The Bronze Mage (7 page)

They stayed on the path, which allowed James to talk freely, since he didn't need to mind either their location or the terrain. It was the most she'd remembered him talking in their short acquaintance. He told her about growing up in the Xentian court, with all its intrigues. As a handsome boy with an innocent face, he'd maneuvered himself onto the receiving end of a great many confidences. Even then, James had been unscrupulous. His smooth re-telling faltered occasionally, as if he were only now realizing what impact his actions might have had on the other characters in the stories, but he never excused or defended his behavior. He didn't seem to be bragging about it either. It was as if he was telling the stories to himself as much as to her, really hearing them for the first time somehow. Tabitha wondered what had happened to these people. Some of the names were familiar, but she couldn't place them. Her Xentian tutor would have been very disappointed...though probably not surprised.

When they finally stopped to rest, the sun had moved far from its apex. Tabitha was exhausted and rueing her self-imposed fast. She wondered at James's loquacity. Whatever its cause, it had passed. He was reticent as he settled himself too close to the place she had taken on a fallen log. Tabitha stubbornly resisted the urge to scoot away.

After a few minutes, she broke the silence. Looking directly at him, she asked, "Why would you do such things? You don't sound proud of them."

James gazed silently at the ground long enough that Tabitha assumed he was once again ignoring an unwelcome question. She couldn't read emotion on his face and became distracted by black lashes and the strong lines of his nose and jaw. She searched his profile for some way to reconcile what even he admitted he was with how he treated her. He wasn't exactly trustworthy or kind, but he seemed far more restrained than Nurse had described. Gentler and more genuine than he described himself. It had taken him five days to lose his temper with her. She doubted her father or brother would have lasted two. Was it all a sham? Then why tell her these stories? Lost in thought, she forgot that she was still staring at him.

His eventual answer sounded like the beginning of another story. "When I was young, I often charmed myself out of trouble. At the Mage school, and later the college, I was indulged because my gift was so rare. Too soon I had learned enough to be beyond discipline and I was not wise enough to seek it when it could not be forced on me." After another long silence, James concluded. "I used to be proud of the stories. By the time I learned to hate what I had become, it was too late to change my path."

His last statement caught Tabitha's attention. Her eyes narrowed as she accused, "So you attacked Valstadt when you didn't want to? Why not just walk away? Disappear?"

James turned, his silver eyes capturing hers. "That is one decision I do not regret."

Tabitha's breath caught. She was intensely aware of his proximity, the remote setting, the power he wielded. "Even though you ended as a garden statue?" She flushed in embarrassment as her voice broke.

"Because I ended as a statue."

 
Tabitha's heart beat loudly in her ears, reminding her to breathe. She tore her gaze away, staring hard at the ground.

James regarded her a moment longer, then his gaze wandered as he continued. "I had twenty-eight years to consider what I'd become and who I wanted to be. I wasn't always in the garden. Until shortly after Melanie was born I was in the courtyard. I listened and watched as your father reunited his kingdom, arranged a marriage with a stranger, had children. I heard people talking about their respect for him, your parents' love for each other, your father's skill at choosing honorable men to serve under him.
 
It's humbling to admit that the enemy you've despised is living the life you desire. It took a long time for me to figure out what exactly I wanted and what it would take to acquire it, and nearly as long again to find the courage to try." Immediately he stood, saying, "It's time to head back."

During their silent return to the cabin, Tabitha wished she could ask again why he had kidnapped her. His story sounded sincere, except for that one huge discrepancy. Instead she focused on keeping her weary feet moving forward. She also paid careful attention to the path and realized something she hadn't on the way out. There wasn't a single turning or branch in the path. Nor was there any sign of other habitation. More questions she hadn't the heart to ask plagued her: Where did the servants live? Where had James gone to reclaim his property? How deep into which forest were they?

NINE

Agreement

The next morning Tabitha woke to find James seated on the edge of her bed.

"Good morning," he said.

She nodded, surprised. She was feeling braver and more optimistic than yesterday, but not enough to try to eject him from his seat. She would have liked to pull the covers up to her chin, but couldn't with him sitting on them.

"We need to talk."

"Here? Now?"

"Yes. This way I have your full attention and you don't have time to scheme." He was smiling slightly, evidently amused by her discomfort. Tabitha wanted to argue, but didn't see the point. He never let her win.

"For the next three days," he continued, "you will be my guest. We will talk and act as if we were friends. On the fourth day, you may go home."

"Kind of like when I gave you my parole? No, thanks."

"This isn't a suggestion. I don't actually need you to agree." His casual smile irritated her. He was definitely taunting her.

Tabitha glared at him a moment, then thought of something. "I can go home in four days?"

"You may." His smile broadened. Maybe she had misjudged him. He was beginning to remind her of her brother when he was telling her and Melanie about a surprise their parents had planned.

"Whether or not I choose to play along?" she clarified.

"Since I'm prepared to guarantee that you will 'play along', your choosing is irrelevant to me."

Hmmm, Tabitha thought. She could have done without the threat. Aloud, she asked, "So the only thing I'm choosing is whether I spend the next three days as me or as a puppet?"

"Yes."

"Okay." She smiled hesitantly, afraid to believe what she'd just heard.

James' smile tightened. He nodded and left the room.

###

Breakfast was awkward. After several days of acting decidedly unfriendly, and her conspicuous defeat yesterday afternoon, Tabitha found it difficult to display the amount of courtesy she would have shown a true host, but she made an effort. Although she didn't really trust that James would release her, she didn't think he would leave a preference spell on her for three days either. The way he used them, it seemed they were as distasteful to him as to her. Still, on the off-chance that he would keep his word, or make good his threat, it seemed better to be friendly.

The servants weren't helping matters. They obviously assumed James had cowed her yesterday. Well, he had, but they thought she was still cowed today. He didn't disillusion them by explaining there was a carrot as well as a stick involved. The maid kept giving Tabitha looks that said, "I knew you wouldn't last." The manservant just looked pityingly at her. She kept reminding herself that she'd won -- he'd agreed to send her home. But she wondered if he'd just given her the right excuse to give in. He'd lied to her before. He hadn't even promised not to lie again. He'd just promised to keep her safe. If that entailed deceiving her so that she would eat, he'd probably have no compunction against that.

Despite her misgivings, Tabitha found it had been harder to stay mad at James than it was to get along with him. He actually could be charming when he chose. He was certainly autocratic, but growing up as the youngest in a royal family, she was used to being bossed around. That made it too easy to forgive him. Still, the circumstances were strange. She had never been alone with any man other than a guard, her father or her brother. She wasn't allowed to befriend the guards, and there was nothing fatherly or brotherly about James. She wasn't even convinced he had a clear understanding of "friendly." His treatment of her seemed more like courtship. She had to stay alert.
 

That evening James shocked her by wishing her goodnight from his seat by the fireplace. Tabitha went to bed with a clear head for the first time in two weeks. (The night after she'd tried digging out didn't count since she'd been too exhausted to think straight.) Sleep eluded her. She might be going home in a few days! Or he might change his mind again. If he did, she would have to figure out some way to escape. Tunneling might get her under the boundary, if she had enough time. It might also get her buried alive. And where would she go after? Not down the only path. It took too long to get anywhere. Valstadt was almost certainly south, but it would be hard to keep her path straight in this forest. If James didn't release her, then the next time he left she'd have to try, but she had little hope of success. And she'd only have one chance. If he caught her, he'd never leave her alone and conscious again.

To distract herself from useless worry, Tabitha listened for the night noises of the forest. She was surprised by the stillness of it. The nights they had slept outside traveling here had been full of crickets, owls and other animal sounds. The only sound she could hear now was James's snoring. It wasn't loud, but it amused her. She'd never been awake while he was asleep before. If she did go home, she'd probably never see him again. Shouldn't she feel relief at that thought? Tabitha wondered what the gardener would do with the spot where his statue had stood all those years. Thinking about the gardens, her siblings and other things of home, her mind finally wandered off into sleep.
 

Like when she'd slept outside, her dreams crowded together, but when she awoke she couldn't remember any of them.

There were fresh-cut lilacs on the breakfast table. This was particularly surprising since not only had Tabitha never noticed lilac bushes in the yard (and she certainly would have with the amount of time she'd spent inspecting every inch of it), but it was late summer and they shouldn't have been blooming. They were obviously from James.

After breakfast, instead of retiring to his study as he usually had, he suggested they move up their walk. They headed through the woods in a new direction, but still ended up where the stream emerged from it's underground journey. They sat on a fallen tree trunk nearby, enjoying the sound of the water.

"What are you going to do after I leave?" Tabitha asked.

"King Fenril was never one of my allies. Actually, he was one of your father's, which is why his father kept him out of our schemes for conquering Valstadt. But he always struck me as a practical man. I suspect that once you're safely home I could claim the role of court mage."

"Oh! You have ambition. I would have thought you'd want to remain inconspicuous for a while. Maybe a decade or two."

"As you might recall, I was extremely inconspicuous the last few decades."

"I don't think you get credit for that. It's not like you chose to become a statue. Don't you think people will be nervous having you around? You haven't exactly shown yourself to be reformed."

"Kings often find it useful to have people fear their mages. It discourages intrigue."

"Valstadt's court mage is respected, but I don't think anyone's afraid of him. Besides, what if you make King Fenril nervous? He has a daughter too and may not like the cavalier way with which you run off with princesses."

"You mentioned her before. How old is she?"

"Two years older than me."

"Is she pretty?"

Tabitha glared at him.

"Oh, don't worry! I wouldn't kidnap my own king's daughter. Is she pretty?"

Still glaring, Tabitha answered. "I've heard she's exceptionally beautiful."

"And King Fenril's only child? So whoever marries her gets a bride and a crown." James's eyes lit speculatively. Tabitha was furious.

"I can't believe you. You try for one crown, get turned into a statue for twenty-some-odd years and within weeks of breaking the spell you're scheming for another one."

James laughed softly. "Don't worry. I'm sure she's not half as interesting as you."

Tabitha's jaw dropped. It took her a few moments to construct a response. "I'm not jealous! You can't possibly think...Just because...You'd start a civil war. Destroy the alliance between Valstadt and Xentia. People wouldn't accept you as king. They'd never believe that King Fenril would give his daughter to you willingly."

"Yes, and I suppose Valstadt would take exception to me carrying off their princess for a few weeks, then returning her so I could marry another."

Tabitha's face felt like it was on fire. She stood up and brushed the dirt from her skirt. "This isn't about me. I'm not one of your jilted lovers. If you can win the heart of Anya and her father's approval, then you'll get your throne. Only you'd better make sure everyone believes you did it honorably if you want to avoid war." She turned and stalked back in the direction they had come.

Within a few steps James had caught up to her.

"I'm sorry. We're supposed to be acting like friends. I guess you're not used to getting teased."

"Teased?" Tabitha stopped to re-evaluate the conversation. She shook her head. "I have two older siblings. I am very used to it." Not certain if she was allowed to point out that they weren't actually friends, she was at a loss to explain why what he said couldn't count as teasing.

James took her hand and linked her arm through his, patting her fingers reassuringly. "No more teasing. Not yet."

He turned and led her farther into the woods. Tabitha was amazed by how lost she was in this forest. Normally it didn't take her long to get her bearings in new terrain, but somehow landmarks never seemed to appear where she expected them here. As they walked, he talked more about the court at Xentia, the people he used to know and how he expected them to react to his return. Then he asked her about the kind of reception she expected. He seemed very concerned about her father's reaction, which amused Tabitha a bit. She wasn't worried about his reaction to her return, but rather his current state of mind. He had to be beside himself. She hoped he hadn't said anything to King Fenril that would cause permanent harm to their alliance...or friendship.