Enchanter's Echo

by Anise Rae

  She lifted a hand to cup his cheek, his face warm against her cold hand. She soaked in his heat, wishing she could absorb away some of his fear as well. “Edmund, I refuse to go through life being afraid of the energy that naturally surrounds us.”

  He opened his mouth, but nothing came out for a moment. With a hard swallow, he seemed to find his voice, though she wished he hadn’t considering what came next. “I finally understand why the other three enchantresses have armed guards. I thought it was just for show. They protect them from their own rosy outlooks. No wonder the old stories tell about enchantresses locked up in towers.”

  “Not this again.” Her father had said the same thing. “I’ve been doing this all my life. Nothing’s happened to me.”

  “Expect some changes, princess.” Had he not said the words so softly and with that desperate look in his eyes, she might have snapped at him. Instead, she declined politely.

  “No, thank you. I like my life the way it is.” The lie popped out before she recognized it, but the Rallis heir didn’t miss it. His eyes flashed with the knowledge. After all, this was a man who’d been trained his entire life to search out the untruths and the threats, to defend his territory.

  He turned to face the yard of stones. “You do know how to open your mage sense, right?”

  “Of course,” she huffed.

  “Open it and tell me what you see.” He wrapped an arm around her torso, pinning her arms. “No touching. No reveling in this, like you’re calling down the damn sun.”

  “I prefer the moon, remember?” She answered absently, staring at the air between the first and second stones. Since there was no getting around it, she opened her mage sense as if she was at her workbench. Waves of energy glimmered before her. In the middle of the stones, a slim line of chaos vibrated in an uncontrolled mass, pulsing with an aggression that outmatched its small size.

  She squinted at it. “I’ve never seen any energy look like this. What is it?”

  “The energy has no claim on it. No link to the Rallis bond.” His voice hardened with the blunt admission.

  She drew back, puzzled. “But I thought the Rallis bond controlled all the energy in the territory. Energy doesn’t just come unbound. Does it?”

  “Someone ripped the bond.” His quiet words had a core of steel.

  “What?” She shook her head, trying to understand. “How is that even possible?”

  He lifted his hand and circled it around the top of the fissure, not quite touching, as if he were admiring its form. The grim pull of his lips said otherwise. “The bond is indestructible, except to a destruere mage. As it happens, I’m the only destruere in the world.”

  Soul-deep certainty rooted and blossomed inside her. “You couldn’t do this. You’re Rallis’s protector, not its destroyer. So you’re not the only destruere mage.”

  He bowed to her, as if she’d honored him with her words. “Even my brother didn’t have that much faith in me at first.”

  She pushed away from him and circled around to the other side of the rocks, staring at him through the shimmering chaos with her mage sense. “Is this what the Wild West looks like?”

  “Not hardly. Because there’s so much mage energy in the Republic, this little line of chaos is much more intense than the chaos of the West. Any chance you can fix this?” The casual question held a fierce edge of anger.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it.” However, she did have experience working with the bond, an unsharable secret. Since enhanced physique broke the connection between mage and bond leaving the mage a rogue, she’d pulled the bond’s vibes through every person she’d saved.

  “To fix it,” she began, “the Rallis bond needs to be reestablished here.”

  “Correct.”

  “You’re asking me to play with your family’s bond. I have no vow to Rallis.” A vow of loyalty would prevent her from doing harm to the family, including the bond. In return, the family would vow their protection. In Aurora’s view, that protection equaled crimped freedom.

  “I’m perfectly aware of that. The senator would like to speak with you about vowing. However, this can’t wait. If someone brushes against this, he’ll be in a world of hurt.”

  He was right about that. With the ease of a breath, she pushed her vibes into the land’s energy still controlled by the bond. Wrapping her vibes around a tendril, she pulled the energy through the destruere’s spell. In a blink, the fissure disappeared.

  He laughed, a single short huff. “I didn’t think it would be that easy. Have you done this sort of thing before?”

  Her heart jolted at his teasing smile. She could never tell him the truth to that question.

  He gave her half of a smile and tipped his head. “Thank you.”

  She took a deep breath, but it didn’t stop her words from shaking. “We’re definitely even now.”

  The slight joy in his smile froze. “Let’s get in the truck.” He held out his arm for her to proceed. A cold gust of wind pushed her along. She huddled her bare hands beneath her arms. Suddenly, heat circled around her.

  “Not that I mind doing it, but why are you not casting warmth around yourself?” He opened her door.

  “Drainpipers don’t cast that type of spell very often.” She climbed into the truck. The seat was warm beneath her. He’d heated that, too.

  “Because Pipers are weak. You’re not.”

  “Oh, please. Not everyone here is weak, though even the triflings are welcome. Drainpipers simply don’t use everyday spells as much as the rest of the city. They believe in keeping the air as free of trash vibes as possible. How can you not know this? Pipers are your people, too. Everything here revolves around the health of the towers.”

  “Rest assured I plan to spend a great deal more time in the Pipe.”

  She stiffened as he closed her door, shutting her in with the echo of his words. Her defense of the Pipe had just backfired like a spell read upside down. Not smart, she thought as he strode around the front of the truck, at ease in a worker’s clothes. He was at ease everywhere—naked in a forest, in a tuxedo on a political stage, in the junkyard destroying eyes and kissing enchantresses. If he hung around here, he’d conquer the Pipe in a matter of days. It wouldn’t be long before he was eyeing her forest.

  She needed to keep him away.

  He climbed in the truck, and she turned to say goodbye. “I’m sure you probably have a lot of heir stuff to take care of. I can walk home from here.”

  Before she could open the door, he vibed on the engine and blasted the heaters. Warm air shot from the vents touching her skin in places that weren’t exposed by the jumpsuit. What kind of heat spell was this? She looked down to see the upper part of her chest bare, her cleavage pushed high by the corset of a golden dress that would have done any princess proud. Strings of pearls and golden thread adorned the wide, low neck and continued down her torso, framing the golden brocade fabric that peeked from the slit in the overskirt. Long sleeves drifted down to points that would come close to brushing the ground when she walked. She touched her head. Her hat was gone and her hair was secured in a low knot at the nape of her neck.

  “Edmund Rallis!” Outrage slowed her words but she’d work up to racing speed. “I told you never—” Her anger dimmed to puzzlement at the dark scarlet doublet that framed his upper torso, stopping at his hips to reveal black hose clinging to his legs. Pointed black shoes graced his feet.

  He hadn’t moved. His vibes hadn’t changed.

  “That wasn’t your spell.” Her voice wavered. The doors locked shut. Trapped. Her throat tightened.

  “Hose aren’t really my thing.” Regret dimmed his blue eyes. “I’m sorry, Aurora.”

  Chapter 6

  The engine revved. The vehicle shifted into reverse. Aurora’s shoulder slammed against the door as they sped out of the driveway and down the street. Businesses and houses blurred past. She gripped at the dashboard, but her hands slipped off from a shee
n of instant, fearful sweat. She tried the armrest, then the seat’s bottom, moving in an odd dance of fright, seeking safety and finding none.

  “What exactly are you sorry about?” Her voice pitched high. “That the truck has been hijacked or that my clothes have been?”

  Edmund looked at the ceiling. “Would you please consider slowing down? You’re scaring her.” He spoke loudly, as if the intended target was hard of hearing.

  “Who’s doing this? Who are you talking to? The senator? Did you tell him about the ey—”

  He clamped a hand over her mouth and stared at her with such ferocity that fear doubled its speed as it pumped through her veins.

  She took that as a no.

  He stayed there for a moment and then moved slowly away. She got the point. But enough of this. She had plenty of power to stop this insanity. She reached for the truck’s engine with her vibes. Her energy shimmered and disappeared. “What was that? What just happened?” She tried again, but her vibes faded away. “Oh, good goddess. I can’t cast.” That had never happened before. She couldn’t breathe either. “I can’t cast.” The words became a chant.

  He cupped her face, ignoring the steering wheel and anything else to do with driving as the truck plowed down Front Street. “It’s all right, Ror.”

  “It’s not.” She shook her head inside his grip as they zipped past Whittier and its path to the junkyard. She almost reached out to it. By comparison, life was safe there. She might hide her crimes, but at least she was in control.

  “No one is going to hurt you. You’re on the front page of every newspaper in the Republic. A new enchantress who makes her social debut is big news.” He raised his voice and lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “If anyone hurts you it would be a front page story all over again, and the Republic wouldn’t rest until justice prevails.”

  She might have heard a laugh whisper through the cab of the truck.

  “What’s going on? And look at the road, for vibes sake!” It was a miracle she could speak around her heart jamming her throat.

  He did as she asked, straightening back into his seat, and she suddenly missed his touch. She’d rather die connected to him than alone.

  “It’s just a quick trip to the portal.” He plopped his hands on the wheel with a slap. “You’ll be home in no time.”

  “Portal? Portals don’t exist!” Her shrill tone scraped at her throat. She lifted a hand to clutch at it as if her air had been stolen along with her vibes. “What game is this?”

  “That is the question.” An old woman’s voice played through the air.

  Aurora glanced around as if there were actually room in the truck for another passenger to hide.

  “Not one I’d choose to play,” Edmund muttered.

  “I want out.” She grabbed the door handle. It didn’t move. “How do we get out?” The world edged in, too close without the layer of energy that always surrounded her. It was like missing a hand or her sense of touch. She was incomplete. Her skin brushed the dress’s fabric, dull and lifeless. It might as well have been burlap. Without her energy surrounding her, nothing felt right.

  The truck crossed West Sycamore. They shot past the Black Cat Pub only to squeal to a stop as a real black cat darted across the street. She eyed the curb. No cat dashed down the sidewalk. Had it made it? But what could she do if it hadn’t?

  “I need my vibes back!”

  As if answering in the negative, the truck peeled forward.

  “I’d offer you mine, but....” He shrugged away his offer.

  She clasped his hand. “Yes! Please. Give me your vibes.”

  He didn’t.

  “What are you waiting for?” she cried.

  “I…uh…we did it once before. You pulled vibes from me. But then you stopped.”

  “Because you didn’t like it.”

  “I liked it, but I didn’t see how you could possibly like it.” Wrinkles creased his forehead, his tone genuine but slow, as if he were sauntering down memory lane instead of barreling through the city in an out-of-control truck.

  “I liked it! It was bubbles and tickles everywhere.” The rush of her words lent sarcasm to the truth. “Now please! Help. Me.” She’d never had a conversation in which she’d yelled nearly every comment.

  “I’d never done that before. Do you do it with every lover?” he asked, much too slowly.

  She clapped her hands twice. “Edmund, focus! I have no vibes. I’m going to throw up.”

  Those were magic words. Dark energy waved over her, ocean foam meeting the sandy shore. His vibes slipped beneath her ridiculous medieval dress and down the bodice, coating her from the soles of her feet to the top of her scalp.

  This wasn’t the warm, vibrant touch of the light. This was crisp, cool sheets on a freshly made bed, that slippery feeling that seduced a body into letting go. His vibes danced along her skin, coaxing her to open to his touch, inviting her to drown in his essence. A safe temptation. Like fitting a square peg in a round hole, his vibes could never enter the nature of her being short of a spell intended to wound.

  She took a breath, his vibes like a shield holding the world at bay. It cured her nausea but not her fear. She needed out. She needed her energy back.

  He studied her. “Does this make you feel better? No one likes my vibes.”

  “I like your vibes.” Her rushed words had a hard beat. “Living in that castle has warped your perception. Your parents should have fostered you to someone dark.” But a founding family would never give up their heir.

  They passed a deli and then a coffee shop. The Justice Center and City Hall loomed ahead.

  Desperate hope bubbled up. “The enforcers hang out around here. Maybe we can flag one down and get help.” Passing a doughnut shop, she could see two sitting inside. She pounded on the truck’s window. “Help!”

  “It’s okay, Ror. She needs us alive. Trust me.” He reached for her hand. “It feels so good to give my vibes away. I have to stifle them all the time.”

  She turned to glare at him. “Trust you? It’s hard to trust you when you’re not telling me anything.” She tried the door handle again. “And you and thousands of other mages shouldn’t need to stifle your vibes.”

  He gave a hard laugh. “You think we should all get together and demand respect?” He thrust his arm across her chest. “Hang on.”

  Tires squealed as the truck slammed into a left turn on West Broad. She plowed into Edmund’s arm as they came to a halt in the middle of the street. The doors opened. She jumped out.

  With her first step, her slipper tangled in the thick skirts. Her vibes stolen, she had only her hands to stop her fall. She smacked onto the street’s cold pavement. Her dress billowed around her with a puff of air. She echoed the sound with a relieved sigh despite the throbbing in her palms and knees. Freedom. Safety. Well, safer, surely.

  She struggled to stand, but her foot was still caught. Still on all fours, she scrambled away from the looming truck as if the thing might sidestep toward her and scooped her back in. Starry vibes, she might never get into another vehicle again.

  “Princess.” Edmund stopped at her side, blocking the wind with his body and his vibes. His dark, wavy hair didn’t lift a strand, nor did the stiff, thick doublet move. “You all right?”

  She was a bit lower than eye-level with his crotch, which was clearly defined by the black hose. Her breath caught and she stared, her gaze following him down as he crouched next to her, erasing the view. With a blush at her medieval naughtiness, she jerked her eyes to his face.

  “Vow loyalty to Rallis. Right now.” The grim line of his mouth alarmed her. But still…

  “No.”

  He continued as if he’d expected that answer. “My vibes will blur your mind to her some, but block your thoughts. Control your face. Do anything to keep her as far from your emotions as possible. And try not to let her touch you. Do that and everything will work out splendidly.”

  “
Splendid?” she practically spat the word. “I don’t do splendid. I do kindness and caring, nurturing, and love. Splendid is jewels and kings and queens and extravagant beauty dripping everywhere, coated with gold and—”

  “Sweetheart, stick a tiara on your head and you’re the definition of splendid.” His tight tone matched his firm grip on her elbow. He stepped back and pulled her to her feet. Tucking her arm into his, he tugged her toward the sidewalk.

  She balked. The golden dress swished around her. “I’m not moving another inch until you tell me what’s going on.”

  As they stood in the middle of the downtown street, a car stopped at the intersection despite the green light. The passenger got out and captured Edmund’s well-trained smile with an image spell that flashed in the air. Aurora would have been embarrassed if she had emotion to spare. As it was, the pit of fear in her gut sucked down every sentiment.

  A soft snort sounded behind her. She twisted around. The city truck was gone. In its place was a golden carriage with six black horses stomping their hooves and blowing steam from their nostrils.

  Had it been summer and not the dead of winter, she might have thought it was Rallis Day. The festival was in May and included carriage rides through the city—though nothing as fancy as this carriage—as well as boat rides on the Santa Maria docked on the Scioto River behind City Hall. Festival-goers donned costumes from the past and lined the streets with their brightly colored dresses and doublets. Her father had refused to attend, as he had all public events, but she’d always wanted to go.

  “Me, too, enchantress!” a woman hollered from behind her. “This is our chance!”

  Aurora turned back.

  The white marble of City Hall towered above a row of neatly lined-up stunted trees that were forever imprisoned in a sea of concrete. In front of it, a bronze statue of Christopher Columbus, the daring and sly mage credited with discovering the New World, stood fifty feet high. An elderly lady stood next to its base. Her long, silver hair hung over a simple gray cape that covered her from her shoulders to feet. Her eyes were closed and thick black lashes graced the skin beneath. She clasped a branch-like staff that reached a foot above her head.