Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
“If you want a spell that will change you into the man you’re pretending to be, I can’t help you. Transfiguration spells, even the temporary ones, are beyond my ability.”
“You know I’m a woman?”
“I have eyes. And no man ever says please.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, looking around her shop at the herbs and amulets. I recognized very little.
“What do you want then?” she asked impatiently.
“My father brought me to Adele to wed me off,” I said, keeping with Andrew’s story. “I would like to prevent that.”
“Keep dressing as you are, and it should do the trick.”
“We both know there are men who either won’t care or will feel that a good beating will help me remember the proper attire for a woman.”
She sighed and turned away from me. “My first husband was like that.” She picked up a stone from one of the shelves.
“First? How many times have you been married?”
“Three.”
I knew I shouldn’t ask, but I couldn’t help myself.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three. I married the first one at fourteen. He had a pretty face, and I thought I was in love…until he started hitting me for not sweeping the floor the way he liked.”
“What happened to him?” I asked.
She shrugged and set the stone and herbs she’d collected on her work table.
“He disappeared like men often do around here.”
She felt no distress over that statement, and I didn’t ask what happened with her last two husbands as she began mixing herbs together. She added water to the pot and set it on the holder above a candle that she lit. I recognized her hair wrapped around it.
“What spell are you casting?” I asked as she began to murmur.
She shushed me and continued.
Knowing I could erase her memory if she discovered what I was doing, I touched my energy to hers and felt for her intent. She was casting a spell for bad luck in marriage. It was the same spell she’d cast on herself when her first husband started hitting her.
I felt her pain and sorrow. Its weight pulled at me, and I found myself searching her memories to discover why. Adogen, the caster before me, had lost so many children due to the men she’d wed. Beaten out of her body before she could love them or sold once they’d arrived. And the root of it was the spell she’d buried deep in her bones due to that first man.
She scooped out a portion of the tea with a small wooden ladle and held it out to me.
“Drink it,” she said.
I looked at the steaming liquid and sensed the spell within.
“What will it do to me?”
“It will ensure you don’t have to live your life with a man who doesn’t love you.”
I nodded and took the ladle from her.
Remembering how the last spell had taken root, I partially opened my well and drank. Instead of settling into my bones, my well absorbed its energy and robbed it of its intent.
“There. It is done. That’ll be seven copper,” Adogen said.
I dug into the coin purse I’d hidden on my person. When I set the coins in her palm, I touched the spell binding her with my intent.
“This blessing is old and passed from generation to generation, or so I am told. When you wish to find a love who will cherish you above all others, find a man supporting his mother. His heart will know how to give gentle care, and with him, a fruitful life you will bear.”
The spell lifted from her bones and entered my well.
“Guard yourself well, my friend. I hope you never again have to marry a man who doesn’t love you.”
She frowned at me. “You’re an odd one.”
I smiled. “Since I am wearing a soot mustache, I can understand your opinion of me.”
She chuckled and pocketed the coin. She felt lighter. Happier.
But most importantly, she hadn’t sensed I’d cast on her.
“Thank you for the spell,” I said, heading for the door.
“Wait,” she called before I reached it. “You’re not from here, are you? Turre, I mean.”
“I’m not.”
“A word of advice then,” she said. “Go back to wherever it is you came from. It’s not safe here.”
“You’re not the first person to say that. But no one will tell me why.”
“Because this is a land where the strong devour the weak. Where parents sell their own children to survive. And no one does anything to make it better.”
“And if someone tried?”
“They would quickly find themselves in the royal dungeon.”
I nodded my understanding and left without another word.
Outside, the sun sat low on the horizon. Long shadows covered the roads as I made my way back to the inn. The number of guards patrolling grew, and I was forced to take several wrong turns to pass undetected.
Just before the sun set, I felt Edmund prowling down the center of a busy market street. Anger radiated from him, and people scurried out of his way. He ducked inside a dress shop, and I felt his anger grow along with his fear.
He was looking for me.
I slipped into a nearby alley and picked up a stone smaller than a pea. He didn’t leave me to wait long. When he passed the alley’s opening, I flicked the stone at him, helping it stay true with some air, and it hit his arm.
The way he stopped dead sent a thrill through me, and some inner demon made me smile when he slowly turned his head to look at me. I felt his relief, along with the need to toss me over his knee and thrash my backside until I couldn’t sit comfortably.
I beckoned him to join me with a crook of my finger.
“You left,” he said lowly when he reached me.
“I did. But in a way that did not call attention to me. Unlike you, Edmund. The way you just stalked down the street drew every eye. Be upset with me, but do not show it. Not here. Not now.”
His hand captured the back of my head, and his mouth was on mine before I even sensed his intent. He kissed me with hunger, anger, and desperation. As much as I wished to lose myself in his kiss, I knew neither of us could afford that. So, I stomped on his toe.
He pulled back with a growl and glared at me.
“By all appearances, you’re kissing another man in an alley. Stop this madness, or I will make you,” I hissed.
He let out a long breath and released me. After ensuring my hair was properly tucked up into my cap, I turned away from him and started down the narrow alley.
“Where are you going?” he asked, following.
“Back. I imagine you’re not the only one upset.”
He said nothing else as we weaved our way to the inn’s road. When we reached it, I motioned for him to continue.
“Not without you.”
“And how will it look to everyone paying attention if I return dressed as this?” He opened his mouth to answer, but I cut him off. “Take a leisurely stroll down this road; then check the stable. There’s a boy hiding in the hay who might like a bite to eat. While you’re busy, I will find a way to reappear as if I’ve been there the whole time.”
His anger boiled again. “Your departure will be discussed when you return.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.”
He pivoted away from me and took one angry stride before visibly relaxing and slowing down. Satisfied he was listening, I continued to the neighboring street and cut through the side yards of the vacant homes to reach the inn.
Despite the darkness, climbing up to my open window was easier than the descent. However, my arrival did not go as unnoticed as my departure.
Liam sat on the bed. Anger radiated from him as well—which upset me a great deal. The few times I’d seen him angry had been because of the trackers. This time, as he watched me pull myself through the narrow window, his anger was directed at me.
“Is your anger out of fear, or did I unwittingly do something that will cause harm to you or your brothers?” I asked once I was on my feet.
“I’m not yet certain.”
“Does the innkeeper know I’m missing?”
“She does. It was hard to keep quiet about it when we searched every inch of this place.”
“Did she tell anyone else?”
Suspicion crept into his gaze.
“Why?”
“I need to know what tale to weave since we can’t very well tell her I snuck out dressed as a man, can we?” He watched me wash my face and frowned when I motioned for him to turn around.
“I won’t escape out the window, Liam. I simply wish to change before the others return.”
He stood and presented me with his back. I quickly shed his clothes and slipped into my own.
“Edmund was out looking for me,” I said as I laced my gown. “When did you return?”
“An hour before dusk.”
“That is unfortunate. I’m finished dressing.”
He turned around.
“Why unfortunate? Because you were discovered?”
“Of course.”
He tipped back his head and closed his eyes. “You’re going to drive us mad. I can see that already. Brandle will find a stone home and lock you in a room with no windows and no thatching.
I withheld my sigh and fought not to give in to my frustration. Even my mother, who loved Eloise and me very dearly, had never sought to restrict us. She’d guided us to make better choices, certainly, but she’d never kept us from doing as we wished. And that was what it felt like the men in my life were trying to do. I knew that wasn’t truly the case—they had no wish to confine me but only to keep me safe—however, in their minds, confinement meant safety, not a loss of freedom.
Rather than address that, I said, “Shall we wait for the others downstairs?”
Edmund was just entering the common area as I reached the landing at the top. I sensed the innkeeper at her work table.
“Did you find her?” she asked Edmund, not seeing me or Liam.
Edmund glanced at me, and I quickly shook my head.
“I checked the dress shops you mentioned, but none of them had seen her.”
“Perhaps your brothers will have better luck. Dinner will be ready shortly. She was very curious about Adele.”
Edmund sat next to Andrew, who also hadn’t yet noticed me.
If I simply descended the stairs, I doubted the innkeeper would believe any tale I might tell about slipping past her unnoticed twice. While I knew I could remove her memory of me coming down the stairs and replace it with something believable, I also knew none of the brothers would like that. So I decided to try something else. If I could move air and absorb the energy from water until it disappeared, could I not do the reverse?
I drew energy from my well, willing it to form water in the air. Mist gathered at my feet, and I quickly withdrew my energy. Filling the inn with fog was hardly an inconspicuous entrance. How else could I hide myself from her sight?
With a glance at the lit hearth, the candles casting light in the room, and the open door, an idea formed. Smiling, I created a wind that swept through the room. It extinguished the candles and made the fire sputter and spark dangerously.
Smoke roiled from the hearth, filling the room.
The innkeeper ran to stomp out the sparks that landed on the wood floors. Edmund rushed to help her. With their backs to us, I pulled Liam down the stairs with me and then pushed him toward the others as I slipped out the back door.
“That’s never happened before,” I heard the innkeeper say.
“Let’s hope it never happens again,” Liam said.
Coughing lightly, I walked in through the back door and waved a hand in front of me.
“Why is it so smokey?” I asked.
The innkeeper’s gaze went from me to Andrew as he stood suddenly.
“Do you have any idea how much you’ve upset your…kin? Me?”
“Were you looking for me?” I asked, mustering every ounce of innocence I possessed, which was a good deal since Eloise and I had practiced often.
“Where have you been?” Andrew demanded.
“I went for a stroll in the market. The folk here aren’t friendly, but I did find a caster who was quite helpful.”
“A caster?” Edmund asked. His anger hadn’t lessened with my return. “What business do you have with a caster?”
“My own, I should think.”
Garron and Darian chose that moment to enter. I could feel their relief at the sight of me.
“Trouble, you have three seconds to give me a better answer,” Edmund said.
“Answer for what?” Darian asked.
“Why she went to a caster,” Liam said.
They all looked at me. I gave my most innocent smile. “For my bleeding pains, of course.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” the innkeeper said. “You should have come to me first. I have some tea I can brew for you.”
With her in the kitchen and distracted, Edmund took a menacing step toward me.
“I will not be bullied, Edmund,” I said with soft warning.
“And I will have the real answer.”
Brandle and Eadric entered. Their emotions ran from joy—Eadric—to relief and anger—Brandle. Eadric hurried toward me and swept me up in a hug.
“We were so worried about you, Sparrow.”
I hugged him tightly in return and, aware of our audience, withdrew from his comforting embrace.
“I’m sorry to have caused you concern. But I’m well. I promise.”
The innkeeper harrumphed. “Your menfolk won’t learn to care for you if you don’t speak plainly about what ails you, child. Whether they want to hear it or not.”
Brandle cocked his head and studied me. His curiosity and worry wrapped around me.
“Are you unwell?” he asked.
“In the head,” Edmund muttered.
“She went to see a caster,” Liam said. “For her monthlies.”
No one missed the disbelieving intonation he used while speaking the last part—including the innkeeper, who shook her head and muttered under her breath about thick-headed men and questioned what the world had come to that there was no consideration left.
“What’s done is done,” I said.
Daemon walked in. His gaze locked with mine, reflecting the hurt and betrayal I felt from him.
“You’ve returned,” he said.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Did you truly not want to wed?”
“What?” I was so shocked that I wasn’t sure I’d heard correctly.
“I was asking around for you. The caster you saw said you’d been there and spoke of your wish never to marry. The spell she gave you will ensure no marriage will last.”
I could feel the innkeeper looking at me in disbelief, and I wanted to cuff the lot of them for even attempting to have a conversation with me in front of her. What did they think I could truly say? That I remained true to them? All seven of them? My supposed kin? That would certainly draw attention.
“Have you nothing to say?” Brandle asked softly.
“I do. Look at yourselves, and you’ll know the answer. Now, if you’re done treating me like a child, I believe I’ll retire for the evening.”
I turned on my heel and climbed the stairs with a level of refinement I hoped would convey my annoyance. Were they purposely being unreasonable? Did they truly not understand I could say nothing in my defense in front of the innkeeper?
Brandle’s hand stopped the door from closing.
Facing him, I waited for him to speak. The silence grew, as did his anger.
“Do you truly have nothing to say for yourself?” he asked.
“I believe, in your current mood, any words I utter would be wasted.”
“Try,” he said. His imploring gaze loosened my tongue.
“Do you truly believe I would let another cast a spell on me?” I asked quietly. “I am not so foolish, Brandle.”
“Yet you climbed out a window, dressed as a man, in a place we’ve repeatedly warned you is dangerous.”
“Running through the Dark Forest was dangerous, too. Yet, if I hadn’t risked it, I would not be standing before you now.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. I could feel the storm of his raw emotions abrading him from the inside, and I captured his face between my palms.
“What is it that truly troubles you, Brandle?”
His turbulent gaze held mine.
“We thought we’d lost you.”
“You will never lose me. I’m steadfast and too resilient to fall.”
I kissed him lightly on the lips. He made a pained sound and tried pulling me closer. I slipped from his grasp and shook my head at him.
“You lecture about caution in one breath then do risky things in the next. Edmund looked more fierce than any armored guards I saw today when he strode down the street looking for me.”
“Did the guards take note of you?” Brandle asked, gripping my arms firmly.
“Of course not. I did nothing to stand out.”
He sighed heavily. “Will you tell me the real reason you went to the caster?”
“To test how well hidden I am from other casters.”
Understanding lit his gaze, along with immeasurable fear. “You cast? Here? In Adele?”
“Breathe, Brandle. I didn’t openly cast. Only small manipulations. I promise. What I was testing was the effectiveness of my hiding.”
“This lid on your well,” Brandle said, understanding.
“Yes. In order to cast, I need to touch the energy within my well. I needed to know if I could lift that lid without being detected so I could cast if needed. And I can.”
“Don’t do it again. Promise me. There are casters in Adele with more power than you can imagine. If they even catch a hint of your ability, you would be in danger, Kellen. Promise me you won’t do it again.”
“I promise not to take unnecessary risks. Now tell me what you did today. Did you find any help?”
He glanced at the open window before saying, “It’ll take time, Kitten. Please be patient.”
“I am, Brandle, which is why I’m willing to wait for you to share what you’ve truly been doing with your time.”
“We’ve found a home. It’s run down like this one but large enough for the eight of us. We can move there tomorrow.”
“What about?—”
“Uncle will return home.”
I heard a creak in the hallway and cursed myself for not paying more attention.
A moment later, the innkeeper knocked on the door Brandle had closed when he’d started kissing me.
“I have your tea, dear.”
Brandle opened the door and bade the woman to enter.
“Don’t leave without an escort again, or Edmund truly will take you over his knee out of fear for your safety. You know how unhappy that will make the rest of us.”
I nodded and watched him leave.
“They’re a protective lot, aren’t they? Not very understanding, though.” She motioned for me to sit on the bed then joined me as I sipped the tea. “It’s normal for a girl not to want to leave the home she knows to marry a man she doesn’t. But by using a caster to ruin your marriage before it’s even formed, aren’t you removing any possible chance for your future happiness? Not all men are bad. Look at your kin and how much they care about you. Even the gruff one who wants to swat your backside only does so out of love and fear for your safety.”
I nodded, and she patted my hand.
“Any spell done can be undone. Take one of your men with you tomorrow and have the caster remove it. All right?”
“I will.”