Page 17 of The Malice of Moons and Mages (The Broken Bonds of Magic #1)

Seventeen

Audra

A udra shifted in the saddle, straining to gaze behind them once more. Moon’s heavy exhalation lilted toward her. He’d covered the gelding in extra blankets and, even wearing gloves, avoided touching the horse as if it were diseased. It was odd, but the northerners were known to have strange ways, and she wasn’t curious enough to question.

“No one’s coming,” he said.

She nudged her mare beside him, but Moon veered away, keeping several feet between the horses. “You never know with horses. Once they realize there’s one missing, they’ll be after our heads.”

Moon looked ridiculous beneath the bamboo hat, but she kept that delight to herself.

“We paid for one. They won’t notice the other until the spell fades tomorrow morning. By then, they won’t even know who they’re looking for.”

“Will a spell that small hold for that long?”

“It depends on the intent behind the spell,” he said. “Because you interfered with my original plan?— ”

“Murder draws attention, Moonie.”

“My intention became only to create a little chaos. Releasing the other horses and stirring them up as you stole one. It will take them a while to collect them, and we are already safely away. The horses will be fine.”

“Will it last?”

“No. But if a spell hits hard enough, and so long as the mage continues to live, it will work until it’s done its job or is unable to continue.”

Audra bit her lip. “What was the intent of that thing I dug out of your back?”

“Disable me. Prevent me from casting. Kill me if necessary.”

“And when it could not fulfill the intention of its caster, it died?”

He nodded. “It’s more complicated than that, but usually the nuances of casting are reserved for theoretical or philosophical discussions, so I’ll spare you.”

They lapsed back into silence, but it was easier somehow. The road they were on would lead them northwest through a small pass in the Shei-nam mountains. If they made good time, they might miss the first snow.

“Who is he to you?” Moon asked, glancing at her sideways.

“Traq?” She shifted again. “An old friend. We found each other after our villages were demolished.”

“Just a friend?” Moon asked. “He acted like more.”

She didn’t like his questioning, but she was grateful that he’d kept his mouth shut in the street. Not instigating a fight with a Starling was probably out of character for him. “He’s more like a brother. It’s why he gets so protective.”

He snickered. “Brothers don’t hold their sisters like that. And what I saw was much more than friendly affection.”

Her cheeks flushed. “I doubt you’re a great example of what brotherly love is, given our current circumstances.” He winced, but the satisfaction Audra had expected didn’t come. Instead, the space between them was tense again, and it had been her own doing. She swallowed her apology and remained quiet for a long while. Guilt finally opened her mouth when they stopped to water the horses at a small creek.

“Traq and I were more once,” she said cautiously, running her hand down the neck of the chestnut mare. “But Traq’s objectives changed when a Starling mage saw something in him. He was young, impressionable. Who doesn’t want someone strong to tell them they’re special? He filled his head with magic and glory. Told him he’d look good in white armor.” She shook her head. “He knew if he enlisted that would be the end of us. I told him, and he knows.”

“What does he know?”

“My priorities lie elsewhere.” She mounted her horse with a sigh. “He does look good in white armor though.”

He cleared his throat. “Forgive me if I disagree.”

Audra laughed.

The mountains loomed before them as the terrain changed slowly. Swaying taller grasses were slowly replaced by large stones interspersed beside the conifers she loved. The humidity of the sea had given way to an arid climate. She’d be home soon, and then Auntie Zin could help her figure out this mess with the Moon mage. Zin’s tether to all things magic was innate, though when questioned, her answers were evasive or indirect. Zin’s undying love for Audra’s mother was still strong, and that affection had always extended to her children. She’d kept Ferin well for the last fifteen years, despite the challenges that came with the task.

A pair of argentavas soared above. The huge predatory birds swept one direction, then arced and headed back the way they’d come, casting an enormous shadow over the path before them. They could be a problem if they became overly curious or hungry and had been known to feast on entire families before. The birds’ numbers had grown over the last few decades according to Auntie, who said their only natural predator was the western dragons.

“Where is Ferin? I’ve never heard of it,” Moon said. A gentle tug turned her toward him as easily as she steered the mare.

“Ferin isn’t a place,” she said. They were too close for her to lie anymore. She needed his cooperation. “Ferin is my brother.”

He swayed upon his gelding. The subtle change in his expression was inviting.

“He’s with our aunt just past the cutoff for Stonetown.” She cleared her throat nervously. “The jade is for him.”

The connection between them tightened, as if he were probing for truth.

Her chest warmed, and she closed her eyes. A thick rope spun of entwined threads spanned between them. The silvery things pulsed like a living entity. She tapped her surprise down. In her mind’s eye, she saw where his long fingers pulled and, reaching out, she pulled back.

His grunt opened her eyes, but she refused to acknowledge what she believed had just happened. The tightness in her chest eased.

“Why does he need it?” he asked.

Audra pursed her lips, deciding what to share. Her voice started softly beneath the weight of his attention. “When your...” No, that wouldn’t help the strain between them. “When our village fell, a spell struck Ferin.”

“What kind of spell?”

She shook her head. “Don’t know. He’s not been right since, and that was fifteen years ago.”

Moon was quiet, contemplative. “Injuries?”

“Stunted growth. Can’t speak or communicate consistently. Sometimes he draws; sometimes he gestures. We’ve tried alternate forms of communication, but he forgets everything soon after learning it. Repetition doesn’t help.” There was a chasm of sadness in her voice. “It’s been like that with everything. That’s why I asked earlier about the spells. I guess the one who cast it still lives.”

Starling tucked behind the mountains, causing Moon’s relief to sweep toward her. “It still hurts beneath the robes and the hat?” she asked.

“Starling burns. I’m at my strongest when both moons are full.”

She’d always assumed that the Moon tribes gave greater homage to the smaller Song, who was present thirty days a month, rather than the larger, slower moon whose cycles were almost double that.

He studied the sky. “Most people don’t realize that the Moon tribe is divided. Song is more popular, certainly. She’s readily available, consistent in her orbits. But fickle. Silence is stronger. He gathers strength in slow, precise movements. Nothing is done without great foresight. You must choose which moon to serve when you get your first star as a mage.”

“And you chose Silence?”

He nodded. “His crescent will be rising in another hour. Then we can pick up our pace.”

Audra’s shoulders and backside ached. “Aren’t we stopping for the night?”

He didn’t answer, but Audra caught the wisps of magical thread that spun out to their horses, quickening their steps.

His voice strained slightly as he asked, “Which tribe cast the spell that struck your brother?”

Audra stared at the tip of Mount Shi as it blushed in shadow. The image of the pale woman flashed through her mind. “It was a Moon mage.”