13. Chapter 13
‘ M y lady, please wake up … My lady, the bath is ready.’
The strange voice intruded on my dreams, and I pried my eyes open with an expression that made the owner of said voice flinch. My initial confusion, however, quickly gave way to embarrassed understanding.
I was still in Orm’s bedroom, but now the smell of herbs and meat filled the air, making my stomach rumble. I focused on the bravely smiling face of a young girl with blond braids and eyes as blue as the summer sky. She wasn’t from Zalesie, and she clearly didn’t know me, judging by how vigorously she kept pulling at the covers.
‘Who are you?’ I asked, and the girl’s smile widened confidently. ‘Your maid, my lady. You’ve been asleep for several hours, and the lord commander told me to wake you and draw you a bath. He is busy with Master Alaric, but he sent some food from the kitchen and made me promise to make you eat something before the night’s rest.’
‘Night’s rest? But it’s barely morning.’
‘You slept through the day, my lady. The lord commander took good care of you, then Master Alaric came, but unfortunately, they both had to go.’
I looked towards the corner where a tub large enough to drown two grown men in sat filled with steaming water. ‘Right, of course. Well, let’s try this again. How about we start with your name? Then you can explain why I’m not bathing in the communal baths and why someone was forced to carry this monstrosity up here.’
‘My name is Agnes, my lady, and I will be your maid—your personal maid,’ she said, emphasising the word ‘personal’ and bouncing with excitement. Anyone would think she’d been given a noble title.
‘We have a large and well-equipped bathroom, but Lord Ormond said you needed comfort and privacy. Besides, it wasn’t the servants who brought it here; the soldiers and riders did. And Master Alaric cast this weird spell that made everything so quiet.’
I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they’d fall out. Orm’s idea of privacy came with an army parading through my room while I slept.
‘Fine, thank you, Agnes. I’ll take it from here. You may go,’ I said, but she only shook her head. ‘No, my lady. The commander was insistent when he told me I must assist you in everything you need.’ Determination flashed in her eyes.
‘What was your previous job?’
‘I worked in the kitchen, but I’ve always wanted to be a lady’s maid.’ My shoulders fell at hearing that. It was a significant advancement for Agnes, and it was clear as day that she would do precisely as the lord commander instructed whether I liked it or not. I was stuck with a maid I didn’t need unless I threw her out.
‘If you insist on staying, then you must call me Ani. I’m a mage, not a lady.’ I gave the maid a stern look and stepped out of bed. I cursed in surprise when my legs refused to hold my weight and almost sent me crashing to the floor. Agnes caught me with a strength I didn’t expect from someone so slim and slowly guided me to the bathtub.
‘I can only call you Ani when no one’s watching, alright? The lord commander would kick me out penniless if I disrespected you. You know, he’s never had a woman in his chambers. He mostly spends his free time with Master Alaric, and we all thought that …’ She made an obscene gesture while blushing heavily before slapping a hand over her mouth. ‘Ohh … I shouldn’t have said that.’
‘Said what?’ I enquired. Distracted by my weakness, I was unsure what she was alluding to. I climbed unsteadily into the tub, still wondering, when she continued. ‘Well, we thought that Lord Orm and Master Ari were … but now that I’m thinking about it, Master Alaric never came here, either.’
The girl was a gossip, but I loved the idea of having such a rich source of information.
‘So you assumed Alaric was Orm’s lover, and now you think I’m his woman?’ I teased, my mischievous smile making my new maid blush. ‘But you are his woman, my lady … I mean Ani. How can you be so indifferent about it?’
‘His woman? Did he tell you that?’
‘Well, no. But you’re here, in his bed. It is the first time the commander has chosen a maiden, and he rushed you to his bedroom. Then there were those noises … If you’d heard him when he told us to serve you—even the cook got scared. So I thought you were his. There was talk amongst the riders that he calls you his Nivale ,’ she said, wide-eyed.
I couldn’t fault her logic. Everything she had mentioned pointed to that conclusion, and I closed my eyes in defeat. I will never live this down. With a deep sigh, I sank lower, trying to let the verbena-scented water ease my muscles and wash away my embarrassment.
‘How am I expected to work with the fortress mage if he thinks I’m here to warm Orm’s bed?’ I asked, and Agnes chuckled. ‘It’s not good to be at odds with Master Alaric. He can be mean to those who wrong him or the lord commander … You know … the sounds that sometimes come from his room, the voices. Some say he is possessed and that the dark fae is blackhearted.’
‘Yes, well. I will have to explain this somehow, preferably before the poor mage hears that I was naked in Orm’s embrace. That won’t give him a good impression of me, and I can’t risk breaking his black heart.’ I winked. Agnes burst into unbridled laughter before positioning herself behind me and lathering my hair with scented soap.
‘You are not what I expected,’ Agnes ventured, her nimble fingers making me moan as she massaged my scalp. ‘Yeah, I’ve been hearing that a lot lately,’ I murmured as I felt myself floating away on the perfumed steam. Before I knew it, Agnes had me in a pleasant stupor with her gentle ministrations.
A soft knock, followed by a draft from the open door, made my eyes snap open a moment later. ‘Is she ready, Agnes?’ asked a melodic, masculine voice, and I found myself turning towards the agreeable sound.
‘Ready for what?’ I inquired, submerging myself further until nothing but the top half of my head was visible between the floating herbs.
‘Ah, Annika, it is a pleasure to see you awake. I need to examine you. After all the trouble you gave me last night, I’m here to ensure my patient is recovering,’ the dark fae said. I sighed, blowing bubbles before lifting my head slowly. It seemed everybody was dead set on seeing me naked.
‘As you can see, I’m in the bath. Come back later,’ I snapped, but he was already halfway into the room. ‘Should I bounce a fireball off your head to stop you? I said come back later.’
‘If you’re worried about me seeing your body, darling, that ship sailed last night.’ He smirked, coming closer, and I crossed my arms over my breasts. ‘Yeah, but as I haven’t seen you naked, you shouldn’t make yourself too comfortable in my room.’
‘That can be easily rectified if you’d like.’ A mischievous grin lifted the corner of his mouth. ‘Although I don’t usually strip for my patients, the idea does pique my interest.’
‘Good grief, what is wrong with everyone today? Shouldn’t you be dark and broody? I can’t believe I have to work with someone with a sense of humour ,’ I huffed, pulling myself to the opposite edge of the bath.
‘You demand a lot from your poor healer—dark, broody, and naked? I’m not sure if I can sacrifice my sunny disposition even for such a cause.’ I rolled my eyes.
‘Oh, cut it out. What do you want me to do?’ I gave in because the bastard had made me involuntarily smile and the mischief hadn’t left his eyes.
‘Right now, I only wish to examine you. There is a lot to talk about, much more than we can cover today. I trust Orm told you that we need to replace the crystal to fix the Barrier? Its magic is decaying faster than expected, and the incident with the wlok unfortunately sped up the process significantly. I’m afraid that your role in all this involves spending time with me and additional training in transmutation and artefact construction,’ he said, and I pulled a face.
‘Fine, I can do it. Anything else?’
‘Judging by your expression, I assume you haven’t done that since your university days. There is another way, in which I perform a spell using a conduit mage connection; however, that would necessitate you considering me as your second Anchor. It would make things much easier, but as it is not a decision to be hastily made, we will talk about everything later.’ He reached out towards me. ‘Your hand, please.’
I was still mulling over his statement as I reached towards him, placing my hand in his. While Alaric checked my pulse, I couldn’t help but wonder if Orm had told him how physical the Anchoring was because his request felt so impersonal. Once he’d finished, the dark fae handed me a small vial.
‘Here, drink this.’
I stared at him until he raised an eyebrow and smirked. ‘It’s just a revitalising draught. Drink up, or I’ll call Orm,’ he threatened, and I huffed in annoyance, reaching for the liquid and gulping it down in one go. What followed was a moment of pure bliss that left me moaning and slowly slipping beneath the water.
Alaric chuckled as he grabbed my chin and supported my head until I regained control of my body. ‘That will help you heal and rejuvenate your energy. We will start our lessons tomorrow. Until then, Agnes will provide you with anything you might need,’ he said before I pulled away. He’d saved my life the other night, but I was irritated by his constant commands.
‘Your name’s Alaric, yes?’ I asked just to antagonise him, and when he nodded, I sat up straight, brazenly exposing myself. ‘Thank you for saving my life, but even your “sunny disposition” won’t be enough to convince me to Anchor you. I’m sure you know that already. Also, you aren’t my teacher; I will be your partner, a second mage for the fortress, and you will treat me with all due courtesy. That means you can’t come into my bedroom uninvited when I’m in no fit state to receive a guest—’
My tirade was halted by the sound of banging and crashing outside.
‘Don’t try to stop me, you bastard. Where’s Ani? What have you done with her?’ The muffled, angry voice made me stand up, barely registering that Alaric had hastily grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me. He positioned himself in front of the door with a dagger in his hand right before it burst open to reveal Katja as she fought with a soldier.
‘The commander said our lady should not be disturbed while the healer is with her!’ the man bellowed, and my eyes widened in shock. Somehow, over the course of the day, I’d advanced in rank without even knowing it.
‘She is not your lady . She is Ani, our town mage, and I’m her healer! Why does she even need a healer in the first place?’ Katja fought like a mountain lioness, and my mind finally registered that I should say something.
‘Alaric, tell them to let my friend go and that if anyone else touches her, they’ll regret it,’ I threatened. The soldier instantly let the feisty woman go, bowing to me. ‘Lady Mage, my apologies. I was instructed to ensure your privacy.’
‘Go. Lady Annika is safe with me,’ Alaric said, and the guard bowed again before leaving and closing the door behind him.
I gestured Katja towards the table where Agnes had left food and drink while I put on a white nightgown. Despite its simplicity, the fabric was soft and smooth, luxurious to the touch. I hadn’t expected to find such finery in a mountain fortress, so it only added to the place’s appeal.
As soon as I was dressed, Katja was by my side.
‘How are you? And why is this dark fae claiming to be your healer? Ani, what is going on? One moment we’re flying here, stuffed in those damned baskets like market goods; the next, the sky was burning, and everyone was saying you did it. Then I found out that the commander had locked you away in his bedroom! … Are you a prisoner? I thought riders never forced their women.’
Alaric’s snort earned him glares from both Katja and me. ‘After that display of magic, I doubt anyone would dare try forcing Annika to do anything, or did you miss the guard’s reaction to her threat?’ He snorted again, and my glare darkened.
‘Of course they’d never force a woman. How dare you even suggest such a thing? And … and … The lord commander is the noblest of them all!’ Agnes bristled, adding her thoughts to the discussion. For a moment, I thought she might have even smacked Katja with the serving tray.
‘There’s something you should know …’ I interjected warily, and both women looked at me, forgetting their quarrel.
‘Spill it, sister, because I know that look. Your magic … that wasn’t something a small-town mage could manage, even if she was university-trained.’
‘Katja, I … I deserted the Crown Mage Corps before I came to Zalesie. Orm—I mean, the commander—obtained my geas to bring me here; but after a little negotiation, I agreed to come— not as a maiden, but as a mage. I know what it looks like, but this irritating fuc … fae here claims I can help him stop the Barrier from failing.’ The words came out in a rush.
Alaric gave Katja an exaggerated bow when she looked at him sharply, and I continued. ‘So, for now, I’ll be staying here. Even though I need to stay near the commander and the fortress mage, I swear I’m safe,’ I said, not giving Katja all the details to avoid another of her famous lectures.
‘Can you really do it?’ she asked quietly. ‘That would help so many.’
‘I don’t know, but Alaric believes I can, so I have to try.’
Katja turned around, her gaze sliding over Alaric’s relaxed posture with such judgement that he smirked when she was done. ‘I hope you like what you saw, or are you another woman determined to see me naked?’
‘No one wants to see your pasty body!’ I snapped, looking for something to throw at him, but the exchange seemed to calm Katja. She chuckled slightly, looking around.
‘Well, I’ll leave you to your life of luxury and irritating men. Just don’t forget about those of us crammed in the female boarding house. I’ll visit tomorrow, and if I can do anything, let me know. I don’t want you to struggle when I’m available to help.’
I loved her for that, for trusting my judgement and for accepting the situation without overdramatising or making life difficult. When she left, I turned towards Alaric. ‘It’s your turn now. I don’t want you here,’ I ordered, scowling when Alaric came closer, still wearing that arrogant smirk. ‘Would you prefer someone else? I can call you-know-who if you let me stay and watch; you were so keen for his company last night.’
‘Master Alaric, let my lady rest.’
Agnes’s timely intervention saved the dark fae from a well-deserved slap, and I watched with a satisfied smirk of my own as she grabbed Alaric by the collar and marched him out of the room like an unruly toddler.
I was definitely going to keep her. A gem like Agnes could not be wasted peeling carrots in the kitchen.
Happy to be left alone, I dived under the blankets, sighing with pleasure when the masculine scent of cedarwood and leather filled my senses. I was in Orm’s bed, and I was sure that my host hadn’t been prepared to share, as the linen—albeit clean—still carried the scent of his body.
No one is watching , whispered the voice in my head. After a moment of hesitation, I grabbed a pillow and buried my face in it. Orm’s scent was like a safe port in a heavy storm, and I allowed myself a moment to enjoy it, internally promising to put the pillow back in its place in a minute … only to crush it to my chest and fall asleep with it in my arms.