The Crystal Tree (Song Magic Book 1)

by Imogen Elvis

  “Could have fooled me,” Lara called over her shoulder.

  They made their way to the very front of the boat, away from the other passengers, who congregated in the middle of the deck. Briar leaned on the railing, staring out over the vast expanse of the lake. In all her life, she’d never seen quite this much water all at once. It spread before her as far as the eye could see. A weak sun peeked out of the grey clouds, glittering on the surface as a little breeze riffled over the water. Briar drew a deep breath. This might be a part of the journey she could actually enjoy.

  “Don’t look now,” Lara muttered, “but here come the soldiers. Are you sure they’re not following us, Briar?”

  It couldn’t be. But it was. The same group of soldiers who followed them all the way from the markets now boarded the ferry. Briar’s stomach clenched as she picked out the captain, his gold markings marking him out from the rest of his squad. There was something familiar about him, that unpleasant twist to his mouth. Was that… Captain Bren?

  “Don’t get settled,” Bren barked. “We’re not on a picnic.”

  His soldiers didn’t seem at all bothered by his tone. They stripped off their heavy packs and leaned against the railing, or sat cross-legged on the deck, behaving as if they were out on a boating party.

  Briar ducked her head. There was no way Bren would remember her out of the hundreds of faces he’d seen. But still, he had seen her, and that alone meant there was a chance he might remember her from his many trips through Osman.

  With the last of the passengers on board, the sailors stowed the boarding plank, cast off the thick rope that tethered them to the dock, and unfurled the huge white sails. The boat lurched into motion, and Briar stumbled as the deck rocked beneath her feet.

  “Careful.” Kade steadied her with a hand on her arm.

  She flashed him a quick smile of thanks. The deck settled as the boat slipped smoothly out into open water, and Briar leaned against the rail again. She glanced surreptitiously at the soldiers. Most had settled down, either leaning on the edge of the boat or sitting on the deck next to their packs. As heavily laden as they were, Briar doubted the squad would stay in Purdur long. Only Captain Bren hadn’t relaxed, standing impassively amid his company, scowling at the other passengers. Briar’s eyes flicked away as his gaze travelled in her direction.

  “Hey, you. Do I know you?”

  Briar’s mouth went dry. Surely he hadn’t recognised her? But no, the captain’s eyes were fixed on Kade, who stood at the very front of the boat, his hood sitting back off his face as he stared out over the lake. Bren took a couple of steps towards them, his scowl deepening.

  Kade’s hands twitched, and his eyes flicked briefly towards the captain as he answered stiffly, “I don’t think so.”

  Bren narrowed his eyes. “I’m sure I do.”

  Rowen took a half step forward. “My friend said he doesn’t know you.” His voice was pleasant enough, but his hand hovered near his sword, although he didn’t grasp it just yet. There wasn’t anywhere to escape to if this turned into a fight.

  “Back up,” Bren snapped. “I’m talking to him, not you.”

  Lara laid a steadying hand on Rowen’s arm, and he subsided a little, though he didn’t move from Kade’s side. Behind Bren, a few of the soldiers looked on in mild curiosity, but no one else seemed to really care.

  Kade’s face tightened. “I don’t know you, and I’m pretty sure you don’t know me.” He turned away and tugged his hood up shielding his face from Bren’s sharp gaze.

  “I do recognise you.” Bren’s voice rang with more certainty now. “I just can’t put my finger on where from. How about we have this talk in the guard house when we land, just you and I?”

  Briar clutched her medallion. This couldn’t be about Osman. Bren left well before the attack. And he only seemed interested in Kade. There was more to this story than any of her companions let on. She bit her lip. There had to be some way to settle this before someone got themselves arrested. But, looking from the tense faces of Kade and his friends to the sharp-edged grin on Bren’s, there didn’t seem to be an easy way out.

  “I’d rather not,” Kade said stubbornly.

  Bren raised his eyebrows. “I can arrest you if that’s how you want to play this.”

  Arrest Kade? Briar’s fingers clenched. She needed to do something, and fast before Kade got them all thrown in prison. She took a deep breath. There was always magic. Bren didn’t know who Kade was yet, or where he’d seen him before. That tiny fragment of uncertainty might be just enough for her to sway his mind. Maybe. He was such a headstrong man, persuading him of anything would be a massive task. Still, she could try.

  “I’d remember if we’d met before.” Kade was dangerously calm. “I don’t see a reason why we should talk about this further, here or on land.”

  Bren muscled up. “Don’t play dumb, boy,” he snarled. “I never forget a face.”

  It was now or never if she was to have a chance. Briar took a deep breath and slipped around them both, laying a hand on Bren’s arm. She connected with his life song in a rush, reaching for her magic at once. Familiarity with his song allowed her to move quickly. There was one tiny note of doubt in the melody, and she focused her magic on that as she spoke. “He probably looks like someone you know. But you haven’t seen him before.”

  Indecision flickered in Bren’s eyes. “I do know you…” There was a note of doubt in his voice, but still, it wasn’t enough. Through his life song, Briar could feel him reassuring himself, strengthening his conviction.

  She drew in more magic, feeling an ache building at the back of her skull as she pushed harder at that quiver of doubt. “You made a mistake.” Her words burned with power. “You don’t know him.” Briar’s head swam with the strain of the magic pulsing through her.

  For a long, long moment Bren hesitated. His song fought against the magic Briar poured into it. And then his song gave way and doubt overwhelmed him. Bren shook his head, wrenched his arm from Briar’s grasp, and marched away down the boat, pushing a path through the other passengers.

  Rowen and Lara looked at Briar in confusion. She could guess their thoughts as they tried to figure out what just happened. Kade, on the other hand, turned away so she couldn’t read his face. Briar pushed back a loose strand of hair with a shaky hand. It worked. It shouldn’t have, but it worked. The captain was gone, and they were safe. At least for now.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The ferry coasted gently into Purdur. Sailors furled the huge white sails and secured the thick mooring rope to the dock. They laid the boarding plank between the jetty and the boat, and just like that, the journey was over. The passengers streamed off the ferry, including the squad of soldiers, marching single file onto the quay. Captain Bren glanced back at Briar and her companions as he left, but made no move towards them. It seemed Briar’s persuasion had been enough. Still, she and the other three hung back until everyone else had disembarked, letting the soldiers, and Bren especially, get well ahead.

  Briar expected Purdur to be Trava’s twin, a bustling, cheerful dock town filled with travellers coming and going. People leaving was about the only similarity they shared. Fish guts splattered the dock in stinking heaps that buzzed with flies. Narrow streets led away from the lakefront, the houses on either side leaning in ominously, as if, at any moment, they might come crashing down in a pile of rotting splinters. Sailors lounged around the cargo crates, swearing and drinking. Hollow eyes spoke of bitter acceptance of hard work and harder lives.

  Kade glanced around the dock, his head low. “The sooner we find out where the Nameless Ones went, the sooner we can get out of Purdur. Any suggestions on where we start?”

  “The sailors might know,” Rowen said. “The Nameless Ones did come by ferry after all.”

  “I wouldn’t trust anything those men say,” Lara scoffed. “If you ask me, we should question the gate guards. It’s not like a group of masked people travelling with captive children in tow is
an everyday sight.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with sailors.”

  “Aside from the fact that when they’re not sailing, they’re drinking? You’d be lucky if they remembered their own mothers. At least the guards are reliable.”

  Rowen folded his arms. “You go talk to the gate guards then. I’ll ask the sailors. We’ll see who gets the best information.”

  “Done.” Lara turned to Kade. “And you, sir, stay out of sight. Especially with those soldiers around. I don’t want to have to bail you out of trouble.”

  Kade nodded. “Fair enough. Briar-”

  “Oh, Briar can come with me,” Lara said.

  Briar and Kade stared at her. Wait, what? Kade looked about as pleased with that idea as Briar felt. “But-” she began.

  “Kade will find it easier to blend in on his own, and I could use some company that isn’t Rowen for once.” Lara flashed them an innocent smile. Somehow, Briar doubted that was her only reason. She smoothed her hands over her habit, pursing her lips. If it was all the same to them, she’d rather not be left alone with Lara.

  Kade rubbed his beard. “I don’t see why not. Alright, we’ll do this your way. Rowen will check with the sailors. Lara and Briar will talk to the guards, and I’ll meet you all at the main gate when you’re finished.”

  “Works for me. Good luck.” Rowen gave them a two-fingered salute, and sauntered off down the dock, whistling a jaunty tune.

  Kade tugged his hood down more securely. “Be careful.” He looked from Lara to Briar. “I mean it. They might just be gate guards, but they’re still soldiers.” Then he turned and strode away, disappearing into a nearby side street. And that just left the two girls.

  “Come on. Let’s go find this gate.” Lara hitched her pack up and set off down the dock. “I’d trust the soldiers over a sailor any day, no matter what Rowen thinks.” She cast a look over her shoulder in her brother’s general direction.

  “I thought you didn’t like soldiers.” Briar hurried to keep up, her new pack bumping on her back uncomfortably.

  “I don’t. But we’re not the suspicious ones, are we? Without Kade, we should be perfectly safe.”

  Well, apart from the sword hanging from Lara’s belt, the huge packs on their backs, and Briar’s travel-stained habit, no they weren’t suspicious at all. Then again, if no one batted an eyelid at the Nameless Ones, who was going to question her and Lara?

  “Trust me. I’ve done this before. Down here.” Lara turned down a dingy, smelly side street, leaving the waterfront behind. The buildings closed in around them, leaning over so far they blocked out the sky. Long strings of bedraggled laundry hung between the buildings, stockings flapping like tattered grey ribbons. The street reeked of rotting garbage and despair, the smell so thick it was almost visible. Briar covered her nose with a sleeve and tried not to gag.

  “How can you be sure the soldiers will even remember the Nameless Ones?”

  Lara gave her a sideways look. “Would you forget them?”

  “Well, no. I suppose not.” Briar frowned. “But the soldiers are trying to catch the Nameless Ones. Why wouldn’t they have tried to stop them here? Or in Trava? That squad on the boat, they came from Osman. They’re supposed to be hunting the Nameless Ones down.”

  Lara shook her head. “Those soldiers might care. The ones here don’t. As long as the townspeople aren’t trying to kill each other, the soldiers will ignore you. You’ll see.” A look of scorn passed briefly over Lara’s face and was gone. “But let’s not talk about the soldiers.” She turned the corner into a slightly brighter, wider street. “Let’s talk about you.”

  “Me?” Briar’s eyes widened. What else of importance was there that Lara didn’t know about her already? She wasn’t the one keeping a thousand secrets.

  “Yes. Why don’t we start with how you managed to convince Kade to bring you with us?” Her voice was too friendly, and her eyes too sharp. “He never changes his mind. Not like this. So, how did you do it?”

  Briar’s mouth opened and closed a few times. That was what this was about? Lara thought she’d got some hold over Kade to convince him to bring her along? “What-I didn’t-” she stammered.

  “I’m just curious. Because we don’t bring other people with us. And now you’re here, and Kade won’t hear of leaving you behind. After seeing what you did on the boat, well, I’d just like to know, how did you manage it?”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Briar said honestly. “I don’t know why he offered.” She smiled wryly and added, “I didn’t question it, to be honest.”

  “He was so certain he was going to leave you before.”

  “Because he thought he could make me stop.”

  “And you won’t.”

  “Would you if it was Rowen?” Briar let out a little sigh. “There’s no magic here. We both wanted to get out of Osman. We were both going the same way, following the same people. And he couldn’t convince me to stop, so I suppose he thought it was safer if I came with you.” Briar shrugged. “You should ask him about it, not me.”

  “I did. He said he owes you something.”

  Briar frowned. “Owes me what?”

  “That’s what I was hoping you could tell me.” Lara held her gaze. “Look, Kade trusts you enough to bring you with us, so we’re going with that. But I warn you, if you ever, ever look like you’re a threat to any of us, especially Kade, I will make you wish you never set foot out of your little order house, understand?” The sudden intensity of her voice was almost scarier than her actual words.

  Briar nodded silently.

  “Right.” And just like that, Lara was back to normal. “We’d better hurry. I am not giving Rowen a chance to crow over us if I can help it. Let’s find out where these Nameless Ones went.”

  When Briar and Lara finished talking to the gate guards, they found Kade waiting in a quiet corner of the street near the main gate, as he promised. Well, to be more accurate, Lara talked to them, and Briar waited in her shadow while the other girl teased information out of the slovenly guards. Having seen the soldiers, Briar finally understood why no one in Purdur did anything about the Nameless Ones. Their appearance alone was enough. Their proud blue coats hung unbuttoned, stained with splashes of food. Stubble covered the chin of the older guard, and the two leaned against the town wall soaking up the sunshine, not even glancing at the crowds of travellers as they passed in and out of the gate. Briar had never seen such unkempt, undisciplined soldiers.

  “Did you run into any trouble?” Lara asked Kade as they re-joined him.

  Kade shook his head. “You?”

  “Not a scrap. Those soldiers couldn’t have cared less who we were. You could have asked them yourself, and they wouldn’t have blinked twice. Anyway, they said the Nameless Ones took the east road.”

  “Good work.” Kade gave Lara an approving nod. “As soon as Rowen arrives, we can get after them.”

  “We might actually be able to do this.” Hope lit up Lara’s face like a candle. “Just think, Kade-”

  “Hey.” Rowen swaggered up to join them, an easy grin on his lips. “Apparently we should get on the north road at once if we want to catch up with the Nameless Ones.”

  Kade’s brows drew together. “Are you sure they said north?”

  “Positive.” Rowen’s grin slipped. “Why?”

  “Because the soldiers saw them go east,” Lara said.

  “The sailors swore blind they went north.”

  “Blind.” Lara snorted. “They were probably blind drunk when they thought they saw the Nameless Ones.”

  “Just because they’re sailors doesn’t mean they’re wrong. I wouldn’t trust any soldier that looks like that.” Rowen gestured to the pair basking in the sun.

  “Just because they’re relaxed doesn’t make them untrustworthy.”

  “Just because the sailors like their ale doesn’t mean they’re stupid.”

  Lara and Rowen glared at each other, arms folded. Kade stepped between them, cutti
ng off the argument. “So we don’t know exactly which way they went. But they either went north or east. There are two directions and four of us. We’ll just have to split up.”

  “No, we should stay together,” Lara said at once. “It’ll be safer that way.”

  “We don’t have time for that.” Kade tugged on the edge of his hood, glancing around. He lowered his voice, even though no one looked remotely interested in them. “Rowen, Lara, you two can take the east road. Go to the next town and ask around, see if the Nameless Ones went in that direction. If they took that road, someone is bound to have seen them. Briar and I will do the same going north. If you don’t find any signs of them by the time you reach the next town, follow us.”

  “I could come with you and Briar could go with Rowen,” Lara suggested.

  “Or we could just do what Kade said.” Rowen shrugged. “You and I always travel together, Lara.”

  Briar’s fingers found the chain around her neck. Lara really didn’t trust her much. Though evidently, she trusted Briar more with her brother than with her friend, which begged the question, why? She bit her lip. “I don’t mind-”

  “Briar comes with me. Lara is with Rowen.” Kade’s tone was final. “This was my decision. I’ll take responsibility for Briar’s safety.”

  Oh. So that was what this was about. Briar couldn’t help feeling a touch disappointed that he hadn’t wanted her for the company, or for the fact that she could actually be useful. Her magic was coming in surprisingly handy, in ways she had never imagined. Still, he was letting her come with him. She should at least be grateful for that.

  Rowen gave Kade a brotherly hug, clapping him on the back. “Take care. Don’t do anything Lara wouldn’t approve of.” He stepped back, grinning widely at Lara’s outraged look.

  “Look after yourself, Kade. I mean it. Especially having Briar with you.” Lara hugged him tightly. She added in a lower voice that still wasn’t quite soft enough to stop Briar from hearing, “You know, I still don’t approve. And I don’t like breaking the group up again either.”