Page 12 of A Kiss of Healing & Honor (Darkstone Academy #4)

The next morning, refreshed after a good night’s sleep, Alondra and I met with Gwydion over breakfast in the sitting room of our apartment. On Mage Armand’s request, the kitchens had made an exception to the dining hall rules, and delivered meal trays and steaming pots of tea to our quarters.

Mage Bevitrice had excused us from attending our usual morning surgery lectures and tutorial sessions.

Since Boreas was the infirmary’s only patient at the moment, Mage Armand had urged us to sleep as long as we wanted and to eat all we could to restore our depleted energies from yesterday’s strenuous healing spells.

He had offered to tend to Boreas and to keep an eye on the infirmary in case anyone needed treatment.

“I’m here for the scheduled threesome, I hope?” Gwydion joked listlessly as he slumped gracelessly in his chair, shoulders hunched.

He looked far too pale, and his silver eyes were surrounded by bruise-like shadows.

Alondra stiffened at Gwydion’s lewd suggestion and almost dropped her bowl of porridge. She blushed deep red. “What—what’s a threesome?”

“Gwydion! Not in front of my sister, please,” I snapped.

This crudeness wasn’t like him.

While he enjoyed ribbing me about my lack of experience when he wasn’t flirting outrageously with me, he was normally perfectly courteous and restrained around Alondra.

He blinked. “My apologies, my friends. I’m… not quite myself this morning. What are your thoughts on our next move?”

Then he yawned.

“Prince Gwydion, you look terrible,” Alondra chided. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Some. I was… troubled.” He looked away, as if embarrassed. Then he glanced around. “Shouldn’t Boreas and Tama be part of this discussion?”

“After what those two did yesterday?” I asked sarcastically. “It’s clear that neither of them are used to planning anything. I’d prefer for the three of us to put our heads together first. Once we have a plan, we can ask them to help us.”

“They won’t like it,” Alondra predicted. “They’re both proud.”

“They’re both headstrong fools,” I retorted. “And they nearly got themselves killed yesterday doing things their way.”

“I can’t argue with you,” Gwydion said. “In any case, Boreas is probably still too weak from blood loss to do more than rest and recover his strength right now.”

“I’m glad we’re in agreement. We can ask for their thoughts once we’ve come up with some kind of plan.” I ran a hand through my hair, trying to remember my military academy lessons on planning a successful campaign. “First, let’s list our resources.”

“There are ten mage-instructors left who could assist us with advanced spells,” Alondra suggested.

Gwydion yawned again, then said, “After Lady Margitts’ betrayal, we don’t know who we can trust among the instructors.”

I nodded. Aunt Amella’s treachery burned in my gut like a dose of poison. “But we have other allies. And other resources.”

Alondra nodded and began ticking items off on her slender fingers. “Ilhan’s Fae sword, for one. Princess Eluned told me it can cut through anything.”

I’d been practicing with my new weapon before my morning classes, both for exercise and to keep up my sword skills. It was a beautiful sword—light, well-balanced, and exquisitely crafted. And it fit my hand as if it had been forged to my measurements.

Gwydion’s shoulders rose from their despondent slump. “Prince Arslan and his sisters said yesterday they owe us a debt for saving their lives. The Djinni are masters of Air and Fire magic, just like Wind-Walkers.”

I met Alondra’s excited look with one of my own. I hadn’t considered the Djinni as one of our resources. This might tip the balance in our favor.

“And if Boreas can fly by the time we launch our next rescue attempt, we can use him to carry us to the ships,” I added. “And of course, Tama can attack from below, as he already did. Gwydion, can you think of anything else we can use?”

“Princess Branwen still owes me a boon,” he said, with yet another yawn. “And I will stake my life on trusting Mage Armand and Mage Bevitrice to aid us.”

“Me, too,” Alondra echoed.

“I agree,” I said. “And I want to add Castellan Guisbald to that list. But don’t trust anyone else.”

“Very well,” Gwydion hoarsely. I frowned at him, wondering if he was falling ill because of yesterday’s strain on his powers. “What’s your plan, Ilhan?”

“I don’t have one yet,” I confessed. “But now that we know what we have to work with, as well as Tama’s account of the damage he and Boreas inflicted on the duke’s fleet, let’s discuss our options.”

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of planning and preparation.

While we discussed various options for a second rescue attempt, Alondra surprised me with her gift for analysis. She helped us to identify potential weaknesses in the duke’s defenses and plot out the most effective course of action.

But Gwydion’s continued listlessness was alarming, as was his odd evasiveness when I questioned him about it.

Despite his strange lethargy, we managed to put together a decent rescue plan by the time the midday bell rang.

Now, all we had to do was gather our resources and convince our allies to help us.

∞∞∞

After the midday meal, I went to the infirmary courtyard to check on our gargantuan patient.

When I arrived, I found Boreas awake. But like Gwydion, he looked a mere shadow of his usual energetic self. His feathered golden crest drooped listlessly and his great eyes were half-closed.

As I approached, Boreas lifted his enormous head.

“Friend Ilhan,” he rumbled, voice devoid of its usual bombast. “Come to gloat over my failure?”

“Not at all,” I said, walking up to him. “Alondra, Gwydion, and I have come up with a plan. Do you think you’ll be able to fly again by tomorrow morning?”

“Of course.” Boreas heaved a sigh. Twin puffs of smoke curled from his nostrils. “But how can you trust me? I’ve already failed Friend Jacinthe when she needed me most.”

He let his head flop back down on the flagstones with a thump.

It was apparent that he’d been stewing in his failure since Tama brought him back to the castle yesterday.

Maybe that meant he’d be receptive to hearing the plan that Gwydion, Alondra, and I had come up with.

My lingering annoyance with his rash actions yesterday vanished, replaced by a rush of compassion for the Dragon who’d slowly become my friend since last summer.

Our mutual bond with Jacinthe had brought us together, but I’d grown to like and respect Boreas for his big-hearted warmth and zest for life, and his fierce protectiveness towards those he called “friend.”

I screwed up my courage and put a hand on his scaly muzzle, just above the jaws lined with pointed, serrated teeth the length of my forearm. Heat radiated from him like a furnace.

“You and Tama attacked the duke’s ships bravely,” I told him. “Despite the mages’ missiles and the cannons. You almost died trying to save her. That took real courage, Boreas.”

The Dragon let out another long sigh. “Pretty words, Friend Ilhan. But they don’t change the fact that I failed. The duke still holds our Jacinthe as his prisoner.”

A secret thrill at hearing him call her “our Jacinthe” threaded through the churn of anger and worry in my gut.

“Then help us.” I stroked the hot, smooth scales beneath my palm. “We need you. Jacinthe needs you.”

Boreas raised his head again. I saw a spark of renewed vitality in his slit-pupiled golden eyes. “You’re really willing to trust me again? After I ruined everything yesterday?”

“I am,” I said steadily. “But you have to trust us in return, and work with us this time instead of trying to do everything yourself. Can you do that? For our Jacinthe?”

Yes.” Boreas exhaled a gust of sulfurous smoke and gathered himself up on his scaly, taloned feet.

He extended his giant wings, gingerly stretching and testing the one so gravely injured yesterday.

“Count me in, Friend Ilhan!” he declared.

Relief crashed through me. I leaned in and threw my arms around Boreas’ sinuous feathered neck. “Thank you. With your strength at our side, I know we’ll bring her home.”

The spark of determination flickered back to life in Boreas’ eyes. “Well then. Let’s hear this plan of yours, Friend Ilhan.”

“It’s not stupid,” I promised him.

∞∞∞

Now that I’d gotten Boreas’ agreement to our plan, I needed to convince Tama to join our efforts.

Despite Tama’s participation in our gaming nights, I didn’t feel nearly as comfortable with the aloof merman as I did with Boreas. Tama struck me as solemn, haughty, and deeply reserved. I’d only ever seen him smile at Jacinthe.

And I couldn’t forget how inhumanly fast the merman had moved when he’d killed Lord Roderigo, or how emotionless Tama had seemed in the aftermath.

Despite my early training as a knight, I’d never fought in an actual battle, much less killed anyone.

Witnessing Lord Roderigo’s execution had left me feeling sick and shaken to my core. And more convinced than ever that my true path in life was that of a Mage-Healer rather than a warrior.

When I arrived at Harbor Cove, I walked out onto the dock and scanned the turquoise waters. Tama must have been waiting for me, because his sleek silver head popped out of the water just beyond the surf line.

He surveyed me with his inhumanly large black eyes, which looked more seal-like than human.

“I have been waiting for you,” he announced. “I visited the duke’s fleet this morning. They are busily repairing the damage from our attack. I undid their work, but we must act soon.”

“Gwydion, Alondra, and I came up with a new rescue plan,” I told him. “But we need to know what you learned about the duke’s defenses. Your observations are crucial to our success, Tama. Will you tell me what you saw and heard this morning?”

Tama stared at me for a long, terrifying moment. I suddenly had second thoughts about excluding him from our planning session.

What if he simply swam away and attempted a second rescue on his own?

Then, to my relief, he inclined his head.

“I will help you in whatever way I can,” he said, each word precise as a blade. “Jacinthe is my mate. I would turn my back on the sea and spend the rest of my life beached on dry land if she required it.” He surveyed me coldly. “I would even share her with you, Ilhan of Parrish.”

Vesta, has everyone noticed my feelings for Jacinthe? My face heated. “Thank you,” I managed.

Impulsively, I bowed to him as formally as if I were back in my father’s ducal court. “We’ll get her back, Tama. I swear it on my honor.”

The merman searched my face for a long moment, as if weighing the worth of my vow. “And I swear it, as well. Now, let me tell you what I observed among the duke’s ships…”

∞∞∞

“Lord Ilhan,” Arslan declared, sipping from his cup of tea. “Of course we will aid you in your quest to rescue Princess Jacinthe. We owe her a life-debt, and intend to see it repaid.”

My heart leaped with hope and gratitude. “Your Highnesses, your assistance in tomorrow’s rescue will erase any outstanding debts between us. I feel confident in speaking for Princess Jacinthe in this matter.”

I was sitting on a cushioned divan in the Djinni’s sitting room, a cup of fragrant tea steaming in my hand.

Their apartment was similar in plan to the rooms I shared with Alondra, save that their suite had a third bedroom. And much nicer furniture, upholstered in embroidered silk, with thick, soft rugs woven with intricate, jewel-colored patterns.

Princess Karima, seated across from me on a second divan, leaned forward and picked up a rosewater-and-almond tart. Her extravagant gold filigree earrings and matching diadem were set with tiny diamonds that sparkled with every movement.

She popped the little pastry in her mouth, chewed daintily, and sighed. “If only we still possessed our carpets, enchanted to carry passengers through the sky. They could transport a handful of your company over the sea at great speed.”

I’d heard rumors of these Djinni carpets, but had never actually seen one. “Where are they now?”

“In one of the castle’s storerooms, I suppose,” Karima replied. “They were confiscated from us upon our arrival. The former chatelaine and castellan clearly did not trust our word of honor to abide here for the agreed-upon span of time.”

Excitement shot through me. “If we were somehow able to get your carpets back… how many people could they carry?”

“Only three or four per carpet,” She sounded apologetic.

I tried to hide my disappointment. So, only a dozen people, at most.

Still, it was better than nothing. It was more people than Boreas could carry on his own… if he could fly at all.

“And should the new castellan remove these accursed restrictor earrings,” Layla added, her irises flickering with tiny golden flames, “we Djinni can unleash our powers of flame and wind to smite your foes.”

The Djinni were a formidable ally, but also a potential threat if unchecked. Would Castellan Guisbald and the others be willing to take such a risk?

As if reading my thoughts, Princess Layla leaned forward. “We swear on our honor that we shall use our carpets and our powers only in your aid.”

I nodded. “In that case, I’m sure the castellan will grant your requests.”

Arslan inclined his head. “You have our gratitude, Lord Ilhan. With our powers unbound, we shall make the very winds themselves your allies.”

Elation swelled within me. With the Djinni’s flying carpets and magical might, our chances of saving Jacinthe had just increased tenfold. I bowed low before them.

“My friends and I accept your generous aid with our deepest thanks.” I bowed deeply. “I will call upon the castellan shortly and request that he return your carpets and free your powers.”