***
“Oh, my goodness!” Sierra said, breaking into giggles as soon as they were out of sight of Seth. “He liked you!”
Sashe grinned, her face flushing yet again. “You think so?”
“Um, yes!”
The two took the long way through fields and unused roads instead of going through town. She wouldn’t have wanted to grow up anywhere else, but some areas of Rahuda weren’t places two young ladies walked through by themselves. Most of the state of Shyra was farming land, and the town centers like Rahuda attracted folks without jobs, which led to crime and other dark business. Sashe wished it was different, that her friends that lived in town were safer, that she and Sierra could walk through in the middle of the day without worrying what might happen.
It was a lovely late summer’s day, the warmth mild enough to be pleasant. Sashe imagined it was a bit too hot to be working in a cherry orchard, but it was fine for walking. She liked taking in nature and pausing to look at flowers or dip her feet in the river. Being outside and spending time with Sierra calmed her mind from thoughts of the mysterious Protectors.
As they reached the edge of their aunt and uncle’s property, she saw a figure on the road ahead of them. She squinted, raising her hand to block out the sun. She recognized Dar from his dark hair and small stature. He stopped to write in the ground with his walking stick.
“Looks like Dar’s come to fetch us,” Sierra said.
They reached Dar before he stood up. He looked up at them, then stood while twirling the stick in his hand. “Did you meet Seth?” he asked, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Yes, and he really likes Sashe,” Sierra said with a broad smile.
Sashe rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t know that. We talked for five minutes, maybe.”
Dar’s shoulders drooped as he looked past them towards the cherry orchard. “I want to meet him, but Mother and Father want us back right away. Another important meeting.”
Sierra dropped her voice, as though someone else stood on the path. “Seth said his parents were killed by the Protectors.”
Dar’s face grew serious. “Really? I thought Evan was just trying to scare me.”
Sierra shook her head. “He said it himself.”
“Maybe that’s what Mother and Father want to talk to us about,” Dar said. He turned, and the girls fell behind him. “Did he say anything else about them?”
“No,” Sashe said, “just that they killed his parents.”
They walked in silence for a moment, each in their own thoughts. If the Protectors were noblemen from their country, Haltar, why would they be in Jolen? And would they come to the state of Shyra? She couldn’t bear losing Dar or his parents, Natalia or Alastor. It was horrible Seth had to go through that. And what about Evan and his parents? Were they safe? Were any of them?
Dar held up his stick. “You guys think I can do it?”
Sierra and Sashe exchanged glances. Sierra looked skeptical as she rose her eyebrows and shook her head.
Sashe wasn’t so sure. He’d changed into a tree last week, which wasn’t too far from a stick. Maybe a stick would even be easier, but it was so small, and Dar said changing into things considerably different from his size was more difficult.
“Maybe you should try it at home,” Sashe said. It usually took a lot of energy out of Dar, and Natalia was waiting on them.
“Aw, come on,” Dar said, an annoyed whine on his voice.
“Remember when you tried to turn into a squirrel?” Sierra asked, poking Dar in the chest as she walked past him. He hadn’t made the transformation completely, instead looking like a strange gray rabbit with a human’s face. Alastor had to coach him back into his human form while Sierra howled with laughter in the other room. Sashe couldn’t help grinning as she remembered it.
Dar’s tan skin darkened even more as he blushed. “That was two years ago!” He trailed behind the girls. “I can do it. I did a tree last week.”
“We’re almost home,” Sashe said, tugging on his arm.
Dar rolled his eyes. “Fine, but as soon as we get there, I’ll show you.”
When they returned home, Natalia, Dar’s mother, met them at the front doors, her hands on her hips. “What took you so long?” Her brow furrowed, deep lines in her normally flawless skin.
“We came straight home,” Sashe said.
Natalia sighed. “Follow me.” She played with her dark braid as they walked down the corridor. “Girls, were you at Evan’s? Did you meet Seth?”
“Yes, we did,” Sashe answered. “Are you worried because of him?”
“No, it’s not him.” Natalia wrung her hands.
They reached Alastor’s study, and Natalia ushered them inside. The study walls were lined with shelves packed with books. Alastor’s desk was the main piece of furniture in the room, taking up nearly a third of the floor space.
Natalia and Alastor had treated Sashe and Sierra like daughters since taking them in when their parents died. Alastor was a large man, a lord and the governor of Shyra. He sat behind his desk, working on something. He looked up when they entered and set down his pen. “It’s about time.”
They sat across from the desk in cushy armchairs from the royal city of Renaul. Alastor folded his meaty hands in front of him, and Natalia put her hand on Sashe’s knee, letting out a shaky breath.
Sashe looked from her to Alastor, waiting for the bad news. Her worries about the Protectors flooded back in a rush: their desire to control the Avialies, Seth’s parents being killed. “What is this about?”
“We’ve been concerned about the Protectors for a couple months now,” Alastor said, “but it seems like they’ve finally struck.”
“They killed Seth’s parents,” Sierra said.
Natalia looked at her, her dark eyes wide. “How did you hear about that?”
“He told us.”
“He. . .Lina said he’s hardly spoken since he got here a couple days ago.”
Sashe’s face warmed. He had been talkative today. She shrugged. “He was fine with us.”
“With you,” Sierra said under her breath, smirking.
“I thought the Protectors were just a bunch of nobles who didn’t know anything about magic,” Dar said.
“We thought they were,” Alastor replied. He heaved out a sigh, running a hand over his chin. “They’re more powerful than we thought. Nearly two dozen Avialies were killed last week, and many more were injured.”
Sashe’s mouth fell open. Seth’s parents hadn’t been the only ones, then. She took Sierra’s hand and squeezed it tightly, then looked at Alastor. “What? Why would they do that?”
“The Avialies traveled to Renaul to speak with the king, to lobby against some of the laws the Protectors are trying to enforce. They took it as an act of war and they attacked.” His jaw tightened, and his voice became gruff. “They said they were protecting their men, but the Avialies didn’t hurt anybody.”
“Renaul? I thought Seth was from Jolen.”
“He is.” Alastor exchanged a look with his wife. Sashe tried to interpret it, but it could mean anything. “His parents went there to help.”
“Did Seth fight in the battle?” Dar asked in a whisper.
“Yes, but he’s perfectly fine.”
Sashe hadn’t noticed anything wrong with him: no cuts, no bruises, no limping. He’d seemingly gotten away without a scratch, but there was always Thieran healing magic.
“But isn’t he our age?” Dar asked.
“Sixteen,” Sashe muttered. Only two years older than Dar, and she couldn’t imagine Dar fighting in a battle, no matter how many dueling lessons he’d taken.
“Enough about Seth,” Natalia said, knotting her hands into a ball in her lap. “You’ll meet him soon, but don’t pressure him to talk about his parents or the battle. It’s the Protectors we need to be careful about.”
“But I don’t understand,” Sashe said. “What do they want?”
�
��They want us to stop using our magic,” Alastor replied. “They’re trying to force us to leave Haltar if we don’t.”
“We’re not going to leave, are we?” Dar asked.
“No, we’re not. I’ve spoken with the king, and I assured him that Avialies in Rahuda are going to be under my responsibility.” Alastor slammed his fist against his chest. “Some Avialies do use their magic to hurt people or to steal things, like the Jolenian spies who infiltrated the Haltarian court. But it won’t happen here.”
Sashe bit her lip as she took this all in. Nearly thirty years ago, Jolenian shape changers, also called Avialies by their blood name, had infiltrated the Haltarian court during a time of war. They acted like court officials, gained secret information, used it to nearly win the war. Most people outside of the magical families and certain royals didn’t even know about shape changing or any other magic, but once the spies were caught, it had exposed the Avialies to a number of high-ranking nobles. Alastor said the nobles who knew still kept magic secret from others since they were afraid it would corrupt people. Like magic was something evil. And now they wanted them to stop using it completely, to move or risk death?
Sashe had always envied magic, but now she was just the tiniest bit grateful she and Sierra weren’t born into a magical family. She swallowed, glancing at the others guiltily as though they could hear her thoughts.
“So, they’re not going to come after us?” Dar asked, his eyes boring into his father’s.
“No, I’m going to make sure they don’t,” Alastor said. “Dar, I don’t want you changing in front of anyone but family.”
“I don’t,” Dar said defensively. Sierra and Sashe glanced at each other, Sierra rolling her eyes. Dar and Evan loved changing so much they didn’t even look around before shifting.
Alastor rose his voice. “You need to be careful. Kale Saven isn’t the only one you need to worry about, do you understand? It’s more serious.”
Dar nodded, pursing his lips.
“Are any of the other magical families in danger?” Sierra asked.
“Probably, but it’s not as extreme,” Alastor said. “After the spies infiltrated the royal court, they’ve been targeting us.”
“But the others could do just as much harm,” Sierra said.
It was true: Cosas hid and revealed things, and Mahris could brew poisons and love potions. Thierans could even kill people with a snap of their fingers if they were powerful enough.
Alastor raised his shoulders in a shrug. “Bigotry and fear are usually unreasonable. The other families are lucky they aren’t being targeted yet.” He put a hand up. “I just need you all to be very careful. In your speech and your actions. Most of the Protectors are nobles in Renaul. They work for the king and they’re more worried about the royal state. But we can never be too careful. Do you understand?”
They nodded. Sashe chewed on her lip, trying not to let her worry show.
“Are there any here in Rahuda?” Sierra asked.
“No, there aren’t. They may visit occasionally, but I’ll let you know if they come.”
Sashe almost wished he wouldn’t. That might worry her more than not knowing.
“We’re sorry to worry you,” Natalia said. “We just. . .we thought you deserved to know.” She put her arm around Sashe and squeezed her shoulder. “We love you.”
Sashe smiled softly at her. “We love you, too.”
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