CHAPTER TWO #2
Isla was muttering to her daughter in a foreign tongue that Evylin didn’t understand while Vayden, Auden, and Ilain rose together. Then the mother spun to slap her husband with a sharp smack. “You didn’t tell me she was here,” she said, clinging fiercely to the teen.
Vayden smiled kindly even as he held a hand to the red mark blossoming on his cheek. “My darling, I wanted it to be a surprise,” he said. He turned back to the others with a dry look. “I always forget how temperamental Schonese women can be.”
Isla held her daughter closer even as the girl giggled in her embrace.
“Papa brought me because he knew you’d be coming soon,” she said, the features of her face a blend between the sharpness of Waulden and the fullness of Schonese.
“I told him it was a bad idea to hide it from you. Hello, Aunt Lainy, Uncle Audy.”
Rafferty sniggered at the nicknames while the family exchanged their greetings.
Evylin smiled all the while. She hadn’t known that Auden and Ilain had a niece.
Granted, she hadn’t known they had a sister-in-law either.
And once again, she realized she didn’t know very much about the people who surrounded her.
Thoughtful as ever, Deckard rose to set another chair at their table for the young Calder girl to join them.
She sat between her aunt and mother, chatting blithely .
. . until she spotted Ethenn across from her.
The young girl blinked, taking in the strapping Warrior, then blushed deeply.
She scanned the rest of the table, swallowing visibly. “Hello,” she murmured.
“Hello,” Evylin said, thinking of her own nieces. She’d never particularly gotten on with children, but this girl was old enough and the Calders were witty enough that she thought she might have some sporting conversation.
Vayden took his seat once more, nodding to the teen. “This is our daughter, Reyana,” he said, then introduced her to the Ephrians.
Reyana shrank in her seat as the Ephrian men said their hellos. Her eyes kept darting between Ethenn and Thom, and she pressed closer to her aunt as though to hide, though Ilain wasn’t very adequate cover, being trim as a post.
Granting the young girl mercy, Deckard started up the conversation with Vayden again, asking more about the meeting. However, Evylin was more interested in hearing Reyana’s whisper to Ilain. “You have very attractive friends,” she murmured.
Ilain patted her hand. “Yes, dear,” she whispered back.
Reyana’s eyes locked on Ethenn, who was failing to keep his eyes on his plate as though he knew he was being observed. “He’s quite muscular,” she said in a hushed tone.
“That one is mine, darling,” Ilain replied. “But you can have the broody one in the corner.”
Reyana snorted softly in laughter and put a hand to her mouth, making it so that Evylin couldn’t pick up whatever she muttered next.
“And what is it that you do for the Alliance?” Deckard asked, drawing Evylin’s attention back to the conversation.
“At present, I’m a bit of a glorified messenger,” Vayden said with self-derision.
“My age has caught up to me, you see. When I was younger, my likeness to the prince made me an invaluable asset. I often traveled under the guise of Prince Blount, helping to undermine the monarchy’s authority in various military outposts or by retrieving sensitive information.
I was quite successful in impersonating him until these wrinkles betrayed me. ”
“They make you look distinguished,” Isla said.
“They make me look old,” he corrected good-naturedly.
Evylin disagreed. She’d hardly noticed the lines on his face until he’d pointed them out himself. “How does that work?” she found herself asking.
The whole table turned toward her, and Vayden’s lips quirked up at the corner. “How does what work?” he asked.
“Blount—Mages and their extended youth,” she clarified, then looked at Ilain. “You said you’re in your forties?”
“Forty-three to be precise,” Ilain confirmed.
“Yet, you look younger than I,” Evylin said.
Ilain brushed a hand through the air. “That’s purely because you weren’t readily using your magic until these last few months.
It’s why Jonn looks older than Auden despite being fifteen years his junior.
The magic of Mages and Warriors keeps them young.
Now that you’re both accessing your magic, you won’t age like normal humans.
You’ll stay looking youthful until . . .
Well, likely for another century. Maybe two if you Bond. ”
“That’s not—” Deckard began, but Ilain cut him off.
“Not a topic you’d like to discuss,” she said reproachfully. “Well, forgive me if I think living longer and improved lovemaking is beneficial.”
Evylin blushed, and Deckard blanched, while Ethenn choked on his food. Immediately, Rafferty began to laugh hysterically, and Thom covered his amused grin with a hand. The Wauldeners regarded them all with bemused expressions.
“I don’t understand what—”
Isla took her daughter’s hand, silencing her as she explained, “Ephrians are more reserved, Reya. They don’t discuss things like marital intimacy in mixed company.”
“And especially not in front of children,” Thom added.
Reyana’s face went red. “I’m thirteen,” she said with great offense.
Thom failed to hold back a smirk. “My apologies, ma’am. I only meant to defend your honor.”
That caused the girl to deflate as her whole face went bright red.
“As it is,” Ilain went on, “most magical individuals appear in their mid-twenties to thirties for the majority of their lives. Look at Isla—” She gestured to the Wind Mage. “She’s seventy-two.”
“I beg your pardon?” Thom said with incredulous disbelief.
Evylin had to agree. Isla looked no older than her.
The woman in question shrugged. “I’m only half Waulden, so I’ll likely die sooner than the average Mage. I was born in Schon and was only brought here when I was Reyana’s age, which makes me less powerful as well. It’s a wonder I haven’t started aging yet.”
“It’s because you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for,” Vayden said supportively.
“I’m under no illusions of my abilities, love,” she said. “And in fifty years, I will die happily at your side.”
Evylin wanted to ask about the disparity in a marriage between magical and non-magical individuals but thought this was neither the time nor did she have the relationship with either Isla or Vayden required to make such an inquisition.
Instead, she returned to the topic of the couple’s occupations. “You are both spies, then?” she asked.
“Were,” Vayden corrected. “I aged out, and Isla’s been compromised.”
Evylin turned to Isla. “You said you were with Lady Renaul for three years.”
Isla nodded, smiling knowingly as Evylin’s eyes darted to Reyana. “That is correct,” she said. “I haven’t seen my daughter or my husband in three years. Nor was I able to contact them for fear that the duchess would discover me.”
The Ephrians stared at the small family in alarm.
“That’s asking a lot of a family,” Deckard said.
“It’s what we do in the Alliance,” Isla continued, drawing her daughter closer. “We sacrifice everything for the sake of a better future—for our children.”
Evylin met Deckard’s stare. The sentiment made her feel unsettled. She didn’t think Isla meant to pressure them or to suggest they offer the same sacrifice, but the weight of her words was still there. If they wanted to secure a better future, what were Evylin and Deckard willing to sacrifice?
Rafferty leaned forward, elbows propped on the table, as he gestured to Isla with a slice of cheese. “If this is a recruitment speech,” he said, silver eyes glowing, “it’s shit.”
Vayden chuckled. “I assure you that we aren’t bothered with recruiting you.”
“Because you already suckered us into that when your siblings duped us before?” Ethenn said brusquely.
Evylin couldn’t help her wry grin, feeling a similar cynicism.
“We didn’t trick you,” Ilain said with terse enunciation.
“You lied,” Ethenn returned, not quite looking at her.
“It was our job.”
He picked at the bread on his plate. “And duplicity is completely different from trickery.”
A beat of silence passed uncomfortably as the table watched the pair. Deckard looked ready to interfere while Vayden narrowed his eyes, a brother watching out for his baby sister. Then Rafferty sniggered.
“He’s got you there, firebrand,” the weasel said.
Ilain glared at Ethenn even as she spoke to Rafferty. “If you call me that again, I’ll burn your stupid mustache off.”
Rafferty self-consciously brushed down his white-blond stubble. “It’s the only facial hair I can grow,” he said defensively.
“I promise you,” Vayden interjected, an appeasing tone to his voice.
“It was never the Alliance’s intention to dupe you into anything.
Auden and Ilain have made many sacrifices themselves, doing what they must to ensure the salvation of all our people.
You were never intended to join them in the first place. ”
“We weren’t?” Evylin asked.
“We’ll get into that at the meeting,” Auden said.
“But no, you weren’t, and no, we didn’t bring you into this intending to force you into our services.
We asked your forgiveness in Virwoud, and you all agreed to help us despite our lies.
Once this mission is over, if you choose to go your separate ways, you may. ”
Deckard’s jaw tightened, reminding Evylin that the claim wasn’t wholly true.
Auden had used Deckard’s desire to make Evylin happy against him, eliciting his promise to join the Alliance at the end of their journey together.
As Deckard would never go back on his word, it appeared their future was set.
An air of discontent rested over the table. Despite the Calders’ apologies and placating remarks, the Ephrians weren’t ready to trust them. Not when every act they’d experienced by the Alliance was riddled with deceit and manipulation.
Clearing his throat, Thom spoke. “I think,” he said calmly, “that this is a conversation better discussed when we aren’t so tired.”