“Then we should get Luke and head out immediately,” the barbarian says, taking a deep sniff of the breeze. It is not a strong smell, but he does notice that there is a faint, unfamiliar odor that makes his arm hair stand on end. “If we send a message ahead, we can get a ship to take us down the L’dandrin River. It may leave us open to an attack and bring us too far south from Darkmill, but we can rest and cover the lost ground relatively quickly.”
“No. I think we should stay here and make our way to Darkmill in the morning,” Dariana states while stretching her arms. Her eyes lose their white coloring to reveal the dark blue beneath, a permanent coldness in their center that is defied by her friendly smile. “Events are already in motion and we are playing our parts. Delvin is too far ahead of us and will cross the border before we can reach him. This journey is only to make Nyx feel like she is doing something when the future is already out of our hands.”
“How can you be so callous about this?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to answer that.”
“With honesty.”
“I mean that I can’t explain why I think Delvin will come out alive and stronger.”
“Oh . . . I believe we call that faith in our friends.”
Dariana scratches her head and shrugs before continuing toward the academy. “All this time I thought it was because I heard a god say Delvin will be awakened on the plains. Thank you for clearing that up, Timoran.”
*****
Nyx scowls at the three figurines that sit on her father’s cluttered shelf, the toys standing out among the paperwork and scrolls. The one of her is not as interesting as the two that flank the sitting doll, each of them with a hand on the tiny half-elf’s shoulders. One of the toys is of her father, complete with a cane that whirls around when she touches a button on the back. Nyx is still sucking her bruised thumb from setting the trick off by accident. The other figurine is of her mother and is a perfect imitation down to a removable eye-patch that blends into her face. A subtle clicking begins whenever the toy’s arm is moved to hold the war staff over its head. The noise stops a moment before the limb swings down and releases a low rumbling to imitate the earth-shaking magic of the original weapon.
“Presents from Catarina Warrenberg. The Tzefira one was for your mother, but she left it here,” Kevin says, rubbing his sore knee. He offers a glass of whiskey to Sari who gracefully declines, her head still swimming from the first shot. “I warned you not to drink so quickly after a hard journey. Still it’s good to see you back among the living. All of us were worried about you when Isaiah carried you off to that island.”
“I wasn’t dead,” the gypsy states through the curtain of hair that covers her face. “I was trapped in my mind and I don’t want to talk about it. I’m sleepy and my head hurts. I blame your daughter for this.”
“That does make some sense. You shouldn’t drive your allies into the ground, spitfire,” the veteran says, earning a strange look from the half-elf. With a wide grin, he chugs the alcohol and lets out a relaxing, aromatic exhale. “As your old man, I’m entitled to give you an endearing nickname or two. Your adopted mother took volcano and the barbarian took fire sprite, so I’m just going to use the one my grandfather gave me.”
“Thanks, dad,” Nyx replies as she takes a seat on the other side of the desk. She claims a shot of whiskey and downs it, the strong liquor making her cringe. The channeler attempts to spit a bit of fire, but her magic falters and she ends up pumping smoke out of her nose. “That wasn’t supposed to happen. I just can’t get my aura to behave even though there’s been plenty of time for it to recover.”
“It’s because you miss Delvin and the stress is preventing your aura from healing completely,” Sari claims before she pulls a bottle from one of her skirt pockets. She drinks the sparkling fae water and sighs as her body shimmers, a wave of energy rippling along her road-worn skin. “It’s kind of like when you reflexively lash out at him after a compliment. Your aura is connected to your emotions, which are unstable whenever you interact with or think about Delvin. He isn’t any better since we were one step away from chaining him to an elephant in Bor’daruk. Actually, he tried to use one of those to bust out of the city and search the desert for you.”
Kevin clears his throat and wipes his mouth clean with his sleeve. “The boy wouldn’t sit still while he was here either. Every other conversation was about you. I’m sure you already know this and from what he said, you’ve yet to return the favor. Still, I approve of this change in your behavior.”
“But Nyxie is still denying him and being a total idiot about her feelings.”
The old warrior groans as he eases his leg off his desk and scoops his cane off a nearby wall hook. He walks over to his daughter and tenderly lifts her head by the chin, his wrinkle-rimmed eyes examining her face. The half-elf tries her best to hold a defiant glare, but something about the way he moves her head makes her expression soften. A familiar scent is on his fingers, which she cannot place exactly until his other hand falls near his shortsword. The smell is of the oil used to maintain a blade and she realizes that Delvin uses the same type as her father. As if seeing what he expected, Kevin smiles and releases his daughter’s face.
“You’re just like your parents,” he says while running his fingers through his salt and pepper hair. With a wide grin, he stares at the ceiling where there is nothing to distract him from his fond memories. “I’m going to skip talking about your mother and me, but being in love certainly looks good on you. This is without you holding it in the open, which is a decision that could change more than you think. I once told Luke that a person needs to find something to fight for when they’re on the battlefield. You can choose more than one thing and it can change over time, but I think you’ve found the big one.”
“I can’t afford to be distracted by a relationship,” Nyx blurts out, catching her friend’s hand before it can cast a spell. The unused energy on Sari’s fingers is sucked into the channeler’s mouth, making both of them shiver. “Sorry about that. Anyway, I need to be focused on the Baron and Stephen. If Delvin and I get too close then they can use that against us. We may already be too close, which is why I want to find him. Just like he tried with Luke, Stephen can use Delvin to control me.”
“Can you ever look on the positive side of this?” Sari asks before moving to the open window.
“I . . . What positive side?”
“That you found someone you love and who loves you back,” Kevin explains, shaking his head in disappointment. He jots down a note to talk to Willow and Cyril of Rainbow Tower and scold the famous casters for raising his daughter to be emotionally inept. “Yes, your enemies can use you and Delvin against each other. Yes, it’s easy to do when one of you is away from the other. Yes, this Stephen seems the type to do this. Those things being said, you’re forgetting the other side of the coin.”
Nyx rubs her amethyst necklace while she tries to think about what her father is hinting at. A deep furrow appears on her brow while she struggles with her thoughts. It takes a few minutes for her to remember the time she saved Delvin during the battle outside of the Lich’s castle. It was a favor that he swiftly returned when they set off a trap that involved a seesawing floor and spell reflecting spikes. Other instances of their teamwork come to her mind, helping her figure out the benefit of fighting alongside a loved one.
“We do make a strong team when we work together,” Nyx claims, getting a small nod from her father. The channeler pours herself another shot of whiskey, but she sips at the drink. “But I have a similar connection with the others. Being in love with Delvin doesn’t change how I work with him. I mean, there was the time we kissed and it gave me enough strength to destroy an army of monsters. That’s only because he has a lot of aura and not because I’m in love with him.”
“At least she’s saying it in the open now,” Sari says while she watches a nearby class do pushups. The gypsy waves to Selenia who is shouting at two students for paying
more attention to the blue-haired beauty. “I’m really tired of this topic. The facts are that Delvin loves Nyx and she feels the same way. He has no problem being honest while she’s terrified of getting hurt in the future. This is where she says something to me without thinking like I don’t understand because I fall in love so easily. We fight and the whole thing goes away until she has another anxiety attack.”
“I’d never say that, little sister.”
“Well I can’t be right all the time. I’m not a psychic.”
“Can we just leave this alone until I see him again?”
“Only if you promise me something.”
Nyx rolls her eyes and finishes the shot of whiskey, which causes her to transform her hair into a short curtain of flame. “I’m not letting you make the deal this time. When we reunite with Delvin, I’m telling him how I feel. It doesn’t matter what he does afterwards. Even if he goes into the Yagervan Plains, I’m telling him that I love him.”
“I was going to ask you to kiss him, but your deal is much better” Sari replies with a victorious grin. “Maybe give his butt a little squeeze, so he knows you’re in charge. There’s the red-cheeked embarrassment I was hoping for. The conversation isn’t over until I get you to blush.”
The sound of a drawer being forced open brings the adventurers’ attention to the far side of the room. In his search, Kevin has already knocked over a pail of what Nyx notices are rejected application forms. Her father has no issue stepping on the paperwork as he rummages through the deep drawer, the sound of clinking metal and glass occurring with every movement. After several minutes of silent hunting, the warrior pulls out a felt-covered case with a rusty hinge that falls off when the box is opened. A signet ring sits inside, the bronze metal shaped to resemble a boar with a wild mane.
“This is a family heirloom that is handed down from father to son. It comes from your grandmother’s side of my family,” Kevin explains as he shoves the drawer closed. He limps over to Nyx and gives her a closer look at the masterfully detailed ring. “Well that’s what it originally was. Then it got handed down from mother to daughter and mother to son. Hard to keep a gender tradition going in a family of bullheaded casters and warriors. This bauble is to be given to the person you want to spend your life with and they return it upon your wedding day. This is on top of an engagement ring and wedding ring because this thing is too big to fit on a human finger. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world either.”
“What if you give it to someone who breaks up with you?” Sari asks as she gets closer to examine the ring. She considers admitting that it looks like it would not be worth stealing, but she would never forgive herself for ruining the special moment. “I mean, you can’t just ask for it back and it doesn’t seem to be enchanted.”
“Of course you ask for it back!” the warrior exclaims, startling a few students that are outside. “If they say no then you take it back by force. Never take from a Masterson unless you’re tired of your bones being in one piece. Here you go.”
“I guess we’re not big on ceremony either,” Nyx mutters as she catches the ring and stares at the strange image. She tucks it into the pocket of her crimson shirt, but immediately moves it to her bottomless pouch. “I’ll give it to Delvin when I see him, but I want to do it after I tell him how I feel. It’d be strange to give him an heirloom before being honest. At least in my mind, I should talk first.”
Kevin gives his daughter a one-armed hug before frowning out the window. He peeks outside and sees that most of the students are coming to the end of their afternoon classes. It will not be long before they converge on the cafeteria, which means he has to move quickly. With a twinkle in his eye, the old warrior turns to the two women and bows his head.
“We’re kind of shorthanded in the kitchen these days,” he says, ignoring the wry smile of the gypsy. “With Betty living the life I dream of, we have to take turns cooking. Tonight is my turn for dinner, but it’s really hard to move around with the bum leg. Lifting the magic cauldron isn’t easy either. Do you think you could give your old man a hand, spitfire?”
“I’d be happy to help, but I’m not much of a cook,” Nyx replies before looking at Sari with a pleading quiver in her lips. “Please help me, little sister. The quicker we cook, the faster we can have dinner and sleep.”
“I’m already exhausted, so I’m going to pass.”
“We just got a shipment of honey candies from Haven,” Kevin casually mentions as he heads for the door.
“You can’t bribe me like that, old man.”
“We’ll let you use the Gnomish plumbing baths again.”
Sari races ahead of Kevin and Nyx, the gypsy nearly knocking Timoran and Dariana out of the doorway as she sprints for the cafeteria.
*****
“Delvin was about eleven when he tried to steal my money pouch. He was a terrible thief since he followed me for a few blocks and made the snatch while I was holding the bag,” Selenia explains as everyone eats plates full of nourishing mush. The adventurers and Kevin are sitting around the circular table that has been set up in the headmistress’s office, surrounded by her array of trophies. “I was in a bad mood and took a swing at him with my sheathed blade. Nothing more than a quick swat to his rear. The boy had a wooden sword, which I didn’t think would be a problem. He blocked my first few shots until a smack on the head dazed him. After that, I carried him back to the academy, argued with Kevin for a week, and raised my protégé over the next five years. To this day, Delvin thinks his training was only slightly different from what I put the other students through. The truth is that I made a special program based around his natural abilities and his interest in becoming a mercenary.”
“What is this food?” Dariana asks as she moves the mush around her bowl. She sees her friends eating it without hesitation, so she tries the meal to find that it tastes like strawberries, chicken, and pecans. “I assume magic was involved in the kitchen. I’m sorry for being suspicious of your gracious hospitality. Is it common for a student to attend your school for so long?”
“Most of our students are here for two to three years,” Kevin answers to allow Selenia some time to eat. He passes on a plate of blackened toast, which earns him a scowl from the headmistress. “Those who have stayed longer are either hopeless, kept switching specialties, or Delvin. He was a long term project for obvious reasons. Never met a kid who could read and predict an opponent as quickly as him. Too bad things went a little sour near the end. The boy doesn’t realize that things went wrong since the issues were very subtle.”
Sari steals the ladle from Nyx to scoop some food onto her plate, the gypsy’s stomach growling. “What do you mean by sour? Delvin talks about you two like you’re his adopted parents. That does make his courtship of Nyx a little creepy and don’t you even think about throwing food at me, big sis.”
“He depends more on the training than his instincts and natural abilities,” Luke says with a mouth full of food. He coughs and gasps until Timoran slaps him on the back, the force nearly shoving the half-elf’s face into his meal. “Delvin does have a sharp mind that he uses to make amazing plans. He’s also a formidable warrior when you catch him by surprise or there’s nothing on the line, like in a sparring match. You mentioned that he was quick at reading and predicting an opponent’s moves, which I don’t see when he goes in with a plan. A lot of what he does is reactive. So he’s holding back, right?”
“An interesting observation, but not quite right, Luke,” Selenia answers as she stands.
The headmistress goes behind her large desk and puts her arm into the maw of the Sword Dragon head that is mounted on the wall. She pulls a scroll from a hollow tooth in the back of the mouth, the yellowed paper crinkled around the edges. Not wanting to damage the document, she carefully unfurls the parchment and takes a minute to read down to the section she wants to show the adventures. With a squeeze of the corners, Selenia locks the scroll in place to prevent anyone from reading other parts of the offi
cial contract. She hands it to Dariana and taps her head to tell the telepath to send what she sees to the others.
“Before we talk about what you’re reading, I’ll explain the long-standing problem with Mr. Cunningham,” the headmistress says while running a hand through her pink hair. She takes a bite of burnt toast and struggles to swallow the barely edible food. “He plateaued around his fourth year, so I began taking him into the Caster Swamp for training. We were never in danger and he excelled, which confused me in regards to his lack of progress. I knew there were levels he had yet to achieve, but he never reached them when sparring within the academy. Honestly, I had some theories about his problem even after he left and made an impact as a mercenary. Then came his sparring match with Luke and Timoran.”
“I heard that was an impressive fight,” Nyx interrupts as she tries to heat her water. The liquid evaporates into steam that makes her eyebrows curl. “Is that where Delvin demonstrated his true potential?”
“He was getting there and then he lost it when I entered the fight,” Selenia replies, passing the water pitcher down to channeler. Checking her pockets, she tosses a warmth stone into Nyx’s cup. “Delvin seems to think that there are some people he can never beat. Against such an opponent, he can hold his own until he finds an escape or he notices a weakness. Before he left with Tzefira, he came close to defeating me for the first time and I had to distract him with words to get the win. Still, he can’t bring himself to dominate an enemy that he sees as superior. Even worse is that when Delvin is pushed too far, he loses a lot of his skill and becomes sloppy. He is stronger and faster in this state, but a calm opponent could make short work of him. I’m sure you’ve seen it once or twice.”
The adventurers shift uncomfortably in their seats, each one focusing on their food as Timoran speaks. “To be honest, I was not there for this battle. I speak only of what Nyx and Fizzle related to the rest of us. It was during his first fight with Stephen where Delvin was defeated quicker than we had ever seen. It was not until Nyx was threatened that he returned to the battlefield, but there was no finesse to his attacks. He would have been killed if Sari had not been revived at that moment. Something similar happened at Helgard when a cursed Reflector Blade was corrupting him. He accused me of getting in his way and attacked. It was like I was fighting a different person since the brutality hampered his natural skill. So I can see what you mean by him being unable to dominate an enemy that he fears. I believe it goes for those he respects as well. I am not sure why you think this is relevant since he always comes through in the end.”
The Mercenary Prince (Legends of Windemere Book 9) Page 10
