She looked up at Talis’s entranced eyes and elbowed him in the ribs to shake him out of his gawking. He glanced down and gave her an embarrassed but entertained smile that caused her to relax and enjoy the show. As Mara returned her gaze to the dancing, the woman’s almond eyes caught hers and sparkled in a mischievous look. The dancer twirled and twirled in a pirouette of pleasure, and her delicate hands and long fingers flourished graceful gestures while her hips rocked and bounced in a seductive fury.
The music stopped abruptly and the dancer bowed, sending a wave of cheers and clapping across the crowd. Mara cheered along with them, waving her hands in an excited flourish that matched her free feeling.
“Such a wild and wonderful city,” she said, and giggled as the crowd pushed them along towards a marketplace filled with steaming stalls where savory and sweet scents wafted into Mara’s nostrils, driving her stomach to gurgle and complain in expectant delight. Soon Talis commandeered a place underneath a sprawling sycamore tree and offered her a white chair at a table already stocked with a selection of chocolates.
It seemed as if the youthful crowd was also hungry and thirsty from flirting and gossiping and enjoying the excitement of the street shows. Well-heeled girls plopped down on chairs while the young men stood and sipped on mugs filled with frothy beer, admiring the girls as they preened and exposed legs and flapped dresses as if pretending to cool themselves. It was quite a lavish scene.
A candle was brought to their table, and Talis, obviously showing off for her, aimed a palm at the flame and caused it to twirl and dance about a foot into the air. Several gasps went out as girls from nearby tables noticed the outburst of brilliant light. But Talis remained undisturbed, and instead focused even more on the flame.
“I’ve been practicing with fire and force,” he said, keeping his voice soft and sultry like the night. He aimed both palms at the flame, facing each other in a kind of cupping gesture. “Flame feeds off wind, and wind drives fire crazy.”
Mara chuckled and lifted herself a bit to see better. “Kind of like you and me.”
“You do drive me crazy more times than I care to admit.” He winked, but kept his eyes fixed on the flame. Soon the flame split into two, then three flames that illogically had twisted around in a fixed twirl where each flame did not touch the others. It was almost as if Talis had learned how to independently control each flame, and yet each flame still burned within the confines of its own spiral.
A smile burst across Talis’s handsome face as he leaned back a bit and watched as the three flames continued to grow and spiral into the air, like three long-stem roses artificially twisted and splayed apart in the air. Shrieks of joy and exclamations of amazement echoed out across the nearby tables. So much for a night out unseen. Though Mara would’ve preferred anonymity, she was pleased to see Talis enjoying the entranced attention of the crowd that was gathering around their table.
“Flame and dragons married along the serpent’s spine.” Talis projected his voice in a high, mysterious tone as he snapped his fingers and caused three dragon heads to sprout and come alive atop each flame fingerling. Mara marveled at his sophisticated artistry, and the level of detail he could command, including causing the eye area inside the dragon heads to burn white-hot. How did he do it? She had never seen him practice such complicated creativity, other than flame-play at campfires and fires at the hearth.
“Three dragons consume each other in ecstasy,” Talis proclaimed with a playful chuckle in his voice, and spiraled his index fingers and caused the dragons to face the sky and twist around like cobras under the bewitching tune of a snake-charmer. Indeed the dragon’s mouths opened and devoured each other and dove down to the candlewick and burst back up as a single, larger dragon with churning, white-hot eyes that flared a bright heat. Mara jerked her head back in a giddy gasp of pleasure.
Then Talis clapped his hands and the flame was extinguished in a burst of white, fragrant smoke that smelled like temple incense. The silent crowd stood stunned and gaping at the rising, twisting smoke, as if expecting the smoke tendrils to come alive and form into some hideous beast.
“That was amazing,” Mara whispered, but even the softness of her voice managed to startle the assembled crowd out of their reverie. She glanced around at the entranced faces of the youthful citizens of Carvina, the faces of people least likely to be amazed, considering all the spectacular displays of art and magic she’d already seen here in the capitol.
One bold and beautiful girl opened her mouth to speak. She was perhaps sixteen-years old with long, luscious yellow hair that danced as she shook her head in amazement at Talis. Her voice sounded enviously silky and smooth as she spoke. Mara instantly hated her.
“Dragons are forbidden from all displays of magic in Carvina.” The girl’s pleasant proclamation startled Mara, as she had expected the girl to praise Talis for his artistic expression. “From what city do you hail?”
Talis’s surprised pause gave an opening for Mara to respond. “We’re from Naru, a city to the north nestled in a vast oasis in the Nalgoran Desert. A city that has long been at war with the Jiserian Empire.”
The yellow-haired girl pivoted her pretty face around and gawked at Mara as if shocked that she had the audacity to speak to her. “Naru?” She scoffed in a fetching, taunting exclamation that caused the girls around her to break out in a fit of pretentious giggles. “Didn’t we completely obliterate that frightful little city? I heard father talking to his club friends that after our sorcerers and troops demolished any resistance, our necromancers turned the entirety of that vile population into frothing undead.”
Mara seized the tablecloth and squeezed until her knuckles went white with rage, and yet through a cool force of will kept her face calm and indifferent. Talis rescued her from the embarrassment of an ill-mannered retort.
“I’m afraid that is all old news, Miss?” He paused expectantly and studied the girl’s surprised face.
“Princess Devonia,” the girl said curtly.
“Well met, Your Royal Highness.” Talis swept his hand to Mara in a smooth motion. “Allow me to introduce you to Princess Mara Lei of Naru, daughter of Viceroy Lei and former Ambassador to the Jiserian Empire. And I am Talis Storm of House Storm.”
She gaped at him in utter disbelief. “You lie! It is common knowledge that the Child of the Sun was slain early in the siege of Naru, when the Temple of the Sun was destroyed by our sorcerers.”
Talis smiled with confident ease and raised an eyebrow at her. “And yet here I am sitting next to you. So interesting how the official accounts from ministries of information are quite often incorrect, as evidenced by my mere existence here before you. Do you require proof?”
Princess Devonia gave an incredulous huff and folded her long arms and cast him an intrigued glance. Mara found herself jealous at the charged exchange between Talis and the pretty girl.
“Let’s see, how about light magic to illuminate the night?” Talis scanned around with an unsatisfied expression on his face. “But we’d need darkness first to make such a display meaningful.” He raised his hands and waves of shadows tore across the square and extinguished all the candles and torches until gasps and shouts of concern filled the crowd.
“Now for the pure golden light of the sun.” Talis projected his eerie voice like an actor on a stage. He allowed his palms to radiate with brilliant golden balls of light until Mara and the people around shielded their eyes from the intense light. Out of the corner of her eye, Mara could see that Talis was unflinching in his gaze as he focused on the golden orbs. A quick snap of his wrist sent the two fiery, miniature suns out to float over the heads of the shrieking, howling crowd.
A girl nearby shouted for Talis to stop the light, that it was blinding them, and Mara saw a wry, self-satisfied smile creep over his mouth as he clapped his hands together and made the golden orbs disappear. Darkness returned with all-encompassing dreariness. But soon spiraling tunnels of flame jetted and danced from Talis’s finger
s and fled out over the sparkling eyes of the fearful crowd until finding purchase on the candlewicks and torches, which ignited in a soft series of whooshes across the square.
But Princess Devonia was for some reason enraged at his display of power and pushed herself up to leave, her eyes flared in fiery fury as she glowered at Talis.
“So you come here to Carvina to invoke fear in the hearts of our serene citizens?” Her voice trembled as she aimed a finger at the crowd, but Mara felt her earlier hint of jealousy rise in strength as Mara realized with some feminine intuition that Princess Devonia held some feeling towards Talis. “You dare provoke the hysteria of soon-to-come revenge for the sins committed against your people?”
Talis waved a hand dismissively, and Mara noticed the Princess flinch at the gesture. “The people are often innocent and ignorant of the heinous details of war, of course unless the citizens are part of the collateral damage, then, like those citizens of Naru, the realization is strong and visceral.”
He stood and proffered an arm for Mara. “We’ve come without revenge in our hearts. Our people our cured of the undead scourge by my own hand, and though many citizens were slain and scattered across the world, Naru is rising and rebuilding once again to her former glory.” Though after he’d said the boastful words, Mara knew he regretted the declaration at the brief flash of self-loathing on his face.
Mara snaked her arm in his and they turned and left the Princess. But after a few steps Talis paused and aimed his gaze at Princess Devonia. “We’ve come bringing terms of peace for our two civilizations. One hopes that with the current state of unrest in the Jiserian Empire, the people desire peace and prosperity and the end of war and bloodshed.”
Talis tugged on Mara’s arm and strode off through the silent square.
22. THE SERVANT'S WISDOM
Talis lay awake in bed with a hungry belly, dreaming of Princess Devonia. He wished he had waited to eat before deciding to show off and perform his fire magic tricks to Mara and the people in the square. Gods, why can’t I go to sleep? Talis thought, and turned over again for what was probably the fifth time. Sweat dribbled along his back from the heat of the magic still raging inside his body. He had held the power inside for far too long and he knew he’d regret doing such a long and complicated display of his recently created art. He’d learned to combine the forces of fire and wind magic in a contained display of artistic magic. All to impress Mara, or done to boost his ego?
In the darkness of the room, the image of Princess Devonia’s haughty and beautiful face tormented him. Did Mara suspect something in his expression towards the Princess or in the way he had spoken to the girl? Princess Devonia was tall and slender like the sleek line of a flamingo. But the thing that kept driving him crazy was how her long, golden hair had spilled over and glanced his shoulder as she had inspected the three fire dragons he’d created. He could still feel it.
Her sense of authority and calm assurance in dealing with such unfamiliar magic had made him admire her power and nobleness. But when he had cast light magic, her thin crystalline shell of confidence had shattered under the realization that Talis was the powerful, hated foe of the Jiserian Empire. And the look of fear in her eyes when she had known for sure that he was alive and here in Carvina. That had excited him in a way that made him feel like a cruel brute.
Now he wished he could get Princess Devonia out of his mind. All her shocked expressions, her scared eyes, the sound of her gasping in horror, and the intoxicating smell of her dangerously sweet perfume. He felt terrible and guilty and wished he could expunge every bit of her memory from his mind. Didn’t he love Mara? Not just after kissing her and being with her like that on the ship, but because of the light, playful dance of her eyes and her funny wit and charm.
Gods! Of course he loved her, she was Mara, his best friend since forever and then some. And he knew that she loved him too, he could see it in her eyes and in the warm familiarity of her touch. They were meant for each other. The gods had ordained it when they survived the journey into the Underworld. When they’d impossibly returned from two worlds away and together rebuilt Naru. After he’d brought her back to life with the sustaining power of the sun. The gods had fated them as a pair.
Though if he knew where Princess Devonia was right now he would fly to her room and do things to her that he never would dare do to Mara. He slapped his head for thinking such thoughts, and only heard the low, ominous voice of the Nameless hiss in his mind, You can fight your feelings or give in and go with the flow down deep into the endless black ocean where all life comes from. You are an animal, and an animal is not unique, just one of the many million beasts that crave and crawl and crush the mind in favor of the feeling. Give in, you cannot resist her.
A soft knock on his door woke him from his hysteria, and he pushed himself up and went over and cautiously opened the door just enough to see Mara’s impish eyes. He chuckled and let her in, noticing that she wore a thick silk robe that seemed silly in this heat, though perhaps only he felt it was hot here in this room.
“You look wide awake,” Mara said, and studied him as she came inside the room. “Dreaming of Princess Devonia?” At his no doubt stunned and guilty look, she gave him a second concerned glance and sat at his bedside. “Not that I can blame you, she’s far more beautiful than I am, and…nubile. I mean she’s like a year older than me and she’ll probably soon be married off and be popping out kids.” She frowned and stared at him with sad eyes. “I just hope they’re not your kids… I always thought that we’d—”
“Don’t talk like that.” He placed a hand on her cheek and let his fingers slide down her neck until she closed her eyes and shuddered. “Did you hear how she talked about the invasion of Naru, as if it were some kind of joke? She just made me angry, that’s all. I shouldn’t had done all that and tried to prove who I was to her. I was so stupid. I should have just insisted that we leave and go someplace quiet and actually eat something. I’m starving, aren’t you?”
She left her eyes closed and shook her head and collapsed to the side and sprawled out on his bed. “I’m so doomed. You’re going to fall madly in love with her. I’ve seen it so many times before. Hatred leads to lust and love is the inevitable outcome of that vicious circle of hate and lust. I just can’t compete with her beautiful body…she’s just so primal and spewing the perfume of animalistic craving. Your eyes even dilated as you were staring at her.”
But Talis could see a devious smile creep across her face as Mara’s eyes glanced invitingly at him. “You’re terrible,” he said, and leaned in and kissed her soft lips. He tugged her robe and pulled her off his bed, shaking his head as if her being here was a very bad idea. “What time is it? Come on, let’s go find a kitchen and some food, I am seriously hungry.”
She huffed and gave him a pouting expression, but gave in and followed him outside the room where they found a side stairwell that wound down and around all the way to a servant’s hallway beneath the main entrance level. The small window shafts revealed only the faintest amount of light, and Talis couldn’t tell if it was the light of early morning or merely the gas lanterns that adorned the streets. He found the kitchen and looked inside, discovering an old, cheerful man humming a song and kneading dough over a massive wooden counter. The air smelled of onions and meat and flour. His eyes glanced at them in a warm, expecting look that reminded Talis of his grandfather.
“Come in young ones, you have the look of someone who is hungry. Craving some of my famous breakfast meat pies?” The man’s watery blue eyes sparkled in the gaslit lanterns. “Won’t be ready for another hour or so, but I do have some bread and cheese and sausage to offer you. Does that suit you?”
Talis nodded eagerly and the old man shuffled with a faint limp over to a cupboard, where he retrieved a plate and piled it with a substantial-sized sausage, a small round wheel of white cheese, and several pieces of crispy flatbread. At Talis’s immediate enjoyment of the bread and cheese, the old man smiled in an expres
sion of perfect contentment and he leaned against the counter and sighed.
“You know I’ve fed them all. The old and the young, the noble and the rich, I’ve even fed the Emperor several times here at banquets given in celebrations of marriage. He has the most beautiful daughter, Princess Devonia, do you know of her? She’s not like her cruel brother, the boy is simply a terror to Emperor Ghaalis. I dread the day when that boy rules our Empire.”
Talis had almost spewed out the food at the man’s untimely mention of the Princess. He cast a wary glance at Mara, who shook her head in frustration as if she were unable to rid herself of the girl. If only he could have convincingly denied Mara’s assertion about him and the girl, then maybe she would have believed him and stopped worrying about his feelings towards Devonia.
“You both bear the foreign look of someone who’s come to Carvina from very far away.” The old man returned to kneading the dough in strong, even strokes. “Let me guess, you’re from up north, perhaps Ursula or Ostreva? No, definitely not Ostreva, maybe farther south, like Onair? But wasn’t Onair destroyed by the sorcerers?”
“We’re from Naru,” Mara said, her voice flat and tense. “Talis’s father is originally from Onair, so in a way you guessed correctly.” She flashed him a quick smile that simmered with jealousy. “So tell me more of Princess Devonia. We only just met her last night.” She shot Talis a harsh glance. “Talis here made quite an impression on the Princess, and it seemed like she was quite taken with him as well.”
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