The Bronze Mage (18 page)

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The following day was the wedding, but first there was an informal brunch with most of the same attendees as dinner the night before. Everyone was still dressed for show, but it was informal in the timing and the seating. There were a few hours when food would be available, which was convenient since Tabitha had slept past what would have been breakfast time at home. People could come in groups or alone, mingle, talk and eat.

Anya was too nervous to eat and Melanie was staying with her, so Tabitha arranged to eat with Carissa and Irene. They had been up late talking with Cameron and had also slept in. Tabitha had to resist the urge to crane her head around, hoping to catch sight of James. She forced herself to focus on the conversation. Her friends were nervous about tonight's dance.
 

Just before the trio reached the dining hall, Tabitha sensed James. He was arriving from a different direction. Maybe, with all the senior royalty currently elsewhere, he would sit with them. But when she thought he must be close enough to notice them, she began to feel his presence recede. Was she really sensing him? Or was it her imagination?

The wedding was beautiful. Cameron and Anya both looked splendid, but solemn. Tabitha reflected on how frightening it would be to marry someone you didn't know, just because of politics. She was grateful that she was unlikely to find out firsthand.

After the ceremony was the ball. With the help of Carissa's favorite dressmaker, Tabitha was looking forward to it. Her bronze dress with amber and blue beading made the most of her hair and eyes, and was tailored to look best while moving. Besides, Carissa had made William and Philip promise to dance with Tabitha any time they saw her sitting.
 

After Will claimed her for the first two dances and Philip followed with the third, Tabitha almost always had a Xentian partner. Evidently, she was now considered safe. Whether it was a result of the Westphalian princes' consideration or James's indifference, she did not know.

As near as she could tell, while trying not to look as if she were watching, James danced with a variety of young ladies, including Angeline Emerton. She wasn't certain how many he chose more than once, but her red-haired nemesis was in his arms at least three times. Tabitha also noted that he danced extremely well. He approached both Carissa and Irene for a turn about the floor, but he never even looked at Tabitha. At least he also kept his distance from Melanie. If he danced with her sister, Tabitha decided to start throwing things at him again. Covertly, of course.

The odd tug she felt from James made Tabitha slightly dizzy during the dances, as she and James were continually changing orientation with each other. Once, the pull was so strong that she lost her footing. As her partner graciously steadied her, she saw James pass within a yard of them. Still he made no notice of her. The tug lessened as he moved away.

By the time the evening was through, even Tabitha had satisfied her love of dancing. It was the one thing she had missed while in Westphal. They hardly ever danced there. Prince William escorted her back to her family's suite, in order to avoid the attentions of a young Xentian lady who was more persistent than appealing. Tabitha found she was glad of the gesture as she'd become light-headed with the sudden absence of the magical pull after James had left. Was this was another side effect of the spell's increasing strength?

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This time when she woke, Tabitha knew she was had been pulled deeper into the castle. She was still so tired, it felt like a dream. She was trying very hard to slow herself or stop, but without success. Finally the compulsion lessened, but not as much as before. With teeth gritted, she forced her legs to halt. There were no doors in the short hall they'd just entered. With some effort, she turned to face the guard, but found she could not move toward him.

"Your highness? Where are you going?"

She grimaced, then decided it would be helpful for him to know the truth, at least part of it. She trusted this guard.

"The spell on me...James said it might react without him knowing."

"He's calling you?" the guard growled. "Is it a compulsion spell?"

Tabitha nodded. She should have known the guard would guess the nature of the spell. He'd been defending Valstadt since before the coup. The pull was ebbing and flowing, making it hard to keep her balance. She steadied herself with an arm against the wall.

This elicited some low muttering from the guard that sounded like curses.

"I'm not averse to meeting with him," Tabitha admitted, "though I'd rather not be sneaking around in the middle of the night. Do you think he's doing this on purpose? Should I confront him?" While she spoke, she took an involuntary step backward.
 

"Highness, my only concern is your safety. I'd like to return you to your family. If he wants to speak with you, let him come there."

Tabitha agreed, but found the tide-pull of the magic was growing stronger. She turned so that she wouldn't be walking backward. "I'm going to need a hand."

The guard caught up to her. "Excuse me, highness." He stepped in front, blocking her way. Tabitha maneuvered around him, but he grabbed her arms and forced her to stop.

A panic began to build in her. She tried to break free, and tried not to. Tabitha recognized that the panic was from the spell, but still it grew. "This isn't working," she said. But it was, from the guard's perspective. He had stopped her. Tabitha struggled against him, trying to quell her fighting instincts. How could she explain to her father if they came back bruised? "You've got to let go. He'll drop it when he sees me. Please!"

Reluctantly the guard released her, then had to jog to keep up. Halfway down the next hallway, the compulsion faded again. Tabitha dragged herself to a stop and leaned against the wall, panting to catch her breath. In front of her was a stairwell. She could feel now that they were close. It would be so easy just to follow the pull.

After a few seconds she reached out to the guard. He started by offering his arm, but shortly placed his hand in the small of her back to push her along the way they'd come. Slowly, the pull began to lessen. They made better progress and soon she was moving entirely on her own. The guard was visibly relieved when they regained their suite.

As they re-entered, his partner, who had remained guarding the rest of the family, enquired after their foray.

Her guard growled in disgust, "Mage calls her in his sleep."

TWENTY-FIVE

Return to Westphal

The next morning Tabitha was awakened by her father.
 

"Why didn't you tell me what the spell was?" The guard must have reported to him.
 

"There was nothing you could do about it," she explained. "I didn't want you to worry."

''I would have kept you home. Kept him away from you."

"He's been keeping away from me without your help."

Her father paused, probably learning more from that statement than Tabitha had intended.
 

"He avoids you when he's awake, then calls you in his sleep. What does Melanie know?" King Rhys turned to face his oldest daughter who had come to lean against the doorframe.

''I know it's getting stronger."

He scowled. "How can that be? If anything, it should weaken over time."

Melanie explained about the affinity.

"Does Mage James know about this? Could it be intentional?" King Rhys asked.

Melanie shook her head. "The condition is so rare, there's no way he could have planned for it. As for being aware of it, it's hard to say. He's had little contact with Tabitha since he set the spell. He might have noticed when he was in Westphal, but perhaps it wasn't obvious at that time. He's hardly glanced her way since we've been here, but if he's seen her at all, he's noticed that something is going on. He won't be able to miss it when we take our leave and she's right in front of him."

"Is there any benefit or harm to him knowing?"

"No benefit unless he's willing to help lift it."

"He's not," Tabitha interjected. "We talked briefly last fall. That's when he told me what the spell was. He seemed unhappy about it growing stronger, but he refused to lift it. I asked."

Again her father studied her. Then he shook his head. "I'm not losing you to him again. Did he happen to mention the range of the spell?"

His words held an edge. Tabitha felt ashamed, though she wasn't certain why she should. It wasn't like she'd done anything against her father. She was just tired of all the useless fuss that discussions about James or his spell inevitably generated. It wasn't like she was secretly courting the man. How could she, when he didn't remember she existed?

"He said it had a range of a mile," she said.

"We'll send some of our guard with you the first five miles of your trip back to Westphal -- just in case Mage James decides to take a nap," her father decided. "Am I right in assuming you didn't bother to update Mage Edgar when you learned what the spell was?"

"I didn't think he'd believe me. All I have is James's word for it." That was partially true. She also wouldn't have told Mage Edgar the time of day unless he asked directly.
 

"Tell him anyway. One can hardly fault him for not trusting the man. I only believe because it fits the evidence."

Shortly after breakfast the sisters received word that King Langston was ready to return to Westphal.

Before they could leave the castle, they had to take their leave of the resident royalty. That included Cameron now, Tabitha reflected. In the main audience chamber the King and Queen of Xentia sat on their thrones. The newlyweds stood to the King's right. The seneschal, field marshal, court mage and a few nobility flanked the left side of the walk between the doorway and the newlyweds. Princesses Melanie and Tabitha would enter together, ignoring the reception line on the way in, so that they would first speak with the Queen, then the King, then each of the others in turn as they slowly made their way back out the door.

As they approached the entrance, Melanie switched sides, placing herself between the line of Xentians and her sister.

The sisters trailed the Westphalian royalty, allowing Cameron to say his goodbyes to his family first. Their own parents and brother wouldn't start the journey to Valstadt for a few more days. Tabitha's father wanted time to speak with his friend without the distraction of the wedding. Tabitha wondered if it was narcissistic to suspect James and she would be one of the topics discussed. She wished she could have stayed longer, found out what was going on, been part of the discussion about her own future. But in some ways she already had been. She had sought out her assistantship with the field marshal, agreed to a year in Westphal. She was actively planing a future without James in it. Her father assumed this was because she had sense enough to loathe the man, or he had until this morning. At least she had sense enough not to seek him out. Not to make a spectacle of herself and dishonor her family. That much she could manage. But it didn't stop her from wishing she could talk with him. That she would be face-to-face with him in a few minutes, but in such a public venue that real communication would be impossible, frustrated her. Still, even a small sign might be helpful. But what if she missed it?
 

Tabitha's anxious thoughts were interrupted by Melanie's whispered warning. "You need to relax. Look happy, if possible. People have been speculating about you and Cameron since the wedding was announced."

Her and Cameron? Tabitha unclenched her jaw, took a deep breath. She was happy for Cameron and Anya. She'd totally forgotten anyone might think otherwise. Setting aside her selfish concerns, she managed a sincere congratulations to the Queen and King of Xentia on their alliance and new heir.

Next was Cameron. Unexpectedly Tabitha found herself at a loss for words. After an awkward pause, she said, "You'll do well here, Cameron. I'm glad you're the one who chose to come. Someday you'll make a great king."
 

"You could do well here, too," Cameron replied, surprising Tabitha. "It would be nice to have a friend around."

"What would I do here?" Although she knew the answer, she could hardly believe Cameron would suggest it.

"Marry your mage, of course. A court mage is a good match, even for a princess. You would keep him out of trouble. We could still ride together. There's a whole new kingdom to explore."

"It hardly makes sense for me to marry someone else just so I can go riding with you." Too late, Tabitha realized that was probably the wrong response to make in front of his bride and new in-laws. She flushed. The king of Xentia was busy talking with his queen, but Anya's eyes flicked from Tabitha to Cameron and back before she refocused on her conversation with Melanie. "Besides, I think I'm the one with the least influence in that decision, Cameron."

Cameron studied her. "I wonder very much if that is true. In any case, I'm glad you stayed with us this last year Tabitha," unexpectedly he chuckled, "if just for the opportunities you gave me to harass the boys you sparred. It made training much more entertaining."
 

She laughed, too. "I'm always glad to oblige, your highness." She curtseyed slightly and smiled at him. Then they fell into an uncomfortable silence as they waited for Melanie and Anya to finish their goodbyes.

When it was her turn, Tabitha congratulated Anya and wished her happiness. Anya thanked her formally. Then Tabitha continued down the line, following Melanie, speaking to the seneschal and field marshal, growing more tense as she neared James. The effort required to resist the magical pull compounded the difficulty of appearing relaxed.

Then she stepped in front of him. He was as handsome as she'd remembered. His stern chiseled face, fierce silver eyes, lean muscular form. Forgetting to resist the pull, Tabitha stepped toward him and found herself frozen. Melanie came to full attention beside her.

His eyes blazed. "Don't return to Xentia. For any reason. Ever." James's voice was quiet but harsh.