets were peeled open across his mattress.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Tired. Where is everyone?”
“They should be coming back from the forest soon.” I gestured at the armor across my chest. I had worn it out of the king’s chambers, but he might’ve been too tired to notice it. “I want to thank you for this.”
He smiled proudly. “I was working on that just yesterday. Did you know that the only other metal mages are much older than me, but their skill is worse than mine?”
Coming from anyone else’s mouth, it might’ve sounded like bragging, but Charlie genuinely seemed amused and curious.
“I didn’t know, but it doesn’t surprise me. I knew you were very talented.”
“I asked the king why there aren’t other metal mages better than me,” he continued. “There are reports of one, but he’s in Rohaer. The king has been trying to find others to help me. There are two more in Koluk right now. One is old enough to be my father, and he’s the worst out of the three of us.” Charlie chuckled. “I have to give him advice sometimes. Isn’t that funny?”
I imagined Charlie wishing he had a friend in Koluk to share this with. He was probably eager to tell us as soon as he came back. I didn’t find it too amusing. Like I had told Charlie, I had always considered him to be an exceptional metal mage, even if I hadn’t met any others. I figured that there weren’t many people who were better with mtalia, or I would’ve heard about them. It was the same with Aliana’s tracking skill.
I had seen Charlie melt a metal axe head quickly enough to stop a krepp, Grufaeragar, from taking a blade in his chest. So it was pretty much Charlie who had prevented a war between us and the krepps, because we wouldn’t have been able to explain Grufaeragar’s death to his fellow creatures in a way that proved our innocence.
It felt like it had been a long time since the dark mages loyal to Rohaer had tried to pull a trick on us. Valinox was no doubt plotting against us all this time, and although he was frightening, it seemed like Cason had been the better strategist, at least while Aliana’s father was at large and assisting him.
We had come a long way since then. Something to be proud of, I figured, though I couldn’t really feel it knowing an army of thousands was on its way here.
“I’m glad you’re back,” I told Charlie. “I hope they won’t be sending you to Koluk again anytime soon. I’ll let you get back to sleep.”
But the sound of the portcullis opening across the courtyard turned us toward Charlie’s window. We both walked over to see our group returning from the forest.
“I can sleep later,” Charlie said as I watched him go over to his mirror and start brushing his wild hair. “I want to see Remi.”
I tried to hide my smile.
*****
I didn’t spend much time with my friends the rest of the day. After informing them that our plan to take out Gourfist would be fulfilled tomorrow, I spent the rest of the afternoon practicing my new skill. I agreed with Jennava and the king that I should not stray too far from the castle, so I picked myself up and threw myself from one end of the city to the other.
The king said that Byron Lawson, the head guard and an old friend of my father’s, would spread word to the city guards that I would be training in this way. They should not be alarmed, and they should offer support if Valinox,
by chance, spotted me and attempted to intercept me. I didn’t imagine it would be the case.
With my armor on, and with the speed at which I traveled, it seemed impossible for him to kill me in the air. First, he’d have to take me down to the ground, where many people would be. Guards or not, I’m sure they would do something to aid me. Attacking me was a risk for Valinox, especially with Souriff and Failina around, and he wasn’t known for putting himself at risk by choice.
I was certain the people of Newhaven could see me, but I was too high up to hear anything they might’ve said about a young man flying through the sky faster than a bird. With cloths around my ears, nose, and mouth, it was only my eyes that suffered from the intense wind. But a small healing spell took away the pain every time I wanted to break.
I had only just begun training today, but I was already getting used to the feeling. The blood-pumping thrill that emanated out from my chest and put a smile on my lips was still there after hours of practice, but the idea that I soon must kill Gourfist dampened my spirit somewhat.
I kept wondering if there was another way. I would be with people I didn’t trust. Souriff and Eden worried me for different reasons. I wanted to believe in Failina wholeheartedly, but I had just met her. All the demigods seemed a little off to me. She was probably no exception. I just hadn’t gotten to know her well enough to figure out what made her odd, yet.
It was getting late when I decided to return to the castle. I had lost track of time and found out that I had missed eating supper with everyone else. A plate had been saved for me. I was given permission by the castle staff to take it to my room as they cleaned the dining hall. I would have to leave my plate against the wall outside my door when I was done, covered by my napkin. It reminded me of earlier times, when I had first come to the castle and the princess had personally delivered dinner to me while I was holed up in my room and trying to learn my first spell so I wouldn’t be thrown out the next morning.
I now ate alone in my room, but something didn’t seem right. It felt like time was moving slowly now that I wasn’t outdoors flying. I was aware of every little sound, my fork clinking, my teeth grinding my food into paste, the lump of it going down my throat as I swallowed. Eating this meal didn’t feel good. In fact, nothing seemed like it would again, nothing but flying.