Page 100 of The Dark Mage
“You saved her?”Zev asked.
“She saved herself,” Esrin replied.
Ren’wyn turned away but couldn’t see Fael anywhere.He could still be caught up in the forest.Turning back to Zev, she said, “Actually, it was a joint effort with Fael.He helped me escape, and we traveled together for nine months before meeting Esrin.Fael is mine, and I amhis.”
Her quiet but clear declaration didn’t alter Zev’s expression.His lack of reaction—neither surprise nor anger—was as unsettling as Ren’wyn remembered from dealing with wights during school.
Fael appeared on the edge of camp, running his fingers through wet curls.Ren’wyn felt a little dizzy as he strode across the open ground toward her.His fighting leathers stretched over his lean legs, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing strong forearms.Irik followed behind him, the two sharing a quiet word and a laugh before Irik caught sight of Zev.With a surprised grin, Irik crossed straight over, pulling Zev into a brief but genuine embrace.Zev returned it, clasping Irik’s forearm as they separated.
“Glad to see you back,” Irik said with a smile, and Zev nodded.
Fael placed a kiss on Ren’wyn’s forehead, carrying the scent of woods and river water.He must have bathed after sparring.He had no right to look so attractive, Ren’wyn thought, though her coiling stomach suggested otherwise.
With an arm around Ren’wyn’s waist, Fael stepped forward to grip Zev’s forearm.“We finally meet,” he said, grinning.“Your reputation is as enigmatic as your magic, Zev.Welcome back tocamp.”
Zev’s steady gaze swept over Fael, his face revealing nothing of his thoughts.Ren’wyn shivered, but Fael’s grin remained unshaken.
“I’m starving,” Fael said, squeezing Ren’wyn’s waist.“What’s for supper, Esrin?”
Ren’wyn gaped as Esrin chuckled at the joke, and together, they walked toward thefire.
Zev remained standing through supper, as though his otherworldly presence made the act of sitting too normal for him.His quiet detachment lingered, but from time to time, the corners of his mouth quirked up, betraying moments of enjoyment among his companions, even as he never fully relaxed.
Ren’wyn felt the Void’s pull, almost as though it yearned to touch him.At school, the wights had always been secretive, vanishing into the fabric of the world with practiced stillness.Their invisibility never bothered the Masters, who simply asked that they remain visible during lessons, but to Ren’wyn, it was unsettling.The Void was visible and tangible to her, but wights could disappear so completely that only the faintest whisper of their aura remained.She hated feeling judged and had tried to give her classmates the benefit of the doubt, but it was still uncomfortable, knowing someone was there, watching, but unseen.
Zev exuded that preternatural stillness built during years of discipline and persistent training.Ren’wyn realized he was older than she had first assumed—older than anyone in the group except for Sorya and Relya, and he gravitated toward Esrin with a quiet, strange affection.
Ren’wyn gestured for Fael to sit beside her.Leaning her head on his shoulder, she sighed as he wrapped an arm around her waist.Warmth flared in her belly as she snuggled against him.Zev’s eyes flicked to their physical closeness and Esrin’s casual ignorance.No wonder Zev was the group’s spy—he noticed everything and assessed it all in silence.
Zev’s magic tugged at her, urging her to reach out with the Void.Fael’s stiffened body and slow breathing told her he felt it too.Zev’s blank aura was a yawning chasm, consuming the energy around him.Ren’wyn suppressed a shiver.
Leta’s husky voice rang out, her vowels smooth and soft.“We have new members, Zev.Tell them the story!”
A cheer rose from the group, several lifting mugs of beer or wine in agreement.Zev hesitated briefly, his pause registering as only a flicker in the emptiness that wove around him.Esrin smiled encouragingly, and Ren’wyn wondered how he had adapted to the constant pull of Zev’s power.Zev’s dark eyes grew thoughtful as he brushed a wayward lock of black hair from his forehead.
“I was born in Kareht to a wight, Sabia, and her lover, Abden,” Zev began, his voice soft and rolling, rich with an accent that felt like an exotic spice Ren’wyn couldn’t quite place.“She had escaped from her father using her abilities and joined a brothel.Abden found her there, and she felt the call of his spirit within her power.He paid for her release, and though he was married, he set her up in an apartment in Tel Toren and visited whenever he could.
“I was born to them four years later.Abden was elated and used his vast wealth to provide for my mother and me.He visited frequently, and I never wanted for anything.My power became evident shortly after I was born, and my mother became my strict and exacting teacher.
“When I was ten, Abden was arrested as part of a group of rebels.He was stripped of his fortune and executed.The imperials never discovered me or my mother.She mourned him deeply, wearing nothing but black until her death.”
Ren’wyn found herself captivated by his cadence—wild, rhythmic, and detached, as though he were narrating someone else’s story.
“My mother passed when I was sixteen,” Zev continued.“A fever overtook her, ravaging her quickly and thoroughly.By then, I had surpassed her expectations in both power and skill.Her death, combined with the lifestyle we had lived, left me in financial distress.To maintain the comfort I was accustomed to, I turned to stealing and selling secrets.It worked well for over twenty years.
“But one particular client didn’t take kindly to the information I sold him.He betrayed me to the imperial guard.They arrested me, whipped me, and prepared to transport me to the Capital for execution.They bound me with chains designed to dampen my abilities, ensuring I couldn’t disappear.The guards who captured me knew I had no chance of escape.
“As we traveled the Eastern Trade Route toward the Capital, I realized my life was over.I had left nothing behind—nothing to better the world.I begged the gods for a second chance, promising I would use it to do good for those with power.
“On the edge of the desert, our caravan stopped for the night, and a fierce wind began to rise.Not unusual for the region, but it wasn’t the season for sandstorms.While it didn’t register for the soldiers, I felt a shift in my magic.
“The wind grew, lifting sand into the air as though it weighed nothing.Grains blasted us painfully, moving under the soldiers’ feet like waves on the sea.They fell as the sand burned their skin and tore their clothing, the wind howling into a screamingfury.
“In the heart of the storm, I felt him—then saw him.”Zev’s eyes softened with a rare flash of emotion as he looked at Esrin.“His magic was a storm of wind and earth, commanding the sand as though it was alive, obliterating the imperial guard.When he noticed me, he wrapped me in a cocoon of stillness, having sensed my power.
“He stripped the soldiers to their bones while shielding me.His eyes burned like living jewels within the dark haze of sand that sang and moved at his command.When he finished, he stilled the storm with a single gesture.The cart I’d sheltered behind was shattered, but Esrin had spared me.
“I had minor burns from the sand, and Esrin’s first words to me were an apology.He had saved me, and he apologized.”Zev shook his head slowly, the smallest trace of wonder in his expression.“I joined him without hesitation, embracing the second chance I had begged for.Ever since, I’ve sought justice for others.”
