Arrows of Promise (Kingmakers Book 2) (13 page)

There was a soft knock on the door. Riana put aside the book
she had been reading and crossed to the door, opening it to find a very worried
Priest Graff at the threshold. “Priest Graff.”

“Hello, Miss Riana.” He kept his voice low, barely above a
whisper. “I understand that Wizard Ash has fallen ill. Is that correct?”

“No’ quite,” she denied, standing aside and gesturing him
into the small sitting parlor. “Truth told, it be a magical drain. He be
recovering, though.”

“A magical drain,” the priest repeated in a tone of
understanding. “Yes, I’ve seen that happen once before. It looks very much like
a deathly illness. I now understand how other people were confused and gave me
such a misunderstanding. But you say he’s recovering? Magical drains are
usually very difficult to get over.”

“Ah, that? His sister did some magicking and it be helping
him along.”

“I didn’t realize that could be done. Or is this something
that is possible because they’re twins?”

Now that was a question she hadn’t thought to ask. “Mayhap?
Ashlynn had no doubt of what she needed to do, just went about it. It could be
too that it be because their magic be akin to each other’s.”

Graff looked as if he were filing this information away. “It
is a very interesting thing indeed. Well, I came here to offer a blessing of
recovery.”

Riana had gone without a priest most of her life so it
hadn’t occurred to her that she now had a priest at hand to ask a blessing
from. “Please do, sir.”

Pointing at the door, Graff whispered, “Is he still
sleeping?”

“Aye, although it be no trouble if ye wake him. Man’s been
asleep for a full day already.”

Seeming more at ease, he straightened and didn’t bother to
lower his voice as much. “Then if you don’t mind, I’ll leave a quick blessing
before going. I actually have four weddings this afternoon to get ready for.”

Riana didn’t doubt that one bit. She led the way to Ash’s bedside
and watched as Priest Graff put a dot of oil on Ash’s head and spoke a prayer,
asking for a blessing of renewal and healing. Riana had little experience with
seeing things like this, but the blessing was shorter and more to the point
than previous times. Maybe Graff was the sort to do short and sweet? Or he
realized he really didn’t have time for a lengthy prayer, not with four
weddings lined up.

That done, he backed off and gave her a smile. “I’m not sure
how much our Goddess Regina does with magic, but hopefully she has some wiggle
room to help him recover. Please do keep me updated on his progress. I
understand that he is a pillar in this country and seeing him like this has
disturbed everyone.”

“I will,” Riana promised.

Ash took two days to wake up.

If not for the fact that she could see him breathing and
feel him in the back of her head, Riana would’ve been worried out of her mind.
But Ashlynn assured her, several times, that deep rest like this was actually a
good sign. It meant that his body was catching up with the sleep it needed and
properly rejuvenating.

Riana spent those two days preparing various things that
were good for the body, checking in with the settlement to make sure that
people knew what to do, and scheming. Mostly scheming.

When Ash finally awoke late in the evening, she was more
than ready for him. His eyes fluttered open, stubbornly, as if he still wanted
to sleep. Riana was having none of it and poked him in the arm. “Ash.”

With a groan and inarticulate muttering, he finally rolled
over to his side and propped himself up on one elbow. Only one eye was open,
the other squinted shut. “Wha?”

Riana took a cup steaming on the nightstand and wafted it
front of his nose, like a cat fanning cheese at a mouse hole. The mouse took the
bait and Ash latched onto the mug with both hands, draining it in one long
gulp. Then again, he hadn’t eaten in two days, he was bound to be thirsty at
the very least. Once it was down, he lowered the cup and looked at her with
more alertness. “That was wonderful. Lemon?”

“Lemon, cinnamon, honey, and a spruce of ginger,” she responded,
smiling at his smile. “It be good for the body.”

“Yes, with those ingredients, it certainly would be,” he
admitted. “It’s sure to warm the blood and help fight off sickness. Another?”

She took the mug from him and turned to her tray. Ashlynn had
fixed this up for her, a way to keep water magically hot while waiting for him
to awake. Everything else was fresh, and she squeezed and poured ingredients in
before stirring it all thoroughly and handing it back to him. He didn’t drain
this one, sipping it instead, and took more time savoring the flavor. His eyes
studied her over the brim. “How badly did I scare you?”

“I might be having a few grey hairs with yer name on ‘em.”

He winced. “Sorry?”

“Aye, ye best be that. Sorry enough not to repeat this
foolishness.”

“Ahumm,” he mumbled, wisely drinking and not responding to
that. “Is Ashlynn trying to build everything?”

“No,” Riana denied gently, taking his cup from him.
“Another? No? Tierone sent over Parlan and the man tackled what ye left undone
and be maintaining the ward. I heard from yonder this morning and he be making
good progress.”

“That’s a relief,” Ash responded, tone sincere. “I assume
Ashlynn told you that my magical core has been badly drained and I’m not to
lift a magical pinky for another two weeks?”

“She said a week, but aye.”

“You’re holding me to that, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a
question.

Riana gave him a serene smile, one that was sweet on the
surface and pure steel underneath.

“I thought so.” Ash didn’t seem surprised by this, only
resigned. “Hopefully the work will wait a week, then.”

“Oh, belike it will wait a mite longer than that.”

He blinked at her, not understanding that cryptic statement.
“How so?”

Rising from his bedside, she directed, “Wash up. I’ll fetch
dinner for ye. While ye eat, we’ll explain.”

“Have you been plotting? Without me?” Ash objected.

“Yer fault for sleeping,” she caroled at him, not the least
bit repentant. She nearly skipped out the door, calling to people as she went
that Ash was awake again.

In short order, the wizard was washed up, in clean clothes,
and a proper dinner was set in front of him. Riana had him settled near the balcony
doors so he could enjoy the breeze and he was not arguing about being ensconced
in his favorite armchair. Ashlynn and Broden were already entrenched in their
chairs, although both were working, each having their own reports to write or
review. Riana had not commented on the fact that Ashlynn chose to work here
instead of her office until her brother woke up.

Edvard came in with his own plate in hand, sitting in the
only other vacant chair, and pointed a stern finger at Ash. “No more
collapsing. You gave me heart failure.”

“Note how he acts like he played no part in this,” Ashlynn
said to the air, not looking at anyone in particular.

“I hear that, aye,” Broden rumbled with a dark look at
Edvard. It was enough to make the king flush. “A better topic to visit, me
thinks, be how to prevent this from happening again.”

Edvard latched onto this like it was a lifeline. “Quite so.
Ash, while you were sleeping, we’ve been discussing this and have decided that
our best bet is to go talk to your master.”

“Master Gerrard?” Ash sounded intrigued by this idea. “It
has occurred to me before, but it’s a dangerous trip, and it’ll take three
weeks. At least. If any of his students decide to move here and take up the
fight, maybe longer. Who do you propose to send?”

The whole room looked at him pointedly.

Ash nearly choked on his biscuit. Coughing, he pounded a
palm against his chest. Words strangled, he objected, “Me?”

“Give it two days for your strength to return,” Ashlynn
ticked off days on her fingers as she spoke, “then another day for journey
prep, and by the time that you reach the border you should be able to work
magic without much issue. But stay here, and you’re likely to fall back into
old patterns and overwork yourself again. Best you go.”

Shaking his head adamantly in denial, he corrected, “
You
need to go talk to Master Gerrard and convince him to send some of his students
here.”

Ashlynn blinked at him. “Me? Why me?”

“He likes you better,” Ash responded as if it were the most
obvious fact in the world.

“Nonsense.”

“I’m serious. He only smiles at you. I have to do the
equivalent of slaying a dragon just to get an approving nod from him. Hence,
you need to go talk to him.”

“Ash,” there was a note of forced patience in Ashlynn’s
voice, “Did you forget that I have a whole city to govern?”

“Those problems have surely died down now that the
settlement is started,” he protested.

“No, darling, the problems have not magically gone away. We
just have more places to put people now. If I don’t keep tabs on this city,
it’s like to tear itself apart. I can’t leave.” She stabbed a finger at his
chest. “You go.”

“Me?” he objected. “But he won’t be convinced by anything I
say!”

“Be charming.”

“Charming? Really? That’s what you’d advise?” Like a
petulant five year old he whined, “Ash
lynn
.”

“No. You have to go, Ash, there’s no one else that can. You
know him—”

“That’s rather half the problem—”

“Don’t be silly, he likes you fine, I don’t know where this
idea came from—”

Riana’s eyes darted back and forth between the two, feeling
as if she was starting to lose track of this verbal ball. They were going back
and forth so quickly that she couldn’t quite understand every word they were
saying, and was picking up as much from the tone and body language as anything
else. With each exchange, they were speaking more quickly, trying to get their
point across before the other interrupted.

“You’re only saying that because he dotes on you, Ashlynn,
the whole school knew it and—”

“He dotes on all of his students, you’re just not as good at
seeing past that gruff façade of—”

“Ah, no, that was not a façade, he’s blunt to the point of—”

“Blunt is not the same as—”

“I’m not arguing that, all I’m saying—”

“It’s fine—”

“—you’re not seriously thinking—”

Riana gave up on keeping up with the twins and leaned in
closer to murmur to Edvard, “Be you following this?”

“Just fine,” he assured her with a twinkle in his eye. “But
then, I’ve had decades of practice.”

“But—”

“No—”

“Is not—”

“You’re—”

“—easy for you—”

Riana completely gave up when the words started melting
together. She could swear they were speaking another language entirely.
Twin-speak, maybe.

After several minutes of this, the twins stopped cold and
just glared at each other. This standoff lasted a full ten seconds before Ash’s
shoulders slumped and he heaved a sigh heavy enough to dent the earth. “Fine. I’ll
go.”

Ashlynn beamed at him, completely confident that she had her
brother where she wanted him, and patted him lightly on the shoulder in a
consoling way. “You’ll do fine. He likes you. Truly.”

“Let’s hope you’re right,” he grumbled, mopping up the rest
of his gravy with his biscuit. “Otherwise finding other magicians to help us is
going to get a lot harder.”

Riana cleared her throat in a pointed way. “Afore we go off
wizard hunting, there be something else we need to do.”

Ash gave her the blankest stare she’d seen all month. “We
do?”

“Aye. We do.” Her mouth went into a flat, determined line.
“We need training, ye and I, about how to find each other. When ye went down, I
could no’ find ye. It scared me, Ash, that ye be down and I could no’ find
where ye were. Ye said once that if the bond be strong enough and we have
practice in it, that we can find each other by feel alone.”

“I did,” he agreed. He reached out and gripped her hand,
touch warm and reassuring. “I did, and that’s a very good point to make. Yes.
Before we go harrying off, we should certainly be able to find each other.”

A thought occurred and she asked uncertainly, “This will no’
take magic to do, will it?”

“No, none,” Ashlynn assured her. There was a contemplative
gleam in her eye as she looked at Broden. “But it is a very good notion to
explore.”

Broden was matching her look for look. “Lass. Seems to me
these two have the right of it.”

“Oh yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Let’s practice in this as
well. We’ll start somewhere safe and then go to a more complicated environment.
Ash, Riana, I suggest you do the same.”

“At the moment, the settlement area is the safest to do this
in,” Edvard offered. He had been quiet until that moment, letting the two
pairings work through things on their own. “Ash, I think that you can take a
week to recover and practice with Riana, get a good grounding on this, before
you need to leave. I’d rather not have one of you go down and become lost to
us. If there’s anyone that can be considered ‘indispensable’ then the four of
you qualify.” With a self-mocking smile—more of a grimace, really—he added,
“Even more than me some days. Now. I have things going apace and I need to
check on a few things before bed. Ash, no more collapsing and giving me
unwanted grey hairs. Ashlynn, learn from your brother’s bad example and don’t
do what he did. If I start overloading you with work, complain and charm your
way out of it.”