Water House

by Shelly Jarvis

  Ros stopped in front of her father’s door, placing her hand against the gleaming gold filigree. So strange a thing, the designs of swooping birds and flowers and trees, when there was a water mage who resided there. She took in every detail of the door, despite ignoring it for years. As long as she didn’t open it, as long as she didn’t go inside, her father could be there and everything could be fine. But the moment she opened it…

  A hand covered hers against the door. She looked up to see Cassian at her side, and for the first time, his face was unreadable. He said, “Open the door, Rosalinde.”

  Ros swallowed, shook her head. “I can’t.”

  He nodded, seeming to understand. A moment later, they were in the stables. Ros looked around as if she didn’t recognize the place. She had spent quite a bit of time there a few years ago when she was rolling in the hay with one of the stable boys, but it had been awhile since she’d been back. Though nothing seemed to have changed, everything looked different.

  Cassian took a couple steps towards one of the stalls. Unsure what else to do, Ros followed. Inside the stall was a gorgeous horse with a pale gold coat and a brilliant white mane and tail. It whinnied when Cassian approached, nuzzling his hand when he held it forward.

  Ros watched them for several minutes as Cassian whispered sweetly to the beast, stroking its fur and feeding it sugar cubes that he seemed to draw from nowhere.

  Finally, he looked up and upon seeing Ros, seemed startled. He smiled sheepishly at her and said, “This is Desdemona.”

  “What a horrible name,” Ros said, reaching forward. “It means ‘unlucky,’ you know.”

  Desdemona snapped at Rosalinde’s hand. She drew it back as Cassian barked a laugh. “Oh, I know. She’s a horrible old thing. Hates almost everyone.”

  “Not you.”

  “Well, that’s because I help her when the darkness comes.”

  Ros looked over at him, but he kept his eyes on Desdemona. She asked, “The darkness?”

  “You know what I’m talking about, Princess.”

  She did. She’d felt it consuming her only moments ago, and it was Cassian who had come to her rescue. “What is it exactly?”

  Cassian shrugged. “I don’t know, really. But it’s in everything that lives. Sometimes it’s just a small bit, easy to ignore. Other times, it’s stronger and harder to control. For a long time, I thought it had to do with the strength of magic and that people with stronger gifts had it worse. But then I’ve met some magicless who had to fight each day to keep the darkness at bay. Even poor darlings like Desi here have to fight it.”

  “I thought it was just me.”

  “No, not at all,” he said, running his hand over Desi’s mane. “Do you want to talk about what happened in the dining hall?”

  Ros bit her lip. “Not really.”

  He nodded, not pressing her further. After a moment of silence, Ros asked, “How did you do it? How did you take the darkness from me?”

  “I didn’t take it away. I just tempered it.”

  That hadn’t been what she was hoping for. Ros had wanted him to tell her it was gone and would never return. But he didn’t.

  He looked at her then, and on his face was something she hadn’t yet seen: compassion. He turned quickly, hiding his expression as he moved to the next stall. “I’m sorry. I’d take it from you if I could, so that it wouldn’t haunt you again.”

  “Does it haunt you, too?”

  For a moment, she thought he wouldn’t answer, but finally he said, “It can’t haunt me for long, even if it wanted to. I specialize in darkness, Princess.”

  “Ros,” she said. “That’s what my friends call me.”

  “Are we friends now? I was certain you would despise me, after today.”

  “Despise? You just saved me from unleashing a tsunami on the Lords and Ladies of the Elemental Houses.”

  He grimaced. “Before that. At the opening ceremony.”

  She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a second, contemplating his words. “Right, that. I wasn’t happy with you, that’s for sure.”

  Cassian laughed so hard he nearly choked. “Come now, Princess. I know what hate looks like. You’re not the first woman to stare at me as if she wanted to murder me.”

  “While I’m not at all surprised to hear that women hate you, I am surprised that it is only women who hate you.”

  Cassian lifted a hand to cover his heart, his face taking on an anguished look. “You wound me so.”

  She swatted his arm as he reached in to stroke the mane of a horse the color of night, as black as the darkest part of Ros. Though her eyes were on the lovely creature, she found herself thinking about the way Cassian’s temperament had changed so drastically earlier and how he had avoided her question about the darkness haunting him. She said, “You didn’t answer my question.”

  A pause before he said, “No, I didn’t.”

  “Will you?”

  “Not willingly.”

  “And if I command you?”

  “Then I would be forced to give you my secrets, but not my trust.”

  “I would like to have your trust,” she said, turning to look at him.

  He stared down at her for a long moment before saying, “And I would like to give it. Prove to me that you deserve it, Ros.”

  She moved past him to the next stall where a white horse with black splotches whinnied at her approach. She reached forward and stroked the beast’s neck, then scratched behind his ear. When she glanced at Cassian, he was watching her with a bemused smile.

  “What?” she asked.

  “Nothing,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his short, black hair. “It’s just, Mercutio doesn’t normally like people to touch him.”

  “Are all of your horses as antisocial as you?”

  He laughed. “I’m not antisocial. I just take time to warm up. Besides, most people aren’t worth the time it takes to get to know them.”

  “How do you know that if you never try?”

  “I’ve tried,” he said, his eyes going sad.

  “They’re afraid of you,” Ros whispered.

  He nodded. “Usually, yeah. But you don’t seem to be.”

  “I was earlier.”

  The confession seemed to take him off guard and for a moment she wished she could take it back. The truth, though, was that he did frighten her. His gift, his shift in mood, but also, the way her very soul seemed to calm in his presence. That was the part that frightened her most.

  “I’m sorry for what I said at the ceremony,” he said. He fidgeted with the cuff of his sleeve as if the idea of apologizing made him nervous. In a soft voice, he added, “There’s darkness in me, too, Ros. I can usually control it, but when it comes out, it’s ugly. I regret that you saw that part of me.”

  Ros wondered at the way he spoke about the darkness as if it was a tangible thing. Perhaps it was for someone who could control it. She looked at him, at the way he seemed so vulnerable and kind to her now, and she wondered if this was the part of him that was real. Though she hoped to keep this version of Cassian with her, she couldn’t let go of the other one in her mind, the one who was dangerous.

  “I have to ask you something,” she said, swallowing hard. “But I don’t want to anger you.”

  Cassian met her eyes and said, “I didn’t kidnap your father. I don’t know what has become of him.”

  “How did you know that was my question?”

  He shrugged. “It’s what I would have asked, were I in your shoes. A stranger comes to your home using the gifts I have, and the King of Talabrih suddenly goes missing? The irony isn’t lost on me.”

  “He may be fine.”

  Cassian nodded. “Maybe. Why didn’t you check?”

  She sighed. “Once I open that door, there’s no going back. I have to face whatever or whoever is on the other side.”

  “You can’t move forward until you do.”

  “I know.”

  They stood there for a long moment in s
ilence, Ros running her hand along Mercutio’s coat while Cassian watched in silence. When Rosalinde’s heart finally eased its frantic beating and she felt mostly normal, she said, “Okay, I’m ready to go back.”

  Cassian put his arm around her waist and took her other hand. When he’d done it before, it had felt strangely formal and stiff. Now though, there was an intimacy between them and Ros could feel a strange current running from each placement of his fingers. She welcomed his touch.

  They stepped through the streams of light until they stood in front of her father’s door. Rosalinde felt Cassian’s warmth recede. She wanted to pull him back to her as soon as he stepped away, but she knew that was probably a bad idea. They hardly knew one another, and though she felt a strange connectedness to him right now after only a few minutes alone in the stables, her head was clear enough to realize it was probably due more to circumstance than actual feelings.

  So instead of reaching for him, she put on her bravest face and pushed against the door.

  Chapter 14

  The room was a flurry of activity. There were servants carrying messages, food, and writing supplies throughout the room. Guards moved between tables covered in maps as they called things back and forth to one another. It was precise chaos.

  In the center was Queen Sariyah. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid, her gown gone, replaced by a black pantsuit similar to the one the competitors wore in the Match. She pored over maps and answered questions, commanded guards and servants who brought her things.

  Ros headed straight for her. “Mother, what’s going on?”

  “Ah, Rosalinde,” she said when she caught sight of her. “I suppose Larkin found you?”

  “What? No.”

  “I asked her to bring you to me.” Sariyah waved her hand and said, “Never mind that. How was the opening ceremony?”

  “Fine,” she said, waving away the question. “Unimportant. What is all this?”

  The Queen looked around as if the answer should be obvious. “We’re trying to find the King, Rosalinde.”

  “He’s still missing? I thought maybe…”

  “He wouldn’t have missed the opening ceremony under any circumstances, darling. The Great Match is too important to him. You are important.”

  “Then you suspect he didn’t leave on his own.”

  “I’ve known that man for twenty-five years. There’s no chance he left of his own accord.”

  “Your Highness,” a guard called. “I found this man lurking outside the doors.”

  He dragged Cassian forward, though somehow the Night mage managed to look like he was simply out for a leisurely stroll. The Queen stepped in front of him, her presence so commanding that Ros wasn’t sure how Cassian didn’t flinch.

  Instead, his face held an easy smile as he bowed and said, “Good evening, Your Grace. Lovely to see you again.”

  “Why were you outside? Returning to the scene of the crime?”

  “He’s with me,” Ros said, stepping between them.

  The Queen’s eyebrow quirked up, her mouth parting slightly in surprise. “He’s with you?”

  Ros felt her cheeks color at the way her mother asked, but she held her ground. “Yes. He’s a friend and he’s here to help.”

  Cassian looked at her as if this was news to him, and Ros wasn’t sure if his expression was due to calling him a friend or offering his help without consulting him.

  “Is that right?” Queen Sariyah asked, folding her arms across her chest.

  Ros gave him a small apologetic shrug and the corner of his lip twitched up. He turned to the Queen and said, “Of course, Your Majesty. I am at your disposal.”

  She turned to Ros and asked, “How many of them know?”

  “All of them.”

  Queen Sariyah tilted her head back and let out a frustrated sigh. “Okay, that’s okay, we can still work with that.” She waved the head guard over and said, “The other houses know he’s missing. Let’s start questioning them to see what we can learn.”

  As the guard left, Ros asked, “Do we have any leads?”

  Sariyah shook her head. “Not yet. We had breakfast together, then I went for a walk in the garden and he left for the medical unit. He wanted to check on a patient that came in last night during dinner. A few people saw him when he arrived, but none saw him leave. We can’t find any trace of him after that.”

  “Can we survey the room?” Cassian asked.

  “What room?” Ros asked.

  “The one he went to visit.”

  The Queen shrugged. “We sent guards there earlier, but the patient had already checked out.”

  “Still, I’d like to see it,” Cassian said.

  “Suit yourself,” Sariyah said. “He was in room twenty-three.”

  Cassian nodded and asked, “Princess Rosalinde, would you be so kind as to show me to the medical unit? I’m unfamiliar with the layout of the castle.”

  Ros nodded, but the Queen’s eyes narrowed at the request. “On second thought, I’ll send a guard with you, just in case.”

  As Ros and Cassian walked towards the door, a giant woman stepped behind them. Ros knew her, of course, and was glad the Queen had chosen Romenia for the task. The woman was vicious with a blade and one of the strongest warriors Ros had ever seen. She knew her own magic was fierce and Cassian’s gift could remove them from danger, but she still felt safer with Romenia’s sword at their disposal.

  After they were away from the Queen, Ros asked, “Why didn’t you just magic us to the medical unit?”

  Cassian smirked. “It doesn’t work that way.”

  “How does it work?”

  “Can’t a man have any mystery around you? Maybe I’d like to keep a few secrets, Princess.”

  “It seems to me you’re made of secrets.”

  He sighed. “Okay, I’ll give you this one: I need to be looking at the place I’m going to travel to, or be able to pull it up from a memory.”

  “Well, that confirms at least one thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You were in my bedroom last night.”

  He winced. They took several steps in silence before he said, “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to see what I saw.”

  Ros bit the inside of her cheek. She felt like she should be angry, or maybe embarrassed, but she didn’t feel either. “Why were you there?”

  “I couldn’t sleep and I was wandering the castle. I saw a man walking towards the royal apartments and wanted to know why. I didn’t know it was your room I was entering until it was too late.”

  “He could’ve been a servant, or a messenger, or even another guest.”

  “He wasn’t in house colors,” Cassian said. “Nor did he look like any of the other guests.”

  “That doesn’t excuse you for entering my chambers as you did.”

  “I know. I wanted to leave straight away, but I was afraid you’d see me. It’s inexcusable, unforgivable. Honestly, I’m surprised you haven’t sent me away for that.”

  “I can’t send you away,” Ros said. “Not until the end of the week.”

  Ros glanced over, trying to read his face, but he wouldn’t look at her. They continued on wordlessly, but Ros felt a pang of regret that the conversation had turned the way it had. Cassian had opened up and shared a secret of his gift, something no one else knew about him and Night mages, but the moment had turned into something much different.

  He should know that she was displeased with him. There’s no excuse for him to have entered her room as he did, no matter his intentions. but she didn’t want him to close off from her when she was just getting to know him. Still, she wasn’t sure how to get back to the moment before. And she wasn’t sure why it mattered so much to her.

  Chapter 15

  They made their way through the back halls to avoid the other mages. This area was less ornate, with simpler decorations and far less gilding. Ros preferred this part of the castle. It wasn’t showy, didn’t try to impress, while sti
ll remaining solid. She glanced to Cassian at her side. Maybe that’s what she liked about the Night Elementalist, too.

  Ros rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Of all the things she could be thinking right now, that should not have made it to the surface of her mind. How had he managed to shift her thoughts to him despite the bad things he had done? Besides, even if she could forgive his behavior, which she couldn’t, he was not the sort of man she could choose even if she wanted to. His magic was too frightening, his element too taboo for him to be accepted as the future king of Talabrih.

  They stepped into the stone-gray halls of the medical unit. Ros greeted a young healer she knew as they passed. “Evening, Elaina.”

  “Princess,” she said, bowing her head. “I’m so sorry to hear about your father.”

  Ros was a bit surprised the talk had made it this far, but then again, servants and guards had been in and out of her mother’s war room all afternoon. It would be impossible to keep things quiet for long.

  “Thank you,” Ros said. “That’s why we’re here. We’re going to the last place anyone saw him.”

  “Twenty-three,” Elaina said with a shiver. “I knew that patient was bad news.”

  “You saw the patient?” Cassian asked. “Could you describe them?”

  Elaina nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes rolled back in her head and her body convulsed. She stumbled and Romenia caught her, lifting her into her arms.

  “We need a Healer,” Cassian yelled.

  A few doors down, Teague stepped into the hall. His hair was mussed, like he’d been sleeping, and he still wore his uniform from the Great Match. Dark bruises had formed under his eyes and there was a weariness to him that Ros had never seen before.

  He saw Elaina’s prone form and his entire demeanor changed from the tired young man to a seasoned medic. “Bring her here.”

  Romenia carried Elaina to Teague’s room and placed her on the bed. “What happened?”

  “We were just talking,” Cassian said.

  As they stepped inside, Ros was surprised to see that Teague wasn't alone. The Botanical mage, Beckett, was sitting in a chair in the corner. He jumped up and bowed stiffly when he saw Ros.