by C. G. Garcia
Yet, as Allison looked at Aidric, she knew that she did care what this strange man thought of her, and that realization left her feeling unsettled.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Aidric said as he handed the book back to her, amusement glittering in his eyes.
“I—I don’t usually scare so easily, but after everything that’s happened to me today, I’m afraid that my nerves are shot,” she explained hastily, annoyingly feeling herself blush again.
“You have the most peculiar way of phrasing your words,” Aidric remarked. “Sometimes I have a difficult time understanding exactly what you mean, but at the same time, when I don’t take your words so literally, their meaning is clear.”
“I could say the same about the way you and your people talk,” Allison retorted. “You all speak so formally as if you were giving an important speech in front of a bunch of dried out old scholars.”
“I meant no insult,” Aidric said apologetically. “In fact, I find it pleasant.”
“How so?”
“It brings a little mystery into the conversation,” he replied with a boyish grin. ”I never know what charming little phrase you’ll use next!”
His innocent observation made her shift uncomfortably in her chair. It was a blatant reminder that she was now an outsider again just as she had been when she was a child. When her mother had married her stepfather, she hadn’t been allowed to play with any of the neighborhood children, or to really have any friends at all. Her stepfather also had a reputation within the community as being a real asshole. As a result, Katherine and she had often been bullied in school. Their cruel taunts had caused her much grief and pain, so she hated to be reminded of those dark times in her life.
“I see. I take it that your meeting went well since you’re in such a good mood,” Allison said, quickly changing the subject. She smiled tentatively at him. “Apparently, they decided not to throw me into the dungeon or whatever it is you people do to prisoners around here or else you would be carrying chains and an armed escort instead of those clothes. Are they for me?”
The cheer in his eyes abruptly disappeared, and his expression grew grim.
Alarmed by this sudden mood change, Allison quickly asked, “I—I didn’t—say anything wrong did I?”
Aidric shook his head. “You wouldn’t have said what you said with such casualness had you known just how close your words almost came to be.”
Allison could feel the blood leave her cheeks. “You mean—I—you—they actually were thinking of throwing me into a dungeon? You can’t be serious!”
He nodded unhappily and said, “That and more, I’m afraid. You must understand that the king’s councilors were terribly frightened when Diryan spoke of your appearance. They know only too well the threat that you pose to Lamia, to their own lives. I’m ashamed to admit that their first reaction to this news was to demand that His Majesty order you to be put to death immediately.”
“But why?” she cried. “I’ve done nothing wrong!”
“In their eyes you have,” Aidric replied grimly. “Your mere appearance in our kingdom poses a lethal threat that would justify a death sentence—under normal circumstances. By law, we are required to immediately execute those who would threaten the lives of any in the kingdom, but I explained to them that you are an exception. Since it’s obviously Seni’s will that has brought you here, it’s also His will that you fulfill the destiny He has given you no matter the cost to Lamia. It would be blasphemous to defy Seni’s will, and even if it were not, neither I nor Diryan would willfully order the death of an innocent!”
Allison’s fear subsided a bit when she heard the steel in his voice.
Maybe he’s the only one I can trust now…
However, before she could complete that thought, an inner voice screamed in warning. Could his show of protectiveness possibly be a façade? Aidric had powers after all—persuasive powers that he could at this very moment be using on her to trust him as Selwyn had made her feel calm and protected with his power. She wanted to trust him, yet, that nagging suspicion would not go away. How did she know that he was truly sincere?
Can I afford to trust him? Allison thought warily. Can I afford not to? In a situation like this, he just seems to be too good to be true, or am I just being paranoid? He sounds sincere enough. Oh hell—if I can’t trust him, then who can I?
She suddenly felt eyes boring into her, and she looked up into worried, violet eyes.
“Your emotions,” Aidric said with a frown, “they were so open to my Empathy earlier, and now all I sense is numbness, a void. You may not realize it, but you are deliberately blocking me out. Do you not think I speak the truth about what was decided?”
“How can I be deliberately blocking you out and not realize I’m doing it at the same time?” Allison asked, shaken that he could so easily know what she was feeling. She suddenly felt like an opened book, laid exposed for all to see. “You’re contradicting yourself.”
“Am I?” he said softly. He took a step closer. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“No, I’m not afraid of you,” she said, raising her chin a bit in something like defiance.
“That’s not what I asked.”
Aidric moved closer. Allison began to tremble despite her best efforts to maintain control. He pried one of her hands from its death-grip on the book in her lap and grasped it firmly. She sat frozen, barely daring to breathe as they stared at one another. It was then that Allison realized she did fear—quite a lot. He stirred an uneasiness in her that no one else had ever done before, and what frightened her most was that she really couldn’t say why.
“I do frighten you,” Aidric said quietly.
“N-no—no you don’t,” she insisted stubbornly, wincing inwardly when her words sounded hollow even to her own ears.
“Yes I do,” he said firmly, his thumb gently stoking the back of her hand, “else you would not be trembling.”
“All right, yes!” Allison blurted out to her horror, but once the words began to spill out, she found that she couldn’t stop the flow. “I don’t know why you frighten me—you just do. I want to trust you—I really do, but every time you come near me, it makes me uneasy. I don’t know why it should because you’ve been nothing but kind to me.” Allison refused to meet his eyes. “My fear must insult you!”
She was rambling, and she knew it.
“It does nothing of the kind,” Aidric assured her gently. “I’m a stranger to you, and I expect nothing less. Do we not fear you—the powerful Golden Mage delivered to our kingdom by Seni, Himself? It’s only natural that two mages as powerful as us should be wary of each other. As you said earlier, trust must be earned.” He smiled self-deprecatingly. “I suppose speaking to you about the king’s councilors’ desire to put you to death is not the best way to go about earning your trust.”
Allison shifted uncomfortably in her chair under his scrutinizing gaze and suddenly felt like an idiot. Her uneasiness—was that just her sensing his magic? It had never even occurred to her to think that his overwhelming presence had a physical rather than a psychological cause.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured after a moment of tense silence, her shoulders slumping.
“Fear needs no apology,” Aidric said, squeezing her hand in reassurance. “Know that I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.” He grinned suddenly. “After all, you are now my ward.”
She tilted her head in puzzlement. “Ward?”
“The king just officially granted my proposal to have you as my apprentice, and everyone knows that I don’t take kindly to my wards being mistreated or threatened in any way. I’ll be the first to admit that my temper can be pretty vicious sometimes!”
“I’m your apprentice?” Allison asked in alarm. “What does that mean? I won’t have to be your servant or anything like that will I?”
Aidric laughed. “Your world must be a strange one, indeed, with all the assumptions you make about ours. Of course you won’t
be my servant! You are to be my student and nothing else. I’ll teach you to use and understand your mage powers. You will live here in the palace with me until you reach full adept status. I have a spare room for apprentices that I’m sure you will find quite comfortable. After you are declared a mage by the Horae, then who knows? Perhaps Diryan will give you a palace position, or if by then the tension between our kingdom and the kingdom of Mihr becomes worse—and I pray to Seni that it will not—you will be assigned to that area.
“Of course, wherever you are assigned to, you will be given quarters of your own, either here in the Mage Hall or in one of the villages of your choice. In all probability, Diryan will keep you here at the palace because of the threat the prophecy says you pose to us. You, nor I, must ever forget that you are the Golden Mage.”
“It sounds as if I don’t have a choice in the matter,” Allison said bitterly. “It’s almost as if I am a prisoner.”
“You mustn’t think of it that way,” Aidric insisted. “It is so for all mages, not just for you. As I explained before, it’s Seni whom we truly serve in the hopes of achieving a place among His Thrones after death. It’s His will that all who are mageborn must serve their kingdom however or wherever their king deems best.”
“It still sounds like my life isn’t mine to live,” Allison insisted.
“But it is!” he reasoned. “The king only controls your occupation and even that, only to a point. The rest—family, hobbies, and the like—are for you to choose.”
“I suppose…” she said grudgingly.
“You must also keep in mind that our ways are not the ways you have lived by in your world. I, by no means, expect total acceptance of our ways from you right now. That would be absurd and incredibly short-sighted of me. To become an adept-mage takes years. You’ll have more than enough time to adjust to this new life.”
Damn. Why does he always have to make so much sense? she grouched. I could sit here and argue ethics with him all day, and he would probably have an answer for everything.
“All right, so I’m your apprentice now,” Allison said. “Are you going to start my lessons today?”
“Not today,” Aidric said with a hesitant smile that immediately had her back stiffening. “We’ve got an engagement to attend, first. Your schooling will begin tomorrow morning.”
“An engagement?” she asked suspiciously. “What sort of engagement?”
Aidric cleared his throat uncomfortably and after a moment's hesitation, replied, “It’s a presentation to all the members of Lamia’s council, consisting of the Circle and King Diryan’s councilors.” He smiled sheepishly at her. “—your presentation.”
Allison could feel all the blood drain from her face even though she half expected him to say something of the sort—but a whole council! She abhorred being scrutinized by just one person, and now Aidric was telling her that she had to go before an entire council with who-knows-how-many people where she was certain everyone would be gawking at her!
“No way!” she balked. “Aidric, please don’t make me go! I can’t stand to be under that much attention! Just the thought of it is enough to make me feel sick! I’ll do anything else you ask of me—just—not this!”
“But you must!” he insisted, his eyes stricken. “All apprentices must be presented and approved before the Circle before they are allowed to be taught. It’s one of our laws, so it’s something that you cannot avoid.”
He leaned down and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s not as bad as you think. You merely have to stand before the king until he acknowledges you. You will then curtsey as he nods at you, and I’ll then present you to him and the Council. Next, he will grant you permission to become my apprentice and also grant you Lamian citizenship.”
“That’s still—I can’t—” she protested, shaking her head and silently cursing herself for making such a big deal about something so trivial.
“Yes you can,” he assured her firmly. “It will be over before you realize. Understand, I wouldn’t ask you to do this if it were not important. Many members of the Circle don’t know that the Golden Mage has appeared. Think of the shock they would have if they encountered you in the palace. Based on your appearance, alone, they would probably react first and ask questions later. Having your presence unknown to the public would be very dangerous for you. You must allow Lamia to know who you are. Please Allison, do this, if not for Lamia, then for your own safety.”
Allison sighed as she looked into his pale-violet eyes and saw the earnestness, the pleading. Maybe if she zoned out and didn’t look at anyone… “All right.”
Aidric’s pinched expression relaxed as he reached over to pick up the folded garments he had set onto the small table beside her chair earlier.
He handed them to her. “Here. This is the uniform for female apprentice-mages. You must wear it for the presentation and every day from here on out during your official training time until you reach adept status. I’ll have the royal tailor make up more uniforms for you later. The only time you don’t have to be in uniform is during social engagements such as casual parties, festivals, some holiday celebrations, and of course, in the evenings if I don’t choose to give you a lesson.
“It just so happens that today is a holiday—the Eve of the Birth of the World. Tonight the palace will be alive with music and spectacles. A good portion of the kingdom’s holdings and villagers will arrive to join in the festivities. It’ll be the perfect opportunity for me to introduce you to some of my best friends and acquaintances. It’ll also give you a chance to meet many people and perhaps befriend a few.”
“I really don’t think I’ll make any friends here,” Allison said sadly. “Judging from the way Selwyn, the king, and that Linguist shrank away from me out of fear earlier, everyone else will probably want to steer clear from me as well because of what I am.”
“Only those worthy of your friendship will look past the Golden Mage and see just Allison,” Aidric said firmly. “My people may just surprise you. We Lamians are a strong-minded, resilient bunch.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said ruefully, “because right now, you’re the only friend I’ve got.”
He stilled. “You trust me enough to call me a friend?”
Allison rose from her chair. “I would be stupid not to. Without you, I would probably still be unconscious in the forest, maybe even dead—Aidric, what is it?”
Color had risen to his cheeks as if he had suddenly remembered something embarrassing, and he had also quickly averted his eyes from looking directly at her, something he had never done before.
“Have I said something wrong?” she asked anxiously.
Still careful to avoid looking directly at her, Aidric replied a bit hesitantly, “No. I—it—you—” He blew out a frustrated breath. “I hesitate to even say this to you because I don’t want to offend, but…”
As Allison stepped closer to him, his blush became painfully noticeable through the paleness of his skin. “I swear I won’t be insulted,” she coaxed, curious as to what could rattle this self-professed Mage-general so much.
“Very well,” Aidric said stiffly. “It’s your clothing. It’s very immodest. You reveal too much skin, and it’s very improper for me to look on you as you are now.”
Allison laughed, making him blink at her in surprise, and said, “You think this is immodest? I guess your eyes would be popping out of their sockets if you ever went to a beach in my world dress! Shorts are pretty much the norm when it’s hot, and California is pretty hot all year round.”
Aidric’s blush deepened and he hastily explained, “No man who is a gentleman should ever see that much of a woman’s skin unless they are intimate.” Then sheepishly, “I must confess that I believed that you were wearing undergarments of some sort when I found you.”
This only amused her further. Undergarments, indeed!
However, Allison’s smile faded when she saw how extremely uncomfortable she was making him, and she said a bit
contritely, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. If it will make you feel better, I’ll go change into the uniform you’ve given me right now.”
“It would. Thank you,” he said, relief plainly visible on his reddened face as she turned to go change into what she felt was not only new garments but into a new life as well.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“I don’t know, Aidric,” Allison said uncertainly as she fingered the long skirt of the dress he had given her. “I feel like I’m dressed for bed, not to go before an entire council!”
The dress she wore was pale blue and made of the same strange, silky material as Aidric’s clothes. It rested against her skin so lightly that it gave the impression that she wore nothing at all. The neckline was moderately high but not so high as to make her feel stifled, the bodice loose and comfortable. The hem of her skirt fell down to brush the tops of her feet, and the dagged sleeves were long and billowy, giving her arms plenty of room for movement. It seemed more robe than dress really.
All I need now is a wand and a pointed hat, she thought wryly.
Aidric laughed good-naturedly. “Says the girl who thought nothing of showing so much of her legs. However, if I allowed you to go before the Circle and the king dressed as you were, Diryan would definitely have my hide for allowing you to parade around the palace so immodestly dressed!”
“You act as if I was dressed like a prostitute or something,” Allison retorted irritably. “If you or I were to go running around the streets in my world dressed in these costumes, people would think we got lost on the way to Comic Con—and please don’t ask what Comic Con is because I wouldn’t even know where to begin explaining it to you.”
“I have offended you,” Aidric said ruefully. “I apologize most humbly, milady. I truly meant no offense. I was only trying to put you at ease and as usual, failing miserably.” He offered her his arm and said, “Shall we go before the king sends a search party to see what has become of us?”
As she accepted his arm, Allison heard him mutter under his breath, “—and before I make a bigger fool of myself than I already have.”