Page 76 of Of Glass and of Gold

Normally I wouldn’t approve of a man telling women how to live, but in this case, I found myself agreeing. If magic wielders were being hunted, and Alaina possessed something rare, not even to mention Evenita being one of the most notorious types of witches, this town was the last place they should be.

I shuddered and leaned into Chol’s frame. He held firm, unflinching.

“We’ll find who’s responsible.” I shouldn’t have said it. It was a promise I knew I couldn’t make, but my guilt and desire to put an end to it all rose to the surface before I had a chance to reconsider my words.

Evenita turned, somehow still holding a pleasant smile. “I know you will.”

Her words struck me as if they held the power of lightning.

“Huh, would you look at that. Not a cloud in the sky.” She craned her neck back, surveying the starry-dotted darkness above. Those familiar sounding words rang in my head until her knowing gaze landed on me, and I found silent encouragement dancing in her eyes.

‘You can see it clearly from between the two stalls that sell furs, especially on a cloudless night.’

I stiffened, finally peeling myself from Chol’s supportive chest. I whirled to face him. “We need to go. Now.”

37

Nicholas

We barely uttered goodbyes to her friends in our frantic haste.

Ella navigated the dark streets with ease. Without knowing her direction or intent, all I could do was monitor the sleeping town around us, watching for signs of trouble.

Ella prowled with an equal amount of awareness, convincing me my role was wasted. Perhaps if there were guardsmen on nightly patrol routes, I could prove more useful, but through careful curation, I’d removed them as an obstacle.

I had no doubts, patrols or not, she would manage just fine.

Who the hell was this woman cloaked in night? When all this came to an end, I might seriously offer her a position in my guard. She put most of my men to shame.

I contemplated how much of a hit the treasury could afford to take, knowing it would require a gluttonous sum to convince her. She had no qualms expressing her disdain for the Crown, or specifically me for that matter. Whatever it would cost, I knew she’d be worth more.

The moon cast a silver lining over the grounds of the deserted market square, but we kept to the shadows along the edges of buildings until we crouched between two stalls. In the cramped space, my knees barely had room to bend without knocking into hers. “As lovely as it is to watch you work, you could fill me in anytime, you know,” I whispered, but she shushed me with a fierce hiss.

Alright then.

She targeted the stage at the top of the square, so I fixed my gaze toward it as well. We did our best to conceal the huffing our lungs begged for, since we’d essentially battled an incline from the pier, winding between homes and alleys without breaking our speed. The moisture in the air did nothing to reduce my growing perspiration.

During the silence, with only the dull roar of the occasional wind sifting through the town, I took stock of the information I’d gained tonight. Powerful magic, long since thought extinct from this land, walked these very streets.

In fear, no less.

This was the state my kingdom existed in. Come dawn, I would set out new orders. Any bodies found or detained from confrontations would be protected. No burning unidentified persons, no jailing the elderly after life-threatening injuries. It felt like control under my reign was slipping from me day by day, and those who wished harm upon my people were prospering.

I’d found myself reaching out to Ella, using her to anchor me when that raging guilt punched through me. Literally, by resting my hand on her hip.

Her heart and vigor for doing the right thing were awe-inspiring. Someone who cares that deeply also feels deeply. I made a silent promise to myself to not let her suffer alone. Surely, we had more tragedies before us as we continued down this dangerous path, and I doubted that the witch’s words regarding loss were only meant for me.

Knowing that the seer saw beyond my black mask had made my entire body tense. Her eyes raked over me as if she could see the royal blood flowing through my veins. I feared she’d expose me, and that in doing so, I’d lose Ella. But for whatever reason, she hadn’t, and I was thankful.

I wasn’t ready to sever ties, not yet. Not when she was the only one helping me make progress with the disappearances. Not when she’d become the one person I looked forward to seeing most when my world had become smothered by a heavy blanket of responsibilities.

I hadn’t been paying attention, lost in swirling thoughts, when Ella’s breath hitched. A man, highlighted in silver light, struggled to drag a closed crate by himself. “What is that?” I whispered.

“I don’t know, but I say we find out.” I heard the devious smile under her mask before she bolted. Just as she had that night with the fire wielder.

Without a moment to think and assess, I sprung after her. The hilt of my sword was already in my grip, unsheathing the metal until it rested before me in warning.

“What the—” The man didn’t have time to finish this sentence before Ella’s fist connected with his cheek. I thought I might have heard a bone crack, and my chest seized, thinking she might have broken her hand. She faltered not one bit as she saddled him on the ground, gripping the fabric around his collar.

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