by R. L. King
That hadn’t been at all what Alastair expected to hear. “Kerrick, sir?”
“Yes, Mr. Stone. He felt that I had severely underestimated you, and urged me in most adamant terms to reconsider my decision.” He paused and reached for the doorknob. “He also threatened to leave my employ if I failed to do so.”
Alastair stared at him, stunned. “He threatened to quit if you didn’t change your mind?”
“It appears you have a valuable friend here, Mr. Stone.” Desmond opened the door. “See to it that you do not let us—either of us—down. I expect to see you downstairs first thing tomorrow morning, ready to work. Do you understand?”
Alastair grinned. “Yes, sir. I understand.”
He settled back on his pillows and let his breath out, still tired but satisfied.
Perhaps, if Desmond gave him a break sometime in the next month, he might even see about borrowing Max’s Vespa to go into town for some fish and chips.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The crowds in the Mexican restaurant were almost all gone now, and a couple of busboys had come out with brooms and rags to begin cleaning the place in preparation for closing. The chip basket was long since empty.
“We should go,” Stone said. “They’re trying not so subtly to kick us out.” He stood and tossed a twenty on the table to supplement the tip he’d already left on the check. “Sorry,” he called to the busboys. “We’re leaving.”
Verity followed him out. She’d sat through the entire tale, munching tortilla chips and downing glasses of water, without a word. She didn’t speak until they’d gotten outside and were walking down the mostly-deserted street toward where they’d parked.
“Wow,” she said at last. “That’s…some story.” She grinned. “Somehow I can’t picture teenage you getting handsy with a girl in the back row of a crappy movie theater.”
“That’s what you took away from all that?” Stone asked in mock indignation.
She shrugged. “It’s a lot to take in. I see what you mean, though—you had to help that girl Rosemary, even if it meant using magic you weren’t supposed to. That’s how I feel, too—what was I supposed to do, let him kill Jason?”
“Of course not,” Stone said gently. “Magic is a tool. Mr. Desmond discouraged innovation, because he feared what might happen if an untrained mage took on more than he could handle. I perhaps encouraged a bit too much of it in my last apprentice by taking more of a hands-off approach. With you, I tried to find a midpoint. I’m not sure how well I succeeded, but I think you’re doing all right.”
Her expression sobered. “Doc…you lost an apprentice too, didn’t you? I remember you said something about it just before you agreed to take me on, but you never talked about it again.”
Stone didn’t answer right away. “It’s…not something I like to discuss,” he said eventually. “Not right now, at least.”
“That’s fine,” she said. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ll tell you about Ethan sometime. Just not now.”
They walked in silence for another block. “Is Mr. Desmond still alive?” Verity asked abruptly.
“Of course.”
“He must be pretty old by now.”
“I’ve no idea. I never asked him how old he is—but as you know, mages tend to live a long time. He could be over a hundred for all I know.”
“Do you ever see him? Or did you lose touch after you finished your apprenticeship?”
Stone chuckled. “Oh, no. I still see him periodically. Not as much as I used to when I lived in England, but we worked together on several projects in the years following my apprenticeship. Hell, I almost married his daughter.”
Verity stopped and stared at him. “You what?”
“That’s a story for another time, I think. Look, here’s the car.”
She took his arm. “Doc, you can’t just drop that one on me without any details.”
“I promise—I’ll tell you. You should meet Desmond anyway, so I can prove to him that I made something useful of myself.” He hit the button on the BMW’s fob to unlock the doors. “Come on—you can stay in my guest room tonight. I warn you, though—Raider snores.”
She didn’t get in the car. Instead, she moved closer to him. When he didn’t back up, she pulled him into a hard hug. “Thanks, Doc,” she mumbled into his coat.
“For what?”
“For—everything. But right now, for that story. I’m still gonna have nightmares about what happened, but at least I think I have some perspective now. And I know I’m not the only one who had to make a decision like that.”
He held her close. “I can almost guarantee it won’t be the last time you’ll have to make that kind of decision, Verity. But you’re a damned good mage already, and your head’s on straight—a hell of a lot straighter than mine is, that’s certain. You’ll be fine.”
She pulled back, stood on tiptoe, and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. “You’re okay, Doc. And I’m gonna hold you to that meeting with Mr. Desmond. Anybody who intimidates you, I want to meet. And anybody who almost married you, too. Oh, hey,” she added. “Whatever happened to Madeleine? Did you two ever end up—”
He shook his head. “We got together one more time after Mr. Desmond took me on—for dinner at the chip shop. Then she dumped me for a football forward from her school a week later.”
She grinned as she got in the car. “Someday, Doc, you’re gonna find the right woman. You’ll see.”
“Suppose you worry more about your magical training, and less about my love life, apprentice. How would that be?”
“I’ll think about it.” She slammed the door shut before he could answer, but he didn’t miss the merry, mischievous sparkle in her eyes before she did.
Yes, she was going to turn out fine.
And maybe, if he was lucky, he would as well.
Alastair Stone will return in
NECESSARY SACRIFICES
Alastair Stone Chronicles Book 12
December 2017
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks to Jaqulyn Viehmann, from the Alastair Stone Chronicles Fans Facebook group, for suggesting the name of Caventhorne Hall.
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If you liked what you read and want to find more books in the Alastair Stone Chronicles series, go to http://www.magespacepress.com/page.html or your favorite online bookseller for links and more information.
BOOKS BY R. L. KING
The Alastair Stone Chronicles
Stone and a Hard Place
The Forgotten
The Threshold
The Source
Core of Stone
Blood and Stone
Heart of Stone
Flesh and Stone
The Infernal Heart
The Other Side
Path of Stone
Shadows and Stone (novella)
Shadowrun (published by Catalyst Game Labs)
Borrowed Time
Wolf and Buffalo (novella)
Big Dreams (novella)
Veiled Extraction (coming early 2019)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
R. L. King enjoys hanging out with her very understanding spouse and small herd of cats, watching way too much Doctor Who, and attending conventions when she can. She is an Active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Horror Writers’ Association, and the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers.
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nbsp; You can find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AlastairStoneChronicles and on Twitter at @Dragonwriter11. Her blog is at www.rlkingwriting.com.
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