Dreamless

by Jenniffer Wardell

  “Most true magic mirrors are content staying on one wall their entire lives,” the doctor said. “My profession has caused me to lead an unusually adventurous life.”

  Elena smiled. “But not adventurous enough to test Braeth’s sense of humor.”

  Cam gave the mirror an awkward pat. “I don’t blame you there, buddy.”

  They made it to Dr. Flyte’s room, setting him down in the stand without any undue jostling. Once he was in place, the mirror sighed in relief. “Thank you both. I won’t need further assistance until we establish a time for the circle.” He looked at Elena. “I have a meeting with your mother in the morning, but it will be held here.”

  “Good.” Elena said, casting about for any excuse to linger even a few more minutes in the little bubble of peace Cam had made for her. She couldn’t be too obvious about it—they would start to worry—but the thought of tearing herself away was painful. Surely she could have just a little bit longer.

  Cam watched Elena, his mouth opening to say something, when Dr. Flyte spoke to him. “Cameron, please apologize to your parents for the fact that I haven’t spoken to them since their arrival at the palace. I’m aware they’re as busy as I am, but the lapse is unforgivable.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Cam answered, any sign of what he’d been about to tell Elena vanishing from his face. “Smacking the palace guard into shape is taking all their time, but they love it. When I talked about them maybe taking the job permanently, Dad almost got excited.”

  Dr. Flyte looked intrigued. “Your mother would stay?”

  Cam shrugged. “She really likes working with the kids at the city patrol, but the queen said she could still consult for them. And Dad’s been itching to do the job for years.”

  Elena blinked, the words finally sinking in. “Your father’s taking over the palace guard permanently?” The sense of peace vanished abruptly, leaving her feeling lost. She’d known Cam would leave—he had a life to go back to—but she hadn’t prepared to be disconnected from the entire family like this.

  Cam flushed. “Sorry, cart before the horse here. We haven’t talked to your mom or anything.”

  “I’m sure she’d approve. I think she would have offered him the position already if she’d thought he’d take it.” Elena tried to keep her voice calm, but she felt her stomach sink as her eyes escaped to anywhere but Cam’s face. She was going to lose them both. “I’ll have to hire a new bodyguard, but I’m sure your father would be willing to oversee that.”

  Cam, who had been moving towards her, froze at that. “You want someone else?”

  It was the anger in the words that made her look up, focusing on Cam’s face. Elena was thrown by how furious he suddenly looked, heat flaring up behind the wall of cold, and she lost whatever she’d been about to say next. “Cameron, I—I thought—”

  Dr. Flyte, who had been listening to all this, sighed. “Cameron,” he said gently, “I believe what she’s trying to say is that she didn’t know you intended to stay.”

  Elena took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. “Dr. Flyte, this isn’t—” Then she realized what he’d actually said, and sheer astonishment overwhelmed everything else. Her gaze flew to Cam’s. “What?”

  Cam stared right back at her, looking just as confused as she felt, then rubbed a hand across his face. “I thought it was obvious,” he said, voice flickering between amusement, exasperation, and something else she couldn’t read. He gave her an odd half grin. “Think your mom would approve?”

  She couldn’t seem to make her brain work correctly. “You have a job to return to. On the border.”

  “I’d probably have to go back for a few weeks, because it’s kind of tacky to use up all your vacation and then quit on someone. But I’m sure Mom or Dad would keep an eye on you until I got back. Then it’d just be you and me.”

  Elena stared at him. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? “You hated having to take this job.”

  “That’s when I thought you were some stuck-up ice princess, and you thought my purpose in life was to make you miserable. Are we really going to drag all that back up?”

  She searched his face, trying to find an explanation for the impossible things he was saying. He was too stubborn to give up his entire career for his father, no matter how much he loved him. And there was nothing for him to feel guilty for.

  But she hadn’t even dared wish for this. And nothing so far in her life had suggested the universe was capable of being this kind.

  Cam’s expression closed off, apparently taking her inability to speak as some kind of answer. “Fine.” Then he turned, heading for the door.

  Later, Dr. Flyte would tell Elena that he was glaring at her so furiously it was a wonder she hadn’t burst into flames. At the time, however, all she could see was Cam’s retreating back.

  “Wait.” She caught his arm before his hand reached the door handle. “You really want to stay?” Just saying the words made something hot and light rise up in her chest, unfamiliar enough to be incredibly dangerous.

  He looked at her like she was an idiot. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” His expression softened at whatever he saw in hers. “I think we make a pretty good team.”

  Elena swallowed, throat tight. “Yes, we do.” She squeezed his arm, filled with the sudden, wild urge to hug him again. Cam was staying. “I’m sure my mother will approve this, too.”

  Cam let out a relieved breath. “If not, hopefully you’ll sweet-talk her for me.”

  “After.” She’d never really let herself picture a world where the curse had been safely broken, let alone plan for it. But if Cam was going to be part of that world, she would have to be as well.

  That thought made the hope slightly less terrifying. “I’ll talk to her after all of this is settled.”

  “Good.” Voice tender, he brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have watching my back.”

  She threw her arms around him before her brain could try to argue, holding on as tightly as she could. His warmth seeped through her, like hearthstones on a cold day, and she pressed her face against his neck.

  Cam’s own arms were steady and sure, and they felt as unwilling to let go as hers were. As long as he was here, it seemed impossible for her to drown. “You know, we don’t have to save this for special occasions,” he murmured. “You’re free to do this whenever it strikes your fancy.”

  When they broke apart, Dr. Flyte cleared his non-existent throat dramatically. “As grateful as I am that this has been cleared up,” he said, “I do have some further studying to do. Trying not to interrupt the two of you with helpful insights is proving to be rather distracting.”

  Both Cam and Elena laughed.

  Chapter 18

  Terrible Timing

  Cam’s brain had known exactly how big a mess his heart was getting into. They’d just agreed not to talk about it.

  Right now, though, it was getting harder and harder not to face up to the facts of the situation. All Cam had to do was look at Elena to remember how her arms felt around him, or see the light in her eyes when she’d finally gotten it through her head that he wanted to stay. He wasn’t about to admit it to Laurel, but he could at least admit it to himself—he didn’t just want to be Elena’s bodyguard. He wanted to be hers, period.

  Which just proved that love had a lousy sense of timing.

  The only thing Elena needed to be worried about right now was getting the curse fixed. She had a morning consultation with the rest of the magic experts in less than an hour, and if everything went well they’d start setting up for the spell right after that. Cam’s only job in all this would be to stay out of the way, catch Elena when the blackout hit, and stab Ariadne if the situation called for it. Poorly-timed declarations of romantic intent would have to wait.

  Complete silence,
however, was too much to ask for.

  “I decided a whole tray would be a lost cause, but you have to at least eat this,” he said, tossing her the apple he’d saved off his own tray. “It’s never good to worry on an empty stomach.”

  Elena caught the fruit. She was at her desk, reading her notes about the curse for the fiftieth time. As it was just past dawn, it was time for a distraction. “I’m not—” She stopped herself before Cam even had time to give her the look, shaking her head. “It’s really annoying that you don’t like it when I lie to you,” she said, taking a dutiful bite. “If this comes back up later, I hope you know that it’s going to end up all over you, too.”

  “As if you’d ever give anyone that much proof that you’re not completely cool and collected.” Cam watched Elena’s face, which was carefully made up despite the fact that she planned to spend most of the day in her mother’s workroom. “Besides, you’d mess up your makeup.”

  Elena’s expression turned rueful. “I know it was probably ridiculous to bother with it, but—” She shook her head, swallowing a second bite before answering. “My mother always taught me to think of it as war paint. It seemed appropriate.”

  “It’s not ridiculous. Laurel used to wear Dad’s gauntlets every time we had to go visit our great-aunt.” Cam sat down on the edge of the bed, close enough that his knee nearly touched Elena’s. “Though please don’t tell her I ever told you that. She’s still tall enough to get me into a headlock.”

  Elena’s lips curved upward briefly. It wasn’t as much as Cam had hoped for, but he’d take what he could get. “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “See, that’s just more proof that you’re a lot nicer than you pretend to be. You could have stretched that out and blackmailed me for all kinds of favors.” He leaned forward, one hand on the bed. “You know you’ll be fine, right? One more unpleasant day of dealing with your aunt, a session of complicated magic I only sort of understand, and then all of this will be over.”

  Elena met his eyes as if searching for something. “You sound awfully sure about that.”

  Cam had to be. Anything else was going to break his heart. “It’s easy to be sure when you know you’re always right.” He grinned when she rolled her eyes at him. “Hey, I may not be a sorcery genius like the rest of you, but I’ve been listening at enough doors during your planning sessions to know that you guys know what you’re doing.”

  Elena looked guilty at that, even though that was the last thing he’d meant. “Sorry. I would have wanted you in the room, but I just—” She shook her head. “I don’t like my aunt being able to study you. She’s got enough ammunition on my mother—the last thing I want is to find someone else to target.”

  Cam was oddly unsettled at the thought of Elena trying to protect him. With everything else on her plate, he was the last thing she should be worried about. “Your aunt can’t say anything that’s going to hurt me. The only thing I care about is being where you need me.”

  She relaxed a little at that. “Sure, now you feel like being obedient.”

  “A favor you should repay by eating more of that apple.”

  Her smile was stronger this time as she took another bite. “Actually, I was thinking about taking you flying once all this over. You know, as a way to say thank you for all the time you’ve spent standing in corridors and listening to longwinded technical discussions.”

  It took him a second to realize what she meant. Once he did, he couldn’t help but laugh at the picture that formed. “Not that I’m doubting your skills, but I don’t think that harness of yours could carry both of us.”

  Elena gave him an amused look. “Of course not, though I’m sure your family would pay good money to see us try. But it wouldn’t be too hard to make you your own harness.” She looked back down at the apple. “Since the magic is in the leather, you should even be able to guide it yourself.”

  Cam’s first response was the instinctive “no” of anyone who didn’t enjoy looking like a fool in public, but the smarter parts of his brain pushed that thought aside. He’d kind of invited himself on her nightly flying sessions, but now she was offering to invest a significant amount of time so she could share them with him. It was a pretty big offer.

  Also, would it count as a date? Cam really wanted it to, and Elena covertly asking him out would be a comforting thumbs-up for his long-term plans. But he was pretty sure she hadn’t dated much, if at all, and to her this might be nothing more than two friends spending time together. Last time they’d gone out to do something—dinner at his parents’ house, usually a fairly significant step in the whole dating process—he was pretty sure he’d been adamant about not even wanting her as a fake girlfriend. Hopefully, she—

  “If the answer’s no, you can just tell me.”

  Elena’s voice jerked Cam out of his thoughts. Her hand gripped the apple a little too tightly as she watched him, like she was trying to figure out what he was thinking. Since sharing his thoughts would be a bad idea on several levels, Cam cleared his throat. Focus on the matter at hand, idiot. “Sorry, just picturing myself running into trees. But if you can keep me from doing that, then sure.”

  She looked relieved, and Cam mentally kicked himself for worrying her. “There’s a clearing I used when I first practiced,” she said. “You might crash the first few times, but it won’t be into trees.”

  He covered her free hand with his. “That’s okay. I’ll just tell anyone who asks that you beat me up.”

  Elena shook her head, taking another bite. “You’re the only person who’d actually believe that.”

  “That’s because no one else knows you like I do.”

  ~

  Cam was prepared to wait in the corridor for the morning meeting, but Elena gestured him into the room. He stayed by the door while they talked, taking up the traditional guard stance, and distracted himself by trying to make sense of the technical chatter. When he caught Ariadne watching him, he gave her a little wave and then ignored her.

  Bishop showed up just after the meeting ended, standing close enough to the queen that they could hold a quiet conversation. Cam’s parents arrived as the circle was being prepared, and his mom helped Cam move Dr. Flyte into position while his dad took position by the door. The mirror monopolized most of the private conversation, but Marie still found a moment to pull her son into the relative privacy of the corridor. “Where do you want us?” she asked, voice low enough not to carry through the door. “If we’re all within striking distance of Elena’s aunt, we’ll get in the way of each other’s swords.”

  “I definitely want you both within striking distance, but you should also be able to see the queen. She’ll be your best indicator that something’s wrong.” Other than screaming, of course, but he wasn’t going to let himself think about that. “I’ll be sitting inside the circle with Elena, so either you or Dad will have a better shot at Ariadne if we need it.” He’d already taken off his swordbelt, knowing there’d be no room for him to draw it properly.

  His mother hesitated. “Why,” Then she stopped. “Ah.”

  Cam tensed. He’d known she’d figure it out quicker than his dad. “We don’t actually have to talk about it, right?”

  She pulled him into a sideways hug. “I’ll spare you until all of this is over.”

  By the time they made it back inside, everything appeared to be ready. Elena, standing in the middle of the circle, scanned her work one more time. “We should get started,” she said. “Cam, if you’ll please remove my aunt’s cuffs?”

  His mom and dad moved into position behind Ariadne, but the sorceress ignored them as she held her wrists out towards Cam. “My niece’s protector,” she murmured, sounding amused.

  He held her gaze as he sketched out the unlocking sigil on the underside of the cuffs. “Look at her wrong, and I’ll stab you before you can blink.” When they clicked open, he handed them to his fa
ther. “Hold onto these. We might need them in a minute.” Then, as Braeth’s shadows darkened the room, he unsheathed his dagger as sat down cross-legged in the middle of the circle.

  As the illumination spell activated, Elena sat down as well. “I should have known you’d find some way to be armed,” she murmured, settling close enough that her hand rested on his leg. Around them, the circle briefly flared as the protection spell kicked in.

  “A good bodyguard is always armed.” He followed Elena’s gaze upward as the tangled knot of the curse formed above their heads. It still looked as menacing as ever, but at least it was less of a surprise this time. He felt Elena’s hand tighten on his leg, her entire attention fixed on the writhing mass that was tangled up inside her.

  Ariadne was staring at it as well, something in her eyes that looked like horror. She shook her head sharply. “Remember, the more we unwind the outer layers of the curse, the better we’ll be able to see the core. None of the strands will be completely freed, but get them as out of the way as you can.”

  “And be careful.” That was the queen, shooting her sister a stern look. “Smashing our way towards the shield will cause more harm than good.”

  The knot flared with red, teal, purple and silver light as the four magic users began to work. Elena’s hand half lifted, as if tempted to add her own magic, then she tightened her fingers into a fist. She’d decided not to officially participate in the spell, since the blackout would knock her out just before the really complicated part hit. It was the sensible decision, but not an easy one.

  The work was painfully slow, but Cam wouldn’t have wanted anyone to hurry. Dr. Flyte focused on the already loose strands, glyphs appearing on the surface of his mirror as he used his magic to move them out of the way. That freed Braeth to work on the more tightly knotted sections, quick and methodical. The wraith’s magic moved through these tangles, making the individual strands shrink away from its red glow.