Magic Wept

by Andi Van

  “I don’t mind,” the giantess said. “The baby as well?”

  “He’s not sleeping through the night yet,” Nabiha said cautiously.

  Emlynn shook her head, then gave the girl a kind smile. “That’s of no matter. He’s an infant. Right now, it’s his job to keep the adults around him from sleeping.”

  Nabiha smiled hesitantly and stood. “Okay, then,” she said. “So long as you don’t mind.”

  Zaree returned her brother to Nabiha after giving the baby a gentle kiss on the cheek, smiling as she watched them leave. “I suppose I should return to bed too,” she said at last. Then she looked over at Jorget. “Come on, there are two beds in my room. You can have one instead of sleeping on the couch.”

  “You’re sure?” Tasis asked, concern creasing his brow.

  “You trust him?” Zaree asked, raising an eyebrow at her brother.

  Tasis nodded. “But that doesn’t mean—”

  “Then I’ll trust him too,” Zaree said. “At least enough to share a room. It’s not like I have to worry about him attacking me.”

  “You really don’t,” Jorget agreed. “Mostly because I don’t want to die.”

  “Smart boy,” Zaree said with a wicked grin. “Besides, it’s not like I have to tell you all my secrets because you’re snoring on the other side of the bedroom. Come on.”

  Jorget followed Zaree out, and it was just Tasis, Kelwin, and the animals left. Silence descended, interrupted only by the creaking of the couch as Kelwin sat next to Tasis and took his hand. “It’ll be okay,” he said.

  “I don’t know,” Tasis hedged. “For some reason I feel like things have gotten infinitely more complicated.”

  “Because of the girl?” Kelwin asked, lifting Tasis’s hand to his lips to press a gentle kiss against the smooth skin.

  “Stop that,” Tasis chuckled. “And no, I don’t think it’s the girl or her brother. Maybe it’s general unease about the whole situation. I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.”

  “I know,” Kelwin said, dipping his head to drop a kiss on Tasis’s lips this time. “Come on, you need sleep too. Daylight is soon enough for you to try to solve the world’s problems.”

  Chapter 9

  IT WAS nearly evening when there was a knock on the front door again. Unlike the last time there had been someone knocking at the door, Jorget noticed that Tasis didn’t seem at all concerned. On the contrary, he simply took another sip of his tea, smiled, and turned his attention to his sister. “Could you answer that, please?”

  “But—”

  “It’s fine,” Tasis said. “I’m expecting them. Go ahead.”

  Zaree gave him a skeptical look, then headed for the door. Tasis, for his part, leaned back so he could see the door clearly.

  “What are you pulling on her now?” Kelwin asked his beloved in exasperated amusement.

  Tasis merely held up a finger to shush him, and grinned hugely when Zaree opened the door and actually let out a squeak when she saw two men there in the armor worn by the king’s guards, though their helmets were off and one was grinning. The grinning one, who Jorget recognized as the one who manned the furnaces after Denekk faked an execution, bowed deeply to Zaree. “My lady,” he said. “It’s an honor to once again be in your presence.”

  “Bah,” Zaree huffed, her face pinking darkly. She allowed the man to take her hand and press a polite kiss to the back, though her face flushed even further when he did. “Flatterer. How have you been, Reikos?”

  “All that may have been wrong has been righted upon resting my eyes on you,” Reikos said, then laughed as Zaree swatted at him. “Too much?”

  “Too much,” Zaree agreed. “Any more of that and you’ll turn my stomach.”

  Tasis leaned in toward Jorget, whispering so those at the door couldn’t hear him. “Zaree has a rather large crush on Reikos,” he confided, as if it weren’t obvious to anyone who observed them.

  “He is who we’re going to the mountain with?” Emlynn asked from her seat next to Nabiha, who held her sleeping brother close and looked worried that some of the king’s guards were at the door.

  Tasis nodded. “He’s a friend,” he told Nabiha. “It’s okay. I trust him implicitly. He saved my life the first time we met, after all.”

  The girl relaxed a little at that, though she didn’t loosen her hold on Malik.

  Emlynn gave her a reassuring smile. “None of us will let harm come to you or your brother.”

  “That includes us,” Reikos said as Zaree let them in and shut the door behind them. “Not all of the guards are thuggish bullies.”

  “Then why remain in the king’s employ?” Emlynn said, asking the question that Jorget had been afraid to.

  “I don’t have a choice,” Reikos said with a sigh. “It’s… a personal family matter. I couldn’t speak for the others.” He looked at his companion and raised an eyebrow. “Why do you stay, Shan?”

  “Because you’re there,” the other said. “Someone has to keep you out of trouble. Besides, my great-grandmother was Gyrn. I’d be failing my duty to my ancestors if I didn’t seek to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

  “May Gyrn smile eternally upon the defenders of the people,” Zaree answered formally, bowing her head. “I’m glad to greet a fellow clansman.”

  “This is Shan,” Reikos said, finally taking the time to make introductions. “He’s second-in-command of my regiment.”

  “Also, partner in crime,” Shan said. “We’ve known each other since we could barely walk. Brothers in all but blood.” He grinned at Zaree. “I have so many stories I could tell you.”

  Zaree gave him a similar grin, hinting strongly of mischief and mayhem. “Oh? I’d be thrilled to hear them.”

  “No, you wouldn’t,” Reikos said as he glared at his friend.

  Zaree laughed and patted his arm before returning to Tasis’s side, the two guards following.

  “I thought we were meeting you at the mountain?” Jorget asked once they’d taken a seat.

  “We were,” Tasis agreed before either of the two newcomers had time to answer. “But things have changed slightly.” He nodded in Nabiha’s direction and gave the girl a smile. “I think it’s in our best interest to get Nabiha and Malik to the isle as soon as possible. Her parents may not be able to see this place, but I don’t want to chance their lives on that. Kelwin and I spoke on it before we went back to sleep, and he agreed with me. We’ll go to the mountain together and then split off, one group going to the Gyrn and one going up the mountain. Zar, I’d appreciate it if you’d come back with me.”

  Zaree glared at her brother, a snarl in her words as she spoke. “If this is because—”

  “No,” Tasis said firmly. “It’s not any of the things you’re thinking. It’s….” His voice trailed off, and he let out a sigh, a vulnerability taking over his features that Jorget hadn’t expected. “I need you, Zar.” He darted a glance at Kelwin, then returned his gaze to his sister.

  “Oh,” Zaree said softly in understanding. “If both of us go, you’ll do nothing but worry.”

  “And while you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself and an entire group of mountain-climbing fools, I’m the more logical choice,” Kelwin said kindly. “Considering the focus of my training.”

  “Which is?” Emlynn asked politely. “I don’t recall it being brought up by my people.”

  “Because your people understandably focus on what Tas has accomplished,” Kelwin said with a nod. “I grew up training with my village’s herbalist.”

  “Who happens to be the son of my aunt Josephina,” Tasis added.

  “Trivintaie’s second,” the giantess added, her tone reverent.

  “Yes,” Kelwin agreed. “If something happens up there, I may be of use. I didn’t want to take Daro, because I don’t know that he’ll be able to make his own way up that mountain, but Rin seems to think it’s important.”

  There was a meow from under the sofa Tasis was sitting
on, and they all looked down to see K’yerin staring at them.

  “Oh,” Reikos said, in that high-pitched voice people tended to use when they saw something they found absolutely adorable. He got up from his chair, crossed over to the sofa, and got down on his knees despite wearing his armor. “I love cats,” he said, reaching out a hand and wiggling his fingers at the odd-colored feline.

  Zaree cleared her throat. “Um, he’s not—”

  “An ordinary cat,” Reikos said, finishing the words. “I know. But he’s so handsome.”

  K’yerin gracefully pulled himself to his feet and headed straight for the guard, rubbing against the outstretched hand before giving those assembled a rather smug look.

  “Vain kitten,” Tasis said fondly. “All someone has to do is tell you how beautiful you are and you’re smitten.”

  The cat gave Tasis a sideways glance and sniffed imperiously before pushing his head against Reikos’s fingers again.

  “And so that’s what I think we should do,” Tasis said in conclusion as Rin’s purrs filled the air. “Your men are at the inn?” he asked Reikos.

  Reikos scowled. “And the innkeeper tried to charge us a fortune until he realized we’re the king’s guards, not just kingdom enforcers,” he said. “It was outrageous.”

  “He likes to do that, apparently. He certainly did to me, at any rate,” Kelwin said dryly before glancing at Tasis and giving him a look that had Jorget nearly looking away in embarrassment. “I’d say I came away from the situation far richer, though.”

  “Maker, you’re going to give every single one of us rotten teeth if you keep talking like that,” Zaree snorted. “Not that I’m not glad you were there, of course.”

  “If we’re decided, then,” Tasis said after clearing his throat, “I suppose I should go search through Mother’s library in case I find anything that might be of use.”

  “May I help?” Nabiha asked, sounding enthusiastic about something for the first time since she’d stepped into the house the previous night. “I can read. Mostly.” She grimaced a little, then shrugged as best she could while holding the sleeping infant. “I sometimes have trouble with larger words.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Tasis assured her. “It’s a matter of practice. I’d welcome your help.”

  The girl beamed at him for a moment before looking down as her brother shifted position, opened his eyes, and let out a mighty yawn. He looked around the room and gurgled happily when he saw Reikos, letting out a cheerful bit of babbling that left the guard suddenly covered in dandelions.

  Zaree laughed uproariously, but Reikos merely grinned, carefully brushed off the flowers, and stood. “Yeah, I can see why you want to get him back to the guild,” he told Tasis before crossing the room to kneel in front of Nabiha to get a good look at Malik. “Cute trick,” he told the infant as he touched Malik’s nose carefully with one fingertip.

  Malik babbled happily again, and this time another small flight of butterflies appeared overhead. Their wings were multihued this time, a bold mix of blues and greens.

  Shan, who had been observing quietly, cocked his head. “He can perform spells when he can’t even speak yet?”

  “He’s speaking,” Emlynn said. “I noticed that after Nabiha and I went to bed, and we were in a quiet room. He’s using mage-speak. It’s not as clear as it would be if he were older. But I have been told by my elders that mage-speak is far more forgiving with children. It likes them.”

  Jorget narrowed his eyes as he pondered the conversation he’d been part of in his sleep during the night. “I mentioned last night that I thought Josephina and Trivintaie spoke of the language as if it were a living thing,” he reminded Tasis. “If the giant elders ascribe emotions to it, there may be more to it than I thought.”

  “I told you, there’s no arguing with them,” Tasis said. “Mostly because they tend to be right, but I wasn’t about to say that in front of them and give them reason to be smug.”

  “You’re a giant?” Shan asked Emlynn, frowning in confusion. “You’re rather—”

  “She’s very tall,” Nabiha said firmly, glaring at the guard as if daring him to argue with her.

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I was going to say,” Shan said quickly, clearly biting back the words he hadn’t given voice to. Jorget found himself hiding a grin behind his hand, glad he wasn’t the only one who had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth.

  “And on that note, I’m going to go start digging through books,” Tasis said as he stood, Rin immediately joining him. “Shall we, Nabiha?”

  Nabiha glared at Shan again as if daring him to comment, then followed after the redheaded elf, Malik still in her arms.

  “At some point, that girl’s arms are going to get tired,” Zaree said once they’d heard the two climb the steps to the second floor.

  “She’s scared,” Emlynn pointed out. “She’s afraid if she takes her eyes off him, something bad will happen. She’s been living in fear for his life for some time now.”

  “Poor girl,” Jorget said. “I think I understand why Tasis was so insistent that she come with us.”

  “He was insistent because she deserves to live without fear,” Zaree said. “She’d never have peace if she parted from her brother. Trust me, I know all about that. I’ve never liked having Tasis too far out of my sight either.”

  “I think you, your brother, and Kelwin are kind of a package deal,” Reikos noted with a grin. “That’s no bad thing. I think the only family I have that cares about me that much is Shan, and he’s not even related to me by blood.”

  “Blood doesn’t make a family,” Zaree said before standing. “I know all about that too.” Without waiting for comment, she headed out of the room, her footsteps ascending to the upper floor a moment later.

  Reikos winced. “Dammit. I forgot about her older brother.”

  “She’s told you about Sireti?” Kelwin asked, sounding surprised.

  “Just that he’s southern end of a northbound horse. Why don’t they get along, anyway?”

  Kelwin shook his head. “That’s her story to tell you, when she’s ready. For now let’s say they have vastly different opinions on something important to her.”

  “Fair enough,” Reikos said with a nod. “We should be getting back to the inn anyway. While no one can see the house now, it won’t be good if someone not on our side notices that Shan and I have been gone. The king is more than slightly paranoid, after all.”

  “The king is mad,” Emlynn said darkly. “He destroys that which he does not understand.”

  “A lot of people do exactly that,” Reikos agreed, giving the giantess a small bow in acknowledgment of her insight. “But we’re going to put a stop to that.”

  Emlynn nodded. “I was not certain about you,” she admitted. “But my instinct says to trust you as my guild leader trusts you. I look forward to our journey.”

  “As do I, my lady.” He bowed to Emlynn again, then turned to Kelwin. “Are you sure you’re okay with going? You and Tas are kind of….”

  “Attached at the hip,” Kelwin supplied. “Whether I’m okay with it or not, it seems I’m meant to go. But hopefully our time apart will be brief.”

  “I hope so, because I don’t think any of us wants to hang out on that mountain for an extended period of time,” Shan pointed out. He too bowed to Emlynn, giving her an apologetic smile. “I apologize for my rudeness,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “You’ll get on quite well with Jorget, then,” she said mildly, her lips hinting at a smile.

  “Hey,” Jorget protested with a frown. “I’m getting better.”

  “You are,” Emlynn acknowledged. “But you could still use some work.”

  “There is always room for improvement,” Shan agreed.

  Emlynn narrowed her eyes and looked him up and down, then nodded. “You’ll do,” she concluded. “Though I’m not inclined to trust you as of yet.”

  “Fair enough. Shall we head back, Rei?”
>
  Reikos murmured an agreement. “We’ll see you in the morning,” he told Kelwin. “And Jorget, contact Denekk. He’d like to speak with you before we leave.”

  “I will,” Jorget agreed, silently wondering if Denekk merely wanted to check on him to make sure he hadn’t angered anyone along the way. “Thank you.”

  Reikos gave them one last nod, and then he and Shan left.

  “Are you okay?” Kelwin asked, surprising Jorget.

  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I’m guessing I’m nervous about tomorrow. What can I possibly do to help during that sort of thing? I can’t even levitate properly. I get myself stuck to the ceiling and scrape my face raw on the plaster trying to figure out how to get back down.”

  “Well, you’re not exactly the first person to do something like that,” Kelwin remarked with a grin.

  “So I’ve heard,” Jorget muttered in response. “It’s cold comfort when I don’t know if any of my magic will do what I want it to do in a pinch. For all my talk of casting fireballs, I only managed that once, and I ended up setting a chair on fire. Luckily it was close enough to the hearth in my room that I could blame it on an errant spark.”

  “Okay, first, no fire,” Kelwin said, looking a little horrified at the thought of Jorget setting something else ablaze. “Stick with what you know. The whole point of having a guild in the first place is to share knowledge, isn’t it? So it’s not like you’re not going to have a chance to learn in the future. There’s no need to rush things.”

  “I suppose not, but….”

  “No,” Kelwin said softly. “No but. We all tend to forget that while Zaree, Emlynn, and I are technically considered adults by our respective people, we’re all still incredibly young. Now chances are those of us who aren’t human will outlive those of you who are, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a lifetime to learn what you need or want to. For the Maker’s sake, you’re a mage. You could easily reach a few centuries, if what I’ve been told about the effects of magic is even half true. You don’t need to pressure yourself. If Rin says it’s important for you to go—and he does, incidentally—then it’s for the strengths you have now, not for a spell you’ve only managed to half master. Just like how if the spirit of the Western Sea, in all his scaly glory, says Tasis is to be the current leader, it’s because of the strengths he holds inside of him now. He grew up so incredibly sheltered that sometimes I think he wouldn’t survive a day without someone watching his back. But here he is, leading some legendary, if mostly empty, guild against a mad king who wants him dead.”