Even though Quela shouldn't have ambushed him like that, Xerese wondered if there wasn't a connection that had been felt before either had even spoken to the other. Love at first sight was said to be a thing, at least according to some of her books. Maybe there was an unseen connection felt that no one could understand, and she wasn't sure that Toman didn't like Quela as well.
The two had seemed to get along even though the guardsman had at first done his best to avoid speaking with her at all. He had been put out with the thought of being bonded to a stranger, and a potential enemy as well based on their initial meeting. Each day Toman seemed to warm up to the wizard more, however, and Xerese actually had begun to think that they looked cute together.
She supposed that she could keep an eye on the two, but what had been done was done. Unless they chose to bring the infraction to the wizards of Yalan, Xerese didn't really know what else could be done about it now.
Chapter 31- A Wizard's Intuition
Toman heard a noise. It was slight as if someone was making sure to walk lightly. The door opened slightly and he could see the figure of someone relatively small exiting through the gap thanks to the moonlight coming through the windows of the far room.
He had taken a small room attached to a center common room. Near enough to Xerese should there be need; the guardsman had rated a single bed and the quiet of a solitary space. The others had all managed to get similar spaces, though Xerese had a room that could easily fit three of this one into it.
Without straining to guess who his intruder was, Toman had to frown as he could feel Quela as she moved into the common room. She had a room of her own, but the man had felt her invade his space every night. A light sleeper by nature and trained to it as a soldier, Toman seemed even more attuned to the wizard.
Though at first it had been annoying to think that she was essentially stalking him, Quela had never tried to get into his bed. The woman would sit in one of the stuffed chairs curling up before falling asleep. She was always gone before the others awoke, but her movement always woke him as if he needed to know that the wizard was leaving.
Letting out a breath of annoyance, the man lay on his back with his arms supporting his head on the pillow. He looked up at the ceiling and wondered if Quela knew that he was awake or where he was by feel. It was strange to know where the wizard was at all times even without having to look.
He could hear a whisper of her voice through the slightly open door. It was odd for Quela to leave during the middle of the night. Grunting at the thought of the wizard doing anything normally around him, Toman could actually feel her magic building and the release of power. Their connection didn't share everything thankfully, but the force of magic could have woken him from a deep sleep even she if was in her own room.
Sliding the sheet free, the man sat up as he swung his bare feet onto the floor. He wore a pair of pants as he slept. With the woman constantly slipping into his room, the man didn't dare to sleep in less for fear of what she might do without warning.
The chanting stopped, but the bonded guardsman knew that the spell continued. It didn't feel concrete. Perhaps an attack spell would give that strong release, but this was more passive in nature. He had no idea what she was up to, but with Xerese sleeping nearby he couldn't trust that the wizard wasn't up to trouble.
The silver light of the third moon streamed in through the open drapes of the three large windows giving him a view of the woman sitting cross legged on the floor. Her hands rested on her knees as she sat nearly back straight on the throw rug. Stone beneath the carpeting, the soldier thought it would get uncomfortable sitting there in short order. At least the rug gave some padding as she sat.
Her appearance was strange to his sight. She was dressed in a sleeveless top that was lightweight and a pair of shorts made of similar material. Her slim legs and arms appeared to glisten in the moonlight. Colored in silver and black shadows, there was also a secondary glow that was bluish to his sight. The glow surrounded her and appeared to extend towards the windows.
Following the flow of glowing light, Toman thought that the room began to take on the same clear blue light as it overlay the stone and everything inside the room.
"What are you doing?" he asked quietly walking to stand beside her.
Her head barely cleared his knee as she sat beside him. Though Quela didn't respond immediately, the man seemed to know that she had heard him. It wouldn't seem unlikely standing so close to the wizard, but he somehow knew that her attention was extended beyond her body, yet it wasn't necessarily concentrated around her body at the same time.
"Something woke me," the woman's voice spoke distantly and softly. It was like she wasn't actually there, but using her mouth to talk from a remote position.
"And you woke me in turn," he complained. "Why can't you just stay in your room instead of creeping into my room every night? Maybe I could sleep through the night then."
"I tried to sleep there, but without you nearby I can't sleep now. I didn't notice it while we traveled, but we were sleeping on the ground around a fire. Now hush while I try to find what disturbed me," she finished sounding like a wizard speaking to her servant. Her first words were more that of a woman trying to explain something to someone close to her, Toman thought.
He waited patiently for what he guessed was ten minutes listening to the woman breathing, but also letting his senses extend as far as he could make them. When her mind returned to her body, the woman stood quickly and he noted her frown even as her face turned away from the windows into shadow.
"There are people moving around the castle," the woman stated sounding distracted.
"Of course there are. Even at night there are servants and guards keeping watch over the grounds and walls," he replied. Even though Malaiy wasn't at war, a lord had to keep an eye on his castle. Robbers could come and loot or occasionally men might think to kill a governor if they felt like he was wronged enough. Guards dissuaded bad behavior and added a sense of security to everyone inside the castle.
"No, I can feel those too, but I think there is someone here who doesn't belong."
"How could you know that? You don't know everyone in this castle. You can't possibly know what someone is thinking to know that they don't belong, can you? I mean, you do have magic, but still."
The woman moved toward the door leading out of the suite into the hall. It was the only door leading into the space, which would make visitors feel more secure. Since no one could sneak into the other rooms, a visiting lord or ambassador could place guards in the common room and know that no one could get past without a sword ready to stop an intruder.
Pulling her hair back, she used a band around her wrist to secure a tail keeping much of it from her face.
Toman followed with a frown as Quela opened the door and moved into a dark hall. A lamp was lit fifty feet away in either direction giving just enough light for someone attempting to use the hallway, but it wasn't much since it was the middle of the night and no one should be awake to need the light.
Turning to the right without pausing, the wizard moved forward and Toman wondered if she just assumed that he would come with her. As they moved closer to the lamp, he noted her skimpy attire. Bare legs and arms, a low cut top baring much of her upper back and chest while the shirt wasn't quite long enough to touch the top of her shorts, the girl looked like she wore underclothes instead of clothing that might be seen on an adult in public.
"Are you sure that you want to be wandering around without putting on some clothes?"
She turned with a smile and placed her left hand against his bare stomach replying, "Are you dressed properly for walking through the castle in the night? Maybe you just don't want to risk another man looking at me?"
Sensing the joke at his expense, the guard tensed slightly which only served to make the woman slide her hand up towards his chest and back to his abdomen again with that slight smile remaining on her lips.
He grabbed her wrist gently removing her hand, but
Quela slipped free until she could hold his hand.
"Come on, it was this way," the woman said as she pulled him to follow.
While he wanted to complain, her soft hand in his seemed to give off a sensation that was surprisingly pleasant. Toman wanted to be angry with the woman. This bond she had made without warning had felt like an unwanted burden. Quela had said that she served him and through him Xerese, but the man wondered who was in charge at times.
Their relationship was complicated to say the least.
Quela moved through the castle navigating easily even though they were moving through corridors that neither had walked before. Sensing that something of her spell remained in effect, Toman noticed that he wasn't blinded in between lamps. It was like that transparent blue glow remained even inside of the corridors where moonlight had to pass through the stone of the outer walls and doors to the dozens of rooms that they passed.
She found a stairway and led him up two more levels before pausing to access her spell. Closing her eyes, the wizard moved her head as if looking through her eyes at her surroundings. Toman realized that the petite woman still held onto his hand.
"This way," the girlish wizard whispered as she tugged him along.
The corridor was lit a little more often on this level and there were fewer doors. Probably suites similar to the one that they used, every door would lead to multiple rooms.
When he spotted men guarding the hall, Toman realized that this must be the floor used by Marq Itan and his wife. They weren't immediately noticed by the men whose heads were drooped slightly from being both bored and tired. He didn't envy having to work such a shift, but had done guard duty like it in his past before getting hired to protect Xerese and her family.
"Quela, we can't be here," he leaned down to whisper into her ear. The girl stiffened slightly, but Toman wasn't sure why. She didn't seem to care about the guardsmen in front of them.
The closer of the two guards noticed the pair walking towards them and moved to place his spear between them and his position. There was a sword on his hip, which would be more useful in such tight quarters, Toman thought. If they were there to attack Itan, these guards were likely to get killed before they could think to pull the appropriate weapon.
"Halt, you need to turn around. You can't be here. The Marq doesn't receive visitors in the middle of the night."
His partner's hand moved to the handle of his sword and looked ready to pull it from its sheath dispelling Toman's original opinion of the men. At least one of the guards was intelligent enough to know the situation for what it was.
"I'm sorry. She couldn't sleep and I didn't realize that we were on the wrong floor."
The first man noticed their attire. His eyes strayed to Quela with a smile. "Well, you two lovers can just turn back the way you came and we'll forget about this. I'm sure you can find better activities to tire her out before sunrise and if she doesn't tire out, so be it."
Feeling like he should block the view of the woman's form vied with his need to say that they weren't lovers. Before Toman could do more than say retort, "We're not...," Quela let go off his hand as she looked at the wall or through it.
Stepping towards the guards, the wizard's attention remained focused on some point beyond the stone wall.
"Miss,...," the guard began moving to block her way with his spear. His partner flanked him on his right as the sword started to slide a couple inches from its holder.
"You had better open the doors," Quela said ignoring the guard beyond the need to make him react to whatever she had seen. "There is someone in there with the lord."
He moved forward and Toman found himself at her side to dissuade the man from hurting her.
"Miss, back off or we will have to make you," he warned again.
Her eyes flicked to the soldier and warned, "We don't have time for this. Open the door before it's too late."
Sensing that Quela wasn't lying, Toman stopped the soldier from pushing her back. "She's a wizard. Open the door. If she's right, Marq Itan might be in danger. I guard his cousin. Open the door."
The girl mumbled something that his ear couldn't quite catch. Toman noted the pupils of the guard open slightly before returning to normal. "Open," the wizard ordered once more and to his surprise the soldiers moved quickly to throw open the doors. "Hurry, guard the lord and his wife," Quela added quickly.
Power seemed to flow into Toman as the woman tugged at his hand again. As they moved into the dark living quarters of the nobles, the darkness seemed to fade away. The world seemed to be tinted blue, but the details of the room were strangely vivid for him. His hearing also seemed to grow more sensitive. He could hear the breathing of those around him, each scuff of the soldiers' boots, even the light pat of Quela's bare feet on the stone.
A faint rustling came from his right before a dull whistle sounded. He pulled the two guards back just as a knife drove into the left door.
Following the path of the blade towards the one who threw it, Toman spied a man dressed in black with a black cloth wrapped around his head. Only his eyes were visible, but he didn't bother to look on them for long as he noticed more movement in front of a door cracked open.
The sound of the lord and lady's breathing could be heard coming from beyond the door and the two assassins who suddenly turned at the sound of the knife hitting the wood. Probably surprised by the act of their comrade, the men in black turned with their knives drawn.
Toman didn't know why he did it, but he charged into the room heading for the men by Itan's door.
A strong wind swept through the room moving furniture and papers on a table in front of a couch as it moved inexorably towards the assassin who had thrown the knife. Quela's spell disrupted the man in black, but he was too slippery to be caught so easily even by a wizard's spell.
One of the assassins threw one of his knives at the large guardsman as he closed the distance too slowly. His hand whipped up managing to swat the throwing knife aside catching the handle of the knife making it flip and spin towards the wall. It was a move that should have been virtually impossible at such a close distance, he thought somewhere in the back of his mind; but Toman had to get closer before luck no longer protected him.
The two guards recovered enough to surge towards the first assassin with their swords ready. A spear thrown by the first guard was in the air even as his sword cleared its sheath. It went wide, but it was enough to make the shrouded man run to the open window, the entry that the assassins had used to enter the lord's chamber most likely.
A rope caught his flying form and the assassin dropped below the window in an instant.
"You," Quela ordered tapping the closer guard, "don't let him escape."
The man ran forward and slashed at the taut rope. His blade was sharp and his attack strong. The rope split easily and Toman could even hear the sound of the assassin striking the ground forty feet below, though his attention remained on the two men in front of him.
The knives of the closer man slashed at Toman from either hand, but the big guard managed to dodge them as he struck with a flat palm to the assassin's chest. He thought that he heard bones break and the man's breath left him even as he left his feet. The force of the blow was greater than Toman had realized. His adrenaline must have pushed him to use his full strength in the strike without him realizing it; but it didn't matter as he closed on the last assassin.
Again the man moved his blades and hands swiftly. A short dance ensued as Toman fenced barehanded with the assassin. Knives tried to cut him; but despite being a large target, the guardsman found himself elusive. When he caught the man's right wrist, he twisted hard enough to break the man's arm. The pain caused him to gasp in pain.
As the knife fell from a numbed hand, Toman grabbed the left arm squeezing hard enough to make the other knife drop as well. He pulled the man in black away from the doorway tossing him towards the second soldier. The assassin was forced to the ground while Toman glanced to see the other assass
in slumped against the wall wheezing as he tried to regain his breath.
Toman could hear the sounds of whispers and movement coming from Itan's room. He stepped into the doorway making certain that there were no other attackers within.
"Are you alright, my lord?" Toman questioned immediately as he would if Xerese had been so close to harm.
"We are fine. Who are you?"
A lamp was lit by Rianne. They were hardly dressed to receive visitors, but modesty was a small thing when there were assassins nearby.
"Toman?" the lord answered his own question as he blinked in the light of the lamp. "What are you doing here? Where are my guards?"
"We are here, my lord!" the first guardsman answered moving into view beside the larger Toman.
Still trying to wake from his sleep fully, Itan asked a more important question, "What happened? Who were you fighting?"
"It looks like assassins, my lord," Toman stated looking at the two men in varied states of capture. He pointed at the fallen assassin and the first guard moved to restrain the man as if there was any fight left in him.
"Assassins, here, why would an assassin target me?" the lord questioned fearfully. "Wait, why are you here anyway?"
"Quela somehow sensed that there were men moving in the castle. She brought me here just in time," he answered as accurately as he could when Toman still hadn't figured out how the woman could possibly have known that assassins were about to attack the marq and marquess.
He looked back at the dark haired girl looking so vulnerable in clothing no more appropriate for the public than what Rianne wore in her bed beside her husband. She held her hands in an odd position while closing her eyes a moment. Noticing that the conversation had moved to her, Quela walked towards Toman and the door.
"It seems safe now, though the assassin who fell isn't dead. Someone should send guards to make sure that he can't escape. He probably has broken legs, but we should make certain so everyone is safe," the wizard answered.
Itan looked at the woman and asked, "How did you know?"
The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus Page 45