Facing Fortune (Guardians of Terath Book 2)

by Zen DiPietro

  Carston stepped forward, offering his hands to help her up. She grasped them, stood, and let go. “Thanks.”

  “My pleasure.” Carston’s usual cocky grin had been pressed into a straight line by the heaviness of the day’s events.

  As Azure stepped away, carrying her case and bag back inside the fortress, Arc’s attention shifted to Izzy. She’d paused in mid-step on her way to greet them. Her eyes were wide and her mouth made a small O of surprise as she watched Azure walk away. Within a moment, though, her features smoothed out into a rueful smile as she walked to where Kassimeigh sat.

  He didn’t know what Izzy’s expressions meant, but he knew that she wouldn’t tell him unless and until she wanted to.

  Arc gave his shoulder one more experimental roll and moved to join them.

  8

  In the following days, Kassimeigh took little notice of the efforts stemming from recent events. She let Will and the Guard, the justices, and the Council of Magistrates all do their respective jobs. For once, sorting out the wrongdoers and assigning the punishments was not her problem. She’d done her part, and now she relished the sense of freedom to leave the rest to others.

  She and Arc had received orders from the general, after all, to spend a few days resting and recovering. She knew the time would run out quickly but oh, she savored the chance to simply stop and exist in the same space with Arc. They had time to talk, to laugh, and to revel in the comforts of being together without any need to rush here or there, or follow a particular schedule.

  She’d been relieved to find that Arc, in fact, had not been horrified by her execution of the terrorists. Fortunately, Arc had suffered from no illusions of who she was and what she’d done as a justice.

  She’d also been fortunate that the Council and the shiv elders had reluctantly approved her actions. Each group had reviewed the evidence and concurred with her finding of guilt. The situation had been far from ideal, but she’d taken the most logical course of action. Unsurprisingly, she’d been cautioned against using her mana in such a manner again. That was fine with her. She had no intentions of it. More importantly, Ina seemed to have suffered no blowback due to the event. In fact, she suspected that Ina might have gained a little respect due to her willingness to risk her own position.

  Will had suggested they might want to go to Arc’s house in the mid-lats, but they’d agreed that they were most comfortable at the fortress. They enjoyed the of-course-entirely-fortuitous happenstance of Will’s having recently assigned them permanent officers’ quarters right next to each other. All three of them knew that she remained only on a temporary basis, but she had let the issue pass without comment. She didn’t blame Will for his scheming. It was endearing, really.

  She’d lost no time in using her new remodeling skill to open the wall between their rooms to create one large space.

  On their second afternoon of leisure, Kassimeigh indulged in some stretching exercises. Arc returned to their room with some lunch. Balancing a tray with one hand, he closed the door behind him with the other. She continued with her stretches while he set the tray down.

  He paused, looking at the vacant spot beside the couch. “Why did you get rid of the side table?”

  “It knew too much.” She let out a slow breath and sank deeper into her stretch.

  “No, really.”

  “People kept bumping into it. We need a smaller one that doesn’t stick out.”

  “Hm.”

  She’d expected more of a response, and she sat upright to look at him. “What?”

  “Nothing. That was just a funny off-the-cuff response.”

  “I can be funny.”

  He smiled. “Your sense of humor has definitely started to take off lately. Along with a sense of adventure and an occasionally pugnacious attitude.”

  “What of it?” She stood and adopted an aggressive stance.

  “Which are we being now‌—‌funny or pugnacious?”

  “If you have to ask, we are not doing it right, in either case.”

  “My credits are on funny.” He gestured to the table in invitation, and she sat.

  “Then your credits would be safe.” She settled a napkin on her lap.

  He chuckled. “I like that you’re letting yourself try new things. And even when I’m not laughing on the outside, I’m often laughing on the inside.”

  “You mean when I’m being funny, right?”

  “Sure. We’ll go with that.”

  She laughed. She liked his sense of humor too. But pugnaciously, she decided not to tell him so.

  Meanwhile, business continued as usual for the other inhabitants of the fortress. Izzy had decided to stay on for a few extra days to work with Azure and Will. She’d found working with the Guard remarkably refreshing, and it made her consider making a professional change. Will had mentioned it, and she’d been waiting for him to address the idea in greater detail.

  The extended stay also gave Izzy the chance to deal with a personal matter.

  The day after their return from Habith, Carston had come to her room. That had been a common occurrence whenever she spent time at the fortress, but she knew this time was different. She knew it before he arrived at her door, and before she opened it to see him standing there, looking somber and uncomfortable.

  “Carston! Come in.” She casually twined her fingers with his and led him into the room. She bumped the door closed with her heel. “I’m glad to see you.”

  “We need to talk, Izzy.” He gently tugged his hand free of hers.

  “Of course. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship.”

  “Uh . . . right. Well, you and I have been together for a while now, and we’ve always gotten along so well.”

  Izzy beamed at him. “You’re so right. Actually, I’ve been waiting for this conversation for a while now.”

  “You have? Okay . . . well, this isn’t easy . . .”

  Izzy bounced on her toes. “Yes!” She threw her arms around Carston and hugged him.

  Awkwardly, Carston patted her on the back and edged away. “Yes, what?” He stood alert, as if he’d suddenly decided retreat might be his best option.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you! It’s so cute that you’re so nervous about asking me!”

  Carston’s wariness morphed into blatant horror. His jaw sagged and his eyes bulged. “I . . . I . . .” He took small, retreating steps until his back bumped into the door.

  Izzy’s giggles bubbled up from her throat. She had to let the poor guy off the hook before he hurt himself. “Relax, Carston. I couldn’t resist having a little fun with you.” She sashayed farther into the room and curled up on her favorite chair. Its bright pink hue matched exactly nothing else in the room, and she loved its cushy softness.

  The warrior managed to close his mouth and rearrange his face, but Izzy noticed that his hand now rested on the doorknob. The man could face any number of murderous miscreants with enthusiasm, but put him in front of a woman with wedding bells in her head and he was ready to run for his life.

  “Seriously, Carston. Stand down. Relax. I was kidding. I’ve been waiting since yesterday for you to figure yourself out and come see me.” She opened her hands wide, indicating her casual posture.

  His hand dropped from the doorknob but he kept his back against the door. Clearly, he was taking no chances.

  “Yesterday,” he repeated, slogging through recent events in his mind. “You mean . . . hmm.”

  “Of course. There was no way I could miss that spike of feeling you had for Azure.” Her smile grew kind, and her eyes were warm. “She finds you attractive. You’ve got a shot.”

  “Oh. Well, of course, you’d already know, with your . . .” He waved a hand in her direction, apparently trying to indicate her sense of empathy. “All that.”

  “Relax,” she suggested again. “Take a deep breath.”

  He did. He gathered himself and his shoulders squared. “I care a lot about you, Izzy. I feel bad.”

  “W
ell, don’t. I care for you too, but we both know this wasn’t a love affair. Just a nice affair. Don’t worry. We can be good friends without the affair part of things.”

  “Seriously? That never works.”

  “Have I ever been like any other woman in your life?”

  “No.”

  “I’m sure not starting now. Seriously. Just friends, no funny business. I’m happy for you. I hope it works out.”

  “Someday you’ll find the one for you,” Carston offered. “You’re fantastic, and deserve the best.” He risked taking a step into the room.

  “What makes you think I want to find ‘the one’? That’s never been on my agenda.” She flapped her hand in a dismissive gesture. “But it’ll be great for you. Might even wise you up a bit.”

  “You can only duck the inevitable for so long, Izzy Gin. Eventually, the right person is going to find you, and I’m going to be right there eating popcorn.”

  “Yeah, you worry about your own problems and leave mine to me. You have to woo the good doctor and she has very high standards.”

  “Unlike you?”

  “You can say that if you want, but you’d be saying more about yourself than you would about me.”

  “Good point. Don’t want to sell myself short. I suppose it would be moronically stupid for me to ask you, since you’re a therapist and all, I mean, never mind.” He changed his mind in mid-ask.

  “Relationship advice.” She favored him with a broad grin. “Absolutely. But first you have to start the relationship. You have to figure out that bit on your own.”

  “Right.” He heaved a sigh, looking as grave as when he’d first entered.

  Getting ready in the morning was nice. Even though they’d returned to their duties and headed in different directions for the day, Kassimeigh had enjoyed the distinct pleasure of waking up with Arc five days in a row. They dressed in their uniforms and ate breakfast together. Then he happily went off to play with bows and arrows while she got to hop on her kite and sail away. Or muscle her way onto the training grounds and throw down some hardcore sparring. If you could call it sparring when broken bones were a regular occurrence. With a manahi doctor on duty, the Guard had the luxury of playing rough.

  She found benefits in being a senior member of a group, even if only a temporary one. Being the first officer of the Guard gave her wide latitude for making her own choices.

  Sure, she had responsibilities to Will and the rest of the Guard, but she was a decision-maker now, not an obedient cog in the machine. She had enjoyed the sense of order and purpose that had come with her life as a shiv, but her new life seemed to offer more possibilities. Each day she spent at the fortress, she felt increasingly at home.

  She didn’t know if her current preference for self-determination marked a personal evolution or a breakdown of her discipline. Something about the incident in Habith had effected a change in her. She made a mental note to consider the matter in detail when she meditated.

  In the meantime, she needed to take some supplies out to Élan. Fortunately, with the comm link up in their part of Apex, Kassimeigh had been able to keep in touch with the bard. She seemed to be perfectly happy at her post, keeping her oasis healthy and lush. Kassimeigh had also checked in with Ina, and the magistrate had let her know that although all of the mapped areas of high mana concentration had maintained their current state, the areas in mid-decay had simply paused that way, without taking additional damage. Hopefully, that meant Élan’s oasis had attracted most or even all of the bugs. Having them all in one area would make them much simpler to handle and study.

  Kassimeigh rolled that possibility around in her head as she flew her kite out to the hinterlands. Arc and Will had both expressed reluctance at her departure, which had pleased her. Now that she’d had some time and distance, her mental image of the life she’d led as a shiv had shifted. With all the warmth and affection awaiting her at the fortress, she recognized that her life at the shiv keep had been somewhat distant and antiseptic. No one had particularly noted her arrivals and absences, outside of her dutiful accomplishment of her assignments. With the Guard, she felt valued for her own self rather than for the role she played. She also found that she liked the novelty of being missed.

  She tucked that thought away when she landed near Élan’s location, only to find that the bard was not alone. Her friend Sim sat with her. When she joined the pair, they were chatting and playing music almost absentmindedly. Their attention seemed to be on each other rather than their instruments, yet their music harmonized perfectly.

  “Kassimeigh, good to see you. You remember Sim, don’t you?”

  “Of course, nice to see you both. You’ve been well?”

  “Perfectly. Sim and I are working on some things we’ve been meaning to do, but always seem to put off. Another thing I’ve gotten to do while out here.”

  “I had an idea I wanted to try out, if you don’t mind.”

  “A trio? But I don’t have another mandolin.” Élan’s fingers continued to roam over the strings with no concern at all for what their owner was saying.

  “If I had any talent for music, I’d take you up on that, but I don’t.”

  “But I much prefer music over mana. That is what you’re talking about, right?”

  “Yes. I know it’s not your favorite, but this is important.”

  “All right.” Élan carefully set her mandolin inside its case. Her fingertips slid up along the neck in an absentminded, maternal sort of caress. “Might as well get it out of the way.”

  “Good.” Kassimeigh scanned the area intently. She saw the abundance of mana but no sign of beetles. “The bugs are still here?”

  “As far as I know. They don’t seem to leave, but they don’t tend to reveal themselves unless I call them. I think there are more here than there used to be, but it’s just a vague impression. The only way I know for sure is if I work some mana to try to get the sparks’ attention.”

  “Sparks?”

  Élan laughed. “I got tired of calling them bugs. I thought they needed something more descriptive, so I’ve started calling them sparks.”

  “Hmm. Makes sense. And since that’s also the name of the scientist who identified them, I think that’s actually a great idea.” She smiled, thinking of how Finnan Sparks would likely react to the name.

  Kassimeigh continued. “My guess is that you’re right, and they’re here. They might be flocking to this area because there’s an ever-abundant supply of food for them.”

  “What’s your big idea to try out?” Élan exchanged a look with Sim, but Kassimeigh couldn’t interpret the expressive shorthand they shared.

  “I want you to move away and create a mana beacon. Attract as many of the ‘sparks’ as you can.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then I want to create a barrier and have you release your mana. See if we can contain them.”

  “Will it harm them?”

  “No, I wouldn’t try it if I thought they could be harmed. I’d never intentionally hurt living creatures.” She paused. “Well, unless they deserved it.”

  “Now that is one disturbing answer, but okay, let’s start. Where did you want me to go?”

  “Maybe twenty feet past the perimeter, into the area with less mana. I’m hoping they’ll be attracted to you.”

  “Of course they will be,” Sim called. “She’s super cute.”

  Élan rolled her eyes while Kassimeigh shook her head.

  “Tough crowd,” Sim observed. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

  Kassimeigh stood at the edge of the mana concentration. Four feet ahead of her, she sensed a much lower energy level. Élan walked into the more modestly powered area, singing softly to herself. Kassimeigh watched the glow of mana surround Élan’s form, giving her an aura of energy.

  “No sparks,” Élan sang, slipping the words into her melody.

  “Ramp up the power. Give it everything you’ve got.”

  Élan’s voice grew louder
, her mezzo-soprano voice ringing out into the quiet of the forest. Her glow increased in size and deepened in hue. Kassimeigh admired both Élan’s amazing voice and her unique use of mana.

  “Still nothing,” Élan sang after a few minutes.

  Kassimeigh crossed the space between them. When she reached Élan, she touched the bard’s arm. She linked her mana sense with Élan’s, then harnessed mana within herself. She let the energy radiate through them like a nova. She pulled enough out of the area that she now competed with it for superior intensity. After a few moments, they both sensed the whisper of tiny flight paths flitting around them. The air began to grow thick with the bugs as they darted and cavorted in the mana bath.

  “Okay, keep your mana going.”

  Élan continued to sing while Kassimeigh hardened her mana into a barrier around them. She transmuted the mana to make it semipermeable, almost like a tangible object. Keeping it in that in-between state proved to be challenging.

  When she felt like she had the right mix of energy under control, she stepped away from Élan and toward the barrier. She pushed her shoulder into it, gritting her teeth as she shoved her way through. Rasping shards of mana scraped against her skin uncomfortably. She made a mental note to adjust that part if she tried this again.

  Kassimeigh made the barrier so hard that it became a solid wall that enclosed Élan and the bugs like a glass dome. “Now, stop channeling mana. Let it all dissipate.” Kassimeigh did the same.

  Élan’s glow lightened, then grew fainter after she released the mana. Kassimeigh and Élan watched each other from either side of the bubble.

  The bugs’ flight speed slowed. They traveled in lazy, looping arcs as if looking for an exit. Around and around they circled, in a rolling cloud of green, until they gave up on finding an exit and began to alight on the barrier itself. Within a few minutes, they’d formed a dome of bugs, resting on the mana barrier.

  “Can we be done now?” Élan called.

  Kassimeigh took a last assessment. “Yes.” She released all of her mana. The barrier dissipated, and the bugs fluttered back as a swarm to the stronger mana in the glade.