To the ones still standing on the dock, she commanded, “Go on working, do no’ stop. If ye have questions, send a message on to me at the castle. I do no’ think we be back in the next week.”
“See to him,” McKay urged her. “We’ll handle things here.”
Good man.
The ferryman put the boat into motion, his small crew of rowers propelling the boat across the channel with admirable speed. Still, it was not fast enough to suit Riana. She was so used to magic, and being able to talk to people at will, that the sudden lack of it grated on her. She desperately wanted to contact someone from Estole and get help set up for them so that they had it ready when she arrived with Ash. But there was no way for her to do it.
They pulled up at Estole’s docks with a jarring bump and the rowers leapt out to tie the boat firmly up. Then they reached down without her asking and hefted Ash into their arms.
“The castle, Miss Riana?” a man she didn’t know asked.
“Aye,” she confirmed, right behind them. She debated between running ahead and getting help set up or staying right next to Ash. Her instincts were torn, uncertain which would be the best course of action. In a split second, her mind flashed with a segment of conversation, something that her father had mentioned to her in passing. Ashlynn had emergency callers throughout the city; that’s how the guards contacted her if something went wrong.
Whirling to the nearest man, she demanded, “Where be the nearest caller?”
“Sheriff Fallbright’s posts, you mean? Dead ahead, on the corner of the third street.”
Riana didn’t hesitate. She bolted into a sprint, leather boots scraping on the wood of the docks, and ruthlessly shoved people out of her way. It took far longer than it should have, but she finally spotted it, standing next to a lamppost—three wavy lines embedded in gold. Riana wasn’t quite sure how these worked, but every time that she had seen Ash or Ashlynn work them, they’d always touched them first. Not knowing what else to try, she put three fingers against the gold and spoke clearly, “Ashlynn.”
It took a second, long enough to make her doubt it had worked, and then Ashlynn’s voice came through clearly. “Riana?” she asked, clearly startled.
“Ashlynn. Ash be unconscious. He be barely breathing.”
There was a moment as this sank in and then Ashlynn turned the air blue with curses. “I knew that fool was overworking himself! Riana, where are you?”
“The docks.”
“I’m on the opposite end of the city. Can you get him to the castle?”
“Aye, I have men helping me carry him there.”
“Then go. I’ll meet you there.” The connection abruptly ended.
Riana turned, stepped five feet into the street, and looked hard toward the docks. While she had been speaking to Ashlynn, the men had made good progress, and almost caught up with her. She waited for them to come abreast of her, then she stepped in alongside of them, peering anxiously at Ash’s face. He still showed no signs of waking up, but it was clear his sleep was not a peaceful one, not from the tight expression on his face and the twitchy, jerky motions he made.
A dark-haired guardsman jogged up to them. “Miss Riana?”
It took her a minute to recognize him and put face to name. Rich. She’d trained him in archery near daily until being reassigned to help build the settlement. “Sadler. We need to get Ash to the castle.”
Rich took a good look at the wizard, eyes flying wide with alarm. “What happened?”
“He just collapsed. Overworked, belike.”
One of the traits of a guardsman was to be quick on the uptake. Rich took one look at the situation and asked the rowers, “Have you got a good grip on him? Can you manage it all the way to the castle?”
“We can,” several assured him all at once.
“Then I’ll clear a path.” Rich stepped around them and to the front, acting as a trail blazer, and bellowed in an ear-splitting voice, “MOVE! MAKE WAY!”
People were startled by the abrupt order, and their heads turned about as they tried to pinpoint the source. It took Rich yelling twice more before they finally understood and obeyed the instruction. They split to either side of the street, leaving a swath in the middle clear, and it was only then that they could move at more than a shuffling pace.
Riana was acutely aware of time crawling past, like ants across her skin, and she hated it. When the castle finally came in sight, she felt like throwing her hands up in victory.
“Riana!” Broden’s voice came out over the crowd clearly.
Her head snapped around. “Da!” Waving an arm above her head, she gave him a clear indication of where to go in case he hadn’t spotted her yet.
Broden obviously did see her in the crowd as he made a beeline for her, brows drawn together tightly in worry. “Daughter. What happened?”
“Ash be working on the mine when they hit a bad patch of air,” she explained quickly, her eyes roving around, looking for Ashlynn. “Only he did no’ awake like the others. I be thinking, it had nothing to do with the bad air, it just be exhaustion on his part. Belike more. He be shivering hard.”
“Aye, that I see.” Broden slung the bow and quiver off and handed them to her as he said to the rowers, “Good work, lads, and thank ye. Hand the lad over now, I be taking him the rest of the way.”
Not one man there questioned it, never mind that it had taken three to carry Ash this far and there was only one of Broden. They just handed him to Broden, helping to arrange him over his back, Ash’s arms dangling over Broden’s shoulders. The archer hefted him like he was a heavy sack and then set a quick pace for the palace.
The rowers hovered for a moment before heading back for the docks, but Rich remained, still acting as a fore-guard and shoving people out of the way so that Broden had a clear path.
Riana wasn’t surprised by this show of strength. Her father had always been much stronger than the average man. She just kept pace and asked, “Where be Ashlynn?”
“Lass said something about it likely being magical exhaustion, or depletion, or some sort of thing. Said she knew what to do and I was to take the lad straight to his rooms.”
That was a relief. Although Riana wouldn’t breathe easy until she saw color return to Ash’s face and he stopped shaking.
Ashlynn met them at the side door of the castle. She took one look at her brother’s face and ordered Broden grimly, “Get him into bed. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Chapter Eleven
Broden heaved Ash into the bed and stepped back, not knowing what else to do, and waited for his partner’s orders. Ash lay as still as the living dead, not so much as twitching, just breathing shallowly.
From the way that Ashlynn moved, it was clear that she did know what to do. She was efficient, not a movement wasted, as she set lavender oil on his feet and hands. Tucking him back firmly under the blanket, she then went to his chest and put a hand firmly against it, mirroring the movement by putting a hand to her own heart. She spoke four distinct words, the syllables hard and crunched, and then waited.
Broden couldn’t really see anything but he could certainly feel it. Ashlynn was like a burning light to him, a strong presence that he could feel even in a dead sleep. That very power was slowly draining out of her, weakening her presence in his mind. If not for the fact that she was in control of this and was clearly doing it of her own will, it would have alarmed him. Even knowing, it alarmed him. It was clear what she was doing—transferring some of her magical power over to her twin.
Riana hovered at the foot of the bed and he glanced at her, finding her drawn and worried. As the power was transferred, however, her tight expression eased a hair and she breathed easier. Broden couldn’t feel it, but she did, as her partner gained strength.
“Riana,” Ashlynn asked quietly, “how does he feel to you now?”
“Tired, aye, but no’ drained as before.”
Ashlynn withdrew her hand, the gesture lank as if she had no more energy of h
er own. “I’ll stop here, then. We’ll monitor him and see if I need to do this again later.”
Riana’s eyes were fixated on Ash. “Be it that dangerous.” It wasn’t a question.
“It could have killed him. Fool,” Ashlynn said despairingly. “Why did he think he could do it all? Why did we think he could?”
Why indeed. Broden knew that they had more problems than solutions most days. Certainly they had a shortage of manpower and more than one person in Estole was juggling three hats. But even then, was there no other way to protect the people than to work a good man into the ground like this?
He sensed it more than saw it, the moment when Ashlynn’s exhaustion caught up with her. Broden moved, crossing the few feet of distance between them in a split second, his arms out and catching her just as her balance faltered and she started falling backwards. Ashlynn hit his chest with a soft ooph of sound, hands coming up automatically to grab hold of him.
Riana was two seconds behind and stopped when she realized that her father had it covered. Her eyes took in Ashlynn from head to toe in a shrewd study. “Belike Ash no’ be the only one overworked.”
“Aye, daughter, ye be right on that.” Broden just tried to keep up with Ashlynn most of the time and he could feel the tug of exhaustion on his own coat tails.
Ashlynn was tired enough not to fight his grip, just stayed leaning against him. He got a better hold on her and led her out of the room and into the little sitting parlor outside of it, settling her into a chair near the fireplace. “Lass, sit and rest.”
“I will, but we can’t tarry for long here.” Ashlynn’s eyes were at half-mast as she said this, clearly on the verge of falling asleep.
“Lass, do ye no’ trust yer people?” he chided her. “They can manage for half a day. Rest. Else who will take care of ye when ye collapse like Ash?”
She took his point although from the pout on her face, she didn’t like it. “If the city burns down around our ears, I will blame you.”
“Aye, ye do that.” He grinned at her in amusement. Fussy like a child, this one, about taking a nap. Foolishness, that. Naps were always a welcome joy to adults and one that not many got to indulge in.
In ten seconds, she was fast asleep. Riana went and fetched a blanket, covering her, then stepped back and drew her father out to the balcony so they could talk without waking either wizard. Even then she kept her voice low. “Da. I think it be time we press matters.”
“About getting more wizards here?” he asked, sure they were talking about the same topic, but making certain regardless. “Aye. That be a sound notion. I be willing to hunt up Edvard and bend the man’s ear, if ye wish to stay and watch over the two of them.”
“I will,” she consented, already shooing him toward the door.
Broden went.
Being the middle of the day like this, it was quite the hunt to track down his king. Edvard was not one for sitting still after all. He was constantly on the move, working through problems, listening to people, and trying to sort through things before it become too huge of a situation. Broden finally tracked him down just outside the castle, in the main shopping district, speaking to several business owners all at once.
“—don’t see why you can’t set up shops in both places, if you have family or friends you trust enough to start up a branch and run it in the settlement,” Edvard was saying to what looked like a clothier, a mercantile owner, and two shoemakers. (Broden was sure he was right as they had different pieces of their merchandise still in hand or pinned to their aprons.) “It’s not lack of land over there, it’s more a lack of business and people.”
One of the shoemakers asked cautiously, “The land’s free?”
“The land’s free,” Edvard assured him, tone suggesting he’d said this at least a dozen times before. “You just have to fund building the business and putting product into the store.”
The clothier scratched at his chin, eyes narrowed in shrewd calculation. “Mighty generous of you, Your Majesty.”
Edvard’s mouth twisted up in a grimace of a smile. “Not at all. I’ve run out of room to put people here. I’ve got to convince them to move over the channel, otherwise we’ll be filled to bursting soon. But my generosity does have a time limit. I can only do this until winter hits, and then everyone who’s here is stuck here until spring. Wouldn’t you prefer to have elbow room between you and your neighbors throughout the winter?”
The mercantile owner muttered something under his breath that sounded like “I certainly would.”
Edvard turned his head and caught Broden standing nearby, waiting for him to finish. A frown passed over his face before he turned back to the owners and said, “Think about it. Discuss it. Come to me with questions. Or your provost, they will also know how to answer you. Alright? Good, thank you.” With that polite dismissal, he spun on his heels and came to Broden. “What is it?”
“Ash has fallen.”
The blood drained out of Edvard’s face and Broden realized belatedly that he could probably have phrased that better. “He be recovering,” he added quickly. “Ashlynn has seen to him and he be resting comfortably in his own bed. But Edvard, the man be no’ able to work for at least another fortnight, I think. And our lass be in no’ much better shape than he.”
Edvard scrubbed a tired hand over his face. “I’m overworking them. I know that. You have a solution?”
“I have an idea of a solution,” Broden corrected.
“I’m seeing with my own eyes how they are first,” Edvard stated, already moving toward the castle with a ground-eating stride. “We’ll talk after that.”
It was love of family that had made this man revolt against his king and set up his own country, as arduous and dangerous an undertaking as that was. Broden didn’t believe for one second he could stop Edvard from checking in on his ‘siblings’ so he followed silently in the man’s wake. People that saw Edvard tried to stop him, but he would politely put them onto someone else for an answer to whatever question they had, and bulled forward. He wouldn’t be distracted for more than a second or deterred from his course.
He reached Ash’s rooms in remarkably good time, all things considered, and stopped in to look at both with critical eyes. Riana hovered again, fidgeting openly, concerned he would wake them. But Edvard made an effort to move quietly and both wizards slept through his visit without even twitching.
Only when he was satisfied that they were resting did he draw the archers out onto the balcony, the only safe place to talk without disrupting anyone, and closed the glass doors behind him. “Alright. I see what you mean about their exhaustion. Broden, you said you had an idea?”
“The lass’s, more like. She made mention a time or two of the master she and Ash trained with.”
“Gerrard?” Riana asked, tone indicating she knew exactly who he was referring to. When both men looked at her with mild surprise, she explained without prompting, “Ash mentioned the same to me. Said if we were of a mind to recruit, his old master be the first person to contact.”
Edvard rubbed at his chin, brows furrowed as he pondered. “I’ve never met the man, just heard stories from the twins, but from what I’ve heard of him, that’s likely the case. Gerrard is one of the premiere wizards of this age, so good in fact that he founded his own school. It’s part of the reason why the twins were sent to study under him, as father wouldn’t have any use but for the very best. That said, he’s also quite the rebel. Some said that he founded a school because the Council of Wizards wouldn’t let him work on any governmental projects anymore. He apparently caused quite the scene at one of them. I’m shaky on the details—it happened when I was very young—but after that he founded the school and hasn’t left it.”
“It be a good idea, then,” Riana ventured.
“Oh yes, an excellent one. Or would be, if I had any idea of how to contact the man. None of the magical contact methods will work. He’s too far away. We’ll have to go the more traditional route and actually se
nd someone to talk to him. But that’s a dangerous trip. Really, it would take a full guard of people—which I can’t spare—or a wizard-pairing to make the journey. And whoever went would have to be fast, because we can’t spare anyone away from Estole for long.”
Broden saw the problem, but putting this off would only create more problems, not solve anything. “Edvard. Be there a reason why we have no’ borrowed Tierone’s wizard to help out?”
“Ah, well, he had a few issues he had to straighten out and couldn’t spare the man.” Edvard grimaced. “I did ask, I promise you. But I’d better ask again because I think we need him more than Tierone does at the moment.” The light entered his eyes as a thought occurred. “If I can get him over here, that should free up one of the twins to go, wouldn’t it?”
“Aye,” Broden and Riana agreed at once.
Edvard got that determined look in his eye, one that Broden recognized well, and he grinned to see it. When Edvard wore that expression, then kings trembled, because the man would not be put off by anything until he got his way. “I’ll talk to him when Ashlynn wakes up. But which one of you should I send out?”
Broden and Riana shared a speaking look. Both of them were in rather vital roles, neither could easily step out and go, and yet one of them had to. Broden was of a mind to say Riana should do it, because he had gone last time, but it might not be a safe option what with Ash’s magical core being so low.
Shaking his head, Edvard held up a hand. “Never mind, I withdraw that question. I need to ask it when all four of you are present and can talk about it. Alright, I’m going back to the tasks I had lined up for today. I’ll be in Market Square most of today. Come fetch me when these two are awake.”
“We will,” Riana promised.
Chapter Twelve
There was a soft knock on the door. Riana put aside the book she had been reading and crossed to the door, opening it to find a very worried Priest Graff at the threshold. “Priest Graff.”
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