2. Chapter 2
A laric rarely cursed. My hand fell to my sword as I looked around, but nothing appeared to be wrong. He pulled me towards the edge of the small lake glimmering in the rays of the morning sun. The valley looked peaceful, carpeted with verdant green grass dotted with mountain flowers that seamlessly blended into a forest wall.
‘Something’s … off,’ Alaric trailed off, his frown deepening. ‘I found a manuscript that suggested the crystals here have a purity similar to the keystone and that they are able to refract the condensed aether because they are, in essence—the wild magic—in solid form. I think that might be the source of the recent disturbances in this area; but if the manuscript is right, they could be used as a replacement for the current keystone. I wanted to check how accurate the claims were, but something …’
I nearly missed the startling revelation when Alaric once again fell silent. ‘They can? Do you mean there’s a real chance you could fix the Barrier?’ I asked, hopeful that the mages in the capital were wrong and Alaric had found a way to replace the broken keystone.
Before he could answer, a sudden movement caught my attention. Someone bolted from the trees bordering the far edge of the lake, halting as she reached the water. ‘Wal’vith hrae j’nesst!’ 1 Ari cursed again. His eyes turned crimson as he gestured rapidly, creating an illusion spell that made the world misty and grey.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked, raising my sword.
‘There is a disturbance in the aether. She’s running from it. Oh… she’s a mage,’ he exclaimed, pointing towards the female.
We watched as the woman spun around, her left hand lifting to execute a series of practised movements as she created patterns in the air. The air in front of her solidified into glyphs, but I was more interested in what she held in her right hand.
Blazing with blinding blue fire, a falchion rested comfortably in her grip, and the way she held the sword looked neither panicked nor inexperienced. She was focused on her task, a determined look pinching her features into a frown.
The wind wrapped her simple peasant dress around her full feminine figure, and despite her relaxed grip on the burning sword, she didn’t look like someone who fought often. The thought of a village healer or herbalist facing danger didn’t sit well with me.
I stepped forward, mentally calling for Vahin, but Alaric grabbed my hand, shaking his head before I angrily shook him off. ‘This is wrong. We can’t let some hedge witch face whatever danger needs a drawn blade as well as magic. I won’t let someone face peril alone. We need to help.’
‘Wait, there’s something about her … I know you can’t see it, but the way she ties the aether … Please wait,’ he implored, observing the female with quiet fascination.
‘You can always step in if she needs you, but you couldn’t be more wrong about this one. She isn’t some defenceless hedge witch, not with that skill. Look at the glyphs, at how complex they are and how fast she’s creating them. I want to see what’s coming, Orm. I need to know what she can do. Please trust me, brother.’
I ground my teeth but acquiesced. Magic was Ari’s domain, and if he needed to see this woman fight I would indulge him … to a point. However, I couldn’t let someone, especially a female who could wield magic, get injured for the sake of his curiosity.
The stench of the undead filled the air when two ghouls and a striga rushed into the clearing, charging at the female. As they appeared, she thrust her free hand forward, activating the spell she’d been working on.
The first charging ghoul was set ablaze, screeching as the flames engulfed him. The second, caught in a different glyph, slowed down as if he were trudging through molasses.
As if realising the danger, the striga paused, but the mysterious mage rushed towards it, her sword swinging in a deadly arc that grazed its chest before she twisted to avoid the monster’s claws.
Magic flared blood red on her fingertips as the woman slid across the grass and angled her sword between the remaining ghoul’s legs, severing its tendons with surprising accuracy. With a bloodcurdling scream, the creature stumbled to the side—straight into the striga’s slashing claws, the deadly talons stabbing deep into the ghoul’s chest.
‘Damn, I would love to duel with her,’ Alaric remarked next to me, but I was too enraptured by the deadly mage in front of me to pay attention.
Unlike me, she relied on speed and flexibility instead of strength, and it worked in her favour. I blew out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding as she twisted her body and landed a fatal blow that took the ghoul’s head.
I didn’t think she could fight against three attackers for too long, and I was soon proven right. Her luck was starting to run low as the glow of her spell dimmed and she stumbled to avoid the striga’s muzzle.
The hiss of surprise by my side dragged my attention back to Alaric. He held his chest, his eyes widening in astonishment.
‘Gods above … Hrae! Her magic is looking for an Anchor. She’s a conduit!’ he whispered in awe, but I’d had enough.
His curiosity would have to be satisfied with what he’d already seen. I almost barked the order as the next blow of the striga’s elongated claws raked over the woman’s sword arm, catching the leather vambrace and dragging her closer, ‘She is tired. We’ve waited long enough. Let’s go.’
‘Why won’t you die, bitch?!’ the mage screamed. I could hear the anger and pain in her voice, but as I made to run towards her, a black shadow descended from the sky.
Just as the woman’s hand connected with the striga’s chest, blinding blue flames burst through the creature’s body as my dragon ripped the monster’s head from its shoulders, the lifeless skull bouncing harmlessly to the water’s edge.
The fight was over. The mysterious mage stood there panting heavily, her body trembling while she eyed the dragon warily. Vahin only moved closer, gazing at her with unbridled curiosity.
‘Are you out of your fucking mind? I could have hurt you,’ she scolded the massive beast as she tried to catch her breath, and my mouth gaped open.
‘Why isn’t she afraid of Vahin?’ I heard Alaric’s fascination as he stared at her as if she were a miracle.
‘There is a connection between them. Her magic … I don’t know how, but it’s like she called out to him for help—and he answered.’
‘Wait, what ?’ I’d never seen Ari so shocked, but my companion’s face was the picture of confusion and wonder until he managed to rein in his expression. Before I could ask him what had happened, though, I had another riddle to solve.
Almost as if he couldn’t control it, Vahin’s thoughts so strongly radiated surprise and joy that my vision was superimposed with the dragon’s sight. The strange phenomenon ended after a moment, just as the massive beast released a peculiar sound that was half growl, half whine, and flattened himself on the ground.
What? Did he just … apologise?
The woman rushed towards Vahin, placing her hand on his muzzle before walking around him as if checking for injuries.
‘There, there. I’m sorry, too. I didn’t hurt you, did I, handsome? I’m sorry if the flames burned you. I was almost done with her, so you didn’t need to intervene. What should I do with you now, huh? Are you hurt? Hungry? Where’s your rider? Do you even have one? Gods, you look so familiar …’ she fussed, stroking the sensitive spot under Vahin’s gigantic eyes, causing the dragon to relax and purr.
The pleasure that radiated through our bond, the contentment that Vahin felt from the female’s attention, the pride at her actions, and the possessiveness that blossomed in my dragon’s mind concerned me. Vahin was civil to strangers … well, mostly. But liking them was another thing.
Did she put a spell on him? I wondered. I couldn’t feel anything untoward in his mind, but I didn’t know what tricks she may have used when she touched him with her magic, so I closed my eyes, commanding him to leave.
I finished sending my thoughts, but as I opened my eyes, I noticed Alaric had broken free from the illusion surrounding us. ‘If I had a conduit mage …’ He paused for a moment before muttering, ‘If she can respond to Vahin, she could potentially Anchor my magic. Orm, she could be the solution to our problems. We need to take her to the fortress. You need to grab her. If you don’t, I will.’
Ari stepped forward before I was able to stop him, and I raised my eyebrows at his actions. Someone else who has developed a sudden unhealthy obsession with this strange fighter. I knew it was her magic that fascinated him, but we weren’t savages who kidnapped females from the fields. Besides, I had doubts that this encounter was a coincidence.
I felt like I had seen her before. There was something strangely fascinating about her. Dressed like a countrywoman, with enough power to make Alaric envious and enthral my dragon, she was more than met the eye. I needed to assess what danger she posed before I could let her enter my fortress.
As my dragon continued to be stubborn, I sent Vahin another mental order to leave. Meanwhile, Alaric marched away from me through the grass with his usual decisiveness, his steps long and purposeful as he neared the mage. However, the woman was too preoccupied with stroking the dragon to pay any attention until he was almost upon her.
… Vahin refused to leave. My godsdamned dragon had ignored a direct order, twice. That was enough to make me second-guess the idea of trying to bring her with us.
‘It’s not every day that you get to see a lady stroking such an impressive beast, especially when surrounded by corpses,’ Ari said, offering one of his charming smiles. The woman in question turned with the grace of a dancer and pointed her sword in his direction.
‘Who the fuck are you?’
I could see her hand tremble and felt Vahin’s annoyance radiating through our bond. Even more surprising, however, was how she positioned herself between the dragon and Alaric.
Is she seriously trying to defend a dragon?
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I felt Vahin’s amusement. My troublemaker of a beast wrapped his long neck around her, glaring at the dark fae as he released a soft growl. Seemingly unfazed, my friend only raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
‘My name is Alaric’va Shen’ra. I’m a mage, like you. I came here to investigate the legend of this mountain lake and the crystals that are said to grow within it. I’m not here to fight you, my lady. I’m simply curious as to your reason for being in such a remote setting without an escort?’
‘Do I look like I need an escort?’ she retorted, and my lips quirked as she straightened, flicking her hair back with casual arrogance. The smile she gave Ari was polite and confident, though not exactly friendly.
I watched my companion’s body tense as the woman took her time studying him, making no attempt to hide her feelings, her expression unimpressed at what she found. After a brief glance at the dragon, the mage inclined her head towards Ari.
‘Well, Alaric, my purpose here is to make the woods safe for travellers such as yourself. Did the council send you here to check on the Barrier? I’d thought they learned nothing from the last time.’
She grasped her kirtle and wiped her blade. ‘You shouldn’t journey alone. I suggest you bring an escort next time you come looking for pretty crystals. As for the lake, it is just a myth. If you’d attempted to dive in, you would have found the water freezing and the famous crystals nothing but pretty bits of ice crystallised on the lake bed.’
The woman didn’t offer her name, nor did she disclose much other than the surface reason for her presence. Still, she had politely provided information that would prevent an unnecessary death from someone foolishly swimming in the freezing waters.
Of course, she might be lying, but Vahin wouldn’t be so friendly to someone with malicious intentions. She was brave and secure in her skills, yet intelligent and evasive, which appealed to the soldier in me.
How would she react to me? came the thought, bringing with it a budding interest. I should recruit her, I told myself . I knew I was making things up to justify taking her back with me, but with a mage like her, our ground forces would likely suffer no losses. My internal strategist was already planning out how to incorporate the mysterious female into our army.
The stubborn expression she held as she looked at Alaric warned me that she was trouble, but trouble that would be worth keeping. I could appreciate such an attitude. If what Alaric had said was true, we needed to get her to the fortress.
I’d heard about conduit mages and their immense magic; after all, they were the power behind the mages that had initially raised the Barrier. At best, she could be the key to restoring the Barrier, but if not, I could still recruit her as a battle mage. She was clearly used to dealing with monsters and possessed fine combat skills.
Alaric seemed to be of the same mind as he continued to question her, his voice morphing into the sensual timbre that had seduced many women into his bed. ‘May ask your name, my lady?’
Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears as the mage rolled her eyes. And, as irritating as the situation was, I had to restrain my laughter at the expression on Alaric’s face when he failed to impress her with his alluring charm.
‘No, you may not. I don’t know you. Your race isn’t often comfortable at such altitudes, and you appeared out of nowhere after I finished fighting these creatures instead of helping me as a crown mage would do. So no, I won’t give you my name. Though I will give you the benefit of the doubt and, with it, a little advice,’ she said.
The smile disappeared from his lips, his eyes narrowing at the challenge in her voice. Unaware of her effect on him, the woman’s gaze once again slid over his body, taking in his lithe masculine form, and sighed.
‘If you’re planning on further excursions, come better prepared. Bring a sword with you, and if you have magic as you claim, be ready to use it. This place is swarming with danger, from humans as well as monsters, and I don’t have time to dispatch every threat. When you’re done with whatever you’re here to do, take the leftmost path to the town. It is safe for now, but do not linger for too long.’
Remembering myself, I tried again. Vahin, get the fuck up! I commanded, this time strengthening my order with a harsh push. The dragon grew restless, expressing his anger at Alaric for upsetting the woman, and I’d never felt him so agitated. I didn’t want him to hurt either of them accidentally, though—much to my relief—he finally obeyed.
‘I appreciate your concern, my lady, but I’m not taking orders from some nameless mage, no matter how beautiful or skilled,’ Ari ground out through clenched teeth.
I couldn’t blame him. He could easily handle a small army with his spells, yet she had lectured him as if he were an ignorant child who’d come looking for adventure.
‘I also have a suggestion for you: with skills like yours, you should come to Varta Fortress. We could use a skilled mage to help defend the borders,’ he offered, and she laughed in his face.
‘If I wanted a man to tell me what to do, I’d take a husband. Goodbye, Alaric. I have enough on my plate without looking after clueless fools.’
I was right—the woman was trouble. Taunting a dark fae wasn’t a good idea at the best of times and disrespecting them was even worse. Alaric was no exception. Before I could react, she turned away, sheathing her sword and walking back the same way she’d came.
When I finally joined him, Alaric’s face was unreadable. He quickly removed the illusion spell he’d placed over me, but I saw how tightly his jaw was clenched, muscles rigid with anger.
‘Ormond, she must live nearby, and she is unmated. During the next Maiden’s Day, you will take her to the fortress. She might be a shrew, but she is a conduit, and I would sooner kidnap her from her bed than let a conduit mage escape us.’
1. Oh, for fuck’s sake, woman!