Page 71 of Pawns of Fate
Nicholas paused. It was better to use a fake name. He wasn’t good at coming up with things like this on the spot, though.
“Norman will do.”
The innkeeper dutifully wrote the name Norman in his ledger. He handed Nicholas three sets of keys.
Nicholas hurried across the tavern section of the inn and presented York and Ava with their keys. They mumbled something about meeting up for dinner, then scurried off.
Rose offered her hand as he guided her to their room.
“Lyla said this inn has private baths that draw water from the local hot springs.”
“Lyla was correct.” They stopped in front of a door painted a deep shade of forest green. Nicholas opened it and said, “And I made sure that we got one.”
He heard Rose let out a small, contented sigh as they inspected the room. The floors, ceiling, and walls were all made of dark wood, which made the space feel small, yet inviting. The scent of lavender and vanilla soap flooded their senses, which was far more heavenly than anything Nicholas had smelled in that damn swamp. A spacious bed, laden with thick blankets and furs, drew Rose in. His wife threw herself on the bed and was asleep faster than Nicholas had thought humanly possible.
The room’s outside wall had a sliding door, which Nicholas opened. Beyond the door lay an outdoor bath, fashioned after anatural hot spring and certainly large enough for two people. A high wooden privacy fence shielded the area from prying eyes.
Nicholas debated jumping into the bath or joining Rose for her nap until there was a gentle knock at the door.
Syzman stepped into the room. The mage looked like he’d aged a decade, and the edges of his cloak were torn and bloody. Nicholas pulled Syzman back into the vacant hall, suddenly worried that something had happened to Lyla and Rose would find out in a horrible way.
“What happened?” Nicholas whispered.
Syzman pulled at his own hair. “Lyla will live, but…” His gaze and voice trailed off, as if he were reliving a nightmare. “She lost a lot of blood.”
“Where is she now?”
“There’s a small doctor’s office in this village. They wanted her to stay overnight. She needs to stay two nights, but she’ll be worried about guarding Ava and Rose.”
“No. I won’t let Lyla return to work until she’s well and truly healed. She stays two nights, if that’s what the doctor ordered.” Nicholas pursed his lips.
Syzman let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”
Nicholas glanced up and down the hallway, making sure that there were still no other patrons around. “Syzman, what do we do about that shadow mage that’s after Rose? We used a hood to cover her hair when we came into town. I’m very concerned that won’t be enough.”
Syzman replied, voice low, “Our attacker used even more mana than we did. He coordinated half a dozen monster attacksacross Albion yesterday. He’ll rest tonight.”
“Are you so sure it’s only one person?”
Syzman tilted his head back and forth, as if weighing the thought. “There are only five known mages who can travel through shadow. I’m one of them. Of the other four, there’s only one that’s—” Syzman paused, as if weighing his words carefully, “—there’s only one that is capable of creating this kind of mess.”
“Do you know him?”
Syzman let out a sound that was something between a hiss and a sigh. “I’m not at liberty to say, little lord.”
Nicholas felt annoyance crease his brow, but decided that it was a good sign that Syzman felt comfortable enough to tease him.
“Will the tower take care of this? I’m worried Rose won’t be safe, even in Onanish.”
“Which is why I think you should take her to the Duchy of Kai first thing in the morning.”
“What?”
“Duke Talbot employs several exceptional mages who can ward just as well as Lyla. Kai is a three-day ride from here. Our attacker will need at least a day to recover. You and Rose could be halfway to Talbot’s castle by then.”
It was Nicholas’s turn to weigh an idea in his mind. Syzman’s plan made sense, and the Talbots owed the Sharp family a favor for aiding them with the western wolf rider skirmishes.
“She could wait for us to capture Lys—the rogue mage in the comfort of the largest castle south of the Imperial City. Lyla may not have full use of her magic for days. We’re sitting duckshere,” Syzman added.
