30. Something special
Something special
F elix woke up freezing again the next morning, though he had anticipated it and wore a shirt, to Isolde’s pointedly expressed disapproval.
The sky was pale, and there was a new chill to the wind when they departed the keep. Felix threw a final glance at the ruin that had been such a lifesaver, hoping it would not be the last time they had a roof over their heads for the foreseeable future.
“So…” Isolde began as they walked at the back of the group a few hours later, out of earshot of the others. She was biting her lip and glancing sideways at him nervously. “What Garren said yesterday…”
Felix stopped walking. Dread crept into his stomach. “What about it?”
“Is it true?”
“Is what true? That I am a worthless sellsword? Or, what was the word – lowlife? I suppose it is.”
Isolde looked shocked. “No! That’s not… You’re not! Don’t say that! I meant… you and Mia.”
Oh, right. Thanks for that, Garren.
Felix grimaced. He would rather have continued talking about how much of a lowlife he was. “We had a thing for a little while. It wasn’t anything serious.” He tried his best to say it as casually as possible.
“Were you in love with her?”
He snorted. “No.”
Isolde nodded, looking at Mia’s back up ahead. “And… us? Is that something serious?”
Felix caught her arm, pulled her sideways into him and turned her to meet his eyes. “After all that impressive and, frankly, very sexy defiance yesterday, you still let Garren get to you?”
She fought to keep the smile off her face and tried to glower at him. “No, I –”
“Might I also remind you,” he continued with a smirk, “that you were the wily temptress in all of this? Dragging me out into the rain to steal my innocence?”
She stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes. “I suppose, but…”
Felix cocked his head. “But?”
Isolde stared down at her boots, biting her lip. “But it is, right? Serious?”
He hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Isolde. Listen to me. I will follow you down into the ninth layer of hell, if that is what it takes. If that is not serious enough for you –”
She didn’t let him finish but launched herself against him so suddenly he staggered backwards, catching her in his arms. Her lips pressed against his in a kiss that was all heat and want, erasing any thoughts from his mind that weren’t about her and how good she smelled, felt, tasted.
Her magic flared around them, entwining them, drawing him closer.
He did not know how long they stood there. All Felix knew was he was silently cursing all kinds of things. Clothes, the open landscape, the glaring absence of rooms with doors and beds, and finally their bloody companions and their blatant unwillingness to leave them alone.
“Um…” Leif’s voice sounded from up ahead. “Luella – I mean, everyone else – says to please, um, stop that and continue walking or we will never make it to the Nexus.”
Felix reluctantly broke away from Isolde and glared .
Leif held up his hands in an apologetic gesture. “Sorry! We drew sticks, and I got the shortest one…”
Isolde laughed. “It’s fine, Leif.” She grinned at Felix. “Come on, lowlife. We have places to be.” She took his hand in her own and dragged him along behind her.
Felix shrugged with amused indignation at Leif, who rolled his eyes and followed.
Luella and Garren continued walking at the sight of their approach, but Mia fell back. “So,” she said breezily as she joined them, “are we going to talk about it?”
Felix raised an eyebrow. “About what?”
Isolde looked curiously at Mia. “Do you mean your magic? I was wondering if anyone else noticed.”
Mia nodded. “I have never been unable to get a man to stand down from an ego-charged fight before. Something about you is different.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Wonderful,” Felix muttered. He had noticed, and he didn’t particularly want to talk about it.
“It could be some kind of innate resistance,” Isolde mused.
“I was thinking more along the lines of fey ancestry,” Mia deadpanned.
Isolde giggled. “It would explain the temper.”
“And the bone structure.”
Felix sighed. “Are you two done?”
“Certainly not,” Mia replied. “We’ve only just started. I want to test this.”
Isolde lit up. “Oh! Yes, please do.”
Felix groaned. “Why are you encouraging her?”
“Because it’s fascinating,” Isolde said excitedly. “What if it’s something to do with me?”
“With you?”
“Well,” she said, shrugging, “you have been around me more than anyone else. Maybe my magic… um… rubbed off on you.” Her cheeks flushed scarlet.
Felix smirked at her. “That so? ”
Mia gasped dramatically, rushed over to Leif and covered his ears with her hands. “Not in front of poor Leif!”
“Yes, please leave me out of this,” Leif mumbled. “I, uh, where did Biscuit go?” Without another word, he increased his speed to join Garren up ahead.
“It could be important, though,” Isolde continued after collecting herself. “What if it has something to do with… with all of this? Have you ever noticed any kind of resistance to magic before?”
Felix laughed. “No, and you know that as well as I do, since you healed me once, and threw me against a wall not too long before that.”
Isolde stared, looking faintly mortified. “Yes… but that was before…” she mumbled.
Mia’s eyes went wide with glee. “Tell me this story. Now.”
“So you can turn it into a song and make fun of me?” Felix said, glaring. “I don’t think so.”
Mia scoffed. “I have plenty of material for that. I could write about that time you fell off the bar in the Flagon after someone threw a pint that hit you in the –”
“Right, good point, let’s move on.” Felix grimaced.
Isolde laughed. “We’ll have to exchange stories later, Mia. I’m more curious about this magic situation.”
“Yes!” Mia agreed. “Let’s test it. I’ll go first.” She looked Felix up and down with a sly grin.
Felix folded his arms. “Fine. But if you make me hug Garren or recite poetry, there will be hell to pay.”
“No hugging or poetry, I swear on my lute,” Mia said with mock-seriousness. “We’ll merely try some… gentle coercion? Stand still.”
She moved opposite Felix and looked intently at him. Isolde stood off to the side, her gaze flicking excitedly between them.
“Felix, could you be a dear and pick up that rock for me?” Mia said in a singsong voice, one elegant hand outstretched to point at a fist-sized rock at his feet.
Felix glanced down at it. His first reaction was to do as she asked; after all, it was such a minor request. But right away, another part of him protested.
What a pointless thing for her to ask. It was just a stupid rock. “No,” he said. “Get it yourself. ”
Mia frowned and clamped a hand around his arm. “Please, Felix,” she said imploringly. “It is really important to me. Help me out this once?”
And damn it, he almost did. Felix uncrossed his arms and started reaching down, but as he did he stopped himself, and straightened back up. “No,” he said again, his lip curling.
“This is amazing,” he heard Isolde say, and found her staring at him in awe. “I felt your magic, Mia, and it kind of… slid off. Like it had nothing to hold on to.”
“Well, that’s annoying,” Mia mumbled. “This had better be something extremely rare. Now, let’s see you try.” She looked at Isolde and smiled.
“Oh! I um… What do I do?” Isolde said, looking unsure.
“Knock him down, shove him,” Mia said gleefully. “Just a bit. It’ll be fun.”
Felix chuckled wryly. “I am simply delighted at all of this. You have no idea.”
Isolde shook her head. “I don’t want to hurt him, Mia!”
“It’s fine, Isa.” Felix shrugged. “I trust you.” He winked at her. “Do your worst.” He wasn’t afraid of her hurting him… He was more concerned with the implications if she didn’t.
“Alright,” she said softly.
She raised one hand. Felix braced, and a faint pressure brushed against him. It was nothing, a breeze. He didn’t move.
Isolde’s brow furrowed, and the air thickened.
The pressure increased, as if he were wading through running water.
Felix took half a step backwards. Behind him, pebbles scattered and several larger rocks rolled away.
And then it was back, that reaching, coiling presence of her magic around him.
It was a question, and something in him answered, like hands and arms and legs entwining together.
Her mind touched his, as gentle as a brush of lips against skin.
They simply stood there as it receded, staring at each other as if there was nothing else in the world.
“Ugh,” Mia groaned from somewhere nearby. “Disgusting. I’ll be up ahead.”
Mia’s words startled them both out of their daze. Felix blinked, trying to get his bearings. Isolde shook her head as if to clear it, then gave him a small smile. “Well,” she said softly, “I suppose the only conclusion we can draw here is that you’re… something special. ”
He rolled his eyes. “Right, sure.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “What, you think this is some kind of coincidence?”
Felix squirmed under her analytical look. “I don’t know, Isa. I don’t know what to think about any of this.” He didn’t want to be special. Special meant scrutiny. Expectations. Responsibility. He didn’t want any of that.
Her face softened. “Alright. I understand. We’ll have to… see what happens.”
They joined their waiting companions up ahead and continued on their way. Isolde was quiet for hours, and Felix could have sworn he could hear her mind creaking and churning with wild theories when he listened closely enough.