by R. K. Thorne
Her father would have laughed at that. He would have put her at ease with these two women. He deserved to be here. She clenched her fists, thinking of their locked doors and guards the night before. She hoped tonight that Jaena would have some information or that they found a way to get to her family.
And if they didn’t? Gods, let them not be paying for Miara’s freedom. Luha was young, vulnerable—Miara shoved the thoughts aside. No point in racking herself with worry over something if it hadn’t even happened. She was doing everything she could.
Irritable now, she was close to interrupting Elise and Siliana and directing them back to the fact that a war was looming, not a famine, when the door to the balcony opened. Aven’s brother Dom peered inside, then entered and shut the door. Miara stood and approached him.
He gave a chagrined smile at her approach. “Damn, it’s warmer out here than inside that damn cave with all these fires raging.”
“Can I help you?” Perhaps it was presumptuous to block him from entering a room in what was effectively his own home and she was only a guest. But after what Aven had said, she’d prefer to be sure he was an ally before she let him roam around. If he were a mage, it wouldn’t matter. If he weren’t… his reason for arriving could be darker.
“It seems there’s a party, and I’m not invited.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Why was he really here? “I’m sure you could be invited, if you like.” Aven had indicated as much, but she let it remain ambiguous. Her words were friendly on the surface but had an edge to them.
“How exactly does one get an invitation?” Dom folded his arms across his chest. The coldness of his words made her wonder if he’d been chatting with Alikar when Aven had been looking for him.
“One only has to be a mage, or a friend of mages. Are you?”
Dom froze. Ah, he had actually not realized that was the point of this meeting. Interesting. He glanced around, eying who attended. “But Thel is here.” He seemed—jealous? How much rivalry did these brothers have? Was he the one always getting left out of things? Dom put up a gruff front, so it was easy to forget that he must be the youngest, the baby of the group.
“Yes, he is.”
Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes at her. “Are you… stopping me from entering?”
She smiled sweetly. “What, me? Could I actually keep you from entering?”
“As a matter of fact, you do look like you’d at least put up a good fight. I doubt I’d leave without bruises. Am I getting bruises today?”
“I have no idea what you could mean.”
He sighed, seeming defeated. “Okay, fine. I’ll leave.” He turned to leave.
“Cuts and scratches are more likely.” She propped a hand on her hip. “But I never said you had to leave.”
Partially turned away, he eyed her over his shoulder. “Then what do I have to do?”
“Well, you have to be a mage. Are you?” Or a friend of mages, she had said. She’d conveniently forget that piece if he already had.
He cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t know. Can you tell me?”
“Of course.” She frowned. “But I’m sure your mother—”
“She didn’t want to tell us. And to tell you the truth, I didn’t want to know either. It’s not like it’s done Aven any good.”
“Well, I have it on good authority that you’re probably going to be formally asked if you’re a mage fairly soon, considering Thel is sitting over there.”
He clenched a fist, turning back to face her now. “Damn Alikar and his schemes.”
“And his bigotry. I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting to know.”
He grumbled. “Can I just go sit with Thel and be done with it?”
She grinned at him sweetly again. “No. That’s earth mages only.”
“Fine,” he growled. “Tell me then. But I’m not going to be happy about it.”
She shrugged. “You can just go back to your room. Isn’t there a dvora somewhere looking for a mate? Perhaps you could help with that.”
His chuckle finally broke his disgruntled exterior. “Indeed. Although I think Thel may already be… helping on that front.” He stopped and laughed again. “I can see why he likes you.”
“Who? Thel?”
He rolled his eyes. “Not too perceptive, though. Don’t be coy.”
Her eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t realized that Dom knew. How much of a secret could they keep if so many already knew or were figuring it out? Or maybe he didn’t, and he only suspected. She wouldn’t confirm or deny it.
“Just tell me if I’m a mage so I can go start hunting for a cave in the mountains to be exiled to when this all blows up in our faces. I want a real nice one, and I better get a jump on it if all these bastards are gonna need one too.”
“Fine.” She reached out for the scent of magic underneath him. Life energy teased her senses, his heart beating, his blood alive as it raced through the veins, but she pushed past it toward the soul underneath.
The scent of fur swept through her mind—snowy wolf, wet bear, the clean scent of the wind beneath the hawk in flight. These scents were not still or softly vibrating like the earth, or twisting like the air, but rushing with the energy of life. The speed dizzied her, the power surging forward like a stampede off a cliff.
Yanking herself free before she tumbled over the edge, she staggered a step back in spite of herself. When had she closed her eyes? The draw of magic like her own could be more intoxicating than the others. His magic, like Aven’s, was rare—so wild, so strong. Had he found ways to work around the Stone too, but as a creature mage, not realizing that he was doing it? Did he heal faster? At the very least, his dogs probably listened to him better than they would most. Perhaps having a companion around helped him survive the constant mental weight of the Great Stone.
“What is it?” Dom said, a note of concern in his voice.
Miara stole a glance at Elise. Underestimating the queen’s power was easy under that elegant exterior. King Samul, too, must have wasted a great deal by not fostering his own abilities. How else could all three sons be mages, and all three with plenty of raw ability, even while taking root in the shadow of that damned Stone?
“Tell me,” Dom growled. “You know. Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Sorry. You are indeed a mage. A creature mage, like your mother.” Dom looked down at the floor for a moment. She couldn’t read him. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. I—I’m good. Tell you the truth, I didn’t think there was much of a chance for me. Since my father isn’t a mage, what are the chances we could all be? I thought for sure we couldn’t be so lucky.”
“Lucky? You were just pointing out that it had done Aven no good.”
“I have no interest in warring with my brother.” He scowled at the thought. “I would have no problem being king, but I do have a problem with Aven not being king. He’s worked all his life for this. I can’t believe—it doesn’t matter. I also have absolutely no interest in being someone’s pawn, which is what I would likely be to men like Alikar.”
“You are wise to recognize all those things.”
He ducked his head as if embarrassed by the compliment. “So yes. I’m lucky that we’re all mages. You want a Lanuken on the throne, you get a mage, I guess. What are the chances for all of us, without Father?”
He asked the question rhetorically, but Miara raised her eyebrow and smiled slyly in response. “Indeed. What are the chances.” He frowned at her with a tilt of his head. He caught her implication, and she’d leave it at that. “Do you want to join us then? Your mother, Siliana, and I were reviewing our options in the creature mage group. Well, honestly they’d gone off topic into gardening, but I didn’t have the heart to stop them and remind them we have a war to plan. I’m sure you could also go about your evening and pretend none of this is happening.”
“Alikar is stalking the halls already. I had to dodge him twice to get here.”
She frowned. �
��Not because—”
“Yes, because. He wants me to be king. And if I have to choose between the two, I definitely want to be here.” He strode past her.
Miara reached out to Aven. Dom came here on his own. He’s a creature mage. You wanted to know, sorry to interrupt.
An enormous sigh of relief flowed from Aven. Thank you.
As Dom approached, Elise’s eyes lit up, though she strove to conceal the expression. Her face held no hint of surprise.
Of course she’d known all along. If one of the princes had not been a mage, they would have had a hugely different situation on their hands. It would have been reckless for her not to know. And on top of that, certainly Elise must have wondered when they were children as well. If Miara ever had children, she’d certainly be excited to see what type of mage they turned out to be—
She stopped still for a moment and blinked. Where had that thought come from? She had never thought about having children with any kind of anticipation before.
No time to unpack that idea at the moment. Back to Elise. Realizing how the queen had sought to know the lay of the land ahead of time, Miara realized it had been foolish for her to not have already sought the information out. She was being idealistic, naïve even, to think she should abide by some kind of polite privacy in this situation. Their enemies wouldn’t. If Alikar had a mage on his staff—and he would, if he were clever—then he could easily find out as well.
Understanding the complete situation was just part of protecting herself. No, not just herself. Protecting Aven too. And all of them. Next time she would have to check sooner and gather information faster. Politeness and privacy were silly things to put over their own safety, especially since the subject of her investigation wouldn’t even know she’d been snooping about them. She had so many things to learn here. She’d slipped up because she had so many things to investigate it was hard to track them all.
Leaving the creature mages to their discussion, she crept over to where images flew through the air beneath Wunik’s hands. The forests, the rivers, Anonil, now the fields of wheat. Then Mage Hall loomed beneath them.
“You’re just in time, Miara,” said Wunik without looking up.
A bronze-skinned man who looked like he could be from Takar, or possibly Detrat, gasped at the sight. And indeed, it looked especially looming as darkness fell around the black, hulking shadows of the buildings. Wunik skillfully slid the view straight back to the dorms where she had spent so many years with her father and Luha. Again the windows were shuttered, and again guards stood outside the door. But there was something different, something she couldn’t quite put her hands on. Had there been two guards yesterday or four as there were today?
And worse, there was no one about.
Miara stepped closer. “Something’s different,” she said.
Wunik nodded, not moving his eyes from the image. “More guards. Are those windows boarded shut?”
“I think so.” Her family’s windows. Wunik pushed the view back so they could see more of the compound. “There’s no one anywhere.”
“Could they have caught Jaena so quickly?” Aven said.
“She was planning to wait until tomorrow to try to leave.” Gods, what if she had been freed only to be recaptured and re-enslaved without leaving?
“Did she tell you she was going to talk to anyone in particular? Anyone we should try to find, who will be looking for us?”
“Uh, yes, Menaha. Another friend of hers she thought of. I don’t see any of them at first glance. Menaha’s rooms should be in that building over there.” Wunik deftly swung the view to the other side of the large grassy center of the Mage Hall compound.
“There—look.” Aven pointed to a window near the top of the building. The shutters were open, and two people were not quite leaning out, but close.
“Go closer,” Miara breathed. Wunik complied. “It’s them!”
“We’ve got to free someone while we can,” Aven said. “Which one should I start with?”
“The older one, Menaha. Don’t go killing yourself now.” She was only partly joking.
“I’ll help,” said Derk, surprising her. “No need to get shit-faced.”
Well. She’d never heard it put quite like that.
“You explain what to do, and I’ll feed,” Derk added.
Wunik nodded. “Let’s get started.”
As Aven explained how he reached out to the star and poured the energy toward the brands on their shoulders, Miara’s stomach twisted a little. It was not much of a stretch to realize that a map that freed slaves could also reverse the process. As much as more help in freeing them was immensely valuable… what danger did they risk by planting thoughts of slavery in the minds of even a few powerful air mages? She sighed. It was a risk they had to take.
Miara blocked them out and reached out to Menaha instead.
Menaha—it’s me.
Oh! Thank the gods, Miara.
What’s going on?
Oh, stars in heaven, do I have news for you.
My father? Luha?
I haven’t been able to get to them, but as far as I can determine, they’re perfectly fine and just locked in their rooms. I was able to walk by and hear the sounds of the hearth fires. I don’t see why they’d guard the rooms if they weren’t in there and alive. Sorry I couldn’t find out more.
It’s all right. What news then?
Something serious has happened. We can’t figure just what, but it was around midday. They locked everything down for a few minutes. The deep warning bells rang. They shut the gates and sent those in the fields back inside. They even took horses out and brought the farther shepherds back in and left the flocks abandoned. Insanity. They haven’t even let us out of these buildings yet for dinner. I’m not sure when or if they’re going to. Every so often you can see the Tall Master going from building to building. He’s looking for something, I think.
The Tall Master. Strange indeed. What could he be searching for? They rarely saw him doing anything but torturing people in the smithy. Could Jaena have escaped early? Would that have led them to lock everything down? They hadn’t done that when Miara escaped.
Perhaps the Masters thought one was an anomaly, but two was a pattern.
“It’s done,” Aven said softly. “She’s free.” Miara tore her eyes and mind away from Mage Hall for a moment. His face had paled, and he slumped against the bench’s back. At least he was conscious. He glanced at Derk. “Got strength for two?”
Derk glared at him. “I’ve got the strength for ten. Go.”
What was that all about?
Miara turned back to the mages. Menaha. You should feel different—the spell is broken. You should be free.
Menaha’s eyes widened. Kae? Her voice was not hopeful. She dreaded hearing they could only free one. Miara hadn’t even realized the boy stood next to her. Boy or sort of a man, perhaps sixteen or eighteen, with an earnest, innocent face that might have concealed some of his actual age. Was this the friend Jaena had spoken of?
They’re working on it.
Menaha heaved a mental sigh of relief. Just then, a terrible slam drew all their eyes. The Tall Master stormed from Menaha’s building, grumbling obscenities at the guards he had in tow. He marched toward another building and toppled a statue of Nefrana with a kick on the way.
Damn hypocrites. Miara wasn’t sure if Menaha had intended to share that thought with her or not. But, yes.
Miara reached out to the young man’s mind. Kae?
His eyes and ears perked up, far less subtle than Menaha. Yes?
They are working on breaking the spell in your bond right now. It will take a few minutes. Then the two of you should get out of this window, lie low. Do you know anything of what has come of Jaena? Where is she?
She was going to wait until tomorrow to escape. I saw her heading to work a trifle late, but she was still here this morning just before the bells began to ring.
Where had she gone to work?
&nb
sp; I saw her heading to the smithy. She sometimes assists the blacksmiths.
Miara rubbed her chin. What could have happened? Or did it have nothing to do with them, and Jaena was simply asleep inside somewhere?
“It’s done,” Derk’s voice cut in.
Miara reeled herself back to reality and saw Aven with his elbows on his knees and head in his hands—groaning, rubbing his face, but conscious. Excellent. She went back to Kae and Menaha.
Miara spoke first to Menaha, then repeated her message for Kae. Well. The plan was to wait till tomorrow at sundown. If they keep you locked up, though, you may need to take whatever chance you can get. See if you can find out what happened to Jaena and if she’s still there. But the most important thing is that you get free. They are reacting harshly, and it will only become harder with time. You don’t happen to be a creature mage?
Air. Both of them responded the same.
Miara sighed. Air magic wouldn’t help them escape, but the growing number of air mages on their side was certainly not a bad thing. If they could make it out. All right. Head to Anonil, to the Apple and Arrow. We’ve sent someone there to watch for you. She repeated the instructions to each of them.
To Menaha alone, she added, If you can find Brother Sefim, can you tell him to attempt something like this tomorrow night? We can only free people at night.
That is a problem then. We’ll have to hope this curfew doesn’t last, as the temple doesn’t have shuttered windows. But yes, I’ll try to find him and tell him. Menaha nodded her understanding.
Thank you. May the Balance protect you.
No, thank you, Miara. Menaha’s words were heartfelt. Even if I don’t make it out, a few moments of relief after all these years means so much to me.
Don’t talk like that. We need you, Menaha. We need to understand what they are planning. Let’s make it not just a few moments, but years of relief. Of freedom. I’m sure this is temporary while he searches for… whatever he’s searching for. They have to feed you sometime, right?
