Page 228 of The War and Deceit Series omnibus

“Control yourself, mage,” Vaeril growls, drawing Grayson’s attention. As soon as he realises he was projecting his pain towards me, I feel him pulling away from our bond. The pain subsides, and I can breathe again, so I send a wave of love towards my mage before turning my attention back to Aileen, needing to know for sure what happened to Wilson. “Tell me everything.”

Aileen seems uncertain as she glances between Grayson and me, aware something just occurred, but she’s not sure what. She shakes it off though and takes a deep breath. “Wilson…” Even saying his name seems to cause her pain, but she pushes through. “After everything that transpired with the queen and the slaves…he had been helping people escape from the castle for a long time before all of this, and when he heard what was happening with the mages…he refused to leave.” Her voice is barely a whisper now, but I can see anger flash in her eyes, and I get the impression they must have argued about it. They were close friends, I even suspected that they were more than friends at one point, so I can’t even imagine how difficult this has been for her.

Lord Bastian wraps his arm around his daughter, pulling her close. “All of the castle magicians who didn’t manage to escape before the king found out were arrested and tried for treason.” Although he says it in a matter-of-fact tone, his eyes say otherwise. He liked Wilson too.

“He was arrested?” Grayson steps forward, his eyes dark, and I know he’s already running through plans on how to break into the dungeons.

“They tried, he escaped.” Aileen says something else, but with the sense of relief that’s running through me, I don’t hear what she says. Realising it could be important, I force myself to pay attention.

“I’m not sure what happened to him since then,” she continues, “but there’s been tales of a rogue magician in the city helping the poor. I think that’s him.” There’s a glint of hope in her eyes. She’s grasping at straws, but I have to admit that if anyone was going to go rogue and help the poor, it would be Wilson. My heart aches, and fear for my friend is at the forefront of my mind. I just wish I knew for sure if it was him, if he was all right. Could there be a way to get a message to this rogue magician? If he’s managed to avoid the king’s guards and the priests who know the city, there’s probably a very slim chance we would find him. We weren’t exactly subtle about our arrival here, so if the rogue is Wilson, then he will hear about us one way or another. I just have to hope he comes to us.

My concern turns to my other friend here—Jayne. If Wilson isn’t here to protect her, I fear for her safety. She wasn’t subtle about her favour for Grayson and me, and that would make her a target.

“Do you know what happened to Jayne, my maid?” Grayson queries, taking the words from my mouth.

“I think Wilson helped her escape weeks ago. I’ve not seen her around,” Aileen replies with a slight frown as she tries to remember. Glancing around the ballroom, she gestures to the dancers and the awkward-looking lords and ladies, who are trying to appear like they are enjoying themselves. “Things have been very different around here. Everyone is scared to place a foot wrong.”

Considering the two of them, I can’t help but notice how on edge her father appears. “Are you safe here?” I ask candidly, an idea coming to me.

“No one is safe here anymore, child,” her father answers, his expression sorrowful as he looks down at his daughter.

“Come with us,” I offer. They stare at me in shock, and I can feel my mates’ surprise, but they don’t say anything to contradictme. In fact, Tor makes a noise of agreement behind me. Holding Aileen’s gaze, I let her see how serious I am. “When we leave here, come with us.”

Father and daughter look at each other. It’s obvious Aileen wants to leave as they speak in quiet voices. Lord Bastian is hesitant, and I can understand his apprehension. Aileen is his whole world, yet there is nothing but danger for them here. Releasing a huge sigh, Lord Bastian turns back to us and bows his head slightly. “Thank you for your offer, it is not something I take lightly. I will think on it.”

Disappointed, I nod but try not to let my feelings seem too obvious. After all, the choice is his. “Don’t think too long, I get the feeling our exit won’t be as peaceful as our arrival,” I warn. As I go to turn away, something triggers in my mind, stopping me as an idea forms. I’m not sure where it comes from, whether it’s from the Great Mother or not, but it just feels right.

“In the meantime, let me introduce you to my aunt, the high chief of the mountain tribes, and Vida, one of the keepers, their religious advisers.” Gesturing for them to follow me, I walk towards my aunt, who is standing just beyond where we had been with Vida, High Mage Ellis, Mage Samson, and two of the sea elves. They all turn to us as we arrive.

“Revna, this is Lord Bastian and his daughter, Aileen, they are friends of mine.” Gesturing to the auburn-haired father and daughter, I introduce them to my aunt. “They will keep you safe if this all goes wrong, and if you decide to come with us, stick with them, they will help you.” Sharing a look with Revna, I know what I say is true, she will keep them safe. She knows I wouldn’t bring anyone to her unless they were important to me.

Lord Bastian and Ellis share a nod, and I realise they probably know each other. Leaving the two of them in my companions’ safe hands, I move away, my mates and Naril close behind. I’m overwhelmed with what I’ve learned.

The priests are out of control. Wilson is gone, but we think he’s alive and helping the poor in the city. Jayne escaped, but I don’t know where she is. Aileen is here and secure for now. I don’t know where Jacob is. Over and over, my mind whirls, trying to pick everything apart, but there’s just so much I don’t know. I still don’t understand why the king has brought me here. Hands land on my shoulders, pausing my slow, mindless walk. Looking up, I see Tor staring down at me, his frown making him look more fierce than usual, but I can feel his concern for me through our connection.

“Breathe,” Tor instructs. “We will figure this—”

“Sorry to interrupt whatever this is,” a voice interrupts as a shadow falls over us, “but I was hoping to get a dance with thebeloved.” The voice sneers the Mother’s name for me, and I spin around to face the speaker. Rhydian stands several feet away, but before I can even blink, my elves are between us, creating a protective, snarling barrier. Even Naril has stepped between us, his hand on his scabbard at his hip. Grayson and Tor move in at my side, the bond in my chest vibrating with their anger. Whatever is wrong with Rhydian, they can feel it second-hand through me, and they don’t trust him. I don’t blame them, I don’t trust him.

Tilting his head to one side, he watches me, those strange black eyes flicking down to the pulse point in my neck before slithering back up to my face. That’s when I realise he’s waiting for a response. Does he really think I’m going to dance with him? Raising a single eyebrow, I quirk up the corner of my lips in a semblance of a smile. “That’s very kind, Your Highness, but I’ll decline.”

The prince laughs that strange, reckless laugh from before that had the king on edge, and it makes the hair on my arms stand on end. I never had much to do with Rhydian before, but this feels…different. Cocking his head again, he smiles and holdsout his hand, ignoring the snarls of the elves standing in front of him. “I’m afraid that’s not an option if you want your prince to survive.” My heart twists in my chest at his threat. I fight to keep my face blank, but I must give something away because he knows he’s won. “Shall we?”

With no other option, I place my hand on Vaeril’s shoulder. When he turns with a frown, opening his mouth to argue, I shake my head, begging him to understand. I touch Eldrin’s arm as I walk past him.

“Clarissa.”

Grayson. Looking over my shoulder, I see my mage watching with sharp eyes, but while most may think he’s asking me not to go, or warning me to be careful, I know otherwise. Stroking the bond, I send him calming thoughts and nod my head slightly, acknowledging what he’s trying to tell me. He’s close to euisa, the magical killing trance, and if he was to be triggered here with so many innocents around…I can’t even imagine how much devastation he could cause.

“I won’t leave your sight,” I promise, knowing that at this point, it won’t take much to push him over the edge. With my eyes, I try to indicate for Tor to help Grayson before turning to Rhydian, wanting to get this over as quickly as possible. “You have one dance.” Taking his outstretched hand, I ignore his smile of victory and try to tell myself I haven’t just played right into his scheme.

The music changes as Rhydian leads me out onto the dancefloor, the other dancers instantly making space for us. My skin crawls where I touch him, and I literally feel repelled by him.

I can feel the eyes of the whole ballroom on us, watching our every move, and as his hand lands on my waist, I swear I hear the growls of at least four males. However, when I glance over my shoulder, they all seem to be behaving themselves, except for Eldrin, who has disappeared. That makes me nervous, but I don’t have time to worry about that right now. I have to focus on the prince who’s grinning at me as he leads me into a simple waltz. My dance experience is extremely limited, which, from the smug look he keeps giving me, he knows, but he doesn’t say anything or try to trip me up with more difficult moves. In fact, he doesn’t say or do anything untoward, which makes me suspicious.What is going on here? Are they trying to distract us from something?I ponder, but that doesn’t feel right either. All I know is the longer I dance with the prince, the more I start to feel nauseous, and my skin almost burns where he touches me.A tingle runs over me, something which my body seems to try and reject, and it takes my entire concentration just to focus on keeping myself upright and following his simple movements.

“What’s wrong with you?” I finally ask between gritted teeth when I can’t take it any longer, my gaze locked over his shoulder.

I can feel his eyes on me, his body shaking as he chuckles. “Whatever do you mean, my dear?” His smooth voice may charm the other ladies, but it just makes me want to shudder.

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