by Jenni Ward
“Well, sorcerer, do we have a deal?”
Quinn broke his eye contact with the dragon. He wanted to break the binding more than anything, however, it would serve only to have his sister break the Golden Law and the dragons declare war again for breaching the agreement.
“Decisions of the heart are never easy, sorcerer. You must choose between peace in this land and the love within your heart for both of those ladies.”
“Both?” Quinn paused. Jharobi was right. This wasn’t just about Mary but about Cecelia too. “Why? Why do I have to choose? Why does the Golden Law even need to exist any longer? The Great War was a long time ago. Would it be truly terrible if a sorcerer were to be bound to a mortal?”
Jharobi rose up from his resting position so that he towered over Quinn. Quinn’s eyes glanced to the side to see how much room he had to move around. The comfort of knowing the dragon couldn’t kill him didn’t abate the fear Jharobi had created in his mind.
“You know why, sorcerer! It is what you have fought to prevent your sister from doing all these years. If a sorcerer were ever to bind to a mortal again, it would mean a powerful alliance, one that dragons could not beat even if good sorcerers were to join us. It was what started the Great War in the first place!”
“So, because I stand for good, I must pay the same price as the wicked?”
“We pay the price also, sorcerer. Do not fool yourself into believing that you are the only one who has been forced to make this decision.”
Jharobi spread his wings, ready to leave, when Quinn objected, “I have not told you my decision.”
“You didn’t need to.” A rush of wind and the space before Quinn became empty. The dragon knew he would do the right thing for all, not just himself. Quinn walked over to the edge of the plateau; below him the Great Forest spread out at the base of the mountain.
“Why?” The word echoed across the treetops as Quinn clenched his hands into fists.
Memories of the years he’d spend all for The Academy and their orders; orders that had persisted well beyond schooling. He stared out at the landscape, his jaw clenched. Trapped by his training into doing what was right for everyone else.
He kicked his foot at the ground and sent rocks cascading in all directions. At his feet a larger stone sat and he prodded it with the toe of his shoe. Quinn bent down and his fingers curled around the rock, the sharp edges dug into his skin as he gripped it. He stood up and swung his arm back before he launched it into the air.
“I hate all of this! I’ve had enough! Do you hear me? I hate it all! I want a life for once. I hate all of it!”
The rock disappeared from view. Quinn shook his head before he sat on the ground and pulled his knees up to his chest. He rested his head on his knees, breathed deeply, and tried to calm the conflicted thoughts in his mind.
WHEN QUINN ARRIVED back home, he noticed Cashel’s absence, but Mary sat by the blazing fire in Cashel’s wicker seat. A blanket was wrapped firmly around her shoulders, and she’d tucked her feet underneath her body. Her eyes followed the crackling flames as they danced above the wooden logs that were slowly turning into charcoal. Quinn noticed she wore one of the dresses he had given her that morning – the dark green one.
“Mary,” Quinn said as he walked past her to sit in his usual chair, “Did you see an elderly man?”
“I’ve seen no one since I last saw you.” She paused. “You’ve been gone some time. Where have you been?”
“Nowhere special.”
Silence descended on the pair as both watched the flames intensely. Quinn searched his mind for something to say but the conversation with Jharobi still niggled at his mind.
“I told him about Cecilia,” Mary whispered.
“Huh?” Quinn looked over at Mary, his own thoughts trailing off.
“I told Prater about Cecilia.” The flames of the fire continued to flicker and dance; Mary’s voice lowered as she added, “I didn’t want to, but he had me locked in the cell. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told him.”
“It’s okay, Mary, really. Don’t give it another thought,” Quinn said soothingly, but Mary bit her lip in response.
“What’s going to happen now?”
“I don’t know, Mary.” Tracing his right index finger in a circle on the wooden arm of the chair, Quinn felt utterly helpless, even a little useless. “No harm will come to you here, Mary, I can promise that. I know I’ve made you a lot of promises, but I keep my word, Mary. My sister will choose a new man and my task will start again, but as long as you want to be here, you have a home.”
Quinn felt the closeness to Mary; he only had to reach out his hand and he would be able to touch hers. After all, he told himself, it isn’t like I can break the Golden Law at the moment anyway.
“Mary.”
She didn’t respond.
“Mary.”
Mary turned her head and looked over at Quinn and smiled.
“It will all work out.” Quinn reached over and placed his hand over hers on the arm rest of her chair. She looked down at his hand. Quinn thought she might pull away for a moment but relaxed when she placed her free hand over his.
Quinn moved his chair magically closer to Mary and reached up with his left hand to cup her face; in response she closed her eyes.
“Thank you for coming back, Quinn,” she whispered.
Quinn moved closer until his lips were near her ear.
“It will all work out,” the words were whispered, and he lightly kissed her cheek.
Quinn knew that he had done more than Cashel would approve of – Cashel who could appear at any moment, Cashel who would know all regardless of being told nothing. In spite of those thoughts, Quinn kissed her cheek again and again, moving closer to her lips with each one.
Just a kiss, the words kept revolving around Quinn’s mind even as he held tightly onto Mary. He didn’t want to let her go; he certainly didn’t want to stop. Just one kiss, but he knew as well as an observer would that a string of sustained kisses hardly counted as one. At length, Quinn eased his grip on Mary’s shoulders.
“I’ll keep you safe, Mary.” Quinn whispered as he rested his forehead against hers, closing his own eyes to help calm the debate he felt inside between his head and heart.
As Quinn settled down next to Mary, with his right arm still over her shoulders, they sat in silence until she fell asleep. Quinn carried her up to her room and laid her on the bed, covering her with the blankets. She didn’t stir at all. When he returned downstairs, he found his mentor warming himself in his usual chair, which had been returned to its usual place. Quinn sat back down in his chair, contemplating what his mentor might be thinking – and how much he already knew.
“Quinn, what continues to trouble you?” Cashel asked tiredly from beside the young sorcerer.
“I went to the Great Forest to see the dragons.”
Quinn’s mind had thought of the look of horror that would pass over Cashel’s face when he told him, and he hadn’t been too far off with his imagination.
“Quinn...”
“I know, Cashel. You don’t need to lecture me on the reasons why it was foolish.” Cashel closed his open mouth and pursed his lips together. “She’s a good person, Cashel. Mary has protected those books, despite it costing her family all their lives...”
“I am curious to know what your request was to the dragons.”
Quinn looked over at Cashel, then back to the blazing fire.
“I asked for her to be free from the binding.”
“I am surprised to hear that. I did not think that would be your exact request.” Cashel paused before continuing, “Mary is a very wholesome girl, and in regards to the books, she has done a fine job...but you have removed her from what she protected, which I am not sure if it would please the dragons. I am thinking the price would have been high to have the binding removed.”
“It was too high.”
“Gold? Riches?” Quinn looked over at Cashel at the suggestion. “Not
everything is told to all sorcerers; you should understand that by now. Amongst the elite sorcerers and members of the Council it is well know that dragons have a love of glittery objects. Some even believe that dragons purposely bargain for gold with sorcerers just to see them in such a weakened state.”
“I’ve never heard that.”
“Like I said, Quinn, it’s not common knowledge; it comes from knowledge gained by the Council having to clean up messes like you are in with your sister. Anyway, you keep that to yourself; otherwise I’ll find myself in trouble with them, too. So, what did they ask for then?”
“My magic.”
“Oh.” Cashel paused. “Well, I’m pleased that you had the sense to not do something that foolish at least. You must leave things as they are, Quinn.” A moment of silence fell.
“Why do you think Cecilia took away her ability to read?”
“Cecilia is a smart woman: she knows that the best way to crush a person is to take away what they value the most, and for Mary that meant her reading.”
“How can I make it up to Mary? I can’t teach her – I don’t know how...”
“You must not keep Mary here, Quinn. Find her somewhere safe – in one of the cities maybe? She’ll find her own way, and you can continue to find yours. You’ll need to report to the Sorcery Council soon.”
“Yeah, I know. I have to think more about this Cashel.”
Chapter 18
Mary sat by the fireplace in the cold. The fire had long since died down and she sat looking at where it once burned. Outside the sun shone brightly through the windows as she thought of home and of the books and of reading.
“Young lady: that is my chair.”
Mary turned at the sound of the stern and unfamiliar voice. An old man stood with a walking stick in one hand that he had pointed directly at her.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know...” her words trailed off. Hurriedly, she got out of the chair and awkwardly stood off to the side, contemplating whether she would be allowed to sit in the other chair.
The elderly man gingerly made his way towards the now vacant chair and eased himself into it; momentarily his eyes closed before he turned his attention back to Mary. Her hand lightly touched the back of the chair and her fingers tapped against it.
“I am Cashel. I have heard a great deal about you Mary. My apprentice feels that he owes you. Sit down in the chair.”
Mary watched as the man tapped the floor with his stick and the fire was once again burning brightly; she knew he must be a sorcerer, just a very old one.
Once she sat down the old man continued, “You are a danger to Quinn the longer you stay here. He has a difficult challenge ahead of him, no one should have to quarrel with their family, but I can’t change any of that.” Cashel turned and looked over at Mary. “You distract Quinn. You cause him to change his priorities. He must not be distracted at this point.”
“What would you have me do?” Mary whispered; she had a feeling that she already knew the answer to the question he had just asked.
“You need to leave, go somewhere,” Cashel paused, keeping Mary in his sight. “Don’t go back to Tiani but go somewhere safe – start a new life without the burden of words and reading.”
“But what would I do?”
“Young lady, do you expect me to solve all your problems!” his voice boomed, and Mary sat frozen in fright. Cashel looked at her for a moment before he sunk further into his own seat. “Mary, you are a sweet girl, but you are a danger to a sorcerer – almost all mortals are. Pack a few things now; I’ll find a place to leave you.”
“Can I at least think about it?”
“There isn’t time, young lady,” Cashel paused and looked over at Mary. “Quinn would like you to stay but there is more going on here that what you are aware of. Things that have been in motion for years need to be concluded and rules must be followed.”
Mary’s eyes found the wooden floor and she knew that he wasn’t giving her a choice in the matter. She felt disappointed to be leaving the safety of Quinn and his house, feelings swirled inside of her. On her hand, she traced the binding mark with her right hand’s index finger. She remembered the feel of Quinn’s lips – the feelings that had bubbled inside her that she had always wanted to feel. Quinn was so close... yet still out of reach as long as the binding existed. Mary sighed.
“I’ll go and pack.”
Mary left the room with a heavy heart and headed towards the stairs. Every time her foot stepped up, she felt less inclined to continue; she hadn’t realised that Quinn shared his home with someone who had the power to make such a decision.
In her room, Mary looked at the dresses that Quinn had brought to her. She didn’t want to leave them behind – they were nicer than anything she had ever had, but she also wondered if it would be right to take them with her. Shaking her head in frustration, Mary looked around the room for a bag to put her things in.
“There’s got to be something here,” Mary muttered, as she got down on the floor and peered under the bed. To her satisfaction she found a bag – albeit a rather dusty and forgotten one.
She gave the bag a solid shake and dust rose from it like before it infiltrated her lungs and she began to cough. Her hand waved in front of her as she tried to clear the air. As she steadied her breathing she folded the dresses and placed them into the bag. When she turned to the table beside the bed she saw the trinkets and placed them in the bag too. Mary’s gaze fell onto the little green-blue stone that sat alone and innocent. Her hand hovered over it, contemplating whether she should take it or not.
Will the old man know if I take it? If I take it, will I be tempted to hold it again, the way that caused Quinn to know I was thinking of him and wanted him to come back?
The previous night’s kiss again flashed in Mary’s mind, and instinctively she reached and brushed her lips with her fingertips. Mary pursed her lips together and knitted her brows in frustration. She knew for sure that she wanted to take the stone with her, but she also knew that if she did take it, she would want to hold it and would want to be near Quinn again. The hovering hand above the stone transformed into a fist and Mary lowered it until the arm and hand hung limp beside her body; best not to have the temptation.
“MARY?” QUINN KNOCKED on the door. “Mary?”
When there was no answer, Quinn opened the door. The bed was neatly made, but Mary’s things were missing from the bedside table. Walking towards it, he saw that something remained on the table – the calling stone. Snatching the stone from the table, he turned his head and noticed that all of Mary’s clothes were all gone too.
“Cashel!”
Running noisily down the steps two at a time, Quinn found his mentor in his usual seat by the fire; he looked peaceful and happy. Cashel’s eyes were closed, despite the noise, and he appeared to be in no hurry to open them.
“Where is Mary? What have you done?” Quinn demanded.
At length, Cashel opened his eyes, but his attention was on the fire and not Quinn who stood behind him at the base of the stairs. “She’s gone, Quinn: Mary is gone.”
“Where? Tell me where.”
“I can’t, Quinn.”
Quinn walked over to his mentor and squatted down beside him, looking him in the eyes.
“Tell me where Mary is.”
Cashel raised his hand to Quinn’s pleading face. “I told you, I can’t – I don’t know where she is.”
“How can that be? The only way to leave this house is by magic – you must know where she is!” Quinn clenched his fingers into a ball and tried to keep his temper in check.
“Really, Quinn? Your naivety is disappointing. I told you I didn’t know where she was and that was the truth.” Cashel turned away from his apprentice.
With Cashel’s attention on the fire, Quinn sat down in the chair beside him and leaned forward. He heard his mentor sigh and looked back over at him in hope.
“I must be getting too old for all this. Look, Quinn, I asked her
to think of a place that she wanted to go and then I spirited her there.”
Quinn’s hands relaxed and he ran his fingers through his hair. It hadn’t been the information he had wanted to hear. “But she could be anywhere.”
“It is for the best, Quinn. You have more to learn – Cecilia has likely already chosen her new target – you can’t allow Mary to interfere with the greater good at stake here.”
“But I won’t see her again.”
Cashel sighed. “Quinn, I’m...it’s for the best. Everything I’ve ever done was with you in mind and the best for you. I would never want you to think that I would injure you in such a way.”
The palm of Quinn’s hand rested on his forehead. He contemplated whether to keep pushing but Cashel had never been one to hide things from him.
“I made something for you, before Mary left; go to your bedchamber.”
Standing up with a heavy and sad heart, Quinn looked in the direction of his bedchamber. He had not expected Cashel to have made him a gift – such things were rare. Glancing at his mentor, he turned and walked up the stairs, more slowly than he had descended them; thinking nothing could lift his spirits.
In his bedchamber, Quinn found a small bundle on his bed, wrapped in brown paper and string. Quinn magically unknotted the string and then unfolded the brown paper. Turning the object over, it was a frame, and inside was a lifelike picture of Mary and she was smiling. Sitting on the bed, Quinn held the picture in his hand and traced his finger over Mary’s face. Quinn had always believed in fate and he had foolishly begun to believe that Mary was part of it.
Chapter 19
Mary stared at the large manor house that loomed before her. An enormous stone building with an elegant red tiled roof and windows that were each framed in the same style timber with shutters on either side. The whiteness of the walls and pale blue trim seemed out of place against the picturesque background of mountains and trees.
