Page 42 of Pawns of Fate
ROSE
F reshly bathed, wrapped in a fluffy bath robe, and with the most pleasant ache between her legs reminding her of Nicholas’s fondness for her, Rose could hardly believe that half a day ago she’d been trudging through desert mountains, wondering if she’d survive.
“Have Syzman and Lyla returned yet?” she asked Nicholas and blew on a hot spoonful of potato soup.
“They made it to the village. Lyla was injured, but Syzman said she’ll be alright.”
Rose let out a breath of relief. “Thank the gods. ”
Nicholas tore at a chunk of bread and dipped it into his soup. “Syzman wants me to take you to Kai early tomorrow morning.”
Rose turned the idea over in her mind. She’d expected to go back to Onanish and felt a pang of disappointment at the thought of spending more time away from home.
“Why?” she asked.
“He and I think a shadow mage is trying to kidnap you because of your aural abilities. Lyla may not recover her ability to ward for a week. I know we covered your hair when we entered the village, but it is not enough protection. The Talbots have wards—strong wards—on their castle. You can wait there safely.”
Rose swallowed a spoonful of the hearty soup. “My magic isn’t worth all of that. I know the legend about my ancestor, but I can’t increase anyone’s mana flow. I doubt a shadow mage is trying to kidnap me for my magic. There has to be another reason. I’m not that valuable.”
“Don’t doubt your value, Rose.” Nicholas’s brows knitted together as he gently grabbed her hand. “You’re not Hector’s pawn anymore.”
“Still, Nicholas, it doesn’t make sense.
” She thought about the man in the library.
Perhaps she and Lyla had been mistaken. Maybe the man hadn’t been trying to kidnap her.
The memory felt hazy to her, especially after everything she’d been through since then.
She’d almost forgotten about it entirely…
which was concerning. The more Rose concentrated on the memory, the more it evaded her.
“It does make sense, Rose. The man who attacked you in the library was a shadow mage. Syzman thinks he’s also controlling the monsters.”
Rose thought about the strange runes she’d seen on the troll. “There’s no way one person could manage all that in one day. It would take an absurd amount of mana.”
Nicholas furrowed his brows. “Exactly. They’ll need time to recover. We will use that to our advantage and make a run for Kai.”
Rose dipped her spoon into her bowl. “What about Ava and York? And Lyla?”
“Lyla will teleport them back to Onanish when she’s recovered, or they’ll just ride there, depending on what my father advises. They’ll be safer when the mage realizes you’ve gone.” Nicholas tore a piece of bread and popped a chunk into his mouth.
“It still doesn’t feel right. Running.”
“I know, Rose.”
She decided to press a little harder. The more she thought about it, the less she liked the idea. “It feels too vulnerable, Nicholas.”
“I know, Rose. But sitting here with no wards feels worse.” Nicholas grimaced.
He had a point. Sitting and waiting this out seemed like a bad idea, even in the comfortable inn. “Will you stay with me in Kai?” she asked.
“There’s nothing I want more, but I doubt it, my love. I’ll likely rejoin York and the knights.” His lips formed a thin line. “You’ll stay where it’s safest. ”
Rose felt annoyance at his overprotection and another sting of disappointment, but decided to let it slide. After all, this man had caught her in his arms after she’d fallen off a cliff. It didn’t feel so bad to have him worrying about her. She took a sip from her mug of frothy beer.
“Alright,” she said. “When do we leave?”
They set out early the next morning, when the sun barely peeked over the distant mountaintops.
“Be safe,” Ava said with a little wobble. She hugged Rose with a surprising amount of strength.
Rose was reluctant to let go of Ava, who had truly become her sister over the course of their stay with the Ojoh and their desperate flight across the desert, running from goblins, trolls, and werewolves together.
“Please don’t make a scene, little lady.” Syzman’s voice was almost a hiss. He’d been irritable since finding Lyla gravely injured, not that Rose blamed him.
“They need to leave as quietly as possible,” the shadow mage added.
Ava nodded and let Rose go. She turned to mount her horse. Once in the saddle, she asked, “How is Lyla?”
A mirthless smile played at the shadow mage’s lips. “She’ll live. Perhaps she’ll teleport to Kai when she’s recovered.”
Relief mixed with the reluctance that was building in Rose’s chest.
“Go on now. The best thing you can do is to stay safe,” Syzman added.
He even managed a sly wink, which would have caused Rose’s heart to skip a beat if she weren’t so enamoured with Nicholas.
Syzman had such an aloof, intimidating demeanor to her; Rose hadn’t noticed that he was a rather attractive man.
She wondered why Lyla fought to deny any romantic relationship with him.
Rose and Nicholas made their way through the sleepy village and into the mountains beyond.
As they journeyed, the terrain stayed rugged, but the flora turned from that of the high desert to that of richly forested mountains.
The summer sun still heated her skin, but it wasn’t as harsh or dry as the Ojoh desert, which made Rose thankful.
“I missed the freshness of the mountain air,” Nicholas mused. Their horses plodded down the winding dirt road. “Your uncle’s swamps were so humid. I constantly felt like I was standing over a boiling pot of water.”
The path turned sharply, and they were rewarded with a scenic view of a crystalline river flowing through a valley of lush, jade foliage. A few tawny deer timidly drank from its moss-covered banks.
“I’ve never been inside the swamps,” Rose replied, “but I’m sure the mountains are much better.”
“Have you been to Kai? Their mountains make the ones in Onanish look like gentle hills.”
Rose shook her head. “The Talbots never had any business with my uncle. I’m sure he doesn’t have enough power to bother a duke.”
A strange look crossed Nicholas’s face, but Rose changed the subject. She had enough on her mind and wanted to leave thoughts of her uncle in the past, where they belonged.
“I heard that Talbot has been dealing with the western wolf riders lately.” She said the statement as though it were a question.
“I think he’ll always have to deal with the western wolf riders,” Nicholas replied with a small, thoughtful hum.
Oh, how Rose had missed that sound. “They’ve stopped raiding his lands since last winter, though.
He wouldn’t have made it to our wedding otherwise.
” Nicholas’s horse stepped gingerly over a branch, and Rose’s followed.
“But I’m sure they’ll lash out again once they’ve had time to lick their wounds. ”
“Will he help with the monster attacks on the Ojoh settlements?” Talbot was a renowned fire mage, an even more fearsome knight on the battlefield than York. Not to mention all the mages in his employ, or the armies at his disposal.
Nicholas’s shoulders slumped, as if the weight of the past few days chose that moment to land on his back.
“I’m not sure that the best way to handle it is to keep fighting the monsters.
” His lips pursed, and he furrowed his brow.
“I think the best strategy is for the mage tower to clean up the mess by taking out the man responsible for creating it.”
“Right, all of this has been the work of one rogue shadow mage,” Rose replied, though she struggled to believe it herself. How could one mage manage nearly simultaneous monster attacks all over Albion?
“I think Syzman and Lyla know who it is,” Nicholas added. His voice carried a note of distress.
Rose felt her chest tighten. Syzman and Lyla were hiding something from them?
“I suppose there aren’t multitudes of shadow mages running around Albion. That does narrow the list of suspects,” she replied.
“Syzman said there are only five mages capable of traveling through shadow like he does.”
Rose shuddered as she remembered the malevolent life force she’d seen in the garden, and then the sight of the man who’d tried to kidnap her in the library melting into shadow. She glanced around at the dark forest; the urge to use her aura and check their surroundings was overpowering her.
“You truly don’t think that he’ll follow us?” she asked, voice shaking.
“I think he’s still recovering his mana, and by the time he realizes that we aren’t on the road to Onanish, we’ll already be in Talbot’s castle.”
Nicholas’s confidence warmed her heart. Still, the urge to connect her senses to the aural plane lingered. The tips of Rose’s fingers tingled with anticipation.
“I’m going to use my aural magic to check,” she declared.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Nicholas said with a smile. “I’d be grateful if you did.”
Rose felt a little pride at his words. She’d been so helpless the past few days, being saved first by Lyla, then Syzman and Nicholas. It felt good to take some control.
She reached for the aural plane, letting her senses roam.
She looked at their surroundings and sensed the life force of the plants, especially the trees.
There were a few rodents, and she could feel the tiny pulses of life that she knew to be the insects of the forest—ants, bees, and the like.
But there was nothing amiss. No violent shadows hiding in the trees, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
She smiled at Nicholas and told him that things were clear. He straightened his shoulders, and their horses continued up the mountainous path. Perhaps their troubles were behind them, after all.
They set up camp in a wooded glen as the sun disappeared and the chill of night settled in. Nicholas caught a pair of brown rabbits for their dinner, so Rose roasted the meat while he tended to the horses.