Chapter 33
Alaric
No matter how far I traveled, I still felt her. Even days later, the burning in my chest refused to go away. I rubbed the ache as a biting wind whipped my hair. The air here was bitterly cold, but I didn’t care.
After leaving Raven and the others, I’d teleported back home and grabbed as much cash as I could find, along with some warm clothes. Then I’d used another teleportation potion to get as far north as I could.
If freezing to death on a remote island in the ass-end of nowhere was my fate, I’d gladly accept it.
The ocean seethed beyond the rusty metal railings in front of me, towering waves crashing against the pier. The boat ride across from the mainland had been a nightmare. Even now, several hours later, my stomach ached from relentless vomiting.
The captain had taken pity on me after two hours and offered some ginger tea to calm my stomach, but it hadn’t helped.
Bile burned the back of my throat. I swallowed hard and gripped the railings, focusing on the few stars peeking through the darkness. The distraction helped.
At this time of year, the days were short and the nights endless. It was barely three p.m., but daylight had long since faded. Back home, the first shoots of spring had appeared, but here, spring was nowhere to be seen.
I silently wondered how the people survived in this goddess-forsaken place. How joyless their lives must be in these harsh communities. Every minute outdoors in such a hostile environment was a fight against the merciless elements.
Worse still, there were few opportunities to eke out a living in a small town like this. So far as I could tell, fishing was the chief trade. That and mineral mining.
I pulled my jacket tighter around my neck, wishing I dared use magic to warm my frozen body, but giving my status away seemed unwise.
My father and his cronies had plundered these islands for minerals and gems. Mages were not popular, as evidenced by the anti-mage graffiti painted on every available wall.
While I agreed with sentiments like fuck Vane and death to mage scum, I knew the people here would see me as the enemy if they realized I was a mage.
But I figured my father wouldn’t search for me here, so being lynched seemed an acceptable risk. For now, at least.
I stepped away from the railings and turned back toward the town. There were very few accommodation options on offer, but I’d found a room in a small boarding house. The owner had taken one look at me and charged way more than the shitty room was worth, but I’d taken it without argument.
Slush soaked through my Italian leather boots, seeping into my socks. The wind picked up as my emotions churned. Was Raven safe? I sensed no anxiety along the bond the few times I gave into temptation and checked.
I hoped she understood why I’d left.
After the way my father had used me to capture her, I couldn’t risk that happening again.
What if Dad had planted a second kill-switch in my brain?
Dark magic enchantments were insidious. I still had little recollection of what I’d done the first time.
All I knew was that I’d taken her from the club and delivered her to my father.
If Dad got hold of her again, he’d waste no time harvesting her death magic.
The thought of what he would do with that kind of magic made me shudder. Necromancers could kill thousands with the flick of a finger, which was bad enough. But what Raven probably didn’t realize yet was that she could also bring souls back from beyond the veil.
My father would be unstoppable if he had the power to raise an undead army. No human weapons on earth could fight a horde of undead soldiers whose only loyalty was to the mage who’d resurrected them.
It didn’t bear thinking about.
Snow obscured the way ahead as my mood plummeted. Every few minutes, lightning flashed above. I trudged on, bent double against the howling gale. Eventually, a lone lantern appeared in the inky darkness, swinging in the wind.
Not yet ready to return to my miserable room with its narrow bed and damp-stained ceiling, I headed toward the glowing light.
A glass of elkwine might warm my blood. Failing that, at least there would be a fire where I could dry my feet before going back to the boarding house.