Gwynn sent me in search of healing herbs and roots, part of my scout training, he’d explained with infinite patience. I found them and crept back without making any noise that wouldn’t blend into the forest. Anders and Gwynn were deep in some unintelligible conversation, backs leaning against a fallen tree.
Vengeance is not a worthy cause, especially for a mage, but I never claimed to be perfect. Steadying myself against a tree trunk, I closed my eyes and called the fire and ice, welcoming their sting until they merged into cool warmth. Feeling it spread from head to foot, I sighed with contentment and envisioned just what vengeance demanded.
As the fallen tree changed from wood to ice cold water, I sauntered into camp, humming a nasty tune.
Chapter Fourteen
I wasn’t prepared for the serious face that confronted me two days later. So like Sernyn Keltie, and a little like me, now that I knew to look for the resemblance.
“I want to help you trap the assassin.”
Over Gwynn’s head, I met Anders’s eyes. I closed my own and rubbed them wearily with my hands. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Why not?” Gwynn’s face held a wild reckless look that I knew sometimes appeared on my own.
“I can’t put you in danger.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Gwynn—”
“Here, Alex.” Eyes carefully guarded, he pulled a wrinkled letter from an inner pocket of his cloak, cleared his throat, and handed it to me. From the flushed skin of his cheeks at my low growl, Gwynn probably figured out that I’d guessed the contents. He flinched when I ripped it open.
Alex-
If you are reading this letter, it is because you will not let Gwynn help you any further. If there is danger, be assured that he can take care of himself. If he could not, then he would not be accepted as a scout.
Forgive me, but I would be more reassured for your safety if he were with you, particularly if there is any truth to your concerns about Glynnswood support for Duke Harwood. And even if Glynnswood proves innocent, I would still wish you to take a skilled woodsman with you. Every little bit of knowledge is useful in your war against evil.
Do not reject his help because of me.
Sernyn Keltie
Sernyn Keltie. How else would he sign it but the way I addressed my own letter to him? I handed the note to Anders in silence. “Does he know that I’m aware of who you are?” I asked my half-brother.
Gwynn shook his head. “You asked me not to tell him.” There was a pleading note in his voice, reminding me how young he was.
“If anything happened to you—”
“It will not,” Gwynn interjected before I could give voice to my fears. In the short time he’d been in our company, I’d grown very fond of the boy as Sernyn had hoped I would. “Alex, I must come with you.”
I crossed my arms. “Why?”
“You are my sister.”
Flameblasted pest. I touched his cheek, just starting to grow a light down of hair. “You can come with us on one condition.” He held his breath, my fingers still resting on his face. “You can’t come to Ardenna.” When defiance flashed in his eyes, I explained, “I don’t want Erich to know you exist. You and Anders and Brendan will be a pleasant surprise for whoever comes after me.” Defiance drained from his eyes as he saw the reasonableness of my words, and I took a deep breath. “I also don’t want Erich to know about you because you’re my brother, and I don’t want you in needless danger because of me. This fight is mine.”
“If it is your fight, it is mine, too.”
“No, it’s not.” I ran my finger along his cheek, and then dropped my hand away. “But don’t think I don’t appreciate what you’re saying.”
“Alex.” He hesitated. “Do you mind very much?” His voice was suddenly shy, awkward, reminding me of Hunter.
“Mind what?”
“Who I am.”
“Lords of the sea, Gwynn, no. Hell, no.” I ruffled his hair. “But I do mind that you’re such a nuisance.” Startling both of us, I hugged the boy tight for one brief moment, and then led Anders east to Ardenna.
* * * *
“Lucky the same guard’s on duty,” Anders whispered in my ear as we waited in Elena’s sitting room. “I just wish you’d all visit each other during the day like normal people. But I suppose that’s asking too much.”
I laughed and leaned back against him, closing my eyes. “It is, but I wish we met during the day, too. I’m tired of all this running around. And if I’m so weary,” I teased, “what must your old bones be feeling?”
“Pain and aches, if you must know. Why not wait until morning?” he asked in exasperation, yanking at a lock of my hair.
“Elena would be disappointed.”
“I would?” Elena chose that moment to make her entrance, yawning and looking weary but content, in a scarlet silk bedrobe.
And I was bent on destroying that contentment. I wished desperately there was a way she wouldn’t be hurt, but I couldn’t see any other option. Not unless we somehow made Erich out to be a wronged hero, and I wasn’t charitable enough to tolerate that.
“Of course you’d be disappointed if I came during the day. You’d think that I was angry with you. Why else would I be so polite?”
Elena smiled fondly at Anders, tossing midnight black hair over one shoulder. “She’s right, you know.”
“I’ve stopped trying to understand the whole lot of you.”
Bringing a bottle of Marain Valley wine with her, Elena eyed me as she handed the bottle to Anders. As he popped the cork free and poured us each a glass, she sat opposite me. “Something’s wrong. What is it?”
“I know who’s trying to murder me.”
Her eyes widened as she leaned forward. “Well?”
“Charlton Ravess.”
“Alex, I exiled him,” she said, bewilderment in her voice. “I made very sure he’d never be allowed to set foot in Tuldamoran again.”
“Yes, well, he’s found his way back.” I took a sip of the cool fruity wine and sighed. “Not your fault. The man’s crafty. And that means I’ll have to confront him again to get rid of him for all time. He’s getting tiresome.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve heard no rumors about him, which is unforgivable. I’ll put a troop at your command.”
“No.”
She paused, glass in mid-air, staring at me, forcing me to explain.
“I have to go alone.”
“Absolutely not.” Elena set the glass on the ground so hard I expected the crystal to shatter. “I rarely use my authority with you, Alex, but this time you leave me no choice.” Unaware she’d mimicked Brendan’s earlier statement Elena stared at me with stubborn defiance in every angle of her slender body. “I forbid it.”
“Elena.” I sighed with unfeigned fatigue. “I’m tired, and I don’t have very much energy to argue.”
“Good.”
“Flameblast you, listen! Your troops would be useless. I know where Ravess is hiding out, and I’ll confront him alone.”
“Alone? Really alone? Without Anders?” Elena looked from one to the other of us in disbelief. “Anders?” There was a trace of barely controlled anger and disappointment in her crisp voice as she challenged him.
“It’s her battle, and Alex is capable of defeating him again.” Anders met her angry glare without flinching. “Besides, someone should remain in Port Alain if you need help. As Crownmage, I’m obligated to take Alex’s place until she returns.”
“If she returns,” Elena said coldly, standing up.
“When I return.”
Disturbed, Elena stood by the chamber’s huge window, overlooking the darkened city below, and then turned calculating eyes on Anders. “I thought you loved Alex.”
I started to laugh before he could answer her accusation. “Nice try. But it won’t work, Elena.”
“Charlton Ravess almost killed you the last time you fought him.”
“He did not.” I yawned and leaned back aga
inst an embroidered pillow, stretching the kinks from my aching legs. “I had no idea what I was doing then. I do now. I’ll be fine.”
A look of pure skepticism flashed in her eyes, which should have insulted me, but didn’t. “Where are you going?” When I threw Anders a swift glance, Elena cut in before I could answer. “I want the truth.”
“I’m heading back toward the Bitteredge Mountains. We think Ravess has been conspiring with some, ah, discontented mages from Glynnswood who don’t appreciate my perverse talent.” I stifled another yawn. “I need to check that out, too.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I,” I admitted in all honesty. “But it has to end. Carey was almost murdered in my place,” I added, telling her what happened, watching her expression soften to anxiety for Lauryn and the boys, and, of course, Jules. She paced again, absently tightening the knot of her silk robe until her slender waist looked in danger of being strangled. “Now be a good queen and don’t forbid me.”
“I can’t believe Anders will let you go alone.”
“He’s respecting my decision.” The gentleness of my words forced Elena to look back at me.
She started to say something but caught back her words. “Damn it. You expect me to do the same, don’t you? If you let Charlton Ravess murder you, I’ll never forgive you.” With a savage glare, Elena left the room and slammed the door behind her.
Chapter Fifteen
Three days later, we were back in the deep, hushed forests of Glynnswood, a place I’d visited all too often in recent weeks. Anders had left me alone in the middle of the night, the seamage token from his wrist now wrapped around mine for luck. I touched it with a gentle caress and fell back into a restless sleep.
Dreams woke me soon after dawn, dreams of Anders, lying still, not breathing, covered in blood; Gwynn, screaming, covered in flames. Pushing the horrors aside, I tried to remember everything Gwynn taught me in our brief time together, expecting any moment my plan would fail. Erich could easily maneuver around Anders and Gwynn and trap me, but would Erich even come? Or Ravess? Perhaps Erich would send Ravess to Port Alain to deal with Anders? Would they know we were bluffing and trap us instead?
What if I were wrong?
But no, Ravess craved vengeance. I did, too, for my sake, and Elena’s.
It wasn’t until late afternoon the next day that my instinct came alert once again. I stopped walking and held still, listening, newly awakened senses reaching out, interpreting what I was intuitively picking up from my surroundings. All sounds had vanished, replaced with utter, troubling stillness. Something, someone had disturbed the natural noises of the forest. I knew it wasn’t Gwynn, or even Anders, who’d benefited from Gwynn’s tutoring, as well.
Resuming my walk, I rounded the next curve of the path that meandered along the fringes of Glynnswood and found proof my instinct was spot on. Two crossed logs lay in the center of the beaten path, signaling me of danger. Gwynn excelled at his skill. I’d no hint that the boy skirted past me to place the logs in my path.
It was time enough to end this nightmare.
I chose an easily visible campsite along the side of the forest path and dropped my gear to the ground. Closing my eyes, I felt the sting of fire and ice as I urged the talent free, blending it with practiced ease. A fact that still made me pause in wonder, considering how I’d denied my mage gift most of my life.
Until Anders came and changed everything.
Focusing on the mound of dirt and dead leaves in the center of the clearing, I transformed it to a small campfire. Anders would have scolded me for needless waste of my energy, now that I was in danger, but I needed the security of the cool warmth within me far more.
Lords of the sea, I was frightened. But not just for myself. The dreams kept popping into my thoughts during the day, though I tried hard to banish them or replace the suffering faces with Ravess and Erich. Elena, I pushed out of my mind, too fearful of how this treachery would damage her heart.
I set the bedroll near the fire and swallowed some bread and dried fruit, unaware of their taste, eating only because I knew my body craved fuel. As darkness slowly descended, I shoved extra clothes into the bedroll and arranged it to appear that my defenseless body snuggled within its protection. With enough time to spare, I coaxed the fire and ice to a waiting readiness and drifted into the forest like a native-born Glynnswood scout.
I almost missed the traitor.
There, at the edge of the forest from the direction I had traveled, a dark, shrouded figure stood watching. With an outstretched hand, sheltering a tiny flame, the assassin set fire to the ground at his feet, sending a wall of flame shooting toward the bedroll. His other hand held a knife, the scar on his cheek catching the bright moonlight that filtered through the trees as he crouched in anticipation of my screams.
I looked forward to disappointing him.
Swiftly, the flames became sizzling earth as I released the waiting cool warmth of my talent.
“I didn’t think you’d let me catch you so easily, orphan child.” The ragged scar reflected the moonlight as Ravess faced me. “In fact, I would’ve been disappointed if you had.”
“I didn’t think you’d be so careless.” I stepped from the sheltering trees, one eye fixed on the small flame still cradled in the palm of his hand.
The firemage ignored my taunt. “Did your seamage lapdog follow along to protect you?” His eyes bored into mine, and I held my breath, wondering if he truly thought Anders was only a seamage. Had Erich not shared the truth? “Or do you stand alone, now you have proof your father willingly made you an unwanted orphan child? Sernyn Keltie rejected you as a child, and rejects you now, doesn’t he? If he truly wanted you, he’d persuade you to forgive him, but no, he made the barest effort to convince you. He keeps an association with you only because you have magic. If you’d believed my words that your father and your queen wanted nothing to do with you except for what your magic could do for them, you wouldn’t have placed yourself at risk.” His laugh was a dagger in my heart. “They used you then, Mage Champion, and they will use you now.”
I didn’t trust myself to answer, trying to calm the bloodthirsty urging of the fire and ice to strangle him with my bare hands.
Ravess shifted, removing the hood to reveal thick white hair. “Well, orphan child? Where is your lapdog?”
Good question, soon answered.
“Lapdog?” Anders stepped from the shadows of the huge tree behind Firemage Ravess, a puzzled frown on his face, not acknowledging the heartache I knew he saw etched across my face caused by the mage’s hateful words. “I think our friend here has been misled by his trusted ally.” The expression in Anders’s eyes acknowledged the point that was once again snagging my attention. The firemage had distracted me, but I saw with clarity now, Erich never told Charlton Ravess Anders was the legendary Crownmage.
Ravess stiffened. “I’m more than a match for you, for one old seamage and a girl who knows nothing of her heritage, or how to use it. She refuses to grovel at her father’s feet to learn what he might teach, though it can’t be very much.” He laughed again, making it a trial to restrain the killing force of my magic as he added, “After all, it didn’t save the orphan child’s unfortunate mother in childbirth.”
Anders shot me a hard glance of warning as I tensed, shifting my weight to leap at the firemage and smother the sound of his cruel words.
“I suppose I should be grateful. Mage Keltie’s ignorance only makes my task easier.” Ravess shook his head in disbelief. “Did you think I didn’t expect you, seamage?”
Anders crossed his arms and leaned against an oak tree as though he had not a care in the world. “Seamage?” He laughed, moonlight shining on the flecks of gray in his black hair. “I’m afraid you’ve been misled. You may be a match for an old seamage and a girl mage,” —he smiled with a predatory gleam in his eyes— “but are you a match for the queen’s Mage Champion and the Crownmage?”
Ravess’s deep b
rown, seductive eyes narrowed to slits. “The Mage Champion is no threat. I’ll prove that quickly enough, now I know what her magic can do. And the Crownmage, as everyone knows, is only a legend.”
Anders sighed in exaggerated disgust. “I’m so tired of people believing that.” He turned to the mound of dirt covering my bedroll, focused his own talent, and swiftly solidified it to rock. Facing Ravess, he called on the breeze, whipping it into sufficient strength to douse the flame cradled protectively in the firemage’s hand, disarming him.
“That can’t be.” Ravess stared at his empty hand. “It’s a lie. There are other mages hidden in the forest.”
“Sorry. And by the way, your master, Erich, knew the truth, and kept it from you.” Anders edged toward Ravess, whose eyes flashed with sudden anger.
“Don’t move,” another voice said.
“Ah, perfect. It’s about time.” I whirled to greet the newcomer in our midst. “I was hoping you’d join us, Erich. You owe Firemage Ravess an explanation and an apology for conveniently forgetting to tell him that Anders Perrin is the Crownmage.”
Erich’s eyes blazed with open fury as he inched toward me. “I’m sorry we didn’t murder you the first time, Mage Champion,” he whispered with absolute contempt. “You’ve caused us nothing but trouble.” As Anders moved to protect me, two Barrow’s Pass guards stepped out from the cover of the forest, swords pointed at his heart. “Don’t try it,” Erich snarled as I tried to concentrate and coax the fire and ice to a useful level. “One trick. Just one. He dies.” Turning to Ravess, he shrugged with a careless gesture as the firemage started to protest. “You didn’t need to know about Crownmage Perrin, and I didn’t need to tell you. Not until we disposed of Alex. If I had, you’d have scurried away in fright when I most needed you.”
Ravess held himself still, but the scar betrayed him, the scar I gave him quivered with restrained fury.
Mage Resolution (Book 2) Page 10
