Page 74 of Pawns of Fate
“He and I think a shadow mage is trying to kidnap you because of your aural abilities. Lyla may not recover her ability to ward for a week. I know we covered your hair when we entered the village, but it is not enough protection. The Talbots have wards—strong wards—on their castle. You can wait there safely.”
Rose swallowed a spoonful of the hearty soup. “My magic isn’t worth all of that. I know the legend about my ancestor, but I can’t increase anyone’s mana flow. I doubt a shadow mage is trying to kidnap me for my magic. There has to be another reason. I’m not that valuable.”
“Don’t doubt your value, Rose.” Nicholas’s brows knitted together as he gently grabbed her hand. “You’re not Hector’s pawn anymore.”
“Still, Nicholas, it doesn’t make sense.” She thought about the man in the library. Perhaps she and Lyla had been mistaken. Maybe the man hadn’t been trying to kidnap her. The memory felt hazy to her, especially after everything she’d been through since then. She’d almost forgotten about it entirely… which was concerning. The more Rose concentrated on the memory, the more it evaded her.
“It does make sense, Rose. The man who attacked you in thelibrary was a shadow mage. Syzman thinks he’s also controlling the monsters.”
Rose thought about the strange runes she’d seen on the troll. “There’s no way one person could manage all that in one day. It would take an absurd amount of mana.”
Nicholas furrowed his brows. “Exactly. They’ll need time to recover. We will use that to our advantage and make a run for Kai.”
Rose dipped her spoon into her bowl. “What about Ava and York? And Lyla?”
“Lyla will teleport them back to Onanish when she’s recovered, or they’ll just ride there, depending on what my father advises. They’ll be safer when the mage realizes you’ve gone.” Nicholas tore a piece of bread and popped a chunk into his mouth.
“It still doesn’t feel right. Running.”
“I know, Rose.”
She decided to press a little harder. The more she thought about it, the less she liked the idea. “It feels too vulnerable, Nicholas.”
“I know, Rose. But sitting here with no wards feels worse.” Nicholas grimaced.
He had a point. Sitting and waiting this out seemed like a bad idea, even in the comfortable inn. “Will you stay with me in Kai?” she asked.
“There’s nothing I want more, but I doubt it, my love. I’ll likely rejoin York and the knights.” His lips formed a thin line. “You’ll stay where it’s safest.”
Rose felt annoyance at his overprotection and another sting of disappointment, but decided to let it slide. After all, this man had caught her in his arms after she’d fallen off a cliff. It didn’t feel so bad to have him worrying about her. She took a sip from her mug of frothy beer.
“Alright,” she said. “When do we leave?”
They set outearly the next morning, when the sun barely peeked over the distant mountaintops.
“Be safe,” Ava said with a little wobble. She hugged Rose with a surprising amount of strength.
Rose was reluctant to let go of Ava, who had truly become her sister over the course of their stay with the Ojoh and their desperate flight across the desert, running from goblins, trolls, and werewolves together.
“Please don’t make a scene, little lady.” Syzman’s voice was almost a hiss. He’d been irritable since finding Lyla gravely injured, not that Rose blamed him.
“They need to leave as quietly as possible,” the shadow mage added.
Ava nodded and let Rose go. She turned to mount her horse. Once in the saddle, she asked, “How is Lyla?”
A mirthless smile played at the shadow mage’s lips. “She’ll live. Perhaps she’ll teleport to Kai when she’srecovered.”
Relief mixed with the reluctance that was building in Rose’s chest.
“Go on now. The best thing you can do is to stay safe,” Syzman added. He even managed a sly wink, which would have caused Rose’s heart to skip a beat if she weren’t so enamoured with Nicholas. Syzman had such an aloof, intimidating demeanor to her; Rose hadn’t noticed that he was a rather attractive man. She wondered why Lyla fought to deny any romantic relationship with him.
Rose and Nicholas made their way through the sleepy village and into the mountains beyond. As they journeyed, the terrain stayed rugged, but the flora turned from that of the high desert to that of richly forested mountains. The summer sun still heated her skin, but it wasn’t as harsh or dry as the Ojoh desert, which made Rose thankful.
“I missed the freshness of the mountain air,” Nicholas mused. Their horses plodded down the winding dirt road. “Your uncle’s swamps were so humid. I constantly felt like I was standing over a boiling pot of water.”
The path turned sharply, and they were rewarded with a scenic view of a crystalline river flowing through a valley of lush, jade foliage. A few tawny deer timidly drank from its moss-covered banks.
“I’ve never been inside the swamps,” Rose replied, “but I’m sure the mountains are much better.”
