Riana patted her fondly on the head. “There’s a lass. Knew I could count on ye.”
They both ignored it when Ash choked again, this time as a sound of protest.
Bria waggled her fingers at the pair. “Bye, you two, have fun without us.”
“Yes, yes, go away. I have games to lose.” Ash made a face at them before turning his attention to Gwen. “Which game first?”
Leaving the two happily in each other’s company, Riana snagged Bria and led her into both Ash’s room and hers, picking up the coats and boots that needed to be mended and tucking them under her arm. Honestly, she was glad to get out, as sitting around for three days straight had nearly driven her mad. Sitting still did not suit her.
Bria eyed the bundle in her hands. “Shoemaker first? They look like they’ll take the longest to fix. If we go there first, we can go to a clothier that I know of next, and it’s all along the same street.”
“Sounds good,” she agreed. Really, she had no idea of the best place to go. Her tentative plan was to visit the same shops that Ashlynn had taken her to last time. If Bria knew of other places, she was willing to at least go and take a look.
“Then, the east side door is our best way out.” Bria led the way down the stairs and out the door. “Tell me, how is Ash really doing? I’ve never seen him so pale and listless like this.”
“A magical drain be a scary thing. I did no’ realize meself just how serious it be for a wizard. Ashlynn said it be akin to a deathly disease, although thankfully, one that can be recovered from.”
Bria shuddered, disturbed by this. “I didn’t realize it was that serious. I expected him to just recover like you would from a bad cold. We’re all very grateful, you know, that his partner is you. Because if he didn’t have you, he’d have collapsed like this, and they would have thought it was from some other cause, and they wouldn’t have gotten him to Ashlynn fast enough. Given a day, or even several hours, of waiting and his core might have drained out completely. Ashlynn was ranting about it a little last night and saying how glad she was you had the sense to bring him directly here.”
Pointing toward the side of her head, Riana explained, “I could feel it, how low his magic be. It scared me so that I took him here.”
Bria gave her a shrewd look. “How, ah, in touch with my brother are you?”
“We feel each other now.” Riana struggled with how to explain this as every day, the boundaries that separated them grew a little thinner. “Like a presence in the back of our heads. Emotions, too. They be coming in stronger by the day.”
“Thoughts?” Bria asked hopefully.
Shaking her head, Riana gave her a sad smile. “Not as yet. But we both be wishing it to happen. Given time, I think it will.” It was interesting, though, that she was being asked this. Was the whole family hoping that their partnership would develop into something more? Riana was a little scared to ask.
They rounded the corner to the miniature garden, heading for the last door that would let them out into the city. Riana went all of two steps before coming to an abrupt halt. Lingering inside the doorway, just inside of the wall, was Seth. He had a shy look on his face, body leaning ever so slightly toward Darisa, words kept soft enough that she couldn’t hear him from ten feet away. Darisa was leaning toward him as well, hanging on every word.
“That,” Bria breathed to her, eyes alight, “looks terribly suspicious. Don’t you think?”
“Terribly,” Riana agreed, studying the two who were obviously flirting. My oh my, what would Edvard, Ash, and Tierone say when they saw this pairing? Their words of ‘stations do not matter’ aside, they would not be pleased to see their sister flirting with a prefect. Riana thought it to be truly romantic, that they could see each other without a silly thing like titles and stations getting in the way, so was inclined to support them for that alone. She truly liked both of them and didn’t see why they couldn’t be a couple if they wanted to. “Do we interrupt them?”
“Of course,” Bria answered, not even hesitating. “How else can I tease them?” The words were barely out of her mouth before she was charging forward, still with that evil smirk on her face.
Riana was on her heels, waiting for her to say something, but Bria didn’t speak a word. She just went forward until the two noticed her. Then, like guilty teenagers, they sprang apart, a flush on their cheeks and their eyes looking elsewhere.
It was Seth that found his manners first and he gave them both a bow. “Miss Bria, Miss Riana, good day.”
“Good day, Prefect Seth,” Bria greeted cheerfully before giving her sister a pointed look and an arched eyebrow.
“Um,” Darisa managed intelligently. Her eyes were imploring both of them: Don’t make a scene!
Having pity on the pair, Riana stated firmly, “We do no’ see ye.”
Seth and Darisa didn’t catch on to her meaning for a full second before they slumped in relief. Then, of course, they realized that they only had her cooperation and not Bria’s and they turned nervous looks toward her.
“Do we, Bria?” Riana prompted. Teasing aside, Bria needed to put them out of their misery, otherwise it would become outright cruel.
“See who?” Bria responded, all innocence and confusion. “I don’t understand what you’re saying, Riana.”
Riana had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Casting them both a wink, she sailed through the door with Bria. They went ten steps and then stopped and laughed aloud. “What was that?” Riana demanded, holding her hands a foot apart and then jerking them wide, mimicking what the couple had done earlier. “That skip earlier? Like a skittish doe found by a pack of wolves.”
“That’s exactly what it was like,” Bria agreed, laughing hard enough that tears were seeping out of the corner of her eyes. “My, oh my, this is hilarious. I knew Darisa was sweet on someone, she’s been putting more effort into dressing up recently, but she wouldn’t tell us who. Now I know why!”
“Seth be no’ a bad choice,” Riana defended.
“Heavens no, I agree, he’s a good man. He’s helped me out several times in this chaotic city and Ashlynn swears he’s one of the most steady guardsmen she ever saw. It’s why Edvard promoted him to prefect. We all expect him to make provost in ten years, the way he’s going. It’s just the way those two are acting, you’d think they were having an illicit affair.” Bria nibbled on the edge of her thumb, thinking hard. “It’s because of Edvard, I bet.”
“And Ash,” Riana drawled, “no’ to mention Tierone.”
“Tierone will be more tolerant of this, I bet. So will Ash,” the look she gave Riana spoke volumes, “all things considered.”
Riana took her meaning and blushed, not quite able to meet the other woman’s eyes.
“But Edvard? Oh no, that is a different kettle of fish entirely. He’s your typical overprotective brother. He wants all of his sisters married to nice men who have a healthy income. I don’t think a prefect makes enough to satisfy him.”
“Be that important?” Riana didn’t see how it would be, but then she’d lived in absolute poverty for most of her life and knew good and well that money did not equate happiness.
“To him. Not to the rest of us. Our father was not known for taking good care of his mistresses, especially if they were already married. So some of us, like Ash and Ashlynn, at least got a good education. Others…not so lucky.” Bria pulled a face, nose crinkling. “Darisa and Catriona are the ones that weren’t so lucky. Which is really why, I think, Darisa will be more comfortable married to a man like Seth. She wouldn’t know what to do in a nobleman’s family. She doesn’t really have the education for it.”
From behind, there was the sound of rapid footsteps. Riana turned and tracked it automatically, not believing that there was danger coming up from behind, but unable to ignore the sounds of pursuit after so many years of being trained to keep an eye over her shoulder. Darisa skidded to a stop just before she plowed into them, cheeks rosy from the mad sprint, looki
ng a little short on breath.
“Darisa, dear sister,” Bria cooed, slipping an arm around her shoulders and securing her with an iron grip, “do tell us about your beau.”
“Bria,” Darisa pleaded, “please don’t pass this around the family. Not yet. We’re not ready for that yet.”
“I won’t,” Bria promised soothingly, “but only if you spill. Every. Little. Detail.”
Not looking relieved by this promise, Darisa stared uncertainly at Bria, worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth.
“If Edvard loses his top over this, I will shoot him in the foot,” Riana swore, only half-kidding. “The man do no’ have the right to choose his sisters’ lovers, no mind what he thinks. And he do no’ have a leg to stand on where Seth be concerned.”
This encouraged her and Darisa’s worry eased. “He is a good man.”
“One of the best,” Riana agreed. Putting her free arm around both women, she nudged them all into motion. “Now, I have shopping to do. Tell us, lass, how this came to be as we go along.”
“Wait, first, tell me about Ash. If you’re out here shopping, is he doing better?”
“Much,” Riana assured her, not looking at either woman, but studying the street as they walked along. This looked very different from the last time she’d walked through this section of the city. In fact, she barely recognized anything. Had it really changed that much in such a short time frame? “We have Gwen babysitting him.”
Darisa put a hand to her heart. “I’m relieved to hear it. In more than one sense. Gwen has been badgering us because she missed Ash.”
“Back to Seth,” Bria ordered. “How did the two of you meet?”
“Well, we knew who the other person was, of course. As prefect, he comes in and out all of the time, giving Edvard reports. We’d bumped into each other. But it all really started about three weeks ago. I was out running an errand for Ashlynn went I got completely lost. Lot Neighborhood,” she said as if that explained everything.
“Ah, there,” Bria said in complete understanding.
Riana pointed a finger toward herself. “I do no’ follow.”
“The Lot Neighborhood—that isn’t the official name, it’s just what we all call it—is where they’re building all of the houses,” Darisa explained. “You know the open land that used to be farmland to the north and west side of Estole proper? Edvard had that all converted over to housing. Each house got a specific size lot to be built on, and it’s one huge neighborhood, all of it connected. Hence the name. Some of the more industrious people have created little businesses in the front of their homes, or built a shed in the back, and you can find some very interesting things in there if you know where to look. While I was there, I got turned around, because frankly all the houses look the same to me. It was so frustrating. I must have wandered around for an hour, not sure how to get back out, when Seth stumbled across me. He had someone in hand, but he told the man,” in a credible impression of Seth’s tone, she mimicked, “‘This is Miss Darisa. You will behave while I escort you both back to Estole proper.’ And the man did, like he was afraid of what would happen if he didn’t, and once Seth had stowed the man in with the guard, he escorted me all the way to the castle. It was such a sweet thing to do, because I really was fit to be tied by that point. Of course, I couldn’t let it go at that, so I made him up a lunch the next day and left it at his office, as I couldn’t catch him. He came up the next evening to thank me for it, and…well…” Darisa trailed off with a sappy smile on her face.
The story was a sweet one. Riana would have followed it up with a question but she had arrived at a road that she didn’t know, and the road they had been walking on ended there. “Right or left?” she prompted them.
Bria and Darisa blinked, as if realizing that they were supposed to be navigating, and then looked around to gather their bearings. Then they frowned and looked to each other. Riana could decipher their expressions well enough and groaned. “Ye both do no’ have a clue.”
“Not one,” Bria admitted frankly, craning her head around to look again. “Edvard’s convinced so many storeowners to move to the settlement that the shops all are different now, as other businesses come in to take their place. This doesn’t look familiar at all. Darisa?”
Putting her hands on her hips, Darisa growled, “Where’s Seth when I need him? We should have been paying attention while we were walking.”
“It’s my fault,” Bria admitted. “I knew that Riana isn’t familiar with this section of the city; I was supposed to be guiding her. Alright, let’s backtrack the way we came. Eventually we’ll be in a place we know again.”
They reversed and started the way they had come. Riana paid better attention this time, trying to put this place into memory, so next time she wouldn’t be so confused.
Estole, fortunately, wasn’t that big. They’d work themselves free of this maze eventually.
Chapter Fourteen
Where in the devil was he?
Riana and Ash had come over this morning with the intent of practicing. Ash was back on his feet again, stronger than before, although not quite at full strength. They had deemed it a good day to go out try. Staying in Estole had been promptly vetoed as neither of them could walk the streets anymore without being bombarded by requests. The settlement was the better option for this practice.
She had been in and out of these woods on a regular basis for over a month. Riana knew them well. So why couldn’t she find him anywhere here, by sight alone if not by feeling? While they were supposed to be practicing, they had set up a safeguard and marked a certain area to stay in. She’d been all through it and couldn’t find hair nor hide of him.
The only option was that he was in the settlement somewhere. Growling in vexation, she turned smartly on her heel and headed that direction. He’d sworn to her he wouldn’t work on anything while over here, but old habits did die hard. Was he secretly working or checking up on something? If he was, she was going to give him quite the earful.
Riana was so aggravated with him that it took a second for her to realize that she was feeling a spark of something in the back of her mind. An emotion not her own. It was one of forced patience. Oh? Was she starting to pick up other emotions from Ash, finally?
That made her a little happy. Almost happy enough to momentarily forget she was irritated with him. Her steps slowed a mite as the thought occurred: why would he be feeling forced patience? Surely not because of her, not when he’d left their area. Had he been dragged into something after all?
A little worried now, she quickened her step and headed directly into the settlement, trying to discern where this emotion was coming from. Where had he gotten off to? The settlement wasn’t that big of a place, not yet, but it wasn’t the tiny little camp anymore they’d started out with. Ash had built a great deal before collapsing, the people that intended to live here had been very busy building, and then Tierone’s wizard, Parlan, had been pushing day and night to get things built. With all of that concentrated effort, the settlement had naturally grown by leaps and bounds. It was more like a town now. It had several paved streets, proper houses were in various stages of construction along the streets, and of course the framework for a warehouse for food storage. Even the docks had expanded while she hadn’t been looking and now could hold up to eight boats without strain.
Riana stopped at the edge of one of the streets, closed her eyes, and tried to really concentrate. She was starting to pick up more now. There was the forced patience, sparks of…amusement? But even though she felt him a little better than before she still had no sense of direction.
Giving up, she went with common sense and started from where she was, mapping out a search in her mind of what places to try. Eyes peeled, she went down that street, trying to spy her missing wizard.
As she walked, she picked up other little sparks of emotions, nothing solid but very fleeting: Minor annoyance, something that might have been a prick of pain, as if he had poked a finger with som
ething sharp, and other things of that ilk. None of these were emotions that she felt from him when he was working magic. So whatever he was doing, odds were, it wasn’t magic-related. Just what had he been dragged into?
Well, he wasn’t on this street. Switching to the next, she continued. The emotions were coming somewhat stronger now, or at least she was getting better at deciphering what they were. It was becoming increasingly obvious to her that whatever Ash was doing, it wasn’t by his own choice. That feeling of forced patience was very strong and judging from the random flashes of irritation, his patience was running thin. Had something gone very wrong that people needed his help? If so, then why wasn’t he using magic? She was almost positive he wasn’t, as she wasn’t feeling any change in his magical core. After two weeks of monitoring him, she was hyper sensitive to that.
Curiouser and curiouser.
It took changing streets three times before she heard his voice, raised in exasperation. “I do appreciate the sentiment, truly, but I’ve been here for over an hour now. Riana expects me to be somewhere else.”
“She’s a capable sort, she’ll find you.” A familiar male voice responded. Was that Emil? “Now pay attention. You’re like to take a hand off if you don’t.”
Completely baffled now, Riana followed her ears around the carpenter’s shop and to the back, where the actual workshop sat. There she finally found Ash, sitting on a bench with a hammer in one hand and a box of nails at his elbow. He was set to put together a series of wooden crates, or so it appeared.
Emil looked up at her entrance and greeted her with a smug grin, or at least she assumed it was under that ginger beard of his. “There, see? She found you fine.”
Ash gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
Now that she’d found him, and knew he was well, her irritation eased. Crossing both arms over her chest, she greeted the pair of them. “Lads. Care to tell me what ye be doing?”
“As to that, Miss Riana, we all talked after Ash was taken back to Estole.” Emil readily jumped into the explanation. The tone almost made it sound as if he had rehearsed this in his head, just in case. “It came to us that perhaps he wouldn’t have collapsed like that if he had done more with his hands and not relied on magic as much. And then we thought, schooled as he was, and without a father growing up, that perhaps no one had taught him to work with his hands.”
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