Page 35 of The Mage on the Hill
“True. It’s also easier to piece things together afterward. Here are the facts, without editorial—Kara’s wild magic was immensely powerful. She destroyed the guidance room at the Allegheny Guild Hall, which was when they called Dar in. Kara herself suffered from depression and suicidal ideation. Her family had destroyed her emotionally, and she had doubts that she deserved to live.”
The rice balls rolled in Toby’s stomach as he thought about his own parents not protesting wild mage euthanasia. “I guess most families aren’t real supportive of unplaceables.”
“Some are better than others, but the family awfulness for Kara went way back before her magic started to manifest. We reached the confluence point, where the Allegheny and Monongahela meet to form the Ohio. It wasimmediatefor Kara, though she’d been struggling until then.”
“But you knew she was Water?”
“We knew, she knew, but she couldn’t reach it for some reason. But there, standing in front of the fountain at Point State Park, right on top of that huge whirlpool of magic, it rushed in on her. She screamed as she seized her Water channel, or it seized her. The rivers started to rise, then rushed toward us in a wall from all sides.MyMajor Arcanum, but I was too close to the edge, feet swept out from under me, head hitting the concrete before I could react. They told me later that Dar had encased me in one of his Earth and Metal balls and that’s what saved me.”
“So you don’t know what happened either?”
“I know what they told me later, and what I pieced together from what I could see in the aftermath. Kara wanted to die. That was obvious since she’d called all that Water down on herself. I don’t think she was aware she could take a good portion of the city with her. Dar must’ve anchored himself by the fountain as he tried to wrestle her magic back down. But he’s not Water. He’s the opposite of Water. His reach clear across the web caused a huge magical backlash that he tried desperately to contain. There was flooding in the city, but not so badly that there were any injuries. Kara died in that backlash, and they found her later, floating near the bank of the Ohio, most of the major blood vessels in her body burst.”
Toby clenched his jaw as he fought against his shivers. “That’s… awful.”
“No arguments from me.” Zubayr shook himself as if he’d caught a sudden chill. “The guildmasters made certain that things were put back in order as much as they could be. Darius, half-broken, comatose, the right side of his face unrecognizable, ended up in the hospital. Teaching forbidden. Guild status revoked. He saved the city and he saved me, like the hero he is. But they didn’t see him that way. Reckless. Dangerous. Unfit for interaction with other mages. And for their final betrayal, they sent me away.”
“But you could’ve gone to see him, right? I mean, who would’ve known?”
Zubayr shot him a look that was pure flame. “Don’t you think I tried? They hid him somewhere. I couldn’t find him.”
“Okay, first, I can’t believe all of you didn’t, like, combine forces to find him. Arden probably would’ve guessed eventually, even if he didn’t think it was plausible. And second, why am I the only wild mage who knows how to Google?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Five minutes, two searches, and I’d found his Aunt Eva’s house. It was the only property listed in his name. Figured that had to be where he lived.”
Zubayr stared at him, blinking, before he let out an uncomfortable laugh. “Well. That’s just ridiculously embarrassing. All this time.”
“Yeah.”
He wanted to be furious at them for being, well,stupidfor such smart people. He wanted to have them all in a room and scream at them for not trying harder. Maybe Darius hadn’t reached out because he felt like he didn’t deserve help, but he still should’ve had someone.All this time. He wanted to, but bleak didn’t even start to describe Zubayr’s expression. Kicking a baby bunny would’ve been on par with yelling at him right then.
“Takes an outsider to see stuff like that sometimes.”
“You’re nice to say that.” Zubayr wiped at his eyes. “But we failed him.”
A soft harrumph came from the doorway as Darius ambled out. “Didn’t. Shut up.”
“How long were you standing there?” Toby jumped up to offer his rocking chair and the blanket from a nearby bench. “You okay?”
“Better.” Darius leaned back and closed his eyes. “My friends… drama llamas. All of them.”
Uh-huh. Says the man who was just reaction puking. “You’re kinda done for the day, aren’t you?”
“Hmm. Zubayr? It’s awkward….”
Zubayr uncurled and put his head on Darius’s shoulder. It was only for a moment, but there went Toby’s lead butterflies again. “Of course you’re staying. I have room. How could I kick you out? Especially after what you probably eavesdropped on.”
The cat moved her spot to Darius’s lap, which surprised Toby at first until he recalled the birds and the koi, and they both fell asleep in a patch of afternoon sun. While Toby helped in the kitchen, he told Zubayr all about Arden and Elias, and about how the guild was probably not too far behind.
Toward evening, they woke Darius up so he could eat a little bit to replace what he’d lost earlier and urged him to come inside since the bit of spring warmth had vanished with the daylight. Bed this time was a queen-size sleigh bed of dark wood in a cozy room with bright modern-made versions of medieval tapestries hanging on the walls. Like Elias, Zubayr made their sleeping together a nonissue and said his good-nights.
It could’ve been awkward, of course, if Darius didn’t conk out right away like someone under an enchantment, and by this time Toby wasn’t taken off guard by the inevitable snuggling. Which, really? He probably would’ve missed if Darius hadn’t rooted up close and wrapped a hard arm around him. Uncomfortable in a different way? Yeah. But Toby was mature enough to ignore his stupid cock and go to sleep. Sort of.
I’m so screwed. There’s no way I can just go back to my life knowing how I feel about him, and there’s no way I can stay, ’cause I can’t see him ever feeling the same. If I get through this, if I live, what the hell am I going to do?
Chapter Ten
