by Jasmine Walt
“But you will be a liability,” Reyn said, his voice uncharacteristically rising a notch. “How do you think this is going to go? We’re all going to be on the battlefield with a defenseless wo—”
“Do not dare call me defenseless!” Lorelai cut him off. “I am a solid archer and a good strategist.”
“He did not mean that,” Bruno groaned, completely agreeing with Reyn.
“What he means is we will be distracted when the woman we are sworn to protect is on the battlefield,” Taron explained.
“It’s quite madness,” Andre agreed.
“It’s not possible,” Bruno said.
“You must stay here,” Taron added.
Reyn folded his arms over his chest as he lowered his chin and looked at Lorelai. “At least you’ve gotten us to agree on something. Was that your plan?”
“Not all of us agree,” Marrok said as he tilted his head and donned his riding gloves.
“How can you not agree with us?” Reyn asked. “You are the most sensible of all of us.”
“Do you know what kind of mage you are?” Marrok asked.
Lorelai hesitated.
“She sees auras,” Bruno said.
“But what is her actual power?” Marrok asked.
Lorelai shook her head. “I’m not certain. I feel it inside and all around me. A magical energy that moves through each of you.”
Marrok stepped in front of her. “What do you see?”
“A purple-black glow threads through the ethers.” She turned to take in the others. “Andre has a turquoise shield surrounding him. Reyn glows with a golden radiating light.” She smiled as she turned to Bruno.
It was as if a fire lit inside of him and he was falling into her, though they were surrounded by the others.
“You glow with a narrow band of russet red.” But her face clouded as she looked at him. She shook her head quickly, but said nothing more.
Bruno turned away as he steadied his breathing and stared out into space. Had she seen the truth? Had she seen his heart was racing and swelling and constantly feeling like it was about to explode inside his body?
“I can see all of you,” she said. “I think these auras are part of what makes you such powerful warriors.”
Devereaux spoke up. “Can you see it on just people or on things as well?”
“Everything.” Lorelai’s gaze fell on the sorciere.
“If she can see the lights on everything, it is not just their personal light,” Devereaux said. “An archaic energy makes up everything in this world. The queen can see it, and with the right training, she may very well be able to wield it.”
“The breathing you’ve taught me showed me how to control it a bit,” Lorelai said.
“I can show you more as we make our way to the field,” Devereaux said. “She may prove useful to you in battle, gentlemen.”
“Great, now not only do we have Lorelai to worry about, we also have a gnarled old man to take care of,” Reyn groaned.
“Do not be fooled by appearances,” Devereaux said. “This woman may be stronger than all of you. In the time between now and the battle, I can give her great skills to help her and you. Do not turn away the power of those you perceive weak. You may just find they are blessed with powers beyond your imagination.”
“Prepare the wagon.” Taron turned away. “We’re done here.”
The others moved off, mounting their horses and calling for her wagon.
She turned towards Bruno. “What is it?” she asked.
“What?” He frowned, masking his face.
“Are you ill?”
“No,” he said abruptly, turning and walking to his horse. Better she thought him rude than knew the turmoil of energy billowing inside him.
Bruno’s hips rocked back and forth in the saddle. His head hung low and his horse followed the wagon. How was he going to battle? His stomach ached. His head hurt. He had done something against the Order of the Regent. They had agreed the best man would win the queen, but he had not done it in a chivalrous way. He had taken her in the night and he had ruined her, not only for the other knights but for everyone. She would be taken away from the kingdom because he could not keep his cock in his pants. Bruno’s heart ached. It dug deep, the pain piercing his body.
How could he have done that?
Could he not have controlled himself?
She was his soulmate. Two souls split apart in the darkness of the soul before birth. They were born again to be together. To be connected. To be loved. To find each other. And now, if these two lost halves of the same soul had finally found each other, then why did he feel so terrible?
His brothers were falling apart.
What could possibly happen in this battle?
They may secure a win, but Lorelai would be taken from him forever. She would have to leave Valliere. He did not think he could forgive himself for this. He would fight in the battle. He would make sure they were victorious. He would protect his family and his people and his friends. He would stand strong for the citizens of Valliere.
But he would not come back from this battle.
It did not make sense for him to return.
His eyebrows knit together. Someone once said soulmates who stayed together after it was discovered they were mages were destined for certain death. Bruno wasn’t sure his brother knights knew this. It was a little-known story whispered to him from the king’s mage. Bruno and Lorelai would have to separate in order to save her.
He must die in battle.
If he was alive, she would fight against Ayanne. And nobody fought against Ayanne the Young and lived. Lorelai would recover from the loss and not seek to be with him.
It would be better if he simply died.
The Order of the Regent would find a new knight to take his place. They would bond with the new knight the same as they had bonded with him. And maybe they would help Lorelai get away. Or maybe she could just be the mage of Castle Ashford. She would have more power than the king. With Ayanne’s protection, Guntram could not touch her.
She needed her future without him.
His heart rattled in his chest, stirring through his body as if liquid energy, something more powerful and more dangerous than he had ever experienced. He breathed in slowly and steadily, trying to calm the motion and stabilize its erratic beat. Years of training for battle and controlling his body all now led to this, the time when he had to hide his true self from the people closest to him. From Lorelai and the knights. If Lorelai found out, she would be so worried for him, she would not care for herself. The knights discovering his secret meant they would keep him from the field, and that would be unthinkable. He had to mask the signs of being a mage at all costs, so he would simply die a clean, swift death in battle.
25
Lorelai stared moodily at Bruno from the back of the wagon as they journeyed northwest.
“Give him time,” the sorciere said. “It is not every day a man finds the love of his life, only to know he can never truly have her.”
Lorelai sighed, not knowing what to say. She wanted to be with him. She wanted to be with him deeply. Every nuance of his body, every touch of his skin the previous night had melted her and driven her closer to him. This was what love was like. Their hearts were connected. She was his.
“But you have not answered the question,” she said. “What type of mage am I?”
“There are four classifications of mages,” the sorciere responded. “They are mind, body, spirit, and elemental. From what you told me you’re not hearing what people think, and clearly based on what I’ve seen of your interactions with the knights, you have no mental influence on them. Physically, your body is overwhelmed and weak. I also see you have no attraction from the trees or from the sky. You are not elemental, but you do see light energy, the core spirit of everything that exists. You are a spirit mage, connected to the arcane energy flowing through all of us. Since the beginning of time, something entered this world, which not only made us
unlike the animals but also gave us consciousness. This is the arcane magic of all. If you can see it in humans, it means you are able to manipulate arcane energy. So, though your body may be weak right now, it is adjusting to this new vision of yours. We must work to devise a way for you to help with the battle at hand.”
But even as Lorelai listened, she could barely keep her eyes open. She was exhausted, her skin itching and her limbs weak.
“First, let me just lie here for a moment.” She rested back on the blanket in the rocking wagon, the wheels squeaking and the oxen’s footsteps clomping at the front. But she also heard the knights. Her knights. The Order of the Regent. She couldn’t make out all their words—her ears and body were tired—but she could hear the strain and irritation in their voices shooting back and forth.
What had she done?
She had chosen one of them above the others and she was not even sure why. She knew they were irritated and angry, and none would walk by Bruno. He trailed at the back of the wagon, his head low, clearly ashamed of what had happened last night and its effect on the Order of the Regent. It was obvious, by the fact she had made love to him and was a mage, they were soulmates. But he did not claim her as his soulmate. He had said nothing.
He must have felt it.
He must have known.
But he rejected her in favor of the knights. Deep down, she knew she deserved it. She’d taken the brotherhood of the knights and turned them against each other by her own foolish desires. She made enemies with her brother-in-law and dragged them out here into the battlefield to meet their doom with an untrained group of bannermen and no support from the king’s soldiers. Tears trickled softly down the sides of her face. She lay there, listening to her knights toss barbs and argue with each other as they rolled on towards battle, where, surely, they would all meet their deaths.
The wagon jolted Lorelai awake. Her dreams had been murky, but not in the way of the dark mist, which filled her lungs and choked her. They were dim dreams showing her the light. Sometimes it was hard to see the light if everything was apparent, but in her dream, she had seen five shining lights in a black forest. They were her knights of chivalry and honor, who fought for something valiant and true, who wanted a pure love and desired nothing more than to protect their queen. But in her dream, the light had traveled towards her in the darkness. It had come to her side and fluttered around her like a moth.
Now, as she lay in the wagon looking at the deep blue sky, she realized she must help the knights to bond together. They must understand her heart. She must give them clear direction. They were sworn to her and desired to do as she said.
She sat up. The queen had never traveled this far out in the Western Region. They were in the realm around House du Montbard on the outskirts of Valliere along the rugged coast of the northwest. The field where they had stopped was on a high rise gently sloping towards a beach. The turquoise water was still a good league away, but they would have a clear view of the desert dwellers and could watch as they made forward progress. Here the ground was rocky. The blotchy, short grass, eaten by goats, was spotted with black volcanic stones that would trip up the wagon if it continued. It would also make it a very hard fighting ground when they engaged. This was exactly why Lady Montbard and the knights had chosen this location. It would be hard ground to fight on, but it was their home ground. It was terrain they knew well.
The soldiers unhooked the wagons and set up the tents along the perimeter. They would fight farther forward, but the people who came to take care of the soldiers, who provided food and shelter, also needed a place to rest. The camp was set up on the edges, a mottled collection of colorful tents, each color representing the house they fought for. Lorelai could easily look around and determine the support the Western Region had received. Or, more correctly, the support Moreno was receiving from the lords of the Western Region. The yellow and gold of House des Barres was accompanied by their banner lords, who all carried some variation of the great seal. The House du Montbard was prevalent, but the one surprising Lorelai the most was the orange flower of House du Perigord.
Cateline’s house was small and poor, but they had married out many of their children and their family was woven deep throughout the Western Region. Their bright orange flower with seven petals and looping stamens was represented on more house banners than Lorelai could count. As they rippled in the wind above the field, it was as if Cateline herself were there. Lorelai breathed in slowly and felt the deep rush of energy, which now seemed a part of her life. She stretched out to see if she could feel Cateline. A raspy voice stopped her as a hand took hers.
“Do not do that,” Devereaux said.
“Do what?” Lorelai asked, trying to be innocent but not knowing exactly what she had been attempting.
“Reach out for the dead,” the sorciere said.
“I know.” Lorelai tried to argue, but her words failed her.
“You let the dead rest,” Devereaux insisted. “Their power is archaic and cannot be defined separately from all that is. If you try to pull it out, you weaken the power of the whole world where they reside. You cannot take out the energy, which is inextricably linked, and expect the whole to survive, too.”
“They cannot be removed,” Lorelai said as she watched the knights move towards the war tent. It seemed so clear to her. Not one of them could be removed. Not the knights from each other or her from the knights or them from her.
She moved towards the tent after them. The rest in the wagon had done her good. She was now able to walk and navigate over the sharp black lava rocks that littered the ground. As she approached the tent, Bruno stepped out, looking drawn and pale, but he proffered an elbow to escort her in. She looped her hand through it gladly, leaning towards him and feeling her body tingle in response to his presence as her nipples hardened.
“Are you well?” Bruno asked. He pulled his elbow in, and their bodies touched.
“Yes,” she said, her breath gentle. She inhaled his scent acutely, wishing for a moment that they could be back in the privacy of their own tent. His deep, musky scent made her want to undress right there and pull him onto her, into her. But this wasn’t the time or place for passion or romance. It was her job to bring the knights together, not drive them further apart.
“Come,” she said, stepping back and pulling him with her towards the interior of the tent. “I will speak with all of you.”
Without a word, Bruno followed her as if her light was the only guide he required.
She stepped into the murkiness of the tent. It smelled of dust. But it also smelled like her knights. The scent of pine and sea breeze mingled with spices and metal. She deeply inhaled the intoxicating aroma. As she caught her breath, Bruno steadied her, but she waved him off and stepped away. What she had to say was better said without attachment to any one man. They looked up from where they were strategizing with Lady Montbard and Lady des Barres.
“I would speak with my knights alone,” Lorelai said, nodding towards the ladies.
Lady Montbard looked completely taken aback, but she was a woman of protocol, and Lorelai was the queen.
“I value your presence here,” Lorelai explained graciously, “and I know planning and strategy is of the utmost importance for this battle, but I would speak with them privately.”
Reyn’s stunning sister lowered her elegant chin, her bronze hair glowing in the light. “Understood, Your Grace,” she said, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, her armor shining in the tent’s darkness. She moved quickly towards the exit with Lady Montbard behind her. Once the tent flap was closed and it was clear they were alone, Lorelai turned to her knights.
“You are better, Your Majesty?” Andre asked the question on everybody’s mind.
They all stared at Lorelai, waiting for her response. Lorelai smiled deeply. Their care and concern for her well-being was possibly one of the greatest gifts in her life. And as she gazed at their concerned faces, she realized it had always been like this. Even
when she was married to the king of the realm, it had always been these five men on whom she could count, whom she trusted to be there, to protect her. They were her family. And now she needed to make sure they understood their importance. Her actions with Bruno had driven them apart and she had to make it right.
“I need to speak with all five of you,” she said. “Please hear me out until I am finished, for what I have to say will hopefully right a wrong.”
She made a point of not looking at Bruno as she said these words, but she couldn’t ignore the small flicker as the others glanced towards him. Lorelai took a deep breath to steady her nerves as light danced around each of their hulking frames.
“You are each a part of my family,” she said, breathing deeply. “While my husband was alive and especially now he is gone, you are my family and I cannot live without any of you. I regret we are in the situation where we must battle without the right resources, against an enemy who could easily kill us all. It could be by the end of the day we will not see each other ever more. So, you must know my heart. Long have you been part of my household, and I have realized through the death of my husband, this will never change. It is something that will always be unbroken between us. And only the saints know exactly why it exists, but our bond is true, it is real and exists between us all.
“Taron, you provide the foundation. You are the ground where I can feel the earth stabilize. Without you in my life I would have fallen a thousand times and not have the ground to get up. You are the rock we cling to, the firmness we need. You create the basis for our unity.
“Reyn.” She turned to the golden knight next. “You are the fire that burns and warms us all. You enrich us with your laughter, with your swagger, with your style. But you keep us moving forward as a unit and a team. We simply cannot be without you.”
He nodded at her words, knowing she was honoring him and giving him credit.
“The earth is cold and unforgiving if we do not place a fire on it to warm us. Reyn, you are the fire for our family.”