Chapter Thirty-One #3
There was also a weird twist of tension because people kept deferring to Brannal and then remembering that Cormal was Summus now.
Brannal always deferred to Cormal, and Cormal said he really didn’t mind—he even muttered that it would be good practice for later—but it made everything a little bit awkward.
The looks people kept shooting at Cormal suggested they hadn’t expected him to take this so well.
It wasn’t the most relaxing journey, that was for certain.
Trill hoped that Cormal and Prince Kinan were having more fun in the carriage.
He was too far back to feel if anything interesting was happening.
(It hadn’t escaped his notice that a wall of Warriors tended to be between the Prince and him and Yannoma. Well, he couldn’t really blame them for that. If nothing else, they were comparative strangers.)
Perian rode with Trill, and where Perian was, so was Brannal. Arvus and Molun stuck with Trill, too. He’d heard a little about Prince Horsey when they were on the estate, but watching him on this longer journey made evident that he was both a magnificent animal and full of opinions.
Perian had insisted that he would ride him because when the Prince had his body back, he would want his horse.
The Prince looked like he wanted to argue, but Cormal had put a hand near his arm, and he let the matter go.
Arvus had quietly filled Trill in, and it was clear that the horse represented a lot.
Perian grinned. “Also, if we left him behind, there’s an excellent chance that he would knock the stable down, stage a rebellion, and probably figure out how to take over the house.”
The Prince had smiled at that, at least.
Although they wanted to get back to the castle in good time, they were keeping a steady pace. They didn’t want to tire out the horses or attract more attention than they already were.
It wasn’t until their first night in an inn—some of the Warriors had ridden ahead and secured most of the building for them—that Trill confessed one of the worries that had begun to preoccupy him on the ride.
“Do you think this whole thing will fall apart if we’ve injured people in the past?”
They were in a private parlor, and the Prince had insisted that all the new Warriors and Mage Warriors stay out of it.
“Then it is doomed before it begins,” Yannoma said.
Trill hadn’t been thinking of her. “I don’t want to be a liability,” he clarified. “If they want children of two worlds to be pristine and helpful, I don’t want to make that worse.”
Perian looked him straight in the eye. “I killed a man.”
Trill blinked, stunned.
“You did not!” Brannal snapped.
Perian shot him a look. “I did.”
Brannal’s expression was serious and intent, and he still looked annoyed. “You were restrained. You fought off an attacker who was attempting to assault and kill you. You defended yourself.”
Their gazes remained caught for a long moment, and then Perian blinked and looked at Trill.
“I knew that carnalions could consume energy. I was desperate, so that’s what I did.
I didn’t know how else to stop him. I killed him, and despite that, the Queen chose not to have me killed after I tried to heal the Prince.
” His gaze was somber. “Nothing about this is easy, and I imagine that by the end of it, we’re all going to have accusations and insults hurled at us.
But as long as we’re not actively attacking or killing people needlessly, I think we can still make this work. ”
Molun kissed the side of Trill’s head, and Arvus curled an arm around him. “We know you wouldn’t do that.”
Trill sighed. “No. I’ve never deliberately harmed anyone.
” He swallowed. “But I didn’t know what I was then, I guess a bit like you.
” He tried to smile at Perian. “I’d started an apprenticeship at a tailor’s, and I didn’t know to be careful.
An apprentice and I fooled around, and I took too much energy.
I didn’t kill him, but he collapsed and nobody could rouse him, and the, uh, state of undress made it clear what we’d been up to. Everyone started yelling, and…”
It had been awful, truly. Not like what had happened to Perian, but still terrible for Trill.
“My grandmother found out,” he said, voice low. “She hushed it all up somehow, told them she’d take care of it. She didn’t call the Mage Warriors, but she locked me in my room and just, uh, waited. Didn’t give me any food or water. I guess she’d figured the situation would take care of itself.”
They were all staring at him with horror. Molun clutched Trill’s hands, and Arvus’s arm tightened around him.
Trill blew out a breath. “I’m still not sure how my father heard about it.
He hadn’t come round in a year or two. But he showed up just in time.
” Trill sniffed. “He broke down the door and rescued me. He made sure I ate, then took me to Yannoma so she could explain everything. And we took care of one another for a bit.” He cleared his throat.
“We’re so glad you found one another,” Molun said earnestly, and the others nodded.
It was Brannal who said, “When I manifested fire for the first time, I burnt down my house. Exceptions have always been made for Mages—Elemental Mages—when they come into their magic. I don’t imagine it will be that simple for carnalions or Life Mages, but the fact remains that there are precedents for protections and exceptions.
As difficult and awkward as it will be to discuss it, that’s why we’re all going. ”
Trill supposed that was true. It was likely to be awful… but even Yannoma had agreed to try. Trill was going to do his part, too.