Page 51 of The Mage on the Hill
“Fair… enough.” Darius kept his expression placid, though the urge to punch Barris in his angry, blotchy face was strong.
Zubayr laid a hand on his arm. “Dar?”
“No. John….”
“Will recognize me from Pine Creek. And you think he’ll get defensive.”
Darius nodded and waved Elias to him. “Come speak… for me.”
“Are you serious?” Arden squawked. “John knows me. He’ll be more likely to listen.”
“No. Ard. Need you… here.” Darius pointed to the ground in front of where he believed the front door to be. “Life.”
Arden’s offended puffing deflated immediately, and Darius was never so grateful for friends who understood him. “Because if things go wrong, you need me out here to do what I can to get you out.”
“Yes.”
Morgaine confirmed the exact location of the front door, two steps up, while the guildmasters herded the remaining mages back to the road. When everyone was in place, Darius stepped up to the building with Elias on his blind side. He touched the leaves gently, letting them feel him, hear him.
“Toby,” Darius whispered. “It’s me. Came to…. Let’s go home.”
The leaves rustled, murmuring soft arguments. Toby’s magic emanated from them so powerfully, Darius didn’t need his own to reach for it.
“Please, Toby. Miss you. Only light… in fifteen years. Please, let me in.”
Rustling spread to the surrounding vines, a chorus of negation.
“Toby, I’m here. Wouldn’t….” Darius struggled as his throat closed on a raw lump. “Leave you. I… love you.”
The sharp intake of breath from Elias registered as the leaves all went still at once. Slowly, as if they had to deliberate vine by vine, the leaves parted just far enough to allow Darius and Elias to push their way up the steps and into the front vestibule. The impenetrable plant curtain snapped shut behind them the moment they were through.
“Well,” Elias said on a stunned breath. “That was different.”
The door was unlocked, and Darius pushed it open carefully, hoping no panicked prisoner stood behind the door with a blunt instrument. No, the front hallway was clear. The electricity must have gone out, since a mage light hovered along one wall. Probably John’s since Light was his Major Arcanum.
Voices came from nearby. When they turned the corner, they found a receiving area with a desk and a few chairs, along with two people with stunned expressions.
The smaller person clutched the larger person’s arm. “Davis, look! They got through!”
Elias waggled his fingers in a little wave. “Not exactly. Yes, Darius and I got through, but the vines went right back to being all kidnappy.”
Large person started to sob while small person hugged them tight. The single mage light in the corner made it impossible for Darius to make out anything beyond size.
“Then why the hell are you here?” small person snapped.
“Toby Jones,” Darius rasped out. “Where?”
Small person began, “There’s no one here—”
“Oh, stop it! It doesn’t matter now,” large person cut them off in a trembling voice. “He’s on the second floor. Down the hall, up the stairs, last room on your right. If it’s him doing this, can you get him to stop?”
“We’ll see.” Darius wanted to offer some comfort, but it would’ve been a lie. He shrugged and headed for the dimly lit hallway behind the desk, trying not to feel guilty about the renewed sobbing in his wake.I’m trying to fix it. I’m sorry you were caught up in this.
“Hey.” Elias nudged him as they started up the stairs. “I know that face. This isn’t your fault.”
Maybe this situation, right this moment, was not directly his fault, but arguing with Elias would be a waste of energy. He limped up the last few stairs and started down the hallway. Up here, little bits of light filtered in, as if the vines had decided a screen was fine on the second floor rather than a fortress wall. In contrast, light flooded out from the last room on the right. Not shocking, of course. Darius knew who was in there.
Out of some misplaced need for courtesy, he knocked on the doorframe before he stuck his head inside. “Hello, John. Bit of a… pickle.”
