Water House

by Shelly Jarvis

  Ros shook her head. “I don’t want any of those things.”

  “Well color me intrigued. Go on then, let’s have it.”

  “If I do not make a wish after you’ve agreed to grant one, what happens?”

  Whimsy ran a pale blue tongue over sharp-looking teeth. After a moment, they said, “I told you before that I wouldn’t harm you, and it remains true, for now. But do not test the patience of my folk. We do not grant boons often, but you’ve found me in a giving mood. I suggest you take your wish and question it no further.”

  Rosalinde said, “I mean no disrespect to your kindness or your gift, I simply hope to use it at a later time.”

  Whimsy paced back and forth by the edge of the stream for a moment, mumbling to themself. “...odd request...never before...will it hurt…”

  “If it’s too much trouble for you…” Ros began.

  Whimsy flapped their hand in her direction and stopped pacing. “No, of course not. I’ll give you the space of a moon. But if you have not used your wish by the next new moon, it is lost, and you will owe me something instead.”

  Ros knew better than to make a deal with a creature such as this, but she couldn’t imagine any reason she wouldn’t use her wish by then. She held out her hand and said, “Deal.”

  The Moonchild took her hand. Ros could feel heat in her palm where the creature touched her and when she let go, there was a sliver of white burned into her palm. She looked at it side by side with the blood droplet still clinging to her other hand.

  Whimsy said, “Don’t forget our deal, Rosalinde Adara Managold, because I will not. If you choose to use your wish, touch the mark on your palm and I will come. But if you do not, I will come for something precious to you and claim it as my own.”

  And with that, they disappeared, leaving Ros in an empty, dark forest beside a dried-up creek bed where water hadn’t flowed for many, many moons.

  Chapter 26

  The sky began to lighten a short while after Whimsy disappeared. Ros was certain a full night couldn’t have passed, but perhaps time behaved differently inside the Moonchild’s light. She walked Mercutio back through the trees the way she thought she’d come from. The forest was still dim, the trees blotting out the little bit of light above, but at least there was enough now to step with ease.

  It took Ros the better part of the morning to find her way out of the forest. It hadn’t seemed like she’d gone in very far last night, but this morning the woods stretched on before her endlessly.

  But they did end, eventually. One moment she was in their shadows and the next she was stepping into the morning light. She had no way to know where the others were. Her best bet was to follow the blood in her palm until she found them or she found her father.

  So she mounted Mercutio and let the blood lead her.

  She ran into Florian around midday. He was atop his horse as it grazed, the reins tied around his body, fast asleep. Ros had never been more grateful to hear the snores of an egocentric man. She nudged Mercutio closer, letting him graze beside his companion.

  “Florian,” she whispered, trying not to alarm him.

  He didn’t budge.

  She said his name again, more forcefully. Still he slumbered.

  Finally, Ros yelled, “Wake up, you oaf!”

  He jerked up, the reins catching him so he didn’t fall off his horse. He blinked in the light, bleary eyes turning towards her. “Rosalinde? Thank the elements I’ve found you.”

  She laughed. “You found me?”

  His cheeks reddened. “I’ve been searching for two days, my lady.”

  “Two days?” she asked. “But the attack was last night.”

  He shook his head. “Two nights ago.”

  Rosalinde shuddered, aghast that she’d lost so much time. How had her senses been so deceived within the forest? Was it Whimsy’s work?

  “Are you well, Princess? Did something happen to you?”

  She nodded, though she was shaky at best. “Honestly, I don’t know what happened.” She considered telling him about Whimsy, but worried he would think her mad. Instead she asked, “How did you find me?”

  “I followed your trail to that blasted forest, but lost you there. No matter where I steered myself inside it, I always ended up back at the same place. You may think me silly for this, but I fear it is bewitched.”

  “I don’t think you silly at all,” she replied. Still, she didn’t mention the Moonchild.

  “When I felt myself growing weary, I strapped myself to Minola and hoped for the best.”

  “I didn’t know you were a great tracker, my lord.”

  He nodded. “My father and I hunt. I’ve always been quite good at it, but father says it’s unbecoming of a nobleman.”

  “All due respect, but your father is wrong.”

  “Usually,” Florian shrugged.

  Ros smiled. Seeing him without his normal boisterous countenance was refreshing. “Do you think you can find the others?”

  Florian’s red cheeks suddenly drained of color. “Yes, my lady. I’m certain I can find the survivors, if there are any.”

  Ros swallowed. “Tell me plainly what you mean by that.”

  “I reached my horse just as Zandor did, but I galloped away before I saw much more until I got far enough to turn and survey the scene. I know Zandor mounted his horse, but I didn’t see him after that. Graeme was flying around the beast, avoiding the first attacks, but Will...well, he wasn’t so lucky. He was trying to help Graeme, but ended up getting hit by the vuljasari.”

  She felt a lump rise into her throat. A member of her house, a young man there to help find her father...dead? No, she couldn’t think that. She had to believe he was okay.

  They rode in silence for a moment before she asked, “And the Night mage?”

  Florian shook his head. “I don’t know. I saw him disappearing and reappearing all over the place, in and out of existence in a flash.”

  “He’s alive?”

  “Yes. Or at least he was, before I left to come after you.”

  Ros let out the breath she was holding. She shouldn’t care as much as she did. These men were equals, there to help find the king and win her heart. Ros needed to give them all the same chance to do so, and in her head, she knew that. But if she was being honest with herself, her heart already leaned towards the man she couldn’t choose.

  “Do you love him?”

  The question caught her off guard and she jerked out of her thoughts. “What? Who?”

  One side of Florian’s mouth tilted up in a smile. “Cassian. Do you love him?”

  She stammered, “N-no, of course not.”

  “I’m no fool, Princess, even if I play one for the court. I’ve seen the way you are with him.”

  “Sir Florian, I treat all my suitors with the same courtesy—”

  He waved away her words. “Of course you do, but that’s not what I mean. It’s more like, when he’s around, you grow bolder, fiercer. Your very presence changes from an unsure future-ruler to the leader you were born to be. You seem like you’re already the queen when he’s by your side.”

  Rosalinde didn’t know how to respond. To know that such a thing was visible to the casual observer when she hadn’t even considered it herself, well, it was disconcerting. After a moment, she managed, “I haven’t given it much thought. He’s the one I’m not supposed to choose.”

  “It would be a shock to the nobles,” he chuckled.

  Ros turned towards him, surprised at the genuine amusement on his face. This man was not the same as the one she knew. “You’re different today.”

  He shrugged. “After last night, after we almost died, I figured there’s no point pretending anymore. My parents have a facade they want from me, the way they think the heir to Fire house should behave. But I dislike the man they force me to be.”

  “I’m not crazy about him either.”

  A deep, honest laugh boomed from Florian and Ros was surprised at the mirth in it. When it
subsided, he said, “Glad that’s out in the open. Now maybe we can get somewhere with this courtship. If you don’t run away with the Night mage, anyway.”

  Ros smiled. “You know, my father wants me to choose Fire house.”

  “I know,” he said. “He and my father have already spoken about it. I can’t wait to see Father’s expression when you don’t choose me.”

  “You speak as if it’s already decided.”

  He smirked at her. “It is, Rosalinde. Or at least it will be, when you admit it to yourself. But don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret and still help you find the king. I wasn’t blustering when I said I was at your service, Highness.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and meant it more than he could possibly know.

  Chapter 27

  The camp was chaos. Their packs and supplies were shredded, the food gone. While Florian searched for tracks or signs from the others, Ros rummaged through what was left of their belongings in the hopes of finding something worth salvaging.

  “There are tracks leading east,” he said when he rejoined her. “My guess is Zandor. He’s the only one I know who made it to a horse.”

  Ros was only half listening. Instead, she stared at a dark stain in the grass. Blood. But whose?

  “Hey,” Florian said, putting his hand on her shoulder. He pulled her away from the spot and into his embrace. He held her for several minutes before saying, “It’s not that much blood, okay? Just a little. Whoever it belonged to, it’s not enough to kill them.”

  She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. She swallowed back the tears threatening to overflow, taking on the practiced healer senses of her father. “I realize you’re trying to soothe me, but my father is a Healer and I’ve been around this sort of thing before. A wound big enough to create a stain so large would have someone bleeding out in a matter of minutes without proper help.”

  “Good thing I was here then, wasn’t it?”

  Ros turned at the sound of Cassian’s voice. Unable to control her relief that he was okay, she threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face into his chest.

  “I would’ve saved someone’s life sooner if I’d known I’d get this sort of thanks.”

  Ros pulled back from him quickly, heat creeping up her neck as she realized what she’d done. She muttered, “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he said.

  “Is everyone okay then?” Florian asked, pretending he didn’t just see the future queen throw herself at the Night Elementalist.

  “William is,” Cassian said. “The creature slashed him pretty badly, but was too distracted by Graeme to do much more. I took advantage of the distraction as well and grabbed him, teleporting back to the medical unit. Teague was able to patch him up and when I last saw him, he was resting comfortably, albeit disappointed to be out of competition for your hand, Princess. He’s not coming back.”

  She nodded. “Understandably so. I’m just happy he’s alright. What about the others?”

  Cassian shook his head. “I didn’t see what happened to Zandor. Graeme was gone when I came back from the medical wing.”

  “I found tracks over there,” Florian said, pointing east. “If we head that way, I’m sure we’ll find Zandor.”

  A look of surprise crossed Cassian’s face, followed by a look of appreciation. “Good work. Anything left of the supplies?”

  Ros held up the cup in her hands. “Not much else made it.”

  Cassian nodded, but it was clear he was distracted, like there was something else he wanted to ask but was afraid to.

  “What is it?” Ros asked.

  He glanced up at her and forced a smile. “Have you, um, seen any of my horses?”

  “Oh, no,” she said, her heart sinking. She hadn’t considered that there were other lives out here aside from the people she was with, lives that Cassian cared about.

  “We know Mercutio and Minola are okay,” Florian said, forcing his voice to sound cheerful. “And Zandor jumped on one of them. I bet the other three ran.”

  “Did you see any tracks?”

  Florian hesitated for a moment before whispering, “No.”

  Cassian nodded. His voice was strained when he said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go find Zandor while we still can.”

  Chapter 28

  The evening ambled on as they picked their way across the land. They’d moved quickly at first, the tracks wild but easy to follow. They found two of Cassian’s horses as they traveled: Cicero, the one William had ridden, and Graeme’s steed, Lady Macbeth. The beasts seemed as happy to see Cassian as he was relieved to see them. Ros had never had a strong bond with an animal, but she thought it seemed like a sign of good character to see how much they trusted him.

  As they continued on and the ground changed from easy-to-read trampled grass to small rocks and stones, Zandor’s trail fizzled to nothing. After a while, none of them could pick up even the faintest hint of where he might’ve gone.

  Still, they kept going. Their pace was slow as they were careful not to endanger the horses twisting a leg amongst the rocks. Despite the dangers, no one wanted to be the one to suggest stopping.

  Finally, Ros gave in and said, “It’s no use. We’ve lost his trail, and we’re not going to find it again stumbling around in the near-darkness. Let’s make camp.”

  Cassian pointed up the rocky incline. “Looks like there’s a cave up there.”

  They made their way up the side of the mountain and stopped at the mouth of the cave. While Cassian secured the horses and Ros watered them, Florian checked inside the cave for dangers.

  “Nothing here,” he said when he returned. “It doesn’t go back very far.”

  “That’s the first bit of good luck we’ve had today,” Cassian said.

  Rosalinde’s stomach grumbled and she placed her hand over her empty belly. “I don’t suppose either of you was able to find some food?”

  In the blink of an eye, Cassian disappeared. “What the—” Florian started.

  Cassian reappeared before he could finish his sentence. His arms were laden with food. Ros removed her cloak and spread it on the ground so he could lay out their feast of fruits, cheese, and bread. He’d even managed to fill his pockets with a handful of nuts and a couple carrots.

  “Can’t you flit around in the dark and find him?” Florian asked as he bit into a pear.

  Cassian smirked. “That’s not how my gift works.”

  “How would I know?” Florian shrugged. “You’re pretty secretive about it.”

  “After what happened last time a Night Elementalist tried to be part of the kingdom, can you blame me?”

  Rosalinde’s brows furrowed. The last time a Night mage came out, it was Cassian’s mother, but nothing happened to her. She didn’t win the Great Match of her year and she left, but that was it.

  Florian looked as confused as Ros felt as he said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Cassian squinted at Florian in disbelief, but his expression changed when he caught Ros wearing the same look. “You really don’t know?”

  Ros shook her head. “I’ve heard about your mother’s time in the Great Match, but—”

  “My mother? No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m talking about my brother.”

  “I didn’t know you had a brother. You said you were Ombretta’s only heir.”

  “I am, now,” Cassian said.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Florian said, “Forgive me if it’s calloused to ask, but since you brought it up, are you able to tell us what happened to him?”

  “He was murdered after his time in the Great Match four years ago,” Cassian said.

  Ros slowly shook her head. “I don’t want to diminish his memory, but there was no competitor from the Night house four years ago. You’re the first Dark mage the kingdom has seen since your mother.”

  Cassian pressed his lips into a tight line. After a moment, he said, “I’m sure it’s difficult to rem
ember every contestant. His name was Gaius.”

  “I definitely don’t remember each one, but I guarantee if there had been someone from the Night house, I wouldn’t have forgotten them,” she said.

  Florian said, “You may not have realized it, dear friend, but your presence sent every house into chaos. Every nobleman in the kingdom has been panicking since your arrival. If there had been another Night mage, especially in the Great Match, we would remember.”

  “I don’t understand,” Cassian said. “My mother told me about his death. I mean, she didn’t give me all the details, but I saw how much she hurt when we said goodbye to him.”

  Ros knew there hadn’t been a Night mage anywhere near the castle in twenty-five years, but instead of saying so, she said, “Maybe something happened before the Match. We can ask around when we get back. I’m sure someone will remember.”

  Cassian nodded, but his eyes were clouded with confusion. He muttered, “I’m going to turn in. Wake me when it’s my turn to keep watch.”

  When his eyes closed, the night seemed to grow darker around them, putting an end to all conversation about the mysterious missing Night mage.

  Chapter 29

  The morning was cool as they set off, trying to catch a hint of Zandor’s whereabouts. By mid-afternoon, the weather had grown as warm as their tempers while they snapped at one another in frustrated tones.

  But when Florian spotted a break in the rocks that looked like a horse may have slipped, everything changed. They were back on track and eager to find their missing companion, hopefully unharmed.

  When they stopped for a water break and to give the horses a rest, they were still in surprisingly high spirits. Florian was telling a bawdy story about the first set of breasts he ever saw, sending water spewing from Rosalinde’s mouth at a particularly colorful bit. As he reached the climax of his story, his words were cut off as a scream sliced through the seemingly empty land around them. They turned, looking for the source of the sound.