by Kara Jaynes
Or course, there was still the little matter of figuring out how to actually use magic. Or even touch it. But that was why I was here.
I skidded to a halt in front of the library, out of breath, a big grin on my face. I hurried up the steps and inside.
Elymas was in the same room I’d studied in the day before, lounging carelessly in a chair with his face in a book. He looked up when I entered, his face brightening. “Good morning, my little snowflake.” His grin widened. “Or should I say, moonbeam? You look absolutely radiant.”
I blinked, taken aback by his words. “I don’t understand.”
He laughed and stood. “You look invigorated, your cheeks have color. You must be eager to learn.”
I nodded.
“What are your friends up to today?” Elymas asked.
“One is sleeping in, I presume,” I said. “The other one is working with the city guard.” My eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know?”
Elymas’s expression was bland. “Simple curiosity.”
I doubted that, and it made me think of the rumor I heard last night. “Did you retaliate after the piper got rid of your rats? Before you met me? There are rumors of a black fog, something worse than what is already drifting about Stagfort.”
Elymas arched a perfectly black eyebrow. “Of course not. I have no reason to retaliate. The beast tamer got rid of the rats, did he? The people must think him a hero.”
I glanced at him suspiciously, but I didn’t see any reason to push it. “Did you discover anything new in that book yesterday?” I asked, switching the subject. The sooner I could figure out what I was doing, the better.
“Yes, actually, I did,” Elymas said. He motioned to the table. “After you.”
I took a seat in one of the chairs, and the mage took the other. I realized then that the book he’d been reading was the same volume from yesterday. I glanced at the page number he was on, and made a mental note to peek at it later.
“As I mentioned before, I think I know why you can’t work magic,” he said. He looked smug. “Actually, I don’t think, I know. For certain. Your magic is blocked. In other words, shielded, cut off, barred, or concealed. Not asleep, as your friend believes.”
I nodded. He had said as much yesterday. “How?”
“Magic.” Elymas’s smile was wry. “Your magic has been blocked by magic. You have a spell on you, Glacia.”
“I’m cursed?” Fear trickled down my spine.
“No.” Elymas shook his head, his pale fingers pushing dark hair out of his eyes. “You merely have a spell on you. It has a dual purpose. It conceals your magical ability, and prevents you from tapping into your enchantment.”
Mulling over his words, I fell silent. “Who would do that to me?” I said at last.
Elymas arched a dark brow. “You’re the only one who can answer that, my dear Glacia.”
Except I couldn’t remember anything like that happening in my life at all. “Wait,” I said, a thought coming to me. “Silvan said he could sense my magic, and you can, too. So how can it be concealed?”
“Some of us are more in tune with enchantment,” was the vague reply. His eyes glittered, cold like emeralds. “How bad do you want this, Glacia? To have magic?”
I swallowed, my heartbeat pounding. “Almost more than anything.” Which was true.
“Almost?” Elymas cocked his head to the side.
I didn’t respond. The only thing I wanted more than magic was Silvan. But I wasn’t about to tell another man that, especially one I didn’t know well.
Elymas’s eyes narrowed. “I see.”
“See what?” I asked.
He merely held out a hand. “Are you ready?”
I stared at his hand, suddenly unsure. Should I run back to the inn and wait for Silvan? Maybe we could resume training as we had been. Maybe he would know how to lift the shield.
Or maybe I would still flounder, unable to work the magic I so desperately wanted.
I already knew what Silvan would have me do in this situation. He would tell me not to put my trust in a man I didn't know.
Silvan would want me to take the safer route.
I was afraid.
“Do you think Silvan will ever treat you as anything but a glass doll if you don’t unlock your enchantment?” Elymas said, his lips curving into a sardonic smile. “He believes you’re too fragile, Glacia. Too breakable. You don't have what it takes to really be with him.”
He was right. I inhaled sharply, and took his hand.
The world tilted, and I staggered, the chair dropping out from underneath me. For one horrendous moment we were nowhere, suspended in nothingness. When I regained my footing, I was somewhere else. I looked around, the hairs on my arm prickling. “Where am I?” I choked.
Elymas chuckled. “My home, Glacia, dear. Don't be afraid.”
It was dark and shadowy. We stood in a large room, dimly lit by flickering torches set in the walls. Walls too far away for me to see properly in the gloom. It was a very big room.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
Not responding, Elymas strode over a long black table, paging through one of the tomes stacked on its surface. “Despite your magic being shielded, it is struggling to move to the surface. To beat the barrier down.” He eyed me curiously. “Maybe you’ve noticed it. Little pieces of it stir to life, here and there. Perhaps you’ve seen other people work magic, and you can see the elements they use to make it happen. Or you’ve felt the presence of someone before actually seeing with your eyes that they were there.”
I stared back at him, excitement growing inside of me. “You’re right. I have had things like that happen. Does that mean I’ll be able to use my magic soon? Can I break through the barrier on my own?”
Elymas spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “I'm sorry, my little frozen flake, but unfortunately, no. You'll need guidance and assistance when it comes to breaking down the barrier. He placed his hand on his chest, fingers spread dramatically. “You’ll need help. From a skilled magician.”
“What kind of help?” I asked.
He didn't answer. Elymas pierced me with his gaze; eyes narrowed as he studied me. “The spell is older,” he mused. “So, it must have happened when you were a child.”
I stared at him. His words made no sense. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “No one has ever cast a spell on me. Ever. I’m very sure of it.”
Elymas’s expression hadn’t changed. “You’re not from this side of the sea, are you? Where do you come from, Glacia? What is your past? Who would have hated you so much?”
My face twisted, and I inhaled sharply. “My past is my own. You pry too much, too soon.”
“Did you grow up thinking you were worthless or that something was wrong with you?” Elymas pressed, his gaze intent. “Perhaps people shunned you or looked at you strangely. You were an outcast.”
I couldn't breathe. How had he managed to hit so close to the mark? Yet, I couldn’t recall being around anyone with magic, aside from Silvan, and I knew he wouldn’t have done that to me.
But the mage was right. I had been an outcast, and my parents had shunned me. Why? Did it have something to do with my enchantment? Elymas’s words filled me with a suffocating panic. My mind felt like it was caught in a vice. The world darkened, the ground sliding out from under me. I began to fall into what felt like nothing, when I felt strong arms wrap around me.
I was floating in a sea of darkness, barely conscious.
My parents loved me, once. I remembered. Mother read to me, and Father would catch me up in great bear hugs.
When had they isolated me? My memories became hazier with time, the further back I went, but I had been around four or so, when they’d left me alone. One day my mother was holding me on her lap and telling stories, my father laughing and hugging me. The next day, I was shut away from the world, with only Nanny and a few servants for company.
They had known something about me that I didn't.
&nbs
p; I would never know what had happened.
“Momma,” I whimpered into the blackness. “Momma.” Guilt threaded through me. Why did I feel this way? I didn't know. But I needed to know. I had to remember.
“Shhhh.” A smooth, deep voice purred. Not Mother. Not Silvan. “Do not fret, my little icicle. I am here. You are safe.”
I heard a few words muttered, in a language I didn't understand—yet seemed familiar—and something settled about my wrist. It was warm, seeping into my bones in a hazy throb of pain. I opened my eyes, staring up into black. No stars. Where was I?
“Ah, marvelous. I was beginning to think you had fallen asleep,” the voice joked.
Elymas. The mage looked down at me. His smile was kind, yet his eyes glinted with an untold secret.
I sat up, finding my makeshift bed was the black table that had previously housed some of his books. They were now on the floor in a haphazard pile. The stone slab under me was cold.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, my face heating. “And sorry. I didn't mean to—”
Elymas held a slender hand up, silencing me. “There is nothing to apologize for. Saying that, based on your reaction thus far, I believe it is completely safe to say that your magic was shielded without your consent.”
I nodded. “Okay. I can agree with that assumption.” I glanced around, feeling foolish. “Can I go home, now?” I rubbed my wrist. It felt unnaturally warm, like some invisible force was wrapped around it. I shook my head, feeling groggy. Something was off, but my brain was too muddled for me to think clearly.
Elymas tut-tutted. “Wouldn't you rather wake your magic? We can do it. Right now.”
I shook my head. The very idea felt wrong. Guilt, terror, and anticipation warred within me. Why did I feel this way? I rubbed my forehead. “I feel confused.”
“You said you wanted to go home.” Elymas was so close our noses were almost touching. “Where is your home, my little lost bird?”
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding. I edged away. “Um, the library.” I suddenly realized I was completely at the mercy of this man. I had no idea where I was, or how to get away. How could I have been so stupid? To be fair, I hadn't known he could just whisk me away in the blink of an eye.
He was watching me, his gaze predatorial. “You could be one of the greatest mages that ever lived,” he breathed. “Under my guidance, you would quickly become unstoppable.”
I dropped my eyes from his, hating myself for allowing this situation to happen. “Please let me go home, sir.”
A smile tugged at his lips. He bowed his head in acquiescence. “Very well, Glacia. We shall resume training when you are ready.”
He reached out, fingers closing around my wrist.
The world tilted and I stumbled, finding my feet. I was in the same library study where I’d met the mage this morning. How much time had passed?
I smiled hesitantly at Elymas. Was he a good person, then? Wouldn't he have kept me captive if he was bad?
The mage bowed with an elaborate sweep of his arms, then took my hand, kissing the tips of my fingers. “Until later, my sweet sugar.” He lifted his gaze to mine. “Come to me, if you should change your mind about learning magic. I would be honored to teach you.”
A secretive smile curved his lips and then he was gone, disappearing into thin air, leaving me alone.
I stood there, my body trembling as I tried to take in the overwhelming events and feelings that had just happened.
I inhaled and exhaled, trying to expel the shame that coursed through my body. It was too late to try and make amends with my parents. They were dead. I saw the liquid fire that destroyed my city. I was literally the only Chosen that had escaped with my life.
Coming out of my thoughts, I saw that the book on demons and fae was still sitting on the table where Elymas had apparently left it.
A quick glance out a nearby window told me it was only midmorning. Taloos might have managed to roll out of bed at this point. Silvan was still at the barracks.
I checked the book out with the stuffy clerk and took it back to the inn. My wrist still throbbed with a strange heat, even though there was no redness or other mark on it. Strange. I would ask Silvan about it when I saw him again. Or Elymas, whoever I saw first.
In the meantime, I had some reading I needed to do.
17
Silvan
The Bell for the midday meal rang. I ignored it, and began to move through some of the forms I had learned as an Elite. Spinning, ducking and kicking, my practice sword was a blur.
“Very impressive, shifter.” A voice floated through the fall air. “Taloos should have taken some lessons from you.”
I didn't acknowledge her until I'd completed the form, ending in a defensive position.
Kali was sitting on the wall again, her scarlet hair swept up in a messy tail, tendrils of red curling down on either side of her face. Her pale green eyes sparkled with the humor of a hidden secret. She was why I had waited out here. I knew she would wait for me to be alone.
“Kali.”
The girl tilted her head. “I don’t believe we’ve ever had a formal introduction before,” she said, “yet you know my name.”
I arched an eyebrow. “As you know mine.”
She smiled slightly. “Silvan.”
I inclined my head.
“Your hair marks you,” she said, her expression turning puzzled. “It’s easy to identify, like a brand. Why not dye it?” She pointed west. “I have dye at the wagons. I would be happy to darken it for you.”
“I have nothing to hide, or be ashamed of.”
“Fair enough.” She adjusted her lavender hued shawl, legs dangling. “What’s Taloos up to these days?” She tried to sound casual, but I heard the spark of interest. “Still picking weeds and talking to birds, back in the village?”
“Well, he’s still alive, thanks to you,” I said. “That charm you gave him saved his life. He almost got himself eaten by a dragon.”
“Did he?” She laughed, delighted by the news. “I told him it was magic. Smart boy, keeping it on like I told him to.”
“Where did you come by such an amulet?” I asked, watching her.
Her face became immediately guarded. “Trade, of course,” she said. “Anything we Roamers own is honestly come by. By trade or by gold, our story is told.”
She stole it. I could read the guilt she carefully tried to hide, but it was in the way she shifted her legs, and rearranged her shawl on her shoulders. I couldn't say I was surprised. Roamers were on both sides of the sea, and had a reputation for stealing anything that wasn't nailed to the floor or rooted firmly in the ground.
“Taloos is here in Stagfort,” I said. “He's staying at the Gray Goose inn.”
Kali ducked her head, but not before I saw the pleased smile on her face. “Thank you. I was hoping you would know his whereabouts. I will be sure to pay him a visit.” Her eyes narrowed as she peered at me. “Is that girl still traveling with you?”
My own eyes narrowed in return. “Yes.”
She sighed. “A pity.” She laughed. “I think you'd be much more interesting without her.”
I didn't return the smile, indifference and revulsion mixing in my stomach.
Kali raised her eyebrows, a sardonic smile on her lips. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you, then.”
She leaped down from the walk, out of sight. The girl was all Roamer, but did she want to be?
“You didn't come in for lunch, so I saved you a bowl.”
I turned at Bleke’s voice. The city guard stepped outside and walked over with a bowl full of stew.
“Thanks.” I took the food from Bleke and dug in. It was delicious; beef, squash and potatoes. “Has Ehric said anything about, er . . .” I trailed off, remembering that Ehric hadn't said anything about Bleke going on the hunt tonight. Maybe it was a confidential mission.
Bleke raised an eyebrow. “You mean, anything about the top-secret mission that we're both going on?”
“He might have mentioned it.” Bleke pulled a knife out of his boot and inspected the tip. “We're supposed to leave after dark. We're going to leave like we're on a routine night patrol, and then slip on over to the east side.”
“How many of us?” I asked.
“Five, I think. You, me, Devan, Rone and Kyle. Ehric said he wanted to keep it quiet.”
I nodded. “I assume I'm there to track down Elymas.”
“Yep.” Bleke replaced the knife, and this time I saw the little hidden compartment in his boot. When he stood upright again, the humor that normally hung about the corners of his lips and in his eyes was gone. His jaw clenched, gaze flashing. “Stay close to me and the others,” he said. “I don't want to lose anyone else in the fog.”
“Some of the guards went missing,” I said. It wasn't a question. That's what Ehric had said.
“Yeah, they did.” Bleke scuffed the dirt with the toe of his boot. “Including my friend, Felwur. We were trying to find Elymas and reason with him. We got separated in the gloom, and while some of us turned around, some disappeared. It's happened enough that Ehric has called off any missions concerning the magician. Not worth it. We've never had our own magic to go against Elymas. Until now.” Bleke's smile was back. “Just don't get lost in the fog.”
“I don't have any plans to,” I promised.
I went to bed after that, even though it was still afternoon. I hoped to get a couple of hours of sleep before we left. Compassion rolled through me as I thought of Stagfort citizens. I couldn’t imagine living at the mercy of a vengeful mage. I'd always had my own enchantment to fall back on. But these people didn't have that luxury. They lived under the thumb of a stubborn magician, who, for whatever reason, had cursed the city.
Why? That was what I didn't understand. Was it really a simple matter of money?
I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on than Elymas and his tricks. Ehric had mentioned something was wrong with the soil. It seemed highly unlikely that Elymas’s magic extended as far as Taloos’s little village.