Page 20

Chapter Nineteen

A knock on Molun and Arvus’s door and finally poking his head in confirmed that they’d gone about their day already. Perian would no doubt be able to find some of the Mage Warriors in the training rooms, but he didn’t want to interrupt a lesson as he had done last time he’d needed to find Nisal. But Nisal… well, he had been thinking he wanted to thank the doctor, hadn’t he?

Perian made his way back to the doctor’s rooms. He was in luck. Both Nisal and the doctor were there.

“Your burn salve is amazing, and I wanted to thank you so much,” Perian told the woman.

Nisal’s expression grew pinched, and the doctor considered him for a moment.

“You’re very welcome, though I would prefer you didn’t need it. It’s your right arm, I take it? You’re favoring it.”

Perian sighed, wondering about the speed of the rumors here at the castle.

“Yes.”

The doctor was eying him like he was stupid. “Well, you’re here now. Let’s see it.”

Oh. Perian took off his coat with Nisal’s help, then his vest, and finally his shirt—trying not to smirk about how many people were seeing him bare-chested today—and then the doctor unwound the bandage and inspected the burn.

“This happened last night?” the doctor said, fingers pressing carefully against the skin as she inspected it.

Perian nodded. “Yeah. Blocked a fireball to my face. It really hurt last night, and the salve was amazing. I don’t know how I would have gotten to sleep without it.”

Well, perhaps Brannal would have been able to… relax him regardless. But without the salve, Perian might have just kept fighting with the other man, in too much pain to see things clearly.

The doctor hummed a considering noise.

“Is everything all right?” Perian asked.

“Oh, yes, certainly,” she said, her lips tipping up into a small smile. “It seems to be healing well.”

Perian grinned at her. “I thought so. That’s why I wanted to thank you so much for the salve. It’s great.”

She smiled at him, and then asked Nisal to fetch another tin.

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

She shot him an unimpressed look, and he stopped talking.

“You seem like you need it,” she said flatly.

Although Perian kind of hoped no one was going to throw any more fireballs at him, he took her point. The doctor carefully bound the wound once more and told him to keep applying the salve and the dressing until the blisters were gone.

“The bandages will help to keep the area clean and prevent the salve from getting on your clothes. If the wound gets redder and angry-looking, then come back to see me. Do not pop the blisters yourself. They’re protecting the skin underneath, and they will break when they’re ready. Try to be careful with movement. The more you bend your arm, the more likely you are to aggravate the blisters near your elbow.”

He nodded. “Yes, of course. Thank you again.”

He took the tin of salve and then smiled at Nisal.

“I was hoping I could pick your brain.”

“Certainly,” they told him, looking curious.

The doctor waved them off. “Come back later. There is nothing urgent at the moment.”

So, they headed off.

“I want to get on Delana’s good side,” Perian announced. “What is my best bribe option?”

Nisal looked at him weirdly. “I… didn’t think that Delana was your type.”

Perian laughed. “Oh, no, I definitely do not want to get into her pants. I mean, she’s very pretty and entirely fierce, but I’ve got my hands full with the Mage Warrior that I’m currently in bed with, and I’m kind of a big fan of body parts she doesn’t have, if I’m being perfectly honest.”

Nisal eyed him cautiously. “You’re sure everything’s all right? I mean, not really about Delana, but”—they hesitated for a moment—“I heard about what happened. And then, seeing that—” They gestured, and Perian assumed they were indicating his burn.

He nodded. “Yes, thank you for checking. It was, uh, really not good in the immediate aftermath, and after some confusion and yelling—and some help from Molun and Arvus—we actually properly talked about it, and we’re good.”

They smiled at him. “I’m glad. That’s a painful-looking burn.”

He nodded again. “Indirectly, that’s actually why I’m bribing Delana, to see if they’re willing to help me get on Onadal’s good side. I mean, Brannal is actually going to talk to him, but I figure, why not try to sweeten him up first, right?”

Their lip curled. “You decided to go there.”

“She’s actually the only person I know who I’ve seen Onadal with, but yes, of course I decided to throw myself wholeheartedly into the middle of that.”

They snorted. “Your life is never boring, is it?”

Perian laughed. “Actually, my life here is never boring. There wasn’t very much excitement at home. And it was… very quiet after my father died. I got used to it, sort of, got into a routine, but there were not a lot of people and not a lot of variation.”

Looking back, Perian wasn’t sure how he had managed it, or was it just that he’d never before experienced anything like what he was living now in the castle? Or would he look back on this time later in his life and feel like it had all been chaos and he could only wish for some calm routine?

“You were lonely,” they said. It wasn’t really a question.

“I didn’t entirely realize it at the time, but yes, I guess I was. But it’s impossible to be lonely here. Well,” he amended, “it’s a huge castle and there’s so many people and so much going on that it probably is possible to feel disconnected, but I don’t feel lonely. Meeting Brannal was one of the best things that ever happened to me, never mind that it was actually thanks to an attack I would certainly prefer not to relive. But I’ve met so many interesting people, and I hope I’m making friendships that are going to last a lifetime. I might not actually know what I’m doing, but I would really like to keep seeing where this is going with Brannal.” He sighed happily. “I really like him.”

They were smiling at him. “Wow. That was a really besotted sigh.”

“I like him so much,” he repeated, huffing a breath. “This has never happened to me before, and I’m still figuring things out.”

“It’s fun to watch,” Nisal said with a grin, then made a face. “I mean, it’s mostly fun. These parts are good. Hearing about yesterday was not.”

Perian gave an answering grimace. “It was not ideal, but it turned out all right. And now it’s given me other fun things to do like try to bribe a person I don’t know very well.”

“And you came to me?”

“You’ve been able to get me anything I needed in the castle so far. Don’t tell me your powers have limits?”

Nisal laughed again, a bright, cheerful sound. “My powers definitely have limits, but you’re in luck that this particular request is still within my abilities. But the answer to your request actually lies beyond the castle walls.”

“Ooh,” Perian said excitedly. “We get to go forth on an adventure?”

“We absolutely do,” Nisal agreed with a smirk.

He wondered if all of the Mage Warriors had this streak in them and that was why he liked them so much.

They soon slipped out of the castle, and Perian followed Nisal through the cobblestone streets, turning the conversation to Nisal for a little while, since the two of them seemed to talk about Perian a lot. He was affording everyone a lot of entertainment value at the moment, he got that, but he didn’t want the relationship to be entirely one-sided or for Nisal to think he was actually that self-involved. They discussed where Nisal had grown up, the family they had left behind to come here and train, and their decision to become a Mage Warrior instead of a Mage.

“May I make an observation?” Perian asked.

They hummed an agreement.

“You sometimes don’t sound totally sure. Or am I wrong?”

Their lips quirked. “You’re not totally wrong. I believe very much in defense, in protecting people, and it’s true that sometimes to defend, you have to stop what’s attacking. But I’m… not a big fan of that part.”

“Is that why you spend so much time with the doctor?”

Nisal nodded. “Summus is aware of how I feel. I still need to do what all the Mage Warriors are doing, but we all have interests and strengths, and he has tried to take that into account where he can.”

“I’m glad,” Perian said.

Nisal smiled. “Me too.”

He hesitated for a moment. Nisal was cheerful and funny, and Perian liked them very much. He remembered their willingness to rescue him just because he needed help, and he thought that protectiveness came out a mile wide.

“What?” Nisal asked.

“Have you ever considered becoming a Mage instead? I mean, is that a thing that can be done?”

They nodded. “It’s possible but fairly rare, at least at my age. Both directions, actually. Mages who realize they want to be way more active, and Mage Warriors who realize that Warrior life isn’t for them. It’s less common that Mages live in the castle, though, and—”

“—you like it here,” Perian finished for them, because he liked it here too.

They nodded, looking a little glum.

He reached out and squeezed their arm. “Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to make you think sad thoughts. I think you’re fitting in great here—way better than me, who doesn’t actually have a job at all and is just stumbling along trying to figure everything out.”

Nisal snorted at him. “So, in comparison, my life is just fine?”

Perian grinned at them. “Exactly.”

They shook their head but continued to look amused. “Thank you for the comparison. Certainly, life is not boring around you. I haven’t been to buy a good bribe in far too long. Come on.”

They wound up… in a bakery?

It was obviously a bakery because it was filled with baked goods. Perian wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but this was definitely not it. It was a popular one, with all the little tables filled with people eating, and a lineup of patrons waiting to place their orders.

“Are there hidden weapons?” Perian asked, voice low.

Nisal smirked. “Delana likes more than weapons.”

“Oh, of course,” he said because that seemed the only appropriate response.

“She is one of the toughest people I know,” Nisal said, “but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have secret weaknesses.”

“Oooh, secret weaknesses,” he repeated, bouncing on his toes.

They laughed.

It made perfect sense, actually. Perian still hadn’t spent much time with Delana, and assuming just because she was fierce and oh-so-fit looking that all she liked were Warrior-related things was pretty insulting. He was very glad he’d asked Nisal for help, and he would try to be better about making assumptions in the future.

(Did Cormal like puppies ? Or… cakes ? Perian couldn’t even imagine it. He shivered.)

They finally made it to the front of the line, and Nisal pointed at the treats they wanted for Delana, some sort of sugar-covered, stuffed sweetbread that he would not in a million years have guessed.

The young woman at the counter gave Perian a smile, and he grinned at her.

“I need to get a gift for someone,” he confessed to her. “I’ve got to convince them it’s worth helping me. And I’ve been told this is their absolute favorite dessert, so what better way to sweeten them up than to offer them the best sweets, right?”

She nodded earnestly, blue eyes wide.

“And of course,” Perian continued, “if they’re the very best sweets, I should probably try one for myself and get the full experience, shouldn’t I?”

“Oh, definitely,” she told him, smiling. “You have to try one.”

Nisal tugged his arm. “We need to get back to the castle.”

The young woman’s face fell, and Perian promised, “If they’re as good as everyone’s told me—or if I need more bribes—I will definitely be back.”

She perked up and very carefully packed the desserts for him.

“Thank you so much,” he told her.

“You are so welcome,” she told him with a bright grin. “Come back soon.”

Perian paid and carefully took the package and headed back into the street with Nisal.

“Wow,” they said.

“What?” he asked, confused.

“Give me that.”

Perian handed over the bag, watched Nisal open it and peer inside. They snorted.

“You got, I don’t know, double the amount you should have got for that price.”

“Oh,” he said, grinding to a halt. “Did she make a mistake? I can go back, and—”

Nisal pulled him back into motion. “That was definitely not a mistake. That was falling altogether to your charms.”

“Oh,” he said, making a face. “That’s not what I was trying to do.”

“I could see that,” Nisal said bemusedly. “I just hadn’t had the chance to watch it in action before. You’re very… potent.”

He eyed them uncertainly. “Thank you?”

They waved this aside. “No, I just mean… lots of people are very attracted to you. But you mostly don’t seem to notice.”

Perian considered this for a moment. “I’m not everyone’s type. I’m a very particular type, actually. But for those whose type I am, they do seem to find me… very attractive? And of course, at least until I met Brannal, I was happy to connect with lots of people. But I’m not really attracted to women, and just because someone finds me attractive or I find someone else attractive doesn’t mean I need to do anything about it. I mostly don’t really think about it.”

He eyed Nisal, wondering if they thought he’d done something wrong, but they waved a hand.

“You’re all right. Eat a pastry.”

After offering one to Nisal, that was exactly what Perian did. It was a little too sweet for him, but the quality was superb. The crust was flaky and buttery with that perfect mixture of crispness on the outside and softness on the inside, and the filling actually melted in his mouth.

“Oh, wow,” he breathed.

“Right?” they said a bit thickly, happily eating their own. “The ones in the castle just aren’t as good, but we don’t like to eat out too often. These are definitely the best, though, and Delana has looked widely.”

Nisal polished off their pastry, and Perian held out the bag.

“Another?”

“I thought these were for Delana?”

“And she will get an entire bagful. She just won’t know how many were in the bag to start with, right?”

Nisal snorted and then took a second pastry. Perian was content with just the one. It hadn’t been that long since breakfast, and he had the picnic to look forward to with Renny and the dinner with Molun and Arvus. He wasn’t going to be lacking in food today.

They made their way back to the castle in companionable silence, and then Nisal directed him to the training room where Delana was likely to be.

“I would love to watch this,” they told him, “but I think it will go better if you don’t have an audience. Tell me all about it later?”

Perian nodded. “That’s a promise. Thank you for all the help.”

They gave him a cheerful wave before heading off. He squared his shoulders and tapped on the door.

He popped his head in when he heard Delana’s voice call for him to enter.

Nisal was right—no surprise there—and Delana was alone in the training room. It looked like she’d been practicing knife-throwing, or so he assumed based on the knives in the targets across the room. She was sweaty, which was definitely a good look for her.

She drew a deep breath, and then her gaze zeroed in on the bag in Perian’s hands.

“Is that—?”

“You can smell them from over there.” Perian was impressed. “Wow, they really must be your favorite. This is an entire bag full of bribes.”

Delana raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to lead with that, huh?”

He nodded cheerfully. “I don’t really like to beat around the bush.”

“I noticed,” she said, grabbing a towel and patting at her sweaty face.

Perian was not at all certain that he’d got it right, only then she smiled at him.

“I can respect that. Most people seem to think I’ll not notice what’s going on if they hand me a bag of sweets and then happen to ask me some really pointed questions or suggest a new Warrior rotation.”

Perian rolled his eyes. “People are dumb.”

She smirked. “You’re not wrong.”

He handed over the bag. “It’s not questions, actually. Or Warrior rotations. I’m not sure what people are questioning you about, and if it’s about you and Onadal, that’s your business. I have an opinion, of course, because you’ve met me, but I do recognize it actually has nothing to do with me. I’m actually hoping for a favor.”

She pulled out one of the pastries, inhaled again, and then took a big bite, a look of bliss crossing her face. “What kind of favor? You’re not getting these back.”

He laughed. “No, of course not. You get the pastries regardless. But I figure you’d at least be in a receptive mood if I gave you something to eat, and if you decide to tell me to shove off afterwards, I’m no worse off.”

She took another bite.

“What’s the favor?” she asked around flaky pastry.

“Did you, uh, hear about yesterday?”

Perian supposed that a lot of things had happened yesterday, but Delana didn’t even pretend not to know what he was talking about. She nodded.

He continued. “Yeah, so, that wasn’t a great time, and it came up that I didn’t have a lot of ways to defend myself.” He smiled a little. “Not like someone who can summon water whenever needed.”

“Cormal is… pretty content with the outcome,” she said carefully.

Perian simply nodded.

“Heard you went to the doctor’s this morning.”

“Wow, the rumor mill is so good here,” Perian marveled. “Molun and Arvus brought burn salve last night. Brannal and I agreed that it would be better if I could defend myself and that it wasn’t working well so far to try to have sporadic lessons with the Mage Warriors.”

She was way ahead of him. “You want me to talk to Onadal.”

“Brannal is going to talk to him. He’s kind of protective.”

She eyed his arm but didn’t say anything. Apparently, she could see which side he was favoring at a glance as well. Perian definitely needed training.

“So,” he said after a slightly too long pause, “we thought that training with people who couldn’t conjure elements might be useful to me, and Brannal said Onadal often has more beginners than the Mage Warriors do. But nobody’s turning me into a Warrior, and I can’t promise to be the most consistent and dedicated novice who ever existed. And I’m kind of hoping Onadal will agree to help me so that in future I can get that punch in before Brannal blows me out of the way.”

She snorted. “Is that what happened?”

Perian made a face and grumbled, “I did not react with speed and alacrity.”

She was nodding. “I can see that.”

“Hey!” he protested.

She rolled her eyes. “I mean, I can see how you’d like to hone your reactions and have better ways of protecting yourself.” She eyed his arm again. “Maybe use your left arm, at least.”

Perian groaned. “Yes, I already thought of that. I mean, I’m very grateful I got my arm up at all, but left would have been less awkward today.”

“So, he was aiming for your face?” she said, like this was something that had gotten communally discussed.

Who was he kidding, of course it had.

Perian’s lips tipped up in a smile that was devoid of amusement. “Said I’d be less pretty that way.”

Her jaw clenched. “Sometimes, he can be—”

“Yes,” Perian agreed. “Which is how we find me bribing you with pastries. I don’t know Onadal at all. And I have a request.”

She eyed him. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

“I am fully aware that I am one person, and he is training all the Warriors in the castle. But if he happened to be able to fit me into morning training, that would fit my schedule really well.”

Delana threw back her head and laughed.

“I mean, I won’t know unless I ask, will I?” he said, smiling hopefully.

Still chuckling with mirth, she agreed, “You definitely won’t.”

She ate another pastry, considering him as she consumed it. She finished it, and then she nodded decisively. “I’ll talk to Onadal. He makes his own decisions.”

“But you have… influence?” Perian suggested.

She eyed him, a gleam in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Perian raised his hands, laughing. “Of course you don’t.”

“I act as liaison between the Warriors and Mage Warriors, so I sometimes attend the training of the Warriors. It is worth getting Onadal to do this solely for the entertainment value.”

And Perian could only laugh.

Bribe a success.

She thanked him for the pastries and then nodded at his arm. “We’ll want to wait until your arm has healed more before you get started. No use in aggravating it and extending the healing time.”

Perian made a face. “Oh, I didn’t think of that. But don’t you have to fight when you’re wounded?”

“Warriors and Mage Warriors sometimes, of course. But it’s never preferred, and it’s certainly not the way anyone should begin lessons. Start with every advantage, right?”

He nodded. They’d shown him how to fall first. Not because they wanted him to fall, but because the reality was that he was going to, and they wanted to reduce the chance of him being injured as he figured all of this out.

“Thank you,” Perian told her earnestly. “I’m sure I’m going to be an embarrassed, sweaty mess by the end of this, but thank you anyway.”

She laughed. “Like I said, this is going to be highly entertaining.”

Perian left her to her training, hoping that Onadal agreed with Brannal and Delana. No matter what influence she had, Perian was sure the captain of the Warriors would have his own opinion. He might still decide Perian was more trouble than he was worth.

But just like you started training with as many advantages as possible, Perian felt like he had stacked the deck as best he could to encourage the outcome he wanted.

Plus, now that he knew how much Delana liked those pastries, if nothing else worked, he could always buy her more and see if she would train him.

The morning had passed more quickly than he expected, so Perian headed back to Brannal’s rooms and gathered up the blankets before swinging by the kitchen for the picnic basket that was now always ready for him. Alona seemed to have been appointed the one to deal with him—or maybe it was always her job to wrangle the people who showed up at the doors—and she smiled at him as he thanked her before he headed out to the quadrangle.

He nodded his head at the Warriors—not ones he recognized—and ducked through the bushes.

He’d forgotten about Renny.

Well, not forgotten about Renny, because obviously he’d come here to have a picnic with her like he usually did. But he’d been thinking about the gossip and how everyone had heard about his injury… and he’d never once given any consideration to a certain twelve-year-old princess’s reaction.

Her eyes narrowed sharply when she saw him, and he realized belatedly that carrying the basket awkwardly with his left hand was a dead giveaway. She looked tired, pale, and stressed.

“Take your coat off!” she ordered.