CHAPTER 13 Wren
CHAPTER 13
Wren
‘The human mind holds more poison than any plant’
– Elwren Embervale’s notes and observations
T HE WORST POSSIBLE place for Wren to be was trapped on a boat with him . His presence, constantly in her periphery, was distracting at best, downright infuriating at worst. After all this time, after all the disappointments, she was on her way to Drevenor Academy...and now it was being overshadowed by the hammer-wielding Bear Slayer.
Several times, she found herself hauled back into the war years, Queen Reyna’s words echoing in her mind more than once: g iving rise to ancient power long forgotten ...A shiver raked up her spine. Wren had never told Torj about the premonition, and frankly, she saw no need to do so now. It was all in the past – a past she’d rather forget.
As they set sail, the ever-present current of lightning stirring beneath her skin put her on edge. With him at her side, her magic had awakened to new heights, and all her attempts to suppress it with tonics and potions had failed. It simply demanded to be felt.
In the privacy of her cottage, it was far easier to deal with the aftermath of the battle of Thezmarr and the memories that plagued her at the hint of a particular smell or sound. Here, with a Warsword guard, and Cal, Kipp and Farissa nearby, she felt raw and exposed. She was used to channelling those feelings into her ledger of marks, into planning her next poisoning, but as the Sea Serpent’s Destiny rocked over the waves, she could do nothing.
A familiar hand offered her a steaming cup – a hand roughened by years of working with chemicals and potions.
Reluctantly, Wren took the tea from her former mentor with a stiff nod of thanks.
‘You must be excited,’ Farissa ventured quietly.
‘I will be, when I get there,’ Wren replied, taking a sip and suppressing a satisfied sigh. It was dark and sweet, just as both she and Farissa liked it – a small testament to the countless hours they’d spent together before the war.
‘Do you understand why I did it?’ Farissa asked, looking out to the foam-tipped waves.
Unexpected tears stung Wren’s eyes, and she was keenly aware of the Warsword’s presence, only mere feet away. ‘Why you denied me a place at Drevenor all these years? Why you thwarted my chances at the one thing I wanted?’
‘Yes. Do you understand why?’
Wren blinked back the emotion rising to the surface. ‘I was your most promising student. Your apprentice. I worked for you for years .’
‘You were. And you did.’
‘The answer is no,’ Wren said, stripping the hurt from her voice. ‘I don’t understand why you did it.’
‘What am I a Master Alchemist of, Elwren?’
‘Healing.’
‘And what was the specialty we shared at Thezmarr?’
Wren ground out the word again. ‘Healing.’
Farissa nodded. ‘Exactly. You took what you’d learned about preserving life and made it about revenge. About death.’
Wren stared at her. ‘You thought I would let those who funded and benefitted from the war get away with it? Sam and Ida were brutalized , Farissa. They were your students too.’
‘I know.’ Her former mentor sighed heavily, drinking her tea, the lines on her face deepening with resignation. ‘You will understand. One day.’
Wren bit back a sarcastic remark. She didn’t appreciate being patronized, but Farissa was the only one who’d actually been to Drevenor, who knew what it was like.
‘You’ve never talked about the academy,’ she said instead. ‘Not in any detail.’
Farissa glanced at her, recognizing the truce Wren had called. ‘I took an oath of secrecy. As you will.’ She cupped her weathered hands around her mug. ‘But as you’re soon to be a novice there...’
Wren knew Farissa was sharing out of guilt, but she didn’t stop her.
‘Drevenor had been established for centuries, known for producing the most talented masters in our field. But it disbanded when Naarva fell to the shadow wraiths in the lead-up to the war. Its acolytes spread far and wide across the midrealms and beyond the Veil, some retraining in other trades and professions, others trying to continue their studies, albeit with far fewer resources...You know how that went,’ she added. ‘We did what we could at Thezmarr, but it was always a guild for warriors above all else.’
‘I’m well aware.’
‘What we didn’t know was that the academy fell under Talemir Starling’s protection. Even during the war, it was not ravaged like the rest of the lands. It was being re-established even then, under the cloak of darkness. And the masters who were still alive, still practising, returned to open its doors once more.’
‘And you?’ Wren asked, wondering how much salt Farissa would add to the wound. ‘Have you been back since?’
‘Yes. I’ve taught healing there on and off for the past few years.’
‘And yet you kept me out.’ Wren swallowed the lump in her throat and tossed the dregs of her tea over the side of the ship. ‘Imagine where I’d be, had you not stopped me.’
‘I do, Elwren. Every day,’ Farissa said sombrely, meeting her gaze. ‘And it terrifies me.’
Wren clenched her jaw. ‘So why now?’
Farissa’s answering expression was grim. ‘Because the alternative terrifies me more.’
Clouds gathered on the horizon, and Wren could almost feel the incoming rain on her skin. It made her all the more restless. The conversation with Farissa simmered in her mind like a potion bubbling over a flame. The bitterness that lingered in Wren’s chest was almost painful, and yet, she could not move past it. She paced up and down, finally making for the starboard side—
Only for a towering mass to block out the weak midday sun and follow her across the deck.
She clicked her tongue in frustration, coming to an abrupt halt and spinning on her heel to face the Bear Slayer.
‘You’re being ridiculous. Can I no longer move a few paces on my own? What’s next? You’ll follow me to the bathing quarters? Rescue me from the soap suds?’
The corner of Torj’s mouth twitched. ‘Only if you ask nicely, Embers.’
Wren flushed. ‘What have I told you about that name?’
‘Can’t recall.’
A noise of pure exasperation escaped her and she threw her hands up. ‘You’re impossible.’ But as she made for the other side of the deck, the ship lurched over a wave, and she lost her footing—
Strong, warm hands circled her waist, catching her midfall.
‘What were you saying about walking a few paces on your own?’ His voice rumbled against her as his breath tickled the shell of her ear.
‘Get off—’
But as she attempted to push him away, the ship gave another sudden lurch, water slapping against the hull and spilling across the deck.
Heat enveloped her, and her face met a hard wall of muscle.
Black cedar and oakmoss , she realized, the scent washing over her as Torj held her tightly, his arm around her back while he gripped the rigging with the other. He pulled her close as the ship rocked violently beneath them, sea water still spraying up from below.
His body was a shield. A safe harbour.
And Wren wouldn’t stand for it.
Ignoring the heave and pitch of the vessel, she twisted out of his grip and lunged for the railing.
‘Embervale,’ he shouted over the roar of the waves and calls of the crew. ‘Get below deck.’
‘I’m fine where I—’
His expression turned mutinous. ‘I wasn’t asking.’ In a blur of movement, he was suddenly there, his hands on her, lifting her—
‘ Don’t you dare ,’ she hissed.
He tossed her over his damn shoulder.
‘I vowed to protect you at all costs,’ he growled, carrying her to the ladder that led to the cabins below. ‘Even if it’s from your own damn stubbornness.’
Wren’s cheeks flamed as she realized their little display was visible to everyone on board. ‘I’m going to murder you in your sleep, Warsword,’ she hissed.
But the Bear Slayer only gave a dark laugh as they descended below deck. ‘I’d welcome some sleep, Embers. So be my fucking guest.’
She kicked her legs and flailed against his hold to no avail. His grip was iron – not enough to hurt, but immovable.
‘If you’d done some self-defence, you might have been able to free yourself,’ he said, approaching her cabin door.
In a fit of rage, Wren summoned her lightning and sent several pulses into the brute of a man.
‘That’s cute.’ He didn’t so much as flinch. ‘It almost tickled.’
And with that, he threw her onto the bed and slammed her door on his way out.
Wren stared after him for a moment before she screamed into her musty pillow.