Page 48 of Ties of Legacy

“Avery—” he whispered, but he didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t know what he wanted to say.

Her expression turned almost hopeful, and something in his chest wrenched, squeezing and turning. What did she want him to say? What thoughts were locked behind those luminous eyes?

“Careful of the books above…” Lorne’s warning trailed off. “Oh,” he said as he absorbed the change in Elliot’s position. And then, in a knowing tone, “Ohh.”

Elliot backed away hurriedly, his legs colliding with a small table and nearly knocking it over. He twisted, awkwardly catching it and nearly falling again in the process.

When he finally straightened, he tugged at his vest, smoothing it out as he resumed his seat. He tried not to look at Avery, who was resuming her seat in a much more elegant manner, a small smile on her lips.

“The books nearly fell on her head,” he said with attempted nonchalance.

“Mmmm,” Lorne said in noncommittal agreement. “I should have asked you to fetch the book for me since you’re taller.”

Elliot agreed, but he had no interest in drawing out conversation on the topic—not when Lorne was watching the two of them with knowing amusement in his expression.

“What’s in the book?” Elliot asked instead, trying to get back on track.

It didn’t matter how much he responded to Avery—it didn’t even matter that he hadn’t minded the thought of being tied to her. He and Avery were incompatible at the most basic level. Avery was a roving merchant who loved spending her life on theroad, and Elliot wanted nothing more than to settle down and build a true home. The tie between them was temporary, and his heart had no business getting involved in the matter. He was only setting himself up for pain.

“It’s a history,” Lorne said, replying to the question Elliot had already forgotten asking. “I just want to refresh my memory on something.”

He hummed and muttered to himself as he flipped pages, skimming his knobbly finger down paragraphs. Avery and Elliot exchanged glances, their earlier tension lost in shared amusement at the stereotypical absent-minded scholar appearance Lorne presented.

“Ah ha!” he exclaimed, stabbing his finger at a passage and looking up at both of them with bright eyes. “I found it. I wasn’t remembering wrong.”

Avery stiffened, leaning slightly forward. “You know a way to do it?”

“Ah, no,” Lorne said apologetically. “I should have clarified. This is an account of someone else who achieved it—or rather, a passing mention of them. It doesn’t go into detail, but it should steer you in a helpful direction.”

“Oh.” Avery sat back, clearly disappointed.

“You are the key, in fact, my dear,” he said, making her sit upright again. “Or rather your ancestor is. Most people believe the original roving merchant managed to break his tie to his kingdom. But according to this old account—a rare one, by the way, this is the only copy I’ve ever encountered—your ancestor didn’t break his tie, he transferred it to himself. And he passed that trait on to his descendants.”

“It’s really been done before?” Elliot asked, excitement finally rising in him. He turned to Avery. “You mentioned that your family keeps records. Surely they have a more detailed account of how he did it?”

“The roving merchants do have detailed records,” Lorne agreed. “Ones they don’t allow anyone but their own family to access.” He chuckled. “And I’ve tried many times, believe me. Just think what a fascinating read those records must be!”

“But I can read them,” Avery said with as much excitement as Elliot felt. “And the cousin who’s the current family historian lives in the capital of Glandore. That’s upriver from here so it’s on our way to Bolivere. We would have stopped there anyway, so we can visit her and check the records.”

She turned to Elliot, her grin blinding. He locked eyes with her, equally excited. But as their gazes held, something else wormed its way in to sour his hope. He should have been delighted at the idea of breaking his tie to the lamp so soon and avoiding the need to travel all the way to Bolivere. But that would mean leaving Avery. He had gotten used to the idea that they would be together at least as far as northern Glandore.

Did he dare hope it was the same realization that caused Avery’s face to fall, her eyes darkening as the silence stretched out?

A light snore from across the room made them both start and chuckle, as much from relief at the broken tension as amusement at Lorne’s timing. Lorne woke with a start and smiled at them both, obviously happy to have shed some light on Elliot’s problem, however minor.

A yawn burst out of Elliot, almost making his jaw creak with its intensity.

“Sorry,” he said, embarrassed. “I’m not usually so tired at this early hour of the evening.”

Lorne chuckled. “That’s the Oakden effect. We have a slower pace of life here.”

As soon as he said it, Elliot felt foolish for not realizing the source of his tiredness for himself. And even more foolish when he thought about their journey to Ethelson. He’d evenentertained the idea that Avery might have set the pace for an unspoken reason of her own. Ridiculous to have considered that possibility when he should have known it was just the Oakden Legacy all along.

He surged to his feet. “I’d better get to bed, then. Especially if we mean to leave first thing in the morning.”

He looked inquiringly at Avery, who nodded. Lorne tried to protest, but Avery insisted they needed to keep moving. Elliot knew it was because of her mysterious mission for Bolivere, but he was still grateful. Now that they had learned the first puzzle piece of how to separate him from the lamp, he was eager to learn more. The sooner they were on the river, the better.

Chapter 17

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