Breaking Stars (Book 2) (23 page)

Before she could let her mind analyze a thing more, he closed his eyes and touched his lips to hers, gently and without any feeling of obligation for her to reciprocate. As he pulled away, she could not bear to part with him, so she stretched up on her toes and met his lips again, not sure what to do with them but loving the connection. He worked them carefully with the impression he’d done this before, and she let him take the lead happily. It seemed to be only a moment before he pulled away, his eyes sparkling.

“I’ve missed out. You never told me.” She said breathlessly. He laughed giving his head a hopeless shake.

“Seems there are a lot of things I’ve never told you,” he said, securing his hands around her back comfortably. “I love you, Robyn, and I should have said it a long time ago.”

“I hope I did not force you to say so,” she replied and pulled his hand off her back to find the gold ring of hair still bound around his middle finger. “It was unladylike of me.”

“You were more courageous than I.” He brushed a hand over his neck and returned it to her back. “I should have—”

“No,” she countered softly. “Do not dwell on what could have been.” Questions came to her mind as she watched the firelight play off his blue eyes, and he held her gaze with a solid look as if expecting difficult dialogue. “I love you,” she began, “But I need to know the truth. I have no right to ask, but I need to know. Did—did you lie with the Arconians?”

Slowly, he smirked. “No,” he chuckled with a grin. “I’m impressed it took you this long to ask.”

Relief washed over her so physically it brought color to her cheeks, and she smiled. “I—I was so distraught with worry for you—and selfishly for me.”

He seemed to blush under the firelight and looked away, finally closing his eyes as he could find no solid place to set them. “You know,” he sighed and lifted the lids. “It has been a very long month since I had a massage.”

“You would,” she snickered. “I haven’t the oil.”

“Oh, but your brother did. He found me some.” He slipped from her embrace, and her hand lingered where his chest had been as he shuffled through a cabinet in his bedside table. He was even more appealing in the white trousers from this angle, and she tilted her head to observe with a rogue smile. It was hard to wipe off when he finally turned around. If he noticed, he paid no mind and found himself a comfortable space before the fire. He lowered himself to the ground and fell into the Parion rug with a sigh.

She was ready to perform and sat gracefully at his side. The oil was linseed, and she spread it over his golden skin to make it glow all the harder. She kneaded his flesh where the knots had developed around his shoulder blades and down his spine. His forearms would be as much a problem as the rest of him. He should never have gone more than two weeks without a massage, and when they lived together, he rarely went a few days.

“You will need to find someone who can massage you in Jaden.”

“There are many masseurs, but you know I only trust one.”

“You cannot travel here every week for one.”

“I certainly can. I have already discussed it with Lace. She will stay with me until further notice and assist in my sidestepping until I can find a better mode of transportation.”

“Is there one?”

His eyes were open, watching the flames flicker with his cheek against his folded hands. “There is,” he answered. “Could you press harder? I can hardly feel it.”

She did as he asked and pushed harder. “Can you feel that?”

He grimaced. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?” She raised a brow. He had never been good at lying, and she could usually tell when he dared. “What is this now?”

“Nothing, don’t worry.” He continued to stare at the fire with his ‘pondering’ expression.

“When I’m crowned, you’ll have to answer every question I pose.”

“Have I ever given you unclear answers?”

“What is wrong with your back?” She could not quite pinpoint what, but something about his skin and muscle was not the same.

He looked back at her. “Nerve damage. The Mages couldn’t heal me fully.”

She frowned. “Where?”

He drew two fingers down the small of his back where the corded muscle drew up to encase his spine. “I can feel here, and patches here and there. The rest is a mystery.”

She gritted her teeth. “You cannot be serious. Nolen did this?”

“On more than one occasion. Do not worry, the Mages healed me as best as they could.”

“Can no one mend you?”

“Anyone above a Class Eight, sure. Nerves are tricky things to mend.” He turned back to look at her properly, considering saying something else, but he sealed his lips and gave her sympathetic smile.
‘Don’t pity me,’
she decided.

“Any other lasting damage?” she asked as he put his head back in his hands.

“Knees crack when they bend now.”

“That’s because you’re getting old.”

“I most surely am not. I stopped aging at twenty; don’t be silly.”

Robyn chuckled, happy to hear him joke again. He had a sarcastic sense of humor, but it was something she rarely saw in the past years. She hoped with her safety, and the reuniting of his father, he would have reason to be gladdened and humorous. As she continued to work on his shoulders the fire gave a little jump and smoldered, cutting the light in half, and she realized she had put him to sleep.
‘Just like the best of days.’

She worked a little longer until he stirred, saw her to her door, and retired for the night. She bade the guard at her study door a pleasant night and stepped into the bedchamber to spend the first of many nights in the room that boarded Queens.

Chapter 23

While the palace slept, the Council debated. No one had expected to fail so badly in the battle that cost Casimir’s his life. While all knew the plans, no one fathomed the worst path would be the one taken. As Castle Jaden could not be without a Head Mage for more than a month per tradition, it fell to them to choose as soon as possible. They met in the Map Room, a whole party with Queen Challis who had been sidestepped from Viorica, and Dagan from Jaden. A vacant seat left where Councilwoman Selene should be, and Councilman Kieran’s seat was now filled by Cordis.

Lael sat and listened for most of the debate, still reeling from Casimir’s death. It had been planned for some time, and he knew Casimir expected to die, but it made the passing no less bitter. The man had sat the Seat for over thirty years, and Lael had served him for the better part of eleven, growing quite fond of the man. He saw Casimir as friend and father figure. Since they shared apartments separated only by an anteroom and worked together so often, Lael saw him every day and was thankful they got along so well. The job would have been a laborious effort otherwise. Casimir had his quirks. He had been known from time to time to lose his temper and partake of too many sips of spirits when the demons of his past surfaced, but if the man had been any more kind and sincere, Lael would likely had thought him faking.

Cordis had little to offer, for it was obvious where his allegiance lay for the new Head Mage, but Aisling brought up many valid points on uniting Anatoly and Jaden in stronger bonds with the prospect of a marriage. Challis joined their side from the beginning, her allegiances with the Class Ten boy well known. She retold the story of his selfless act once more, this time with more passion and a wetting of her eyes that she dramatically dabbed. The performance was spectacular as she reached out to Penny who had borne several children and knew the love of a mother. It was not long until the white-haired woman joined their side.

Adelaide knew when she was manipulated and would have nothing to do with it. She still leaned towards an older man who served in the library, and Galloway took her side; the two always in cahoots.
‘You two just like to argue the opposite side,’
Lael mused behind steepled hands. Lewis also took their side, saying he wanted to train Mage Gabriel in the infirmary and have him take over someday, suggesting there was still a Council Seat open.

“No,” Dagan argued, “the Class Ten could always find time to heal while as Head Mage.”

‘I suspected you would take the boy’s side as well,’
Lael thought.
‘I need to figure out my own loyalties.’

Lael did not know Gabriel well. He had met him many times in Castle Jaden years ago when he trained and would never forget his Classing.
‘Who was this boy everyone seemed to love so dearly?’
Aisling and Cordis had many wonderful attributes to pin to him, giving examples and stories of his bravery and valor, explaining his intelligence and skill, and adding that he was a Creator to match. Adelaide argued there was a chance he would be killed in the coming battles with Ryker Slade, and they would suffer another loss of a Head Mage. She moved to put Gabriel in the vacant Council Seat in the end.

Markus remained the most silent as he listened to the debates. The voting had to be majority in favor, but he and Lael still voiced no opinion. It would only take one person to push Mage Gabriel into the seat. After a while Lael was not sure if Markus was asleep with his eyes open or just very pensive.

As it was customary to give the Secondhand the last vote, Lael knew he would be the decider if Markus sided with Adelaide. It had been Casimir’s deepest wish to put a leader the Mages could look up to on the Head Mage Seat, and who couldn’t look up to a Class Ten?

The room grew very quiet, and some fidgeted while others glanced at Markus with expectant eyes. The Councilman continued to stare at a spot on the map as if he could burn it free. When Galloway cleared his throat, Markus waved a hand at him to silence him. “I know you are waiting on me,” he stated and fell back into silence. Challis opened her mouth to tell more of her daughter’s plight, and Markus silenced her with his eyes.

“The Mages need someone to respect,” he finally said with his deep tone that put everyone at ease. “A fresh face with an ability to pit himself against the Arch Mages is what we all need to give us confidence in a leader. My vote sits with Mage Gabriel, and may the stars strike me down if I have erred.”

A great relief came from team Gabriel, and Challis let out a gasp of delight. Adelaide gave a polite nod and smiled a touch. “He did look the part in that ivory coat this evening. I will give you that.”

“White is such an unflattering color, but I dare say it will fit that figure nicely,” Penny tittered, old enough to be his grandmother. Aisling chuckled and said he took after his father. Cordis agreed.

As the decision had been made without Lael, he was not forced to give a vote, but the more he listened to those who knew Mage Gabriel, the more he found himself at peace. According to the laws of Jaden, when one or more Council Seats were vacant during a Head Mage election, it fell on Mage Gabriel to find someone to fill the Seat once sworn into his new title. Lael saw everyone out of the Map Room and found his way back to his chambers. Kilkiny was a very proper palace, and the Council had select rooms always waiting should they stop by in travels. Lael had found his unchanged.

The hearth was almost dead, but he was able to gather energy from the coals to restart it and fill the rooms with heat. Despite the long evening, he laid awake for some time, wondering how the transition to Head Mage would be.
‘There would be so much the boy needed to learn in a short time, and I would need to return the Mages to Jaden as quickly as possible to keep them safe. Thankfully, we can sidestep now, and I could….’

He woke with the sun, unaware he ever fell asleep, feeling lethargic and stiff. At 35 years, he found that the long days of climbing steps in Jaden had made his muscles strong but his joints not as young as they used to be. It took him a moment to stretch before he rang the bell in the wall by his bed to summon a meal.

He dressed in a long gray coat with silver braiding up and down the breast around the double row of red buttons. The color of the Secondhand position was a deep gray, all colors and none to show no favoritism. Today would be a day to wear the color proudly. Running oil through his straight brown hair, he slicked it back against his head with a comb to give it a professional look.

A meal was set out for him when he emerged, and a fire was lit in his salon hearth, its energy brushing his senses like tantalizing fingers.
‘It must be wondrous to sense more than one Element,’
he thought, his mind still on Gabriel. Before he sat to take his meal, he stepped outside to hail a page standing in the hall and summoned Mage Gabriel to his quarters.

Lael sat back to finish his tea, and he reviewed the casualty and wounded reports from the battle. A page rapped on his door and announced Mage Gabriel.

The boy stepped in—no, Lael had to think of him as a man—dressed in a short blue coat banded in black that matched his trousers and boots. He looked calm with a tinge of nervousness behind his lips.

Lael stood. “You do not keep me wanting,” he smiled, easing the tension.

“Not a man of your standing,” Gabriel replied and took a seat as Lael motioned to it.

“You either dress quickly or were already awake.”

“I have not slept as soundly as I used to.”

Lael understood and gave a nod. He heard the rumors and stories but could not know for certain which were true or manufactured, but regardless, they were all less than pleasant, and any could keep him awake at night.

“Lady Aisling informed me you would like to know details about Arch Mage Ryker, and I will happily give you all I know.” Gabriel continued.

Lael nodded. “Very well, but that is not why I summoned you today.” Lael took the moment to pour the Mage a cup of tea. “Do you take anything in your tea?”

“Cream, please.”

“I am often surprised how many people take it black, and I have always preferred it a little creamy with a touch of sugar myself.” He finished the teas and handed one to Gabriel who set it on the arm of his chair and did not drink it. “I called you here for far better reasons. I know you have handled much this past month, and no man has suffered as you have in the histories. To live and die in a Castrofax—but I think no man will rise so high as you. The Council debated last night as to who will fill the vacant Seats left behind. We have selected you as Head Mage.”

Gabriel’s eyes had been fixed on Lael’s, and now the lids rose ever so slightly to reveal the circle of his corneas. In the silence of the room, the cup and saucer of Gabriel’s tea fell from his fingertips and clattered loudly on the rug. The sound woke him from whatever stupor he found himself in, and he jumped, throwing together a Water pattern to draw the tea out of the rug and put it back in the cup which he hurriedly snatched up.

“I—I don’t know what to say.”

Lael smiled, expecting as much. “
Yes
would be acceptable.”

Gabriel gave a nervous chuckle. “I am flattered, but I am no Head Mage.”

“It was Casimir’s wish that a man of your attributes and skills would take the Seat and to stand against the Arch Mages. The people need someone to trust to keep them safe. Someone to give them hope in this time of need. You have unparalleled strength and skills, an ability to create patterns, four years of protecting the greatest Anatolian asset to prove your leadership, and a demonstrated will to stand against great suffering. Your youth gives you vigor and will connect you with the young population. Your noble upbringing will give you the ability to relate to the older Mages.”

“But I am bastard born.”

“A Head Mage’s lineage has never been called into question, for a man cannot be blamed for his parents. Though in truth, you come from strong Mage lines. It will only give more validity to your position.”

“Do I have to accept presently?”

“By the end of the day would be acceptable. Jaden cannot be without a Head Mage.”

“Who else do you have in mind for the selection?”

“A few others but there is no one more fit.”

Gabriel’s fingers had been digging into the armrest, and as he realized it, he released his grip. “Is it because I am a Class Ten?”

“That is a great reason.” Lael sipped his tea. “You are not as pleased as I would have expected.”

“It is a daunting task—I should not take it lightly.”

Lael nodded with a cloy smile. “That is true. Know I will equip you with all the skills you need, and each Council Member will teach you everything they know. You will learn the workings of the castle, the skills of leadership, as well as new patterns and battle tactics. In two months’ time, we will have you fully equipped to lead a people.”

Gabriel nodded thoughtfully as he listened, looking at a spot on the rug. “Forgive me for not being more enthusiastic. I am truly flattered and enticed, but I worry that the things I have endured this past month will follow me the rest of my life. My body was not the only thing wounded,” he said and tapped his temple. “I have seen and done things so terrible they would break any faith the people have in me.”

“You have killed people, we know, but it was not you but your power. You cannot be blamed.”

“It was not just my power that has done unforgivable things.”

“I understand Mage Nolen tortured you. The events of this past month can be stricken from everyone’s knowledge but your own. The Council and I do not need to know what happened, and we will end any story or rumor we hear. Slander against a Head Mage is treason.”

“When would you want me to step in?”

Lael sighed. “Tradition states there should be a Head Mage within a month of the death of the previous. The people must be with a leader, especially in this time.”

Gabriel nodded, took a deep breath, and gave his answer.