Page 138 of Deadwood
“Do they ever close them?” My father had told me ours were closed, given I produced magic for him, but it seemed other kingdoms were under the impression we still had workers in them.
He reached down to shove away a long branch that tried to get caught on his stirrup. “Not typically, no. Though Amosite claims to have closed their dark magic mines, no one has confirmed if that’s true.”
“Why wouldn’t it be true?” As far as the continent was aware, fae were extinct, so humans didn’t need any more dark magic to null the fae’s abilities.
He shrugged. “Not a lot of people trust your father, as you know, but even more so since he won’t let anyone near that area to even check it out.”
I added it to the growing list of things I wanted to know. I was sure my father would be simply ecstatic to know I was curious about so many off-limits topics.
Speaking of off-limits topics…
“About the dragons…” I started.
“What dragons?” Lander asked, sending a wink my way.
Relief rolled off my shoulders like a wave. With everything else going on, I wanted to make sure Lander wasn’t going to rat all of us out for being near them. He’d been angry at first, but his demeanor toward me being near them was a complete turnaround now. Had he just drank too much that day?
“Why did you truly bring me out here?” I asked, moving on as I did my best to maneuver my horse around a large rock in the path. The trees became fuller the deeper we headed into the woods, and I was thankful for the break from the beating sun.
“I wasn’t lying when I said we haven’t seen each other much since we ended up here. Truthfully, I haven’t seen the guards often either. They’ve barely left the house they’re staying in, but as far as I’ve been told, they’re healed enough to be walking around for a few days now.”
“Maybe they’re mad at us for being the reason behind them losing so many of their friends?” I wondered aloud, shooing a bug out of my face.
“Maybe,” he agreed. “Or they’re scared.”
“Scared of what?” Deadwood was indeed different from Amosite and Torbernite, but not enough to keep them locked away in an old house out of fear.
Lander was quiet a moment, chewing on his lip. “Bowen.”
I pressed my lips together, choosing to ignore his answer.
“You seem to like them a lot more than you do me and my brother,” Lander continued.
I glanced at him. “Why is it always a package deal with you two?”
“We’re family,” he stated, like that much wasn’t obvious.
“But you’re so much…better than him.”
His horse stepped over a thick branch, mine following suit. “Not everyone would agree with that.”
“I highly doubt that.”
We headed up a slight incline, the trees growing denser, the air a bit cooler.
“It’s true,” he said. “I reckon that’s why they offered me to marry you rather than Paxon. He’s too smart, while I sit there and do their bidding as I’m asked, so long as they let me do what I want in my free time. It’s a flaw, really.”
I studied him, wondering if he truly felt it was a flaw that he followed his parents’ demands with the promise he’d get the freedom to do as he pleased. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m elated they chose you to marry me instead of him.” I didn’t think I’d survive if I was to marry Paxon. From what little I knew of him, I loathed him. He was too controlling, like many of the people in my life were.
“Is that so?” He tried to hide his smile.
I had a hard time hiding my own. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
He leaned forward in the saddle, helping his horse up the small hill, so I did the same. “Speaking of the marriage. Do you think we should call it off entirely?”
“Do you truly think they’d let us call off the marriage they forced us into?” I hardly believed they would.
“You never know. I mean, in the end, it’s our choice, right?”
