Forbidden Bond

by Rinelle Grey

Brianna giggled, feeling a little light headed, partly at the fact that she was leaving her home, and all she had ever known, and partly at being on the tiny ship with Lyall for three to four days. “That should be… interesting,” she said.

  Lyall blushed, but all he said was, “I think we’re far enough from shore that no one would recognise us. Do you want to come up on deck and see?”

  Brianna stood up, wobbling a little. She was starting to get her balance, when the ship tilted suddenly to the right, throwing her into Lyall’s arms.

  He caught her easily, completely steady of his feet, and set her upright again. He didn’t, however, let go of her. She looked up at him, suddenly feeling heat flush her body. “I’m not sure I’m going to make it,” she said breathlessly.

  He laughed, a throaty sound deep in his chest that made her knees feel weak. “I’ll help you.” He took her hand and helped her across to the stairs.

  Brianna looked up at them, suddenly not sure that ascending in this unstable world was such a good idea, but Lyall urged her on. “I’ll be right behind you. I promise I’ll catch you if you fall.”

  “You’d better, or we’ll both end up in a heap on the floor,” she warned and put her foot on the first step.

  Cautiously, she advanced up the stairs, holding onto the rails on both sides. Once or twice she bumped into the walls, but she managed to remain upright.

  True to his word, Lyall followed right behind her. So close in fact, that his head was level with the small of her back, and his arms, holding the rails as hers were, were almost around her.

  Somehow though, she gained the deck where there were no rails to hold onto. She moved away from the stairs, clinging to the roof of the cabin for dear life. Lyall came up beside her and took her hand. He led her over to a bench seat near the back of the boat, and she sank gratefully onto it.

  From here, she had a good view of both the boat and back at the harbour. Maybe she’d just sit here and not move for the rest of the trip.

  The harbour grew smaller in the distance. Boats that had been towering above Lyall’s ship now looked like the toys that boys made of wood and floated in the pond. She stared at the scene for a moment. Was this the last time she would see it? Then she turned and looked over the boat.

  One small triangular sail was raised at the front of the boat, but the large mast above her was empty. “Wouldn’t we get there faster with all the sails up?”

  “Are you in a hurry?” Lyall asked, his voice suggestive.

  She giggled, a touch nervously. “I haven’t decided yet.”

  Lyall grinned back at her. “I can’t put the main sails up until we’ve negotiated the rocks at the entrance to the harbour. We’re far more manoeuvrable with just the jib.”

  Brianna nodded as though she understood what he was saying. “That makes perfect sense,” she agreed.

  Lyall laughed at her again and bent and kissed her. She had no idea how he kept his feet, she was sure the boat was just about tip over, but he didn’t even waver. He did, however, sit down beside her, his lips not leaving hers, and slip an arm around her waist.

  When he finally pulled back and they stared at each other, breathless, Brianna asked softly, “Where are we going with this Lyall?”

  “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “All I know is that I can’t seem to stop kissing you. I hope you don’t mind,” he said apologetically.

  She laughed softly and reached a hand up to touch his cheek. “I should. But no, I don’t. I can’t seem to stop thinking about you either.”

  He hesitated for a moment, then said softly, “I don’t want to rush things Brianna. I know you have someone in your past, and I want you to be really sure before we take things any further.”

  “I think that is a really good idea,” Brianna agreed. “For both of us.” She got the feeling he was as unsure as she was.

  He smiled ruefully. “You could have a point there. We both need to know what we want before we take a step that can’t be reversed.”

  He had left himself open for her next question. “Can I ask you something Lyall?”

  He sighed. “I think I know what it might be.”

  “Will I be your first?” she asked curiously. “If we go that far of course,” she added hurriedly.

  Lyall blushed a little, but met her eyes without wavering. “Yes, you would.”

  “Me too,” Brianna said with a smile.

  She was glad in a way, but also a little surprised. Though it was relatively normal in her village, where everyone knew everyone, to be a virgin on your wedding night, she gathered from the little she had heard since coming to the city that it was far less common here. Lyall was a little older than the average marriageable age in her village too, making his admission even more unusual.

  “We’ll be home in a few days,” Lyall said. “Hopefully things will be clearer, for both of us then.”

  His home, not hers. Although perhaps it would become hers. It was a strange thought. “I guess we’ll see.” The thought of being in a city full of mages was strange. Even more strange, she wasn’t as afraid of it as she had been. “What is it like, being a mage?” she asked curiously.

  He stared off over the water to the retreating harbour for a moment, then shrugged. “That’s kind of like me asking you what it’s like to be a girl. Being a mage is who I am. It’s as much a part of me as anything else. I’ve been one for as long as I can remember, so I don’t have anything to compare it to.”

  “So you knew you were a mage when you were a child?” Brianna asked.

  Lyall nodded. “We routinely test children in the first year of primary school, and any who show magical power, which is pretty much everyone, take special classes to help them learn to use their magic throughout school.”

  Many other questions tumbled around in Brianna’s mind, wondering what he could do with magic, what learning to use it involved, and if she would be able to learn this late in life, but there was one that was more important than any of the others. “Lyall, why is magic so feared on the mainland? When you first mentioned being a mage, all I could think of was all the stories I’ve been told about mages abusing their power. But I can’t imagine you doing any of that. So why aren’t there as many stories about the good magic can do? It can do good, can’t it?” she added, suddenly unsure.

  “Of course it can. Magic can heal, rebuild and create. But yes, it can also be abused, and destroy whole civilisations.” He was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Without going into details, there was a war, a big war, many years before our time, where magic was flung indiscriminately on both sides, and unfortunately, many normal people were caught in the middle. That is why we retreated to the island.”

  “What about the mages on the other side?”

  “They retreated too. We’re not sure where they went, but they haven’t bothered anyone since as far as I know. We keep an eye out for them, that’s what I was doing on my first visit to the inn, but we haven’t seen any sign that they’re still alive.” He paused, then added, “I think they all died out long ago.”

  Brianna shuddered a little, despite the warm sun and decided she didn’t want to know any more.

  Lyall looked like he’d rather not continue the conversation either. “Time to raise the sail,” he said instead. “Are you all right here?”

  Brianna nodded, quite happy to watch him as he walked across the deck as though it wasn’t moving at all and pulled on several ropes. Moments later, the sails billowed with wind as they rose up the mast, and the boat gave a little jump forward, as though eager to get on its way.

  Lyall was busy with ropes and sails for a while, so Brianna watched the harbour receding until it was no longer visible. Lyall came up behind her and said nothing for a while, then asked, “How are you going?”

  “Feeling a little lost,” she said honestly and turned to look up at him.

  He smiled, and bent to brush the hair from her eyes. “It will all work out somehow, Brianna, I promise.”

&
nbsp; “You have that much power, do you?” she teased.

  “No, I just… uh…” He was so cute when he was at a loss for words.

  She reached up to take his hand and he readily sat down beside her. They were alone on the ocean, with at least two days ahead of them. But her mind couldn’t focus on the possibilities of that time.

  All she could think about was arriving at the mage’s island. What would she find there?

  9

  Isla de Magi

  Brianna heaved a sigh as the thin line of land on the horizon grew larger and more distinct with each passing minute. Pink tinged the sky above it, signifying not only the end of the day, but the end of their days on the boat. It seemed such a pity that the quiet time at sea had to end.

  Lyall lowered the main sails and hoisted the small triangular one at the front of the boat to give him the manoeuvrability to pull into the docks. Brianna rose from her seat to help him. She might not understand which ropes to tie off yet, but she knew enough about knots to tie them when and where he asked.

  They were far more comfortable together after the three days at sea than they had been at the start of the journey. Initially, she’d doubted their ability to wait until they were on the island, but it was as if that agreement lifted some of the uncertainty from their minds. They had kissed and cuddled constantly, but without any pressure to take things further.

  It had felt like the right decision at the time, but now she wondered. A shiver ran down her back as she stared at the growing island, bathed in shadow as the sun sank below the mountains. What she was going to discover here, about both herself and Lyall, could change things dramatically.

  It was too late to go back now though. The ship slid alongside the dock and Lyall leapt across to tie her off. He glanced up at the setting sun, and then jumped back onto the deck. “Perhaps it would be better to wait until morning to introduce you to my family?”

  Brianna couldn’t help it, as soon as he made the suggestion, she suddenly wanted one more night with just Lyall. “That might be best,” she agreed.

  Lyall smiled widely and slipped his arms around her, kissing the tip of her nose lightly. “You know, perhaps I won’t introduce you to them. We could just cast off again and spend the rest of our lives sailing aimlessly around the ocean.”

  Brianna smiled. “Sounds nice,” She leaned into his tall presence, and allowed herself to dream, for just a few moments. Then reality intruded. “Except, we’d run out of food pretty quickly.”

  “We could eat fish,” Lyall filled in. “I could catch them.”

  “Fish could get a little boring after a while,” Brianna suggested with a smile.

  “Seaweed?” Lyall offered.

  Brianna giggled and hugged him.

  Neither of them said anything more. They knew that nice as it would be, it wasn’t really an option. Lyall led her downstairs and cuddled up beside her in the narrow bunk.

  *****

  When he was completely sure she was asleep, and after he gently probed her mind several times with magic, Lyall slipped out of the bunk and went upstairs. He hoped she stayed asleep while he was gone. Mentally, he prepared his story for if she woke, annoyed at himself for doing so, and angry at his father for the need.

  He walked up the main street of the city, which was almost deserted at this hour, and up to the palace. The guards let him in with a respectful salute.

  Maybe his father would be asleep, and he could leave again with a clean conscience. But no such luck. The king emerged from his study just as Lyall walked down the hallway.

  “Lyall, you’re home. Where’s the girl?”

  “Nice to see you too, Father,” Lyall said sarcastically. “She’s on board my yacht. I thought I should talk to you before you meet her.”

  “What? Is there a problem?”

  “Not exactly a problem, but things didn’t go exactly as I had planned,” Lyall admitted.

  His father sighed and opened the door to his study again. “You’d better tell me the whole story.”

  Lyall followed reluctantly.

  Inside, his father poured himself a scotch and sat in one of the large high backed arm chairs. He waved Lyall to the chair opposite but didn’t offer him a drink. “So, what’s the problem?” he asked.

  Lyall sat in the offered chair. “She knows she’s a mage.”

  “So she wasn’t the innocent you thought her?” His father raised an eyebrow.

  “No. I mean, I told her.”

  “You what?” His father almost chocked on his scotch.

  “I thought it was better than losing her altogether,” Lyall said, trying, and failing, not to feel smug about his father’s coughs.

  “Start at the beginning, and tell me the whole story.”

  Lyall recounted the whole tale, from the men from Brianna’s home town and his illusion, to her agreeing to come with him. He left out all the more intimate details of course, but he somehow suspected his father could guess them anyway.

  King Balen leant back in his chair and regarded Lyall thoughtfully, finishing off his scotch before saying anything more.

  “So you believe her story?” he said finally.

  “I do,” Lyall asserted, no doubt in his mind.

  “Then I suggest you bring her here in the morning so we can meet her.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lyall agreed.

  Accepting his father’s dismissal, he headed back to the boat. Brianna, thankfully, hadn’t stirred. Lyall stared down at her for a few moments.

  What was she going to think when she found out who he really was?

  *****

  Brianna stirred the next morning to the same feeling of contentment that had characterised every morning so far on this adventure with Lyall. But as she became more awake, she remembered that this morning was different. Lyall’s arms around her, his face snuggled into her shoulder, those were the same. But the rocking of the boat was more gentle. They were docked, and today she would see the mages’ island. And Lyall’s family.

  What would they think of her? What would she think of this place? Was Lyall right about her having magic? So many uncertainties.

  Any tendency she might have had to dwell on this was cut short by a sharp rapping on the hatch that made her jump. Lyall jumped also, and as he was lying on the outside edge of the bunk, this caused him to fall out of the bed. He swore, rubbing his elbow, and pulled himself to his feet. “Coming,” he shouted towards the hatch, then more quietly to Brianna, “Looks like our return has been noticed. Don’t worry, the hatch is bolted.”

  Brianna grinned. “What are the chances, if we wait long enough, that they’ll go away?”

  Lyall sighed heavily. “Slim to none.” He began pulling on a shirt, somewhat crumpled after having spent the better part of three days lying on the floor.

  Brianna stared at him for a moment, but his moody expression didn’t help her confidence any. Nor did her lack of clothes, so she went into the tiny bathroom to change into her one clean and unrumpled set of clothes, and check that her hair and face were presentable. Her stomach growled. Pity there hadn’t been time for some breakfast before the ordeal in front of her.

  Finally satisfied, if not pleased, with her appearance, she re-joined Lyall. He seemed to have regained his composure and even managed to smile at her. “Uh, Brianna, there’s something I have to tell you.” He rubbed his cheek and wouldn’t meet her eyes.

  There was a rapping at the hatch again. A voice called out, “Prince Balen, is everything all right?”

  Brianna stared at Lyall and then started to laugh. “I think they have the wrong boat.”

  But Lyall wasn’t laughing. He was, in fact, blushing. And wincing. If both could be possible at the same time. “Yes, I’m fine. Give me a minute,” he yelled back angrily. Brianna stared at him in disbelief, and he said quietly, “That was what I wanted to tell you.”

  “You’re a prince?” Brianna said faintly. Her worries about meeting his parents just became ten times worse.

>   “I’m afraid so,” Lyall said apologetically.

  Brianna’s legs felt weak, and she sank down onto the edge of the bunk. “Why didn’t you say something?” she asked helplessly.

  “I.. uh... It never quite seemed like the right time,” he said lamely.

  Brianna opened her mouth to say that the moment he invited her might have been a good time, then shut it again. It wasn’t as if she wasn’t keeping her own secrets, probably worse than his. “Bloody hell, if you’d given me warning, I might at least have brought a dress that was appropriate for meeting royalty,” she managed.

  Lyall gave her a relieved smile. “I’ll take you shopping and buy you ten,” he promised.

  He looked back towards the hatch, and Brianna sighed. “We’d better go up before they start knocking again,” she said.

  Lyall nodded, and held out his hand. Brianna stared at him for a few moments, then took it, and together they walked towards the stairs. “After you,” Lyall said gallantly.

  “Not likely,” Brianna said. “You’re the prince, you go first. I’m not going up there for everyone to stare at me and wonder who I am. I’d much prefer to hide in your shadow, thank you very much.”

  Lyall stared at her, so she poked her tongue out at him, and he laughed. But he did go up the stairs first.

  Her relief was short lived. When she followed him up, taking his offered hand for the final steps, she found herself staring at what could only be a full battalion of guards, all wearing turquoise and gold livery, all staring at her. She was glad Lyall kept hold of her hand. “This way,” he whispered in her ear and led her towards the lavish turquoise and gold coach.

  Someone opened the door, and Lyall helped her up the stairs, and then sat beside her as the coach started to move with a jerk. And they were mercifully alone. “Is it too late to go home?” Brianna asked, only half joking.

  Lyall seemed to have recovered. “I’m afraid so,” he said apologetically. “At least, until after you’ve met my family. They’re all rather keen to get to know you.”

  Butterflies fluttered up a storm in her stomach. What Lyall had told them about her? She knew nothing about them. “How many of them are there?” she asked cautiously.