by Lisa Cassidy
He finally lifted his head. “Just over a week ago, I rode out of Carhall leading a unit of scouts to explore the approach of the Shiven. We passed another unit of militia with two mages guarding a cart being led into the city—and a young woman lay bound and unconscious in the cart. It was you, Alyx.” His jaw tightened, his eyes still on his hands. “And the sight of you…it all came back, all at once in a rush. I fell from my horse, and I was unconscious for hours. When I woke up, all my memories were there.”
Her heart lurched. She believed him, and the thought of him remembering like that was awful. “That must have been terrible.”
“The rage…” he whispered, and she glanced away as his body suddenly vibrated with it, his hands curling into white-knuckled fists on his lap. “I found them questioning Brynn, and I made them stop,” he said, voice full of barely-controlled fury. This was a Dashan she’d never liked to see. “Then I got word that the Shiven were surrounding the city. I did what I could to get the residents out, defying the council’s orders, and I set up this escape route.”
“Tarrick and the others, they knew you were alive before I did.”
“Not for long,” Dashan said. “Brynn ran into me on his way to find them. They went to help you while Ladan and I went for the councillors.”
At a loss, she let her gaze wander around the room. An awkward silence fell, a silence full of tension and energy and discomfort.
“You died,” she said eventually. “I accepted that. It…it stole something from me, losing you, but it’s been three years.”
Dashan looked up, his dark gaze filled with despair. “I don’t know why they didn’t kill me, or let me die from my injuries, but I suppose by then they were growing scared and decided a Taliath might be useful to defend their city. And as long as they kept me away from you…”
Eventually she looked at him and gave a little shrug. “I don’t know what to say, what to do next.”
“Neither do I.” He rose slowly from the chair. “Go, talk to the others. I don’t think I can deal with them yet, but they’ll want to know what happened. Then get some rest, mage-girl. You’re going to need it.”
They were waiting for her outside the barn in a worried huddle, as if in the past few minutes she might have suddenly absorbed Dashan’s invulnerability. That made her simultaneously tired and sad. Everything in her longed for sleep, but they deserved to know the truth too.
“He lost his memories,” she said, relating to them everything Dashan had told her. “And then Galien used his magic to convince us of Dashan’s death. I was so weak after the fight in Sandira, so grief-stricken by what you and he had done, I didn’t even think to…” She shook her head, voice trailing off.
“So what now?” Tarrick asked. He looked grim.
Her heart sank like a heavy stone in her chest. “I guess this is where we see how much you actually meant it when you agreed to follow me three years ago. Because I’m not changing my policy on working with the Taliath just because Dashan is back.” The idea of it all falling apart again, after she’d worked so hard to build a new way of doing things…tears pricked at her eyes.
Their silence was a living thing, the thoughts racing through each of their heads almost tangible. Surprisingly, it was Finn who spoke first.
“I meant it, Alyx. When I agreed to the way you wanted to run the mages, I meant it. And that still stands. We’ll find a way to work through this.”
The healer mage was sent stumbling several steps backwards as his sister launched herself at him, throwing her arms fiercely around his neck. Alyx had to fight a similar urge, and the tears now flowed freely. She scrubbed at them.
“It’s the same for me.” Tarrick’s face was drawn, the shadows under his eyes visible even with his dark skin, but he had a little smile on his face as Dawn finally let her brother go.
“Thank you.” Alyx’s voice shook with relief.
Ladan was still holding on to his anger—it must’ve been easier for him than the grief of learning he’d mistakenly believed his best friend was dead for so long. “You really believe him?”
“I do,” she told him.
His shoulders relaxed fractionally, and he gave a little nod. Dawn took his arm and the two of them wandered away.
“The militia commanders have a tight watch set over the valley,” Tarrick said. “We’re safe enough here for now.”
“Time for sleep.” Alyx couldn’t stifle the yawn that swept over her.
“Let me walk you,” Cario offered. “One of the militia came by while you were talking to Dashan. I can show you where they’ve set us up.”
She nodded, waving a farewell to Finn and Tarrick, who mumbled something about finding their own beds.
A comfortable silence fell as they made their way back through the camp. Cario led her inside the old boy’s dormitory building and showed her to one of the rooms. What had once been a window was now a hole in the wall high above the bed. The stone around the edges of the hole was blackened and charred.
“Get some rest,” Cario told her. “I’ll find somewhere nearby if you need me.”
“Thanks, Cario.”
He hesitated before leaving. “I assume you know that you don’t need to question my trust in you.”
She gave him a tired smile. The one person she would never have to question, no matter if she bedded twenty Taliath. “I do.”
Alyx slept the sound sleep of exhaustion, and when she awoke, it was to the glimmer of early dawn shining through the hole in the wall. Yawning, she sat up on the narrow pallet. Everything that had happened flooded back, and she let out a breath as if winded. Raising a trembling hand to her eyes, she rubbed the sleep out of them before hunting around for her boots.
A short exploratory walk found the old dormitory bathing room untouched and still functioning. It was temporarily empty, and Alyx took the chance to slide into a steaming bath of hot water.
The warmth soaked away some of the stiffness her body had accumulated in her fight with Galien and the long ride from Carhall. As she scrubbed her skin and hair with soap, she ruefully catalogued her myriad of bruises and scrapes—from the look of them, she was going to be sore for a few days yet.
As the blue light of early dawn turned to actual sunlight, Alyx rose from the bath and dressed quickly. Once clothed, she walked over to the doorway and lingered, a smile curling at the edges of her mouth as she spent a moment looking out at the sky and fields surrounding DarkSkull Hall.
It was the loveliest sunrise she’d seen in a long while.
Chapter 29
The camp was bustling when Alyx stepped outside, but what first caught her attention was the sheer number of mages in the vicinity. The first one she recognised was Adahn, hand lifted in greeting as he crossed to her. She smiled in genuine pleasure at the sight of him.
“The Magor-lier was kidnapped,” he said in response to her unspoken question, easy grin firmly in place. “Tarrick gathered every mage in Alistriem to come after you. We’ve been on your tail since Carhall—we were waiting outside the city for Dawn to call us in if Tarrick needed more mages to get you out.”
“I’m glad.” She smiled. “If the city hadn’t been falling, he might have needed you all to get me out of the council’s clutches.”
“Sounds like you managed that all on your own.” Respect filled his voice, and there was a glitter of something in his eyes she couldn’t read. “Everyone here already knows you bested Galien by yourself.”
“It wasn’t easy,” she said ruefully.
“But you did it,” he murmured. “I always wondered if that was why he hated you so much, if he sensed you were more powerful than him.”
“Well, you knew him better than I did,” she said pointedly, referencing Adahn’s membership in Galien’s group at DarkSkull.
He flashed his grin at her. “I’m reformed now.” The smile faded to a look of affection. “I was worried about you, Alyx. I’m so glad that you’re safe.”
“Thank you for worrying
.” He had shifted closer to her, and the memory of kissing him flashed through her mind. She’d done it because she’d been trying to disprove Cayr’s words and because, despite everything, she genuinely liked Adahn. In a world without Dashan, there might have been hope to build something with him, but now all of that was thrown back into confusion.
“Adahn…” She hesitated. “You’ve heard that Dashan is alive?”
He looked away, blue eyes flashing, and gave a sharp nod. “I heard. The council were using him to hold Carhall. And before you ask, of course I haven’t forgotten why they came after him in Sandira.” He let out a breath, turning back to her. “It’s been three years, Alyx, and things are different now. I won’t give up on you because he’s back.”
“Why?” she asked softly.
He shifted even closer, smiling, lifting a hand to sweep the chestnut hair from his eyes. “You and I make sense, Alyx. You’re strong and brave and I’m reckless and brave. We’re mages, we understand each other, we understand the same world. Together we could be an amazing team.” He paused. “And we both know he is dangerous for you.”
“If you think—”
He lifted his hands to ward off her quickly rising temper. “It’s a reality. The council might be almost gone, but a lot of mages still think like they do. If you and he were together…”
His voice trailed off, and she didn’t dispute his words. Even last night she’d been afraid her closest friends might change their minds about following her because of Dashan’s reappearance. Still, Adahn pointing it out didn’t warm her to him and she looked away. “I can’t make decisions about any of this right now. Not in the middle of a war.”
“I understand that.” He shifted away from her, light mood reasserting itself. “How can I help?”
“Can you find the others? We need to talk through what happens next. Get them to make sure Dashan and Ladan are there too.”
“I live to serve.” The cocky smile flashed and he was off.
Alyx turned for the stables and almost ran into Dawn. A smile spread over her face and she hugged the telepath warmly. “I’m so sorry for ruining your wedding.”
“Me too,” Dawn said ruefully. “How are you?”
“Sore, still a little tired,” Alyx said. “And my magic probably isn’t quite back at full strength yet.”
Dawn gave her a look mixing amusement and exasperation. “That is not what I was asking and you know it.”
“Brynn!” Relief swamped through Alyx at the sight of him jogging towards them, and it wasn’t entirely from the fact he looked much healthier than he had in Carhall. “You look good,” she said, running her eyes over him with a smile.
He nodded, touching the bandage on his right temple. “After Finn worked on me, I pretty much slept straight through. I just woke.”
“Good. You can join us for a meeting.” Alyx cast an anxious look around the valley. “I don’t want to linger here too long.”
He nodded and fell into step with her and Dawn, asking, “How are you, anyway?”
She shrugged. “I overextended my magic, and I’m a little bruised, but I’ll be fine.”
Brynn blinked in surprise, then shared raised eyebrows with Dawn. “That’s not what I meant.”
Alyx tried not to roll her eyes—if people were going to be tip-toeing on eggshells around her for the foreseeable future she was going to get really annoyed really fast. “Did someone tell you Dash’s story?”
“Cario told me as I was dressing just now. I can barely believe it.”
“You and me both.” She tipped her head towards the stables. “Everyone is inside. We’d best not keep them waiting.”
Alyx and Brynn were the last to arrive. Everyone else was already hunched around the map table, staring at the lines and squiggles as if they held the answer to defeating Shakar and the entire Shiven army. All the windows and doors in the stables had been opened to allow in the sunlight, though it also let in the cool morning breeze. She wished she had her cloak.
“How are our honourable council members doing?” she asked.
Cario flashed an amused smile. “They’re busy annoying their militia guard—I’m not sure the creature comforts here are quite up to their lofty standards.”
Ladan looked over at her. He looked calmer than he had the previous night, all traces of anger gone. “What do you want to do with them?”
“Well, they’re not my prisoners, but if they want my protection we’ll need to take them back to Alistriem with us,” she said. “I’m guessing the best way through will be via Widow Falls?”
“You’ve still got an armed outpost there?” Dashan asked Ladan. He was sitting at the head of the table, one booted foot propped up on its edge.
Ladan nodded.
“Good, but we need to stay here another day at least,” he said. “The soldiers and horses all need rest.”
Alyx glanced at him. “Will you bring the militia into Rionn?”
“No. None of them will be willing to hide out in Rionn while Tregaya is under attack. Besides, we can be useful, even if we’re now cut off from the army in the north.”
We? Did Dashan still consider himself the leader of the militia? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“Are you certain King Mastaran is safe?” Tarrick frowned.
“The king and his family are alive and in a safe location,” Rodin answered. “Nobody knows where he is apart from Dashan and myself, and he has a heavy guard with him. Two council warrior mages are his personal bodyguards.”
“It’s worth pointing out that just because the Shiven have Carhall doesn’t mean they have Tregaya,” Cario spoke. “The entire northern half of the country, and much of the west, remains under militia control, and there are two or three other heavily fortified cities the Shiven will need to take before they’ll control those areas. It will be some time before they have the resources to do that.”
“He’s right,” Dashan said. “Tregaya is far from lost and contingency plans were set in place months ago. The king is actively controlling the militia in the north.”
“What is your plan for the militia remaining under your command, Dash?” Alyx asked, taking a seat and leaning over to get a proper look at the map they were studying.
“We’ll split into smaller, more mobile units and harry the Shiven army as they try and push north.” He pointed to a few locations on the map. “If we can’t stop their forward progress, we can certainly slow it up.”
“That’s a good idea,” Adahn spoke. “Conducting a guerrilla war will create a continuous drain on the Shiven resources and delay them from pushing further north.”
It was a statement of the obvious, something everyone in the room had grasped for themselves. Dashan’s dark Shiven eyes landed on Adahn, a hint of amusement in them. “Right. And who are you?”
“Adahn Torse.” He smiled easily. “I’m one of the Magor-lier’s senior advisors. We met in Sandira, if you recall.”
Alyx sighed inwardly, trying not to roll her eyes. The last thing she wanted was some sort of rivalry between Adahn and Dashan. She needed to nip this in the bud, and quickly.
“You’re one of the Magor-lier’s advisors?” Dashan clarified.
“That’s right.”
Dashan shifted his gaze to Alyx. She was close to certain she was the only one that could read the flicker of amusement in his voice. “That’s the Alyx I remember, still insisting that people refer to her by title.”
She gave him a look, leaving him in no doubt of what she thought of his teasing. “I’m the head of the mage order. My advisors give me the respect that position deserves. I demand it from them.”
The amusement escaped into a quick grin. “Oh absolutely, I completely agree, your Magor-lier-ness.”
Tarrick’s head fell forward until it hit the table with a loud thump. Finn snorted. Dawn smacked her brother in the head. Alyx thought she might lift into the air, her heart was so light. Adahn said nothing, but his jaw was clenched, his gaze focus
ed on the map.
“Back to the matter at hand,” Cario said, trying but failing to hide his smirk. “Brynn, I assume the news you came to Alistriem with was related to Dashan’s existence?”
“It has to be.” Brynn nodded. “Rothai put me on the tail of one of Shakar’s mages who was looking to infiltrate the council. Presumably I saw Dashan in Carhall and travelled to Alistriem to tell Alyx. They got to both of us before I could.”
She looked at Tarrick. “What I want to know is how you found me?”
“Safia saw everything that happened,” he explained. “He came straight to the palace to tell us that mages had taken both you and Brynn.”
“Dawn did the rest,” Finn said with a proud smile for his sister. “Safia got to us quickly enough that Dawn could just reach far enough to catch their thoughts heading north and work out they were council mages, not Shakar. Tarrick immediately rounded up every mage in Alistriem and we came after you.”
“I didn’t even think about Safia,” Alyx mused, shooting her friend a grateful look. “Thank you, Dawn.”
Ladan cleared his throat. “Back to the plans. We stay here another day to rest, then we head back to Alistriem as fast as we can. King Cayr needs to know about the fall of Carhall, and we need to plan how we’re going to respond to it.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dashan drawled. “I want to see Cayr, and the Bluecoats. I have capable captains here who can manage things until I return. Rodin will be in overall command.”
Their eyes met, and she couldn’t ignore how glad she was that he wasn’t staying in Tregaya.
“The mages that came with me are well-rested,” Adahn said suddenly. “It might be worthwhile if we ride out now and scout out the way head, make sure there aren’t any nasty surprises in your path, like a second Shiven force following the first.”
“Good idea.” She smiled at him. “Do that, and we can maintain contact with telepathy. Either Dawn or I will check in with you every few hours.”
Adahn’s departure broke up the meeting. After a brief hesitation, plus a gentle nudge from his wife, Ladan joined Dashan to pour over the maps and discuss strategy in more detail. Tarrick pulled up a chair too. Alyx joined the twins in seeking more sleep.
