Page 6 of The Dark Mage
“Well, then,” Peria said, licking her lips. “Let’s eat. Ren’wyn and I are fami shed.”
They talked and laughed over a seafood soup starter, followed by chicken in wine sauce with mushrooms—each bite melting on the tongue with cream and aromatic spices.
Esrin ended the meal with a rich chocolate cake.
By that point, Peria had indulged in four glasses of wine, Ren’wyn three, and Esrin an entire bo ttle.
Esrin regaled them with stories, including one about stealing his father’s ship with his best friends to sail up the coast. The plan ended disastrously when they landed at his uncle’s es tate.
“Apparently, my father sent word to flay us alive,” Esrin said, roaring with laughter. “So my uncle worked us for a week—chopping wood, harvesting corn, and sleeping in a barn.”
Ren’wyn clutched her sides, imagining this polished man covered in dirt and smelling of pigs. Peria’s head was thrown back as tears streamed down her face.
“At the end of it,” Esrin continued, “we had to enter the city through the main gates, stinking and filthy. I was mortified walking past the brothel, where the girls turned away in dis gust.”
“This has been lovely,” Esrin said as the laughter subsided, swirling the last of the wine in his glass. His tone grew thoughtful. “I’m sorry we haven’t met before now.”
A small silence passed companionably. Then, he began again. Ren’wyn found herself leaning forward to li sten.
“My parents discovered my powers when I was a boy. Apparently, I summoned a windstorm that grounded five ships after they took away my favorite pony. They sought out tutors and learned about Spyre through private inquiries. I’ve spent the last six years here.
Someday, I’ll lead Ishvaen with honesty and equality.
I’ll help hide those with magic however I can, just as my father does now. ”
He looked at them expectantly, and Ren’wyn felt his silent request to hear their sto ries.
Peria spoke first. “I was lucky to be born on Anduan and receive my gift of empathy.
My powers showed when I was six. I got so angry after losing a game that it overflowed into my friends.
Together, we tore down a fishing hut and fence, broke windows, and bloodied our hands before my parents and another empath stopped us.
The other empath calmed me and began my trai ning.
“On Anduan, we don’t worry about attending Spyre. We train our gifted on the island, and the empire stays out of our business. I’m privileged, and I want more for our world. I want us all to be that free.”
Determination burned in Peria’s eyes, and Ren’wyn glanced away, smiling with pride. If anyone could bring Anduan into the fight, it was P eria.
“Until then,” Peria added, “I’ll learn to use my powers to influence the Council. I’m ready to help them rise against the emperor. I want it to be tomorrow, but I’ll start here by empowering my fellow stud ents.”
The other two turned to Ren’wyn, who finished her glass of wine, swallowing the bitter taste of her fu ture.
“I was born to a dark mage married to a lord who abused her,” Ren’wyn said softly. “My mother knew from the moment she held me that I had dark magic. A mage’s firstborn almost always does.
“My power woke on my tenth birthday. The first shades I saw were my brothers and sister, who were miscarried. I still see them almost every day in the Void.”
She kept her gaze on her wine glass, unsettled by her friends’ atten tion.
“My father is power-hungry. He can’t believe my mother gave him a worthless girl, and I’m sure he’d sell me out if he knew about my magic.
He’s marrying me off this summer to gain land.
Erst, my fiancé”—Ren’wyn’s voice cracked, but she continued—“hurts me for fun, but I’ll marry him because the alternative is exile.
My father says it’s my duty to the family, to keep me from becoming a hindrance.
I can’t run. I can’t say no. Where else would I go? ”
Peria’s face burned with suppressed rage. Esrin looked stunned, his mouth slightly agape. Ren’wyn suddenly regretted sharing so much, recognizing that Esrin was practically a stranger. She sighed in frustration, cursing the wine and her loose to ngue.
“I’m sorry,” Esrin murm ured.
Ren’wyn looked up, and his sorrowful expression drew a sad smile from her. Peria refilled their gla sses.
“To those of us that hide and hope,” Ren’wyn said, raising her g lass.
The three toasted, and just like that, Esrin became a fast fr iend.
By the end of the night, they were obscenely drunk, finishing two more bottles of wine. Peria passed out on Esrin’s couch, mumbling about ocean journeys that made her “so damn seasick.” Esrin refilled Ren’wyn’s glass and sat beside her on the f loor.
They stretched their legs out, feet interlocking on the wooden floor, and gazed up through the skylight at the s tars.
Ren’wyn’s eyelids drooped, and she leaned her head against Esrin’s shou lder.
Almost too quiet to be real—perhaps just a dream—she heard him whisper, “I’m going to save you.”
Peria’s grumpy moan woke Ren’wyn the next day. She opened her eyes to find Esrin snoring softly above her, her head resting in his lap and his hand draped over her shou lder.
“If I wasn’t so damned hungover, I would make a snarky joke,” Peria groaned. “How’s his lap?”
She managed a wicked grin, and Ren’wyn lobbed a throw pillow at her.
Esrin stirred, prompting Ren’wyn to quickly sit up. He blinked at her, smiling sleepily, then groaned as he pressed his palms to his forehead, pushing his hair back out of his eyes.
“I think I ate my feathered comforter,” Esrin mumbled, smacking his lips for emph asis.
Ren’wyn burst out laughing, Peria joining in, but the effort made all three clutch their heads in pain. They collapsed back down, Esrin flopping onto the carpet next to Ren’wyn. The trio lay there happily, letting the minutes tic k by.
Peria was the first to rise, declaring that no one would feel better lying down.
She moved to the kitchen, tossing eggs into a pan with butter and slicing bread for toast. Esrin sat up and glanced at Ren’wyn, his gaze lazy and warm.
A smile crossed his face, soft and unhurried, before he leapt up and joined Peria, filling three glasses of w ater.
The scrambled eggs and thick slices of buttered toast helped dull their headaches slightly.
Luckily, it was the weekend. After breakfast, Peria and Ren’wyn returned to their dorm to clean up, promising Esrin they would spend time together again soon.
His shy smile lingered in Ren’wyn’s mind, lighting up the rest of her day.
“So…” Peria began as they showered in opposing stalls. “What was it like waking up with your face in a man’s cr otch?”
Ren’wyn heard the snicker in Peria’s voice and threw her loofah over the divider. She grinned when Peria let out a startled “oof” as the loofah made con tact.
“Look, Ren’wyn,” Peria continued, undeterred. “Hear me out. Esrin’s fun, he’s handsome, and he clearly looks at you more often than me. You owe Erst nothing. Nothing, Ren. And… Esrin could be fun. I think you should go fo r it.”
Ren’wyn didn’t reply immediately. She stood in the shower, listening to the water cascade around her and watching the steam rise from the tile floor.
Esrin was beautiful in a way most men weren’t—confident yet gentle.
What would it be like to love someone like that?
To be with a man who was kind, devoted? Certainly not like the cruelty of Erst’s hands, pushing her into the roses at home after she refused his adva nces.
“I’m sorry,” Peria blurted, jerking Ren’wyn out of her dark memories. “I shouldn’t butt in. I just—I hate that you’re shackled. I hate being powerless, and I hate that you’re sad and hurt. I want you to be happy, Ren. For once in your life.”
“Peria,” Ren’wyn responded gently. “I’m not upset with you. I love you. But… I met Esrin yesterday. I don’t know him. I’ve always hoped for… for love, and yes, he’s handsome, but…”
“I get it,” Peria interrupted, her tone softer now. “I get it, Ren’wyn. Just… don’t miss something good, okay? Pro mise?”
“I promise,” Ren’wyn ag reed.