Page 23 of Strange Familiar (Warriors of Magic #2)
~23~
A lise laughed at the joke, maintaining a poised exterior, but inside she was a churning mess. When she’d been in Cillian’s arms, safe inside that bubble of intimacy that he somehow created so effortlessly, as if by magic, she’d been able to see her way clear to this crazy plan of his, that she could just walk away from House Elal and her father. That somehow everything would be all right.
But it wouldn’t be all right. Nothing could be, and her jangling heart knew the truth. Even as they passed under the portcullis and crossed the drawbridge, she knew the illusion of escape was exactly that. She might be out of House Elal proper, but it was a long way out of Elal and the umbrella of her father’s power. Bria might be safe, but she was not.
“He’ll come after us,” she said into the silence of the carriage, realizing only then that Cillian had been waiting for her to speak.
“He’ll be occupied for a while yet,” Cillian said calmly. “Hours.”
“Long enough for us to get out of Elal?”
He didn’t reply, only cocked his head slightly, as if expecting her to say more.
Yeah, that’s what she’d thought. “What will we do?” she fretted.
“If he comes after you,” Cillian said, moving to sit beside her on the carriage bench, “he’ll use his wizardry against you. He’ll send spirits.”
“Exactly!” she agreed, imagining the power of what he could send, what she’d seen him do in the arcanium, powered by Brinda’s white hot magic.
“And you’ll use your wizardry to combat him,” Cillian continued evenly, as if discussing what route they’d take.
Alise goggled at him. “You’re not serious.”
“Of course I am.”
“ This is your plan?” her voice rose to a squeak and she began sweating in anxiety. Oh, she should not have left her father.
“It’s a working plan,” he admitted. “Mostly I wanted to get you out of House Elal—which you have to admit has worked admirably—and I had and have confidence that you will be able to fend off anything your father throws at us.”
“Over-confidence has killed many a wizard,” she noted darkly. “And you have no idea what my father has been up to.”
“Besides summoning demons? Has he gone beyond that in his hubris, attempting to harness djinn?”
Alise gave him a long, considering look. “What do you know?”
He took her hand, holding it in both of his, enfolded like something precious he needed to protect. “I’m well-read enough to recognize from the descriptions what your father intended to attach to Bria.”
“Nobody else but me knew that was a demon.”
Cillian shrugged a little. “I asked Han and Iliana to describe what they noticed and that was the obvious conclusion.”
“You’re amazing.”
“I’m glad you think so.” He smiled warmly and leaned in to kiss her.
She pulled back just enough that he missed, scowling at him. “That wasn’t a compliment, Cillian. You have no idea how far in over your head you are!”
“I believe in you.”
“Well, you shouldn’t,” she snapped, feeling the weight of his belief.
The carriage wove around a curve, climbing the first rise out of the river valley, and the massive structure of House Elal filled the view. Spring had rushed headlong into full bloom during her time inside, coming late to these mountainous climes, but fully in place now and edging into summer.
“You’re not going back,” Cillian informed her with quiet resolve, “so don’t even think about it.”
“Or what,” she fired back, turning her fear and anger on him. “You can’t stop me.”
He cupped her cheek with one hand, sliding it around to the back of her neck when she tried to pull away again. This firmer, more assertive Cillian had her a bit off-balance, but… that probably wasn’t fair or true. He’d always been determined in his interest in her, just more polite about it before. Her father had totally bitten on the bait Cillian had dangled about being delicate and unable to withstand much adversity, but the person who underestimated Cillian—and she had to include herself in that group—found out to their sorrow that beneath his sweet and mild personality lay a will of iron.
“Alise,” he said, gaze holding hers, “please don’t leave me again. I’m begging you.”
“I didn’t mean to leave you to begin with,” she pointed out crisply. “And besides—”
He stopped her with a kiss, a long, lingering, dreamy kiss that sapped all thoughts from her mind. Oh, how she’d missed him. His taste, his feel, his wry humor, his generous affection, the way he looked at her like the rest of the world had fallen away and he didn’t care if it ever returned.
Pulling back just enough to lean his forehead against hers, he whispered. “Just don’t leave me again, for whatever reason. I don’t think I can withstand it. Bond a familiar, bond all five of the Nod brothers if it will make you happy. Just let me be with you, too.”
“I don’t want any of them,” she confessed, also whispering, for no good reason. “I didn’t bed any of them, either.”
“It wouldn’t matter if you had.”
“Thank you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
His fingers flexed on the back of her neck. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Maybe we’ll get better at not doing that over time.”
“Over time?”
“Yes. Our lifetimes. I want to go where you go. I don’t care where that is, so long as it’s with you.”
Shaken, she set that aside, not ready to deal with the implications. “Where are we going?” it occurred to her to ask. There was only one way out of the river valley, by design, but soon they’d have to choose a direction and that would determine how soon she’d have to fight off her father. He might be indisposed for a few hours, but when he recovered, he’d be looking for her and his anger would be something she did not care to behold.
“It’s up to you.”
“Why?” she demanded. “Is this also part of the ‘I didn’t have a plan past getting Alise out of House Elal?”
“I don’t know how I missed that sharp tongue of yours.” He kissed her, flicking his own tongue against hers in a sensual and loving caress, then sat back, still holding her one hand. “This is still your project. We have the code to break, which could take a very long time, but the fact that we’ve come this far is entirely because of you. So what we do next is your call. I have three options in mind, but you might think of something else. First, we can go to House Harahel and—”
“No, thank you.”
“I promise to be conscious this time and, no matter what, my grandmother will never turn you away again. You have my word on that.”
She withheld comment, but she’d believe it when Lady Harahel laid down the attitude along with a welcome carpet.
“If we go there, you can examine the texts we extracted and see what you think. Then we can take Han and Iliana back to House Phel and you can tell your family about your discovery.”
Her family. The pang of longing to see Nic, and everyone else, to be at House Phel once more hit her like a punch of magic breaking through her shields.
“We can also go directly to House Phel,” Cillian said softly, watching her.
Was she that transparent? Probably. “What’s the third option?”
“Convocation Academy,” he answered promptly.
“To take this discovery to Provost Uriel,” she mused.
“And Professor Seraphiel. I think they’d both be very interested.”
She considered it. “Much as I would love to go to House Phel, I think there’s merit to going to Convocation Academy. If we take this discovery to Meresin, we run the risk of the information dying there with us all over again. I take it no one outside of you, me, Han, and Iliana know everything?”
“Correct. My grandmother most decidedly did no t want to know.”
“Plausible deniability?” she asked, amused by Lady Harahel’s game-playing. Alise doubted she’d ever come to like the woman, not after the way she’d come between Cillian and her.
Cillian shook his head in dry amusement. “She is far more canny than I ever imagined. Now, this is in our laps. And I defer to your wishes.”
“You trust me to make that decision?” she asked. “I could be an Elal shill now.”
He met her gaze, taking her hand and twining their fingers. “You are Alise, who possesses such a huge heart you liberated familiars, and couldn’t bear to be unkind to a puppyish librarian in love with her, and who gave up everything to protect her infant niece.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “I aspire to be the person you believe me to be.”
“Easily accomplished then.” With a smile, he leaned in to kiss her, lingeringly. “Where to, my lady?”
The archaic gallantry made her smile. “Let’s show Tandiya Uriel what we’ve got.”
He grinned. “That’s my girl.”