This Dark Mirror

by Tricia Owens

  "Isn’t it?" Caled said with a cool arch of the brow. As Jessyd sputtered behind him, Caled led the way out of the crater into fresh air.

  Chapter Seven

  When they rode over the thin lip of the crater, they found themselves in a rocky landscape the likes of which Caled hadn’t seen since the Fang Hook Cliffs. Trees broke the horizon like the crooked gate to another land, but within their immediate vicinity there existed only a hardscape of craggy boulders and jutting shards of stone which cast sharp, angry shadows as the sun continued its evening descent. The white plumes of gas wafting up from fissures in the ground were the only softness in sight. Everything else was hard and unforgiving.

  It was a depressing view, to be sure, but from a defensive standpoint Caled liked what he saw. While there were many outcroppings of rock, few were large enough to hide behind, therefore the chance of an ambush was all but non-existent. As loudly as their horses’ hooves clattered over the stone, there was little chance Caled would be caught unawares by either a swift or sneaking approach. The area was ugly, but it seemed safe. At this point, that was what mattered most to him.

  "Where are these springs?" he asked of Jessyd. Caled coughed to clear his lungs. "I want this infernal dirt off me." He looked down at Hadrian who, beneath the dust, looked as if he’d been dug up from a grave. "And him." He gently wiped more dirt from the sorcerer’s eyelids. "He needs to be clean."

  Like the rest of them, Jessyd was covered head to toe with dust, but unlike them he didn’t seem to mind. He patted at his clothing, ignoring the way Lio immediately began coughing in the resulting dust cloud that formed. Jessyd’s dusted hand pointed to a ring of stones just ahead, where gases billowed like steam from a bubbling cauldron. "It’s just there. There’ll be room enough for all."

  "Did the Order enter the springs?" Syellen asked. "Did Gavedon use them?"

  Caled glanced askance at her. At least her voice held suspicion, unlike her master’s. Caled still hadn’t decided what Manix’s opinion on Jessyd was yet. For the moment, the Elder seemed content to take Jessyd at his word, but Caled trusted mages only slightly more than he trusted sorcerers. All bore watching.

  Jessyd nodded. "We all partook. Gavedon didn’t sit with us, however. There is a smaller pool separated by rocks. That’s where he and Benta bathed." When Syellen stared at him blankly, he smirked and added, "For privacy and enjoyment of each other."

  Syellen blushed fiercely and ducked her head.

  Caled lifted an eyebrow. "Benta is his wife?" In Rhiad, Hadrian had claimed his mother died during childbirth. However, Caled recalled unhappily, Hadrian had spun several lies that week, why wouldn’t the existence of his mother be one of them?

  "Not his wife," Jessyd said with a look toward Hadrian. "From what I heard from the other members, Gavedon enjoys the company of many of his female followers. For now, that female is Benta. In a week it may be someone else." Jessyd shrugged. "The One is a striking man and he has power. Few can resist his advances, I imagine."

  Ahead of them, Lio swiveled in his saddle, one hand clamped to his injured shoulder. "Does his taste run to men?"

  Caled noticed with interest the swift darkening of Jessyd’s face.

  "Are you asking if the former whore slept his way into Gavedon’s graces? Difficult to believe he could be inclined toward me if I wasn’t warming his bed, isn’t it?" Jessyd gave the thief a nasty smile. "If I’d gone that far, I would have remained with him. A smart whore doesn’t give it up until he knows exactly what he’s receiving in return." He seemed to realize how strongly he was reacting and visibly calmed himself. "To answer your question, no. As far as I know Gavedon is interested only in the fairer sex. My relationship with him was not sexual in the slightest. It was more—” He cut himself off, biting his lip. "It was akin to the relationship Syellen shares with Manix. That’s all."

  Caled wondered what Jessyd had been about to say instead, but Syellen distracted him with another question.

  "When we find the Order, what do you intend to do about them?" She glanced once to Manix for support. "These were your friends and now you’ll be expected to apprehend them or—or worse. Can you do such a thing? Can you look Gavedon in the eye and fight him? Can you apprehend the others and not be swayed by their pleas to be released? Can you—"

  "By the gods," Jessyd exclaimed, holding up a forestalling hand. "You ask a lot of questions. My head aches."

  "Then answer one," Caled said, shifting Hadrian more comfortably in his arms. "If faced with Gavedon, what will you do?"

  Jessyd’s brown gaze held Caled’s blue. "If all goes the way I hope, I won’t need to worry about that. You’ll be the one forced to answer that question. That’s what you want, isn’t it? To be the one to spill his blood? Far be it for me to steal that glory from you."

  "It isn’t glory I seek," Caled snapped.

  Jessyd’s focus dropped to Hadrian. He smiled slightly as he studied the unconscious sorcerer. "No. You seek revenge for what Hadrian and his father did to you. For their duplicity and cruel slaughter of your friends." He lifted his eyes to Caled again, subtly challenging him. "I doubt you’ll ever forget that. Will you?"

  Caled briefly considered drawing his sword and proving to Jessyd just how little he hesitated to spill sorcerer blood, but the sudden stirring of Hadrian in his arms put an end to that fantasy. Giving Jessyd a warning glare, Caled steered his horse away from the others as Hadrian opened his eyes. It wasn’t so much that he wanted to horde Hadrian for himself; rather, he didn’t want Jessyd to see Hadrian weak. For better or worse, Hadrian was their primary defense against Jessyd should the brunette sorcerer prove to be their enemy.

  "We’re not in the— " Hadrian broke off to cough the dust from his throat and lungs.

  Caled grimaced as the other man hacked up phlegm onto his tunic. "Lovely, Hades."

  Hadrian wiped at the spittle with a gloved hand. "Sorry."

  "No matter. As you’ve noticed, we’re no longer in the tunnel. We decided the fit was rather tight." When Hadrian looked at him blankly, Caled sighed irritably. "It collapsed on us. We barely escaped. Only Lio was injured, and not badly. Jessyd’s led us to hot springs. We thought to clean ourselves up before continuing forward."

  Hadrian sat up further with Caled’s assistance and looked around them. "Are we safe?"

  Safe? Caled wanted to laugh. They’d only be safe when Gavedon was dead. And even then, would Hadrian be safe? What of the Council’s plans for him?

  "Safe enough," Caled replied gruffly, unwilling to dwell on his thoughts while there were more immediate concerns. "But I’ve an eye on Jessyd."

  "When haven’t you?" Hadrian asked with an arch of a brow.

  "The tunnel collapse could have been an accident, but I’m not inclined to turn my back on him." Caled gave Hadrian a hard look as his voice dropped. "I need you to act as though you’ve fully recovered. My instincts tell me he’s watching you for weakness. It seems as though every step we take on this cursed journey is designed to wear you down. It may be coincidence or it may be by design. If Jessyd’s waiting until you’re vulnerable, you need to prove you’re not."

  As he expected, Hadrian lifted his chin. His spine tensed beneath Caled’s hand. "I’m not any weaker than the rest of you. I’m tired, but I can magick as necessary."

  "Good, Hades." Caled didn’t miss how pleased Hadrian was by the praise. There was no question in his mind now that Gavedon had noticed and seized upon that, too. Hadrian wasn’t a lamb—he was a puppy. Gavedon’s was the hand that petted or punished.

  Abruptly, though, Hadrian’s posture slumped. The sorcerer’s eyes closed again, drawing attention to the dark circles beneath his lashes. He looked exhausted. He looked, as Caled grimly acknowledged, as if he’d lost years of his life in magicking them all to the canyon floor.

  "I’m tired," Hadrian whispered, voicing Caled’s concern. "I only need to rest and I’ll be fine again."

  "You likely need food, too. We’ll feed you while we rest in th
e springs." When Hadrian only nodded as though he didn’t care what they did, Caled steered his horse to rejoin the others.

  "How is he?" Manix studied Hadrian’s pale face with a frown. "He is awake, yes?"

  Hadrian lifted his head. "I’m awake, Manix. I’m fine. Truly." His eyes were dull, though, and Caled noticed that even the thieves appeared worried by his condition.

  The clatter of Jessyd’s horse trotting forward pulled their attention. "The springs will relax you. Come, let us get in!"

  The springs were easy to spot now: a kidney-shaped pond of lightly bubbling water surrounded by a ledge of stone. Rocks jutted up around the perimeter of the ledge, making the pool look like the opened mouth of a giant, toothy beast. It didn’t help that steam escaped the gurgling water like the snorting breath of a fieran.

  The air smelled strongly of something he had never encountered before. "What is that?"

  Manix sniffed the air. His puzzled expression didn’t give Caled much hope. "Minerals," the Elder decided, "but not those normally found in springs such as these."

  Ahead, Jessyd dismounted beside the pool and eyed the bubbling surface. "It’s full of medicinal minerals." He shrugged when Caled snorted disbelievingly. "That’s what Gavedon claimed. He said it would give us strength to ride on. We all went in. I give you my word it’s safe."

  Caled just rolled his eyes at that comment.

  Gam squatted beside the water’s edge and sniffed, his face immediately crinkling. "Gods, but that smells odd. Reminds me of washing day." He dipped the tip of his finger into the water. When the digit remained unharmed, he let his entire hand sink beneath the surface. He looked up at the rest of them, his face bright with a grin. "Ooh, but that feels good! This’ll be a treat!"

  After helping Syellen dismount, Manix approached the pool. "I suggest you do not touch the water further until I test it for danger. I am not convinced that Gavedon set only one trap for us."

  "The Gurag’s Hoof could have been a trap, too," Syellen added, looking apprehensively at the pool as if she expected a sea creature’s head to burst through the surface.

  "It wasn’t a trap, by the gods!" Disgusted, Jessyd picked up a loose stone and chucked it at the pool. It hit the water with a splash and sank beneath the surface. "There, nothing lives inside that will gobble you up. And the tunnel wasn’t a trap, either. How could Gavedon have known Hadrian would be too tired to suppress his magick and would accidentally activate the Gurag Hoof? And again, why would I place myself in danger like that for him? I’m no fool."

  "You don’t think so, anyway," Gam offered with a wink for the sorcerer. Jessyd gave him a dirty look in return.

  "Nevertheless, I am testing this water." Manix kneeled on the pool’s ledge and pulled two small bags from within his voluminous robes. "One can never be too cautious where Gavedon and the Order is concerned. Evil is forever industrious and opportunistic."

  Hadrian slid carefully from Caled’s horse and leaned heavily against its neck while the mercenary dismounted behind him. "You think my father is evil?"

  Joining Manix and peering over the Elder’s shoulder, Caled snorted. "What else is he, Hades?"

  But when he looked up at the sorcerer he regretted his flippant response. Hadrian’s eyes were haunted. It reminded Caled of his older brother on the night he’d left for his first voyage at sea. Their parents had been adamant that Arlen not become a seaman and there’d been much shouting between them. Caled remembered seeing his brother’s face that night as he packed. Despite his anger, Arlen had continually glanced at the door to the bedroom, hoping their parents would see him off. His eyes had been like Hadrian’s were now.

  Uncomfortable with Hadrian’s pain, Caled gave his attention to what Manix was doing. The Elder had tipped various grey powders upon the stone and mixed them with the end of his finger. As Caled watched, Manix scooped up a shallow handful of water from the spring and drizzled it over the powders.

  "What are you looking for?"

  Manix watched the powders. "If the herbs turn red, the water is tainted, be it with poison or natural impurities that are harmful to us. If, instead, they turn blue, then it proves the water has been subjected to magecraft or sorcery."

  After a few seconds the clumping powder slowly turned green. Manix nodded and tilted his face up. "The water is safe for us."

  A bit of powdered herbs didn’t seem like much of a safeguard to Caled, but both Manix and Syellen seemed pleased with the response. So much so that Manix declared, "Feel free to bathe in the springs, Gam and Lio. I imagine they will feel very relaxing after our recent experiences. Syellen, if you wish to bathe in that small side pool I will set up a Shielding Cast for your privacy."

  "Oh, that would be lovely," Syellen sighed.

  As the two mages walked to the end of the pool and Manix began erecting his Cast, Caled shrugged in response to his friends’ questioning looks. "He claims it’s safe." He smirked at the two thieves. "Why don’t you two set my fears at ease? Jump in."

  The thieves shared a look. Then to Caled’s surprise, Gam proceeded to shuck his clothes, oblivious of Hadrian’s shocked gasp. When the skinny thief was completely nude, he pinched his nose between his fingers and hopped into the pool.

  Gam suddenly burst back out of the water. "Ah!!" he screamed.

  Caled leaped to the ledge and extended his hand. "Grab my hand!"

  "It’s wonderful!" Gam cried, breaking out into laughter. Lio laughed, too, so hard he began to hiccup.

  It wasn’t until he heard the muffled laughter behind him that Caled stopped thinking about committing murder. He glanced over his shoulder at Hadrian, who had covered his mouth with his dirty gloved hand. His gray eyes finally looked alive with life.

  "You think that was funny, sorcerer?" he growled. He straightened and stalked ominously toward the younger man who obligingly backed himself into Caled’s horse. Suppressing his grin, Caled braced his arms on either side of Hadrian, hemming him in. "You enjoy seeing me played the fool?" he murmured in a voice that made Hadrian shiver in a most ego-gratifying way.

  "You play it well," Hadrian whispered back. His eyes were alight with humor and a naked hunger that made Caled shiver in return.

  Caled studied his face for a moment, enjoying the ability to fully admire the other man after so much time spent cursing his face. "I’ve seen you wet in a pool once. I’d like to see it again."

  But Hadrian didn’t blush as he’d hoped. Instead, the sorcerer’s face shuttered. "A memory I’d rather forget," he muttered.

  The anger in his voice confused Caled. He thought back on that moment beneath the Annick mage House. Hadrian had been with the apprentices. Caled’s eyes widened. Hadrian had been taken to the underground pool by the mage apprentices. "Lyelin and his friends assaulted you in that place."

  The sorcerer’s blinking bemusement was answer enough. "How did you know?"

  "I saw something and—suffice to say I had my own run-in with that conniving fiend." Caled looked at his hands beside Hadrian’s head and saw that he’d bunched them into fists. He willed his fingers to uncurl. "What happened there will never happen to you again, Hades."

  Hadrian narrowed his eyes. "Why won’t they? You said it yourself: I’m a boy when it comes to things of a sexual nature. Hopelessly green, you said."

  "They won’t happen because I won’t let them."

  He decided he liked the rounding of Hadrian’s eyes. It made him look hopelessly green and naive and all the things Caled had berated him for being. "Oh," the sorcerer murmured.

  Caled’s voice roughened. "Get into the water, Hades."

  ~~~~~

  Hadrian thought it would be embarrassing to undress in front of Caled and his friends, but after a word from the mercenary all three men casually turned their backs and began conversing with each other while Hadrian disrobed and quickly slipped into the hot water. Not even Lio dared peek back, although Caled glaring the thread of murder at him might have had something to do with that.

  R
egardless, Hadrian was grateful to them for allowing him his modesty. Although... He glanced through his hair to the horses. Jessyd stood beside them, idly petting the beasts as he returned Hadrian’s look. Jessyd chuckled, making Hadrian turn away, fists clenched beneath the water. He forced them open again, though. He refused to allow Jessyd any power over him.

  "You may turn around," he told the others as he carefully folded his bare hands over his lap. He’d discovered the pool did not sheer straight down but in fact harbored nooks and crannies upon which to perch beneath the water. He’d found a stone that was relatively flat and sat upon it as Gam and Lio gladly turned around in the water. The two men sat at the opposite side of the pool, Caled’s standing shadow falling across them.

  The mercenary, still clothed, regarded them all with amusement. "All of you naked and waiting upon me. I could grow used to this."

  Hadrian flushed and curled his shoulders inward.

  "Ah, ignore him, Hadrian," Gam advised, resting both arms along the ledge. "If you react you’ll only encourage more from him."

  "Ignore him," Lio agreed. The green-eyed thief, as thin and bony as his fellow, cupped some of the blue-green water and poured it over his chest. He abruptly yelped.

  "I’m not falling for that twice," Caled said dryly.

  Lio shook his head, wincing as he held his shoulder. "I’m not jesting. The water stings my arm where the rock cut it."

  "That’s why I’m not going in," Jessyd said from where he stood by the horses.

  Caled narrowed his eyes at him. "What are you talking about? You’re not injured."

  Jessyd turned his right leg. His breeches were slashed along the outer thigh. A stripe of blood had seeped through the cloth. "I was hit just as we escaped. I bear pain well, though. I didn’t want to bother you with it."

  Hadrian studied Caled’s face and body language. The mercenary didn’t believe Jessyd. Hadrian sorely wished he’d been awake during the ride through the tunnels so he would know why Caled was so tense. But it was all Hadrian could do to keep his eyes open and his thoughts focused on what was happening. The warmth of the water and the way it lapped gently against his chest as the other men moved around conspired to make him drowsy.