Page 42 of The Malice of Moons and Mages (The Broken Bonds of Magic #1)
Forty-Two
Xiang
D urin set Xiang’s leg with thin, delicate magic, working cautiously like a seasoned sewist to mend both bone and flesh. His pain with the healing had been minimal, but Jayna’s screams had shaken everyone. Before the old man treated her, he’d reminded Xiang that Starling and Moon magic were incompatible. By forcing his magic into her, no matter how careful he was, Jayna might never draw from the moons again. But there was no other way to save her.
Moon soldiers carried Jayna by pallet over stone-strewn roads. Her fever had broken, but Wren explained that, aside from the wound’s infection, the violent loss of magic had damaged parts of her that were difficult for even Durin’s skills to reach.
The Septra asked leading questions about the mage they were following, never offering too much in return. The familiar assuredness to her manners was likely born of privilege, much like the Oja’s. Though Wren lacked Selene’s conceit. Traq’s questions focused on the relationship between the moon mage and his anchor, revealing more uneasiness than curiosity.
Traq admitted to encountering the couple in Oxton and believed the Oji’s name was Chon. Xiang didn’t bother denying this. If the Starlings knew they were after the Moon tribe Oji, Wren would turn her people around with good reason. But Jayna needed their help, and Xiang could use the Starlings as a distraction when they reached the monastery.
If the Silence monks were busy fighting the Starlings, then Selene’s mages had a better chance of dealing with Lua. Though the Starlings had searched each of them for weapons, they’d left him his small mirror. He just needed something sharp and the opportunity to use it. Bolin would be worrying.
Xiang sat beside the fire, rubbing the residual soreness from his leg and watching Jayna’s tent when Durin exited it with a heavy sigh.
“She’s livid,” Durin said. He rubbed his hands together and sat across from Xiang. “Plenty of curses with your name attached. You weren’t born Moon, were you?” He didn’t wait for a reply before he continued. “I suspected, given your coloring, and that you don’t seem to grasp what you’ve asked us to do to her.”
“I understood. But lives have value outside of magic. She’ll see that eventually,” Xiang said. Durin gave him a discerning look before shaking his head.
Jayna was propped upright on a pillow when Xiang entered the tent. Though her complexion was waxen, she looked better than she had in days.
“How are you feeling?” He knelt beside her, ignoring her poisoned glare. “Durin said you might be ready to ride in the morning, but it seems too soon.” He filled a cup with water and pressed it into her hands before she could knock it away. “I know you’re upset but?—”
“You betrayed me!” she growled. “I’d refused their treatment.”
He’d always cared for Jayna more than most other mages. Despite his foreign heritage, she’d always respected him and actively sought his good opinion. She deserved an explanation if he hoped for her compliance. “Do you know why I’ve served the Oja faithfully? Even after the Moons killed my kin?”
There were rumors whispered behind his back, but he’d never addressed them: that he’d been a spy for the Moons or that he’d saved the Oja’s life. Maybe Selene was in love with him. Allowing mysteries to spread often kept the truth well hidden. Offering Jayna a morsel of honesty was rewarded with her softening expression.
“She holds the only thing that matters to me,” Xiang said. “I am used and lied to. Perpetually punished. Endlessly manipulated. All so I might earn an occasional hour with him at the Oja’s whim. I would do anything to protect him, including killing my people or anyone else’s. And I will lie with our enemies if it keeps him safe.” She shifted uncomfortably when Xiang took her hand. “I do all this knowing that our love is doomed. One of us will live on without the other. We cannot be together, and I’ve made myself a villain for it. Yet I can’t give him up. It is a torture I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
She exhaled. “What does this have to do with me?”
His eyes shone. “You want to know why I insisted they save you? Because I want you and Galia to have something that lasts. They’ll have no reason to separate you now.”
She stared at their clasped hands, her jaw firm again. “You had no right to make this decision for me.”
“You’ll live, despite your losses and your pride. If not for yourself, then for Galia.” Xiang squeezed her hand once before dropping it. Grief replaced the anger on her face. He’d managed to placate her, which would have to do for now.
She sat forward with a wince. “Where are we?”
“Near the border.”
Her gaze darted to the tent flap. “They shouldn’t be here.”
“No,” he said. “I doubt any of them will return south.”
“What do they know?” she asked. Xiang repeated the Starling’s inquiries and Traq’s assumptions about Lua’s identity. Her brow furrowed as she listened. “A Starling met the Oji and lived? That doesn’t sound right.”
“Turns out the Oji’s anchor is Traq’s close friend. Or was anyway,” Xiang said.
“The anchor, the way she spoke to him in the tower, could she have some influence over him? I’ve only met the Oji a few times, but he seemed different.”
Xiang shrugged. Her musings mirrored his own.
“You were friends, weren’t you?”
He chuckled. “Friends? The Oji’s never had friends. He was helpful when I first arrived, but it was always in exchange for something. Information on his sister’s dealings, that sort of thing,” Xiang said. “I used to feel sorry for him.”
“Sorry?”
“The Rajav’s people always surrounded him. Even his own anchor didn’t care for him. He’s been isolated for a long time under his father’s control. Selene had twice the freedom he ever did.” Xiang studied his hands. “Like I said, I used to feel sorry for him. I don’t anymore.”
“Because of Selene?”
“The Oji’s conflict with the Oja puts her anchor in jeopardy. Sympathy is an expense I can no longer afford. If we can get to the Silence monastery before the coronation, there’s a chance we can still defeat him.”
“With their help?” She motioned toward the tent flap. “Do they know why we’re headed to the monastery?”
“I’ve told them that there is a festival for the eclipses.”
“A festival?” Her voice was incredulous. “And when we get there?”
“Wait and intercept. If these people can be useful, maybe he can be subdued again,” Xiang said.
“Reinforcements?” she asked.
“I haven’t been able to get any messages through since you collapsed.”
Jayna rubbed her temples. “Kill his anchor. That’s the only way.”
Xiang’s expression darkened. “Audra might cooperate. I saw her waver in the tower.”
A stiff wind blew in with Wren. The thick white robes drawn up to her chin matched her pearly teeth. Her gaze flicked between them. “We’ll break camp in the morning. Hopefully, it won’t be too difficult to ride in the daylight for you.”
“I’ll cover well,” Jayna said.
Wren smiled disingenuously. “I’ll ride beside you. I can help if you fatigue. It will give us a chance to get to know each other.” That the Starling leader wanted Jayna close spoke more of respect than distrust. Plus, it would keep their soldiers from thinking of rebellion .
Jayna grimaced and pulled her robes around her. Xiang helped her onto unsteady feet. “Won’t that be nice?” Jayna said, meeting Wren’s smile with one of her own.
The Septra tilted her head, gaze flicking suspiciously between the two of them. “I’m certainly looking forward to it,” she said, holding Jayna’s gaze for a moment before departing.