Lost Magic (The Swift Codex Book 3) (30 page)

“This is not something that I would like you to talk to other people about?” I couldn't decide if I should make it sound as a question or a command.

“I wouldn't dream of it. Particularly after owing you my life. I never did say thank you. So, thank you, Lady Feraline.” Valerin took my hand and kissed the knuckles.

Flustered, I looked away and said, “I'm engaged, Valerin.”

“But not mated. Until then, it wouldn't hurt your fire drake to have competition to resolve his interest in you one way or the other.”

Shocked, I pulled my hand free. “What?”

“I respect that he is your primary interest, but I do wonder at how he postpones matters.”

I huffed. “Maybe it is me postponing matters.”

“I had that thought as well. In that case, why? Is there cause for concern? I'd consider the reason well if I were in your position.”

“I wasn't raised drake. I don't move fast.”

Valerin held up his hand to keep me from getting upset. “I did not mean to insult you. But from your reaction, I must be the only other contender for your affections?”

My mouth dropped and I gaped, trying to find words. “It's all very sudden.”

Valerin rubbed his hands together, looking sheepishly down at them. “I've been thinking about you since we first met at Merlyn's Market. You made quite the impression. Mordon Meadows must expect competition at some point. You will find that we drakes often do not even know one another prior to a mating flight, choosing to make those lengthy instead. And you do make a graceful drake on the wing, milady.”

Words stuck in my throat at the compliment. I scrambled to say something, anything at all.

“I mentioned you in the letter. And Julius Septimus.” What made me say that, I didn't know, but it made Valerin lift his head in a hurry.

“Did you? That will be an indicator of how serious he is.”

An annoyed groan broke from my throat. “Tell me this is not going to become a testosterone competition.”

“I never thought I would be going neck to neck with the heir to Kragdomen.” Valerin looked very pleased with himself. “Particularly not for a mate.”

“That's because you're not.” I glanced at a thriving lavender bush growing in a ceramic pot by the doorway, wishing I could escape this conversation.

Valerin stood up and offered his hand. “Would you like a tour of the Settlement?”

“Sure.” Anything was better than having this conversation, but I did not take his hand when I rose to my feet.

The floor felt strange and slippery beneath my feet. These small slippers were little better than a layer of fabric, really just an ornamental way to be barefoot. We passed under the arch of the door, went by a series of potted lavenders, and were out in the open. The slight chill of the evening made me shiver as we walked along the hard, polished paths of Selestiani. A compromise between vegetative paradise and marbled civilization, that's what this place made me think of. A place where the wild and humanity had agreed to coexist.

It was dusk, and a very stunning sunset at that, when we walked around the quiet streets of the Settlement with its tantalizing scents of cooking in the air. A rumbling stomach prompted us to venture into the nightlife, an out-of-doors tavern with sage-scented tiki torches and a pitcher of sweet mead. Dinner was roast beef served with a rice pilaf and buttered white rice rolls.

“Have you never had mead before?”

I shook my head, wondering how a pint of mead could make me this dizzy when I was accustomed to Barnes' brandy. And they say that alcohol is alcohol, hard or soft, it doesn't matter. Bullshit.

Valerin laughed. “What about cider? You'd enjoy a nice perry, I'm thinking.”

I knew I was already buzzing. Another drink and I'd really be drunk. “Nah, I've had enough. But what is a perry?”

“Pear cider.”

“As compared with...?”

“Apple is the traditional fruit. Here, we'll do the samples, those should be small enough.”

People had been listening in to our conversation, and as soon as Valerin had gone to get the samples, an inquisitive woman scooted closer and started asking the usual questions. Who I was, where I was from, what I thought of Selestiani so far. Josephina seemed to be a taboo topic, for which I was grateful. And then came the sly wink.

“You're a beautiful woman, well-spoken. Valerin is a very good young man.”

“I'm sure he is,” I said, “but I'm engaged.”

The woman squeezed her husband's hand. “So was I, when I met Gereint.”

“Umm.” I didn't know what else to say.

“Trust me. The two biggest decisions you make in your life are what you do, and who you marry.” Then she went back to eating with her husband as if she hadn't made me feel like I was a cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater.

If there was one thing Valerin was good at, it was sensing when I was uncomfortable and then putting me at ease. I didn't know how he did it. It was like magic, only without using any actual magic. Not even Mordon could play me like that. No one I'd ever met before had this way of getting me to try what I wasn't sure about. It was sort of liberating and I wished I didn't like it.

By the end of the night, I'd had both the apple and pear ciders and tried a bit of a heather-lavender ale which I didn't care for. In a bit of a haze, Valerin had shown me the sights by moonlight: the market where people traded with other settlements during the day, the Japanese gardens with their manicured sand and boulder arrangement, the ponds with koi, and finally a lookout point with its canopied bench.

“We're in the clouds!” I couldn't stop staring at the landscape below. Selestiani was located just above a tall mountain range, overlooking a massive lake and woodlands. The idea occurred to me that we might be within the confines of the Wildwoods, but unless I went into the woods themselves I couldn't know for certain.

“They thought it was the safest place against uninvited guests. And so it has proven to be,” Valerin said.

“The clouds are a million little mirrors reflecting back all the things they see, so always remember that they're watching everything you do. Nobody is privacy.”

Valerin grinned. “Nobody is privacy. I'm going to remember to ask you what you meant when you're sober.”

“Pssh. Don't bother. I don't know what I mean now.” I rubbed my eyes, blinking hard. “I think I had enough water that I won't have a hangover tomorrow.”

“You'll be fine.” Valerin ran his knuckles over the curve of my shoulder. “What do you think of Selestiani?”

“Charming, from what I've seen, which isn't much.”

He laughed. “There isn't much to see.”

Why hadn't I noticed that he had put an arm over my shoulder? But I was too drunk to try to shrug it off. We sat in quiet for a minute, just taking in the stars reflecting off the lake.

Something about my conversation with Julius was bothering me. He'd been light-lipped. Not that I blamed him, but perhaps I might get another perspective from another member of the settlement. I turned to Valerin.

“I want to ask you about something.”

“I will answer,” Valerin said.

“The day in the market I was returning from the library. I had a book which claims to be from before the Veil fell. Do you know anything about it?”

Valerin thought for a moment. “I know nothing of the book, but I have heard rumors of there being one in existence. What do you know of the Veil?”

“Practically nothing.”

“At one time, non-sorcerers, sorcerers, and Creatures all coexisted. From what Julius and others say it was not a consistently peaceful era. There were family feuds and wars and tragedies, but life went on. An era rose where three particularly powerful people were in direct contest with one another. One was a drake, Caledin of the Dinnune Wair, whose mate had been murdered by men seeking glory with their swords. None could have predicted Caledin's wrath, nor that he would conquer so quickly or ruthlessly. Even the dragons grew to fear his warpath.

“In opposition to him was the king the men had served, Balise Cardan. He believed his men had conquered a menace, and perhaps there was an element of truth in the claim. Drakes at that time were sizable in number and quick to lay claim to the produce and cattle men raised. The rumor of stealing maidens may be true, but Julius is less than certain. Drake males of that time, according to dragons, were interested in obtaining the best female drakes. Human women were beneath all except the lovestruck outcasts, because they were considered to dilute the bloodline and weaken offspring. At any rate, humans and drakes coexisted very poorly at the outset.

“The third person in this tale was a phoenix, however the First Order will not say who it was. He decided that the petty squabbling between the races must end. He would bring peace through a unified government.”

“I imagine that did not go over well?”

“For those under his control, life was rather comfortable—provided that they obeyed his dictates.”

I snorted. “It sounds like the Roman Empire.”

“It does, does it not?” Valerin gave me a toothy grin.

“Was it Rome?”

“If it was, it would mandate puppet leaders and a variety of other conspiracies. May I continue?”

“Please.”

“There was a long, drawn out battle between all three leaders. The largest army won, the phoenix's, and he was determined to force cooperation. However, the rest of the First Order abandoned him. They joined the cause of a young human, Aethel the Sorceress, and her pledged mate Mordren, son and champion of Caledin of the Dinnune Wair. Fearing that the oppression of the phoenix would end the magical existence, as a way to soothe the tensions between people, Aethel proposed to create a divide between the world of man and all those things he so feared. They would hide in pockets throughout the world, avoid humans, and not draw attention to themselves. With the First Order, she created a list of spell families which were to be allowed, which ones were risky, and which ones were forbidden to perform.”

I stroked my chin, realized what I was doing, and stopped abruptly. “It sounds like the White, Gray, and Black Magic Lists today.”

“It is the forefather of that list, yes. There was a fourth list, one of spells far too powerful, with too many consequences to go unnoticed for long. The First Order, Aethel, and Mordren knew people would be tempted to use these spells so long as they were in existence.”

“The Unwrittens.”

“Yes. Not all of them are destructive in the manner we think of it. Some created miracles, but even miracles could be misconstrued and ill used. Miracles as well as disasters would draw attention to the presence of the things that Aethel wanted the world to forget. So it came to pass that the best was lost with the worst.”

I considered what he said.

“Do you know where I can learn more?”

“If you want, you may speak to Julius, but do not expect for him to say more than I already have. He is typically reserved on this topic.”

Reserved was a very light way to put it, considering how beneficial it had been to ask Valerin the same question I'd asked Julius.

“Wolds, can I tell you my story?”

“I would enjoy nothing more.”

I believed him. So I reclined, letting my feet draw slow circles in the air. “Josephina appeared into my shop after it was locked down. She was in labor, and I helped her. She made me promise to keep her safe from Cole and the one he serves, the Immortal. And that I would return her to Julius Septimus. I agreed.”

“I hoped that was the case, when she did not return,” Valerin said.

“Ah, but then something strange happened. Something that I did not want to talk about. Until you mentioned the word phoenix.”

Valerin's mouth opened in shock. “She didn't tell you she was a phoenix.”