The Sartious Mage (The Rhythm of Rivalry) (37 page)

Lisanda’s arms relaxed at her sides. “It certainly would. No thief could ever be on my father’s staff.” The anger seemed to drain from her face. “He never talked about his past. I see why now.”

Sannil was nodding. “I started to feed the poor child each night. It took some time for me to convince him he wasn’t a burden, that I wanted to help. But I made the mistake of admitting that I wanted to know more about him. What had happened to his family? Didn’t he have someone who could take him in? One simple question like this was all it took for him to leave for days. He would always come back eventually, pretending as if nothing had happened.”

“What did he tell you about me when you spoke to him?” Lisanda asked, now leaning forward. “Why did he tell Jek to take me?”

With deep pity, Sannil shook his head. “I didn’t speak to him. I didn’t have time to set up a meeting. It takes days. But I’m sure he thought it was the best thing to do in the situation.” Sannil shifted his glance between me and Lisanda. His hand went to his chin.

“If anyone here has knowledge about why he told Jek to take you, it’s probably you, Lisanda. Is there some reason why being taken from the palace might be good for you?”

“Yes, but…” Lisanda chewed on her lip as she gazed off into the trees. “What he did could be considered treason. If my father found out, Micah’s fate would be worse than Jek’s.”

“Then we should make sure the King doesn’t,” Sannil replied hastily.

Lisanda’s eyes lifted to me. I nodded, as did she.

“You can pretend you never heard this from us,” I told her. “For all you know, I surprised you both and took you by my own choice.”

“But if you’re caught, your punishment will be far more severe than admitting the truth about Micah helping you.” Lisanda’s face was twisted with worry. I figured she was torn from the conflict of who should receive the worst of her father’s anger, Micah or me.

“The moment I disobeyed the King, I accepted the risk. There’s no reason Micah needs to be punished for helping me.” Without giving Lisanda a chance to reply, I turned to Sannil and said, “But I still don’t know why he chose to help me.”

“I’m sure it’s because you’re my son.” Sannil took my shoulder in a firm grip. “He knows a lot about you from me, that you wouldn’t hurt anyone, that you’re suffering from this darkness.” Sannil let his hand down. “That’s why I knew that if I could get your note to him, he would make sure the trade of Lisanda for the cure was set up appropriately.”

Panic started rushing through me. “But you didn’t meet with him, you said?”

Sannil showed me a warm smile that quickly calmed my nerves. “No, but I left a note with Goreng. He’ll deliver it to Micah if he hasn’t already. Goreng and Giant were some of the people I visited in The Nest to prepare for our move. They were kind enough to lend me Bam—if you’ve ridden him before, you know how strong he is. You’ll ride him to the farm tomorrow morning. He can carry our wagon back along with you and Lisanda.”

My heart jumped, though I wasn’t sure if it was from excitement, anxiety, or both. “So it’s set? They’ll come by noon?”

Sannil gave a half shrug, holding his lips in a hesitant smile. “That’s what the note told them, and I know Micah Vail will do what he can to make sure that happens.”

I looked at Lisanda curiously, wondering what she thought of this. It finally was over. Was she relieved, worried, maybe even sad? She’d promised to stay with me until I had the cure, but it looked like the extra time wouldn’t be needed.

I couldn’t read her expression, which I found puzzling as usually her doll-like face was animated, a window to her mind. But her mouth was flat, her eyes unyielding.

Perhaps she was waiting patiently to hear what I said. Maybe she was just curious like me, wondering what I thought of this being over. I hadn’t even considered what my own expression confessed.

Kalli broke in. “That’s wonderful news!” She nearly jumped into me with a fierce hug. “I was so worried this wouldn’t work out.”

Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel the same relief as my sister. That old voice, the one that always told me I’d never be cured, was louder than ever. I didn’t understand it. Why was I feeling like disaster awaited?

“I spoke to Drent,” Sannil said. “Exo didn’t hurt him, though Drent knew Exo would’ve if he’d lied about the location of our farm. He was extremely apologetic.”

I could picture the massive bearded blacksmith so clearly, but when I tried to imagine him apologizing, I couldn’t see it. I’d never heard the man say he was sorry. It seemed against his nature. It was like trying to imagine a bear returning the food it stole with a lowered head.

“He also says business has slowed since you left,” Sannil added. “And you’re welcome back anytime.”

“I appreciate that,” I muttered to the ground, reluctant to bring up all the reasons that would stop me from working there again—the loss of my magic ability, not being allowed in the city, not wanting to deal with constant disappointment even if I was. That was a conversation that could wait.

“There’s something I can’t figure out.” Kalli’s eyes were absently locked to Bam. “This horse may be strong, but there’s no way he can pull the wagon with all of us and our stuff back to the farm.” She lifted her gaze to Sannil. “What’s your plan for that, Father?”

“You and I will be walking back later in the day. We should be there before nightfall.”

Kalli’s eyes narrowed. “But that means we won’t be there during this exchange.”

Sannil took her hand. “I know this is hard. It is for me, too. But it’s better if we’re not.”

My sister shook her head vigorously. “No—”

“Kalli,” Sannil interrupted before she could get any other words out. “I’ve thought about this, and it’s the safest option. The King will send guards,
many
of them. The only leverage Jek has is Lisanda. If we’re there, we’ll just be used as ransom. There’s nothing we can do to help. We’ll just get in the way, and that would put your life at risk as well as Jek’s. Do you understand?”

“I don’t like it,” Kalli replied quickly.

“I don’t, either,” Sannil said, looking to me with one eye. “But Jek can handle himself. He’s proven that.” Sannil turned to show me concerned eyes.

“Make sure you give yourself time to think before acting. I know you usually don’t choose the safest option if it doesn’t suit your needs, but in this case you should.”

His tone was masking what his stern expression revealed—I should consider myself lucky to return Lisanda without punishment, even if I didn’t get the cure.

I nodded to show my understanding. I knew he was right.

Chapter 30: Prepare

The four of us used the rest of the daylight to prepare for the next day. Sannil made sure I memorized Bam’s ridiculous code:
Your eyes hold the beauty of the sun, and your legs match its power.
I still wondered how Goreng could train a horse with such a complex line.

Sannil told me, about a hundred times, to be “cautious and careful,” adding every so often that I should do whatever the King wanted unless I was told to come back to the palace with him.

My father made it obvious that he hoped Micah Vail would be there and told me to be extra cautious if he wasn’t. We devised plans for every scenario he and Kalli could think up—archers in the trees, mages disguised as swordsmen, a surge of horsemen bursting in from behind the hills. All of it seemed rather absurd, but I indulged them with my answers.

Lisanda joined in with her own feedback here and there, divulging information about guards’ behavior or what her father would do in certain situations. She was probably the most helpful. I felt slightly more confident each time I remembered she would be there with me.

With my attention focused on tomorrow’s meeting, it was easier to ignore the tantalizing urges to take hold of Lisanda’s hand or put my arm around her. But in brief moments when we touched, it would come back so quickly it made me feel as if I’d been struck by lightning.

She’d brush against my arm while sinking onto the log next to me, and jitters would shoot from my hand to my shoulder. She’d bump her leg against mine while adjusting the way she was seated, and a tingle would wash over my body. She’d sneeze and I’d feel the rustle of her hair on my shoulder, producing insane thoughts like a sneeze was a worthy excuse for me to hold her tightly and ask if she was alright.

Luckily, I was able to fight it.

It was her eyes that were the hardest to ignore. I could feel them on me whenever they lingered, hot as the sun but chilling as a gust of wind. The worst was when they met my own eyes. It felt as if my heart was drifting out of my body. Then each time our eyes parted, my heart would flutter back into place, aching as if bruised.

When she put her hand on my shoulder to push herself up, a gush of heat ran through my body like a river of lava. Although her touch lasted no longer than a breath, it left my heart dancing wildly.

Clearly she didn’t need to use my shoulder to stand, and whenever that thought came back to me in the hours that followed, the same heat would rush through my body and leave my heart jumping. Music had been the only other thing to make my body storm with emotion like that. I had no idea that a single touch from someone could contain the entire strength of a song.

Sannil had trouble keeping his head up when we eventually got to talking about the men from Waywen who’d taken us to their lair with the desmarls.

“I’m sorry,” Sannil cut us off eventually. “I didn’t sleep last night. I’m afraid I must lie down.”

“Of course.” Kalli helped him up from the log, not that he needed it. “It’s late, anyway. I’ll tell you more tomorrow after they leave in the morning.”

Lisanda and I stood and stretched, knowing it was time. Sannil leaned his large frame downward to embrace me. “Be cautious and careful tomorrow, Jek.”

I laughed slightly, as it was now the hundred and first time he’d told me. “I will.”

I noticed Lisanda and Kalli glancing at each other awkwardly, each pretending they weren’t doing it. I interrupted by stepping toward my sister to hug her.

“I’ll see you at the farm tomorrow night,” I reassured her.

I expected her to say something that would make me laugh, but instead she just swallowed hard and said nothing, holding me firmly.

Lisanda shook Sannil’s hand, and he thanked her for her cooperation with all this. She nodded gracefully. Then Lisanda turned to Kalli, and they shared the longest hug of the four of us.

“I was wrong about you.” Kalli spoke with a soft, apologetic tone.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to hear you play the lute.” Lisanda stepped back and glanced up at Kalli with a polite smile. “Jek says you’re very good.”

“I am,” Kalli replied with an exaggerated lift of her nose.

Lisanda and I laughed.

My father and sister headed toward the cluster of trees with our belongings, where only the two of them could fit. It left Lisanda and me alone.

I had asked Kalli earlier to sleep beside Sannil. She’d rolled her eyes at me but smiled. It was clear by then that Lisanda wasn’t just using my affection, and I think Kalli had realized it. Sannil seemed too tired and overwhelmed with other worries to even think about it.

The light of the fire gave Lisanda’s face a dim glow, yet her eyes were as dark as her hair. It felt hypnotizing to gaze into them, staring deeply while I searched for color among the black. I found a hint of brown as she looked back at me. I couldn’t pull away. It was like watching the stars take shape in the sky.

Lisanda ripped her eyes away from me and put her palm against my stomach, walking past me toward the fire and turning me with her. “We should put this out.” She knelt to pick up a water pouch nearby.

I drew my wand and gathered Sartious Energy. I formed a thin cover over the fire that I carefully sank into place. The fire muffled against it, causing a crackling yellow to dance beneath the emerald green cover. It reminded me of the sparks I’d see watching Drent hold metal against his spinning stone wheel. Soon, the fire sputtered out, and I let the SE break into dust.

Lisanda turned to me with a wry smile. “Show off.” She held up the water pouch to me. “Since we have plenty of water, help me wash my hands and face.”

I poured a thin stream of water from the pouch so she could rub the dirt from her hands. When she was satisfied, she cupped them together to splash water on her face. She was so thorough rubbing and rinsing each part of her face that if I’d been eager for sleep I would’ve been annoyed. But it was quite the opposite. I knew what nightmares awaited.

Instead, I chose to enjoy the moment. I pushed Bastial Energy through my wand with my other hand so I could see her face. Her wet skin glistened in the light, and strands of her black hair clung to the sides of her face, framing it like a beautiful portrait.

“I don’t need the light,” Lisanda told me eventually. “You can save your energy.”

Unable to think of an excuse, I let it out, leaving only the light of the moon. When Lisanda was finished, she took my arm in hers and we stumbled toward where we thought the other cluster of trees were.

“Now we need some light,” Lisanda said with a faint laugh. I pushed more energy through my wand, taking the opportunity to look at her face one again. She had a shy smile when she turned to me.