Page 7 of Fractured Sky
The mage kicked Sol in the stomach.Sol attempted to curl into a ball without success.He tried to tell Carlyle to stop—hell, he wouldn’t hesitate to beg at this point—but no sound came out of his mouth.He was like a flesh statue or maybe a human punching bag.That was what Carlyle was treating him as.
Luckily for Sol, Carlyle wasn’t very strong.Sol had noticed him panting just to go up and down the stairs.He wasn’t strong enough to do serious damage as he hit Sol.He also got tired very quickly, so it wasn’t long before he had to stop and lean over his knees, out of breath and sweating.Sol was in pain, but he didn’t think anything was broken.He’d be sore and bruised, but he could deal with that.
Carlyle made a disgusted sound and turned.He stumbled on his way out, but that didn’t stop him.He slammed the door shut and muttered something, and suddenly, Sol could move again.
He resisted the urge to throw up and instead sat slowly.He half expected Carlyle to say something else, maybe to threaten him, but he didn’t.He left, not once looking back at Sol.
Sol groaned as he got to his feet.He stretched his arms up, twisted this way and that, and made a mental note of his aches.He hoped this wouldn’t become a recurring way for Carlyle to end his failed spell attempts.Sol could probably withstand this a few times, but he’d be in trouble if Carlyle decided to use his magic for more than keeping him still.
Soft footsteps made Sol look up.He wasn’t surprised to see Graham peeking into the room from the stairs.Normally, Sol would have ignored him, but he couldn’t this time.
This time, he stood strong, exposing his body to Graham.He wanted the man to see the blood from his split lip.He wanted Graham to see the dirt from Carlyle’s shoe on his T-shirt.He wanted Graham to know what Carlyle had done.
“You need to help me,” he murmured.He knew he had Graham’s attention because the man was staring at him with wide eyes.“This is the first time he’s hurt me, but you know it won’t be the last.I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but I suspect that whatever result it’s supposed to have, it won’t be good for anyone but him.You can’t allow him to cast that spell.”Because Carlyle wanted Sol’s magic.He was weak, but with the magic Sol used to shift, he wouldn’t be anymore.
Sol didn’t expect Graham to do anything right now, but he’d wanted to say his piece.Hopefully, he’d gotten through, but he wasn’t sure.Graham was terrified of Simon and Carlyle.It was clear he didn’t want to be here any more than Sol did, but that wouldn’t be enough for him to shake off his fear and do something about it.
Sol didn’t know what to do.He didn’t think there was anything hecoulddo beyond what he’d already done.Talking to Graham might not help, and it might not solve anything, but Sol still had to try.
“Think about it, okay?”he told Graham.“I know you’re scared.I am, too, but staying here will end badly for both of us.If you help me escape, we can leave together and protect each other.”Because Graham might be a bad guy, but it was clear he was as much a victim as Sol was.Sol wanted to save himself, but he also wanted to save Graham.
Chapter Four
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DALLIN WONDERED WHAThe’d do if Sol died.
He couldn’t avoid thinking about it.By now, Carlyle had had Sol for a few weeks.Nothing Dallin or any of the mages did was helping.They couldn’t find Carlyle or Sol.They had no way of knowing what Carlyle was doing, but there was a good chance that whatever it was, it would end up killing Sol, and Dallin wasn’t sure how he’d deal with that.
He’d have to find a new shield.Mages didn’t need dragon shields to do their magic or to work, but it was better for them to be protected when they used magic.It was easy for a mage to lose himself in a spell and forget everything that was happening around him.Dallin had done it several times, but he’d always had Sol to watch his back.The past few decades had been different, but Dallin had seldom left the castle, so he’d been safe.He’d been waiting for Sol to come back, but it was starting to look like he never would, and Dallin wasn’t sure where that left him.
He’d help the others defeat Carlyle—for good this time.They couldn’t afford for him to return in fifty or sixty years.Once that was done, though, how was Dallin supposed to move on?How was he supposed to find another shield and trust someone else with his life and his love?
A shield and their mage weren’t always together, but they always shared a deep bond.In Sol and Dallin’s case, it had been a bond of love.Their bond had been strong, and it had never faded, not even over the many years they’d spent apart.Even now, if Dallin focused, he could feel it.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t help him find Sol.It wouldn’t help him do anything.It was just a reminder of what he’d lost and what he still stood to lose.
He glared at his desk.He was supposed to work, but he was getting nothing done.He told everyone he needed privacy because he was working on a spell, but he was pretty sure they’d seen right through him.
There was nothing he could do to help Sol, and obsessing over what was happening to him and over his lonely future wouldn’t change that.Dallin needed to stop feeling sorry for himself.He needed to stop mourning Sol.
He wasn’t sure he could.
He wasn’t sure of anything.He just knew that if the worst happened, he wouldn’t be able to stay at the castle.He loved the other mages, and for many years, they’d been each other’s support and family.Things were different now.They’d all found their dragons, and most were building new bonds and lives.The only one who was left out of that was Dallin, and there was a chance that he would never get to build a life with Sol.
If something happened to Sol, he’d have to leave.He couldn’t stay and watch the others be happy with their dragons after he lost Sol.He didn’t know where he’d go.Maybe he could go home for a bit.He knew that if he did, his mother would insist he start thinking about a new shield, and she might even set up a few meetings for him to choose one, but at least he’d be away from the castle.If he was lucky, his mother would understand he needed more time to get over everything, but his mother was nothing if not practical.A mage needed a dragon, and that was that.
A knock on the door made him frown.He didn’t want to talk to anyone, but the door opened before he could tell whoever it was that he was busy.To his surprise, Meyer peeked in.
“Has something happened?”Dallin asked.
Dallin and Meyer had several conversations in the past, but Dallin wouldn’t say they were friends.It was his fault.He’d been pushing everyone away, and while the other mages already knew him like the back of their hands, the dragons were new to the castle.He wasn’t getting to know them, and he didn’t allow them to get to know him.
“No, everything’s fine.It’s just that everyone’s headed down for lunch.We were wondering if you wanted to come with us.”
Dallin smiled.“Thatwewouldn’t happen to be one of my brothers, would it?”Not Tyne because he wouldn’t tell Meyer how he felt about Dallin not eating with them, and probably not Jarvis because he’d come to Dallin himself, but it was something Penley would do.He’d been checking in on Dallin regularly, and he probably thought that Dallin had enough of him, so this time, he’d sent Meyer.No one could resist his puppy eyes.
Dallin didn’t know how to explain that he needed time on his own without hurting his brothers.Penley would tell him that he understood and to keep hope, and Dallin wanted to, but he wasn’t sure he could.It was a lot to ask, considering that Sol was in Carlyle’s hands.
