Page 17 of The Iron Dagger
“So they are gone then,” said Hara softly. “The last line of the great elementalists. Such a loss of magic in the world.”
“We’ll go to the palace library, and then we’ll search the private collection of my father’s senechal,” said Gideon, already planning.
“Go to the . . . ” Hara’s eyes widened. “You want me to go to Montag? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“Not if you’re with me,” said Gideon firmly. “You were a child when the court was overthrown, so you are guilty of nothing. You would be under my personal protection. No one would lay a hand on you unless they wanted their fingers shortened.”
“How can I trust you?” said Hara. “You could just turn me in as another prisoner to Corvus.”
Gideon gently clasped her upper arms, trying to impart his sincerity to her.
“You would have to trust me just as I have had to trust you not to poison me every day that I’ve been under your roof, or turn me over to the authorities.” his voice softened, “My own mother is alive and well at court. But now that I have yourmemory . . . it is the strangest feeling. It is as if I have two mothers now, and I can feel the loss of the other. I want us to find her.”
Gideon could see the hope building in Hara’s face. “But what if he refuses to release her?”
“I am my father’s only son and heir. And he holds great sway over Corvus.”
Hara’s expression transformed from skeptical to worried. “I don’t know . . . I must think on it.”
“Are you afraid? Or have you grown too comfortable here in this little daub and wattle village?” he goaded. Just as he had hoped, her brows furrowed at him.
“Are you suggesting that I would choose my own comfort over my mother?”
“Those are your own words, not mine,” he said, and her frown deepened. She looked away. Briefly, Gideon wondered why he was trying so desperately to convince her to undertake this mission. A not-so-insignificant reason was that he was rather loath to leave her behind, but he quickly squashed the thought.
“You were a child when you were separated, but now you are a woman grown with a sworn protector at your side. There is no better chance for you to find her,” he said in a softer tone. “A service for a service.”
“I believe the traditional way to thank someone for saving your life is to grant them three wishes,” said Hara. She heaved a great sigh and stared off into the distance. “I hoped that all the whingeing was just to test my fortitude.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Sorry. One decidedly un-magical wish is all I can offer.”
She blessed him with a warm smile. Gideon felt his heart quicken at the sight of it, and then turn over as she slipped her hand into his.Calm down, you’re being an idiot, he told himself.In a hasty motion he sat up, pulling his hand away. She settled back into the pillows, yawning. Then her brows furrowed.
“You walked almost a full mile carrying me on your bad foot?”
Gideon was slightly taken aback by this change in topic.
“Well, I had to. You were slipping in and out of consciousness.”
“I would have been perfectly at peace on the forest floor. I just needed to rest for a bit. The sacred energy of the moonlight would have helped me recover.”
“How should I have known that?” Gideon said crossly.
Haratsked. “How does your foot feel?”
“Not so bad,” he lied. It pulsed with pain with every heartbeat. “I feel almost as good as new.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him, and Seraphine stepped into the mess of blankets. The cat settled on Hara’s chest and began to purr deeply while Hara absentmindedly stroked its fur.
“I’ve never left this place. I would have to find someone from the village to look after the chickens and care for the plants. Perhaps Gertrude . . .” She let out another huge yawn.
“What happened to you in the forest?” asked Gideon. “Why did you become so weak?”
Hara smiled softly. “All magic comes at a cost. Transferring my memory to you was hard work.”
Gideon was quietly impressed. Her hums and mutterings seemed a mite less silly now. Hara winced and moved the cat off of her chest. He was momentarily distracted as she massaged the full, soft area where the cat had stepped.
“Why do you always insist on putting all your weight there, Seraphine?”
