Wildfire: Book Two of the Everealm Series

by J. D. Wright

  Bree stood and left the hall, followed by Rowan. Gabrielle walked up to her brother.

  “I can’t believe you’re married! Can I see the ring?” she asked.

  Reeve held his hand out so Gabby could get a closer look. She licked her finger and tried to rub the ring off. She rubbed so hard that it hurt so he jerked his hand back. Then he noticed that Rhea hadn’t moved a muscle since the queen left the room.

  “You should return to the tutors, Gabby. I will see you this evening, at supper,” he said.

  “Do I have to? It’s incredibly boring.” She huffed, trying to be more convincing. “I would rather come train with you.”

  “We’ve discussed this, Gabby.”

  “I know, but—” She stopped arguing when she saw his stern expression. “Fine…” She turned and stalked out of the hall, leaving her brother alone with Rhea.

  “Princess Rhea, I’m truly sorry about what happened,” he said.

  “Don’t call me that,” she said, snapping at him. “I’m not a princess. Not anymore.” She didn’t know who or what she was. She wasn’t a princess now that she was banished. And even though she was married she wasn’t really his wife. She was, however, confused and about to cry. She quickly stood and fled the room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sidonie wanted to scream. It was beginning to look hopeless. The five days spent at sea and the two days since they arrived were a complete waste of time. When Dagan and Edmund returned to their room at the inn that evening, she was ready to give up and return to Junacave.

  “We have one more day before the ship leaves again,” Dagan said, pulling his cloak off.

  “Maybe we should move on to the next plan.”

  “We don’t have another plan.”

  “Maybe we should have another plan.”

  “Sid, it isn’t like you to be so cynical. Is something else bothering you?”

  “There is a long list of things that are bothering me. For example, I’m tired of sitting in this room, waiting all day for you to return. I want to be out there, searching for him.” She pointed to the window.

  “It’s too dangerous,” Dagan said, shaking his head. “This isn’t Junacave. The people here only care about themselves and they wouldn’t think twice about taking advantage of you. Hell, we saw a pair of men fighting in the square this morning. The losing man’s body was still lying there when we returned just now.”

  It was true that Odustis was nothing like the civilized kingdom that she had become used to. There were only two noteworthy towns on the island, Baymoor and Kilharie. Baymoor was the safer of the two and home to mostly local citizens, but that didn’t mean the conditions were ideal. The inn was filthy and the innkeepers gave Sidonie a creepy feeling when they arrived to rent the room.

  Edmund instructed them to refuse any food or drink if offered to them. It could be poisoned. They had to make do with the provisions that they brought with them. By tomorrow, however, they would be out of water and low on food. For the first time since arriving, Sidonie wished she was back on the ship. The food in the galley was absolutely terrible, but at least it was safe to eat.

  “I still think I would be of better use if I were out there, in the open,” she said. “If Zaine really is here, someone must know who he is. You could use me to lure him out.”

  “Absolutely not!” Dagan said, getting angry.

  Sidonie stiffened her back and narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Are you forgetting what happened the last time you tried to decide what was best for me?” He didn’t need to be reminded. In fact, she had a habit of doing the exact opposite of everything single thing he ever said to her. Why would he think this time would be different?

  “She does have a good point,” Edmund interjected. “If her father knows he has a daughter, he may decide to come to us.”

  “Or, he may decide to kill her.”

  “Why would he want to kill her?” Edmund asked. “What aren’t you telling me, Dagan?” When Dagan didn’t reply, he continued, “I haven’t asked questions until now because I trust that you have a good reason to need to find Sidonie’s father. But if her father may harm her, then why in the realm are you looking for him?”

  “Maybe we should just tell him, Dagan,” Sidonie said. “He helped us to get this far. And he hasn’t given us a reason not to trust him.” Not yet, at least.

  Dagan hesitated. “Tell me why you lost your magic, first. Answer that question. Then, if I feel you have been honest, we will tell you.”

  “You lost your magic?” Sidonie was stunned. She lowered herself down to sit on a small wooden stool behind her.

  “My magic is sealed, so I cannot use it. So yes, essentially.”

  “But I thought that the Elder Mage was the only wizard who could do that?” she asked.

  “That is true. My magic was sealed by the Elder Mage, my father.”

  “But why?”

  “I haven’t always done right by my family, Sidonie. There was a time when I was selfish. When I valued power more than anything. I made many foolish mistakes and I paid the price.” He shook his head and looked down at the floor. “I lost my wife, my son, and my magic.”

  “That still doesn’t explain why,” Dagan said.

  “My father sealed my magic because I stole something. Something of great value.”

  “What did you steal?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Edmund said, “because the object is no longer in my possession. I gave it away. The only thing that does matter is that I have spent many years trying to atone for my mistakes. I may not have much time left in this realm. And we certainly don’t have much time left on this island. I would prefer not to waste it by dwelling on the past.”

  Dagan wanted to press his father further, but the sun was about to set in the sky. They were going to need a full night’s rest if they were going to make the most of their last day in Odustis. He pulled a stool over and sat down. Then he started relaying the story of Sidonie’s parents, their fusion, and the summit.

  Edmund seemed intrigued by the story, especially the events of the summit. He didn’t seem angry that a woman had been chosen as the next Elder Mage. Nevertheless, Dagan put an invisible shield of air around Sidonie when she slept that night. She may not want his protection, but she was going to get it. Even if he had to hide it from her.

  ~*~

  Sidonie pulled her cloak on and tied it around her neck. She waited by the door for Dagan and Edmund to finish getting themselves ready. With any luck, today would be the day. As nervous as she was to meet her father, she was more anxious to get out of the inn. Dagan walked up to the door and tossed his cloak on.

  “Dagan, your hair,” Sidonie reminded him.

  “Oh, yeah.” He looked down at the ends of his white hair, which had grown past his shoulders now. The color was unusual and always drew curious eyes. He usually didn’t mind, but today would be different. Sidonie was the one who needed to be seen. He and Edmund planned to hide in plain sight, blending in with the locals. That way, Sid would appear to be alone and more approachable.

  Dagan took a strand of hair in his hand and thought of the color brown.

  “Immutatio,” he said. The hair in his fingers changed color first, then it spread to the rest of his head until all of his hair was brown. He didn’t care for it, but it was only temporary.

  “Wait,” Sidonie said. “Change the color of my cloak. I want it to really stand out.”

  “What color?”

  “I don’t know. Red, maybe?”

  “Try it, yourself.” Now that Edmund was aware of her magic, there was no reason for her to hide it anymore. “Visualize the color in your head. It may be easier to picture the cloak as red, instead of just the color. And make sure you aren’t touching anything else at the same time. It will cause the colors to blend.”

  Sidonie gripped the edge of her cloak and said the incantation. Immediately, the dark blue fabric began to c
hange to red. The color spread to almost half of the cloak and then it stopped. She sighed.

  “Well, damn.”

  Dagan laughed. She may look like a lady, but she didn’t sound like one.

  “Here, I’ll finish it.” He turned the rest of the cloak red. It would certainly be noticeable in this color.

  They couldn’t be seen leaving the inn with Sidonie so Edmund left first. After a few moments, Dagan kissed Sidonie and turned to leave.

  “Dagan,” she said, grabbing his arm. “I’ve been thinking about what your father said, about losing his magic. Is there any chance that he didn’t really lose it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, back in Junacave, he implied that he had been following you. When I asked him how, he said that he used a disguise.”

  “He’s been following me? For how long?”

  “He didn’t say, but he did mention that he watched you create your portal. But that isn’t what has me confused. If he used his amulet to disguise himself, he would need magic to make the amulet work, right?”

  “Yes, it seems the amulet has to be charged with magic in order to work.”

  “Precisely. So how did he charge the amulet if he lost his magic?”

  “He couldn’t have.”

  “Could someone have charged it for him?”

  “Perhaps. But the magic would have run out, eventually. Someone would have to keep recharging it.”

  “Why would he lie about it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. But if he really does have his magic, then he definitely knew about your magic before last night. He would have been able to sense it.”

  “I have a bad feeling about this, Dagan.”

  Dagan leaned down and rested his forehead on hers. Her stormy gray eyes were riddled with worry.

  “Just stay alert. And if anything feels out of place, promise me that you will run and not look back.”

  She started to argue.

  “Sid…”

  “I promise. Now go.”

  He didn’t want to leave her, especially now. Edmund could very well be leading them into a trap. Why else would he lie about his magic? He drew her close and kissed her head. Before he could change his mind, he turned and left. She went to the window and watched him walk across the town square to the tavern. Once he was inside, she followed.

  ~*~

  Eyes were on Sidonie from the moment she stepped inside the tavern. She pretended not to notice, walked up to the counter, and sat down on one of the stools. When the barkeep asked her if she wanted a drink, she took a deep breath. Then she threw her hand over her face started weeping.

  When the barkeep asked her what was wrong, she wailed. Then, between fake sobs, she spun a tale of being a widow whose husband was killed by thieves. The thieves, of course, stole everything she had except for the clothing on her back. Oh, and she suspected that she was pregnant. Her only hope was to find her father, a man named Zaine.

  Dagan watched from the other side of the room. He would have to congratulate her later. Her performance was certainly better than some from the traveling theaters he’d seen over the years. It was as if she were trained by the gypsies. The barkeep was immediately drawn into the story that Sidonie told. Dagan couldn’t blame him. She was incredibly convincing. Soon, she was surrounded by men and women who were trying to console her. They offered to help her find her father, though, no one present seemed to know a man named Zaine.

  An old woman in a tattered green dress caught Dagan’s attention. She was sitting alone at a table across the room with no food or drink in front of her. She was staring straight at Sidonie. Suddenly, the woman snapped her head over at Dagan. There was something creepy about the look she gave him as if she knew he was watching her. Even across the room he could feel her eyes burning through him.

  The woman stood and slowly walked to the door. She paused but didn’t turn back, then she walked outside. Dagan’s intuition was screaming at him to follow the woman. But how could he alert Sidonie? She was surrounded by people. He needed a distraction. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a bag and put several coins on the table. The barkeep would need the money to replace the table he was about to destroy.

  He summoned fire in his palm and started walking toward the door. As he reached a table in the center of the room, he brushed the flame against it and continued walking. The table top was set ablaze much quicker than Dagan expected. There were a few shouts from nearby and several people came forward to throw spare clothing over the fire in an attempt to smother it. With everyone’s attention on the table, Dagan grabbed Sidonie’s arm and pulled her out of the tavern.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “Shhhh!” He looked around and spotted the woman on the far side of the town. “That woman was watching you. I think she knows Zaine. Something tells me we should follow her.”

  “The old woman with the long braid?” she asked.

  Edmund was standing near a stall in the marketplace, pretending to browse. He walked over to Dagan and Sidonie when they stepped out.

  “It looks like she’s leaving town,” Dagan said. “Let’s go.”

  They followed the woman, trying to stay far enough behind her so that she wouldn’t notice. She turned off of the main road onto a small path that led into the forest. It seemed to go on and on. Finally, they lost sight of the woman.

  “Where did she go?” Edmund asked, looking around.

  “She was there a moment ago!” Sidonie said, pointing ahead of her.

  Suddenly the woman stepped out of the brush just a few feet away, startling all three of them. The woman looked even older close up. Her skin was wrinkly and weathered. She was almost as short as Sarita and her bony arms were thin and brittle. She didn’t speak but instead grabbed a tree branch behind her and pulled it back. Then she gestured for them to come closer.

  Dagan approached first and the other two followed. On the other side of the branch was a clearing. A small hut with a straw roof stood in the middle. It was barely larger than one of the guest chambers in Junacave. The woman led them to the house and held the door open. They followed her inside and sat at the wooden table in the middle of the hut. The woman began to rummage around in what looked to be the kitchen area.

  “We’re looking for someone,” Dagan said, finally. “A man by the name of Zaine. Do you know anyone by that name?”

  The woman ignored him.

  “Do you think that maybe she can’t hear you?” Sidonie whispered to Dagan. “Maybe she’s deaf?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  The woman turned and sat four small cups down on the table. Then she poured water from a metal jug into the cups. When she saw them hesitate, she picked up her cup and drank it. Setting the cup back down, she gestured for them to drink and smiled, revealing several missing teeth. They didn’t want to appear rude so they drank the water.

  The woman took the jug and returned to the kitchen area.

  “Dagan,” Edmund said. “I think we should go.” When Dagan looked confused, Edmund nodded toward the other room inside the hut.

  The walls were lined with herbs dried and hanging. But what really caught his attention were the jars on the shelves. They appeared to contain organs. Whether the parts were from people or animals, he wasn’t sure. Either way, it was a strange sight and gave Dagan an eerie feeling.

  “We should go,” he said.

  “Dagan,” Sidonie said, yawning. “Do you feel tired? I feel… so sleepy.” She was barely able to hold her head up. Across the table, Edmund’s head slumped forward as he drifted off to sleep.

  “Sidonie, we need to get out of here.” But it was too late. Her eyes were closed.

  Dagan fought the urge to sleep as hard as he could. He pulled Sidonie out of the chair and onto the floor. Then he tried to drag her to the door. It was no use. Asleep, her body was heavy and he didn’t have the strength to move anymore. He lowered his head
to the floor and everything went dark.

  ~*~

  Sidonie woke on the ground. She felt dizzy and a bit queasy as she sat up and looked around. She was in the middle of the forest, all alone. The sun was setting on the other side of the trees. How long had she been asleep? And how did she get here?

  She tried to think back to before she fell asleep, but everything was still blurry. It started to come back to her in pieces. There was an old woman and Dagan and Edmund were there. Then she remembered sitting at a table and drinking water. Had she been poisoned? But how could that be? The woman had drank water from the same jug…

  Just then she heard footsteps on the ground behind her. She jumped up and turned around. A man dressed in black was standing there. From his expression, she could tell that he wasn’t happy to see her. His dark brown hair was thick and long, like hers. Only, his had a silver streak on one side.

  “Are you Zaine?” she asked.

  “When you leave here, forget that name.” His voice was deep and harsh.

  “Umm...” Sidonie wasn’t sure how to reply.

  “What do you want?” he asked. “Money?”

  “No, I don’t want money.”

  “Then, what?”

  She was stunned by his rudeness. It was making her angry.

  “Your sob story in the tavern is a lie,” he said. “So why are you really here?”

  “Yes, that story was a lie. I couldn’t say why I really needed to find you.”

  “Which is?”

  “Because I need your help. You are my father.”

  “You have the wrong person.”

  “Are you a wizard by the name of Zaine?”

  “You have the wrong person,” he repeated. He turned and started to walk away.

  Sidonie was definitely angry now. She summoned air magic and placed an invisible wall in front of him. He ran into it and turned back around.

  “Good try,” he said. “Better than most. But just because you have a little magic doesn’t mean you’re my daughter.”

  “I have more than a little magic.”

  “Prove it.”

  Sidonie had been practicing a lot in the past few months. There was one in particular that she enjoyed the most. She stood back and stretched her arms out to her sides. Then she opened a terra circle right in front of him, lifting to hover over the ground. He didn’t look surprised, but he continued to watch. She left it open for a moment then closed it, floating back down.