Page 61 of Rogue Familiar

“We may not guard our borders as some High Houses do, but we do observe them. We became aware of the trespass and investigated.”

The very blandness of Liat’s explanation pricked Jadren’s suspicion further. “And Lord Refoel, Himself, investigates every border trespass? No wonder he has little time for healing. I’m shocked he has time to sleep, what with trotting out to the border every time someone wanders past.”

For the first time, Liat showed emotion—though it was a bare flicker of irritation. “You talk too much, El-Adrel wizardling.”

Jadren had to laugh. “You have no idea. Too late to pretend I didn’t strike a nerve. Why did Chaim Refoel drag himself to the border just for me?” Or just for Seliah, his darkly suspicious self wondered.

“You may pose that question to Lord Refoel yourself.”

“When I have my opportunity to present my case?” he inquired drily.

“Exactly.” After that, she wouldn’t say more.

“There,” Chaim said, giving Selly his trademark warm smile. “You should feel much better now.”

She definitely did, so she returned the smile and thanked the healer, then added, “I didn’t need to be separated from my wizard, however.”

“Was I that transparent?” Chaim sat back, surveying her. “Given the scene we witnessed, I thought it prudent to have an opportunity to speak with you without the need for you to censor yourself. It is difficult for a familiar to speak against their wizard. What is your name, bright one?”

Mindful of Jadren’s caution not to reveal names, Selly debated what excuse to use for refusing to say, what sort of attitude to feign. Unfortunately, she had almost no idea how a proper Convocation familiar behaved. Nic hadn’t covered that in her crash course—the Proper Comportment of Familiars?—and she had gone on plenty about how Gabriel’s insistence on having things his way at House Phel meant they were all sideways of the rest of the Convocation. All Selly knew were the obedience aspects and the care and feeding stuff… which gave her at least something to go on.

“I’m not comfortable divulging personal information without my wizard’s permission,” she confided, hoping to sound meek, which wasn’t her strong suit.

Chaim sighed. “How about if I promise that the El-Adrel wizard will be unable to seek retribution against you?”

That didn’t sound good. She blinked in what she hoped looked like innocent confusion. “I’m bonded to my wizard. We cannot be separated.”

“You can be separated via his execution,” Chaim replied grimly, setting the elemental to put the carriage in motion.

Finally. Her relief at going toward Jadren again—not from the bond’s prompting but by her own need to be with him, if only to keep him out of trouble—was mitigated by that declaration. “Execution?” she squeaked, not needing to fake her distress. “Can you promise that?”

“As Lord Refoel, yes, I can.” He gave her an apologetic smile. “I apologize that I wasn’t fully transparent earlier. I’ve only recently taken on the leadership of House Refoel, so I can claim that introducing myself as such is not yet habit. However, the full truth is that I didn’t want you to be so intimidated that you wouldn’t confide in me. But you won’t do that, regardless, will you?” He waited, but Selly said nothing. Chaim sighed again. “I know who you are, Seliah Phel.” At her startled look, he laughed softly. “Your identity was not difficult to discern, besides the fact that your name is inscribed on the silver flask we found on your horse. We did send a wizard–familiar team to House Phel. Due diligence on the Phel family should be expected.” He slanted her a look. “Though before this I rather understood you were not… fully functioning, shall we say.”

She decided to dispense with the playacting. “I am much improved. Wizard Asa has been a great help to me. As have the others of my house.”

“Have they? You are demonstrably in excellent health, mentally and otherwise, and you are an enviably powerful familiar, as well as a beautiful woman. I know very little about water magic and nothing about moon magic, but the feel of you is intoxicatingly pure and bright. You would be an excellent familiar for a healing wizard.”

Selly kicked herself for taking so long to catch up to what was going on here. Of course, she wasn’t accustomed to being noticed, much less wanted. Chaim watched her with decided interest—and she sensed no wizard–familiar bond from him. “You’re shopping for a familiar,” she said flatly.

He inclined his head. “I’ve been waiting for the right woman.”

“Unfortunately I’m taken.”

“As I indicated previously, that is likely temporary. You deserve better than this violent, unstable El-Adrel rogue murderer. Tell me what happened. Did he steal you?”

She narrowed her eyes. “If you know who I am, then you know who my wizard is.”

Chaim chuckled, relaxing against the bench seat and draping an arm along the back, fingertips close enough to brush her shoulder if he extended them a breath more. “Ah, I expect I’m meeting the real Seliah now. From what I’ve heard of your brother, I didn’t think you could be so meek as you were pretending to be. I like that you have spirit. And no, I do not know who your wizard is, beyond that he is clearly an El-Adrel. Besides the circumstantial evidence, his resemblance to his father, Fyrdo, cannot be mistaken. I plan to check Convocation archives, but I think this El-Adrel scion won’t be found there. Which makes me wonder, and is why I ask—how did you come to be bonded to an El-Adrel wizard in such a short span of time? The last I knew, a Convocation proctor had arrived to take you for testing and training.”

She shrugged. “There was a ritual. He cut my hair, I said the words. We were bonded.”

Chaim narrowed his black eyes at her in disappointed irritation. “Seliah, you know perfectly well that answer, while true, is an obfuscation.” He held up a hand as if to stop her from saying more, though Selly hadn’t been about to volunteer anything. She wasn’t quite sure where this odd interrogation was going, but she worried it was nowhere good for Jadren. “You need not say more,” he continued, “or be concerned about retribution from your wizard. I suspect this bonding was not done legally, which will be easy enough to discover. My greater concern is why an unknown El-Adrel wizard is fulminating with healing magic that he’s somehow learned to weaponize.”

Selly opened her mouth, aghast at the wizard’s words and feeling that she needed to say something to protect Jadren, but she closed it again, unable to think of a thing—except that it had been her idea and she seriously doubted it would help their situation to say so. Chaim watched her in grim satisfaction.

“I will know the truth soon enough,” he said with resolve. “Mark my words: I will not allow this travesty of the magic Refoel holds in sacred trust to be abused in such a way. I consider you to be an innocent, not an informed accomplice. No familiar can be expected to govern their wizard, much less one as innocent of the world as you.” He extended his fingers that breath of distance, stroking the bare skin of her shoulder. “I have so much to offer you. You will see.”

He waited, but Selly said nothing, watching stonily ahead. That was all she could do for the moment: watch and wait. And hope to the dark arts that they could escape this bind.

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